Ranking the 16 Greatest Free-Kick Takers of All Time

When play stops dead some 25 yards from goal, the crowd goes silent and waits in anticipation. It knows what’s about to happen. For many, there will be little worry. Indeed, the vast majority will think, “It’s going to need to be one hell of a hit.” Or, more likely, “Bah, the keeper’s got it covered.” This isn’t about those players. This is about those... 

Breaking Down Netherlands’ World Cup 2014 Group Stage Opponents

If Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal was hoping for an easy ride in next summer’s group stage, then Friday’s draw was a slap in the face for the former Ajax and Bayern Munich coach. Having been placed in Group B with reigning world champions Spain—perhaps the best team in pot B—along with Chile and Australia, the Oranje face a real test to merely reach the... 

5 Best Teams Who Failed to Make It Through a World Cup Group Stage

The FIFA World Cup draw takes place on Friday afternoon in Bahia, meaning all 32 nations who will be in Brazil for football’s major festival will know exactly who they’ll meet at the group stage next summer. As such, fans can now start to get excited about their own World Cup wallcharts and will be able to plan who they think will be progressing to the knockout stages and beyond. However,... 

World Cup 2014: National Sides the Power Teams Fear

With all qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup completed, we now know the 32 sides who will be heading to Brazil next summer. And we also know how the 32 sides have been split into four different pots, with five-time winners and hosts Brazil joined in Pot 1 by (unsurprisingly) Spain, Germany, Uruguay and Argentina as well as (more surprisingly) Colombia, Belgium and Switzerland. The three other pots have... 

World Cup 2014 Roundup: Lionel Messi’s Christmas Break Crucial to Argentina

The Barcelona and Argentina talisman Lionel Messi has succumbed to yet another muscle injury—his third of the season already—and faces six-eight weeks on the sidelines. No longer can it be just a coincidence; since Pep Guardiola’s departure, the problems of his formative years under Frank Rijkaard—which meant he missed the 2006 Champions League final win over Arsenal and suffered... 

10 Players Who Never Fulfilled Their Potential

Sometimes in football, things simply don’t work out. Whether it be for individuals or clubs, sometimes things happen, and despite intentions being right and honest, they don’t go to plan. Hence why some players flop after massive transfers, or why some big clubs are relegated despite investing a lot of money in their playing squad. Similarly, sometimes footballers simply do not live up... 

Top 5 Players from Around the World This Weekend

With thousands of players from across the globe to pick from, here is Bleacher Report’s attempt to select just five of world football’s very best performers this weekend. Circumstances, both for the players and their side, their overall contribution in relation to their team’s level of success and the level at which they were playing at are all factors considered here. Disagree... 

World Cup Round-Up: Diego Costa’s Allegiances, 40 Teams and Feeling for Jordan

Picture the scene. It’s the Maracana on July 13. The World Cup final: Brazil vs. Spain. Fanatical supporters are making one hell of a noise, the anticipation has reached fever pitch. The game gets underway. And then, whenever a certain Brazilian comes into possession, the cheers turn and the carnival atmosphere goes dark. There are boos, almost unanimous from the 76,000 in attendance. The... 

Top 5 Players from Around the World This Weekend

Another glorious weekend of footballing action means that tens of thousands of players have been scrapping once again for a place in our top five. (Of course they haven’t—they’ve just been trying to win—but we like to pretend…hold on, I think I said this last week.) Anyway, with that being said (or repeated) here are Bleacher Report’s top five world football... 

20 World Football Players Who Need a Change of Scenery Come January

The new season has proven interesting for a number of reasons, but in this Twitter age of now, now, now, patience is no longer a virtue—just ask any manager who has been sacked already in the current campaign. And for footballers, in what is a relatively short career, they need to maximise the time they have. Unfortunately, in these days of big squads, there are a number of players left on the... 

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