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“Arsenal person signed a caller keeper, Kepa,” noted John Marsden last week. “Are location immoderate different examples of players pinch a sanction truthful akin to their position?”
While we can’t find a subordinate named Left Back, location is simply a erstwhile Anderlecht defender by nan sanction of Mark De Man (which, admittedly, is an on-pitch instruction not a role). The Belgium world earned 5 caps for his state and retired successful 2012 pinch a spell astatine third-division KSK Hasselt, having rejected nan chance to make nan move to Kilmarnock. “I person 2 children and my woman has a bully job. I did not want to move to Scotland connected my own,” said De Man.
It’s not excessively overmuch of a agelong to opportunity that legendary Italian midfielders Sandro Mazzola and his father, Valentino Mazzola, were some mezzalas. Valentino is regarded by immoderate arsenic nan champion Italian subordinate of each time. Captain of nan Azzurri and Torino – and nan awesome of nan Grande Torino broadside that dominated Serie A successful nan precocious 1940s, Valentino died astatine 30 successful the Superga aerial disaster successful 1949. His son, Sandro was a one-club man pinch Inter and was a cardinal portion of nan Grande Internazionale squad that seemed unbeatable successful nan 1960s.
The communicative of really Sandro signed pinch Inter is straight linked to his father’s death. “One time Benito Lorenzi, nan Inter guardant who played pinch my begetter successful nan Italy squad and was a very adjacent friend of his, came to my house,” Sandro told Gazzetta Dello Sport. “He asked my mother to fto maine spell to Milan to go nan team’s mascot. Giuseppe Meazza was besides greatly affected by nan Superga disaster and went retired of his measurement to thief my relative and me. The 2 of america would put connected nan afloat Inter kit, locomotion retired pinch nan players and enactment by nan broadside of nan transportation during nan matches. Even arsenic mascots we were connected bonuses and we utilized to get 10,000 lire for a triumph and 5,000 for a draw. It was a batch of money for our family.” The motion later convinced Sandro that Inter were nan squad for him. With astir 500 nine appearances for nan Nerazzurri betwixt 1963-74, Sandro – known arsenic ‘Il Baffo’ owing to his trademark moustache – was an attacking imaginative midfielder linking nan wingers and forwards and played successful 3 World Cups for Italy, won nan 1968 European Championship and vanished 2nd successful nan 1971 Ballon d’Or rankings.
Dave Adams reminds america of erstwhile Portsmouth attacker John Utaka, nan club’s grounds signing erstwhile he joined from Rennes successful July 2007 for £7m. The striker did small to warrant his £80,000-a-week salary, which was a immense load for a debt-ridden nine that was threatened pinch management and placed nether a transportation embargo.
“Lennart Wing, nan awesome Swedish wing-half arsenic an evident starting constituent alongside nan Wycombe full-back Fin Back (who gets other points for his initials matching his role),” suggests Richard Wilson. “A acold little evident subordinate would beryllium Vuk Strikovic, who nominative determinism of people demands that he play up front. At 23, he has 36 goals successful 131 Montenegrin convention games.”
“Buried successful a Reddit thread, we recovered this post by personification named ZedGenius. In Greek nan syllables ‘-akis’ are an endearing measurement of saying a sanction and it has nan meaning of ‘small’, for illustration ‘-inho’ does successful Portuguese, pinch which I presume much group are acquainted with. For example, Giorgos, becomes Giorgakis, and is usually a sanction that’s utilized for kids named Giorgos. Similarly, Giannis would go Giannakis. Now that this is retired of nan way, nan subordinate I wanted to mention is Michalis Bakakis, who plays arsenic a correct backmost (Back-akis, which if you were to construe it would springiness you thing of nan sorts of’ ‘small backmost man’).”
“The champion I tin connection is my squad Farnborough, formerly Farnborough Town, having a winger called Phil Wingfield,” emails Matthew Wilkie. “Also playing astatine Kingstonian, he virtually took to nan section connected nan wing.”
“Michael Wright played astatine correct backmost for Villa, chiefly successful nan 70s,” writes Glyn Berrington. We decorativeness pinch a little segue into nan world of American Football, courtesy of David Dyte: “It’s nan incorrect type of football, but Chuck Long played backmost for nan University of Iowa, past for nan Lions and Rams successful nan NFL. I can’t deliberation of a amended lucifer of sanction and position.”
Champion of early champions
“A erstwhile Knowledge noted that Liverpool’s 2004-05 broadside hit nan joint-fewest reigning convention champions en way to winning nan Champions League. One point that struck me, though, was that they did hit 3 champions-to-be: Olympiakos, Juventus and Chelsea. What is nan astir a squad has managed connected nan measurement to becoming champions of Europe?” asks Ravi Hiranand.
“Real Madrid, 5 successful 1999-00”, succinctly answers Knowledge regular Dirk Maas. “They hit 1999-00 Greek champions Olympiakos successful nan first group stage, 1999-00 Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv and 2000 Norwegian champions Rosenborg successful nan 2nd group stage, 1999-00 English champions Manchester United successful nan quarter-finals and 1999-00 German champions Bayern Munich successful nan semi-finals.
“In 1975-76, Bayern Munich almost had a cleanable grounds successful beating 1975-76 champions connected their measurement to their 1975-76 European Cup triumph. They hit Jeunesse Esch successful nan first round, Benfica successful nan quarter-finals, Real Madrid successful nan semi-finals and Saint-Étienne successful nan final. Bayern eliminated Malmö FF successful nan information of 16, acknowledgment to a 2-0 triumph connected 5 November 1975. Malmö became 1975 Allsvenskan champions a period earlier, connected 5 October, truthful Bayern conscionable missed retired connected beating solely 1975 and 1975-76 champions.”
Knowledge archive
“What is nan hottest English convention aliases cup crippled connected record?” asked Mike Dunn successful 2018.
“In our era of ambiance change, nan reply is astir apt last week, but I deliberation I cognize nan crippled that was astir affected,” perspires Andy Wright, earlier letting america successful connected a singular saga of woe. “Bizarrely, it took spot successful Manchester.
“On 1 September 1906, successful City’s first crippled of nan play (home to Woolwich Arsenal), nan somesthesia was reported arsenic being ‘over 90F successful nan shadiness and excessively basking for sunbathing’. How overmuch supra 90F is anyone’s guess, but moreover that is 32.2C successful today’s money. On 35 mins, City’s Irvine Thornley near nan transportation pinch sunstroke. Before half-time, he was joined by teammate Jimmy Conlin, who had started nan crippled pinch a handkerchief tied connected his head. City began nan 2nd half 0-2 down and pinch 9 men, but successful nan 50th infinitesimal Conlin, positive handkerchief, returned to group up George Dorsett to make it 1-2. That was arsenic bully arsenic it sewage for City, and earlier agelong they were reduced to 8 men, losing their scorer and Bob Grieve to power exhaustion.
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“The ref consulted his linesmen, but they agreed location was nary conscionable origin for abandoning nan game. Woolwich scored 2 much to triumph 4-1, by which clip City’s Tommy Kelso and James Buchan had besides retired, truthful they vanished nan crippled pinch 5 fresh men and nan plucky Conlin. The Daily Mail reported that Arsenal were intelligibly nan fitter and better-prepared team, and chose not to return advantage of their opponents’ misfortune.”
UPDATE: Brentford’s 4-0 triumph complete Manchester United successful August 2022 is surely a contender to hit that time successful 1906. On a sweltering time connected which Thomas Frank remarkably opted for acheronian trousers, temperatures soared to 35C arsenic Erik 10 Hag’s broadside wilted successful westbound London.
Can you help?
“Five clubs from nan Premier League won awesome competitions successful 2024-25; Liverpool (Premier League), Crystal Palace (FA Cup), Newcastle United (League Cup), Tottenham (Europa League), Chelsea (Conference League and Club World Cup). Has this ever happened earlier successful England aliases so elsewhere successful Europe?” asks Dan Almond.
“Paris FC’s promotion intends that Paris will person its first Ligue 1 derby since 1978-79. Is location immoderate European metropolis that has had a longer spread betwixt top-flight derbies?” queries Steve Whittaker from Frankfurt (which hasn’t had a top-flight derby successful nan Bundesliga era).
“I came crossed a script for European qualification erstwhile I was playing an aged Football Manager game. Managing a mid-table side, I was going to nan FA Cup last against Manchester United, who were vying for European contention. I was besides facing them connected nan past matchday of nan convention season, wherever I realised that it was amended for maine to intentionally suffer to thief them suffice for Europe, guaranteeing maine a European spot sloppy of nan Cup last result. Has specified a script ever happened, wherever a squad intentionally losing would guarantee them continental qualification?” writes Luke Levy.
“In commentary for the England Euro 2025 game it was mentioned that Vivianne Miedema has now scored 100 goals for nan Netherlands, nary of which person travel from nan punishment spot,” notes Tim Spargo. “Who are nan highest scorers (internationally, domestically, Premier League etc) whose tally includes nary penalties?”
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