Of course his father wanted Zlatan to play for Bosnia, he was born there. I dont think Zlatan would choose Bosnia over Sweden, but of course, i cant know that. Zlatan has said in many interviews that he is proud to play for the swedish team, and that he did not regret his choice.
I don't know if anybody noticed this before, but there is some crazy correlation between us and man shity in terms of silverware in the past few years: - 2011 we won CdR and they won the FA Cup -2011 both teams lost the super cups (Community Shield in England) -2012 both teams were champions of their respective leagues -2012 both teams won the super cups -2013 both teams lost the final of their domestic cups -2014 we won CdR and they won the Football League Cup Hopefully this correlation breaks with us winning the league
Interesting, I'm wondering out loud how political their FA is, I can say that IMO American football at the youth level at least is very much about who you know. The best and most talented are not always playing for the national team, that isn't to say we don't have good players there but there are arguably better players in the US that you will likely never hear about. I would imagine that is common in many countries though... But in the US the cost of youth soccer and no how to get your kid noticed is very challenging and many of new and recent immigrant families with talented soccer players don't have the resources or interest in devoting the time in that process.
That is quite something. Also both coaches were appointed near enough the same time (Pellegrini and Ancelotti)
At the time there were 3 different presidents(representing each of the 3 majority ethnicities in Bosnia) presiding at the same time. They were unqualified and corrupt individuals. They would accept money from football agents in return for calling up their players which would in turn help them get higher transfer fees.
Was the transfer ban ever really in effect? Didn't it come into play after the winter transfer window? That'll teach 'em!
I have mixed feelings about the rule, it seems to me that the idea behind the rule is to keep kids from being taken advantage of which is good. However its also true that for some of these kids football is really their opportunity to do something with their life and it would be shame if they can't take an opportunity to live the dream at an institution like barca unless rules which in some cases really don't make sense or apply are followed. If barca was or is running kids thru the program and within 12 months they are stuck on streets in Spain and can't get home that would suck, on the other hand if you have some kid who didn't even grow up with his parents who has the opportunity to follow his dream but his father who's a drunk or not engaged can't be found and his mother who has 4 other kids and a factory job she can't risk leaving is unable to take control of his life that is bs. Perhaps FIFA should contract a social worker in the country where the kid lives who can evaluate the situation and make a recommendation based on the impact to the family and the likely impact the move will have for the kid. It would probably be cheaper than moving a family so make the clubs pay for it and in many cases it might help people from hating each other for missed opportunities versus a life they can count on and responsibilities that can't be ignored. Blanket rules and regulations many times have unintended consequences.
I was born in the US, my parents are both Cuban, my grandparents are from Spain, I consider myself all 3
But that isn't the case, he and his family are proud Albanians. It was just a smarter decision to play for Belgium.
I don't blame him. Belgium have a cracking set of young players at the minute so one should expect them to be qualifying for the major tournaments on a regular basis. Most players dream of playing on the big stage so this is a much better opportunity for him. In Northern Ireland we have the choice of which nation we represent. I think there's actually 3 or 4 players from NI that have opted to play for Ireland in recent years. Although in these cases the reasoning is totally non-football related.
And it's 1:1 in Benfica. Rakitic is great for Sevilla, I hope he doesn't join Atletico or Barca in the summer.
what an awesome match Benfica vs Juve! brilliant game, movements, emotions. Benfica is always so fun to watch, hope they will reach the final.
Benfica played really well in the 1st half, but they looked asleep in the 2nd. As soon as Cardozo and Gomes left the team looked more solid and consistent, thank god for Cavaleiro's wonderful simulation to make a great pass for Lima work. Next is in Juve's home, hope they go in there with the same atitude as tonight. SLB!!
That's what i thought when i spotted that goal a few days ago, but it's one thing to make the move, and another to make it, turn around and score. It's the same game a difficulty level higher. If Bale would have scored, it would have had a bit more value, but the way it happened it was only worth the highlight reel.
Tito Vilanova was rushed to the hospital and is reportedly in critical condition, there are also unconfirmed reports coming out that he may have passed away.
I'm reading this online. Boy, did it just shit on my day. What terrible, terrible news. All the prayers in the world that he'll pull through this.