Comparisons with Lionel Messi are futile – Maradona belonged to a wild, violent game unrecognisable to modern players, as his new book shows‘If it had been up to the Argentines, each of the players would have gone out there with a machine gun and killed Shilton, Stevens, Butcher, Fenwick, Sansom, Steven, Hodge, Reid, Hoddle, Beardsley and Lineker.” At first glance it seems fair to say Diego Maradona hasn’t really mellowed much. So begins one of the key chapters of his brilliant new – rehashed, repeated, elegantly toddled off – autobiography Touched By God, which is out in the UK next month.Certainly, the proposed machine-gunning of England’s entire satin-shorted first XI makes for an arresting mental image. Otherwise Maradona is conciliatory,...
The 23-year-old Argentinian forward, an immensely talented player with ‘PlayStation moves’, will be key as the Italian side take on Monaco in the Champions League semi-finalThe 24 years since Argentina last won a trophy are frustrating enough but they have been given additional edge of late by the suspicion that the conveyor belt that brought five Under-20 World Cups between 1995 and 2007 is not delivering talent at anything like the same rate. Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and Gonzalo Higuaín will all be older than 30 by the time of the next World Cup final: when they are gone, who can replace them?The answer probably lies in Turin, with a 23-year-old who could have played for Poland. Paulo Dybala has...
It may not be a crisis yet but it will be if bogey team Chile defeat Argentina – and it will add to the many issues that are affecting the national gameWhatever happens on Thursday, Chile will haunt this generation of Argentinian players for ever. The two sides met in the 2015 Copa América final and the 2016 Copa América Centenario final and on both occasions Chile won on penalties after a 0-0 draw, extending the Argentinian trophy drought that stretches back to 1993. As Argentina face the possibility of failing to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1970, Chile, who have a knack of stopping them from playing, are probably the last team they want...
Ramsey’s Wales return, Yiadom’s controversial Ghana inclusion, Southgate and Strachan heading in opposite directions and a fairytale comeback for FalcaoGareth Southgate is at the beginning, Gordon Strachan could be approaching the end. But both managers are under pressure before Friday night’s qualifier at Wembley. While Southgate has shown that he is not afraid to make big calls, dropping Wayne Rooney for the fortunate goalless draw in Slovenia, England’s caretaker oversaw underwhelming performances in hisfirst two matches and would not be seen as an inspiring permanent appointment if his team fails to convince against Scotland. The return of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling should enhance England’s threat, however, and it is Strachan who has bigger problems. Robert Snodgrass has been in...
Brazil prepare to revisit the scene of 2014’s infamous defeat with their team resurgent while their rivals’ embarrassment of attacking riches is providing no remedy for a desperate dependency on Leo MessiIt has been 28 months, but finally Brazil will return to the site of their greatest trauma. Their World Cup qualifier against Argentina on Thursday will be their first game in Belo Horizonte since the 7-1 defeat to Germany in the World Cup semi-final. Nothing will ever erase that horror but a victory over Argentina would make the ghosts loom less menacingly over the Mineirão in future – particularly if it adds to the growing fear in Argentina that the country may not qualify for the next World Cup.“There’s...