From Romário’s and Ronaldo’s toe-enders to small-court specialists such as Falcão, half a dozen instinctive gemsIt comes from futsal. No space? No time? No backlift? No worries. Boom. The toe-poke finish. Or toe-punt. Or toe-ender. Whatever the name – and there are plenty – its effect is felt before it is seen. As Stuart Dallas showed for Leeds recently, it’s a skill witnessed in “big” football all too rarely. So sit back and marvel at the beauty of this joyfully utilitarian act of predatory pragmatism.1⃣ Ronaldinho magic at Stamford Bridge in 2005 @FCBarcelona | @10Ronaldinho | #UCL pic.twitter.com/0vW0vSwSoh Continue reading...
Thousands of youngsters will be able to develop their talent indoors this winter playing the game that honed the skills of Neymar and Lionel MessiIt is mid-September but the clock is already ticking on the countdown to the inevitable rainy season that routinely plays havoc with the grassroots youth football calendar around the country. So it was timely for the FA to announce on Monday that it is trying to dismantle the barriers blocking access to school halls to allow young footballers to seek refuge from the cold and try the game that formed a legion of footballing superstars: futsal.Grants from the Football Foundation totalling £300,000 will be made available for schools, colleges and youth football leagues. The aim is...