Some draw strength from excluding others, but that is wrong, and we have seen fine examples of togetherness at the EurosA European Championship always reflects the way we in Europe shape our lives together. Four things in particular have stood out to me so far in this tournament. On 12 June the continent felt close to a Danish football player. Christian Eriksen had to be resuscitated on the pitch. His teammates, who immediately formed a circle around him, intuitively knew how to stand by him in this stressful situation. It was palpable how much his privacy was worth to them and they protected his dignity in a difficult hour. It was an enormously moving event. Related: Rainbow stadiums: German football...
The wing-back has taken a circuitous route to the top but excelled in his side’s crucial Euro 2020 win over Portugal When Robin Gosens was a young man he wanted to be a police officer, just like his grandfather. However, he was told by one regional office that his legs were too different in height to make it so he ended up pursuing plan B instead: a career as a professional footballer.The German police force’s loss has been the Nationalmannschaft’s gain. On Saturday night Gosens was instrumental as Germany rediscovered their form and beat Portugal 4-2 to make an interesting Group F even more interesting. Related: Spain v Poland: Euro 2020 – live! Continue reading...
Germany had their chances but struggled to contain Paul Pogba, who made France’s goal with a brilliant, improvised passAt one point in the first half in Munich, as Paul Pogba glided around the pitch pinging and flicking and drifting the ball into strange, unexpected spaces, freezing the action around him with a touch, Antonio Rüdiger threw his arms around his chest, leant closer and seemed to take a nibble of Pogba’s shoulder.Maybe it was just a sniff or a lick. And really, you sympathised with Rüdiger. In moments like these Pogba does seem to be some more-ish, liquid footballing substance. It was quite delicious. Related: France win heavyweight clash with Germany thanks to Hummels own goal Related: ‘A hell of...
A handful of the best emerging talents to seek out as they look to make waves around Europe this summerThe latest talent to emerge from the famed “Bromma Boys” production line in Stockholm after Bojan Djordic and John Guidetti. Kulusevski has made steady progress in his first full season at Juventus and was the hero of their Coppa Italia victory over his former club Atalanta. Having moved to Italy three months after his 16th birthday, the forward spent two spells at Parma and joined Juve for more than £30m last year. Kulusevki, whose father is from North Macedonia, was born in Sweden but represented Macedonia at under 16 and 17 level before making the switch and is often compared to...
In the first of a series of columns, the World Cup-winning Germany captain argues for an expanded league which includes clubs from across the continentFootball has changed for the better. In the 1980s, it was open season on artists like Diego Maradona, with foul specialists sent in to stop him. You can watch the clips on YouTube, and be horrified. The end, back then, justified all means.Today, tripping and brutal tackles are heavily penalised, and such fouls have all but disappeared. The international football community agreed on the stricter approach in a transparent process. Players must now play fair, and fouls are seen as a last resort. These days, the end is justified by the means. For this development, from...