O Rei was hopefully watching on from his hospital bed as Brazil evoked memories of the adored teams of 1970 and 1982“Football is happiness. It’s a dance. It’s a true party,” Pelé had said and here, on the night he watched from the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo, it was. O Rei had posted that in September to encourage Vinícius Júnior never to back down in the face of abuse: if he wanted to celebrate goals dancing, he should dance. In fact, they all should. “We will not allow racism to stop us smiling”, he had insisted; “dance, Vini,” became the command, going viral; and by the time Brazil reached Qatar, they had a whole repertoire, ready to...
It was no crisis but such is the Spurs forward’s status in his homeland that eight games without a goal had a nation worriedSon Heung-min’s spectacular 13-minute hat-trick against Leicester on Saturday ended his eight-game barren run, or ‘silence’ as it was called in South Korea. As those Tottenham matches came and went without a goal, the mood back in east Asia grew ever gloomier, becoming darkest just before the Seoul dawn last week when the forward was substituted in the 2-0 defeat against Sporting in Lisbon.However much was said in England about a dry patch that felt longer because it stretched from the start of the season, the conversation was louder in the Land of the Morning Calm. With...
If Spurs take and wisely reinvest the money for the England captain an exciting new era could dawn with the brilliant, deeply committed Korean its talismanSo let’s talk about the restaurant scene in the Son Heung-min documentary starring Park Seo-joon. What do you mean, you’ve never seen it? You know the one: the classic restaurant scene, from the 2019 docu-series Sonsational, which Son filmed for the South Korean broadcaster TVN. You know. The bit where he’s eating barbecue in Soho with one of the most famous actors in Korea. And suddenly, in the middle of this noisy restaurant, there’s this incredibly human moment between them, a fleeting glimpse of meaning and connection in their odd, hermetic existence.“I don’t even know...
Over 45,000 fans loved the opening ceremony as France kicked off the event in style but will it be enough for the French public to overcome a reticence regarding the women’s game?The Parisian weather failed to dampen a colourful opening to the Women’s World Cup on Friday, with the French musician Jain and nearly 300 performers delivering a message of empowerment to a sold-out Parc des Princes.The 11-minute performance was laden with more political meaning than the average opening ceremony, which at most sporting events err towards fireworks and theatrics rather than pointed messages. But beginning with a video indicating football’s historically male focus and closing with artistic elements intended, in Fifa’s words, to echo “light and female empowerment”, it...
South Korea forward will earn an exemption if team do the seemingly impossible – otherwise all may rest on Asian GamesSouth Korea begin their World Cup campaign against Sweden on Monday but, remarkably, it may not be the most important tournament for Son Heung-min this summer.The Tottenham forward is running out of time to earn an exemption from 21 months of military service and the best opportunity to skip that obstacle comes at the Asian Games in Indonesia in August and September. Related: South Korea World Cup 2018 team guide: tactics, key players and expert predictions Continue reading...