Both Nike and Adidas have released new footwear made to represent, be promoted by, and cover the toes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, respectively. This is an event that seems to happen every other week, but this time, both releases appear to be efforts to reinforce the most simplistic and problematic perceptions of the two biggest names in football.
Arsenal carried on their consistency in Champions League masochism by soundly beating Monaco 2-0 in the second leg of round of 16 tie to be eliminated on away goals with an aggregate score of 3-3. Anyone and everyone with so much as a passing familiarity with Arsenal’s recent history in the competition — four (now five) consecutive round of 16 eliminations —predicted this exact result, as their narrow avoidance of advancing further has become more reliable than a Japanese train schedule.
It’s with this knowledge that we can accurately predict what horrors will come next for Arsenal in the Champions League. But first, a refresher on the last five years.
Though Luis Suarez has become an important member of Barcelona’s squad in his first season with the club, there’s something about him that remains distinctly…kickable. Teammates Neymar and Dani Alves demonstrated this during a recent training session.
This was surely just a bit of playfulness between teammates, but if Barca are looking for a new revenue stream, they could start charging members of the general public to play this game, too. They would never need a Qatari shirt sponsor again.
As angry as Zlatan Ibrahimovic was at the referees of France last weekend, nothing can compare to the hellfire he must have directed towards RTL’s Michel De Maegd for daring to jumble his name into “Ibrahim Zlatanovic” on television.
Contrary to popular belief, Chelsea FC’s history actually predates 2003 and they even won an assortment of trophies over the first 98 years of their existence. But now Brentford supporters have started a petition to reclaim one of those trophies — the London War Cup, which has resided in Chelsea’s trophy cabinet since 1945.
Five months ago, Hertha Berlin midfielder Anis Ben-Hatira met an eight-year-old fan named Jannik. The boy was in the hospital battling Leukemia, but the pair made each other a couple of promises, which Ben-Hatira shared with an Instagram photo.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was furious after PSG’s 3-2 loss to Bordeaux, in which he scored both of his side’s goals. After walking off the pitch with his teammates, Zlatan shouted at a match official and said, “Played 15 years, never seen refereeing this shit country. Don’t even deserve PSG in this country.”
The Sun has published video of Wayne Rooney boxing Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley in his kitchen. The impromptu showdown reportedly came the day after Manchester United’s loss at Swansea last month.
Arsenal beat West Ham 3-0 on Saturday, giving them eight consecutive Premier League wins at home. Josh Getman provides his Yelp review for the match.
Bari beat Varese 3-0 in Serie B on Saturday and the match produced the latest in odd goal celebration props. Bari defender Stefano Sabelli scored the home side’s second goal by heading in the rebound off a free kick that hit the post. He then ran to the bench and retrieved a Peppa Pig doll, which he held aloft towards the stands while also pushing up his nose like a pig’s.
