Recent content by Querulous Megapode

  1. Lamine Yamal

    Some crazier stats: he made fourteen out of twenty dribble attempts yesterday, won seven fouls, and hit the woodwork three times over the tie. (He apparently told CBS didn't even see Raphinha for that late lob in the first game. He'd previously had no problem admitting the assist against Benfica...

  2. Lamine Yamal

    Super Saiyan II Yamal has been pretty wild: I'm surprised he had this extra level to tap into at this stage of the season. I thought he'd looked tired for awhile, and downright exhausted vs. Madrid in the cup final.

  3. Who is the most unplayable player ever ?

    There was Gary Lineker, that one game in particular. I refuse to google which, though.

  4. Lamine Yamal

  5. Creating a retired squad with less than 50 international caps that could win the world cup/CL

    That makes sense. I actually looked for it, but my eyesight can be largely vibes-based at this point. Giuseppe Giannini could technically fit, although I think his best work might have happened in the Eighties.

  6. Creating a retired squad with less than 50 international caps that could win the world cup/CL

    Same rules, and pushing to the Nineties now: Rogerio Ceni Nigel Martyn Bernard Lama Angelo Di Livio Juliano Belletti Mark Iuliano Basile Boli Jose Chamot Vincent Candela Sylvinho Marcos Senna Alou Diarra Mazinho Carlo Ancelotti Zvonimir Boban Robert Prosinecki Juan Carlos Valeron Sebastian...

  7. Creating a retired squad with less than 50 international caps that could win the world cup/CL

    Only just realized Umtiti hasn't actually retired yet. Swap him out for Manolo Sanchis and Alain Giresse (two players I'd looked into earlier, then inexplicably forgot*.) Edit: Likewise sub in Signori and Rai for the three Argentinians Fobal got too a minute ahead of me. *And Benarrivo, ffs.

  8. Creating a retired squad with less than 50 international caps that could win the world cup/CL

    Only previously unmentioned players with meaningful carreers in the Sixties onwards: Victor Valdes Andres Palop Ruud Hesp Giuseppe Baresi Ze Maria Ferri Vierchowod Umtiti Grosso Stielike Clodoaldo Effenberg Scholl Bochini Guti Sivori Johnny Rep Vicente Rodriguez Rebsenbrink Kempes Roberto...

  9. Ballon d'Or 2025

    There was definitely a case for Lewandowski being Barca's best player around October or November. Since that point he's probably been closer to losing his starting spot to Ferran Torres than he's been to being one of their top three performers. And in all likelihood, he won't even get the...

  10. Most unexpected meteoric rises to the top levels in football?

    Christian Vieri and Giuseppe Signori are two other forwards who took a long, scenic route through the lower leagues before suddenly establishing themselves as genuinely top-shelf footballers. (Pippo Inzaghi also technically fits the same mold, but he broke through earlier, played for Italy's...

  11. Most unexpected meteoric rises to the top levels in football?

    Answering a slightly different question, Michel and Butragueno played almost exclusively for Madrid's 'B' team before finally breaking the first team squad at twenty one. Possibly one of the very last times that's ever happened to offensive players of their profile, assuming there was any eatly...

  12. Most unexpected meteoric rises to the top levels in football?

    Along that vein, Luca Toni and Dario Hubner took a similarly circuitous route before establishing themselves as first division goalscorers. Nedved probably took much longer than you'd expect to reach true stardom. (Likewise Luis Figo, but he was hardly unheralded before making that final...

  13. Swap deals that worked well for both sides

    Arthur and Pjanic appear to have worked-out exactly as intended, book-keeping wise. I'm not sure either club expected to get so little from the actual players, though. Didn't Matic join Benfica from Chelsea as part of the David Luiz trade?

  14. Facts about football that shouldn't be true - but are

    He signed Wesley Sneijder every single summer.

  15. Lamine Yamal

    Raphinha's probably been Barca's best performer across the season, but Yamal and Pedri are generally the ones who actually make things happen. (That's partly by design, of course - Raphinha's playing on the "wrong" wing, and massively influential in late, close games in a way Yamal can't always...
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