Whenever something memorable happens, the question gets asked shortly thereafter. Where were you when you saw/heard/read about it? Even though it’s been proven that many of these memories we have about these moments are fabricated, created in our minds, we each still have our own stories which we firmly believe...
Despite being the 13th smallest country in Europe, Belgium has had a loud impact on football this year and prior. Kevin De Bruyne yet again a key cog in the Manchester City machine, Youri Tielemans’ rocket to win the FA Cup for Leicester and Romelu Lukaku shining while firing Inter Milan to their first Scudetto since the 2010-11 season. This article will provide insight into the league in which all three started their careers.
Football fans are a romantic breed. We spot patterns where others might not. It’s the reason hunches and superstitions are treated as gospel, the reason commentators often say things like “well tonight this team became the first team to win at this ground by a margin of 3 goals when the wind was blowing in an easterly direction and the managers middle names both began with F,” or whatever. We can’t resist looking for the signs, the connections, and the psychological satisfaction of symmetry.
Across the Channel, Les Dogues, that is to say Lille, seem to be having their day in spectacular fashion, a title win this season following flirtation with relegation just the previous campaign- we might wonder what & who has sparked the turnaround. The club, now owned by a Luxembourg based investment group Merlyn Partners SCSP, was managed until just two days after the triumph by Christophe Galtier, who hinted that the change in ownership was at least in part a factor in his decision to depart.
Before San Marino took the crown as worst national team in the world, according to FIFA rankings, there was Bhutan- & it would seem a common thread of tardiness in assembling an infrastructure is at least part of the problem…