With Ukraine dominating world news for all the wrong reasons, perhaps now is the time to remind ourselves that despite their often over- inflated status, footballers are people too. Including those who hail from the hotbed of it that is Brazil- with Shakhtar Donetsk responsible for bringing several of them to Eastern Europe since 2004, when the legendary Mircea Lucescu was appointed manager.
When football fans think of Brussels from a footballing point of view, most think of Anderlecht which is only natural considering their success. This season that trend has been bucked by newly promoted Royale Union Saint-GIlloise, who top the table with a relatively comfortable seven-point lead over second place Antwerp at the time of writing.
With the world at large seemingly growing ever more digital and indeed digitally aware in both its positive and negative applications- see the recent rise in popularity of NFT's (non-fungible tokens)- was it so much of a surprise to read of a club takeover bid by a group of cryptocurrency investors towards the back end of last year?
Football fans always have certain players that they love more than any other for their club, the ones that they most identified with or who they admired for their skill, or who scored the most goals and delivered memorable occasions. Whatever the reason, these 'fan favourites' are never likely to lose their appeal, they are enshrined in the history books.
Walking In A Winter Desert Land may well read like a credible Sun sports page headline (other tabloids are certainly available), as well as riffing on a beloved Christmas classic. However, while next year's World Cup in Qatar is due to be played and wrapped up just before festivities commence, it may indeed attract such headlines given the nature of the now bloated FIFA- created beast and the host country's questionable, at best, human rights record.