With the latest edition of the Olympics having ended in a quarter final exit for Great Britain's women's team, Australia prevailing by the odd goal in a 4-3 win to dash hopes of football coming home with a medal, what better time to look at the homegrown slice of history which helped ensure the beautiful game got a spot in the events list & the resulting twists & turns?
It’s an abstract question for sure. It’s the kind of question I imagine everyone thinks they know the answer to, an obvious answer, an answer so basic it doesn’t even necessitate real consideration. But I also imagine each of those obvious answers would be slightly different.
The 2020-21 season was a historic season for Barcelona Femení, cruising to the Primera División title, Copa De La Reina and the UEFA Women’s Champions League, all with relative ease. The League form especially stands out as the team won 33 out of 34 games while scoring 167 goals and conceding 15, finishing the season with a goal difference of +152!
One thing was particularly strange for me about Euro 2020.
The referees were praised for their performance.
For a sport in which “controversial decisions” make just as many headlines as victories and transfers, and outrage at mis-awarded penalties or eyelash offsides are a weekly spectacle, this is both refreshing and curious.
Every football fan knows about Ajax and their historical prowess, from the seventies dream team of Cruyff, Neeskens and co, to the class of 95’ with Rijkaard, Overmars and Edwin van der Sar. The Amsterdammers have won a staggering 75 trophies since their conception in 1900, including 35 Eredivisie Titles, 20 Dutch Cups, and 4 European Cups/Champions League Titles.