1. Could Duncan Edwards Have Been the Greatest Player Ever?

    Less than four months before his life was tragically cut short, Duncan Edwards played one of his last internationals for England against Wales at Ninian Park in Cardiff...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 2 days ago 5,912 reads 24 comments

  2. Analysing Robin van Persie's 2012-13 Contribution for Manchester United

    In August 2012, Manchester United performed one of the most important U-turns in their history. Over the previous years, Sir Alex Ferguson had stuck to a rigid policy of buying young players to groom rather than established stars...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 8 days ago 5,722 reads 19 comments

  3. Roberto Martinez Won't Fulfill His Grand Ambitions at Everton

    When I interviewed Roberto Martinez before Wigan’s FA Cup final victory last month he was keen to stress his desire to win trophies. “I am an ambitious manager,” he told me...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 12 days ago 1,633 reads 5 comments

  4. How the Evolving Science of Ball Design Has Changed Football

    When football was first played, people would use anything even slightly round, including a human skull, a bundle of cloth or a hog’s head as the ball...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 13 days ago 2,136 reads 0 comments

  5. Why Edinson Cavani Is Worth That €63 Million Buy-Out Clause

    On a family trip to Rome last week, I took my wife and two kids to see Roma play Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 20 days ago 3,104 reads 2 comments

  6. Why Belgium Have a Genuine Shot of Winning the 2014 World Cup

    There is a famously cruel jibe that it has always been difficult to name any famous Belgians. But by the end of the World Cup finals in Brazil next year, there could be a whole squad of them...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 22 days ago 7,188 reads 97 comments

  7. Exclusive: Ruud Gullit on Why Bayern Munich Are Favourites to Win UCL Final

    When you ask Ruud Gullit , a Champions League winner with AC Milan in 1989 and 1990, why he believes Bayern Munich are the favourites to triumph at Wembley , he gives two simple reasons: Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 26 days ago 1,536 reads 11 comments

  8. Exclusive: Ex-Chelsea Manager Rafa Benitez on How to Win Champions League Final

    On the eve of tomorrow night's Champions League final, Jurgen Klopp and Jupp Heynckes could do worse than put in a call to Rafa Benitez. The departing Chelsea manager certainly knows how to win a European final...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 26 days ago 400 reads 1 comments

  9. Why Gareth Bale's Future at Tottenham Could Be Decided This Weekend

    This has been the greatest season of Gareth Bale ’s career so far. He has proved himself as one of the world’s most exciting talents, worthy of being mentioned alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 25 reads 29 comments

  10. David Beckham Enjoyed His Best Years at Manchester United

    In the autumn of 1996, I went to interview a shy 21-year-old David Beckham at a restaurant in Manchester. It was so long ago it was even pre -Posh Spice...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 74 reads 19 comments

  11. Why David Moyes Is a Risk Worth Taking for Manchester United

    At first I was distinctly underwhelmed by the appointment of David Moyes as the new Manchester United manager. I had always assumed Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor would have actually have won something major in football...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 15 reads 18 comments

  12. Roberto Martinez on the FA Cup Final and Refusing to Change Wigan's Style

    When Roberto Martinez became the first Spanish player to score in the FA Cup for Wigan Athletic against Runcorn in a first-round tie in November 1995, he couldn't have imagined ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 740 reads 0 comments

  13. Exclusive: Wigan's Jordi Gomez on the FA Cup Final and Playing with Lionel Messi

    Jordi Gomez can remember the first time he set eyes on Wembley . It was four days before his seventh birthday and he was at home in his native Barcelona watching his beloved ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 3,882 reads 1 comments

  14. What Sir Alex Ferguson Retiring Means for Manchester United Next Season

    We are witnessing the final days of Sir Alex Ferguson ’s incredible 27-year reign at Old Trafford , what has been his greatest achievement? That first title in 1993, the ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 29 reads 29 comments

  15. The Disastrous Unravelling of Queens Park Rangers and What Went Wrong

    It should come as no surprise Queens Park Rangers have decided to cancel their annual end of season awards night this year...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 2,378 reads 7 comments

  16. Barcelona's Era of Champions League Dominance Is Not over Yet

    It was just after the hour mark with Bayern Munich leading 5-0 on aggregate that their 5,000 travelling fans high up in the Camp Nou started to heap further humiliation on Barcelona...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 10,298 reads 168 comments

  17. Why Norman Whiteside's 1985 FA Cup Final Winner Is the Best Goal I've Ever Seen

    For a Manchester United fan growing up in the late '70s and early '80s, trophies and tales of glory existed mostly in the black and white pictures of Bobby Charlton, George Best and Duncan Edwards, found inside the history books I used to devour...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 1,804 reads 0 comments

  18. Only 1 Player from '13 Champions Make It in to an All-Time Manchester United XI

    Manchester United might have become champions of England for a record 20th time tonight and also be on course for a record haul of points in the Premier League this season, but ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 1 month ago 9,493 reads 27 comments

  19. Chelsea Could Be 2013-14 Premier League Champions

    You heard it here first: Chelsea could win the Premier League next season. Yes, that’s right, the Chelsea who at the moment are a mammoth 20 points behind Manchester United in the Premier League table...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 2 months ago 63 reads 33 comments

  20. What Will Be Manchester United's Starting XI for the 2013-14 Season?

    The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has used a total of 32 players in all competitions this season, and there are likely to be several arrivals and departures at Old Trafford during the summer...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 2 months ago 19,332 reads 84 comments

  21. Where Will Radamel Falcao Be Playing Next Season?

    After two incredibly prolific seasons in Spain with Atletico Madrid, speculation is rife that Radamel Falcao could be leaving the Vicente Calderon stadium this summer...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 2 months ago 1,544 reads 11 comments

  22. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Is the Dream Champions League Final

    When Ruud van Nistelrooy drew Barcelona out of the pot to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal, I have to admit I let out a whoop of delight that slightly startled my seven-year-old son...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 2 months ago 25,279 reads 363 comments

  23. Football Talent Will Always Overcome the Language Barrier

    In the spring of 2003, I interviewed Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires at a French restaurant in North London...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 2 months ago 1,377 reads 2 comments

  24. Robin van Persie Needs to End Goal Drought to Win Footballer of the Year Awards

    On Sunday, January 20th, I sat at White Hart Lane in the middle of a snow blizzard and watched Robin van Persie score his 22nd goal of the season by peeling off at the back post and ...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 3 months ago 2,594 reads 16 comments

  25. Old Failings Could Force England in to the World Cup Play-Offs

    Put away the bunting, cancel the open top bus tour for July 2014, and tell the Palace those knighthoods and MBEs won’t be needed after all. England won’t be winning the World Cup in Brazil next summer...

    Sam Pilger Written by Sam Pilger about 3 months ago 1,235 reads 2 comments