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Luka Modric is undoubtedly one of the greatest players of a generation, perhaps of all time. In this article, Derek Ross examines the career of the Croatian midfield genius.

The 2024 European Championship has already faded into a bad memory. But I don’t think I will ever entirely erase a specific image from my mind. During the tournament it’s the 98^th minute against Italy. Croatia are poised to join the Euros 2024 last sixteen party only for Mattia Zaccagni to equalise.

The camera immediately pans to the face of Luka Modric. The Croatian midfield genius is sitting in the dugout after being substituted. It was Modric’s goal which had given his team the lead after he had already missed a penalty. He appears ashen, a face cut with the disbelief of a man who while flicking through his mobile phone checking his home security cameras from his holiday hotel room only to find that he’s left his front door open! It wasn’t meant to end like this. This isn’t how the Gods of football are meant to treat one of their own.

But alas, amongst those rare days of glory there are many sad things in football. We could all nominate our own particular moment when we felt as if our football world had ended. A semi-final or final defeat, relegation, a points deduction. Or worse, entering administration or the crushing news that Jose Mourinho has been appointed your club’s new manager.

Luka Modric - A Footballing Genius

And yes, to cite an annoying cliché�?there is more to life than football blah de blah. But when it comes to this particular brand of fanaticism, I am here to report that the dark cloud on the football horizon is drawing inevitably nearer. As the shadows lengthen over the career of, to my mind the greatest midfield player of his generation and one of the all-time greats, Luka Modric, one should truly reflect on the utter genius this man has brought to the game and the sheer delight in watching it in action wherever and whenever it is displayed.

Approaching 39 years of age, he has already won the Champions League for a record sixth time. He is routinely, and correctly, described as the greatest Croatian player of all time. Honestly, the man has more legs than an Olympian relay team. Real Madrid extended his contract by another year. That speaks volumes of the esteem in which he is held at the world’s biggest football club. A genuine Galactico if ever there was one. It ain’t easy, but just how do you pay tribute to a legend such as he? I’ll give it a go.

Who Is Luka Modric?

Luka Modric. That soccer genius and ethereal virtuoso. A preternatural maestro who navigates the pitch with balletic legerdemain. His every manoeuvre is an arabesque of cunning stratagems. A chiaroscuro of kinetic sagacity, orchestrating the game’s cadence with symphonic precision. Transmuting the banal into the sublime through pyrotechnic dexterity and kaleidoscopic vision. His prowess is an enigmatic confluence of cerebral alacrity and corporeal poetry. He renders the ordinary arcane and the predictable ineffable. But he’s also a man of appreciation and generosity.

When he was awarded the Ballon d’Or back in 2018, Modric shelled out over three-hundred grand on 50 Rolex watches. These were not only for his teammates but for the backroom staff at both Real Madrid and Croatia! It was in thanks for their tireless backing that helped him win the most prestigious individual accolade in world football. Even when he’s not playing, class just oozes out of him! Ronaldo conversely probably presented his Portuguese teammates and back-room staff with a signed photo of himself when that same award was bestowed upon him. Modric doesn’t cry either.

When he missed that aforementioned penalty in the game against the Italians, he didn’t collapse into a sea of self-pity with a tearful eye on his personal stats. There were no outstretched hands to the heavens. No overwhelming need to be validated by team-mates. No. Instead the great man got up, and within four minutes had put his country ahead. Class.

From Warzone To Football Legend

The Croatian legend got his name from his grandfather, Luka Modric Snr. He was sadly brutally executed by Serbian Militants when Luka junior was barely six years old. We can all only imagine at such a traumatizing childhood which he had to endure. At that stage in his life, I doubt whether he would have in any way fully understood that he was destined to go on to become one of the greatest midfield footballers that ever shoved a pair of shin guards down his socks. And yet the boy did just that and some.

And who knows? Maybe it was due to that very childhood trauma that contributed to making Modric so special then and now. And as his career progressed, Modric surpassed every contemporary with whom he was compared. And even as I concoct this little tribute, I cannot think of team anywhere which he wouldn’t waltz into.

A Real Madrid Hero

From the carnage of war arose one of Real Madrid’s, and football’s, greatest all-time midfielders. He’s still playing like a fifteen-year-old at an unbelievable level at an age when most ex-players have already had at least three failed managerial appointments or have taken to airwaves to prove that although they were decent players they’re no better than the rest of us when it comes to punditry.

But to draw just a minor comparison, Modric is fourteen years older than current England and Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher who is lauded by fans for his energy, his non-stop running and work-rate. Fair enough. And yet Modric’s footballing brain can cover more ground in a nano-second that Gallagher’s legs can carry him for a complete ninety minutes. This is in no way meant to be disrespectful of Conor Gallagher who is a fine player. But it truly is remarkable what football intelligence does for the legs!

What Makes Luka Modric So Great?

Modric’s footballing uniqueness is not based upon any single identifiable trait. He is not defined by those seemingly nonchalant, outside-of-the-boot passes, or by mere outrageous talent, which is something many players also possess. Even at his current age he still possesses drive, and persistence.

The man is a footballing will-o�?the-wisp. He is rarely injured which itself is a minor miracle given his physicality. He has the mental willpower to always take care of his body, plus it’s virtually impossible to get the ball off him. As such, Modric doesn’t compete with others, but with himself.

But when you put the great man under the microscope it becomes a little more apparent as to why he is the player he is. He isn’t just a central midfielder; he is the central player more often than not in every game in which he starts or even when he comes off the bench. unfortunately, this is a little more common than was previously the case.

His ability to link play so effectively and be both protector and supplier is borne out of his immaculate technical ability. For as long as I have watched him play, Modric has retained that vision and ability to pick passes between the lines as he ghosts into various areas of the pitch where he always seems to find more space than you would find between the ears of Donald Trump.

Midfield Maestro

Moreover, he has an uncanny ability to maintain a high level in the final third, without it negatively affecting his defensive duties. This is part of what makes him such an asset to both club and country. Whenever he plays, he is usually Real’s instigator of attacks. He’s the dictator of tempo and a player who possesses a symphony of long and short-range passing. He also has the ability to smash one in from anywhere outside the penalty box.

Yet what makes him truly amazing is that spends almost one hundred per-cent of the entire ninety minutes behind the ball, He’s available for receiving a pass but also available to shift across and close down passing channels should Real’s own attacks break down.

And whenever Real lose the ball high up field, and the initial line of forwards either don’t challenge or don’t win back the ball quickly, Modric is often the one to break out of his middle line and attempt to force the opposition sideways or backwards.

The Greatest

Unlike so many of the world’s midfield players, Modric is without exception always moving towards his teammate to receive the ball and yet every time he does it, he has this uncanny knack of finding himself in more space than the nearest galaxy!

Granted, there are many Central midfielders who possess the same technical and physical prowess to play both offensively and defensively. There are few, though, who can match Modric for the capacity to do both simultaneously on account of the intelligence of his movement and his unrivalled reading of the game. And of course, there are even fewer who match him for an ability to be a match-winner. This is thanks to his relentless ability to see a pass and pick it out from any angle on the pitch.

So, there you are. Luka Modric. You may disagree, but for my money, he’s the greatest midfielder of his generation.

But I think it only fitting that the last word on the great man be left to his manager who knows him better than most. For the rest of us, we can only thank our lucky stars that ‘we were there.�?/p>

“I’ll continue to play Modrić even after he’s 40. He won’t retire until he has my permission to retire. As long as he is breathing with a pulse, he’s going to play for me. I’ll use him like a bar of soap until there’s nothing left of him.�?br>

Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach 2022.

Derek Ross is an occasional contributor for First Touch. He also writes for Soccer 360 and The Top Flight

Is Luka Modric The Greatest Ever Midfielder?

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firsttouchonline — Tue, 28 Mar 2023 17:49:17 +0000

Ever heard the name Robin Friday? Not many folks have, yet for those that got to see him play, they claim he is one of the greatest they ever saw.

Robin Friday - The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw

Robin Friday was more of a rock star than a soccer player. He played in the lower leagues of English football, which means, sadly, there is no televised footage of him in action. He was often compared to George Best (the two almost played against each other once). But it was that life of glam, alcohol, drugs, and danger that ultimately stunted his career.

Friday never made it to the top and subsequently died of a heroin overdose in 1990. He was just 28 years old. Getting help, staying out of trouble, and going through a drug detox was never his thing. He played at several clubs, but none could control him. And while his end was tragic, his magical talent is still revered, particularly in Reading and Cardiff.

The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw, written jointly by Paolo Hewitt (NME, Melody Maker) and Paul McGuigan of Oasis is an excellent book covering the short life and tragic death of this fascinating anti-hero. Here are just a few great facts about this mercurial talent who flew under the radar, even though his legend lives on�?/p>

Robin Friday Scores The Greatest Goal of All Time �?Forget Maradona!

Friday was known for his ability to perform incredible feats on the field. One famous story involves a match against Tranmere Rovers while playing for Reading. Friday scored a stunning goal by jumping over the goalkeeper and heading the ball into the net. A BBC poll later named this goal “The Best Goal Ever Scored�?in 2004.

Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting�?/h3>
However, Friday’s on-field heroics were often overshadowed by his off-field behavior. He was known for his love of partying and getting into trouble. In one incident, he was arrested for stealing a bottle of wine from a supermarket. In another, he was arrested for fighting with a police officer while drunk.

Has Anyone Seen Robin Friday?

Friday’s antics often made him a favorite among fans, but they also caused tension with his coaches and teammates. He was notorious for not showing up to training and would often disappear for days at a time without telling anyone where he was going.

Man of the Match, Until He Got Bored

Friday was an exceptionally talented player, despite his behavior off the field. He helped lead Reading to win the 1976-77 Fourth Division Championship. He was also instrumental in Cardiff City’s promotion to the First Division in the 1970s.

Sadly, Friday’s career was cut short when he retired from professional soccer at the age of 25 due to injuries and a dislike of the game’s commercialization. He went on to work as a roofer and a painter before his untimely death at the age of 38.

Who was Robin Friday? Bad Boy Of Football!

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firsttouchonline — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 23:50:13 +0000

The 2022 World Cup once again brought up the age-old debate of ‘who is the greatest of them all?�?as it invariably does. The popular conclusion after the final was won, and the trophy placed in the hands of a little Argentine, was that Lionel Messi was the answer. Sadly, the passing of Pele provided incontrovertible proof that the answer has never really changed these past 50 years.

Pele is the indisputable King of Football. And he always will be, for like Muhammad Ali, like Jack Nicklaus, like Michael Jordan, Pele transcended his sport in a way that no other footballer ever has or, most likely, ever will.

Paying Respect To Pele, The King Of The Game

His bountiful gifts as a footballer would have always ensured his place in the pantheon of greats. His personality added further to that. But the giants in any field are also blessed with perfect timing, not just in their art but also in the temporal sense too. Pele arrived in the scene in 1958 just as television was starting to make its presence felt. Accordingly global events, including football’s World Cup, could be enjoyed in homes around the world.

The First World Cup Victory For Pele

Pele arrived in Sweden in 1958 as a precocious talent. By the time he had helped Brazil to victory for the first time in their history, he was emblematic of the team, of the nation, of what became football’s samba swagger. The close control, the change of pace, the vision and imagination. They were all there in embryonic form, and all at the age of 17.

Brazil won the final 5-2, beating the hosts, their third goal bestowing immortality upon a teenager. Jumping to collect a lob into the box on his chest, in one movement he turned and lobbed the ball over the covering defender. With him taken out of the game, he waited for the ball to drop, utterly unflustered, before drilling it right footed past the ‘keeper. Football delivered straight from heaven.

Pele in the 1960s

He was there again in 1962, albeit that he played just twice before injury meant him missing Brazil’s march to retaining the trophy. Then he was kicked out of the competition by a series of targeted assaults on him during games in 1966, not an issue that later stars such as Messi, Zidane, Mbappe or Ronaldo �?both of them �?have really had to concern themselves with as the rules of the game regarding physical contact have so significantly changed.

The Legendary 1970 Brazil Team

The golden swan song came in 1970, in part, again, because of his perfect timing. The Mexico World Cup embraced colour television and a greater amount of colour photography. In those vibrant yellow shirts, against the backdrop of packed, day-glo stadia, football had never before looked anything like the game that those Brazilians produced. And at the centre of it all was Pele, at a tournament that he had very nearly missed, vowing not to go near the World Cup after the torment of 1966.

That he did was a blessing not just for Brazil, but for the world. The indelible moments from that World Cup so often feature him. There were the goals �?the chest control and the languid volley against Czechoslovakia, the free-kick bullet against Romania, the towering header and iconic celebration that opened the scoring in the final against Italy. There was the instant control and the perfectly weighted little pass into Jairzinho’s path to score against England.

Pele's Nearly Moments

Even in the moments that didn’t quite go right, there was the stamp of genius. There was the attempt to score from inside his own half against Czechoslovakia. Also the dummy against Uruguay that was so outrageous, it shifted the whole stadium 10 yards to the right. Somehow the fact that he missed his shot at goal only made it the more beautiful. That’s a privilege afforded only to the true greats.

The pinnacle was that fourth goal in the final, that exquisite team move. Brazil went through the gears, through the Italians, through the pitch. On the edge of the box, Pele took just a couple of backward steps to create space and received the ball. The world’s greatest footballer, playing his final World Cup game, four minutes left on the clock. Surely he is about to crown the greatest career in the most swashbuckling fashion?

Pele Sets Up The Greatest Goal Ever

Crown it he does, but it’s better than simply scoring from 20 yards. Much better. He rolls the ball from one foot to another, then with his left foot, he scoops it out to the right side of the box and sets off on a stroll forward. What is he doing? There’s nobody there. It’s no wonder the old boy is retiring, he’s clearly losing it. So sad, and so close to the end too. Still, it comes to us all.

And then there’s this blur and before you can work out what’s happening, the ball is in the back of the net. Carlos Alberto has appeared from nowhere, run onto the perfectly played pass and, without breaking stride, has bludgeoned it beyond Albertosi and in. The greatest goal of all time. The greatest player of all time. The debate is over.

Pele �?The Greatest Player Of All Time

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firsttouchonline — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 18:13:05 +0000

When it comes to soccer legends, where else do you start but Pele. The greatest of soccer legends bar none. Brazil are customarily seen as the greatest footballing nation on earth. Routinely at each World Cup, whatever their form, whoever is in the team, they are installed as favourites, the team to beat, certainly the team to watch. While they continue to have their share of success, they are not the invincibles that the pre tournament talk would suggest, not any longer, and nor do they always play with the invention, the verve, the swagger that was theirs in days of yore.

By Dave Bowler

The Brazilian reputation, in large part, rests on what they achieved in the years between 1958 and 1970 and the way in which they did it. Emblematic of that glorious dozen years was one man �?Pele.

In his prime, there was never any question that he was the greatest player in the world, and over a sustained period of time. Even today, near 40 years after he hung up the boots, he still gets the nod from many shrewd judges as the greatest of all time. Certainly no other player of any generation conjures up the same number of images, of thoughts, of smiles as the great Brazilian does.

Pele Stars at 1958 World Cup

He came to the world’s attention in 1958 when Brazil gave the world a new vision of what football might be about, building upon and eclipsing the style of the great Hungarian side of the early 1950s. Pele was an unknown as the team arrived in Sweden, just 17 years old, but his countrymen knew all about him. Along with the mercurial Garrincha, he was the icing on the top of an already rich cake, the two of them joining forces late on in that World Cup to lay waste to the competition.

Blessed with blistering pace, Pele had a command and control of the football that was superhuman. Let’s recall that he did not play with the lightweight piece of plastic that today’s giants can bend to their will. Pele was faced with the cased leather ball, an altogether different proposition when it came to bending and shaping. But he dictated to it as if it were an extension of his body, announcing himself in the final win over Sweden.

Brazil won 5-2 in the end, but it was their third goal that clinched matters, not just in terms of the match but in immortality too. Jumping to collect a lob into the box on his chest, in one movement he turned and lobbed the ball over the covering defender. With him taken out of the game, he waited for the ball to drop, utterly unflustered, before drilling it right footed past the ‘keeper.

Pele Injured at 1962 World Cup

By the time the world reconvened for the 1962 championships, we were waiting to see how the 21 year old Pele had matured, but the world would be disappointed for he was injured in Brazil’s second game of the competition and sat the rest of it out as Garrincha cemented his place at the head of world football.

It was Pele’s achievements on the domestic front that kept him in the forefront of the world’s mind, Santos of Brazil cultivating a worldwide reputation akin to that of the Harlem Globetrotters, heading to Europe, being caught on TV, Pele’s extraordinary goals being beamed across the world. If anything, by 1966 he was even more feared by the rest of the world and, as European football readied itself for 1966, it became clear that if Brazil were to be denied a hat-trick of titles, Pele had to be stopped. These were darker times and it was clear that if you could not stop him by fair means, then foul ones would have to do.

In the opening game, Pele scored from a free-kick but was kicked from pillar to post by the Bulgarians which meant he missed out on the second game against the Hungarians which Brazil lost. Still unfit, he was required to play in the third game as Brazil had to beat Portugal to go through to the knock-out stages. The film of that game shows Pele being hacked to pieces by Portugal, but having to carry on in an era where there were no substitutes. Portugal won as Pele limped away, vowing never to play at the World Cup again.

Pele Becomes Legend at 1970 WC

Fortunately by the time 1970 rolled around, he had changed his mind, enabling him and his team to present perhaps football’s finest hour. The competition presented on global television from Mexico, the players moving in shimmering colour for those few lucky enough to have a colour set, the vivid fluorescence of the Brazilian shirts and the extraordinary brilliance of the men in it captured the imagination like no team before or since.

Pele was at the heart of it, the memories of those days as clear now as at the time: trying to score from the kickoff, selling a keeper an outrageous dummy before skewing a short inches wide from an impossible angle, thumping in a header against Italy in the final before ending that game by having the vision to roll the ball to seemingly nobody, only for the watching world to find it was perfectly placed and weighted for Carlos Alberto to charge onto and score possibly the greatest goal of all time, certainly the one that packs the greatest emotional release.

Pele Joins New York Cosmos

Thereafter, there were the years exploiting the Pele name, for the good of football, of himself, and of erectile dysfunction. He was the spearhead of the New York Cosmos, bringing soccer to the United States and capturing, albeit briefly, the attention of a nation resolute in its contempt for the world’s game.

In the end, Pele stands alone, a genius, an innovator, the right man in the right place, the right team at the right team to become the first global football superstar and a man to rival even Muhammad Ali as the greatest sportsman of his time.

Perhaps even more important, his greatest legacy, was that he gave the world the phrase �?a href="http://crickex66.com/the-beautiful-game-new-york/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Beautiful Game�?to describe football, three little words that were the title of his autobiography. It is an aspiration that the romantics among us still require football to live up to.

Long Live Pele The King Of Football

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firsttouchonline — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 09:08:27 +0000

Johan Cruyff was, perhaps along with Franz Beckenbauer, the first truly great modern footballer. Those who came before him, the likes of Puskas, di Stefano, Pele, Best, they all changed the game with their talent and their insight, but they did so within the framework of a game where individualism was still freely allowed, where tactics, formations, systems were still in their infancy to a degree. But when Cruyff arrived to paint his particular pictures, it was very much to the benefit of the collective.

By Dave Bowler

It’s richly ironic that Cruyff should be the high priest of the collective. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a man more convinced of his own brilliance. He knew he was best, and he suffered fools less gladly. But then Cruyff was one of the few who can truly be called a genius. He not only had the chops on the pitch �?a sinuous, lyrical technique, fluid limbs, effortless control �?but had the mentality �?the spatial awareness, the instinctive understanding of positioning, of comparative strength and weakness, of when and where the key moments would arise �?to fully bring those gifts to bear on a game.

In that, Cruyff was not unique. The whole Dutch team of the total football were a pretty irascible bunch, spiky, fractious. They loved to debate and discuss the game in extraordinary length and at great depth. That made for a volcanic mix that ultimately denied them the greatest prize, the World Cup. In other ways it has given them a greater legacy than any of their contemporaries, that of total football.

Johan Cruyff - Total Footballer

There never was, and perhaps never will be, a more total footballer than Johan Cruyff. Though possibly Lionel Messi is something of a descendant. Appropriately so, given the little Argentine came through the Barcelona schooling and philosophy that Cruyff did so much to instil in his time at Camp Nou as player and then coach.

But Cruyff was the first, and he remains unique. He was the thinking man’s footballer if you like. The one who saw the game as balletic chess, played at pace. He had seen all the moves laid out in advance and so played them as though they were the most natural thing in the world. This the inevitable consequence of the application of his thought processes on the game.

In Dutch football, there is a saying that for the greats, a second lasts longer than it does for the mere mortals. It’s another way of saying that life happens in slow motion for them. That their thought processes are simply so extraordinarily swift that they can make more calculations and adjustments than the rest of us within the same time frame. They are the footballing equivalents of Sherlock Holmes if you like. Cruyff could stretch those seconds to breaking point, beyond anything that even Einstein could have envisaged. And he made them count for the better part of a decade.

Cruyff at Ajax

Whatever the gifts of Rinus Michels as a coach at Ajax, it was Cruyff that made the men from Amsterdam the greatest in Europe over a three year spell when they controlled the European Cup. Not only did they win it three times in a row, they devastated the rest of the continent. They played football that nobody knew how to counter. Nobody knew how to keep tabs on players who could pop up here, there and everywhere.

The right-back might be playing on the left wing. Your central midfielder could appear at centre-half. It looked a little like chaos theory in action, but it was well thought out, deeply intelligent. It relied on players sympathetic to one another and to the needs of the team. Above all, it relied on a conductor.

Cruyff was that man, orchestrating the team, focusing it, guiding it. Releasing it at times, gathering it back in at others. It all flowed from him. That was no small achievement in a team of such towering talent and even greater ego. There were rows and ructions, but in the end, the respect that Cruyff could command was complete and the players ultimately default to him. His was the love supreme, improvising like Coltrane. Finding shafts of visionary harmony within the dissonance. Defying all rational thought to produce moments that changed games, defined seasons, live forever.

Johan Cruyff At The World Cup

It was the same within the Dutch national side, an even greater achievement given the even more impressive and combustible nature of the individuals who made up that team. Though West Germany won the 1974 World Cup, nearly 40 years later it is still the Cruyff turn that we cling to, still the goals that he scored and created, the games that he dictated. That is what echoes down the ages, but when a visionary walks the earth, it is not simply in their own words and actions that they survive.

If you want to know what Cruyff brought to football, you can see it now. Simply watch Barcelona, watch their approach, the way their philosophy plays itself out on the playing fields of the world. Watch their movement, their expression, their thought processes, their technique their attitude. Look at the DNA of that football club. It was stamped upon them by Cruyff and carried through by his protégé Pep Guardiola. Barcelona today play the Cruyff way. Could any man ask for a greater monument to his talent?

Johan Cruyff, First Great Modern Footballer

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firsttouchonline — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 18:52:23 +0000

The death of Ian St John in 2021 robbed football of a man who served with distinction on both sides of Hadrian’s Wall in a playing career that saw him reach the very top of the tree.

By Dave Bowler

Ian St John began his playing career began in his native Motherwell. He was part of a young side put together at Fir Park by manager Bobby Ancell. He excelled as one of “Ancell’s Babes�?alongside the likes of Andy Weir and Sammy Reid. St John went on to score the goal for Berwick Rangers that knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup in 1967. But St John was the goalscoring jewel in that crown. He registered one of the quickest hat-tricks in Scottish football, putting three goals past Hibs in two and a half minutes in 1959.

After scoring 105 goals in 144 games for Motherwell, it was inevitable that, with the abolition of the maximum wage in English football in January 1961, clubs from south of the border would soon show an interest. Sure enough, on May 2^nd 1961, Ian St John signed for Liverpool for a club record £37,500. It was less than a month after winning his seventh cap for Scotland in the 9-3 defeat at Wembley. Liverpool’s directors were unsure of handing over such a hefty cheque, wondering if they could afford it. Manager Bill Shankly quickly put them straight, barking, “Jesus Christ, can you not see we can’t afford not to buy him!�?/p>

Ian St John �?Marksman

Shankly was, as usual, correct. Ian St John slotted into the Liverpool side like a dream. His arrival, along with of Ron Yeats from Dundee United at the other end of the park, provided the spine that would turn Liverpool into one of the most feared propositions in the English game. St John rattled in 18 goals and formed a lethal partnership up front with Roger Hunt. Together they guided Liverpool to promotion in his first season.

In the First Division, Ian St John proved better yet. Although he wasn’t the obvious beanpole target man, he was a brilliant striker with his back to goal. He was able to receive the ball and keep hold of it, allowing midfielders to get forward and join up with the play or enabling him to feed the ball into Hunt. It meant his goalscoring record was never quite as prodigious as it had been with Motherwell. But, if anything, he was even more effective.

FA Cup Winner

Not only was he a fine hold up player, but his use of the ball was immaculate. His reading of the game helped turn Liverpool into a trophy-winning juggernaut in the mid 1960s. They were First Division champions in 1963/64 and 1965/66 and in between that, they won their first ever FA Cup.

That was perhaps the highlight of St John’s career, twisting in the air to put a diving header into the Leeds United net and win the game 2-1. It was fitting indeed that the man who had been the key piece in Shankly’s first Liverpool jigsaw was to seal the crowning achievement for that team, wiping away what Shankly saw the shame of Liverpool never having won the cup.

It was the FA Cup that ended St John’s time at Anfield. Liverpool’s sixth-round defeat to Watford in 1970 was the signal for Shankly to tear that team apart and build a new one. Ian St John then had spells with Coventry and Tranmere Rovers, as well as playing in South Africa. Management was something that seemed an obvious progression for this most intelligent and visionary of footballers.

Ian St. John �?Manager

St. John cut his teeth back home at Motherwell, finishing ninth in his only full season, 1973/74. Then he was back down to England, trying to revive Portsmouth’s fortunes. At that time in their history, he might have been better advised to try and raise the Titanic. They were relegated to Division Three during his time there. After leaving Pompey he took on assistant management roles at Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday. Subsequently he moved into a role as media pundit that suited him down thot the ground.

His avuncular character, which perhaps meant he was never quite cut out for the role of football manager, found television to be a perfect setting. He achieved TV fame in the “Saint & Greavsie�?show that he co-presented with Jimmy Greaves. To a later generation of football fans, that will probably be their abiding memory of him, but for those who saw him playing at his peak, he will be remembered as one of Scotland’s finest forwards.

Photo: independent.ie

Ian St John �?A Journey From Star To Celebrity

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firsttouchonline — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 19:39:49 +0000

Nobby Stiles was the beating heart of the England side that won the 1966 World Cup. He made all things possible for manager Alf Ramsey. He was the sheet anchor around whom the rest of the team could play.

By Dave Bowler

Like all great teams, the abiding characteristic of England’s 1966 World Cup winners is that you can’t imagine that team with anybody else in it. The eleven names trip off the tongue so naturally that any other would be a wanton intrusion. Banks; Cohen, Moore, Jack Charlton, Wilson; Stiles; Ball, Bobby Charlton, Peters; Hunt, Hurst.

Some will tell you that Nobby Stiles was lucky to be in that World Cup-winning team. They’re the same kind of cretins that will tell you Ringo Starr was lucky to be in The Beatles. Nobby Stiles was the beating heart of that side, the one that made all things possible. He completed the unit. He was the sheet anchor around whom the rest could play.

Bobby Moore, George Cohen, and Ray Wilson could all dare to venture out of defence knowing that Stiles would dutifully fill the gap. Martin Peters, Alan Ball, and Bobby Charlton could all dare to play with the ball at their feet that bit longer. they knew that if they were caught in possession, Stiles would be there. Here would rip the ball away from whichever opponent had dared to steal it.

Controversy Surrounding Stiles

Nobby Stiles was the glue, the key component, the man that let England play the way they needed to play if they were going to win the World Cup as Alf Ramsey had promised the nation they would three years earlier. That was underlined in the aftermath of the final group game when England beat France 1-0.

It was a win that came at a price as Stiles found himself embroiled in controversy. He had already picked up a caution for “rough play�? Stiles was late with a tackle on Simon. Ray Wilson later admitted, “Nobby’s tackle looks horrendous when I see it now on film. He looks so unlike a footballer. When kids read about him or parents talk about him and saying he was a little animal, they mustn’t be able to believe it. He looks like Woody Allen!�?/p>

The game ended 2-0 to England, Shortly after, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee confirmed Stiles�?booking. They “requested the Head of the English Team Delegation to warn Stiles that if he were reported again, serious action would be taken.�?By the time this had been filtered through the F.A., the message to Alf was, “Is Stiles necessary? Can’t you leave him out?�?His response was simple: “If Nobby Stiles doesn’t play, England won’t play�? George Cohen added that “I’ve since heard that Alf told the F.A., “If you require me to drop Nobby Stiles, I’ll resign”�? End of debate.

Alf Ramsey Swears By Nobby Stiles

Alf Ramsey was right to stand loyally by a footballer who was doing the job he had asked him to do. He recognised that without him, England’s chances of carrying off the World Cup would be reduced by about 50%.

Who else in the squad could take on that role? Norman Hunter would most likely have filled the vacancy, but he was only 22. He had only made his England debut in December 1965 and would therefore have been a real risk. With Stiles, there was no risk because, like Ringo in The Beatles, he was the right man in the right place.

From there, Stiles was magnificent, not least in the semi-final against Portugal when he essentially blotted the great Eusebio, until then the competition’s unstoppable force, out of the game. No Eusebio, no Portugal. His performance was the platform for England to reach the final. Similarly, his man-marking job on Eusebio on the same pitch in 1968 was central to Manchester United winning the European Cup.

In the World Cup final itself, Nobby Stiles was the embodiment of tidy, intelligent discipline. He snuffed out West German move after move. He then gave the ball five yards forward to Bobby Charlton, Alan Ball or Martin Peters. Nothing clever, no frills, but a selfless, rock steady performance in service of the team. Most people might not have noticed him in the game unless he was committing himself to a crunching tackle. But he was a player’s players, and those around him knew just how invaluable he was to the cause.

Humility Of Nobby Stiles

So invaluable that as age caught up with him, it caused incalculable problems for his managers, for club and country. With England, he was replaced by Alan Mullery, technically a better player, whatever that means. “Better�?he might have been, but he didn’t fit the Ramsey method as seamlessly as Stiles did, and didn’t Ramsey suffer for it in Leon in 1970. Do you really think that Stiles in his �?6 prime would have allowed Beckenbauer to run free and drive that shot under Peter Bonetti, the shot that started to prise England’s hands off the Jules Rimet trophy?

What Stiles had was the quality that so few players have, the humility to understand full well all of his strengths �?which were far greater than most gave him credit for �?and all of his limitations. He never tried to do what he couldn’t, he always managed to do what he could to perfection. If you can do that, Lennon & McCartney, Ramsey & Busby, they’re always going to need you.

Rest easy Nobby.

Sir Alf Ramsey: England 1973 focuses on the final full year of Sir Alf’s reign as England boss. The nation that won the World Cup in 1966 failed to even qualify for the 1974 tournament. Ramsey was suddenly a man out of time, both on and off the pitch. The failing fortunes of the England team mirrored those of a post-Empire nation heading for its own a fall.
A must read for all fans. Order your copy.

Nobby Stiles �?The Beating Heart Of England 66

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firsttouchonline — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:53:10 +0000

Maradona was the greatest Argentinian soccer player of all time �?although Lionel Messi fans might argue that claim.

In this feature, artist Nick Oldham presents a set of four Maradona illustrations featuring memorable moments in his career, including the infamous Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 World Cup finals.

Contact Nick Oldham here to learn more about his digital portraiture and art design services.

Maradona Illustrations by Nick Oldham

The 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico was the tournament that cemented Diego Maradona’s place in history. Maradona was not only the captain and star player, but also the spiritual leader of the squad. His performances throughout the tournament were nothing short of legendary. Perhaps the most iconic moment came during the quarter-final match against England, where Maradona scored two of the most famous goals in World Cup history.

The first goal, known as the “Hand of God,�?was a controversial moment where Maradona used his left hand to punch the ball into the net. Though the goal stood, it sparked debates and discussions still. However, it was his second goal in the same match that truly exemplified his genius. Known as the “Goal of the Century,�?Maradona picked up the ball in his own half, dribbled past five English defenders, and slotted the ball into the net with incredible precision and composure. This goal remains one of the greatest in the history of the sport.

World Cup Win For Maradona

Under Maradona’s leadership, Argentina went on to win the World Cup. They defeated West Germany 3-2 in a thrilling final. Maradona’s influence on the tournament was undeniable. He won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. His performances in the 1986 World Cup are often regarded as the pinnacle of individual excellence in football.

Following his World Cup triumph, Diego Maradona reached the zenith of his career. His extraordinary talent and charisma made him a household name. However, with immense fame came significant pressure and intense media scrutiny. Maradona’s life became a constant spectacle. Every aspect of his personal and professional life was under the microscope.

Struggles

As Maradona’s career progressed, his struggles with addiction became more pronounced. By the late 1980s, his drug use became an open secret. His off-field antics began to overshadow his footballing achievements.

In 1991, Maradona’s world came crashing down when he tested positive for cocaine and received a 15-month suspension from football. His journey towards redemption began in the early 2000s when he sought professional help for his addiction issues. Determined to turn his life around, Maradona underwent rehabilitation and made a conscious effort to rebuild his career and personal life.

Maradona As Manager

In 2008, Maradona was appointed as the head coach of the Argentine national team. The role offered him a chance at redemption. While the team did not achieve the success many had hoped for, Maradona’s presence on the sidelines was a testament to his enduring passion for the game. His impact as a coach was not as profound as his playing days, however.

Diego Maradona’s legacy is not just defined by his footballing achievements but also by the cultural impact he had on society. Maradona’s journey is a testament to perseverance, and the enduring allure of the beautiful game.

Check out Nick Oldham’s fascinating portraits of Pele.

Maradona And His Magic Moments In Portrait

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firsttouchonline — Sat, 11 Jul 2020 12:47:15 +0000

As if things haven’t been dark enough these past few months �?many of us having to deal with personal tragedies of various kinds and scales while in the background, the world unravels in the news bulletins �?we’ve had to become used to losing some of the great names from the footballing world too. The announcement today that Jack Charlton has passed is given added poignancy by the fact that only a couple of months earlier, his Leeds and England colleague, Norman Hunter, also left the dressing room for the final time.

High Noon - Jack Charlton & Norman Hunter Remembered

By Dave Bowler

I don’t think that there has ever been a more feared defensive combination in the game than big Jack, with his little black book, full of the names of forwards who had trespassed against him and would not be delivered from evil next time, and Norman “bite yer legs�?Hunter who, if anything, could make Jack look a bit conciliatory at times. Even now, 50 years after they were in their prime, there will be a few old footballers still rubbing lumps, bumps and indelible bruises in memory of those two.

The caricature did, as ever, tell only half the story. Of course they were ferocious, aggressive defenders who would do anything they could get away with in order to prevent the other side scoring. They were not alone in that in an era where football was still a physical contact sport and all the better as a spectacle for it.

They were no worse than Tommy Smith, Ron Harris, Ron Yeats, Peter Storey, Nobby Stiles and a hundred others but in combination, they were better than any of them, the absolute bedrock on which Don Revie built a Leeds United side that was as great as any of that golden period in English football between around 1965 and 1975.

Big Jack Charlton

Revie’s Leeds were ultra-professional it’s true. They were also ultra-brilliant. John Giles, Billy Bremner, Eddie Gray, Allan Clarke, Terry Cooper, Peter Lorimer, all wonderful footballers whose names will live on, they could take any team apart. But behind them were Hunter and Charlton, all the insurance policy you needed. For a long stretch in the �?0s, before Revie started to give his team its head in the �?0s, Leeds would simply suffocate games.

They’d score first and then put up the shutters to keep the clean sheet and win the game. You can only do that if you have supreme confidence in your defenders, especially in the middle. And Hunter and Charlton were simply the best partnership going.

Norman Bites Yer Legs

Norman was the better footballer in the classical sense, in that he could just as easily play in midfield as at the back. He could create as well as destroy, had a lovely left foot and, if the opportunity was there, he would drive forward into space, commit players and then find Gray or Giles with a telling pass. The only thing that stopped Hunter winning another 50 England caps to add to the 28 he got was a chap called Bobby Moore.

Big Jack was, of course, Moore’s partner in England’s greatest day, the World Cup win over West Germany. It was a slightly different set up to playing with Hunter, Moore a gentler figure in the tackle, a timer and reader rather than a clatterer, but there were plenty of similarities, all based around Jack’s temperament. He once asked Alf Ramsey why it was that he was picked so often for England when there were better players available at centre-half.

“Because you won’t trust Bobby Moore�?came the answer. And that was Jack’s philosophy. “I’m a defender, I’m here to stop the goals going in. Bob might do something fancy and once in a while, it’ll go wrong, so I’ll be here to stop the bloke coming through.�?/p>

England Magic

Paired with Moore, that was a magnificent blend, its importance illustrated as England lost in Poland in �?3 to start tumbling out of World Cup qualification. One down at the start of the second half, Roy McFarland �?one of England’s finest centre-halves, a better “footballer�?than Charlton by a mile �?won a header on halfway and directed it back towards last man, Bobby Moore, with time and space.

Instead of knocking it back to the keeper, Moore looked to take a touch and then to set up an attack. The ball got away from him, Lubanski burst onto it and made it 2-0.

Charlton would never have played the header McFarland played. First, he wouldn’t have been in front of Moore, he’d have been behind him. But seeing Moore was last man, Charlton wouldn’t have trusted him and would have either headed into touch or 30 yards forward, out of harm’s way. Both Moore and McFarland had constructive, footballing instincts. Charlton was only ever interested in the ball not ending up in the back of his net.

Hard Men Of Leeds

The game has chosen to ditch the aggression that Hunter and Charlton showed in their play, but that’s not to say they couldn’t have played today, for they could and would be stars. Hunter would be a ball playing centre-half or a midfield anchor, while Charlton would be winning every header that came into the box, mopping up behind the fancy dan who’d got himself into trouble.

And they would still be masters of that other lost art, the art of digging out your team mates, administering rollockings to those who don’t track back, who are out of position, not doing their job. One of the great eye openers �?ear openers �?of behind closed doors football has been how quiet players are on the field now. I can promise you, if that Leeds team had been taking on the Liverpool side of the time, they would have had to turn off the pitchside microphones, both because of the volume and the content of the chatter.

Norman and big Jack were competitive to their core, could not bear to lose at anything. They, Don Revie and their team mates created a club out of nothing and it would be wholly appropriate if this month, Leeds lift the League Championship trophy they both won, albeit when it was given a division higher.

Rest easy lads.

Leeds Legends Jack Charlton And Norman Hunter

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firsttouchonline — Sat, 09 May 2020 12:54:13 +0000

Who can forget Gazza at Euro 96? Thrills, drama and controversy always surrounded Paul Gascoigne as a player. Here Greg McKay tells the story of one of Gazza’s greatest moments �?That goal against Scotland in the European Championships.

In November 2019, the late Kobe Bryant wrote an article entitled ‘Igniting the Imagination of Youth Athletes�? In the piece, Bryant explained that he’d come to understand that one of the best ways to teach his daughters how to navigate society and accomplish their goals was to ignite their creative imaginations through something they cared about �?sports.

Growing up playing football on patchy fields in suburban Maryland, this link between imagination and sport didn’t become apparent to me until I witnessed one of the most sublime moments in the history of the game.

Magic Moments In The Beautiful Game: Gazza At Euro 96!

The 1996 UEFA European Championship was the first international tournament of which I have a detailed recollection. While World Cup �?4 was held in the United States and I attended matches, I don’t remember much other than Roberto Baggio blasting his penalty over the bar and my uncle and dad incredulous that a player of his quality could miss the target.

The main reason for vivid memories of Euro �?6 wasn’t necessarily the matches I watched live, but rather the VHS videotape of all of the goals of the tournament, which I’d received as a Christmas present at the end of the year.

For ten-year old me, that video was like the television show ‘The Office�?for many millennials today. I’d put in on when I had little else to do because it was familiar and comforting.

Even years later I can recall many of the highlights from the tournament, whether it’s Davor Suker’s breathtaking chip over the imposing Peter Schmeichel or Oliver Bierhoff almost single-handedly bringing Germany back from the brink to lift the championship trophy.

That Gazza Goal Against Scotland!

Yet, no moment from the tournament stuck in my consciousness like Paul Gascoigne’s goal for England in the group match against Scotland. In some ways it was an odd finish to be etched in my mind in a positive way. My dad is from Glasgow, and the entire family are card carrying members of the Tartan Army. In our house, the English weren’t the folksy ‘Auld Enemy�? just the enemy.

Though it’s entirely possible watching the goal on repeat did long-lasting damage to my sensitive Scottish psyche, the brilliance of that moment is all that remains.

Following a long clearance from David Seamen, Teddy Sheringham brought the ball down and laid it off to Darren Anderton. Gascoigne had made an intelligent run from midfield into the space Sheringham cleared and Anderton played a looping through ball for the surging English midfielder.

With the rugged Colin Hendry closing quickly, Gascoigne pulled off a moment of unmatched, delicate ingenuity, flicking the ball over Hendry’s head and finishing with a stunning volley inside the near post.

Then, in what is still engrained in my memory, Gascoigne celebrates by laying down, arms out-stretched to be mobbed by teammates, as if to say “are you not entertained?�?/p>

The Legend Of Gazza

Gascoigne’s precocious finish was also the first goal I remember practicing over and over and over in the back yard. I’d pop the ball past an imaginary defender and try to volley it into the small net in the back corner of our yard.

More often than not, I had to climb the neighbor’s fence to retrieve it from their bushes. Unfortunately, I played that oh-so-90’s position of ‘sweeper’�?at the time and never made it further up the field in my football career than central midfield so my opportunities to imitate Gascoigne in a match were, shall we say, limited.

Following Gazza’s goal, there were a number of plays I tried to replicate in the safe confines of our yard. Ronaldo’s goal against Lazio where he jukes back and forth multiple times until the goalie simply falls over or Zidane’s stunning left-footed volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final.

Inspiration

Attempts to mimic these magical plays undoubtedly led to more than a few frustrating moments for coaches over the years. I’d rarely give up the chance of the extraordinary, with often unremarkable outcomes. Though the results may have been mixed, what the Gascoigne goal gave me more than anything was an expanded imagination.

Just as reading a book like ‘Call of the Wild�?as a child took me to a far off place where the possibilities are limited only by the mind, watching the true artists of the game create moments of beauty led my football imagination to run wild.

As I began dreaming about what I could accomplish with a touch of the ball, football became not just a sport to play with friends on weekends but a means for navigating through the world and chasing goals.

How Gazza Lit Up The European Championships