In football, as in life, sometimes it's better to be lucky than to be good. And if you were a decent French-speaking footballer in the first half of the 2010s, there was a chance that Newcastle United's bulging pocket book and obsession with Ligue 1 players would make you a very rich man.

The "French Revolution" began after Newcastle's Premier League promotion in 2010, as the club signed French winger Hatem Ben Arfa and Ivorian holding midfielder Cheick Tioté. Ben Arfa and Tioté were just two of the 20+ French-speaking players Newcastle signed over the next half-decade.

As Pride month comes to an end, there was a moment in Brazil’s second tier I felt was worth highlighting. Vasco da Gama is one of Brazil’s biggest clubs despite being relegated to Brasileirao Serie B last season. The following Vasco da Gama flag celebration definitely falls under the “feel good” category.

On Sunday, the club hosted Brusque in a league game and was all decked out for LGBTQ+ Pride. The corner flags were swapped to the rainbow flags and the home team sported some of the cleanest Pride kits I’ve ever seen.

With less than a minute left in the season, Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid was within touching distance of the league title.

Atlético Madrid had held on to first place in LaLiga for 29 of the previous 30 match weeks and was leading Valladolid 2-1 in a must-win match. Anything less than three points and Atlético's hated crosstown rival Real Madrid would take the title.

With two matchdays already complete, England's footballing template has been executed perfectly so far at Euro 2020.

First: infinite pre-tournament hype, especially in connection to a burgeoning young star — in this case, Phil Foden. Then, earn some decent results in the group stage without looking overly encouraging on the pitch. Finally, get through to the next round, provide some hope, then lose in heartbreaking fashion late in the game or on penalties.

It's a pattern so often repeated that any England fan worth his salt has put it to memory.

On July 3, 2001, Gianluigi Buffon became the most expensive goalkeeper in football, moving from Parma to Juventus for a fee of around $58 million. Now, two decades and 489 Serie A appearances later, Buffon is back at the club where it all started.

Gigi Buffon officially became a Parma player again on Thursday, signing with the Serie B side on a two-year deal. "Superman" had returned.