We soccer fans often forget there’s more to life than just the beautiful game. So, please note: this weekend the movie "IT," inspired by Stephen King's eponymous novel, is in theaters. Remember Pennywise, that demonic clown that made us wet our pants as children in the nineties? Well, IT is back.
As it turns out, there's something even more terrifying than IT lurking around soccer fields.
Bayern Munich's greatest talent has the potential to fill the shoes of the retiring Philipp Lahm and then some. Joshua Kimmich will more than likely represent both Bayern and the German national team with as much, if not more, success than his predecessor.
In his storied career, Lahm has amassed an impressive trophy case with almost every accomplishment imaginable. He is a seven-time Bundesliga winner, a six-time German Cup winner, possesses a coveted Champions League title and, of course, the 2014 World Cup title.
Last week, social media erupted amid news that Premier League side Arsenal had attempted to spend a huge amount of money on Serie A’s latest striking sensation, Andrea Belotti. Figures in the tens of millions were bandied about, converted from euros to pounds and back again until it seemed as though Arsenal’s penny-pinching ways had prevented their transfer business yet again.
Crystal Dunn, Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, and Becky Sauerbrunn were all nominees for 2016 Female Player of the Year. Tobin Heath beat out all of her USWNT teammates and took home the title.
The rejuvenated heroics of Mario Balotelli saw the Italian striker score six goals in his first six Ligue 1 matches for Nice, propelling the club to the top of the table over the likes of Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.
M’Baye Niang’s young career has been plagued by controversies and inconsistent play, but his goal on Sunday not only proved his doubters wrong, it also showed a new maturity from the French international. Watch as he celebrates his goal with a memorable gesture to Riccardo Montolivo, Milan’s captain who is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury:
There’s no doubting Mesut Ozil’s quality. You don’t win 81 caps and a World Cup for Germany, a La Liga title with Real Madrid and collect two FA Cup winner’s medals with Arsenal by riding on the coattails of others. However, a criticism of that nature is frequently thrown at Ozil. His languid style leads to cries of having gone AWOL during big matches — particularly during his time with Arsenal.
Potential is defined as the latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness.
Kevin De Bruyne is the cover boy of Potential Illustrated, the long-running theoretical magazine that is littered with pages of soccer players that just didn’t make it.
There are millions of both aimless and worthwhile reasons for why some players just never figure it out. Talent, oddly enough, usually goes hand in hand with prospective failure.
When Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers signed Scott Sinclair from Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, the winger was a known quantity to the bench boss. . .but few others.
Christian Pulisic will eventually be crowned the USMNT’s best player ever.
This hot take is backed with circumstantial evidence in the form of raw talent, technical superiority and a nurturing environment for tactical growth.