It was one of football's most successful midfield partnerships: on the one hand, the snarling, combative Gennaro Gattuso, and on the other, the thoughtful, elegant, unflappable Andrea Pirlo.
The pair formed the backbone of a memorable AC Milan team for more than a decade and helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup.
Kazuyoshi Miura, the 53-year-old forward for J.League side Yokohama FC, began his career 34 years ago and is still going strong, wondering if he "can stay alive" without the sport after retiring.
Not that the man known fondly in Japan as 'King Kazu' is considering retiring anytime soon, despite being 20 years older than most of his team mates.
Shortly before the United States entered World War II and sports were put on the back burner, directors and executives were looking for the next big revenue-generating events.
In 1941 — years before the New York Knicks were even founded — Madison Square Garden decided that hosting indoor soccer was a worthwhile adventure, and the promoters weren’t wrong with nearly 10,000 paying customers showing up to watch teams from the American Soccer League literally do battle.
With each kit released for the 2020-21 season, I find myself shaking my head; it has become abundantly clear that kit designers have simply run out of ideas.
"He was what I called a ball-playing defender," long-time friend Dave Bassett said of Sam Allardyce, "If he wasn't playing with the ball he was playing with your balls."
Allardyce was a feared center back during his 20-plus years in English football due to his propensity to clatter opposing strikers and leave them moaning in pain on the turf. He was even given the nickname "Super Sam Bionic Man" for his ability to quickly ascend from these tackles and continue playing.
Soccer players from the United States playing in Europe’s top leagues are a rarity. For those wondering how many Americans have played in Serie A, the number is miniscule.
Leeds United was 90 minutes away from the 2001 Champions League Final.
A lively first leg in the semifinal ended goalless. Leeds had plenty of opportunities in the second half, but the club was happy to earn a home shutout against Valencia in an evenly contested match.
The task ahead was formidable, though. Valencia was unbeaten in its last 17 European Cup matches at the Estadio Mestalla, and the Spanish side was Champions League runner-up the previous season.