The cases made on both sides came with a host of subtexts: the Argentine versus the Brazilian, the man of the people versus the establishment figure, the party animal versus the quiet man, and the rebel versus the conformist.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Thursday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The enormous structured global advertising machinery that surrounds every football game on the planet today? Pele was perhaps single-handedly responsible for all of it. By just being brilliant, captivating crowds, and behaving like a being from the future, doing things that STILL provoke oohs and aahs from watchers. Vaibhav Raghunandan salutes the Incomparable Pele.
Players who have been ruled out or are doubtful for the 2022 World Cup.
This and more from the happenings in the world of football
Olympiakos coach taken to hospital, match abandoned after crowd trouble
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Tears of joy in Japan after nail-biting win over Spain
'I'm not worried but we know they beat big teams to get there and we're going to take it seriously. It's not a surprise to see them here anymore. They deserve to be here.'
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Guangzhou Evergrande began the defence of their Chinese Super League (CSL) title with a 2-0 victory against Shanghai Shenhua as the delayed 2020 campaign, revamped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally kicked off over the weekend.
As Kerala Blasters kick-off their ISL campaign against NorthEast United FC in their opener in Kochi on Tuesday, October 6, Spaniard Josue Currais-Preito is looking forward to wow Indian crowds with his technical acumen.
Neymar's record-breaking 222 million euros ($263 million) transfer from Barcelona to Paris St Germain is set to be completed this week with the French club poised to pay his release clause.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
England, who are gunning for their second World Cup title, have the most valuable squad in Qatar with Jude Bellingham topping a list of over 800 players.
Two football bosses including a former president of Honduras pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to US charges they took bribes in exchange for media and marketing contracts in a scandal that has rocked the business of global football.
Morocco relied on the usual mixture of North African style, combining committed defence with counter-attacks
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Soccer fans at the almost alcohol-free World Cup are ready to pay high prices for a beer, a few have tried to smuggle booze into stadiums but most simply accept that drinking is off limits at the first tournament in a Muslim country.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
An ambitious project to awaken a sleeping giant of Asian soccer looks like confirming Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's famous remark that India pricks up its ears only when comparisons with China are made. With China embarked on a multi-billion dollar mission to become a soccer superpower by 2050, India looks set to follow suit with its own plan to raise its status in the game to match its burgeoning economic power. Come October, India, most famously described as soccer's sleeping giant by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will launch a programme to engage more than 11 million children in soccer-related activities.
Portrayed as a pantomime villain in some quarters, Chelsea striker Diego Costa has said he will not be changing his aggressive style of play to win new friends.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Rafael Nadal to play for Spain in new Davis Cup Finals while World No 1 Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, have already said they would support the ATP Cup -- seen as a rival team event to the Davis Cup -- when it begins in Australia just a few weeks after the ITF's flagship event.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
PSG's Champions League tie with Newcastle is like a final, says Luis Enrique
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The Argentine joined Barca on a free transfer during the close season, but made only five appearances in all competitions due to a calf injury and his cardiac issues, scoring once in a 2-1 home defeat by Real Madrid.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The most impressive players at the FIFA World Cup 2022 after Round One.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Italy won the European Championship for the first time since 1968 as Gianluigi Donnarumma saved two England penalties en route to a 3-2 shootout win after the teams had fought out a 1-1 extra-time draw in Wembley on Sunday.
The Qatar World Cup has delivered a rich feast of soccer for the past month
