Alessandro Nesta and The Classiest Moment at the Camp Nou last night
35 years old. 78 caps for Italy. 19 years of club football calcio in Italy. For Milan fans, for Italians across the world, Alessandro Nesta is a man that makes you proud to be associated with him in any way, shape, or form. Though Thiago Silva may have stolen the show at the Camp Nou last night with a last minute equaliser that allowed the match between FC Barcelona and AC Milan to finish 2-2. But the headlines only tell so much of the story. Nesta put in a performance that resembled his best days from 8 or 9 years. He never backed down against an opponent, his timing on every tackle was impeccable, and his unparalleled defensive instincts could be seen from anywhere in the stadium. This moment, this sublime tackle against the best player in the world has shown another generation of fans what true legends in this game are made of.
Source: afootballreport
An artistic triumph for football fans living in university dorm rooms across the globe!
Ohthehumanityyy has created dozens of stunning poster designs from some of the most iconic figures in football (past and present). The posters are available for purchase and you can view them all here. A gift for my mate’s birthday next month? Sorted.
Your delayed (because I’m in New York City and honestly have other things on my mind) Friday Flashback: (At the 1:00 mark) Nearly four decades ago on this day George Best scored a wonderful hat-trick for Manchester United to down Southampton 5-2. We’ll see if someone can provide the spark to do the same against Blackburn…
Trending Topics: Brian #McBrideFacts
Brian McBride, consistently praised for the effort he exuded on the pitch with the Columbus Crew, Everton FC, Fulham FC, the Chicago Fire, and of course the US Men’s National Team, announced he would retire from football at the end of the current MLS season. To put this into perspective for a non-US Soccer fan, Neil W. Blackmon (AFR Guest Contributor and Co-Founder of @yanksarecoming) wrote:
His specter haunts US strikers today, and his performances continue to be the high-water mark among American goal scorers. He did this without world-class talent, without blazing speed, without overwhelming physical strength. It was work-ethic and want-to. Perhaps that’s why even before South Africa one of the patented world views, fair or unfair, of the American football player was that, regardless of talent, they played the game with grit, with courage, and with a never-back-down attitude.
Indeed, no singular figure defined this image of what being an American player was all about than Brian McBride—he of the bloodied face, jersey always dirty, and pure leave-it-all-on-the-field guts. We’ll miss you Brian. We’ve already missed you. Thank you for always answering the bell. Best in your retirement.
The Twitter community also acknowledged McBride’s great impact with his respective clubs and country, creating a trending topic #McBrideFacts. They’re all ridiculous, and yet oh so respectful to the man who wore #20. Here are some of the best #McBrideFacts:
@futbolhooligan: Materazzi didn’t insult Zidane’s sister, he insulted McBride. #McBrideFacts
@usarsnl: Rafa Marquez refers to Brian McBride as “he-who-must-not-be-named.” #McBrideFacts
@adamsoucie: MLS’ pitch to Thierry Henry was 3 words: “McBride plays here.” He signed in 5 seconds flat. #McBrideFacts
![On this day, September 2nd, William “Bill” Shankly was born 98 years ago. He passed away on September 29th, 1981, but not before giving a life of service to the club he loved: Liverpool FC. After a playing career at Preston North End and earning 5 caps with Scotland, Shankly managed at Anfield from 1959 to 1974.
After his retirement from being a football manager he said: “I was only in the game for the love of football - and I wanted to bring back happiness to the people of Liverpool.”
He is also known for saying, “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
[Here’s a testament to good ol’ Bill, spotted over at Who Are Ya Designs]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l852lpD01z1qafnx3o1_500.jpg)
On this day, September 2nd, William “Bill” Shankly was born 98 years ago. He passed away on September 29th, 1981, but not before giving a life of service to the club he loved: Liverpool FC. After a playing career at Preston North End and earning 5 caps with Scotland, Shankly managed at Anfield from 1959 to 1974.
After his retirement from being a football manager he said: “I was only in the game for the love of football - and I wanted to bring back happiness to the people of Liverpool.”
He is also known for saying, “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
[Here’s a testament to good ol’ Bill, spotted over at Who Are Ya Designs]
