Offside Sarah

In another league: Foreign Football Players in Europe

(via European football: In another league | The Economist)

For explanation of the above visual, visit @andrewcharding’s post below. 

(via Polka Dot: Bayern Munich 7v1 Hoffenheim, Saturday 10th March « AndrewCHarding)

Bixente Lizarazu. It’s fair to say you are not and never will be my favorite person in the world. Let’s leave it at that. 

Reading Rec: Pride, pig-headedness and glee - Leverkusen's Project Ballack fails

Excerpt: 

‘Demontage. It’s a word that’s so good Germans had to nick it from the French. It refers to the taking apart of something (or someone) but there are extra layers of meaning. A Demontage is conspicuous, a very public destruction of an important person’s image and status, and it implies an element of glee, lust even. Roping in a fremdwort (foreign word) to name an activity can sometimes betray a sense of unease, and Demontage is probably a good example of that: taking pleasure in someone’s (symbolic) dismemberment sounds a little less problematic in exotic syllables.

“Ballacks Demontage hat begonnen,” (Ballack’s demontage has begun), wrote Stuttgarter Zeitung in July 2010, when the captain’s future in the brave new Germany of Jogi Löw looked less than assured.’

Read the full article at The Guardian.

2010: Pique vs Klose

bundesligaclassic:

Spain centerback Gerard Pique and Germany forward Miroslav Klose had a contentious encounter at the 2010 World Cup semi finals.  

Wow, Diego is TINY… 

bundesligaclassic:

After the 1982 World Cup, Maradona transfered to Barcelona where he was welcomed by former Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern München coach Udo Lattek (right). The pair later had a difficult relationship after Lattek left without Maradona after the Argentina failed to show up to the team bus on time.  Also pictured is Argentina coach Cesar Luis Menotti.

Reading Rec: German soccer chief Theo Zwanziger calls for gays to come out

Excerpt: 

‘Germany captain Philipp Lahm, however, disagrees as far as soccer goes.

“Football is like being the gladiators in the old times,” Lahm said in an interview published Monday. “The politicians can come out these days, for sure, but they don’t have to play in front of 60,000 people every week.”

“I don’t think that the society is that far ahead that it can accept homosexual players as something normal as in other areas,” he added.’

Read the full article on ESPN

bundesligaclassic:

What? Berti Vogts can’t spend a quiet day reading literature in the park?  He’s a romantic at heart!