Essential The Official Football (Soccer) Thread - We are SO back, the Premier League returns!

[African_brehda]

Lukaku out there scoring meaningless goals again!

Apparently without his goals, Everton will still have finished in the same position last season

 

[The axe murderer]

Gigg's dad on his welsh appointment

"He is my son and it brings me close to tears to say that my family don't respect him and look up to him. As the eldest he should have been watching his brother's back - not stabbing him in it. He cheated in the worst possible way and is not man enough to apologise for it."
'I am ashamed of him. I can't even bring myself to use his name' - Ryan Giggs' dad on Wales appointment - Independent.ie

Bang your brother's wife for 8 years brehs

 

[THEREALBRAND]

Han Kwang-song is the North Korean striker who is a target for Juventus after impressing in Italy - but he is under orders from Kim Jong-un... and are his wages funding an enemy state?

As one of Italy's most promising young footballers, Cagliari striker Han Kwang-song should have the world at his feet and a bright future ahead of him.

Having burst on to the scene last season in Serie A, Han has thrived during a loan spell at Perugia in the second tier this campaign attracting Juventus' interest in the process. Always first in the queue for the finest prospects, the Old Lady are reportedly close to sealing a summer transfer for the teenager.

Han is already a full international at just 19 years old with two caps for his country.

The only problem for Han is - that country is North Korea.

Leader Kim Jong-un wants North Korea to become a genuine force in world football and Han is central to the dictator's plans, the youngster they have pinned a nation's hopes on to fire them to glory.

Born in the capital Pyongyang, Han was a sensation from an early age and was sent to a football academy in Barcelona at just 13. He returned to his homeland with FC Chobyong before impressing at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup in Chile.

Italian senator Antonio Razzi, close friends with Kim Jong-un, invited Han to participate at the prestigious ISM Academy in Italy.

A successful trial at Cagliari followed and last season Han broke into the first-team and became the first North Korean to score in Serie A in just his second appearance.

But there is a political cloud hanging over Han which threatens to derail his career before it's even started.

After scoring a hat-trick on the opening weekend of the Serie B season for Perugia, completing the treble with a deft side-footed volley, Han netted in his next appearance against Pescara.

The early-season form saw him invited on to the popular sports show La Domenica Sportiva, with the Italian public keen to know more about the latest teen sensation.

But just hours before Han was due to drive up to the television studio in Milan he received a call from one of Kim Jong-un's henchmen demanding that he cancel his appearance.

'A call from a not very clear ministry figure arrived and it blocked everything,' Perugia president Massimiliano Santopadre told La Stampa. 'Negotiating was impossible because Pyongyang want to talk only and exclusively with Han.

'The situation with their government has become even more rigid and their footballers have been prohibited from appearing on TV, otherwise they would have repatriated him. Han is scared.'

Serious questions have also been raised over whether Cagliari should be paying Han's wages given that the vast majority of his pay-packet is reportedly being sent back home.

North Korea laws dictate that the wages of any citizen working outside the national borders belong to their government. Therefore by paying Han's wages, Cagliari are indirectly funding an enemy state.

Just last year, Italy became the fifth country to expel the North Korean ambassador over the dictatorship's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Cagliari insist Han's wages are being paid directly to him but claim they cannot account for what the player does with them afterwards. Should Juventus sign Han and double or treble his wages, the issue will become even more pressing.

Fiorentina were forced to withdraw their contract offer to highly-rated North Korean starlet Choe Song-hyok last year after accusations that they were funding the authoritarian government's nuclear weapons programme by paying his salary.

After Fiorentina had Choe's contract terminated with the help of the Italian government, the striker signed for Perugia where he now shares a dressing room with his compatriot Han.

For Cagliari and Juventus, Choe's saga represents a reminder of the political minefield involved when signing a North Korean footballer.

at North Korea using footballers to take over the world like Zoolander.

Seriously though, it sucks that the kid can’t enjoy the fruits of his labor like a normal human being. All that hard work and he gets nothing to show for it, just so a guy that was handed the world on a silver platter can fund his pipe dreams.

 

[THEREALBRAND]

Even though he hasn’t played in nearly three years Ronaldinho officially retired today. At his peak he’s the most awe inspiring player I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame we didn’t get more years of his brilliance.

 

[sportscribe]

Andy Carroll when he heard Chelsea had contacted West Ham to sign him:

 

[Black Magisterialness]

Have some of y’all seen Alexis play?

The gloss goes very quickly. Especially for teams who struggle to create

This.

As an Arsenal stan, I can say that while he is a world class player, easily one of the top 15-20 in the game right now...he makes some bonehead decisions when he's forced to create for himself. He's one of the most brilliant frustrating players to watch...Ozil is more integral to the side in terms of actually getting shyt done...its obvious based on how we play when Ozil is absent.

Getting Henrik is a band-aid over a gaping shotgun wound that is Arsenal's midfield. Losing ONE MAN (Santi Cazorla) literally took Arsenal from perennial UCL to middling trash. The defending is woeful because they are pushing up too high to compensate for this. Not to mention Calum Chambers is basura. A sad day when our most consistent players been Mustafi and Aaron Ramsey

Even though he hasn’t played in nearly three years Ronaldinho officially retired today. At his peak he’s the most awe inspiring player I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame we didn’t get more years of his brilliance.

The man made the Bernabeu his fire hydrant. Prolly personally responsible for getting legions of black players into the sport along with Eto'o and Henry and other from that era.

Dude totally broke down the "boring soccer" trope and exposed the world to the Samba. Prolly the game's first real star in the internet era (along with Beckham).

 

[African_brehda]

Imagine what Dinho could've done if he actually cared and was focused

 

[BigMan]

Ronaldinho Gaucho is the GOAT

 

[dappadonna]

Dinho Top 5 DOA

:tinchsalute:

 

[Malik1time]

thanks for the memories

 

[phillycavsfan]

Walcott to Everton is official. Should've never gotten hyped like he did a decade ago.

 

[gho3st]

Walcott to Everton is official. Should've never gotten hyped like he did a decade ago.

Wenger should go...how you got welbeck starting over Walcott?

 

[THEREALBRAND]

Troopz on AFTV: “F#ck Alexis. I’m done with him, he can f#ck off blud.”


Also Troopz: “Hey Alexis, I’m a huge fan blud. Can I get a quick picture?”

 

[mr.africa]

thank you ronaldinho

 

[MikeyC]

Even though he hasn’t played in nearly three years Ronaldinho officially retired today. At his peak he’s the most awe inspiring player I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame we didn’t get more years of his brilliance.

The crowd
The defenders
Cech

Everyone was genuinely bamboozled by what just happened.



This is probably the best goal I've seen scored against us.