1min.football

Heung-min Son would have had to serve in the military if he hadn't won gold at the Asian Games. A law in South Korea states that all able-bodied men need to serve in the military for at least 21 months before the age of 28. And this rule is the same for all, whether celebrities or commoners. In fact, all the members of the popular boy band BTS are currently serving in the military. But Tottenh...

Here is what happened when Deadpool took over a football club. Wrexham AFC, the oldest football club in Wales, had been relegated from England's 4th division in 2008 after 87 years, and things were looking bleak for the club. But parallelly, there was another story brewing that would change Wrexham's fortunes again. Comedian Rob McElhenney was a good friend of Humphrey Ker, a British write...

Here's how a rule change led to the birth of the fiercest Italian football derby. The rivalry between AC Milan and Inter Milan dates back over 100 years. AC Milan was founded by Herbert Kilpin in 1899. He was a textile worker from the UK working in Milan who was passionate about football. As the popularity of football and competition between the clubs grew, Italy saw an influx of foreign playe...

While the rags-to-riches story is no exception in football, Luka Modric's journey to the top entails a far more harrowing reality. During the Croatian War of Independence, his grandfather was murdered, and a six-year-old Modric and his family were forced to flee their home in Yugoslavia and live in a dilapidated hotel in Zadar. Despite the difficult conditions, Modric started playing professio...

Jurgen Klopp recently announced that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. Known for transforming teams, Klopp arrived at Anfield from Dortmund in 2015. Interestingly, the parallels between the two clubs are uncanny. From the best football stadium atmospheres to die-hard fanbases singing "You'll Never Walk Alone," both Liverpool and Dortmund share a lot in common. A...

Former Arsenal, Marseille, and AC Milan midfielder Mathieu Flamini may not have packed a serious punch on the football field, but ever since he hung up his boots, his achievements have been astonishing. Flamini grew up close to the sea in the south of France, in Marseille, and would often see plastic on the shores. In 2008, after moving from Arsenal to AC Milan, Flamini set up meetings with scient...

To everyone's surprise, Girona are still competing for a Champions League spot in La Liga this season. Their manager, Michel, and his CV are particularly interesting. He took charge of Rayo Vallecano in the 2017-18 season when they were in the Segunda Division, and he propelled them to promotion. However, after an abysmal run in the top division, Michel was sacked midway through the season, an...

Here's why tennis superstar Rafael Nadal will be cheering for RCD Mallorca at the Copa del Rey Finals. Born in Mallorca, Rafael has been following the club since his childhood. He also used to play football before switching to tennis. Interestingly, his parental uncle, Miguel Ángel Nadal, is an RCD Mallorca legend with 255 appearances, the highest number for Mallorca by any player to date. Whe...

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will see 48 teams instead of 32, which doubles India's chances of making it through the biggest stage. In the second round of qualifiers, the Blue Tigers are currently 3rd in Group A. With 4 matches of the double round-robin format still to play, India needs to finish in the top 2 to qualify for the 3rd round, which will have three groups of six teams each. They will pl...

Manchester United and Liverpool are by far two of English football’s most successful clubs, with a staggering 75 domestic major trophies between them. In the 1970s and 80s, Liverpool reigned supreme in the country, winning 19 major trophies in 17 years under 4 different managers. But when a certain Sir Alex Ferguson arrived in Manchester in November 1986, the tide was soon to turn. In a period whi...

Former Real Madrid star Pepe is grabbing headlines for leading FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage at the age of 40. But here's another interesting story from the early days of his career: Born in Brazil, Pepe travelled to Portugal for the first time in 2001 after his transfer from Corinthians to Marítimo. Upon his arrival, the 18-year-old youngster faced a tough choice. With...

The Santosh Trophy, one of the oldest and most prestigious football tournaments in India, has a rich history dating back to 1941. It is named after the Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary, who, at the time, was the president of the IFA, the football organisation of Bengal. The tournament, of which West Bengal are the record winners with 32 titles, was established to promote football at the st...

Jose Mourinho was appointed manager of Roma in May 2021. While Mourinho brought the club some instant success in Europe, the club’s poor form domestically eventually led to his sacking. But it’s not just that; the abolition of the Growth Decree regulation at the turn of last year might also have had a part to play. This regulation allowed Serie A clubs to pay less tax on certain foreign signings....

The libero is a defensive player who operates as a free-roaming sweeper behind the team's defensive line. Originating from Italian football, liberos are known for their ability to read the game, anticipate attacks, and also initiate offensive plays. Since they don't adhere to a specific marking assignment, it allows them the freedom to move across the defensive zone. While the role was fir...

In the mid-2010’s, China, one of the rising superpowers in the world, stood tall to stake their claim in football as well. The Chinese Super League was backed by a ton of both state and private investment, which meant clubs were allowed to become spendthrifts. And indeed, the league managed to attract some of the most established names in world football, including Oscar, Carlos Tevez, and Hulk. Ho...

Santiago Bernabeu, home to Real Madrid, has always been marvelled at for its grandeur. Recently, the stadium underwent renovation, and the new version has some stunning new features. It now has a fully retractable pitch that can be pushed underneath the surface. This allows the club to rent out the stadium for concerts, basketball games, and more, which will bring in additional revenue worth sever...

The tradition of Liverpool fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" at Anfield, the club's home stadium, has a deep and historical significance. "You'll Never Walk Alone" was originally a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical called "Carousel." However, it gained immense popularity when it was covered by the Liverpool band Gerry and the Pac...

The decision for the Australian national football team to play in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) rather than the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) was driven by strategic considerations to enhance the team's competitiveness and development opportunities. Historically, Australia competed in the OFC but were faced with two main problems. 1. They faced little competition, which was ham...

The story of arguably Liverpool’s greatest-ever manager! When Bill Shankly took charge of Liverpool in December 1959, they were a second-division side. There was a lot wrong at Liverpool football club at the time, from the training pitch that was in shambles to the at-best average squad of players Shankly had at his disposal. But he decided to be the pioneer for change. In the 1961–62 season, Live...

A common phrase in modern football tactics is 'utilising the half-space'. But what exactly does it mean? Well, we know that playing between the lines is when a player drops into the space between the opponent’s defence and midfield. Half spaces are simply the vertical equivalent of that. Just as there is space between the lines, there is also space between the fullbacks and centerbacks. Wh...

When Mason Greenwood broke into the Manchester United first team as a 17-year-old in 2019, he was largely considered one of the finest talents to come out of the club’s academy. In Greenwood, United had a budding striker, efficient with both feet and who could dribble as well as hold the ball up. However, in January 2022, he was arrested on charges of attempted rape and assault. United suspended h...

The Final Tour of Gerard Pique’s Kings League drew in 92,000 fans to the Camp Nou in March, with over 2 million watching on TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch. But what exactly is the Kings League? The germ of the idea of a 7-a-side modern-day and futuristic football format was born in mid-2022 when Pique met Oriol Querol, now the league’s technical director, and Ibai Llanos, a Spanish social media star....

Every once in a while, there comes a player who revolutionises the way the game is perceived, and for India, Sailen Manna was one such player. Born on the 15th of May, 1924, in West Bengal, Manna caught the attention of the footballing community at an early age, and he joined Howrah Union, a local club, at the age of 17. In 1942, he made his mark on the national stage, representing India in the Qu...

The AFC Asian Cup is THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS football competition in the continent, with several countries lifting the trophy in its 67-year history. India isn’t one of them. In fact, they’ve qualified for just 5 of the 18 editions so far, including the upcoming one in Qatar. Incidentally, India’s first appearance at the continental stage was also their best-ever finish. In 1964, India finished runne...

If you were asked about the WORST TEAM in Premier League history, who would come to mind? Well, Derby County's journey from 2006 to 2008 is etched in football history as a challenging and tumultuous period. After a five-year absence from the English top flight, Derby earned promotion under manager Billy Davies in 2007, but they struggled to compete in the top flight during the 2007-2008 season...