Cultured Football #82

UEFA's Pre-Cooked Lies; Youngest Debutants; Love Machine and More

Sep 24, 2022

Sigh, another weekend of non-football with the internationals which at least are delivering some nice goals (as well as worrying a number of nations that saw themselves among the favourites without there being the talent they needed). At least, the quality of writing does not decrease as well with some interesting and shocking stories to share.

Uefa Pre-Prepared Champions League Final Statement Blaming ‘Late’ Fans

By David Conn for The Guardian // 1,095 words

The least surprising story of the week is also the most depressing. Arguably the worst thing about the Super League idea was that it made UEFA out to be the good guys. They’re not.

Every Club’s Youngest Premier League Debutant And What Happened To Them

By Ian Watson for Football365 // 1,094 words

When Ethan Nwaneri came on as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Brentford, he became Arsenal’s youngest ever Premier League debutant and also the focus of a lot of media attention. For all they hype - and I sincerely hope that he fulfills his potential - a debut at such a young age does not guarantee success, as some names on the list of youngest ever debutants for each Premier League club prove.

Mohammed Kudus Thrives in False Nine Role, but Does the Ajax Star’s Future Lie There?

By Owuraku Ampofo for The Analyst // 2,512 words

Ajax have sold a host of players this summer but there’s little to worry about: a whole new generation of talent has rushed in to fill the gap. One of the brightest of those new stars is Mohammed Kudus with doubts not being over how good he can be but whether he is better suited for midfield or attack.

Brazil Will Channel 2002 Vibes To Try And End World Cup Trophy Drought

By Luis Miguel Echegaray for ESPN // 2,444 words

It has already been twenty years since Brazil won the World Cup and, whilst they go into this year’s edition among the favourites, for now they will have to make do with memories of that last success. Something that you too can do with this look back written with the help of Kleberson, a member of that winning squad.

Vagner Love On Winning The UEFA Cup, Representing Brazil, And His Adventurous Career

By Louis Smith for World Football Index // 1,790 words

In a career that has spanned two decades (and still going strong) Vagner Love has played for eleven clubs (although some of them in more than one spell) and in seven countries. He’s also the youngest scorer in a UEFA Cup final and received the Love nickname for his flirtatious lifestyle. Any interview with him is bound to be interesting.

The international break is a good time to have a look at league tables across Europe and whilst matters are already familiar in a lot of countries, when you reach the Germany one you’ll be surprised to find the unlikely name of Union Berlin sitting on top. This small club from the other side of Berlin managed to crawl themselves up from anonymity to reach the Bundesliga, with their story being well told in the new book by German football expert Kit Holden, Scheisse, We’re Going Up!

Last Week’s Most Read - Rasmus Hojlund: Has the next Haaland just landed in Serie A?

By Tom Mason for Goal // 849 words

Atalanta’s failure to even qualify for Europe prompted doubts over whether their dream had finally run out of steam. Yet a summer of typical low key yet astute transfers seems to have revitalised the squad which is once again flying high. The one that has generated most attention is Rasmus Hojlund, a nineteen year old burdened with the ‘new Haaland’ label after a great six months in Austrian football.