The Footy Section

Before Carlos Bacca became a professional footballer, he was selling fish just to get by. Some days, he says he made nothing. And when he had no money, his wife would give him enough for the day and tell him: “Don’t worry, my love, things will get better.” Bacca never forgot it. “When I was selling fish, there were days when I didn’t make anything, not even enough to eat. But she was there… my wife, my partner, the woman who believed in me when no one else did. “She never made me feel less, never blamed me for anything. “Today, I thank God because He never left me alone and because He gave me the best woman in the world. Without her, I wouldn’t be here.” Long before the goals and trophies, she backed him when there was nothing to show for it.

FIFA 07 was brutal 😂

Alisson lost his father in 2021 while he was in Liverpool. His dad drowned in a lake near the family home in Brazil, but because of COVID restrictions, Alisson couldn’t simply get on a plane and go home. His wife was heavily pregnant, travelling was risky, and returning to England would have meant a lengthy quarantine away from her and their children. Liverpool’s players even offered to pay for a private flight to get him to the funeral. In the end, Alisson stayed. He watched his father’s funeral on FaceTime while his brother held the phone through the service. Alisson later said: “Every chance I got, I hugged him. Every chance I had, I told him I loved him. There was nothing left unsaid.” And when it came time to say goodbye: “All that was left to say was, ‘Thank you.’ Not just for being my father, but for being my friend.” Hard to read that and not feel something.

Sami Khedira says Cristiano Ronaldo changed a lot between Real Madrid and Juventus. “At Real Madrid, his ego was maybe a bit too much.” But when Ronaldo arrived at Juventus, Khedira says he was far more involved with the whole squad and constantly pushing younger players. One example came with Federico Chiesa. Chiesa was heading to the gym with his phone in his hand when Ronaldo stopped him: “You don’t need your phone. Go to the gym and work. Don’t use Instagram or TikTok. Focus on your work.” Whatever you think of Ronaldo, that mentality is probably a big reason he stayed at the top for so long.

Luiz Felipe Scolari: "One day, I walked into the locker room to talk about tactics, but seeing Ronaldo, Kaká, Adriano, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldinho in front of me, I just told them: 'Get on the pitch and be yourself, I'll let you know if I make any changes."

Streets will never forget this Monaco team

Richard Ríos was still playing futsal into his late teens before a trial in Brazil completely changed his career. Flamengo gave him his break, he later made his name at Palmeiras, then moved to Benfica in 2025. Now, at 26, he’s playing for Al-Ittihad on loan from Benfica after representing Colombia at the 2026 World Cup. And he’s still impossible to miss. The mouthguard. The huge Tupac tattoo. The hairstyle. From futsal to Flamengo, Palmeiras, Benfica and now Saudi Arabia. Richard Ríos has never exactly blended in.

Real Madrid had Samuel Eto’o on their books and never gave him a proper chance. Years later, he became a Barcelona legend. He scored in TWO Champions League finals for Barça and finished 2008/09 with a treble. Then Barcelona moved him on in the deal that brought Zlatan Ibrahimović to the Nou Camp. Eto’o went straight to Inter. First season: another TREBLE under José Mourinho. Two different clubs. Two consecutive trebles. Samuel Eto’o really knew how to make a point.

Oliver Kahn has once again given his take on the GOAT debate: "For me, Ronaldo was far better than Messi and Cristiano. I still see him as the most complete player ever. The Brazilian phenomenon was the best player I have ever seen."

Toni Kroos shows his respect for Cristiano Ronaldo: “You should always strive to be the best version of yourself. One of my favourite examples is Cristiano Ronaldo. You only see the finished product. You don’t see the work he puts in. Every time I went to training, his car was already there. Every time I left training, his car was still there. What he achieved was because of incredible ambition and hard work.”

A couple of years ago, Adriano posted a photo with some of the individual awards he won during his career. Most of them came in a ridiculous two-year spell. Best player at Inter in 2004. Best player and top scorer at the 2004 Copa América. Top scorer and best player at the 2005 Confederations Cup. He was also named the world’s top scorer in 2005. Then in 2009, back in Brazil, he finished as both top scorer and best player in the league. At his peak, Adriano wasn’t just powerful. He was one of the best forwards in the world.

XABI ALONSO: "I had the joy of playing for my hometown team. I played for the best team in England, the best team in Spain, and the best team in Germany. I had a beautiful career."

James Rodríguez once had a 90-year-old Banfield fan approach him at training with one request: “Please, win the title; I’m about to pass.” The supporter had spent decades watching the club through promotions, relegations and everything in between. Then in 2009, Banfield finally became champions. James later saw the man again. “Thank you, kid!” And he hugged him. For that supporter, it wasn’t just a league title. He’d waited almost his entire life to see it happen. ❤️

Carlos Tevez was once offered cosmetic treatment to remove the scars he has carried since childhood. He refused. “I was offered cosmetic touch-ups... People don't love you for what you are on the outside, but for what you are on the inside. “I would look very strange if I got rid of the scar on my neck or chest; it's something I carry with me. It's my essence. I look in the mirror and say ‘I am Carlos Tevez’. You can't please everyone.” The scars came from a serious childhood accident involving boiling water. He never tried to hide them. He made them part of who he was.

Paolo Maldini had one of the greatest careers football has ever seen. But there’s still one thing that clearly bothered him. “Unfortunately, I coincided with great squads and had great opportunities with the national team, but in the end we lost on penalties. And then, in 2006, when I wasn’t there, they won on penalties. “When Lippi called me in 2006, I said no out of respect for Trapattoni, whom I had already told that I would leave the national team. “When Italy won the final in Berlin against France, I thought I had been unlucky.” Maldini retired from international football in 2002. Four years later, Italy became world champions. That must have hurt.

John Obi Mikel was unveiled as a Manchester United player in 2005. He held up the shirt, did the press conference and looked set to join Sir Alex Ferguson. Then the whole deal blew up. Chelsea insisted Mikel had already committed to them, United believed they had signed him properly, and an 18-year-old Mikel was suddenly at the centre of a huge legal battle. Ferguson was desperate to keep him. Chelsea were just as determined to get him. Mikel eventually chose Chelsea, with United later receiving £12m as part of the settlement. He never played a single game for Manchester United. At Chelsea, he went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cups and League Cups. One of the strangest transfer sagas English football has ever seen.

Will be a tough one but Fiorentina to get the job done tonight 🇮🇹

Filippo Inzaghi: "To tell you the truth, I'm a little annoyed with Ronaldo and Messi. Because of them, it seems like Raul and I have few goals in our careers."

Javier Zanetti on how Ronaldo got an entire plane held up so Inter’s South American players could make it home for Christmas: “We played on December 22, 1999. The whole South American crew was there: Ronaldo, Zamorano, and the Argentines. “It was impossible to leave after the match and make it to the airport on time. The match ended at 10:30 p.m. and the flight took off at 10:00 p.m. “Ronaldo asked me what was going on, I told him, and he replied: ‘Don’t worry.’ “We showered and got there at 11:45. The plane was waiting for us. The passengers were furious because they had to wait two hours. “Ronaldo arrived and hugged everyone. It was incredible, we made it home for the holidays thanks to him.” Different kind of influence. 😂