World Soccer Talk

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🗣️ RIVALDO: "In the summer of 2002, Van Gaal officially returned to Barcelona, and I knew he no longer wanted me on the team, and I didn’t want him as my coach either. So, we reached an agreement, and I was free to sign with any team. Many clubs wanted me, but I chose Milan because it’s a great team and also because I was very impressed and fascinated by Serie A. I started well with the team, but unfortunately, I couldn’t give my best because I was going through a very difficult time in my personal life after divorcing my wife. In the end, I spent a wonderful year and a half there, and I ended up winning the Champions League in 2003. I played alongside the strongest defender I faced in my career, Paolo Maldini, someone I battled against a lot. I told myself: ‘Luckily, we’re now playing together at Milan, and there’s nothing to worry about.’ However, in Italy, there were many strong defenders, unlike in Spain, where I only remember Fernando Hierro as the strongest defender I faced there

SERGIO KUN AGÜERO: “One day we were eating with Leo at the youth national team camp, and I didn’t know who he was. He was on my right, Ezequiel Garay in front of me, and Lautaro Formica on my other side. They were talking about some sneakers. And Leo said something like that in the United States… something like that I heard. And I thought, ‘who’s this guy…?’ And since I watched Argentina matches but not international ones, I asked him what his name was because I didn’t know him. He said ‘Lionel,’ and I thought, ‘oh, same as me, almost’ (my middle name is Leonel), ‘But your last name?’ ‘Messi,’ he replied. ‘Ah,’ I said, like it was nothing, and Formica told me, ‘you don’t know who he is?’ and I figured, from the news about a Barcelona player, and I told myself, ‘this is him.’ Already in the first training session I said to myself, ‘this guy flies.’ Later, we started laughing together, became friends, and Miguel Tojo put us in the same room starting in 2005.”

Victor Osimhen’s journey is one of survival, resilience, and triumph. 🇳🇬⚽ Long before the goals, the fame, and the mask, Victor Osimhen grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, in conditions of extreme poverty. He lost his mother at just six years old, and soon after, his father lost his job. To help the family survive, Osimhen and his siblings sold bags of water under the scorching sun, cleaned boats, and did whatever they could to get by. At times, soccer boots were a luxury. Osimhen would search through trash sites hoping to find discarded boots sometimes wearing mismatched pairs, one brand on the right foot and another on the left. Playing barefoot was the alternative. Soccer eventually opened a door. Strikers Academy, his first club, gave him a chance that led to the 2015 U-17 World Cup, where Osimhen announced himself to the world. He finished as top scorer with 10 goals and helped Nigeria lift the trophy 🏆. Europe, however, was far from easy. His move to Wolfsburg brought limited playing

CARLOS TEVEZ: “When I arrived in England, the club showed me the house I was going to live in. It had a garden, a garage, spotless floors, and absolute silence… too much silence. I came from Fuerte Apache, where five of us slept in a single room and gunshots were part of the night. I didn’t know how to live with so much calm; that peace actually scared me. After a while I asked to move, I couldn’t take it anymore. I chose a more humble, noisy neighborhood, where neighbors shouted, cooked in the street, and kids played outside. That’s when I truly felt at home, or at least a little closer to it. Not all of us dream of the same thing: some of us dream of not forgetting who we are.”

SIR ALEX FERGUSON: "After my wife passed away, I spent a lot of time shut in at home. I moved to the countryside to be with my son, but I realized that sitting and watching television was no longer enough. So I decided to travel. I have visited Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Bahrain. It’s important to stay busy. Working with the dementia group has been very positive for me and it’s something I really enjoy."

▪ Lionel Messi in 2022. ▪ Paul Pogba in 2018. ▪ Toni Kroos in 2014. ▪ Xavi Hernández in 2010. ▪ Alessandro Del Piero in 2006. ▪ Kaká in 2002. ▪ Zinedine Zidane in 1998. ▪ Cafu in 1994. SIMPLY ICONIC

Cristiano at Arsenal: The story that could have changed football forever 🤩 Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, Cristiano Ronaldo could have been Arsenal player. In 2003, the Gunners were just one step away from landing Cristiano, but Manchester United swooped in and secured the Portuguese gem. Imagine a team led by Wenger, with a Henry, Bergkamp and a hungry Cristiano, playing together in the Premier League. But fate had other plans, and that dream combination never became a reality 😓.

ÁNGEL DI MARÍA: "Many people don’t know what it was like to leave Real Madrid. I had won La Décima, I felt it was my moment, but that’s football. It hurt, of course. But that wound pushed me to prove that I could shine anywhere, in Paris, in Argentina, wherever." "Sometimes they call me a globetrotter, but I say I’m a survivor. I went through great teams, great teammates, and I learned something from each one. I don’t care about being the most remembered; what matters is that every time I stepped onto the field, I left a mark. And those who truly understand, they notice."

DIEGO FORLÁN: “A lot of times they don’t include me among the best strikers of the ball. I’m not saying I’m the best or anything like that—I don’t care about that—but it surprises me that I’m not mentioned among the best hitters.” “I used to strike it with both my right and left foot. And I scored goals with both. Cristiano, for example, didn’t hit it from as far out as I did. Not with his left foot and not from 35 meters out.” “I can name a bunch of goals I scored like that. At the World Cup, I had several from outside the box. Out of the 5 goals I scored, 4 were from outside the area.” VERY FEW HAD FORLÁN’S EXQUISITE STRIKING ABILITY. 🇺🇾

Never forget that, at nearly 40 years old and after overcoming serious injuries, Zlatan Ibrahimovic got bored of MLS, returned to Italy, and became a Serie A champion with AC Milan. And he didn’t do it as just another squad player. He lifted the Scudetto as one of the leaders and top scorers of the team. He came back to the elite to wake up a club that had gone more than a decade without reaching glory in Italian soccer. He’s simply a different level of legend.