Lionel Messi continues to face anger from Chinese fans for missing a game in Hong Kong.
Franck Robichon / EPA
Messi will not start a war in China, but this is not to say that football lacks political relevance.
Hackney Marshes football pitches with the city of London on the horizon.
Alan Denney|Flickr
East London’s fabled football destination is the best example of how wartime rubble was repurposed to improve the city for its residents.
EPA-EFE/Christophe Petit Tesson
Beckham, the co-owner of Messi’s new club, paved the way for the Argentine’s arrival in the US.
Karim Benzema – taking the money and running into the box.
AP Photo/Hussein Malla
French soccer star Karim Benzema will join Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, and others may follow.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi is honored with a cloak prior to receiving the World Cup trophy at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Dec. 18, 2022.
AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis
A scholar of Middle Eastern cultural traditions explains the history and significance of the bisht.
But who will go down as the greatest?
Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images
The World Cup is drawing to an end. Will the tournament be remembered for a Messi moment to rival that of Maradona’s? Or as a breakthrough yeah for African nations?
EPA-EFE/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON
It’s all about winning in 2022.
On the occasion of a 2011 match between Portugal and Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi (right) show off a pair of high-end watches. The riches have only continued to flow in.
Fanny Schertzer/Wikipedia
A new study explores the how the celebrity and status of professional footballers in the “Big Five” European leagues can affect both performance and pay.
Ghana’s goalkeepers, Stephen Adams (L) and Fatawu Dauda (R), pray before a 2014 World Cup match.
Robert Ghement/EPA
Africa is a deeply divided continent along ideological, ethnic and territorial lines. Religion and football can produce consensus.
Leo Messi advertises sportswear, airlines, and even this Russian bank.
Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA
Ronaldo and Messi cannot go on forever, and Neymar, Pogba and Salah are waiting in the wings.
‘All for one …’
Olga Dmietrieva
Bio-banding is all the rage as youth football seeks to make the most of young talent. Here’s why we shouldn’t get carried away.