What a game
What a final
What a World Cup
Buenos Aires bounces as we move from Maradona to Messi. A baton is passed from beyond, the greatest of all time takes home his final prize.
Poetry. Fable. Destiny.
Congrats Messi! Congrats Argentina!
#FIFAWorldCup
#FIFAWorldCupFinal
Signing of the summer. Simply sensational.
To the sound of heralding brass, the long-gone hero returns to what was once his kingdom, ready to step into the brightest of limelights once more.
A titan of tennis. Nothing left to win. Nothing left to lose. She has done it all.
The ultimate and undisputed
#GOAT
𓃵 bids a fond and emotional farewell to the sport she has irrecoverably changed in her glorious reign. We'll never see her like again.
#Serena
#SerenaWIlliams
The theatre is dreaming again!
A true game of two halves, Erik ten Hag's changes galvanise the red devils to an era-defining besting of Barcelona. Fred the monster of midfield, Anthony the architect of attack. Performances across the pitch to be proud of. On they march.
#MUNBAR
A day to be celebrated!
A day to rejoice!
The Premier League is soon to return, mere days away. Six weeks aslumber, it wakes to the bitter mid-winter. Such a contrast to the desert escapades of recent times, fading dreams blinked away.
Merry Christmas one and all!
The curtain comes down and the roof blows off of the Theatre of Dreams!
#MCFC
at times dominated but weren't their usual cut-throat selves...
#MUFC
march on and are tip-toeing their way into this title race. Rashford again the difference.
#MUNMCI
A rivalry without equal. A fixture like no other. The stakes are always high when reds take on reds. Plenty of extra-curricular to talk about no doubt, but it's on the field where it counts. It's Manchester United, it's Liverpool, it's Old Trafford, and it is on.
#MUNLIV
Liverpool's captain fantastic Henderson scoops the individual glory from the writers, but what of the mighty Kevin De Bruyne? As individual performances go, rarely have we seen such a blazing talent as the boy from Belgium.
That Welsh passion.
That goal in El Clasico.
That performance against Inter.
That Champions League final goal.
Criminally underrated at times, for those and so many other glorious moments, Gareth Bale has undeniably left his mark on the beautiful game.
What a player.
Another miracle in the desert! They dared to believe, they dared to dream! Morocco are through! Spain crash out in the most agonising fashion, as fate's cruel mistress weaves a web once more.
#MARESP
#FIFAWorldCup
It appears David De Gea is set to leave Manchester United.
The dream is over, and the theatre has lost one of its legends. Although likely the right time for his departure, his legacy is undeniable, unrivalled, and untarnished.
A new era.
Over 11 thousand days of waiting...of torment are at an end. Liverpool, once mighty, often-maligned and ridiculed, are champions of England once again. A glorious day for the red half of Merseyside. They will not be walking alone tonight.
#CHEMCI
What a game!
Catch your breath if you can, my friends for we enter the dark abyss of penalties together.
See you on the other side..in the promised land. Here.
We.
Go.
#WorldCupFinal
#FIFAWorldCup
#ARGFRA
Yet another example of seemingly stunning incompetence at the highest levels of
#MUFC
.
World Cup star Cody Gakpo, long on Erik ten Hag's shopping list and only yesterday looking set for Manchester, heads instead to their arch rivals on Merseyside for a meager fee.
Teenager Hannibal showing more desire, fight, and pride in 10 minutes than the rest of
#MUFC
have in 10 months. A sobering indictment. Rashford, Maguire, and Pogba all sorry excuses of professionals laid bare for the world to witness.
#LIVMUN
A feisty firecracker of a half at Old Trafford. Small signs of the bite, drama, and controversy that made this fixture one of legend. Anthony the difference so far as he puts pen to paper on his chapter of the
#MUFC
story. But don't count out the Gunners, who will reload.
#MUNARS
It's official! Erik Ten Hag steps into the breach at Old Trafford to become the new manager of Manchester United. The task may be ominous in its sheer scope and scale, but the glimmer of hope sparked in the hearts of
#MUFC
fans is equally immeasurable. The theatre dreams again!
Cool as you like. What a goal, what a finish. Sancho opens it.
Frantic, electrifying opening to this match. A different Manchester United than we've grown accustomed to of late. Liverpool sleeping so far.
#MUNLIV
It's not about signings, or a lack of confidence, or tiredness, or the press. It's about a once mighty club crumbling before our very eyes; blood drained by an ownership structure that is rotten to the very core. Norwegian niceties or nostalgia won't change that.
#MUFC
#MUNCRY
At long last, a ship appears on this wretched horizon. For what has seemed an eternity, we have been lost. But now, finally; rescue. The Premier League returns...
#PremierLeague
And so the hour is almost at hand.
The dawning of a new era welcomes us, beckoning us alluringly. It tempts us with the sweet promise of all that we hold dear. It knows us. It's just what we've been waiting for.
We must succumb to it's warm embrace. The
#EPL
returns!
#BURMCI
The
#EPL
soars back into action tomorrow after a glorious summer of sport has gripped us all. Patrick Viera will look to grip his former Arsenal firmly in the talons of his Eagles and get them off to a winning start. But Arteta's Gunners are looking locked and loaded.
#CRYARS
Aaron Ramsey, the Welsh dragon in Turin, looks set to be slain at the hands of the new knight in charge of this castle. Sir Pirlo of Juventus, with all his might and majesty, appears ready to send this foreign and expensive beast back from whence it came.
Arsenal bottled it and Haaland flipped the lid and drank it up. A stunning
#MCFC
performance which ignites the title race and shatters the 38 season goal record for good measure. This young man is something else...seven to play!
#MCIARS
#AFC
#EPL
#PremierLeague
And so here we are.
The day of days for the match of matches. The grandest stage of them all. The culmination. The pinnacle.
Liverpool and Real Madrid; teams with much history in the
#UCL
do battle once more.
Red or White; who will prevail??
#ChampionsLeagueFinal
#UCLfinal
Marcus Rashford rises and strikes a resounding win for the everyman.
A rags to riches story like few we've seen; David vanquishing Goliath for the sake of the downtrodden and forgotten. He remains true to his roots in a manner fit for a king.
Not even a ball kicked and already Eriksen providing assists for his team.
A welcome sight to
#MUFC
fans amidst the capitulating chaos of the Ronaldo saga. Sir Alex also in attendance at Carrington today...a firm word from the old mentor to talk sense to the student perhaps?
Simply staggering. It is but the work of a collection of moments. Moments that will go down in history as a classic. Questionable decisions; perhaps. But City will have to look inwards, the final repeatedly slipped through their fingers. Motes of sand to the wind.
#RMAMCI
#UCL
Simply staggering. Man United have been stunned and stung in this first half. The Bees are putting on a lesson of determination, will, and resolve, sorely lacking from their northern visitors, who are being schooled.
#BREMUN
Shades of the tortoise and hare!
Grit and determination win out over the samba speed and flair.
The strong favourites are going home in the most dramatic of fashions. The shoot out trap catches another scalp.
#CROBRA
#FIFAWorldCup
All right in white on the night! They just don't know how not to perform on this stage and have reached the promised land once more! Real Madrid; 14 time Champions of Europe!
#HalaMadrid
#UCL
#ChampionsLeague
Boufal brings some magic as Morocco carry the hopes of an entire continent. The only remaining African nation are bracing a Spanish storm here as waves of pale blue rush forward.
The Moroccan fans, their own sea of red, are absolutely roaring their men on.
#MARESP
#FIFAWorldCup
The fortress of Stamford Bridge is besieged by Benzema and the men from the Bernabeu. Chelsea might see a slither of light remaining in the fixture, but it will take a truly herculean effort to avoid it being extinguished. Advantage Madrid.
#CHERMA
My, oh my! When it rains it pours and the reign of Thomas Tuchel has abruptly been brought to an end by the new Ted Boehly regime.
A knee-jerk reaction from naive new owners or strong statement of intent from a man with a plan? Is Poch inevitable? What say you,
#Chelsea
fans?
A breeze picks up between the trees. Softly at first, no more than a ripple, but it grows. Leaves rustle. Branches sway. It is a wind that carries the most shocking of words... Words whose ramifications will circle the globe. Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United.
And with the deftest of boot flicks, the truth is laid bare for all to witness. The Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland combination has arrived and the rest of the
#PremierLeague
has solid grounds to be terrified.
#WHUMCI
Lesser men might claim the opportunity to tinker. To try something new...exciting. But not Southgate, for his is a resolve and loyalty to mediocrity which we can only envy.
#ENGGER
And so the sun appears to set on Solskjaer at
#MUFC
. There have been bright days, there have been glimmers of renewed positivity but, alas, he leaves under stormy skies; turbulent and grey.
So what now for United? Fletcher? Zidane? Ten Hag?
United fans will settle for hope.
A flicker in the dark. Just the slightest glimmer of hope sparks in the downtrodden, beaten hearts of
#MUFC
fans. A hero comes along but once; could this be the promised land for the red devils? Or just a mirage in the desert of disappointment?
#SirJimRatcliffeIn
#GlazersSellNow
He who laughs last... Mauricio Pochettino is living on cloud 9 now, surely? As Messi makes the voyage from Barcelona to Paris, the PSG manager likely cannot believe his luck. Cruelly disregarded and unbacked at Tottenham, he's now been handed the keys to the greatest of castles!
Unfathomable miscalculation from Ronaldo. He has woefully misread the room on his own standing with Manchester United fans at the moment. Erik ten Hag is their man. And perhaps Ronaldo knows it. We shan't be seeing him in red again, and one would think that loss not too great.
It appears the days might be numbered for our good ship, Twitter. She has been with us since the very beginning of this poetic voyage and we've sailed many stormy seas together.
If this is to be the end. I thank you.
The tie turns in a few moments of madness! Willian uses his hand, Mitrovic loses his head and Fulham find themselves out of the
#FACup
at the hands of a pragmatic performance from
#MUFC
, who remain fighting on multiple fronts.
#MUNFUL
Oh my word what is happening. The worst capitulation from Germany in nearly 80 years.
The once mighty have fallen. Jubilant Japan and Spain progress and continue their dream in the desert. The Germans are on the plane home to a bleak mid-winter.
#GERCRC
#JAPESP
#FIFAWorldCup
Impossible. Implausible. Unbelievable. Unthinkable.
Barcelona is surely not Barcelona without the great Leo Messi?
This can not happen.
This should not happen.
This seems to be happening.
Two beacons of the beautiful game.
Like the Roman god Janus, two faces of one glorious whole.
Barcelona, Lisbon, Madrid, Turin... All lucky enough to have homed these immortals.
But which
#GOAT
has settled into his new football farmyard best?
♥️ For
#Ronaldo
RT for
#Messi
Football appears to be broken, ladies and gentlemen. The footballing gods have given up and left the controls flailing wildly by themselves. The only new prediction is unpredictability. Madness takes control.
#AVLLIV
A half that intrigues perhaps more than it excites, but
#MUFC
fans will be ecstatic at that considering the last meeting.
Worrying signs for the talismanic Rashford at the break; will he re-emerge from the bowels of Old Trafford after the break? What twists await?
#MUNMCI
The first cup final of the season sees a United conflict.
Old adversaries meet at Wembley to duke it out once more. Both clubs are seeing a resurgence and looking to recapture former glories.
Who will end the day on top, silverware in tow?
#CarabaoCupFinal
#NUFC
#MUFC
And so the transfer of the summer is put to bed.
Declan Rice leaves West Ham a captain, a European champion, a legend.
Moving across the capital once more, he takes his place in the bubbling promise of an Arsenal side who went close last season. Can he be the difference?
A goal with gargantuan consequences across the land from Pulisic! Jubilation in Liverpool, misery in Manchester. Is the trophy heading to Merseyside finally?!
#CHEMCI
The red devils proved too hot to handle for the magpies under the Wembley lights.
Newcastle fell short tonight but, if current trends continue and stars align, one thinks this won't be the last meeting of these two at the highest level.
#CarabaoCupFinal
#GGMU
#MUNNEW
There's simply an absence of adjectives to describe both teams and the chasm between them right now. Thiago is giving a masterclass and running this midfield.
#MUFC
look like they'd rather be at home, and they'd likely have had the same impact on this match from the sofa.
#LIVMUN
Haters will surely hate, but realists will find it hard to deny Bruno Fernandes his title of best midfielder in the world right now. He simply sizzles. His addition to this team is immeasurable. A shepherd in the night. A star to follow. A king of kings.
#WHUMUN
Steeped in history, drenched in drama, pasted in pride.
A momentous day in the north west. A day marked in many a Mancunian calendar. A day for the dreamers. It's derby day.
#MCIMUN
And so it was, blues of London overcome blues of Manchester for the ultimate prize in Portugal. To the victor, the spoils and to the runner up, an autopsy of where things went wrong.
#UCL
#UCLfinal
The absolute smallest of margins. Peerless performance from these two giants but points shared at the Etihad and the top of the
#EPL
remains as you were. It is impossible to call. What a month we're in for!
#MCILIV
A miraculous mirage in the desert from Saudi Arabia. Argentina awash in complacency. The Messi dream off to the most nightmarish of starts.
#ARGKSA
#FIFAWorldCup
And so we come to that time again.
Movers and shakers.
Winners and losers.
Here we goers.
Season's half way stage, all in the balance. Action, or inaction, could spell disaster. Who will be smiling come breakfast time?
#TransferDeadlineDay
The red waters of the Mersey emphatically quench the sizzling form of the Red Devils at an electric Anfield. Klopp smiles at a change in fortune for
#LFC
whilst Ten Hag ponders on a shambolic performance that echoes of
#MUFC
days past.
#LIVMUN
One can sense a man, solitarily sitting at a desk in Holland. Perhaps he sips a beer. He stares intently at the vast contract in front of him, pouring over the fine print, looking for a clause that might bring him a way out. Poor Ten Hag.
#MUFC
a sorry excuse here.
#BRIMUN
A moment of solace. Of Peace.
A chance to take pause, catch breath, and reflect on all that has happened.
But be warned, for 'tis but the calm before the true storm. Clouds loom on the horizon, distant thunder crackles with anticipation.
Soon.
#FIFAWorldCup
#FIFAWorldCup2022
After feeding the nation's children, Marcus Rashford is looking hungry himself.
Will he manage to satisfy his hunger for the sake of his team, who currently trail?
#TOTMUN
The murky waters churn further for Alex Telles and Luke Shaw, as it would appear Erik ten Hag has seen enough of them on day 1 of training to launch an instant bid for left back Malacia. Tantalising drama at
#MUFC
and we await further ramifications of the Dutchman's rejig.
After a couple of sparkling weeks, the
#MUFC
of olde returns in embarrassingly spectacular style in this wholly single-sided
#ManchesterDerby
. Haaland, De Bruyne, Foden et al in scintillating cruise mode.
#MCIMUN
As the
#AshWednesday
dust settles upon Anfield after a riotous result for Real Madrid, questions remain.
#LFC
imploded and fell apart; mere shadows of their former selves. What next for Klopp's men? Where must they turn for answers? How can they clean up this mess?
#LIVRMA
Arteta, once student, now wishes to prove himself master as he takes on the might of Guardiola.
Will mentor reign supreme or will the young prodigy assert his dominance on returning to hallowed ground? Only time's cruel mistress will tell.
#MCIARS
#PremierLeague
#footballsback
Arsenal have once again plucked a gem from the crown of the champions.
Jesus is followed into a hopeful new promised land by oft-underrated Oleksandr Zinchenko. One can't help but feel this may be another artful Arteta masterstroke.
@JasonBanton
Vardy is more than a footballer. He is a symbol. An emblem to all and sundry of what is possible. He portrays us all on the grandest of stages. His is a hero's tale for the ages.
At long last, the sword of Damocles hovering over Man City's European future is removed by
#UEFA
. From under its perpetual threat they emerge, unscathed.
#MCFC
London is abuzz with tantalising transfers. A veritable melting pot of talent descends.
Kai Havertz crossing the capital to Arsenal, with Declan Rice looking set to follow from West Ham. Meanwhile James Maddison travels south, switching Foxes for Spurs.
What twists lie ahead?
A wave of golden wolves washes away the challenge of the blue foxes. Diego Jota the Midas, whose golden touch has turned this fixture into pure, solid gold. And on they march.
A very happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the new world. May your turkey be moist and gravy plentiful.
There is still much to be thankful for, even in the darkest of days when hope seems distant, dim and elusive.
To the rest of us, may our Thursday be as good as it can be.
And so fates are sealed by lady luck.
The drawing of names from a hat, a tale as old as time, to determine the first step along the path to ultimate glory. The group of death, the easy rides, the shoe-ins...anything can happen in the
#UCLdraw
And so the
#UCL
returns to brighten our winter with its warm glow. A beacon of solace in an unforgiving and hostile environment. It beckons us inside to warm ourselves beside it's hearth, eat from its table, and share in its jollity. And what a starting course...
#PSGRM
Back from my holidays just as the transfer window opens... Coincidence? I think not! Join me, my friends, as we embark on another scintillating summer of speculation. The rumour mill is in full operation already; let us see what is produced!