The sport is corrupt and probably irredeemably compromised by hedge funds, oil barons, and human rights–abusing petrostates. While the banners displayed on the streets of Europe reading “Created by the poor, stolen by the rich” tug at my heart, the rich stole the sport a long time ago.Īll of this has understandably led to cynicism in some corners. While much is being made of the fact that four of the Premier League’s Super League founding members may not qualify for the Champions League next year, it still remains possible that the season will end with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool in the top four, as is often the case. The Champions League is playing out as scripted: Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid (all but PSG are “founding members” of the Super League) are semifinalists this year-no underdogs here. Leicester was never meant to win and, once it did, the richest clubs saw its victory as an affront that should be prevented from ever happening again. But these structures have long been set up to limit competition and make the rich richer. In the midst of a power grab by 12 of Europe’s largest and richest (though not necessarily the best-run or most successful) clubs, there is a temptation to romanticize the existing structures of European soccer, whether they be national leagues or UEFA. In the wake of the shambolic, outrageous announcement of a new European Super League-which would essentially replace the Champions League-I’ve been thinking back to Leicester’s improbable 2016 victory. You watch week after week because you never know what might happen. Newly promoted Norwich take down champions Manchester City Aston Villa demolish the defending champions Liverpool. You watch the Premier League because impossible things happen all the time. Anything can happen on a rainy night in Stoke, as the saying goes, or a blustery one in Leicester. In the breathless words of verbose commentators, this was a Cinderella story that captured the essence of English soccer, and, by extension, the then-24-year-old English Premier League. But in 2016, it did the impossible, besting the giants of English soccer (Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal) its oil-funded nouveaux riches (Manchester City, Chelsea) and also Tottenham to win the title by a staggering 10 points. Leicester City had been in the third division of English soccer less than a decade earlier its best player, a diminutive defensive midfielder, had been playing in France’s second only two years before. Playing the majority of their careers with a lack of hair certainly didn’t hinder these players and they would have been stars in any era of the game.Leicester City’s 2016 Premier League title is the greatest sporting achievement of my lifetime, and I’m not sure it’s really close. They represent numerous nationalities and include goaltenders, defenders, midfielders, wingers and strikers. The following list represents the top 15 bald-headed players in soccer history and there are some great ones on here including many European Champions League, World Cup and European Championship winners. In addition, players like Wayne Rooney and Wesley Sneijder have been omitted since they decided to stop their balding by using hair transplants or plugs. We haven’t included players who may have shaved their heads as a fashion statement, such as David Beckham, since they could still grow hair if they chose too. Most of them decided to shave their heads, but a few of them held on to what hair they had left and used the famous comb-over tactic to help them appear less bald. These following players all went bald at one point in their career or at least 50-per cent bald.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |