Manchester City’s deserved coronation as the new kings of European club football thrilled not only their fans but all the neutrals who had waited impatiently for a fresh name to be engraved among the old Champions League aristocracy.
Victory then for a new name but victory also for the “new football,” a moment in the history of the game which sees nation states deploy unmatched financial muscle to conquering effect with more than mere football glory in mind.
With a poignant coincidence, City celebrated the greatest success in their history on the weekend that immediately preceded the death of Silvio Berlusconi. His Milan piloted the concept of a club as one image-building piece of a corporate jigsaw back in the1980s.
Some analysts, who delighted in the sight of City’s stars racing in deliriously manic relief to all corners of the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, suggested that the football can be divorced from the governance issues and those angrilydenounced115 Premier League charges (that City vehemently deny). Not true. Money is a golden thread. Like pretending no link between politics and sport.
Esta historia es de la edición August 2023 de World Soccer.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 2023 de World Soccer.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
"I'm dreaming of being the coach that will win the World Cup with an African country"
The Nigerian talks about breaking new ground as a title-winning coach in Europe, his managerial aspirations, and the coaching opportunities available for African managers on the continent
FOOTBALL IN SYRIA
A country torn apart by civil war is daring to dream of a brighter footballing future
"I was stuck in a welding bay for six hours. Fast-forward a year, I'm swapping shirts with Jordi Alba"
Less than two years ago, Calum Hall was playing part-time football in the Scottish Lowland League and working on a building site. Now he's a star of the Hong Kong Premier League and has lined up against some of football's biggest names...
Vissel Kobe chasing J. League history
The reigning champions are aiming to become the first team since Kashima Antlers 16 years ago to win a hat-trick of successive J. League crowns
TURNING 30
As Major League Soccer welcomes its 30th club ahead of its 30th season, Jon Arnold reflects on the last three decades of top-flight soccer in the United States
RIGHT TO DREAM: PART TWO EST
In September 2021, World Soccer examined the ORD'S work of the Right to Dream academy in Ghana and Denmark. Now, more than three years on, the project has expanded even further...
FISHING FOR SUCCESS
Ambitious young English coach Charlie Trout has high hopes for the Puerto Rico national team
"Football has the power to heal a war-torn country"
The Ukraine legend, now in his role as president of the Ukrainian FA, discusses how the country is using football as a symbol of unity and hope amid the ongoing devastating effects of war
Denis Law's Italian job
The Scottish legend's year at Torino offers a stark reminder of how much football has evolved
THE ULTIMATE UNDERDOGS
How French minnows Brest became the story of this season's Champions League
