spoilers for blue lock chapter 212 under!!

ISAGI??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! god i love main characters

Joffy is the captain of the football team and Daeron is a serious and renowned lawyer, they hate each other.

But somehow that doesn't stop them from having sex.

optional tags: odaxelagnia, rough sex, rimming.

My bad habit is trying to build up the world even though it’s just smut.

Today was the first day Joffrey went back to the football field. He had been wrongly suspended for the rest of the season by a complete misunderstanding, but he managed to appeal his case to the National Football Committee, getting back to the field after only three months. However, three months suspension was still a long time, especially for a rising star like Joffrey.

Joffrey Velaryon was Harrenhal FC’s youngest captain in the last three decades. This record was formerly held by his biological father, Harwin Strong, who made it to the captain at the age of 23. Joffrey was made captain at 22, just one year after he had made his professional debut. He was a talented forward player, quick, agile and very skillful at free kicks. He had scored a warping 20 goals in the last season, winning himself the newcomer of the year.

However, just when everyone expected Joffrey to lead Harrenhal to the realm’s cup, he was suspended for getting into a bar fight and injuring four people. The scandal was the biggest gossip on social media for months.

Golden Boy Proved To Be A Violent Hater!

Is Joffrey Velaryon Homophobic?

The LGBTQ+ Society Cancels Joff the Jork

The Westeros Football Committee and The Riverlands League says they will not tolerate violence and hate crime

Joffrey wanted to spit on those damn reporters’ faces, but he couldn't afford to cause any more troubles now. His mother had called the crisis management team, led by none other than the person he hated the most in this world. His serious, renowned, highly competent lawyer uncle Daeron, who Joffrey hated with passion.

“Fractured ribs, concussion, broken legs and snapped fingers,” Daeron read aloud the medical reports of those who were hospitalized by Joffrey, “very impressive, nephew. Are you sure you want to continue your football career? I think you will do better in wrestling, since you prefer to speak with your fists rather than with your mouth.”

See? He had to laugh at Joffrey any chance he got. Daeron had always been like this, looking down upon Joffrey just because Joff didn't go to university. Daeron always treated Joffrey as if he was some kind of savage. Joffrey hated the blonde man for it. He might depend on his physical strength to make a living, but it didn't mean he was an imbecile.

“If you are here to mock me, just fucking leave.” Joffrey rolled his eyes and tried to turn his head away, but the slightest movement sent a sharp pain down his neck. Fuck, he nearly forgot he had a concussion too.

“No, I am here to help you, dear Joff. Mocking is just for my own entertainment.” Daeron chuckled, sitting down at the edge of Joffrey’s hospital bed, “I need your full cooperation to appeal the case. How about you stop throwing me death glares?”

“What do you want?” Joffrey asked through gritted teeth.

“Firstly, I need a complete and honest statement.” Daeron replied, pulling out a recording pen from his pocket, “Why did you beat these people up?”

“They were assholes.” Joffrey said.

“I need more details than that.” Daeron continued, not at all annoyed, “I know you don't beat people up just because they are assholes.”

“Yeah? All the media seems to believe so.” Joffrey scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“No, you are not.” Daeron said so seriously that for a moment, Joffrey was actually moved by the blonde’s words. However, any good feeling Joffrey had for Daeron quickly disappeared when the blonde added, “If so, I would be beaten to death by you a long time ago.”

“Asshole.” Joffrey spat.

“Exactly.” Daeron had the audacity to smile, “You might have put wasabi in my birthday cake before, but you never beat me. So, tell me, Joffrey, what did these people say or do that made you so angry?”

Joffrey bit his lower lip and went silent. Firstly, he didn't want to tell Daeron why he had gone to a gay bar. Secondly, he was reluctant to admit that he had beaten those people up because they insulted Joffrey’s family and called him a pervert.

“I can’t help you if you don't talk, Joff.” Daeron said, but he seemed patient. He was always composed and calm, while Joffrey was often described as a hot-tempered jork.

“What difference will it make if I tell you? I am already suspended. The damage is done. I don't want to go through the humiliation again.” Joffrey said after a long pause.

“Your mother called me, Joffrey. She doesn't believe a single word on social media. She swore that her baby boy did it for a reason. She wants to appeal your case so bad that she’s willing to beg my mother to let me help you. Do you want her effort to be all for naught?” Daeron asked after switching off the recording pen, “So let me ask you again. What made you start a fight in a gay bar? I will switch on the recording again after you are ready.”

The last thing Joffrey wanted was to hurt his mother. Hell, he started the fight to defend her name. He considered for a moment before nodding, indicating Daeron to resume recording.

“Go ahead.”

“They insulted my mother and called her a hypocrite for marrying a gay man.” Joffrey said, his anger slowly building by just recalling the words, “They called me a pervert and…”

“And?”

Joffrey reached out to switch off the recording again.

“I don't deserve their cock.” Joffrey finished, casting his eyes down. He was sure Daeron could understand the hidden meaning in his words.

Joffrey didn’t go to a gay bar to pick up fights. He went to a gay bar like anyone else, to hang out and hopefully get laid. In the sports world, sexual orientation was still a ‘don’t say, don’t ask’ topic. Joffrey hadn’t get laid since he broke up with his boyfriend, and he was desperate. He didn't want to jerk off in his flat like a miserable 14-year-old anymore, so he went out to have some fun. He should have stayed inside. See what his horny got him.

“All right.” Daeron said, “I already have some idea about appealing your case. I need some time to work things out, and in the meantime, you stay put and do not get into trouble again.”

“How could I?” Joffrey snorted, “Look. I am confined to the hospital bed. I think a prisoner has more freedom than me.”

“Be good, Joffrey.” Daeron stood up and headed for the door, “Think about how you can thank me after I get you on the field again.”

“You are just going to help me like that?” Joffrey asked to Daeron’s back, “I thought you hated me.”

“Maybe.” Daeron half-turned and flashed Joffrey a smile, “But I want to see you owe me one so bad. I look forward to your thank-you gift, nephew.”

“Get out.” Joffrey managed between ragged breaths, “My ass is going to split.”

Daeron didn’t answer, for he was busy burying his teeth in Joffrey’s shoulder, hard enough to draw blood. Joffrey hissed as a sharp pain spread from where Daeron’s teeth embedded in his flesh. Joffrey didn’t know which hurt more, his shoulder, or his hole that was stretched to the limit by Daeron’s cock.

Joffrey had no idea how they ended up like this. Today’s game ended with a draw, and Joffrey managed to give two assists, one of them resulting in a goal, which was not a bad performance for someone who hadn’t played for month. The team’s manager drove him home personally, to make sure Joffrey didn’t get into trouble again. When he came out of the sedan, Joffrey found Daeron’s sportscar on his driveway.

It seemed that Daeron was here to collect his reward, or thank-you gift, as the blonde insisted on calling it. Joffrey would never have guessed that Daeron wanted sex as a reward. They had only fucked like what, five times at most? Or ten? Maybe a dozen? Twenty?

“You should have called me.” Daeron murmured to Joffrey’s nape, licking the wound he had just inflicted on the brunette’s skin, “I will fuck you so hard that you won’t be able to sit for a whole damn week. Are you really going to let some stranger from the bar fuck you?”

Joffrey tried to answer, but Daeron took the opportunity to thrust into him, the tip of Daeron’s cock brushing against his good spot, sending a rush of pleasure up his spine. Joffrey moaned and clenched his hole unconsciously.

“Answer me!” Daeron raised his voice, one arm wrapped around Joffrey’s waist, the other pulling the brunette’s hair, “Do you crave cock so much that any one will work?”

“You weren’t here!” Joffrey retorted, his eyes glistening with tears but his tone was full of hatred, “We are just fuck buddies. Do you expect me to keep pure for you, huh? I am not some innocent chick who will wear a purity ring for you.”

Daeron pulled Joffrey’s hair harder, forcing the brunette to exposing his vulnerable neck. Joffrey hissed in pain, but Daeron gave him no time to adjust. Daeron bit hard on the thin skin of Joffrey’s neck, just beside the brunette’s arteries. Daeron tasted blood on his tongue, the sweet and metallic taste made his very being sing with euphoria. He was a vampire when it came to Joffrey. His gum would actually ache whenever he laid eyes on Joffrey. He wanted to bite into the softness of Joffrey’s inner thigh, the hard muscle of Joffrey’s stomach, the juicy flesh of Joffrey’s ass, Joffrey’s arm, neck, chest, fingers, toes, and even the brunette’s cock. He wanted to devour them all.

Joffrey hissed, grunted and moaned, but he was unable to shake Daeron off. The blonde was like a persistent alien, determined to feed on Joffrey’s flesh, blood, and bones.

“Get off me, damn it!” Joffrey cursed, “I told you not to leave a mark.”

Daeron finally lifted his head from Joffrey’s neck, his lips and teeth stained with Joffrey’s blood, the usual calm and collected lawyer replaced by a lustful beast.

“I never promised I would follow your orders.” Daeron said, sneaking his hand down to grab Joffrey’s sagging cock, “You are not hard yet. Do I not please you, nephew?”

Joffrey knew the damn bastard was calling him nephew on purpose, reminding him just how wrong the whole thing was. They were related. They were both men. They hated each other. But why couldn't they stop fucking?

Daeron began to pump Joffrey’s cock while rocking his hips forward, thrusting into Joffrey’s ass without mercy. He thrust so hard that the lube he used earlier was squeezed out of Joffrey’s hole, as the nasty sound of his balls hitting Joffrey’s ass echoed the room. Daeron felt the brunette’s cock grew harder in his hand, sticky pre-cum dripping from the pink tip to his fingers.

Joffrey let out a muffled groan, arching his back and clenching his hole as pleasure took over him. He was in pain. His cock was ready to explode at any moment, the bloody bite marks on his neck and shoulder hurt like hell, his hole sore from taking Daeron’s cock for so long, and his hair was being pulled so hard that he felt his scalp was going to peel off. Everything hurt, but the worst of all, he was so fucking aroused by the pain.

“You are squeezing my cock so hard with your lusty hole, Joff.” Daeron bit Joffrey’s earlobe before licking off the small beads of blood oozing from the teeth-shaped wound, “Are you going to come?”

Yes, yes, he was going to come. He wanted release, so fucking bad.

“Fuck yes.” Joffrey murmured.

“I need you to promise me one thing.” Daeron whispered in Joffrey’s ear, running his finger down the brunette’s shaft.

“Anything!” Joffrey was going insane by the blonde’s teasing, “Anything you say, uncle. Just let me come!”

Daeron said something, but Joffrey couldn't hear a word as a wave of pleasure overwhelmed him. His stomach tightened, his toes curling from pleasure, his skin tingling with unspoken euphoria, as he came in Daeron’s hand. Joffrey’s vision went dark for a moment before he regained his senses.

“Good boy.” Daeron was planting kisses on Joffrey’s ear when the brunette could hear again, “I expect you to keep your promises.”

Joffrey hummed. He had no idea what Daeron had made him agree, but he wasn’t going to find out. Not now, anyway. He would rather cuddle in bed and maybe have a second round after he could feel his ass again. He was sure the promise was nothing. Probably some boring rivalry stuff, or Daeron was asking him for sexual favor. Either way, Joffrey wasn’t opposed to the idea.

Joffrey closed his eyes and began to doze off, with his ass filled with hot, sticky semen.

If you decide to be a whore, be my whore instead.

ego | jjk | harry potter au

⇥ pairing: gryffindor jeongukk x hufflepuff reader

⇥ genre: harry potter AU, smut, fluff, angst

⇥ summary: in which jeongguk is a cocky lil shit and the reader has to take him down a few pegs 

⇥ warnings: 18+, dirty talk, light smut, cursing

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

The wind whirled around me as I careened towards the glistening goal posts, imagining the opposing team’s Keeper darting back and forth in hopes of blocking the Quaffle that was currently tucked under my arm. I feigned left and the imaginary keeper followed suit. I threw right – Quaffle sailing through the rightmost gold hoop.

I smiled and dove down past the posts to catch up with my own throw. Even though it was still the first week of the new term, I was determined to prove my newly acquired captain-status. Hufflepuff hadn’t had a female captain in ages; and, paired with that, I was only a 6th year.

Luckily, I had a strong team behind me with mostly returning players who I knew would fiercely support me. Us Puffs stuck together. It was inherently in our blood to be loyal as hell to our own, and I thanked Merlin for that every day since receiving the captain’s badge.

As soon as I had hopped on the Hogwarts’ Express a few days prior, I had immediately been swept up in a giant bear hug by Jeong Yunho, one of the Hufflepuff beaters.

“Oh, captain! My captain!” he had dramatically cried, spinning me around. His Dead Poet’s Society reference was not lost on me since I had a muggle parent with excellent taste in movies. Similar reactions from the rest of the team followed suit over the course of the train ride and the Welcoming Feast.

Trials for our only open position of Seeker would take place this weekend with practices immediately starting Monday. We had high hopes for redemption this season after being crushed by Slytherin’s team of goons early on in the Cup tournament.

The Slytherin team’s head hooligan Kang Dokyun led his team with a nasty blend of intimidation and violent tactics. I was convinced that Slytherin didn’t even hold trials and that they just lined up the Slytherin boys, picking out the biggest of the lot. Basically, Slytherin was strong, but slow and slightly uncoordinated. We could beat them by exploiting their weaknesses – of that I was certain.

Ravenclaw would be a bit harder to conquer. Their team played with a level of elegance and intelligence that was so utterly Ravenclaw that even us Puffs got annoyed. Ravenclaw’s captain Yoon Jisoo constructed tactical plays so tricky that she was already recruited to play for Puddlemore next year. Their team was smart, but not completely unbeatable. The Ravenclaws sometimes got so ingrained in their methodical maneuvers that they failed to notice some of their opponents’ counterattacks. That was how they lost the Cup last term to Gryffindor.

Gryffindor was our toughest competition. Winning the Cup last term, the Gryffindor team was a nauseatingly perfect balance between brains and brawn. Their captain Jeon Jeongguk, now a 7th year, was renowned for his tyrannical practice regime that he put his team through. We’d only played Gryffindor once in the regular season last year, and we had held our own for a while until we started getting tired and they didn’t. Seems like Jeongguk knew his shit when it came to conditioning. Something that I was determined to emulate with my own team.

Jeongguk was also the best damn Keeper that Hogwarts had seen in a long time, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the looks of the professional Quidditch scouts that avidly attended his matches. He was way bigger than a typical Keeper – extremely tall with broad shoulders and giant paws for hands. However, the only thing bigger than his stature and talent was his fucking ego.

He carried himself like he was the king of the school, and, unfortunately, most people treated him like it. Girls especially flocked to him – mainly for two reasons: 1) Jeongguk was undoubtedly hot, and 2) he held the promise of a rich future. Personally, I cared for neither of those traits considering his appalling personality and pride.

That damned ego would be his downfall this season. I would make sure of it, I thought as I circled around the stadium and then landed to get a drink.

I was definitely above average on the Quidditch talent scale. Holding the current school record for most assists in a season, I considered myself the glue of the Hufflepuff team – a fact that our Head of House obviously agreed with. However, no one really talked about the glue of a team, they talked about the flashy glitter and the gold stars. I was fine with that. Being the underdog was nothing new to a Hufflepuff, and I planned on using that to our advantage this season. Who said Puffs couldn’t be a little devious?

I smirked to myself as I grabbed my broom, ready to get back to practicing. This would be our fucking year.

“Hey,” a deceptively sweet voice rang out from above me, “You mind sharing the pitch? I need to practice.”

My mood soured. I knew who that was. Kicking off the ground, I flew to face him, “Sure thing, Jeon, just stay out of my way.”

It was almost as if I’d slapped him across the face, “Excuse me?” he choked out, “Do I know you?”

Unbelievable. Jeongguk’s head was evidently so far up his own ass he couldn’t recognize opponents he’d been playing for years. “I guess not,” I countered. And with a flick of my ponytail, I took off towards the opposite end of the pitch.

Unfortunately, he followed, “Are you a Gryffindor? If so, you should come to tryouts tomorrow. You’re pretty fast and we need a new Chaser.”

“Not a Gryffindor,” I called out, dipping low to the ground to scoop up my old practice Quaffle, “But I am a Chaser.”

Jeongguk was still tailing me, and I pulled to a stop to face him, “I thought you had to practice?”

He mirrored my position and crossed his arms. I tried (and failed) to stop myself from noticing how his biceps flexed and how a hint of his famed phoenix tattoo curled up his neck. Merlin, even I couldn’t deny he was hot as fuck. The recent summer months seemed to have blessed his skin with a glowing tan that accentuated the warmth of his dark eyes. It also seemed like he forgot what a haircut was as I watched the wind tousle his slightly curling hair.

“I do,” his eyes were narrowed as he cleared his throat, “I just have to make sure you’re not spying for another team.”

All thoughts of him being fine flew out the Owlery as I scowled. I refused to be intimidated by some arrogant asshole, “Did you not hear me when I said to stay on the opposite end of the pitch, Jeon? What kind of self-respecting spy would ask that?”

“You’re a Slytherin,” Jeongguk declared, his tone too sure for my liking.

He was really aggravating me now, and it took a lot for a Puff to get pissed off, “So, just because I have a semblance of a backbone, I’m a Slytherin? You need to brush up on your House knowledge.”

He was quiet, his expression contemplative, his jaw clenched. His eyes were scanning me with an intensity I was not sure I liked. And then he did something I liked even less: “I propose a game,” his mouth twisted upwards in a smirk, “You say you’re a Chaser?”

I gave a slight tilt of my chin in affirmation. He resumed, “Well, then you must know I’m a Keeper.” He paused, grinning wickedly, waiting for me to react to the double entendre. Eyebrows raised at my pointed silence, he continued, “And we both need to practice… So how ‘bout you try to score on me and for every shot I block you have to answer one of my questions.”

This motherfucker right here. I summoned my inner Helga to give me the strength to deal with this Gryffindor prick, “Say I was to agree to this, what would I get if I score on you?”

The laugh I got in response made all thoughts of remaining a kind and patient Puff evaporate faster than a weak Patronus.

He was still laughing when he noticed I looked ready to Avada him wandless, “Okay, okay. What do you want if you score?” He barely got the words out in between chuckles.

“To come to a Gryffindor practice.”

That shut him up real fast, “No fucking way. I don’t need you distracting my players.”

My nose crinkled, “Distracting? I would just be sitting in the stands, you prick.”

His jaw ticked as he rolled his eyes, “You could be on the furthest corner of the pitch and you’d still distract them, jagi.”

“Don’t call me that. And, pray tell, why I would distract them?” Our brooms were now practically touching as we had instinctively moved closer to one another. I could see the sweat glistening on his brow and the shadow of stubble on his jaw. Merlin, he was potent.

“Because,” Jeongguk paused, acting like this was the most obvious answer in the world, “You’re hot.”

I blinked. And blinked again, “Are you serious?” He opened his mouth to respond. “Nope, don’t answer that, Jeon,” I brushed right over his attempt to answer my rhetorical question, “So, do we have a deal or not? If you’re the esteemed Keeper that you clearly think you are, it shouldn’t be a problem for you to block all my shots, should it?”

My words echoed around us. He looked conflicted, but I knew his ego would not let my challenge go, “Deal. Five shots from the penalty mark.”

He flew towards the goal posts, “Looking forward to getting my questions answered, love,” he bellowed back at me.

I mentally flipped him off as I took off after him, clutching my Quaffle.

Sending out a plea to Merlin, Helga and everyone in between, I pulled to a stop at the penalty mark and pondered how I wanted to play this. He obviously thought he would save all five attempts. I spared him a glance and glower as I notice he was slouching on his broom with a lazy smirk, clearly not taking me as a serious threat.

Fine, I would just have to hustle him. He was asking for it at this point.

I got into formation. As much as it would pain me to mess up this shot on purpose, I knew that I had to in order to make my plan work.

Taking off towards the posts, my movement caused Jeongguk to finally move into a somewhat defensive position. I feigned right, doing so in a way too obvious manner. Hurling the Quaffle towards the top hoop, I watched expectantly as he deflected it with just a slight flick of his hand.

“Come on,” Jeongguk laughed, “You can do better than that, jagi.” He flew over to me and when I stretched to take back the Quaffle he now held in his hand, he shifted it out of reach, “Uh-uh, nope. It’s question time. What’s your name?”

How predictable. “It’s (y/n). Now give me the Quaffle.”

“Last name?” Jeongguk kept the Quaffle out of my hands.

“That’s a separate question, Jeon. You never specified that I give you my full name.” It was my turn to smirk as he threw the Quaffle back at me and headed back to the posts mumbling about loopholes and how I must’ve been a Ravenclaw.

I lined back up for the second shot. I had to make this one a little bit better than the last to show that I was trying, but not too much better that he’d be prepared for my final shots.

I ducked down, twisting around to head towards the right post with my full focus on the hoop. I launched the Quaffle. Jeongguk swooped up to catch it in a way that was entirely too elaborate for such a lame throw. He was clearly showing off – an action that I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the meaning behind.

Jeongguk made his way over to me, grinning, “Second question, jagi. Full name, please.”

“(y/f/n) (y/l/n),” I muttered, eyes scanning his face for signs of recognition and hands grabbing the Quaffle away from him.

He looked puzzled, “(y/l/n)? Why does that sound so familiar?”

Before he could think on it further, I pushed his shoulder, “Back to the posts. You got your answer.”

Well, I had attempted to push his shoulder. He didn’t even flinch at my shove. His eyes darted to where my hand now laid on his chest. I removed it faster than a Wronski Feint, trying to ignore the tingles that shot up my arm.

Our eyes connected and his were blazing as his mouth crept into a slow smile, “Like your hands on me.” Before I could formulate a reply, he flew off and I resolved that I would make this next shot as if my life depended on it.

We faced each other. I shifted the Quaffle from hand to hand and took off towards him. I gave him no tells, no feints, nothing. This seemed to throw him off for a split second, but that second was all I needed to send the Quaffle sailing through the bottom hoop.

“What the fuck was that?” Jeongguk yelled as he got all up in my face.

I bit back a smile. “Beginner’s luck?” I quipped, loving how his face had darkened perceptibly, “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can pick up some more tips at your practice.”

Unable to keep my grin in check any longer, I smile widely as he lets out a stream of curses that would make even my old crotchety aunt blush.

We resumed our positions. This time he seemed more alert and watchful. He was getting wary of me, despite my claim that it was just luck. Maybe he knew better after all…

“That won’t happen again, (y/n). Don’t get used to it!” he shouted from the posts.

…Or not.

I took off. Luck be damned. I zigzagged back and forth towards him. Throwing the Quaffle up in the air, I quickly rolled off my broom, sharply grabbing its end and swinging it up to hit the Quaffle mid-air through the center goalpost. A perfectly executed Finbourgh Flick. Regaining my seat on my broom I sailed back to the penalty line and turned back to face Jeongguk.

He looked utterly gobsmacked, “Beginner’s luck? Beginner’s fucking luck? Who the fuck are you?”

I grinned victoriously at his wounded ego, “You know my name, Jeon. Now you can use it at two practices.”

“(y/f/n) (y/l/n), (y/f/n) (y/l/n)… fucking hell,  you’re the new Hufflepuff captain,” he gawked at me.

“Bingo, Gryff,” I laughed, “Took you long enough.”

“Why did I think you were a bloke? I would have remembered such a—” he cut himself off, “You hustled me! There is no way I’m letting you into my practices now.”

We were nose to nose now as I responded, “A deal’s a deal. I thought you Gryffindors were all about honor.”

His face was thunderous, “And I thought you Hufflepuffs were all about fairness.”

“We are,” I said plainly, “We just don’t take lightly to intimidation. Now come on, we’ve got one round left.”

A range of emotions moved across his face to settle in a heated look that I couldn’t quite decipher, “Fine, jagi,” his molten gaze darted to my mouth, “Give it your best shot.”

Swallowing hard, I shook my head, trying to clear my brain of entirely too inappropriate thoughts of me and Jeongguk. As much as I attempted to refocus on making my final shot, my attention wasn’t fully there.

And I fucked it up. Jeongguk dove to catch my throw mid-air, and he sped towards me triumphantly, “Slipping already? What was that?”

I blushed. He noticed.

“Come on,” he said, “I need a drink and then you need to answer my last question.”

I followed him to the ground, cursing my treacherous body for reacting so obviously. My subconscious battled:

‘He’s a player!’ the imaginary Dumbledore on my right shoulder boomed.

‘Kiss him. Now!’ hissed the fictitious Voldemort from the other side.

However, all thoughts evacuated my brain at the sight of Jeongguk peeling off his shirt and taking a long sip from his water bottle. My traitorous eyes flew over his torso. I took in his defined abs, his chiseled arms and his fucking beautiful phoenix tattoo that spanned the entirety of his left shoulder, left upper back, and a portion of his neck.

Then I noticed his eyes were watching me right back. And they were all to amused to be innocent… “Are you seducing me?”

He spit out his mouthful of water, laughing, “Why? Is this working for you?”

My eyes now resembled slits as I glared at him, “Is that your last question?”

“No!” His response came so fast I jolted back on impulse, “No, it’s not…”

He trailed off as he prowled towards me. I stepped back. He kept coming. I stepped back further.

“Why are you running, jagi?” his words were too soft and too intense for my liking. I took another step back and bumped up against the stands. His grin in response was predatory as he caged me in between the stands and his body, his arms on either side of my head.

“Nowhere to run now, little Hufflepuff…” he dragged a finger along the hollows of my throat. He definitely felt the rapid pounding of my pulse, his eyes darkening to the point that they almost seemed black.

I glared defiantly at him, refusing to be daunted by his size or his words. He smirked, “Your last question: do you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you?”

I stopped breathing. He waited, a look of uncertainty flickered on his face so briefly I almost thought I’d imagined it.

That little flare of vulnerability – that should not have been as appealing to me as it was – helped me to regain some of my bearings, “And how much do you want to kiss me? I need a scale of reference.”

He smiled crookedly as he leaned in even further, lips brushing against me as he whispered into my neck, “So fucking bad.”

His tongue darted across my skin as he dragged it up towards my ear. Biting it softly, he murmured, “Well?”

Fuck it all.

My hands latched onto his shoulders and his head snapped up. Raising to my tiptoes, I kissed him. He let out a rough groan, sounding like I was killing him. His hands slid down my body to squeeze my ass before hoisting me up. My legs circled his lean hips as his teeth caught my bottom lip in a faint bite. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling slightly. His hips pressed into mine, drawing a moan from my lips. He smiled against my mouth.

I nipped his lip now in retribution, but it seemed to only urge him on. One hand came up to remove my hair-tie, flinging it over his shoulder. I made a noise of protest, but he just kissed me harder.

How the fuck was he holding me up with one hand?

I prided myself on being a pretty thick bitch, and he was over here acting like I weighed nothing. My fingernails slid down his back, raking over the hard muscles and feeling how they flexed and shifted under my touch.

I don’t know how long we spent making out against the stands, but soon enough we heard voices coming from around the corner. Ripping my mouth away from his, I jumped out of his embrace, landing on shaky legs.

His arm wrapped around my waist as he steadies me. He was breathing just as hard as me and I could feel his heartbeat racing. I tugged away from him to retrieve my hair-tie from the ground and put my now wild hair back into its ponytail.

I could feel Jeongguk’s eyes on me all the while. I looked at him. His lips were swollen, his hair was a disheveled mess, his neck was displaying a rather nice hickey that I was sure was mirrored several times over on my own neck. A rare feeling of pride shot through me, and as he opened his mouth to say something, I shook my head and placed a finger over his lips.

“I’ll see you at your practice, Jeon.” I placed a quick kiss on his cheek, grabbed my broom and walked off.

As I strode away, I heard him grumbling under his breath: “Everybody warns you about the Slytherins. Nobody fucking warns you about the Hufflepuffs. Fucking hell…”

I smiled all the way back to the Common Room.

A Universe Full of Mystery and Intrigue | A Continuation of the Genshin Impact Review (Blog #4)

Introduction

This blog is a continuation of my previous blog about Genshin Impact, except this time I will be talking about the more artistically-oriented parts of the game, which includes, the story, characters, art design, and music. However, the bulk of it will be about the story.

Part 1: Progress (1/2)

As of right now, I have reached Adventure Rank 45, as well World Level 5. I have completed all of the main-line story quests, as well as some of the side story quests that were also available. As of right now I have three five star characters and one five star weapon.

I had read over my previous blogs and found that my Genshin gameplay review had a larger amount of information than my Hades gameplay review. I take this as a sign of improvement in my skills as a writer as well as the ability to organize ideas coherently.

Part 2: Review (2/2)

*Disclaimer: keep in mind that these are just my takeaways from the game, and that many may not share the same opinions as me. I emphasize this on part 2 in particular because of how it deals with more artistic/storytelling aspects.

As prefaced in the introduction of the previous blog, the game follows the story of a young traveler. The female avatar is named Lumine while the male avatar is named Aether. For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to the protagonist sibling as Aether and the lost sibling as Lumine, as this is how they are depicted in official promotional material

The two siblings are traveling across different worlds when they are stopped by a strange god, who’s identity is unknown. During their battle, the god takes Lumine, encasing her in a strange, cube vortex, while they themselves are cast into the world of Teyvat, a new place they have not yet explored. The circumstances of their arrival itself are mysterious as well, as they are unsure of how they got there or what point in time they had been flung into.

And that’s really what Genshin is abundant in: mysteries.

Whether it is about the world or the backgrounds of particular characters, there is almost always a point of intrigue that can one can ponder for quite a long while.

It is the job of the traveler to uncover more of these mysteries through various story quests. Some of them are self-contained stories, while others focus on the plot as a whole (these are called the Archon quests).

Teyvat is split into seven nations: Monstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya. Each of them are attributed to one of the elements shown in the previous blog, and they all worship a god of that same element (referred to collectively as “The Seven”). Currently, only Mondstadt and Liyue are available, as Mihoyo is still developing the rest.

Each nation is based off of a real-world culture, which I find extremely engaging. Monstadt seems to be a mix of both Switzerland and Germany, while Liyue takes inspiration from China. From what I’ve gathered, I do believe that each culture is well-represented. This reflects in each of the characters that hail from these regions. It is easy to distinguish who comes from where.

For example, look at:

Diluc, a pyro user who is the owner of a winery in Monstadt,

vs.

Xiangling, a pyro user who is a world-renowned chef from Liyue.

Although these two characters have the same Vision (elemental power), the clothing that Mihoyo designs them with are very clearly from two different cultures, and they also embody each character’s personality. Xiangling is much more bubbly and outgoing, which show in the trinkets hanging at her side and the bright colors of her outfit. Diluc is much more aloof and quiet, and his darker attire and the simpler handling of his hair convey that to the viewer.

Though, some of the designs don’t blow me away like others do (some can be rather boring in my eyes), the characters are unique, and most are definitely not as generic as I was led to believe.

The soundtrack of this game didn’t stand out to me all that much, however. Perhaps this is simply because I wasn’t listening closely enough or because the music blended a lot with the environment of the game. Upon realizing this, I listened to a few soundtracks on their own without opening the game, and came to find that I particularly like the Liyue tracks, which I will leave a playlist of here.

Feel free to skip around to whichever tracks interest you the most! My personal favorites are Moon in One’s Cup and Flows of Jade-Like Water.

Anyhow, back to the story aspect.

Aether first goes to Monstadt, as it was close to where they had woken up. Along with their floating travel companion Paimon (the generally annoying mascot for the game) who he had saved from drowning, they quickly found themselves entangled in Monstadt’s “Stormterror” crisis. Stormterror is the name of an ancient dragon that was originally a guardian of the city, but was corrupted by the Abyss Order. The Abyss Order is a sinister league of monsters bent on destroying all of civilization and the reign of the gods. It sounds cartoonishly evil at first glance, and doesn’t seem worth giving a second look. However, at the end of the Stormterror Crisis, it is revealed to the player that Lumine is the one leading the Abyss Order. Aether himself does not know, as he never actually saw Lumine. This was revealed to the player alone (though this changes in the latest story arc). It leaves them to ponder the possible motivation for Lumine to take a darker path.

Aether is looking for each of the Archons (gods) in order to get answers about the world and information about the unknown god and his sister. He met Barbatos, the anemo archon, who took the form of a bard named Venti. With his aid, Aether helped him resolve the Stormterror crisis.

After that, he travels Liyue in search of Rex Lapis, the geo archon. Unlike Barbatos, who does not often visit his people in Mondstadt, Rex Lapis shows himself to his people once every year in the Rite of Descension. However, things go awry when it appears that god is assassinated at the rite, and Aether is the prime suspect of the Millileth (Liyue’s military). After an elaborate search for the corpse in order to find the real killer, it turns out that Rex Lapis faked his own death in favor of turning over the rule of Liyue to the Qixing, the business leaders that oversee the country (which noone knew about).

Over the course of these events, Aether was able to glean very little information. It is arguably not until the most recent quest that he really made a breakthrough. When he returns to Mondstadt, he meets a mysterious man named Dainsleif, who is dedicated to finding intel about the Abyss Order and to stopping them from achieving their goal. From this man, they learned about an ancient civilization that was destroyed by the gods. This nation was called Khaenri'ah, and existed 500 years before the current events of the game. After following clues about the Abyss Order’s new plans, they find an underground lair with a strange warped statue. This is where Aether fights a general of the Abyss (named the Abyss Herald), and his sister finally reveals herself when he is about to kill him.

From their first interaction since her disappearance, he found out that the Abyss is from Khaenri'ah, and that they took monstrous forms after it was destroyed. Lumine reveals that Dainsleif is also from Khaenri'ah, and that he was cursed with immortality. She then escapes with the Abyss Herald, leaving Aether in shock.

This raises many questions. How did citizens of Khaenri'ah change their forms so drastically? How did Dainsleif gain his immortality? How is Kaeya (a captain in the Monstadt cavalry) from Khaenri'ah if it was never clarified that he is immortal or not? There are always some unanswered questions with each new story update.

This ambiguity keeps players, including myself, interested in the game and motivates them to keep up with their announcements for content.

Conclusion/Reflection

I really did not have any expectations coming into this game. I legitimately thought that this was a game I would easily forget after a while, but I was proved wrong. Though I purely started to play out of the game’s aesthetics, Mihoyo hooked me on this game’s interesting plot and characters. I also enjoyed all the cultural representation that they are planning for the new areas, as well as the culture in the existing ones. This shows constantly, and is even incorporated into various aspects of the lore. If Mihoyo keeps this up, I’m sure I’ll be playing Genshin Impact for a long while.

Final Score: 4/5

Bungie Weekly Update - 6/28/18

This week at Bungie, the factions are vying for your pledge.

Dead Orbit took the win by a fair margin for the first Faction Rallies event of Season 3. We’ve seen a sizable amount of passion for Future War Cult in the last few weeks, and we’re eager to see if the community can make Lakshmi-2 proud with the first FWC win of Destiny 2.

Before you ask—direct purchase for Faction Armor was removed with Destiny 2 Update 1.2.1 due to vendor constraints. We’re planning to bring this option back for Dead Orbit, New Monarchy, and Future War Cult in Update 1.2.3, prior to the final Faction Rallies event of Season 3. Direct purchase will also be restored for Iron Banner in this update. We’re continuing to collect feedback throughout each event, so make sure to sound off in the Feedback forum with your thoughts on Renown, rewards, and anything factions related!

After Expo Report

After months of anticipation behind the scenes, E3 has become a fond memory. Last week, we took some time to let the dust settle and come back to our senses. Looking back on the events of the show, we’re sincerely grateful for the warm reception we got in Los Angeles—and not just because of the sunshine. It’s always a rush when millions of people find out what we’ve been working on. It’s even better when they get to play for themselves. Here are some thoughts from our Away Team of official spokespersons who were on hand to answer questions on behalf of everyone who is working to bring Forsaken to life.

Matt Tieger, Game Director, High Moon Studios

After so many months of hard work, E3 is a glorious mix of relief and terror. The death of Cayde is a huge moment in the Destiny universe, and revealing that to the world was nerve-racking. I get a sense that the community is incredibly motivated to explore the Tangled Shore and avenge the death of their friend. As a game developer, what more could you ask for?

Steve Cotton, Game Director, Bungie

I think it’s fair to say that everyone on the team was both incredibly excited and a little bit anxious to reveal to the world how our Forsaken story begins. So, it was amazing for us to see the response right after. Between the questions of why and how, one thing was clear—there was going to be consequence in this world of immortal heroes, and this was going to sting. To see how quickly Uldren was elevated to every Guardian’s most hated enemy and how everyone’s plans for revenge solidified almost instantly was inspiring. Some people at the show got to play some of the first mission of the game, and we talked to them after. There were strong feelings while they played, but their plans to exact revenge only got more creative… more personal. In the end, the show was an incredible journey of conflicting emotions and now I am left with an uneasiness every time I visit the tower. Cayde is right there and I just want to warn him.  

Scott Taylor, Project Lead, Bungie

It was incredible to share Forsaken with the fans and let them get their hands on Gambit. The teams at Bungie and HMS have been developing Forsaken with the goal of reinforcing the hobby, and the reaction we got at E3 meant so much to all of us. There’s a lot more to reveal this summer, including details on Collections, Triumphs, and the major sandbox changes we’ve got planned. Everyone is working hard to put the finishing touches on the experience. Closing is one of my favorite phases of any project, and it’s a blast to see the game grow and evolve every day. We can’t wait to play it with all of you. 

Lars Bakken, Design Lead, Bungie

So, at E3, we lifted the lid on [REDACTED], finally unveiling Gambit to the world. I cannot express how overwhelmed we were by the positive sentiment around our new activity. Special thanks to all the people who stood in line—you are the true heroes. If you didn’t know, GuardianCon is the next stop on the hype train to play Gambit before September. Remember to keep a look out for those invaders!

Lars said it. E3 was only the start of a new conversation about Destiny. Next stop: Tampa, Florida. We’re packing our bags for some gator wrestling and more Gambit action. Next week, we’ll share the full Away Team active roster along with what we have planned for our time on the GuardianCon mainstage.

Following that, we’ll tell you more about the other stops we have planned for this summer…

Marking Your Calendar

If you reside in the northern hemisphere, summer has officially begun. This one in particular is full of seasonal events. We’ve gotten some feedback from players asking for a bit more of a heads up before things like Faction Rallies or Iron Banner go live. To address this, we’ve cooked up the following image to set expectations for the next few weeks:

We also have an update for the development roadmap planned for early July. Stay tuned.

An Early Preview…

The Crucible team has been hard at work over the last few months, digesting player feedback and tuning the experience. Normally we’d have a Crucible representative jump in to give some commentary on goals, but they’re currently all hands on deck working on the future of the Crucible. Here’s a quick Patch Notes preview for what you can expect to become available when Update 1.2.3 is released on July 17, 2018:

Crucible Playlist Update

Quickplay

Increasing player configuration to 6v6 and updating the playlist description

Removing Supremacy from the pool of available game modes

Control

Updating Control win score to 150

Control Zones will initially be neutral

Clash

Updating Clash win score to 100

Competitive

Bomb Fuse timer in Countdown lowered from 40 seconds to 35 seconds

General

Rumble will become a full-time playlist

Supremacy will be added to the weekly featured playlist, updated to 6v6, and have a win score of 150

Crucible Ranks Update

Players will be able to earn Valor rank from additional playlists:

Competitive

Crucible Labs

Iron Banner

Trials of The Nine

Joining a game in progress will protect your Valor Win Streak for that game

If you lose: No penalties incurred to your Valor Win Streak

If you win: Valor Win Streak increases

Players will be matched using their Glory rank

This means your opponents will be of similar rank to you

The higher you climb, the tougher the opponent

Glory Loss Streaks will be re-tuned to be less punishing over time

Consecutive losses will decrease the Rank Points lost instead of increasing

Streaks will still cap out at 5

All Rank Streaks will no longer reset once they hit their cap

There are many more changes to Destiny 2 coming in July, and we’ll be giving a few more Patch Notes previews leading up to release, providing developer insights and commentary when possible.

Prestigious Affairs

Crucible isn’t the only activity getting some love in Update 1.2.3. The raid team is excited to release Prestige difficulty for both the Eater of Worlds and Spire of Stars raid lairs.

Senior Raid Designer Joe Blackburn set some expectations in February, and he's back to flesh out some details on what the experience will be for players taking on the new challenge.

What You Get

We believe players will be chasing after three different pursuits in the summer Prestige raid lairs.  

400 Power Weapons: The only way to get 400 Power armor before Forsaken is by participating in the Summer Solstice event, but the only way to get 400 Power weapons before Forsaken is by completing Prestige Spire of Stars and Eater of Worlds. Every time you complete all the encounters in a Prestige raid lair that week, you will be rewarded a 400 Power raid weapon. This can be any raid weapon from Destiny 2, not just the weapons that drop in that raid lair.

Raid Armor Ornaments: Each Prestige raid lair has its own set of unique armor ornaments.

Exotic Masterwork Catalyst:  Both raid lairs have a Masterwork catalyst that can be found only as a rare drop in the activity.  

What You Do

Each week, there is a curated weapon suite and a global activity modifier for Spire of Stars and Eater of Worlds. The weapon set and modifier will be the same across both activities.

Curated weapon loadouts are based on weapon archetypes. So over the summer, you might see combinations that require you to equip Auto Rifle/Submachine Gun/Sniper Rifle or Scout Rifle/Hand Cannon/Rocket Launchers

Loadouts are not locked inside the Prestige raid lair. You can bring tons of different guns into a raid lair and swap between them at will as long as the gun meets the required curation. For example, if you were doing Spire of Stars and the loadout is [Auto Rifle/Submachine Gun/Sniper Rifle], you might want to use Surous Regime for Val Ca’uor Phase 1, but swap to Ghost Primus for Val Ca’uor Phase 2 so you can equip D.A.R.C.I. for boss damage.

We are shipping three activity modifiers that the raid lairs rotate between. Two of these modifies are brand new and were built from the ground up by the raid team to work in raids. The third is a fan favorite from Destiny 2: Prism. 

Each of these modifiers is designed to provide Guardians with advantages over their enemies when they lean into it.

The goal of using these modifiers and loadouts is to change the way you engage with Prestige raiding each week. The first week, the modifier and weapon loadout might synergize really well with strategies and armor exotics you’ve been using for months. Next week, the modifier and weapon loadout might push you to explore the encounter in a different way and use different exotic armors (looking at you Lunafaction).

Questions you might have:

Is anything happening to the Prestige version of the Leviathan raid?Nope! Prestige Leviathan will stay exactly as is, this weapon curation and modifier will only apply to Eater of Worlds and Spire of Stars—but in 1.2.3, it might be worth going back and playing some more Leviathan Prestige to see if Callus has a new way to enhance one of your favorite exotic Shotguns. 

Are Prestige raid lairs getting per-encounter changes?

Nope! When we originally created the raid lairs, we wanted to focus on making the normal modes of encounters the most complete forms of the experience. We believe these modifiers and loadouts will create more variety in your Prestige gameplay than small, per-encounter changes. We also believe that the mechanical complexity in Destiny 2 raid lairs is very high, and we want to lean more into the moment-to-moment sandbox engagement in Prestige. 

How many of the Prestige raid activities will be active each week?

All of them! Do you want to play all three prestige raid activities each week on three different classes for maximum Exotic catalyst and 400 Power weapon farming potential? GO FOR IT!

When will the Prestige raid lairs become available?

Current plan is for both Prestige raid lairs to be active with modifiers right when the patch goes live. We feel like this is in line with Prestige being a new way to play each week instead of a one-time event, but we are open to feedback on this.

Costs and Collections

The Destiny 2: Forsaken reveal brought a lot to the table on what’s coming in September, but there are many questions surrounding new features that we’ll be tackling leading up to launch. This week, we’re hitting a few of the most frequently asked questions about the upcoming Collections feature.

Investment Designer Matt McConnell is here to bring the knowledge.

What items from Year 1 inventory will Collections track?Collections include any weapon, armor piece, Ghost, ship, Sparrow, emblem, or shader available in Year 1 of Destiny 2.

Is there anything I can dismantle before Forsaken launches?

If you have an item in your inventory right now, you can safely discard it and retrieve it from Collections in September. This does not include consumables, so hang on to those if they matter to you.

If I dismantled something previously, will it be waiting in my Collections this September?

Your Collection will begin with every piece of gear that you were holding in inventory or within your vault upon the launch of Warmind. If you had dismantled an item prior to May 8, it will not be available within your Collections.

What items from Year 2 can be reacquired from Collections?With the addition of random perk rolls to items starting in Year 2, we had to make a tough call for Collections. We investigated numerous options for gear with random perks: fixed Collections perks, buyback limits, reroll mechanics, and many others—but each of these came with issues that impacted the Collections experience in a negative manner. Ultimately, we decided to disable purchase of all Year 2 randomly-rolled Legendary weapons and armor. 

We don’t like keeping some items from experiencing the full Collections treatment, so we’re looking at a long-term solve for storing your exact perk rolls in Collections. 

How much will it cost to reacquire items out of Collections?

We’re currently working on costs for item acquisition and will have more information at a later date.

We have two main goals when deciding on reacquisition costs:

Reacquisition isn’t a currency sink. We aren’t trying to make you spend all of your hard-earned Glimmer. We just want to make sure the items you find out in the world still have value.

Players won’t have to deal with currency conversions. For example, if a shader dismantles into Glimmer, it costs Glimmer to reacquire. If the shader came from Eververse, it will dismantle into Bright Dust, and therefore costs Bright Dust to reacquire. These same goals are true of all Collection items.

Note: A lot of you have been asking about the cost of shaders. We can say that they will have a cost to reacquire from Collections, but there will no longer be a cost to apply shaders to gear.Here’s a quick example: Let’s say you just got that sweet Calus’s Treasured shader to drop from the raid. You’re able to apply it immediately at no cost. If you want that specific shader on all your armor, weapons, Ghost, ship, and Sparrow, you’ll need to pay some Glimmer to reacquire a handful of copies straight out of Collections. Before we move along—purple and gold looks fantastic on the upcoming Tangled Shore Warlock armor set. You heard it here first.

When reacquiring gear from Collection, what Power level will they be?

Collection items will come out close to your current Power level, but will require infusion to be ready for endgame activities.  This is a delicate balance of making sure Collections don’t create a leveling exploit, but still providing items that are usable right away in most activities.

If there are things you’re eager to know more about, leave a post in the Destiny 2 forum of Bungie.net, or sound off on social media. We’ll be watching for trending topics, and working to get you up to speed before Forsaken launches.

Iron Resolve

Each day, Destiny Player Support patrols the #Help forum to assist Guardians in need. Whether it be an error code caused by connection issues or an item not appearing properly in game—they’re here to lend a helping hand.

This is their report.

Lupus Visage

Last week, we reported an issue where the Lupus Visage ornament for Fighting Lion, featured in the Iron Ornament Bundle, did not properly unlock for some players after it was activated. With this week’s deployment of Destiny 2 Hotfix 1.2.1.2, this issue is expected to be resolved for all players. Players who previously purchased this ornament should now find it when inspecting Fighting Lion. Players who purchase this bundle in the future will find this ornament in their modifications inventory. PermissionsOver the past several months, we have monitored reports from players in Russia who repeatedly encountered the error “Permissions to access online multiplayer have changed or profile signed in elsewhere.” While it's still possible for players to encounter this error through natural causes, we believe the platform issues that caused the elevated number of these errors to be resolved.

For players who see this error in the wild, we suggest that you visit our Help article for troubleshooting information. As always, players who encounter repeated errors codes and do not find resolution by searching help.Bungie.net should report the error to the #Help forums. 

Faction Rallies Known Issues

With the launch of this week’s Faction Rallies, we have players reporting that they've kept their allegiance from the last Faction Rallies, even after pledging to a different faction for this one.

While Destiny Player Support is currently investigating this issue, any player encountering issues while pledging to factions should submit a report to the #Help forums. If possible, providing captured video footage or imagery of your issue as it is encountered in game will be helpful in our investigation.

Lost inspiration | Overwatch Pro Scene

It had been evident from the beginning of this Overwatch World Cup Los Angeles Group Stage which for the states who weren't the USA and Canada, it was likely to be a demanding moment. It is difficult to imagine, say, being a young Austrian and flying into a country you have only seen in films to play your favourite game against men and women that you've just seen on flow, in a stadium that looks as unreal for you as the Los Angeles portrayed on TV. But that has been a position lots of the players found themselves .

"As it was announced that we'd be playing at Los Angeles, I had been super hype, since I was like,'That is the point at which the big men drama,''' Austria DPS Raphael"Stvn" Baier said following his nation's final game of this weekend. "We moved , and by the very first day, the entire world felt entirely surreal. We arrive at the studio, and that which is just like a fantasy world."

"You see Overwatch League and you also find these men simply popping off and you are like,'I wish to be like this man.'"

"This is my very first LAN, so for me personally it was a brand new encounter," he stated,"First time being onstage, fulfilling all these folks that you are looking around, you understand? You see Overwatch League and you also find these men simply popping off and you are like,'I need to be like this man.' Now you are sitting only five meters away from them playing them against them."

"These [Overwatch League] gamers, you see them flowing, then you see them walking about," additional Sandro"Shinoda" Zahner out of Switzerland. "Each of the casters too. [In Switzerland], there is so much space between us [them]. Now we are here, we are doing this."

The teams that ended below the USA and Canada all set their own goals with this particular occasion, and every one of them met or exceeded themeverything from not moving 0-20 in map score (Switzerland) to finishing in third position (Brazil). This Group Stage wasn't nearly getting to BlizzCon. It had been about being the greatest representative group every roster might be.

"I believe for a little state like Austria, it is a excellent chance to show our ability," Austrian coach Paul"ub3rb1ng0" Pachner explained. "I believe they really did this. I believe we now have the youngest player , and he had been among our very best." "We're really pleased with him, and I am quite pleased with our staff."

"We said we wanted to take third spot, and we understood the match against Norway [on Friday] was the main one, thus we're glad we could conquer them," said DPS Felipe"liko" Lebrao out of Brazil. "They have lots of Contenders NA and Contenders EU gamers --we desired to demonstrate our scene is equally as great as theirs."

Actually, Brazil's functionality in this Group Phase functioned as an inspiration to the countries who believe that they still have some climbing to do. "Brazil is in a region which is [isolated], but they showed up here and took off a map USA," explained Team Norway trainer Mikael"mkL" Skjønhaug. "They demonstrated that if you only work hard, work as a group, it is possible to make it regardless of where you live, regardless of what occurs."

"Last year we had two championships... but we did not quit playing because of this. We maintained scrimming. Not South American clubs, we played 180 ping virtually all year enjoying NA teams"

Dudu explained that the accession of Contenders South America for their area helped solidify the spectacle in their nation, but now they have evolved with two World Cup appearancesthey are aiming greater for 2019. "We've got a great deal of focus on us. People are saying,'Oh, perhaps these players may go in the Overwatch League, possibly they could play Academy teams or move to distinct areas.' So, I'd say we're attempting to aim a bit higher today."

For the less-renowned countries in the championship, the flame was lit, and they'll carry this experience together eternally. "The entire experiences forces each of the gamers," said Presidential bend tank Patrick"Sensotix" Thonhauser. "I feel all people played better than we perform at home. Thank you a lot for all of the help, for all the cheering."

As they waited on the resort shuttle following the last afternoon, Team Austria talked in rapid German, rifling through snacks they'd bought in the Blizzard Arena product shop. "Hello, I am Jeff in the Overwatch Team!" 1 participant said in English, and everybody laughed. As Team Brazil stopped the bus, the Austrians approached themhollering"Alemao! Alemao!"

I guess sometimes it actually is concerning the friends you make on the way.

Have a look at our complete phase preview for programs, rosters, livestreaming places, and much more.

A tribute to my Father

My Father passed away on Father’s Day, 4 weeks ago today.  on Friday June 22, I delivered a Eulogy at his funeral. It was the hardest public thing I’ve ever done--and I thought I would share it today in his honor.

------------

I’m honored to stand before you today to celebrate the life of my Father.  I promise to do my best, but I’ll ask your forgiveness in advance if I am unable to complete today’s mission.  

There are many “naming” associations in life I am proud of…Kim’s Husband; Lauren’s Father; John Junior’s Brother; Douglas and Rachel’s Uncle.   Family is truly all that matters in this life.  The greatest of these—and where it all started—is being known as John’s Son.

As some of you know I retired last December after more than 30 years in business.  Over the course of my career I was fortunate enough to rise to a position of responsibility beyond anything I’d ever imagined—one of the top 100+ executives of a Fortune 10 Global Company with more than 250,000 employees.

Any success I enjoyed in the business world started with the foundation my Father instilled in me -- leadership principles I utilized over these past 30+ years.   Absent his coaching and development, it simply wouldn’t have happened.  As a tribute to him, I’d like to share three of them with you today as a testament to the kind of Father, Leader, Husband, and Friend he was over the course of his 90 years on earth.

HUMILITY

According to Jim Collins-not my Uncle Jim, but a world-renowned professor at Stanford University, author of best-selling leadership books like “Good to Great” and “Built to Last”, the difference between a very good leader and a world class executive can be distilled down to the existence of a single trait:  Humility.  He explains it like this:  In the sports world, head coaches that personify these humble leaders credit the talent of their players when the team wins championships.  When the team loses, they shoulder the blame, and take the responsibility for providing the team with the necessary preparation or game plan that would allow them to be successful.

This principle is critical to get groups of people to work together for a common goal.  Whether people admit or not, human beings enjoy being recognized for their hard work and their role in achieving a goal. Leaders that attempt to take credit for their team’s success don’t have successful teams or talented players very long.  

As my brother can attest, Pop demanded humility from his boys during our formative years. No self-aggrandizing behaviors were tolerated in any way, shape or form!  Any inkling of hot-dogging, trash talking, bragging, or basking in the limelight on the basketball court or baseball field would be met afterward with a stern-and I mean stern! rebuke.  He knew what our young minds could not comprehend—business and life are team sports. You’ll rise and fall based on the capabilities of the people you surround yourself with. Be a good teammate-someone that values the individuals of the team and the overall team above yourself—and you can put yourself in a position to have the privilege to lead others, and be surrounded by great people that can lift you up.

SETTING EXPECTATIONS

Successful leaders set clear-and high expectations for performance.   If you don’t know what is expected of you, what are you supposed to do?  Show me a team or company that doesn’t have clear performance expectations, and I will show you a losing team or failing company. And, of course, expectations are pretty meaningless if you don’t put in the hard work it takes to achieve them. Perhaps Pop’s favorite mantras were “the harder I work, the luckier I get” and “Luck is when preparation meets Opportunity”.   I heard these words hundreds of times from him.

Pop set very clear and very high expectations for performance, whether it was work in the yard, personal behavior, academics, or athletics. I must confess that early on, I could get discouraged with his feedback.  No matter how many points I scored, games we won, or courses I succeeded in at school, he had the annoying ability to find something that I could improve upon.  He was never satisfied-or at least I didn’t think he was.  

At the time, I didn’t realize or appreciate the value of the gift he was giving me.  First, he was instilling the principle that all good leaders know well—people can always do more than they think they can. Left alone, as human beings we typically are content to reside within the confines of our comfort zones. Great leaders push us out of them-and get us to do more.  Second, expect the best from yourself, and then you can expect the best from everyone you work with.  Finally, it instilled self-confidence in me that I would need in the future to be successful.  My wife Kim would likely tell you that he outdid himself on that one!  In all seriousness, when he pushed me to do more—after I got over my anger and frustration and actually tried, I usually found success.  I gained confidence in knowing I could do more-and believed in myself, no longer needing a push from him. Over the course of my career, not once did I have a leader of mine have to ask me to do more.  I was trained by my Dad to set high expectations for myself and my teams, and more often than not, we out-distanced our internal and external competitors as a result.

Later in life, after he was satisfied that he’d done all he could do to shape me, he was always quick to let me know how proud he was of me…giving me reinforcement in my darkest hours, giving me the support and confidence I needed to keep moving forward.  Many Father’s Days over the last 15 years I would write him a simple note or tell him in a conversation—based on his leadership and the expectations that he set for me, that anything I did right in my life, he should take credit for; correspondingly, anything I did wrong he should be absolved from.  I knew what “right” was supposed to look like, which leads me to my final principle.

DEMONSTRATING THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR

People listen to what you say, but they watch what you do.

I’m sure you’ve heard this over the course of your life.  It means that people believe in you based on what they actually see you do.  Words, as we know, are just that.  But deeds matter.

I used to tell people that worked with me that when you’re in a position of leadership, what you do is on display 7x24x  365.  It’s a simple concept-they’re always watching you, whether you realize it or not.  What you actually do is far more impactful than what you say.  When faced with a crisis, do you remain calm or lose your cool?  Do you support people when they need time for a family member, or only when it is convenient for you?  When things go bad, do you take responsibility, or blame others?  When you are faced with illegal, immoral, or unethical behavior, do you join in, cover it up, or do the right thing?  When no one is looking, are you working hard or goofing off?  Can you be trusted to finish the job to the highest level even if no one stops by to inspect your work?

No man is perfect, but my Father consistently demonstrated the desired behaviors to me over the course of his 90 years on earth. Simple things he did spoke volumes—like the dedication he had to the company where he worked for more than 35 years, getting up every day and working hard-never complaining.  Not a single time-not once-did I ever hear him complain about his customers or co-workers.  Turning down job and career growth opportunities to keep his family centered in a place he knew was a good place to live and raise his sons.   Showing up for every single game of my high school basketball career, and hundreds of other sporting events over the course of my life growing up here in Clemmons.  Caring for our neighbor’s yard – the missionary daughter of the original property owners--for more than 20 years, never asking for anything in return. Offering support and assistance to another neighbor who tragically lost her husband with three small children; riding bicycles with the youngest child that lost her Father too young.  Being faithful to my Mother, and God, and the Churches that mattered to him – the Francisco Presbyterian Church, and the Clemmons United Methodist Church. Honoring my Mother with his presence at her bedside every day for the last two and half years of her life, navigating his way with the help of friends and his caretaker – and, as he referred to her, his “adopted daughter”—Bebee as he was unable to drive himself due to his vision challenges.  

In his later years, after my Mom died, in our conversations he’d often wonder why he was still here.   He knew his body was failing him, and he worried he was only a burden to those he loved. He’d then rebound and cheer himself up, thinking of all of his friends in the community, specifically the Clemmons Kitchen.  If he couldn’t do anything else, he thought God wanted him to show kindness to others, especially those who needed it most.  Based on how many people tell me “I love Mr. John”, I know he succeeded in what he thought God wanted him to do.   What I want you all to know is that he got more out of that than he gave, and he considered it a privilege to be able to give of himself to others.

A TRIBUTE

I’ll end with an anonymous writing that my Cost Accounting Professor at Duke provided to me back in the fall of 1993. As you can imagine, it must be pretty good if it was a Cost Accounting Professor-CJ Skender, a great guy -- not exactly my favorite subject-and it still resonates with me 25 years later.  I’ve often thought if Pop had written down his expectations, this might have articulated them.  More importantly, though, in my view, it’s what he actually did.  It’s titled “Live Each Day”.  It’s my tribute to him and my gift to all of you.

Live each day to the fullest.  Get the most from each hour, each day, and each age of your life.  Then you can look forward with confidence, and back without regrets.

Be yourself – but be your best self.  Dare to be different and follow your own star. Don’t be afraid to be happy. Enjoy what is beautiful.  Love with all your heart and soul.  Believe that those you love, love you.

Forget what you have done for your friends, and remember what they have done for you.  Disregard what the world owes you, and concentrate on what you owe the world. When faced with a decision, make that decision as wisely as possible – then forget it.  The moment of absolute certainty never arrives.

Above all, remember that God helps those who help themselves.  Act as if everything depended upon you, and pray as if everything depended on God.

Thank you, Pop for everything you’ve done for me. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you.  I love you and will miss you more than I can say.

The Maradona of the 21st Century is not Lionel Messi

The most common and in fact only real comparison ever made between 2 great footballers of different eras is that of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. Both are diminutive left-footed Argentine number 10′s, blessed with the best dribbling ability the game has ever seen. With a strength and speed that belies their stature, combined with extraordinary close control, they beat defenders at a rate that noone has matched. 

And in the early day’s of Messi, there were eerie similarities. 2005 saw Messi make his international debut against Hungary, the same opponent Maradona debuted against. In 2007 Messi scored against Getafe with a goal identical to Maradona’s ‘goal of the century’ and then a couple of months later he scored with his hand against Espanyol, going unpunished as Diego famously did with the ‘Hand of God’. 

But since then, the differences between the two players careers have grew and grew. Messi has so far spent over 20 years at one football club, Maradona represented 6 across 7 different spells. Leo though only 33, has already scored well over twice as many career goals as Maradona, and has appeared in well over 200 more senior matches. Messi has scored over 30 goals for his club in 13 consecutive seasons, Maradona only scored over 20 goals twice in Europe. Messi has so far won 35 major honours in club football, to Diego’s 9. Maradona has lifted the World Cup whereas Messi has never won a senior international trophy and Messi has scored over twice as many goals for Argentina, with over 50 more caps so far. 

Simply put, they have had very different careers and lived very different lifestyles. I feel greater similarities are to be found between Maradona and another 21st century footballer, who also wore the number 10 shirt for Barcelona, Ronaldinho. 

Maradona and Ronaldinho both spent 10 seasons in Europe, played for 3 European Clubs, and spent 2 seasons at their first European club. They played by far the best and most consistent football of their career and reached their highest highs at their 2nd European club. Here both men won 5 major honours, including 2 league titles and a European trophy. Maradona played 52 more games for Napoli and scored 21 more goals than Ronaldinho for Barcelona, which makes it likely that if they’d played an identical amount of games, they’d have an almost identical goal tally. 

Both won the World Cup with a 2-0 knockout stage win over Belgium, a 2-1 Quarter-Final win over England, and beat Germany in the final. Both also scored goals in the Quarter-Final which were the best remembered of the tournament and highly embarrassed the England goalkeeper. 

Here are some stats which highlight some more similarities in their respective careers:

Club trophies won: Maradona 9, Ronaldinho 12. Number of Clubs: Maradona 6 (in 7 spells), Ronaldinho 8. International caps: Maradona 91, Ronaldinho 97. International goals: Maradona 34, Ronaldinho 33. Competitive Internationals: Maradona 46, Ronaldinho 52. Goals in Competitive internationals: Maradona 17, Ronaldinho 17.  Total senior goals: Maradona 345, Ronaldinho 299. freekicks scored: Maradona 62, Ronaldinho 66. 

As Players 

Maradona was a classic Number 10, a creative playmaker operating from a free role either as an attacking midfielder or a 2nd striker. His game was renowned for his dribbling which due to his low centre of gravity, stocky physique, acceleration, quick feet, close control, agility and his ability to quickly change direction made him extremely difficult to stop. Despite a solid goal return, Maradona’s game was about more than just scoring goals and individual runs, his vision, passing and creativity made him a fantastic teamplayer also.

Ronaldinho also could operate as a Number 10, playing in a free central role as an attacking midfielder, though he could also be deployed on either wing to devastating effect. Ronaldinho was an extremely effective playmaker as like Maradona he possessed outstanding vision and creativty with great passing ability. He was also a world class dribbler with underrated pace and acceleration, aswell as athleticism, balance and ball control allowing him to take on opponents. He was one of the most effective ever 1 v 1 at beating players with his tricks, feints, stepovers, nutmegs, aswell as sheer unpredictability making him extremely challenging to handle. Ronaldinho was also known for his technical skills, flair, creativity and touch. 

Maradona and Ronaldinho are the most skillful players to ever reach the top of the game. More so than anyone else who has become the number 1 player on the planet, they were freestyle footballers. Maradona was one of Ronaldinho’s idols as a kid, and it’s easy to see why. Only Ronaldinho himself could cast a similar spell over the ball, Diego seemed to be almost at one with it, manipulating it in any way he wanted. 

Whether doing keepy-ups with his shoulders, head, heel or slices as naturally as other players do them with their feet, Maradona had an artists understanding with the ball. And not just footballs either, his feet could do whatever he wished with golf balls, rolled up socks, anything he could make resemble a football he juggled with.  

Maradona and Ronaldinho were two players who you didn’t need to see in an-game situation to be entertained by. Just throw them a ball. This was evidenced with the well known video of Maradona warming up before a UEFA Cup Semi-Final against Bayern Munich set to ‘Life is Life’ by Opus. Preparing for the game as if he’s arrived too early for a kickabout and is waiting for his mates to show up, Diego plays with an unbelievable rhythm. 

This sense of rhythm and fun didn’t leave Diego once the game had kicked off, with regular rabona’s and roulette’s (which became known as the Maradona turn due to the level he perfected it) elevating the entertainment for everyone in attendance. 

This is where I think his game is more similar to Ronaldinho’s than that of Messi’s. Lionel though brilliant to watch is nowhere near as flashy, applying skills only when absolutely necessary. For Ronaldinho however, skills always felt necessary. No look passes, pannas, elasticos (known also by some as ‘the gaucho’ due to Ronaldinho’s mastery of the skill) were all regular features of Ronaldinho’s arsenal. 

Like Maradona, Ronaldinho was always worth watching before a game had even kicked off. And in training he was capable of getting his teammates to stop dead in their tracks and just stand around watching him perform his skills. An example of Ronaldinho’s ridiculous skill level compared to everyone else, was when he and a number of other top professionals took on the ‘Blindfolded Keepie Uppie challenge’ where as the name suggests, you attempt to do kick ups whilst wearing a blindfold. Benzema managed 5, Lewandowski 7, Xavi 8 and Ronaldinho.. 44. 

It’s maybe a strange thing to say about a player who some consider the greatest of all time, and most consider in the top 3 of all time, but Maradona could’ve done even more in football. What he was able to do was limited by injuries courtesy of the many dreadful fouls he endured, bouts of lacking motivation, a lifestyle that led to drug addiction, weight gains & crash diets, and 2 drugs bans that meant he scored just 15 league goals after his 30th Birthday. 

And aswell, it shows how good Ronaldinho was that a career that saw him become the only player to win the World Cup, the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores and the Balon d’or (not to mention 2 La Liga’s and 2 FIFA World Player of The Year Awards) is seen by many as one that could and should have been better. A lack of dedication and discipline, combined with his hedonistic lifestyle off the pitch led to Ronaldinho’s physical decline coming alot sooner than it should have. That said I think it’s unfair to boil his whole career down to just his years at Barcelona (where he did for a while have the focus and dedication to become the best player in the world) and dismiss everything else. There was still plenty of very good performances afterwards for AC Milan, Flamengo and Atletico Mineiro, where he thrilled the supporters with his quality. 

Maradona was in many ways an individualist, for example he had his own fitness coach and his own doctors, never using the doctors employed by his club side or national team, but he was also very much a team player. A technical leader, he was loved by his teammates because he took all the pressure, all the attention on his shoulders, freeing the team up to go out and play without burden. The best example of the deep respect Maradona’s teammates had for him was in a clip from the Napoli dressing room following their historic first Scudetto win in 1987, where the players all sing as though ultras rather than colleagues: “Oh mama, mama, mama, do you know why my heart is racing? I’ve seen Maradona! I’ve seen Maradona! and Mum I fell in love with him!”

In a different way, Ronaldinho was also an excellent team player. When Ronaldinho was at the peak of his powers, a 16-year old Argentine came to his attention. Here he saw a player he knew could be something special. Ronaldinho became a sort of big brother figure to Messi from that point on, helping him as much as possible. For an introverted young kid to have the best player in the World take such a care and interest in him, must have been a tremendous boost. There was no ego from Ronaldinho, no jealousy or attempt to keep the teenager ‘In his place’. When Messi was 17, Ronaldinho introduced him to Kobe Bryant as “someone who will be the best footballer of all time” and in an interview with Four Four Two magazine the current Balon d’Or holder claimed Messi was already better than him. 

Beginning

Diego Armando Maradona was born October 30, 1960 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and was raised in the Villa Fiorito shantytown, on the outskirts of the capital city. His love of football came very early, when he was given a ball as his first toy at 3 years old, and slept hugging it all night. Growing up in a shack without water or electricity, when Maradona joined the Argentinos Juniors youth team at just 8 years old he and his parents soon realised that their only way out of this hardship was for Diego to make it as a footballer. He already played with an ability way beyond his years and small, skinny physique quickly beginning to garner attention. 

As a ballboy for Argentinos Juniors 1st team games, he would go on to the pitch at half time and entertain the crowds with his skills and tricks, aswell as an extraordinary acceleration when dribbling the ball. On one occasion as the 10-year old Diego exited the field for the Argentinos-Boca Juniors game to re-commence, the fans chanted “Let him stay! Let him stay!”. As Maradona continued to seemingly get better with every match he played in the youth teams, Argentinos Juniors had already pinned all their hopes on him before he’d even joined the first team. They already recognised him as the only player they had who could raise serious funds in the future, and in the meantime would be able to improve the team. He was promoted to the first team aged 15. 

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He lived in a wooden house in the middle of a favela, until his brother Roberto 8 years his senior, was gifted a home in a more affluent area by Gremio in an effort to get him to stay with the club and reject the interest of Italian club Torino. Tragedy would soon strike for Roberto and his younger brother however, when Roberto returned to the house to celebrate his 18th birthday only to find his father drowned in the family swimming pool. 

From a young age Roberto would train his younger brother in one-on-one football sessions, after noticing he too had a real talent for the game. Ronaldinho said of this time “Roberto forced me to juggle the ball as many as 500 times. He stood to watch me do it and would never go until I’d completed it. This took all the fun out of it for me, and at that age it made me very angry. I cried. I didn’t understand. But later I understood what he wanted.” 

Roberto’s football career was going well, he had played for Brasil’s under 20′s team and won 3 consecutive state titles with Gremio, the future looked very bright, when more misfortune struck the family. Roberto suffered a serious injury and was let go by Gremio. He moved to FC Sion in Switzerland and with his older brother and father figure since the passing of his Dad now living far away, Ronaldo felt an increased urgency and responsibility to step up and make it as a footballer to help the family financially. He had learned alot from his big brother, who despite being prevented from fulfilling his potential due to injury was still able to etch out a career in football, with a journeyman career making appearances for many sides including Vasco De Gama, Fluimenese and Sporting Lisbon. 

Ronaldo played Futsal and Beach Football aswell as 11-a-side football and all this honed his ball control and skills. Often the smallest and youngest player on each of the teams he played for he quickly was assigned the nickname ‘Ronaldinho’ meaning ‘little Ronaldo’ which has always stuck throughout his career despite him growing to over 6 feet tall. He was 13 when he received his first media attention after scoring all 23 goals in a 23-0 win for his side at Futsal (though he did later say “those kids were terrible!”). After starring at the Under 17 World Cup, Ronaldinho followed in his big brothers footsteps by signing for Gremio.

Maradona and Ronaldinho both had their youthful innocence cut short and were forced to see Football as more than fun but as a way out of their hardships at a very young age. As a mere child Maradona had all his families hopes pinned on him for a way out of extreme poverty and Ronaldinho experienced the hardships of life early too with the death of his father and career damaging injury to his brother. But despite all the external pressure and aswell the huge demand they put on themselves to succeed for their families, their pure love for football never wavered. 

Starting Out 

Maradona made his first-team debut for Argentinos 10 days before his 16th Birthday. A few minutes after entering the pitch, he nutmegged an opponent. A few weeks later he made his first start, with then vice-president Settimio Aloisio recalling “What really struck me was the joy there seemed to be in his playing. What seemed unique was that he didn’t seem to have any fear, he was so self-assured, so determined. It was the first time he played a full 90 minutes in the first-team and he did it with all the confidence of a player who had been playing top-class football for at least six years.”

In Diego’s first season for the club in 1976 they finished 2nd bottom of the Metropolitano Championship. In his final season they finished 2nd top. He scored 116 goals in 166 appearences, including a Messi-esque 69 in 71 in his last 2 seasons. Maradona was now too big and too good for the team, and it was time for Argentinos Juniors to get the big payday they hoped years of nurturing this talent would get them. Maradona joined the club he always dreamed of playing for, Boca Juniors for $4M. 

Maradona scored 28 goals in 40 games for the club, including a memorable goal in his first Superclasico at La Bombanera stadium against River Plate. The 1981 season brought him his first trophy in senior football, when Boca secured the Metropolitano Championship, the clubs first title for 5 years, by a single point. They had finished 6th in the competition the year before Diego joined.   

Ronaldinho made his debut for Gremio in 1998, and by his 2nd season the teenager was already showing himself as one of the top Brazilian players in the world. A real breakout moment for him came in the Campeonato Gaucho, the State Championship, usually won by one of Porto Alegre’s biggest sides, either Gremio or rivals Internacional. Gremio came out on top after a sublime performance from Ronaldinho where he tormented and terrorised Brazil’s World Cup winning captain Dunga, on one occasion flicking the ball over his head.

Ronaldinho scored 58 goals in 125 appearances for Gremio, 52 in 87 excluding his debut season and 28 in 37 in his last full season. This was enough to convince Paris St. Germain to spend 5 million Euros to bring him to the French Capital.

Maradona and Ronaldinho both began their professional careers for their local sides, neither club the most glamorous or prestigious of their country, but both rapidly stood out with their performances. Ronaldinho was transferred to Europe in half the time with his first 3 seasons in his native country as opposed to Maradona’s 6, highlighting the change in Football between the late 70s, early 80s and the late 90′s, early 00′s.

In 1978 Argentina had won the World Cup with just one player playing outside of Argentina, and coach Menotti had warned Maradona that Argentina fans would not accept him leaving to play his domestic football in Europe, he did not join a European club until his 7th season. By the time Ronaldinho was on the scene, Europe’s stranglehold over Football meant it was the only place to play for the game’s best talents. Maradona played 206 games in the country of his birth before joining FC Barcelona for a then world record fee of £5 Million pounds.

Europe

Maradona described his time at FC Barcelona as the ‘unhappiest period of my career’. He found German coach Udo Lattek’s hard early-morning training sessions unsuited to his lifestyle, and had a relationship with Barcelona’s then president Jose Luis Nunez which was hostile from the off. The free-spirit of Diego quickly found the atmosphere of Barcelona oppressive, he felt the cold, calculated stuffed shirts of the Barca boardroom looked down on him as a naive, uneducated outsider. Maradona was used to getting his way in Argentina, and was not a man who could easily accept authority over his life. Whilst Barcelona as an institution were not a club willing to bend for one man, no matter how talented he was with a football.  

The early signs on the pitch however, were promising. The team received a standing ovation leaving the pitch away to Red Star Belgrade in the Cup Winners Cup, after a 4-2 victory with 2 goals each for Maradona and fellow foreign star signing Bernd Schuster. But the ego’s and personality clashes of Nunez, Maradona, Lattek and Schuster meant it was never likely to last. After Maradona had spent his first ever Christmas away from Argentina in a state of depression, and not long after he’d returned from a prolonged absence due to viral hepatitis, Lattek was sacked, which did not displease either of Barcelona’s star players, with Schuster referring to the manager as a ‘drunkard’. 

Lattek was replaced by Cesar Menotti, Argentina’s World Cup winning manager who had managed Diego in the Under 20s and senior national side. It was hoped by the Barcelona hierarchy that this would be the man to bring the best out of Maradona. 

The appointment of Menotti wasn’t the only thing bringing comforts of home to Maradona’s life. He did everything to recreate the life he’d known in Argentina, acquiring the friendship and services of Argentines living in Barcelona to provide him with Calabresi and sandwiches just like he’d known in Buenos Aires. But whenever Maradona and his clan would hit Las Ramblas, which was often, he had to accept he wasn’t in his beloved Argentina anymore. He was in a place with wealthy, educated people who looked down on him and his friends, fuelling Maradona’s inferiority complex which he battled all his life due to his poor upbringing. 

It was also during this time in Barcelona that Maradona first began taking cocaine, and though he was able to keep this a secret from Barca, some reports of his activities including regular house parties into the early hours with prostitutes in attendance did make it back to an increasingly exasperated board. The Maradona-Nunez conflict continued to intensify, with Jorge Cyterszpiler, Maradona’s then agent responding to comments from Nunez in the press by phoning him and calling him a “son of a bitch”. 

4 Days before the King’s Cup final between Barcelona and hated rivals Real Madrid, Nunez refused to allow Maradona to travel to Munich for a testimonial match, a lack of liberty which infuriated Maradona. The team were able to capture the trophy however, beating Real 2-1 with a 90th minute winner, in a game both Maradona and Schuster ran. It had been a turbulent debut season however to say the least, the team had finished 4th behind Athletic Bilbao, Spanish champions for the first time in 27 years, and the two Madrid clubs. They had also been dumped out of the Cup Winners Cup by Austrian minnows Memphis. Maradona scored 23 goals in 35 appearances but injuries and illness had limited him to just 20 league games and 11 goals. 

Maradona’s second year was to be defined by yet another rivalry, this time that of coach Menotti and Athletic Bilbao manager Xavier Clemente. In a war of words due to differing football philosophies similar to that of Brian Clough and Don Revie in England, Menotti made public his disdain for what he considered (not without reason), the thuggish football of Bilbao saying “the day they decide to be a bullfighter rather than a bull on the pitch it will play better football.” Clemente responded saying he would take no lessons from an Argentine who spent more time pursuing women than teaching football skills. The stage was set for a series of violent matches to take place between the sides that season. With Barca leading Bilbao 2-0 at the Nou Camp early in the season, Goikoetxea, subsequently named ‘the Butcher of Bilbao’ delivered one of the most brutal fouls Spanish football had seen on Maradona. Menotti demanded Goikoetxea be banned for life, as it was he was hit with a 10-game ban instead. This came as little consolation for Maradona who had long complained about the harsh treatment he received from defenders in Spain due to little protection from referees. This tackle, feared possibly career threatening at the time, kept him sidelined for 3 months.

A few weeks after his return to fitness, Maradona lined up to face Bilbao again, this time at the San Mames stadium. Maradona led his team heroically through another brutal match, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win for his side in one of the dirtiest matches seen at the stadium. Maradona’s duels with Bilbao didn’t end here though, and they would reach a stunning conclusion in the 1984 King’s Cup final infront of 100,000 spectators and half of Spain’s watching public. After a 1-0 defeat featuring the usual Bilbao treatment whenever Diego went near the ball, and racist insults towards him regarding his Father’s native American Indian ancestry, he was given a ‘fuck off’ sign by unused Bilbao substitute Sola, and Maradona subsequently knocked him to the floor before kneeing him out cold. Chaos ensued with a mass brawl involving all the players, with flying kicks everywhere you looked. Maradona was at one stage knocked to the floor with a Bilbao player standing over him, when out of nowhere a teammate jumped in with a huge kick to the players back sending him flying. Maradona left the pitch with his Barcelona shirt torn, he would never wear one again. The brawl resulted in 60 people being injured as fans rained missiles down on players, coaches and photographers. 

The board had seen enough, Maradona’s time with Barcelona was up. He scored 38 goals in 58 games for the club. There had been some highs, beating Real Madrid in the Kings Cup and the short lived Spanish League Cup final, where after scoring one of the all-time great El Clasico goals in the 1st leg at the Bernabeu he was given a standing ovation by the Real supporters. But there had also been just as many lows, and overall Maradona had failed to do what he was signed to do, establish Barcelona as Spain’s number 1 team again. A move was required for all parties, as Maradona’s spending and bad business moves made on his behalf had left him with so much debt only a huge signing-on fee would take care of it. This came in the shape of another world record fee, £6.9M to Italian Club Napoli. Both Maradona and Barcelona would benefit from the move, as under Terry Venables Barcelona won their first league title for 11 years by 10 points (in the days of 2 points for a win) and reached their first European Cup final the following year, losing on penalties to Steaua Bucharest. Ironically it took the departure of Maradona to get Barcelona to do what his arrival was supposed to do for them.

Ronaldinho chose long-time sleeping giants Paris Saint Germain when better teams were perhaps interested in signing him for one reason only, to ensure he would be a regular starter in order to convince Brazil manager Scolari that he should be the 3rd name in the attack alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo. For the first few months, his plan seemed to have backfired spectacularly. After getting the all clear to play from Fifa, after a messy legal procedure between PSG and Gremio, he still struggled to get the all clear to start from manager Luis Fernandez, so was forced to watch players such as Gabriel Heinze, Mauricio Pochettino, Jay Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka from the bench for much of the time before being introduced into games in the second half more often than not. 

This slow start was doubly concerning due to the form back home of Ricardo Kaka who was banging them in for Sao Paulo. At the half way stage, it looked likely it would be Kaka starting for Brazil and if Ronaldinho didn’t find some form, he would be a doubt to even make the plane. 

Ronaldinho began to make an impact before the winter break, and after it his fortunes had an even greater upturn. Okocha went to the African Cup of Nations and Anelka was loaned to Liverpool. Ronaldinho was going to become the main man in the PSG attack, if he could seize his chance. He scored in the first 4 games back, including a brace against Guingamp. 

By mid-march he was making it look easy, looking as though nothing was more simple to him than dribbling through a defence and beating the onrushing goalkeeper as he did not once but twice against Troyes. 

Despite only starting half the league games, Ronaldinho finished the season confirming himself as PSG’s best and most important player, aswell as their top scorer with 13 goals and earning a place in the Ligue 1 team of the season.

Ronaldinho returned for his second season at PSG as a World Cup winner, however his upward trajectory at Paris which had begun in the second half of his first season would not continue without dips. Manager Luis Fernandez criticised Ronaldinho’s enthusiasm for Parisian nightlife, claiming he focused on it more than Football. Another source of frustration for him was a typical one for managers dealing with Brazilian players, the long trips back home Ronaldinho took during the season, which Fernandez bemoaned never ended when scheduled. Ronaldinho fired back at his manager’s criticism that “it seems to bother him that I am happy.” 

The league campaign was a very disappointing one to say the least for PSG, finishing 7 places lower than in Ronaldinho’s first season, coming in 11th place. On a personal level, there was some satisfaction for Ronaldinho in winning the award for Ligue 1 goal of the season, with a brilliant solo goal against Guingamp. Accelerating suddenly before the first man has even had a chance to get close to him, he plays a one-two around another, then dinks the ball over a slide tackling defender, waits for the ball to drop then dribbles into the box, throws a stepover to make space for the shot then lifts the ball quite wonderfully over a helpless goalkeeper. Pure Ronaldinho magic.

Paris also reached the Coupe de France final after 2 goals from Ronaldinho in the semi-final got them there, however they were beaten by Auxerre in the final with a last minute winner. With a season outside of Europe on the horizon, it was time for Ronaldinho to move on to the next phase in his career. He scored 25 goals in 77 games for the Parisians. 

Maradona & Ronaldinho moved to Europe aged 22 and 21 respectively, and both spent 2 seasons with their first European club. Both displayed the talent that made them at times unstoppable, but the flashes of genius were accompanied with a lack of consistency needed to go beyond the promise and potential they were showing to become as great as they undoubtedly could be. In this time, both players also discovered a love of a certain party lifestyle which would remain throughout their respective careers. 

Peak

75,000 Napoli supporters packed into the Stadio San Paulo to see the official presentation of Diego Armando Maradona as a Napoli player. For all present that day, the Saviour had arrived. As one local newspaper put it “despite the lack of a mayor, houses, schools, buses, employment and sanitation, none of this matters because we have Maradona." 

Maradona found himself feeling instantly more at home than he had ever felt at Barcelona. The poor background he came from aswell as having a Mother of Italian descent gave Maradona an immediate affinity with the city of Naples, in the poorer, economically disadvantaged South of Italy. He could also relate to the feeling of being looked down upon that Neapolitans felt from those in the more affluent and politically prioritised North. 

During Maradona’s time in Italy, the North v South hatred was at its peak. The Maradona signing itself had political motivations. Upon hearing of Juventus’ interest in signing the Argentine, Napoli were determined to get one over on the more illustrious then-champions, who already boasted that summer’s standout player at Euro 84, Michel Platini. After his experience with Schuster, Maradona was reluctant to again share the limelight so was instead happy to join the side in the Southern region, a region that had never produced a Serie A winner. Napoli, a club formed in 1926 had to that point won just 2 major honours, both Coppa Italia’s. 

Though the team he was joining had a modest history to date, the league he would playing in was by far the best and most competitive in the world. Though a defensive league with emphasis put on the ‘Cattenacio’ style of play, featuring tight man-to-man marking and a sweeper, Maradona could atleast rely on better protection from referees than he’d received in Spain.

Unlike in Barcelona, where the snobbery in high society left Maradona on the outside, Maradona found in Naples he was embraced wherever he found himself in Italy’s most densely populated metropolis, including alongside the Camorra, the Neapolitan Mafia, who had extraordinary influence in all matters in the city at this time. Carmine Guiliano, of the powerful Guiliano clan was only too eager to place himself alongside Naples’ new messiah. And Maradona for his part seemed to find himself more comfortable in this company, than he’d ever felt with the distant and alien Barcelona hierarchy. 

Hellas Verona were champions for the only time in their history in Maradona’s debut season, with Napoli having to settle for 8th place. This improved to 3rd in the following year, though off the pitch Maradona had his first serious problems with long-time girlfriend Claudia. 

Maradona’s 3rd season saw him hit the peak of his considerable powers. Fresh off the back of inspiring Argentina to the 1986 World Cup trophy, his encore was delivering Napoli to the promised land as they took their first ever Scudetto, with a league double over Juventus proving decisive. Winning Serie A sparked a week-long party in Naples, so often the butt of the North’s jokes, it was they who were laughing now. Maradona had put Napoli and the entire city of Naples on top of Italy, and in doing so his standing amongst the people could not have been any higher. In the eyes of the adoring Neapolitans he was more than a footballer, more than a man even. 

Maradona and Napoli were unable to retain their crown, ending the season with 4 losses and 1 draw as they lost out to Milan by 3 points. This was the season problems between Maradona and Napoli president Corrado Ferlaino began to materialise. Napoli who had so far accepted his unwillingness to be controlled had grown frustrated at his missing of training sessions and the following season with Maradona injured or missing from training all the more regularly, Napoli ended further away from the Scudetto. Though still 2nd they finished 11 points behind Internazionale and were beaten in the Coppa Italia final. Things reached their lowest moment to date that season when Maradona took himself off just 17 minutes into a game due to injury, this was greeted with jeers and whistles from the supporters who had once revered him as their King. This infuriated Maradona, but there was redemption in the Uefa Cup which Napoli won beating Stuggart in the two-legged final, after dispatching Juventus and Bayern Munich to reach it.

But Maradona was beginning to feel trapped again. This feeling was exacerbated by him finding out about Olympique Marseille’s interest in signing him only after Ferlaino had rejected the offer. An increasingly frustrated Maradona began lashing out and making enemies in the media, who did not accept his outspoken complaints without backlash.

After a slow start to the 89-90 season, with the World Cup that summer looming ever closer, Maradona’s motivation soared again and he had his most prolific season for Napoli, scoring 16 in 28 league games as they finished 2 points above Milan to take the Scudetto for the 2nd time in 4 years. Maradona had responded to the adversity by climbing back to the top, it was the final time in his career he would sit there. 

“Ronaldinho was responsible for the change in Barca. It was a bad time and the change that came about with his arrival was amazing. In the first year, he didn’t win anything but people fell in love with him. Then the trophies started coming and he made all those people happy. Barca should always be grateful for everything he did.” - Lionel Messi.

Though it would maybe be a stretch to compare the FC Barcelona that Ronaldinho joined in 2003 to Napoli, the fact is the club was not in a good place. Trophyless for 4 seasons, having gone through 6 different managerial reigns in that time, the club hadn’t finished above 4th for 3 years and the season prior to the Brazilian's arrival, Barca had their worst league position for 15 years, coming in 6th, as 3 different managers tried and failed to turn their fortunes around. Making matters even worse during this trophy drought, their bitter rivals Real Madrid had taken their star captain Luis Figo and just to rub it in had won 5 major honours including 2 Champions League titles. It was them enjoying the stability of one coach, with all this silverware coming under Vincente Del Bosque.

2003-04 brought Barcelona a new President Juan Laporta, a new manager in Frank Rijkaard and now it needed a new star player. Laporta earmarked 3 players of which he felt 1 was needed to bring Barcelona back to the top: Thierry Henry of Arsenal, David Beckham of Manchester United or Ronaldinho of PSG. Henry had unfinished business left at Arsenal, Florentino Perez made Beckham his latest and most glamorous Galactico to date, leaving Ronaldinho. And though Real Madrid passed up on him, with the words of a Real Madrid executive “He is so ugly that he’d sink you as a brand” reflecting Real Madrid’s new Business first, Football second approach which had led to the bizarre sacking of Vicente Del Bosque, the path to Ronaldinho was not completely clear for Barcelona. Premier League Champions Manchester United were very close to securing the 23-year old but in the end they couldn’t get it over the line and instead had to settle for a skinny 18-year old winger from Sporting Lisbon.

 Ronaldinho started as he meant to go on in his very 1st league match at the Camp Nou. With Barca trailing to Sevilla, he received the ball on the left inside his own half and 8 seconds later he had the ball in the net. Arriving into the Sevilla half he cut inside past one then another and let fly from 30 yards, it was in as soon as it left his foot, cannoning in off the crossbar with the keeper beaten by unbelievable power and precision. 

The Brazilian was unable to prevent the Catalans 5th season without silverware, but 03/04 was a big improvement on the previous year. After a bad start saw Barca in 12th place after 18 matches, the team put together a run of 17 league games without defeat featuring 14 wins, including away at the Bernabeu for the first time since 1997. Ronaldinho provided the game-winning assist in the 86th minute with an immaculate chip to Xavi who scored with a finish equal to the pass. In the end the team finished in 2nd place, behind Champions Valencia but above Real Madrid who had gone backwards under Carlos Quieroz, opening an opportunity for a new force in Spain. 

04/05 saw the arrival of Samuel Eto’o from Real Mallorca who proved the ideal partner for Ronaldinho in attack. Barca became the Champions of Spain for the first time since 1999 but were stopped in the Champions League by Chelsea, who beat them 4-2 at Stamford Bridge despite a very memorable Ronaldinho goal. 

"It's like someone pressed pause and for three seconds all the players stopped and I'm the only one that moves." — Ronaldinho 

Ronaldinho scored 13 goals in his 2nd season, the same as Maradona managed in his 2nd season for Napoli, but 05/06 would see Barcelona’s star man go up another level and take the club with him. In 29 league games Ronaldinho scored 17 and assisted another 18, but to focus on numbers would be to downplay what the Brazilian was doing on a weekly basis at the time. He was making La Liga defenders look as out of their depth as amateurs would against him. How could they hope to stop him when he was using skills they had never even seen let alone come up against before? At this time Ronaldinho alone was worth the entrance fee, you knew he’d do something to bring a smile to the face of every single spectator, and maybe a shake of the head due to sheer disbelief at the audacity of the tricks Ronaldinho would not only attempt but pull off. 

And this was not just reserved for the defenders of Espanyol or Real Zaragoza, Ronaldinho treated every match, every opponent the same, no matter the importance of the game, he was going to play it his way. 

Never was this more apparent than when Barcelona travelled to the Bernabeu in November of 2005. It was in this month that Ronaldinho won the Balon D’or for the one and only time, winning above English midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to add it to his FIFA World Player of the Year awards for 2004 and 2005. He shown why he was the number 1 player in the world in what was the first El Clasico for the future world’s best player, a young long-haired Argentine. But on this occasion it was the senior players, and one in particular who stole the show. With Eto’o giving the visitors an early lead, Ronaldinho doubled it just before the hour mark first skinning Sergio Ramos, before leaving Ivan Helguera and Iker Casillas flat footed and helpless to stop the genius in full flow. 

However he wasn’t done yet. 20 minutes later, running past Sergio Ramos with an ease which was only matched in the finish, which left Iker Casillas shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, perplexed and powerless. At this point, certain sections of the Madrid fanbase felt obliged to applaud Ronaldinho. And not just 1 or 2 either. As the Barcelona players celebrated with their maestro, many Madrid fans can be seen on their feet giving a standing ovation to the man who had single handedly demolished their team. They knew their Galacticos of Beckham, Raul, Zidane, Robinho and Ronaldo had been thoroughly outclassed by the player deemed too ugly to sign. There was nothing ugly about his performance that night, as he took Real apart with a beautiful simplicity, becoming the first Barcelona player to win applause from the Bernabeu since Diego Maradona. 

The result was indicative of the gulf that had developed between Barca and Real, as Barca retained their title finishing 12 points clear of their rivals. And in the Champions League Barca were also able to enact revenge on Chelsea before meeting AC Milan in the semi-finals. Just a single goal was scored in 180 minutes, coming from a sumptuous Ronaldinho through ball and finished expertly by Ludovic Guily. The final saw FC Barcelona meet Arsenal, and despite an early red card for the Arsenal keeper, Barca trailed with 15 minutes to go but were able to turn the game around to win just their 2nd European Cup ever and first since 1992. In 45 games Ronaldinho scored 26 and assisted 24, he was the top provider in both La Liga and the Champions League. 

After a hugely underwhelming World Cup, Ronaldinho was able to pick up right where he left off at Barcelona atleast, scoring 21 La Liga goals in 32 matches, the highlight being a special overhead kick against Villarreal. However Barca missed out on the title, due to their head to head record with Real Madrid. With both clubs finishing on 76 points, a 2-0 Real Madrid win in November decided the destination of the title and Barcelona’s far superior goal difference, with more scored and fewer conceded counted for nothing. This was tough to take, but Ronaldinho had racked up 50 goals and 38 assists in 2 seasons. And at 27, Barcelona’s number 10 appeared for all the world to have many years left at the top..

Coming Down

Following the 1990 World Cup which saw Maradona lose the final, the game after declaring Italian fans “hijo de putas” as the cameras panned on him for whistling out the Argentine national anthem in the Stadio San Paulo, supposedly his Kingdom, things would go from bad to worse on his return to the stadium for Napoli. 

For now there was a drive in the police’s scrutiny into organised crime in Naples, and noone with connections to the Camorra was guaranteed immunity, including Diego Maradona. His time of everyone turning a blind eye to his off-field activities was up. It was the worst kept secret around that drug problems were beginning to affect his football, and media hints about the dark hole Maradona was falling down with the grip drugs had over him were appearing more and more frequently. 

As police investigated the Camorra, listening into conversations, Maradona found himself being taped by police, requesting cocaine and prostitutes. This led to a police investigation into Maradona, meanwhile Napoli chose this time to abandon their lax random drug testing regime, and Maradona was randomly tested twice, both by Napoli doctors and outside doctors brought in by the club. Both tests returned positive. Diego returned to Argentina, but there was no escape to his problems. A police raid at a house he was staying at found him asleep next to grams of cocaine, he was arrested.

Maradona received a 15-month ban from football, having his final season with Napoli cut short after scoring just 6 goals in 18 league games and 10 in 26 in all competitions. His final goal for the club felt like a fitting one at the time, a consolation penalty in a 4-1 defeat away to Sampdoria. Napoli finished the season in 8th, where they finished in Diego’s 1st season with the club. The cycle had been completed and Maradona’s Neapolitan dream had turned into a nightmare. 

In 07/08 Ronaldinho found himself afflicted with regular injuries for the first time in his career. It couldn’t be put down to bad luck. He had lost his motivation and had stopped looking after his body. His partying and lack of dedication to training saw him lose his peak physical condition. Barcelona’s best and most important player just the season prior, Ronaldinho found that even when he was fit a place in the starting 11 was now hard to secure with the continuing emergence of Lionel Messi and the signing of Thierry Henry. 

Barcelona had a poor season, finishing 18 points behind Champions Real Madrid and 10 points behind 2nd placed Villarreal. It signalled the need for a change. Rijkaard was to be replaced in the summer by former Barca midfielder Pep Guardiola, and Juan Laporta declared Ronaldinho needed a new challenge to revive his career. Ronaldinho’s season ended prematurely with an injury, after 9 goals in 26 games, numbers almost identical to Maradona’s last season in Naples. Ronaldinho’s final goal also came in a away defeat where his side shipped 4, as they went down 4-2 to Atletico Madrid. Though the Brazilian’s goal was a touch more special, coming with a spectacular overhead kick. 

Just a year on from seeming irreplaceable for Barcelona, Ronaldinho was now surplus to requirements. He joined AC Milan, after rejecting Manchester City who under their new Abu Dhabi owners had placed a bid of £25.5 million. 

Maradona and Ronaldinho played by far the best and most consistent football of their career for their 2nd European club. Maradona scored 115 goals in 259 Napoli games, Ronaldinho 94 in 207 for Barcelona. Not including penalties Maradona scored 73 and Ronaldinho 75. 

Country 

Maradona made his Argentina debut in 1977 aged 16 though missed out on making the World Cup squad the following year which Argentina hosted and won. Diego had to make do with the 1979 World Youth Championships instead, where he netted 6 in 6 including 1 in the final in a 3-1 win over the Soviet Union. 

Maradona’s first World Cup came in 1982, in the country he was then plying his trade. Expectations on Barcelona’s new signing were huge, but it didn’t go to plan. He scored in just 1 of the 5 matches he played, a brace against Hungary and was sent off against Brazil, as his frustrations at his repeatedly rough but unpunished treatment at the finals reached boiling point.  

Maradona entered the 1986 World Cup with his head in a bad place. With an illegitimate child on the way, conceived from an affair, Maradona was grateful for something to occupy his focus and he played the tournament like a man with nothing on his mind other than to lead his team to glory. In the Quarter-Finals Argentina met England in the first match between the sides since the Falklands War. 

The match came to epitomise Maradona’s legacy as he scored the 2 most famous goals ever within 4 minutes of each other. After England defender Steve Hodge could only lift the ball back in the direction of his own goal, the 5 foot 5 Maradona rose in the air to direct the ball over the outstretched fist of the 6 foot Peter Shilton. Just like the England keeper, Maradona went at the ball with his hand but in such a way both the referee and the linesman missed it. Diego later described the goal as being a “little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”. The goal subsequently became known as ‘the Hand of God’. If Maradona’s first goal demonstrated his win or die mentality, the second showed the pure artistry of the game’s most gifted genuis. Receiving the ball in his own half, Maradona dribbled past anyone in a white shirt before rounding Shilton and slotting home ‘the goal of the Century’. Maradona had secured his place as Argentina’s favourite son, restoring much needed national pride after the humiliation of the Falklands defeat. 

3 days later Maradona single-handedly took Belgium apart, again scoring a brace including another spectacular solo goal. A world cup winning assist in the final against West Germany gave Maradona 5 goals and 5 assists in 7 matches, he played every minute for his side. In the best individual performances ever produced at the FIFA World Cup, Maradona scored or assisted 10 of Argentina’s 14 goals. 

The 1990 tournament was the second time Diego played a World Cup in the country where he was playing his club football and he was counting on the support of the Naples people to help him and his team retain the trophy. All seemed to be well after Argentina bounced back from a shock 1-0 defeat to Cameroon by beating the Soviet Union in Naples infront of a supportive crowd, Maradona’s hand again playing a part as he handled on the line to prevent a certain Soviet goal and again got away with it. A 1-1 draw with Romania meant Argentina scraped through in 3rd place and met Group C winners Brazil in the round of 16. Maradona got revenge for 1982 as he produced his best moment of the tournament to brilliantly set up the only goal of the game for Cannigia. 

After beating Yugoslavia in a shootout despite a miss from Maradona, Argentina met Italy in Naples. Maradona aimed to stoke tensions between the North and the South, encouraging Neapolitan’s to support the man who had brought their football club so much success and joy, instead of their National side with him saying “The Italians are asking Neapolitan’s to be Italian for a day, yet for the other 364 days in the year they forget all about Naples.” His attempt ultimately proved unsuccessful evidenced by the whistling out of the Argentina national anthem, but Maradona scored the decisive kick in the shootout to put his side into their second successive World Cup final. They would meet Germany again, but that’s where the similarities would end, as the 3-2 final of 4 years ago was replaced with a dour, bad tempered game which Germany won 1-0.

After returning from a 15-month suspension for drug use, Maradona was left out of the Argentina squad which won the 1993 Copa America, but during a humiliating 5-0 home defeat to Colombia in a World Cup Qualifier, the fans began to chant for Maradona, their cries getting louder as one goal after another hit the back of their net. The saviour answered their calls, captaining the side as they narrowly squeezed past Australia in the qualification play-off. 

In the months approaching the World Cup, Maradona was more motivated than he’d been for years. Training harder than ever at a remote farm free of all distractions, he had a dramatic weight loss, transformed from the bloated out of shape Diego the world had become familiar with. Intense training, a drastic diet, vitamins, minerals, weight reduction drugs and short-term energy providing drugs were responsible for Maradona dropping almost 3 and 1/2 stone. 

Diego’s lack of confidence in conventional medicine meant he relied on his own personal doctors to get him in the best condition possible for USA 94, these being Fernando Signorini and bodybuilder Daniel Cerini. Signorini had serious concerns about Cerini due to the use of anabolic steroids by his girlfriend in a bodybuilding contest which led to a positive drugs test in 1989, but nobody in Team Maradona ever dared speak out against another member of the team, if that person had Maradona’s trust.

And just like Maradona had complete faith in his team, the Nation of Argentina aswell as his own teammates had complete faith in him to power them to a successful World Cup. And their faith seemed well placed after the opening game which saw Argentina take Greece apart 4-0 with a Batistuta hattrick. Maradona made it 3-0 on the hour mark, after a passage of teamplay which highlighted the extent to which the team was playing on the same wavelength. Maradona’s celebration was his most famous ever, as he ran straight at the camera, wide eyed with passion running through him. 

At half-time during Argentina’s 2nd match, a 2-1 win over Nigeria, Maradona was one of two players on each side drawn for a random drugs test. At full time Maradona left the field hand in hand with a nurse, riding a wave of positive emotion after back to back World Cup wins. He was about to come crashing down.

Maradona tested positive. An over the counter, weight reducing drug containing a FIFA banned performance enhancing supplement provided to him by Daniel Cerini was responsible. The relationship and lack of trust between Cerini and Argentina team doctors was so bad that neither was kept up to date with what the other was giving to him, so Argentina were left unaware of the drugs Maradona was taking. Though given the controversy surrounding Cerini they could’ve taken a guess, but noone would dare challenge a Maradona man, all that mattered to anyone was that he was on the pitch. Well after this he wouldn’t be as he received his 2nd 15-month ban in 4 years.

FIFA found Diego not guilty of consciously taking performance enhancing drugs, and believed he was unaware of its components. But regardless he was hit with a ban for breaching Fifa doping regulations. Here Maradona’s history as a drug user went against him. At the Mexico 86 World Cup a Spain player was found to have PED’s in their system, but he escaped punishment with only his doctor being banned. There was no such luck for Maradona who never wore the shirt of his beloved Argentina again. Argentina’s World Cup too effectively ended there as without their talisman they lost to Bulgaria and Romania who knocked them out.

Like Maradona, Ronaldinho also garnered some attention for his performances in a FIFA World Youth Championships, the U’17s version which took place in Egypt in 1997 with Brazil romping to the title scoring 21 goals for the loss of just 2. 

1999 was a very busy year for Ronaldinho on the international scene, first he appeared in the U’20 World Championships, before receiving his first cap for the senior team in a 3-0 win against Latvia. Ronaldinho was 19 at the time and in just his 2nd season as a pro, this became even more impressive when he was selected for the 1999 Copa America and scored his first goal for the Selecao at the tournament. It was the other 2 R’s: Ronaldo and Rivaldo who were the stars of the show though, as they helped themselves to 5 goals apiece, as Brazil won the trophy. It was the following week at the Confederations Cup where the teenager truly broke out on the International scene, as he scored in every game bar the final, winning the award for best player and top scorer with 6, including a semi-final hattrick against Saudi Arabia. Brazil went down 4-3 in the final though to hosts Mexico.  

The following year Ronaldinho was part of the U’23 squad that competed at the Summer Olympics in Sydney. He was in fine form heading into the tournament, scoring 9 goals in 7 pre-tournament games but the Olympics itself was a disappointment with Brazil exiting at the Quarter-Final stage.

At the 2002 Japan/Korea World Cup Ronaldinho scored 2 and assisted 3 as his country won their 5th title. The victory held many parallels with Maradona’s triumph with Argentina in 1986. Like then, Brazil became champions 8 years after their previous win. And like Maradona, Ronaldinho met and beat England 2-1 in the Quarter-Finals. With England leading 1-0 and the first half drawing to a close Ronaldinho received the ball just inside his own half and took off dribbling, running straight at the heart of the English defence. After beating Ashley Cole with a stepover and a turn of acceleration he kept his cool to slip a perfectly weighted pass to Rivaldo who didn’t disappoint. 

 Just as Maradona did in the ‘Hand of God’ game, Ronaldinho made his 2nd key contribution to the final outcome just a few game minutes after his 1st. 5 minutes into the second half, Ronaldinho stood over a free kick 40 yards out. With keeper David Seaman off his line anticipating a ball into the box, the ball instead flew over his head and landed just under the crossbar and inside the post. The goal was considered a freak, a stroke of good luck for Ronaldinho with him mishitting an attempted cross. And many people still hold that opinion to do this day, but I do not. The ball is so far away from any Brazilian player, I can’t see how a player as talented as Ronaldinho could misdirect a ball so bad as to  completely miss out everyone on his team. Seaman was stood in a bad position, too far off his line for a keeper of short stature and Ronaldinho saw an opportunity to go for goal and executed it perfectly. This goal being dismissed as an accident I think is of great disservice to the Brazilian. But regardless just like the Hand of God goal Maradona scored, Ronaldinho also caused an England keeper to feel great embarrassment.

A red card shown to Ronaldinho prevented it from being a perfect afternoon for him as it forced him to miss the Semi-Final. Both Maradona and Ronaldinho’s sole World Cup victories also featured a 2-0 win over Belgium and victory in the final against Germany. 

Ronaldinho’s next tournament was the 2005 Confederations Cup which he also won, receiving man of the match for his performance in a 4-1 final win against Argentina in which he also scored. Hopes were high heading into the 2006 World Cup that Brazil could retain the trophy. But the 3 R’s of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo which worked to devastating effect in Japan and Korea, was replaced by a top heavy attack of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Adriano and Ronaldo. All these stars together didn’t gel as Ronaldinho turned out the worst performances of his stellar international career and Brazil were eliminated in the Quarter-Finals. 

Two years later at the Beijing Olympics Ronaldinho was selected as one of Brazil’s overage players as they took the Bronze medal, but he was cut from a Dunga’s initial 30-man squad for the 2010 World Cup, where Brazil were unable to improve upon a Quarter-Final exit. Ronaldinho was captain for a 2013 friendly against Chile, but was not called up for the Confederations Cup that year that Brazil won or the 2014 World Cup they hosted.  

Maradona won 91 caps for his national side scoring 34 goals and Ronaldinho won 97 caps, including atleast one a year for 14 years and scored 33 goals. Both men scored 7 in their most prolific years for their country.

Reaching the End 

After serving his first 15-month ban Maradona joined his former Argentina manager Carlos Bilardo at Sevilla. Overweight and undisciplined Maradona rarely performs and doesn’t endear himself any further to his employers by spending many nights in a local brothel with his teammates. His lack of fitness and absence from training leads Bilardo to feel unable to trust him to finish a game and he substitutes him. Maradona calls him a “son of a bitch” as he leaves the field. In the dressing room, the two come to blows with Diego later saying “we punched the shit out of each other.” The game would be his last in a Sevilla shirt.

Maradona is then offered a reprieve at Newell’s Old Boys but seems unable to motivate himself. The energy boosting drugs he’s taking at the time mean that after an initial burst of energy he fades badly in games. His stay is shortlived.

Whilst serving a second drugs ban, Maradona tries his hand at management with Deportivo Mandiyu, but they are relegated in a match where Diego is seen on camera calling the referee “a thief, a liar and a gutless coward without balls.” When the ban is over Maradona returns for a second spell with his beloved Boca Juniors where the curtain comes down on his career on his 37th birthday after 31 games spread across 3 seasons.

Ronaldinho scored his 1st goal for Milan in a 1-0 derby win over Internazionale. However after a good start, he struggled with fitness and often started games from the bench. A lack of dedication in training and late night partying led departing manager Carlo Ancelotti to declare “The decline of Ronaldinho hasn't surprised me. His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent though has never been in question." 

Ronaldinho did much better in his 2nd season under Leonardo, a fellow Brazilian who was more lenient towards his nighttime activities. Ronaldinho scored 12 and assisted 14, more than anyone else in that season’s Serie A. Likely Milan’s best player that season, he scored 2 braces against Juventus, home and away, and a hattrick against Sienna. However the following season, the arrivals of Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, plus the stricter coach Massimiliano Allegri saw Ronaldinho’s time in Milan come to an end. Referring to a night Ronaldinho was spotted out in the early hours a couple of days before a Milan Derby, Allegri said in a press conference that “it was not an hour for an athlete to be awake.” That quote applied to many nights during Ronaldinho’s stay in Italy, one night at a Music festival he was implored by Milan fans to go home in order to be ready for training tomorrow, the Brazilian just laughed and told them not to worry. He was determined to enjoy himself and didn’t care who saw him.

This would change when he returned home to Brazil and joined Flamengo, with the club setting up a telephone hotline if they spotted the new club captain enjoying a night out, such were there frequency. 20,000 Flamengo supporters were present for Ronaldinho’s unveiling and although there was some good moments such as when he hit a hattrick during a 5-4 win against Santos in a game they’d trailed 3-0 in, he in the end cancelled his contract and sued Flamengo over lack of payment.

Ronaldinho then joined Atletico Mineiro and won the Bola de Ouro (league’s best player) award in his 1st season. In his 2nd season he won the Copa Libertadores, the first in Mineiro’s history, with Ronaldinho contributing 4 goals and 7 assists to the success. Mineiro lost the first leg of both the semi and the final 2-0 but won both ties on penalties. Ronaldinho was awarded the 2013 South American Footballer of the Year. At the FIFA World Club Cup, following a semi-final match Ronaldinho was mobbed by the players of Raja Casablanca, as they stripped him for souvenirs as a memento from sharing a pitch with their idol.

Ronaldinho then moved to Mexico side Queretaro where the highlight came in an away fixture to Club America where he scored twice in a 4-0 win and received a standing ovation from the home fans. Things were not as positive at his next and final club Fluimenese, where he appeared just 9 times before deciding to quit the club, no longer happy with his level. Maradona scored 311 goals in 589 games in club football and Ronaldinho 266 in 699. Both players will be fondly remembered by everyone who saw them on a football pitch, for their contribution to the beautiful game.

Sources: Hand of God The Life of Diego Maradona by Jimmy Burns, The making of Ronaldinho- how the Brazilian superstar broke through at PSG (FourFourTwo Magazine), Remembering Ronaldinho’s excessive Milan Nights (Bleacher Report)

The akatsuki in Harry Potter?

YES yes thank you for this thank you THANK YOU *cracks knuckles* I’ve thought way to much about this. The time line is pre-Harry Potter, at the height of Voldemort’s original rise to power. ~Admin Song

Yahiko’s, Nagato’s and Konan’s parents were all killed by Death Eaters, as a starting point.

Akatsuki Members in Harry Potter

Nagato 

• A pureblood sorted into Hufflepuff and forever changed the perception of what Hufflepuffs were capable of as he went down in history as one of the most powerful and despicable persons in the wizarding world. Nagato was sensitive and smart in his school days, always flying under the radar and quietly practicing his magic. 

• Became best friends with Yahiko (Gryffindor) after the latter saved him from a group of bullies at in his second year. Was then introduced to Konan (Ravenclaw), and the three soon became thick a thieves. Influenced by Yahiko’s ideals, the three graduated to be Aurors to fight the darkness spread by The Dark Lord.

• Witnessed the death of his best friend at the hands of Death Eaters when he was only eighteen. Freshly graduated, Yahiko stormed into the heat of battle and died a foolhardy hero. Nagato began doubting the methods of the Aurors. Something dark and unforgiving was planted in him.

• After years of lurking in the shadows, preparation and research, he rallied together the emerging Akatsuki, a hardcore liberation group whose only goal was the destruction of evil by any means necessary. As a Hufflepuff, Nagato was able to use every single resource to his advantage, rapidly becoming a terrifyingly powerful new player in the wizarding war. 

• As his notoriety grew, threats to Nagato’s life began from both the Ministry and the Death Eaters. Consumed by a desire for revenge and peace, Nagato resorted to creating his first Horcrux. With the murder of a high-ranking Death Eater, he and Konan successfully transfered a portion of Nagato’s soul into Yahiko’s wand. 

• Evolved his own technique of Transfiguring Horcruxes into the Six Paths of Pein. Nagato first transplanted the greatest portion of his soul into Yahiko’s body, then after that into feared and respected high-ranking members from both the Ministry and the Death Eaters that died at the hands of the Akatsuki. At the sacrifice of his own body and sanity, Nagato tore his soul into six pieces, leaving his original body skeletal and disfigured and miniscule. 

Konan

• A quiet artistic genius, Konan knew she’d be sorted into Ravenclaw from an early age. A half-blood with a happy upbringing, having the wizarding world thrust into war left Konan reeling for something to grab on to, especially after the murder of her parents (her father married a muggle, labelled a “blood-traitor”). 

• She attached herself to her school friends Yahiko and Nagato, finding faith with them that one day the world might change. But then Yahiko was murdered and she saw the last person she loved in the world, Nagato, grow bitter and vengeful. 

• Essentially shut down the best and brightest parts of herself. Konan’s intellect allowed Nagato’s ambitions to thrive, making her feel useful and as though Yahiko had not died in vain. It was only after Yahiko was gone that Konan realized she was in love with him. Heavy with grief, she released her hopes for the future and gave her will over to Nagato.

• Wand consists of unicorn and walnut. Konan’s favourite subject is Charms, although she scored consistently across all school subjects. However, Konan could not fly a broom for the life of her, and soon gave up after the mandatory first-year course.

Deidara

• A Slytherin with a goal; to create the ultimate work of art. At a young age Deidara started experimenting with fireworks and explosive spells. Think Seamus Finnegan, but purposeful, and with much more macabre outcomes. Made his first self-guiding firework when he was seven, using clay and his mother’s wand. 

• His parents turned a blind eye to all the mice Deidara brought home, didn’t question him when the neighbouring Muggle’s cat went missing, or even raise a fuss when reports from Hogwarts listed ‘has a tendency to make things explode’. Super enablers who praised their boy, giving him an inflated sense of self worth.

• They don’t call it the Dark Arts for nothing. To Deidara, the most forbidden spells were the most tantalizing, and as he learned about them second-handedly via Defense Against the Dark Arts, his fascination grew.

• Skilled in Transfiguration, Deidara’s specialty was transfiguring living beings into clay, which he then was able to transfigure into an explosion. He is the first wizard to ever complete two levels of Transfiguration in a single spell- first to clay, then to a BOOM.

• Considered joining the Death Eaters, but (quote) “wasn’t letting that effing ugly tattoo anywhere near my body”. I’m kind of joking but also I’m kind of not. He also enjoyed the agency the Akatsuki offered, letting him use his powers to the fullest. To Deidara, nothing would be more beautiful than watching his enemies explode.

Hidan

• When sorted a Gryffindor at age eleven, Hidan punched two fists up in the air and shrieked with joy. He didn’t give a shit how everyone stared at him like he’d lost his freaking mind, he’d gotten what he wanted. Gryffindor’s reputation for creating heroes and victors attracted Hidan, and his hyperactive need for conflict seemed to compliment the traditional traits of the house. Soon gained a reputation through Hogwarts as a little shit disturber with a big ego. 

• Always getting into fights. Hidan frequently challenged other students to duels in the heat of arguments. “Oh yeah bitch? Why don’t you duel me??”- definitely said by Hidan. Even after teachers ordered him to stop, Hidan couldn’t contain his need to pound his enemies into the dirt.

• Never graduated. Hidan was expelled from Hogwarts in his sixth year for nearly strangling a boy to death with a combination levitation/binding spell. According to onlookers of the duel, a strange blankness overcame Hidan’s face as he squeezed the life from the boy. When Hidan started laughing, several students became scared and left to find a professor. The professor was horrified to happen upon an unconscious third year hanging limply in the air and Hidan cackling, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. 

• Spent a stint with the Death Eaters. Being that bravery is a prime Gryffindor quality, Hidan volunteered for several experiments involving immortality in the hopes of achieving it for Voldemort himself. In a freak accident combining several irreplacable elements, this was astoundingly apparently achieved. But the invulnerability fed Hidan’s lust for battle beyond what the Death Eaters had designed for him and he left, killing several Death Eaters on his way out. 

• Joined the Akatsuki because they were the only option left. Hidan relished in every opportunity to kill presented to him. He slaughtered wizards and witches on both sides, laughing and praising his ultimate purpose. 

• As for immortality, every wound inflicted upon Hidan’s body was reflected upon his soul, which at the time of his burial (still by Shikamaru) was shredded to ribbons. If he ever did make it to the afterlife, Hidan would be reduced to something even smaller than Lord Voldemort was, something in constant agony and permanently incapable of ever being whole again. That would be the price for his immortality.

Kakuzu

• Born a ‘Mudblood”, Kakuzu despised his upbringing the moment he set foot in Hogwarts. His great ambition cast him as a Slytherin, where he was ostracized by his own house for his low-class Muggle parents. Growing up, Kakuzu always schemed for a way to beat his ‘inferior’ heritage. The students he simultaneously despised and idolized were wealthy pure bloods dripping in old money. They epitomized everything Kakuzu wanted but couldn’t have.

• Flew under the radar most of his school/young adult life, but sometime after his graduating Hogwarts, there were strange reports of missing witches and wizards. It took the Ministry a while to link them all back to Kakuzu, and though they searched for any affiliation to Dark Arts organizations, it appeared the only loyalty Kakuzu had was to the money paid out to him for the assassinations.

• Wizards live to be old, but Kakuzu is far older than most by the time he joins the Akatsuki. Like many others before him, Kakuzu experimented with ways to prolong his lifespan, and found partial success in his years of travel. After all, the older you live, the more money you can amass. Using a combination of brutal Transfiguration, Dark Arts, and illegal potions, Kakuzu restitches a body that can die time over time again. 

• As war broke out, Kakuzu’s business plummeted. There was enough bloodshed, no one wanted to pay Kakuzu’s price for one death when thousands being were slaughtered every day. Kakuzu joined the Akatsuki upon Nagato’s request at the promise of money and power. By this time the organization was well feared by both sides, which Kakuzu saw value in. As he became one of the highest ranking members, and most notorious, Kakuzu achieved the sense of power he’d always associated with pure-bloodedness. 

Itachi Uchiha

• The Uchiha were a well-established pure-blood presence in the wizarding community, with direct bloodlines to royalty. However, after years of interbreeding and otherwise ‘gotta keep that blood pure’ craziness that ends up tainting the mind, the majority of the Uchiha family developed a dangerous sense of superiority, to Muggles and fellow wizards alike. 

• The Uchiha are particularly skilled in the art of Legilimency, the act of magically navigating the many layers of person’s mind. Uchiha through the ages have been famously renowned as infiltrators and gatherers of intelligence. Itachi is no exception, and he’s soon hailed as a genius of Legilimency. Recruited by the Ministry of Magic while still in school to monitor suspicious figures.  

• Powerful members of the Uchiha plotted to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic and take control, recalling the old days of kings with absolute power. The Uchiha wanted to be a royal family again, with a literal reign over all the wizarding world. Known for their powerful spells and curses, the Uchiha were fearsome wizards and witches. 

• Itach told his high-ups what his family was planning. Upon their instruction he assassinated the majority of the Uchiha, save for Sasuke. Like the anime, Itachi took the burden and the blame, disappearing from the wizarding world and being labelled as “Itachi the Mad” or “Itachi the Bloodthirsty”. 

• Since he was responsible for the extermination of so much pure blood, Death Eaters set out to murder Itachi. He successfully evaded them until he joined the Akatsuki, which he only did to draw out Sasuke. He wanted to see his little brother again.

• At Hogwarts Itachi was always humble and kind. He was sorted to Ravenclaw, to his parents surprise and, though they tried to hide it, disdain. He and Shisui (Gryffindor) stuck together and avoided the majority of Slytherin Uchiha. Together they were the favourite students of most professors, excelling in most classes, being generally well-behaved, and always willing to go the extra mile. 

• His favourite class was Herbology. 

Kisame 

• His mother and father were filled with dismay when the doctor handed them their newborn Kisame, fully steel blue from head to toe. Demanding an explanation, the doctor stammered that perhaps one one or both of the parents had involved themselves with Transfiguration spells beyond their range of power. Livid, Kisame’s mother and father swept out of the hospital with their infant.

• Kisame would never learn that his scaly skin and blue complexion were, in fact, a result of his father and mother attempting Transfiguration on the unformed fetus with the intent of giving Kisame a vaster capacity for magic and producing powerful spells. Neither the mother or father were spectacular wizards, but together they decided they wanted their son to be the start of a legacy. 

• Transfiguration is a very difficult and perhaps the most scientific of the magical arts. This added reservoir of magic could not have been conjured from nothing- as it happens, both of Kisame’s parents were occupied as marine biologists (more similar to Charlie Weasley’s job as a dragonologist than muggle scientists) assigned to a large team of wizards tasked with preserving the highly endangered Megalodon, which resembles a great white shark but VASTLY LARGER. Believed to be a long extinct prehistoric sea creature by Muggles, the Megalodon is referred to as the “dragon of the deep”, with similar incredibly magical properties in its various body parts. 

• Father managed to obtain the dorsal fin of a Megalodon, which he made into soup and gave to his wife. Although the magic that seeped into the broth allowed Kisame to grow much more powerful, it also mingled his unborn body’s development with the lingering essence of the Megalodon. 

• Sorted into Gryffindor, even played on the Quidditch team for a bit as a Beater. Usually the one to start a scrap on the field. Also had to buy new robes every half-semester because he’d grow out of his so quickly.

• Other students (and some professors) didn’t fully trust Kisame, and there were issues with other parents not wanting their children attending the same school as Kisame. Ugly rumours flew- that he wasn’t a wizard, but some kind of monster instead. Or that he was a defective animagus, or secretly a carnivorous merman, or yada yada yada. There were so many rumours that Kisame just fucking ignored all of them. He knew what he was, and he tried to tell himself that was enough.

• As his great power developed, others began fearing Kisame. He’d try to make a feather float and it’d shoot through the ceiling like a bullet. In his third year Kisame could transfigure objects the size of a horse, something even Professor McGonagall has difficulty doing. Soon his powers outstripped the professors, although his skill did not. His peers and their parents grew nervous. 

• Kisame left in the middle of sixth year. There was a petition for him to leave (which he would’ve LOVED to fight against), but the fact is he was also thirstier for something greater than what Hogwarts could offer. There was a deeper taste for blood. Travelled and fought, earned money and grew disillusioned the world as he learned more about it. 

• Joined Akatsuki because he loved fighting, but also because he found them truthful. Monsters are within everyone, Kisame believes. He’s just honest about his nature. The real dangers are the monsters in pristine human shells (hint hint Voldemort). 

Sasori

• Poster child of a Slytherin by nurture instead of nature. His pure blood mother raised him (father was a nameless Muggle) until she was arrested for conspiring with Death Eaters and died during interrogation. Sasori’s grandmother raised him from the time he was five to when he was fourteen. She was never warm or doting, harbouring a deep seated grudge towards Sasori’s mother for having a fling with a Muggle. As a result, Sasori grew up without the knowledge of a parent’s love.

• Sasori compensated for this by charming life into everyday objects, dolls becoming his favourite. It’s not strange for a child to play with dolls, but Sasori isolated himself from the world to be with his toys. Although his grandmother thought he’d grow out of it, Sasori was packing his dolls in his suitcase to Hogwarts as late as fourth year.

• Incidentally, fourth year was Sasori’s final year at Hogwarts. He was relatively quiet, but bought into all the Muggle hatred spouted by his fellow Slytherins. Sasori grew to hate the Muggle half of him, becoming obsessed with the idea of ‘dirty blood’. In his second year he began researching ways to rid himself of his body, make a new one in his image. Sasori was an unsung genius amongst his peers, his intelligence dismissed for his unnatural social behaviours.

• Favorite class was Charms. Sasori had a knack for disturbingly life-like charms, creating objects imbued with the ability to converse, listen, and take orders. His classmates thought of him as weird and intense. 

• At fourteen, succeeded in building his first vessel. It took two years for Sasori to experiment with different runes and strengthen his charms enough. In the end, Sasori had to resort to cursing the empty puppet, although he hated the terminology. 

• The transition of consciousness/soul to the puppet was a result of Sasori being too smart for his own good. Before he could really understand what was happening, Sasori felt his soul ripping out of his body the very moment the final curse left his lips. He woke up in the puppet he’d created for himself, feeling nothing at all. Without a second thought, Sasori left Hogwarts, leaving his body behind. The “murder” of Sasori became one of the greatest legends of Hogwarts, up there with the Chamber of Secrets. 

• Continued his obsession with charming life into the inanimate, living underground and moving often. Sasori joined the Akatsuki when he heard his grandmother had died at the hands of the Death Eaters. Even in seeking revenge, Sasori refused to rejoin the wizarding community. 

Zetsu (white and black)

• One of the darkest and most evil creatures lurking the planet, it is still unclear where Zetsu came from or what he is. It’s rumoured he’s the result of a cursed Herbology experiment, or perhaps the manifestation of dark intent in the same way Dementors are to despair. 

• Some say he’s been around since the beginning of time, feeding off of humanity’s bad intentions until he reached his current form. Whatever the truth is, it’s clear he is not human.

• Uses no wand. Zetsu’s primary genetic makeup is plant-based, meaning he could be the first heard of plant with an intelligence and awareness rivalling humans. Is able to extend his magic to manipulate the plants around him. 

• Finds Nagato and joins the Akatsuki of his own, again for reasons unknown. Able to grow sentient white forms that are invaluable for scouting information. 

• Think of him more like a legendary great evil creature, like the Basilisck. 

Obito/Tobi

• What we have here is a very similar situation to Lord Voldemort and Professor Quirrell. Reduced to a shadow and driven by vengance, Obito latches himself to unsuspecting dimwit Tobi, using the latter to carry out his means of revenge. 

• Obito was one of the most promising Uchiha of his generation, forming an unlikely friendship with Kakashi (Gryffindor) and Rin (Gryffindor), considering he was a Slytherin like his parents before him. Heatedly argued with Kakashi ALL THE TIME, but found something always drew him back to the boy, so they became fast friends through their incessant bickering. 

• Supposedly murdered by members of one of the early anti-Uchiha cults bent on the destruction of the powerful bloodline, long before the Ministry of Magic adopted the idea. Twelve year old Obito never made it to his third year to Hogwarts. However, the attempt on Obito’s life was not entirely successful (killing spell, Avada Kedavra). 

• Before Obito’s soul was fully released from his body, it was snatched up by the creature Zetsu, who saw great potential in the power of a deviant Uchiha. What used to be Obito Uchiha was tainted by Black Zetsu after his soul spent a considerable time trapped within Zetsu’s shadowy vessel. At last, when Obito was consumed with bitterness and hate, Zetsu found Tobi and implanted Obito’s soul within him, giving him agency. 

• (Considering this, it appears that Zetsu has abilities surpassing a Dementor’s, able to consume and spit out souls at a whim.)

• Although he believed he was a catalyst for the formation of the Akatsuki, it was the underpinning influence of Zetsu that led Obito to Nagato, resulting in the Akatsuki. 

• Perhaps Obito would be able to recover his old self, if he was somehow able to remember who he truly was before Zetsu. Perhaps a familiar figure from his past…

The Ultimate Guide to Influencing Skills and How to Use them to Best Effect

By Daniel Nyairo

In his book Tribes, Seth Godin states that it is leaders - and not managers - who shape the future of business, political and social organisations. And the most powerful tool a leader has, he asserts, is Influencing Skills. Godin:

"Managers manage by using the authority the factory [or organisation] gives them... A manager can’t make change because that’s not his job. His job is to complete tasks assigned to him by someone else in the factory. Leaders, on the other hand, ..... use passion and ideas to lead people, as opposed to using threats and bureaucracy to manage them."

Whether it is convincing a child to eat their veggies or inspiring members of our staff to deliver, influencing and persuasion skills go a long way. And in the world of entrepreneurship, there is pressure to make others buy into your ideas, products and outlook.

Image courtesy of Pixabayf

Why we Fail to Influence

Herodotus, Greek historian:

“The most hateful human misfortune is for a wise man to have no influence.”

Many of us fail to influence because we don’t realise it takes a skill to do so – not an inborn talent. While some take to it like fish to water, the majority of us must work hard to learn and develop it.

As the case may be, without persuasion skills, we often resort to wrong approaches, which include:

1. Intimidating

Intimidation, coercion or blackmail isn’t effective. Research shows that we are more productive when we do things willingly. Using power might make those around you do what you want, but only for as long as you are around. When you are gone, everything slows down because there is no self-drive.

The right skills are essential tools to make those you lead or interact with know why they have to do a task, even when there’s no direct benefit.

2. Nagging

Some of us might think reminding others about something continually will – in the end – push them to fall in line.

A few might do what you want after your nagging but just to have some peace of mind. Most will get angry and shut you out. Imagining being on the receiving end? This often settles the debate on whether nagging works or not.

3. Overrating Our Persuasive Skills

Being too confident means you’ll stop improving your influencing and persuasion skills. This is especially so for those who are naturally persuasive.

As the world and people change around you, your skills should also improve. You should re-evaluate yourself, at least once in a while, and see whether the skills you have need some improvement.

4. Being Overly Enthusiastic

Excessive enthusiasm is a turn-off to many because it smacks of vested interests. Also, no one will take you seriously if you don’t express seriousness in what you want.

The threshold for your enthusiasm varies with your audience. In particular, different cultures and demographics have varied expectations on etiquette, even in business setups.

5. Talking Without Listening

It’s important to have a conversation with the person you want to persuade. So, a balanced approach is required. Have your say but ensure you are also listening.

Also, when you overtalk, you give up unnecessary information. This could make your audience reconsider their offers.

6. Being Too Anxious

Some anxiety is normal. Too much of it, however, may ruin it for you. It makes you come across as phoney. Also, you certainly don’t give a convincing message if you don’t look confident.

As you build confidence, you must take note of other people’s perception of it. You can’t succeed without doing this.  It is the reason why companies invest in brand image.

7. Misunderstanding the Audience

Misunderstanding your audience leads to giving erroneous feedback. And that's how you end up making costly gaffes. When you give feedback based on misunderstood information, your audience doesn’t get persuaded because they get the impression that you take them for granted.

The good news is, a little effort to know your audience builds and perfects your persuasion skills. The study of your audience starts before the presentation. You need to know in advance, if possible, the demographics of your audience, why the topic is important to them and their level of knowledge (of the topic). The study continues during the presentation as you gauge the reaction of the audience to your presentation.

Clint Eastwood, Renowned American Actor, and Filmmaker:

“It takes tremendous discipline to control the influence, the power you have over other people’s lives.”

Influencing others entails making a special impact on them so that they:

Take your words seriously,

See things as you do,

Think as you do,

Take action and

Remain committed.

To achieve any of the above, you need to:

Determine Your Level of Persuasion Skills

Before you improve your persuasion skill, you must first know where to start. The following are the seven indicators you can use to rank how good you are with persuasion skills:

Appreciating others

Making quality decisions

Being clear in your messaging

Engaging the audience

Giving and receiving feedback

Solving problems

Being innovative

Depending on where you fall, on a scale of one to ten, in each of these seven qualities, you would fall into one of these levels:

Level 4 – Fully delivering

People at this level score above average in all the 7 vital qualities of persuasion skills. This is the ideal level to be because you would, more often than not, succeed in having others agree with your viewpoints.

Level 3 – High level of delivery

Those at this level score above average in 5 of the vital qualities of persuasion skills. While they are lacking, they are pretty effective in having things done through positive persuasion.

Level 2 – Some delivery

At this level, people score above average in three vital qualities of persuasion skills. While they understand their personal style and know how to adapt it to persuade, they still struggle to have an impact.

Level 1 – Early stages of delivery

A person at this level scores above average in two or one vital qualities of persuasion skills. The success of influencing others is very remote but happens irregularly.

Level 0 – Not delivering

If you score less than average in all the skills indicators, you fall at this level. It is pretty hard for anyone at this level to be a leader or even a team player. Nevertheless, it is a state you can change with a little effort.

For even more accurate self-evaluation, you can use our Influencing competency framework, which will pinpoint the exact and unique persuasion skills you have and where you need to improve.

What Improves Your Persuasion Skills?

Now you know just how much skill improvement you need. The next step is building these four qualities which form the foundation of your skills:

The listening ability – Good influencing ability entails listening to what people want.

Trust – If people don’t trust you, you won’t influence their decisions.

Likeable – If people like you, you can easily influence their decisions.

Articulate your opinion – People who clearly articulate their opinion can easily influence others.

With these, you are on the road to being persuasive.

However, to be really good with influencing you need more. You need to know how to strengthen your self-awareness and inner confidence, understand the mechanics of body language and master the push and pull approaches.

You can gain these valuable skills in our influencing training course.

Excuse the Interruption, but Here’s a Little Bit About Us…

https://www.makingbusinessmatter.co.uk/about/sticky-learning-method/

We are the soft skills training provider to the UK Grocery Industry, helping Suppliers to win more business. They choose us because of our money-back guarantee, our relevant experience, and because we make their learning stick.

Our unique training method, Sticky Learning ®, ensures that your Learners are still using their new skill 5 months later and this is supported by a money-back guarantee.

Understand HBDI to Become More Persuasive

We've prepared a comprehensive guide to the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI). It's a psychometric assessment tool which evaluates your preferred way of thinking. Also called the “Whole Brain Model,” it reveals which areas people prefer to think and which ones they don’t.

The 120-question HBDI survey is incredibly valuable in assessing thinking patterns of both teams and individuals. It measures preferences as opposed to skills and isn’t really a test since there are no right or wrong answers.

Although we all have the capacity to think in all ways, the survey assesses our preference for one of the following ways (it also assesses variations in stressful times):

Fact – Logical, technical and financial.

Form – Organised detailed and structured.

Feeling –Emotional, sensory and people.

Future –Risk taker, intuitive and big picture.

By understanding how people think, we can more accurately gauge their motivations, abilities, personalities and many other attributes. Understanding these attributes is a critical step toward effective persuasion and influence. Hence, the tool can be very helpful in the management of human resources.

Most importantly, we can make the same assessment of ourselves, since our own thought biases can derail our persuasiveness. By figuring out your preferences, you can achieve a greater understanding of how and why you make decisions, learn, communicate and solve problems.

Six incredibly Effective Principles of Persuasion

Sir David Frost, OBE, journalist, comedian and writer:

“Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.”

In his book, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” Robert Cialdini expounds on 6 powerful principles of persuasion. Using such principles, you can achieve your goals much faster, with little obstruction.

You can watch this video, which is a summary of Cialdini’s six principles of persuasions. The list includes:

1. Reciprocation

Reciprocation is tied to the inbuilt social obligations in human nature.

He argues that humans naturally don’t like being indebted to others; hence, would tend to reciprocate whatever favour is offered to them. To an extent, a small gift or favour is likely to lead to a bigger reciprocal response.

Cialdini gives an apt example of an Indian supermarket that sold £1,000 of cheese within a couple of hours, just because they gave customers an incredibly generous offer to chop off whatever size of free cheese sample they wished.

This principle is similar to the “reject and retreat.” In the latter, you first demand a big favour or a high price and then wait for rejection before making a smaller follow-up demand – which happens to be what you wanted all along. Your audience would be more than willing to agree to your second, lower offer as a way of reciprocating the “concession” you made.

2. Commitment and Consistency

Aristotle:

“We are what we repeatedly do.”

Commitment and consistency are inbuilt to our human nature too. We don’t like backing out of deals. This means, after agreeing to something verbally or in writing, we’re more likely to do it.

According to past studies, a seemingly simple thing as asking people whether they’ll vote will make them most likely to follow through.

This principle is why people are advised to write down their goals and repeat them verbally several times, to increase their chances of following through. It’s also the reason why people always act in a way that is consistent with their identity, beliefs, and values.

Apply this principle by asking people to commit their offers in writing.

3. Social Proof

We are always influenced by what others do.

Ever wondered why when in unfamiliar situations, people always copy what others are doing? We fear being the odd ones. And we like to do what our peers are doing.

Testimonials from satisfied clients take advantage of this powerful principle. When they see how others have benefited from your services, potential clients are more willing to try you out. They would be even more willing if close friends and relatives recommend your services. Take it a step further by getting recommendations from famous celebrities!

Before you give up on your sales pitch, consider if you’ve given enough social proof.

4. Liking

We always prefer accepting requests from people we like over those we don’t.

Liking is normally based on attributes such as similarity, attractiveness, compliments, conditioning and association, contact, and co-operation. This has far-reaching implications, considering that studies show humans attribute traits like kindness, talent, intelligence, and honesty to people who are physically attractive.

It is a huge step to influencing others if they like you.

5. Authority

We are more likely to follow the demands of people with greater authority (real or perceived). This also means we're unlikely to challenge our seniors even when they are wrong.

An experiment by Stanley Milgram displayed we could go as far as killing while obeying authority. Indeed, from a young age, we learn to cite authority (this can include data by governing bodies or experts) when we want others to see and accept our viewpoints. This is one of the persuasive skills to use even in business or work environments.

6. Scarcity

One-time sales, the latest holiday toy or the latest iPhone frenzies all reflect scarcity.

Scarcity is a basic economic theory based on supply and demand. Just about anything would become more valuable if it’s in limited supply.

What’s even more peculiar, we would want something more if it’s uncommon and rare. Therefore, to achieve greater impact, highlight the potential for a wasted opportunity.

Practical Tips to Develop Influence

Maya Angelou, poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist:

“Anyone of us can be a rainbow in somebody’s clouds.”

Martin Luther King Junior is one of the most influential figures in American history. His “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the greatest speeches in the 20th century. In the speech, he called for equality for people of all races, including black Americans. Through his great influence and against all odds, he rallied masses against injustice.

The principles of persuasion are clearly evident in Dr King’s great influence. No doubt, his Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology gave him greater authority. Also, people rallied behind him to reciprocate his wilful dedication.

Even if you don’t have such charisma and power, you can start building your skills. Often this requires a delicate balancing act.

So, in summary, ensure you do the following:

Let people know your abilities and qualifications, but don’t overemphasise your successes.

Show genuine interest in others, but don’t overdo it; otherwise, it will appear phoney.

Make sure your presence is rewarding to those around you, but don’t hog the limelight.

Smile, but not just when others are smiling back at you.

Yes, do correct people when they go wrong, but don’t be too judgemental.

Prove that you’re always reliable, but don’t take more responsibility than you can handle.

Learn to assert yourself without being overly aggressive, which could ruin long-term relationships.

Be flexible and open to new experiences, but don’t lose your authentic self.

Develop close personal relationships without intruding where you shouldn’t.

Take more action than words, but don’t neglect the power of your words.

Don’t always react to situations; instead, prepare beforehand how you’ll handle unexpected events.

Constantly evaluate the impact you have and make changes where necessary.

Don’t rely only on your own capacity, but build a strong network of influencers.

At times, you might assume your words have made an impact, yet they haven’t. Just so you can be sure of the impact you actually have, you should know how to get a better read on people.

Avoid confirmation bias – People often focus on aspects confirming their biased perceptions. To avoid this, always be open to revising your initial judgements about others.

Be aware of the influence other people have on you – As you seek to persuade others, many more are trying to do the same to you. Notice the incredible amount of external stimuli in this modern advert-filled life. You’ll surely need some time off once in a while.

Key Insights

Developing persuasion skill is an investment worth your time, effort and money. It becomes more necessary as you advance in your career or business venture.

All this might seem a lot to absorb and even too much to recall. However, the key is to regularly put into practice so it becomes part of your daily routine. That’s the key principle behind the Sticky Learning process. It turns these concepts from mental lessons into lifetime personal behaviours.

You can find further insight, detailed definitions and clarification of all the key influencing terms mentioned in this guide in our Glossary of Terms.

Look at our Tutorial Videos

Click below to go to the "Influencing" area of our YouTube channel where you can find a full playlist of skills training for influencing tips.

Feel free to get in touch to find out how our Influencing Skills Training can help you. Simply fill out the form below, and we will be happy to get back to you with further information.

About Daniel Nyairo

Daniel is a writer with the passion for engaging, delighting and inspiring with the right word at the right place in a sentence. He has been writing for the last four years about business management, content marketing, and technology.

DealBook: How Did Carlos Ghosn Flee Japan?

… and we’re back! Welcome to 2020 — we’re looking forward to a big year ahead. If you like this email, please share it with your friends and colleagues. And if you have news tips, send them to us. Now, on with the show.

Carlos Ghosn’s escape committee

The former head of Nissan and Renault managed to evade 24-hour surveillance in Tokyo and spirit himself out of Japan to Lebanon. How he did it increasingly sounds like a movie-level caper.Associates planned the heist for months, the FT reports, citing unnamed sources. They hired private security operatives who worked in multiple countries.Mr. Ghosn made it onto a private plane bound for Turkey and arrived in Lebanon early Monday, the WSJ adds. (A Lebanese news media outlet claimed that he had hidden in a box meant for musical equipment; the world’s tabloids, perhaps with an eye on that movie version, reckon it must have been a double bass case.) He entered Lebanon on a French passport.His Japanese legal team was blindsided. He’d supposedly handed over all of his travel documents. “I want to ask him, ‘How could you do this to us?’” his lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters.It’s unclear whether Lebanon helped. The government there recently asked Japan to send Mr. Ghosn for trial in Beirut on corruption charges. But an official denied any involvement in his escape.What’s clear is that Mr. Ghosn has scores to settle. His statements have denounced “injustice and political persecution” in Japan’s legal system. He may also take aim at Nissan, where he accuses officials of plotting against him, and at the French government, for not doing more to help him.____________________________Today’s DealBook Briefing was written by Andrew Ross Sorkin and Michael J. de la Merced.____________________________

Tempering hopes for the markets in 2020

Last year was a phenomenal one for nearly every kind of investment: stocks, bonds, gold and more. But there’s reason to think this year won’t be as good.How good was 2019? The S&P 500 rose nearly 29 percent. High-quality American corporate bonds were up 14 percent. Even futures prices for hogs jumped 17 percent. “Rarely in my career has everything worked simultaneously,” Mark Vaselkiv, the chief investment officer for fixed income at T. Rowe Price, told the NYT.But those outsized gains were mostly thanks to the Fed and its unexpected reversal on interest rates. And the central bank has signaled that it’s probably done cutting rates for now.That doesn’t mean Wall Street expects bad things. Bank of America sees the S&P 500 rising about 2.2 percent, while Goldman Sachs — which has declared the economy nearly recession-proof — hopes for a little more.It’s also worth remembering who’ll be left out. Nearly half of Americans don’t own stocks, Thomas Heath of the WaPo points out. Rising student debt and stagnant wages have left many with less money to invest.

The case against C.E.O. activism

Corporate bosses like Walmart’s Doug McMillon and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff have increasingly taken explicit political stands, breaking a longtime rule. The Economist predicts a backlash this year:• Outspoken companies open themselves to charges of hypocrisy, it says. Take Nike, which has pushed virtuous branding but has also “been embroiled in a doping scandal.”• “If there is a recession, C.E.O. activists will struggle to reconcile the interests of employees and their fiduciary duty to shareholders.”• “C.E.O.s hope that by adopting social and political causes they will defuse more radical sentiments. Dream on.”Warren Buffett agrees. Companies shouldn’t impose their beliefs about what’s best for the world on their investors, he told the FT, since “this is the shareholders’ money.”

And the case for C.E.O. generosity

Andrew writes in his most recent column that corporate leaders should be lauded for giving to worthy causes — but pushed to do better at their companies, too.• “Do you know who goes to the food banks that so many support? It is not just the homeless and unemployed. It is, many times, the people we all work with.”• “When you go back to work after the holidays, ask your human resources department what the lowest pay is for any employee at the company. And, just as important, what is the lowest pay for any outside contractor that your company uses?”• “When it comes to giving, the goal shouldn’t be to simply donate more money, as laudable as that is. The aim should be to create a society where we don’t need places like food banks in the first place.”

In case you missed it

• Boeing fired its C.E.O., Dennis Muilenburg, as it struggles to get the 737 Max airborne again.• Travis Kalanick quit Uber’s board, ending all ties to the ride-hailing giant that he once personified.• The F.B.I. is reportedly investigating Ghislaine Maxwell, a top associate of the deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein, and others on suspicion of facilitating sexual abuse.• How corporate lobbyists won big tax breaks from the Trump administration.

How David Stern remade U.S. sports

The former N.B.A. commissioner, who died yesterday at age 77, led the basketball league for 30 years, helping transform American professional sports.His focus on worldwide marketing and expansion meant that “N.B.A. stars were the first from North America to achieve global renown like their soccer counterparts, with the biggest becoming household names even in the remotest regions of the world,” according to Marc Stein of the NYT.“Instead of trying to snuff out the rising power of players — an approach that had cost baseball and football hundreds of millions of dollars and huge chunks of seasons — Stern figured out how to embrace the change and capitalize on it,” Matthew Futterman of the NYT writes.Andrew has his own memories of Mr. Stern: “#DavidStern helped launch my career at 15 years old when he agreed to an interview and he never let me forget it!” he tweeted. “The world lost somebody special today.”

Are job auditions out of control?

The days of getting hired on the basis of a résumé and a few interviews are gone. Job applicants face ever more hoops to jump through, Maridel Reyes of the New York Post writes:“Interviewers are increasingly making absurd demands on applicants’ time, assigning intensive take-home work to demonstrate skills and show how they’d approach the role for which they’re interviewing,” Ms. Reyes writes.It often seems that applicants are working for free. Nicole, a strategist in New York, said she had been asked for an entire year’s marketing plan — and was then passed over in favor of an intern at the company. “I was furious that I’d essentially consulted for them,” she told The Post.Here’s what to do if you’re asked to audition, according to Ms. Reyes: Know what’s normal, do your homework on the potential employer and negotiate the terms of the process.

The speed read

Deals• Last year was the fourth-best on record for global M.&A., thanks to American corporate buyers. (FT)• A group led by Tencent of China agreed to buy 10 percent of Universal Music Group, whose stars include Drake and Billie Eilish, at a nearly $34 billion valuation. (Business Insider)• Warren Buffett declined to buy Tiffany & Company, paving the way for the jeweler’s deal to sell itself to LVMH. (FT)• Hospital chain mergers were meant to improve quality of care. A new study suggests that they haven’t. (WSJ)Politics and policy• President Trump said he planned to sign a “phase one” trade deal with China on Jan. 15. (NYT)• The F.D.A. plans to announce a ban on most flavored e-cigarettes as soon as this week. (NYT)• A California law that extends legal protections for freelancers like Uber drivers went into effect yesterday. Some workers fear that it will hurt them. (NYT)• Senator Bernie Sanders disclosed that he had raised more than $34.5 million in the fourth quarter, surpassing his Democratic presidential rivals. (NYT)Tech• Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon now have a combined market value of about $4 trillion. (Quartz)• Google said it would stop using an Ireland-based loophole that saved it hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes. (FT)• An A.I. system from Google is often better at finding breast cancer on mammograms than radiologists are, a study has found. (NYT)• In South Korea, the 5G wireless future is here, but is often a bit disappointing. (WSJ)Best of the rest• In Germany, electric cars are an economic threat. (NYT)• That said, here are the models to watch this year. (NYT)• Companies are increasingly forcing workers to train their foreign replacements. (Axios)• Insomnia could cost you your job. (Yahoo Money)Thanks for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.We’d love your feedback. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]. Read the full article

Solskjaer and Man United enjoy another good start, but Lampard’s Chelsea are chastened

Craig Burley likes what he saw from Marcus Rashford and Manchester United’s attack in their 4-0 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford.

Craig Burley’s superlatives for the opening round of the Premier League season include high praise for Man United and scorn for Chelsea and Watford.

Manchester United hit four unanswered goals to spoil Frank Lampard’s first Premier League game as Chelsea boss.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was renowned for finishing well during his playing days, but the Manchester United manager is beginning to develop a reputation for impressive starts.

Solskjaer won his first eight games as caretaker boss last season, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, and despite supporters’ concerns that United had not done enough in the transfer window to challenge for a top-four finish, he saw his team make a rampant start to the new Premier League campaign by inflicting a 4-0 hammering upon Chelsea in Frank Lampard’s first game as manager.

His early promise last season ultimately fizzled into a dismal run-in that saw United win just two of their last 12 games, but the early momentum was enough to secure him the top job on a permanent basis and restore some sense of positivity around Old Trafford.

Momentum is a big word in any professional sport, and Solskjaer has plenty in the bank after this stunning start to the season, which could carry his young team a long way.

For the first time in months, United played with verve, ambition and a carefree sense of enjoyment; even Paul Pogba, who made clear his determination to leave this summer, performed as though he was happy to be where he was rather than sulking in a bid to go somewhere else.

It was a good day for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, left, but a difficult one for Frank Lampard, right.

But while Solskjaer has given himself a crucial springboard ahead of the trip to Wolves on Aug. 19, Lampard will find that nobody wants to be on the flip side. No Chelsea manager has had a worse debut since Danny Blanchflower suffered a 7-2 defeat against Middlesbrough in December 1978. There can be no hiding place for Lampard.

“We made four mistakes, and they put them away,” he said. “It is a reality check for us all. We are Chelsea. We don’t want to come here and lose 4-0. It wasn’t a 4-0 game for long periods, but we need to accept it.”

Next up for Chelsea is Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup clash against Liverpool in Istanbul, a game that has become more important because of the need to slam brakes on any negative momentum before the visit of Brendan Rodgers’ ambitious Leicester City to Stamford Bridge next Sunday.

Having spent 13 years at the club playing under several managers, Lampard knows Chelsea well enough to understand that a juggernaut going in the wrong direction can be difficult to stop. He needs to find a way to win quickly, even though Eden Hazard has gone to Real Madrid, while N’Golo Kante, Antonio Rudiger and Willian are not fully fit.

– Ratings: Man United | Chelsea | Pulisic Watch – ESPN Premier League fantasy: Sign up now! – VAR in the Premier League: Big calls explained

Lampard simply has to get on with it after a bruising experience at Old Trafford, where he won last season with Derby in the Carabao Cup. His second visit as a manager was a bruising experience because he faced a home side that played with pace, energy and hunger.

It is true that Chelsea went close to opening the scoring when Tammy Abraham hit the post and later, at 1-0, saw Emerson Palmieri strike the woodwork, but the story of United’s winning performance was twofold, as Solskjaer was vindicated for giving young players a chance to impress and for working hard on the squad’s fitness in preseason.

“The fitter you are, the more you can do,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. The boys have been working hard, but this is still the start, we can still get some hard work in.”

United’s outfield starting line-up had an average age of just under 24, and that showed at times, with a rawness in midfield and up front, where the partnership of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial offered more pace and movement than any forward line that included Romelu Lukaku, who was sold to Inter last week.

It was not until the second half, with Chelsea chasing the game, that the qualities of Rashford, Martial and Pogba truly came to the fore. Meanwhile, the presence at the back of Harry Maguire, the world’s most expensive defender at £80 million, made a huge difference to United’s solidity, with right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka also improving the defensive unit.

The beauty of momentum is that, when it is in your favour, good things happen; confidence flows and players perform as their talent suggests they should. For example, Pogba’s long-range pass to Rashford to set up United’s third goal — some 95 seconds after Martial had made it 2-0 — was the French midfielder at his best.

And with nine minutes remaining, Pogba showed his quality again as he broke forward before releasing substitute Daniel James to score. The debutant’s goal, like those it preceded, was celebrated by all 10 outfield players as a group. To cap the occasion, goalkeeper David De Gea kept a clean sheet in the league for the first time since February.

This was Day 1 for both teams, and it is true that the score flattered United as much as it was harsh on Chelsea, but Solskjaer has positive momentum, which must be harnessed to ensure there is no repeat of last year’s false dawn. As for Lampard? He was shown the size of the task he faces.

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From Manchester City to Oklahoma: how a rejected footballer kept the dream alive

Laurie Bell became one of the most expensive 12-year-olds in British football history when Manchester City signed him from Stockport County, but he had to wait a decade and move 4,000 miles away to make his professional debut

In the dressing room of a baseball stadium in the American South, I fiddled with orange shinpad tape, yanked my heels to my buttocks to stretch already-limber quadricep muscles, and tap-danced impatiently on plastic studded football boots. Ten more debutants in creaseless kits waited in line. A dipping Oklahoma sun peeked inside the tunnel, beckoning. When the referees eventually signalled that it was time, we marched out. First on red clay, then green grass, then across the straight white lines of a freshly painted football pitch. In the stands, 8,000 soccer rookies rose to their feet, waved homemade flags, and glugged half-price cans of Modelo beer. Up in the posh seats, the clubs hierarchy were given a first tangible taste of a team that had been two years in the making.

It was a momentous walk for all of us: the first action on the first night in Tulsa Roughnecks history. For me, it proved the last, improbable leg of a 14-year journey that had transported me 4,000 miles from my English home. At 22 years old, after a sequence of rejection and lateral footballing progress, my professional debut had finally arrived.

Men in military uniforms trumpeted out a national anthem. For a moment, a reverential hush cloaked the excitement for soccer pulsing through this old oil city. Stood by the halfway line where short stops might field on baseball-playing days I considered how we all arrived here. How had this brand new team leapt into existence? What did this crowd expect? Was our flung-together squad any good? Whats that centre-backs name again? And, of all the football clubs in all the world, how the hell had I ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma?

This wasnt English football. This hadnt been the plan.

Tulsa Roughnecks players sign autographs for their fans. Photograph: Lori Scholl

Statistically speaking, the first match in the Roughnecks record books ended in a 1-1 draw. But as sunburned schoolteachers and hoarse local lawyers joined kids clamouring for autographs at the perimeter of the field, that balmy night in March 2015 felt decidedly like a victory. Shirts sold, fireworks crackled and fans fell in love. Giddily unpracticed, I signed programs, iPhone cases and exposed forearms. Opening night was a win for the Roughnecks and for football in the city.

There was immediate evidence of both a passion and market for soccer in Tulsa, like there is in increasing numbers of cities across North America. In the past two seasons across the top three leagues covering the US and Canada the MLS, NASL and USL 24 new professional soccer clubs have founded. Tulsa Roughnecks is one part of professional soccers recent proliferation in the US. This is one players insight into life at a brand new club.

Describing Tulsa Roughnecks FC as brand new is only partly true. In 1983 a professional outdoor team from Tulsa named the Roughnecks was crowned king of the North American Soccer League. They beat the Toronto Blizzard in Soccer Bowl 83 in front of 53,000 fans.

The glitzy NASL attracted footballing greats such as Johan Cruyff, George Best, Pel and Franz Beckenbaur. Their presence helped draw impressive attendances at stadiums nationwide, with thousands more fans tuning in on TV. Even without a bona fide superstar, the Roughnecks enjoyed a strong local following and considerable onfield success. But when the league folded and soccers grip on the imaginations of the American people loosened, the team followed suit.

Having been founded in 1978, the Roughnecks disbanded six years later, the season after they won the championship. A few upstarts tried to bring the sport back to the city but they were unsuccessful and Tulsa was largely soccer-less for the next three decades until 2013, when Mike Melega, General Manager of the Tulsa Drillers baseball franchise, picked up his newspaper.

I saw in the paper one day that Oklahoma City was getting professional soccer, said Melega, the picture of an American sports executive: khaki trousers below a club-crested polo shirt and dark brown hair cropped neatly around the back and sides. At the time time, Melegas only title was GM of the Drillers, a feeder club affiliated with a Major League Baseball team, but his staff was also tasked with managing the Drillers under-utilised ONEOK Field, a three-year-old, $40m stadium in the heart of downtown Tulsa.

Youre always keeping your eyes open for trends and opportunities, continued Melega. Professional soccer in America is growing and I thought our city needs to be at the forefront of that.

Tulsa and the state capital, Oklahoma City, are 100 miles apart: neighbours by American standards. Melega discovered that the same ownership group had already purchased expansion rights for soccer teams in both cities. An attractive new sports franchise and a lonely stadium: the GM foresaw a marriage. Melega, along with Brian Carroll, vice president of media and PR, convinced the Drillers owners brothers Jeff and Dale Hubbard to fund a wedding.

Dale Hubbard is a former professional baseball player who had never watched a game of soccer. But Melega is persuasive and, trusting his judgment, the Hubbards purchased a majority share in their citys expansion rights. A crazy, crazy year and a half of preparations followed. But on 18 December 2013, addressing a room of reporters and early self-declared supporters, Melega held a scarf above his head and announced that soccer was returning to Tulsa. In 2015, the team would compete in the United Soccer League, the third tier of US soccer.

Laurie Bell playing for Tulsa Roughnecks. Photograph: Lori Scholl

That same afternoon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin I completed a Media Law exam. I was 21 and two-and-a-half years into a university soccer scholarship. Five days earlier I had been named in college soccers team of the year (making this Mancunian an All-American), having enjoyed my finest season as a footballer. From central midfield I scored 13 goals, captaining my Division One team to league success, record home crowds and a coveted spot in the NCAA national tournament.

I finished the exam then packed a suitcase to return to my parents home in England for Christmas. On the flight, early visions of playing professionally in the US pushed law out of my mind. At the time, I couldnt point to Oklahoma on a map.

Every time I touch down at Manchester Airport, Im struck by the abundance of white rectangles painted on to patchwork grass fields below. There are football pitches everywhere. While the game gains popularity in the soccer-hungry landscape of 2016 America, there remains just one other professional team within 250 miles of Tulsa. By contrast, within 25 miles of the Manchester runway sit nine professional clubs, with almost double that number at semi-pro level. Before my 18th birthday, I had represented three of them.

I was scouted by Stockport Countys School of Excellence as an eight-year-old and excelled in their navy colours for the next four seasons, building up a reputation in the region. So when Manchester City offered me a spot in their world-renowned academy, a tribunal ruled that hefty compensation was to be paid to County, making me one of the most expensive 12-year-olds in British football history.

A lifelong City fan, I gladly committed my teenage years to the academys Platt Lane training complex, where prodigies progress and dreams come true. Every Tuesday and Wednesday I was excused from school and reported to the same fields and the same coaches that reared my City heroes: Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stephen Ireland, Micah Richards and Joey Barton. On Saturdays after my own matches I ball-boyed at the stadium. From pitch level, I watched Daniel Sturridge and Michael Johnson make Premier League debuts, convinced that one day Id be out there too.

But the fantasy of playing professionally for my boyhood club ended when I was 16, graduated from high school and deemed not fast enough to mix it with the latest crop of demi-stars scouted from across the globe.

Two years later, a second door to dreamland shut firmly in my face. I had completed a two-season youth team apprenticeship at Rochdale AFC, a club 108 years older than the current Roughnecks. Desperate to land contracts, my team-mates and I fought to impress The Gaffer by whatever means necessary. On the pitch, we scrapped to a Youth Alliance league title. Off it, we completed chores: filling wheelie-bin ice baths with freezing water, packing training equipment into The Gaffers Nissan Navara and obediently scrubbing the first teamers boots we wished to fill.

I regularly trained with the professionals, played alongside them in the reserves, and appeared in a first-team pre-season match. When I was named the clubs Youth Player of the Year in 2011, I became quietly confident about my chances. But money wasnt flowing through the grey, north Manchester town. And the first-team was stacked with experienced central midfielders. I just dont see you replacing them next season, rang The Gaffers crushing message in May 2011.

On the drive home I pulled into a Chadderton layby to call Dad. As the call connected, I turned off the wipers and watched raindrops slide slowly down the windscreen. How much of my cracking voice he made out Im not sure. But he got the message.

We knew this was a possibility, so just keep your head up, mate, he reassured me. Were going to find you a club. This is not the end. Another, maybe even a better, opportunity is going to come along for you.

It would do, not that I could see it then. I was 18 and after a decade on the English academy track thought I was finally nearing destination professional football. As it turned out, I was just setting sail on the scenic way around.

Team-mates found non-league teams and workaday employment. School friends packed for universities. My academics, which I had managed to successfully attain alongside football, earned offers from a number of prestigious British schools. But none interested me. I needed football. If not, adventure.

When the tears dried, I impressed at a showcase match in front of scouts from across the globe and was presented with an opportunity that ticked both boxes: Soccer! In America!

I agreed to play on a four-year football scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that would cover tuition fees and provide help towards rent and textbooks.

My flight to Americas Midwest region connected at JFK. On approach to landing I looked down: baseball fields everywhere. I sneered, silently judging a sport I didnt understand, never imagining a few years later I would be playing on top of a matching red clay diamond.

By late 2014, Tulsas new club had fans, a crest and a name. A competition carried in Tulsa World, the local newspaper, allowed readers to decide what the franchise would be called. Future fans voted for a Roughnecks resurrection. The club assembled a supporters group The Roustabouts from the most enthusiastic responders to the newspaper poll and drew up diagrams of how to squeeze a football pitch on to a baseball field.

Mike Melegas vision was taking shape. The Drillers had erected a soccer club from nothing. All that remained missing was an entire squad of players and a head coach to scout then train them. But as the baseball staff believed: if you build it, they will come.

The Roustabouts show their support. Photograph: Lori Scholl

David Irving already knew Tulsa well when Melega first made contact. The 63-year-old Englishman had played for the NASL incarnation of the Roughnecks for a season in 1980, following a career scoring goals in the UK for Workington, Oldham Athletic and Everton. He also knew the USL, having coached in the league for 16 years. He led Wilmington Hammerheads to a title in 2003 and set Glenn Murray on a course to the Premier League in the process.

Irving was appointed in November 2014 and handed keys to a renovated locker room full of empty seats. The search for a squad took him and Tom Taylor, his assistant coach, across half the northern hemisphere.

For the first two months I was just travelling, trying to recruit players and set up combines and look for players, said Irving, Cumbrian tones still heavy despite a quarter-century living in America. That was my priority and everything else would just kind of fall into place. I started during Thanksgiving. I went to combines in Chicago, to Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, LA, Vegas, Orlando, all over. Tom was in Ireland, I couldnt make that one. So we went all over. Its a process, and it was challenging putting a team together for February of 2015 when we started pre-season.

On their travels, the pair realised they were recruiting for a much different USL than the league they had worked in before.

In 2015, 13 newly founded expansion teams competed in the USL. The inflated league rebranded and restructured into two conferences an east and a west instead of one. Another five clubs began USL play in 2016, making the new-look league 29 teams strong, with yet more committed to join in 2017.

The influx is a product of two factors: the demand for professional soccer in more cities across America and the leagues alliance with Major League Soccer in 2014. Twenty-one of the current 29 USL teams have MLS affiliations. The relationship allows players to be loaned between teams, imitating the Spanish model, in which La Liga clubs field second rosters in divisions below.

At its core then, this evolving league is a developmental one. Evidence is in the young squads the average age of the Roughnecks 2015 team was 23 and the five substitutes a coach can field per match. Players generally sign modest contracts (with housing usually included) lasting the duration of the seven-month season, after which theyre on their own financially. According to Irving, change is good for US soccer.

Obviously its great to have the MLS teams entering the league, he said. It brings the whole thing up to a new level. I think every team has a different philosophy, whether theyre going to use the USL for development or for senior players to get time, or a combination of both or for academy players. Whichever, the league is getting better.

Laurie Bell playing for the Tulsa Roughnecks. Photograph: Lori Scholl

Bigger and better: the USL is growing in a very American way. And with professional soccer proliferating across the nation, more opportunities are opening up for players. However, spots for non-US citizens remain limited to seven per team, driving competition high between foreigners chasing their American dreams. Last year, I realised mine in Oklahoma.

The week before Irvings official appointment, my college soccer career ended in a 1-0 loss on a bitter winter night at Cleveland State University. Rooted inside the frosty centre-circle, I looked out into the Ohio abyss and wondered where football might take me next.

My sights were set on Major League Soccer and weeks later I was invited to the MLS combine, an annual three-day showcase attended by head coaches from each team in the top US league. I spent the winter preparing: first, alone on frozen Wisconsin astroturf pitches as I finished my university semester, then in England with Blackburn Rovers first team. But while with Blackburn, I suffered a cruel recurrence of the patella tendonitis that had haunted me as a teenager. In January 2015, I arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a suitcase full of painkillers and doomed hopes for a miraculous recovery.

As a foreigner, I was already vying for one of a limited number of international MLS spots. That season, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo would claim four of them. To land a contract, I needed to at least outshine my college-age competition. Instead, in front of American soccer royalty, I winced through three forgettable 45-minute appearances. On draft day, the MLS commissioner called 84 names. Laurie Bell wasnt one of them. Rejection stung afresh.

I returned to Milwaukee questioning. Why had no club ever taken a chance on me? Was something fundamental holding me back? How long could I continue failing at chasing a dream? And was there anywhere left to try?

Some of these USL expansion teams still need players for this season, offered my college coach Kris Kelderman. Theyre putting together whole rosters from nothing. What do you think?

Not knowing what to think, I landed in Tulsa in late February and reported for a pre-season trial. A pair of tornadoes during the week did little to reassure me I was in the right place.

If I had hesitations about the wilderness of this new USL, they evaporated upon walking into the Roughnecks upmarket ONEOK Field home. I found my name fixed to a locker in Premier League-class changing rooms, a kit printed with my chosen No4, and was given a comfortable flat to sleep in. I met a young group of players who were impatient to prove themselves and a staff that was building from the ground up. Immediately, I wanted in.

Irving was familiar with me through a recommendation from another English coach I had played under the previous summer. As long as you dont want too much fucking money, he said, half-smirking, fully serious, as I sat trembling in his underground office at the end of my trial, wed like you to join us here this season.

I squirted a response, agreeing to become the 11th signing in Tulsa Roughnecks history then floated back to my new apartment. With no Wi-Fi installed yet, I hurried a mile to the nearest Starbucks to Skype my parents. As the call boop-boop-booped into life, the clouds broke and an orange sun bounced through the windows. Two expectant faces 4,000 miles away squeezed together inside my phone screen.

They want me, I announced, as relief as much as joy plastered all our faces. Im going to be a Roughneck. In the most improbable location a baseball arena in tornado alley, USA I had finally found my first professional football home.

Upon signing for enough money to contentedly live on, but not too fucking much I became part of a unique squad. Given the clubs new status, no players had past experience in Tulsa, resulting in an utterly egalitarian dressing room. No captains, no cliques, no hierarchy. And initially, not much leadership, conversation or banter either. Far from the abusive pre-season initiation stories Id heard from English first year pros, I took a seat at my locker, one of 21 equal parts. In Tulsa, rookies might have pumped up the balls, but our own were left unharmed.

The Roustabouts. Photograph: Lori Scholl

Almost inevitably, this unfamiliarity resulted in a slow start to our season. But form steadily improved and, ultimately, playing for a brand new club proved much like playing for any other. We won as many games as we lost, the squad united through plane rides, card games and nights out on away trips to Arizona, Washington and California, and we put ourselves in contention for post-season playoff qualification. After winning our final fixture 2-0, the fate of our season hinged on Austin Aztex beating Seattle Sounders 2 our rivals for a playoff berth one week later.

When the game arrived, Melega, Irving and the rest of the organisations staff suggested we watch together. Over the course of the year, players had grown close to the creators of a club at which most of our contracts were close to complete. So, on a hot September night we gathered inside Empire Bar, where orange Roughnecks scarves entwined with more faded football memorabilia on the walls. We knew our chances of progress were slim and the whole night shimmered in end-of-term affection. One midfielder had landed after-season work at the pub and nipped behind the bar to pull me a pint. By kick-off time, a Twitter invitation lured hundreds of Roustabouts cramming through the doors.

So we watched together. The staff, who had turned a fanciful idea to fill a stadium into a real life football club. The fans: regular Tulsa townsfolk wholeheartedly embracing their new hobby. And the cluster of coaches and players parachuted into this baseball playing southern US city from all corners of the globe and tasked to get the football rolling.

We did, but there would be no fairytale finish to Tulsas first season in the USL. Seattle won 3-2 and the settled table ranked us seventh best in the Western conference. On paper then, several of the 24 North American expansion clubs were more successful than Tulsa in 2015.

But as nail-biting TV-watching evolved into a lively end of season party, there felt like plenty to celebrate for all involved in the Roughnecks organisation. League positions and trophies are important goals for a football club. But truer measures of success for a start-up sports team are surely its reception by a city and integration into local culture.

To my mind, that has been the Roughnecks chief success, one that makes the club a model for future expansion teams. Irving placed as much importance on us bonding with fans signing every autograph and sharing post-match drinks in local bars as any onfield tactics. Melegas staff appointed The Roustabouts de facto club ambassadors and organised the squads appearance at several community events.

The result was that a diverse ONEOK Field crowd produced the fifth highest average attendances in the league nationwide, a remarkable feat in the clubs first season. When jogging through downtown on cool down days, workers banged on office windows, kids hi-fived us, and pick-up truck drivers affectionately tooted horns. And one year on, now plying my trade in Sweden, I still receive regular well wishes from Tulsans via Twitter.

As the afterparty staggered to Legends the citys resiliently popular country dancing hall and players, coaches, club staff and supporters joined cowboy-booted locals on the dance floor, the assimilation felt complete. To sustain this professional soccer proliferation, each new North American club must dance to its own beat. And thats how I learned to Tulsa two-step.

This article appeared first on In Bed With Maradona Follow Laurie Bell and In Bed With Maradona on Twitter

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/from-manchester-city-to-oklahoma-how-a-rejected-footballer-kept-the-dream-alive/

Virtual or Reality: Would We Ever Want to Live Out Our Greatest Video Game Adventures?

Imagine the scene. Saturday afternoon. Sun shining. Pitch freshly cut, like a great green carpet. The whistle goes and the ball zips across its surface as the early game passing gets going, the players probing and always looking to open up space. Then a midfielder suddenly cuts inside with a sudden burst of pace, leaving his defender for dead. He spreads the play out to the wing, the ball is fizzed into the box and the forward, having peeled off his marker, jumps into the air primed to strike. Not a header but an exquisite back heel mid air which catches the keeper off guard and soars into the roof of the net. The scorer wheels away towards the crowd, fists pumping and lapping it all up. The stadium is rocking. This is a true story. It actually happened. I scored that goal. Well, at least my team of 11 pixelated footballers controlled by my dexterous thumbs scored it during a recent session of Pro Evolution Soccer. Could I score a goal like that in reality? I'd have to be picked for the team first. My High School football coach's words of 'Can you not even pass the ball, son?' are still ringing in my ears. But while I'm not the best footballer in actual reality, I am in an alternate reality. A fucking good one too. Suck those eggs, Mr Skimin! The fact is that I play Pro Evolution Soccer because I have no hope of doing half the things in real life that I can do on a virtual pitch. It's for this exact reason that we often like to immerse ourselves in virtual worlds. Not only is there an element of escapism at play as we try to briefly divert our attention from the stresses or monotony of everyday life. But also in video games we can often experience and accomplish things which we would ordinarily not be able to do. But a wider question is whether we would actually want to do some of the things we enjoy in video games in real life. It's very easy to say yes. Of course, scoring flamboyant goals as a top footballer week in week out, left foot, right foot, headers, free kicks, cheeky dinks over the keeper, showboating around defenders, playing to the crowd and all for £200k+ per week. If you enjoyed it and were damn good at it, who wouldn't want to do that? But not all jobs nor all video games involve skilfully hitting balls into nets. Video games often put us in precarious and not altogether appealing positions and so if given the choice in real life, would we really want to participate in some of the activities that video games are so good at entertaining us with? Imagine this for example: You get up each morning and pull on your dungarees, shiny black shoes and don your monogrammed cap. You feel underused and under appreciated as even though you're fully qualified to fix pipes and stop leaks, your day job consists of smashing boxes, sometimes boxes that are not easy to reach too and boxes which sometimes have something wonderful inside or sometimes are just plain empty. Everything requires precise jumping and timing. Have you ever tried to jump any distance in dungarees by the way? Hardly the most practical wear for intense physical activity! Luckily there are costume changes, some of them cool, some helpful in getting the job done, some plain humiliating. But at least gloves come as standard to protect against the blisters popping up from repeated box smashing. Then there are the fireballs, spikes, critters and gaping holes, all common hazards in this line of work. And of course there's the reason you're doing all of this in the first place: the princess who just won't stay saved. But you go about your work always with a smile on your face and that irrepressible sense of optimism, even though you know you're doomed to repeat this existence in various forms from now until the end of time. Ok, this is an overblown and ridiculous example as there isn't anything quite like this in real life. The reason we play this particular game (it was Mario, by the way) isn't because we want to be able to do what Mario does in our own lives. Despite the obstacles, dangers and pitfalls, Mario is escapism in its simplest form: fun! Danger often begets fun in video games, no matter how serious that danger may be: a Goomba slowly dancing its way towards you or an axe wielding demon hoping to mash you to bloody pulp. Danger is a huge factor in what makes video games challenging and exciting. But imagine experiencing the danger of a video game scenario that would be entirely plausible and just as dangerous were it to play out in real life.... Imagine this one: You are a highly skilled US government special forces agent. You have been tasked with infiltrating a high security nuclear weapons development facility in the most remote part of Alaska that has been seized by a band of international terrorists. Before we go on, a few things. Well, no actually you're not a highly skilled US government special forces agent. Solid Snake is a highly skilled US government special forces agent. You're just pretending to be one. Heaven knows why the US military big wigs asked you to do this. That's what happens when you post a few Metal Gear Solid gameplay videos on YouTube. Ok, so you managed to make it through to the first boss without getting spotted once. And then didn't get hit at all by Revolver Ocelot. And then boasted about it online. To the world. And someone high up in the military, the ACTUAL fucking military caught wind of it all and thought 'Let's get him on board for the next big one! He looks like he knows what he's doing...' But it's fine because you recently did a speed run of Metal Gear Solid, found all the best weapons and made it out with only some light scratches and a few third degree incendiary burns so you're sure it'll be the same if not better for real. Anyway, the government doesn't actually send people in solo. That's just in movies and video games. Right? Oh, they do send in solo agents. Fuck. Right, ok. As the door of the helicopter slides open, fighting against the strength of the blizzard winds, you step off the helicopter, the snow swirling around you. Your feet hit the powder with a crunch. Dense pine forest surrounds you. The facility is 2 miles to the North. Fuck sake, they could've parked closer. And to add insult to injury, you haven't even packed a hat, scarf and gloves. You look in the bag you were handed by a member of the support team before touching down. This is your bag. Not anything military issue. Bound to be something useful in here. Bottle of water (that's now fucking frozen), an egg and onion sandwich (to knock out the dogs), toilet roll (I don't remember Solid Snake ever needing the toilet), the Metal Gear Solid strategy guide and a t shirt (a fucking t shirt in this weather) with 'I love Metal Gear Solid' emblazoned across the front. Suddenly a telephone starts to ring. The whole thing could be over before if it's begun if you don't stop that phone ringing! Then you realise. It's not a phone. The ringing is in your head. Your ear. You put your index finger to your ear like you've seen Snake do before. Wrong ear. You try the other one and a stony voice crackles before becoming clear. 'Colonel?' 'Colonel? Who said I was a colonel? Just listen Snake.' 'Snake?' 'No, we can't call you that. Can't risk a lawsuit from Konami and Kojima. They're both fond of that sort of thing. Wait, we'll call you....Drake. Wait no, that's been done too.' 'Fake?' 'That'll do. Ok, Fake. Listen. Your espionage skills are renowned the internet over. So this should be like a training exercise for you. Good luck. Let me be clear though, Fake. If you are found and intercepted, the US government will deny any knowledge of your existence. Keep the t shirt close to hand. If you are caught, hopefully they will suspect you as nothing more than a giddy stealth action fanboy rather than a highly lethal government weapon. But I'm forgetting who I'm talking to. We've seen the speed runs. Those terrorists won't know what's hit them! And if you die in combat, well, you die. Game over, no continues. This is not a game. This is the best game of all: life. Now go shoot some terrorists! Out!' You begin to walk. The first steps of a two mile hike to the objective. About an hour later, as you break the trees and approach the link fence, you're suddenly aware that your feet are soaked through, calfs burning and blisters pressing against the soles of your shoes. A deer moves out of a clearing toward the fence, suspiciously eying what is beyond. You can see human shapes, black against the fading light moving across a dimly lit helipad, their patrol paths crossing with seeming regularity. A brief flick of a flashlight attached to an automatic weapon as the patrolling guard turns and retraces his steps. That man has a gun, a real fucking gun. That actually shoots. With bullets. Maybe it's not real. Maybe they're just decoys. A money saving measure in these tough economic times. But you've never seen that in a video game before. Unlikely. But what you have seen countless times is how to breech a perimeter fence. There's usually a conveniently placed hole, drain or ventilation duct somewhere close by. Or some footholds conveniently highlighted by a different coloured paint that stands out from the rest of your surroundings. As if they wanted you to find them. But there's nothing. There must be some mistake. Do all of these terrorists not know that you're here to take down their facility? You'd think they would make it easy for you. As you contemplate your next move, you spot the deer again. On the other side of the link fence. Fucking Bambi is better at this than you! You retreat to the safety of the trees, hugging their edge, until a guard post with a manually operated barrier appears in the middle distance, marking an entrance into the facility. Quick, your binoculars. But you haven't packed binoculars. You reassure yourself that there will likely be some lying around in a spot just when you're about to enter a new area in which you'll need to see really really far. This isn't really really far just yet so you decide to get a bit closer. It looks like it's unmanned, for the moment. You reach the window. An oil lamp burns on a desk covered in various paperwork and a clipboard. A mug of fresh coffee stands steaming on the cluttered surface, having made a ring stain on a document marked 'Classified'. Maybe you should take this though. Files like this are always left lying around in plain sight in video games. You thrust it into your bag without pausing to read. You look around, your brain starting to whirr into gear. There's bound to be some sort of weapon in here too or a map of the whole area. Ah ha! (Did Snake ever say Ah ha?) There's the map, pinned to the back wall. Covering the whole of the back wall. No one will notice that's missing! As you unpin it, you can't help but wish you'd paid more attention during ordinance survey lessons in High School geography. The map unpinned, the next challenge is: how the fuck do you fold it neatly so that it fits in your bag? You frantically try one way; it doesn't fold neatly. Another way; no luck. Yet another way. 'Fold you mappy piece of shit, fold!' Did you say that out loud? Or are the approaching footsteps you now hear thanks to your excessive map rustling? Snake never shows any shame in hiding and it's about time that this whole scenario started to follow the Metal Gear Solid playbook! What would Snake do? Snake would be smoking a cigarette with one hand and tapping walls to the tune of William Tell with the other, sending guards running in circles. You're not quite there yet. 'Look around! Think outside the box......BOX! You spot a sturdy looking cardboard box with some unrecognisable script block printed on the side. 'Fuck outside the box, I wanna get in the box!' The box is sitting next to five or six others, all sealed with thick tape. Either prepared to be shipped out or not yet unpacked. Your box though.....is empty. You quickly climb in. Snake uses the box to move unseen. But you just want to stay unseen. You close the flaps of the box over your head the best you can and wait. The footsteps draw closer. At the door. At the desk. Feet away. A handheld radio crackles into life, the guard confirms all is clear and clips it back into his belt. A diesel engine rumbles into earshot, brakes squeak and a heavy door slams shut. Your heart is racing and just about jumps into your mouth as the guard's foot slams into the side of your box. You can hear boxes above and beside you being shifted. There is someone else in the room. Heaving breathing and panting as boxes are lifted, passed out the door and dumped onto the back of the diesel vehicle with a thud. Then the last chinks of light are extinguished as the cardboard flaps are sealed shut above your head, the squeak and tear of the tape muffled behind the cardboard and then you feel yourself rising. The guard swears at the weight of the box and laughs as his mate's knees buckle slightly under your weight as he hands you over. He steadies himself and you are dumped onto a hard metal surface. The engine purrs into life again and you begin to move. 'This is a result!' you think to yourself. You've seen Snake do this before. A clever ploy to get to the heart of the facility without snapping a single neck (or your ankle). But want you didn't realise was that written across the box, in strange lettering was the word "Владивосток" - Vladivostok. You hear the drone of a jet engine. You are lifted and dumped one last time. Heavy doors closing as you feel the weight of the earth vanish beneath you. Oh well, this certainly never happened to Snake before but every cloud, and all that. A new life in remotest Russia, learn the language, live off the land, settle down. All you can do is begin to sob in the darkness of your box as you rue the day you ever posted those cocky playthrough videos online. I'll stop there. You get the point (even if I have taken a few poetic liberties here and there). I reckon if you did try a Metal Gear Solid type scenario like this, it wouldn't be quite as bad as I have painted it. You'd probably be dead before making it to the fence. Quick and painless at least. Still not as far as the deer though. But while I jest, loss of life is actually nothing to take lightly, even if it is only pixels we're talking about. I know people who struggle to play particular games as they feel they are often forced into scenarios where they have to kill people and feel that they would quite simply rather not. I admit the first time I loaded up Battlefield 1 multiplayer, I did wonder if we should be finding any sort of entertainment in a virtual depiction of the most bloody war in history. Whether I should be pleased to have just bludgeoned this mass of pixels in front of me to death with a spiked club or run ReBeLwARrIoR888 through with a bayonet to the sounds of bloodcurdling virtual screams. And I'm sure others felt the same. For these people, their respect for human life in reality cannot be easily separated from their feelings towards virtual beings. And I applaud them for it. The pacifist's path, with the use of sleep rendering choke holds and tranquilliser darts, has become a more prevalent one in games like Metal Gear Solid and Deus Ex. But games have not always been so open to cater to all tastes. Perhaps the most shocking and memorable example of this was the very short mission 'No Russian' in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, in which the player is seemingly forced into partaking in a terrorist attack on an airport filled with civilians. Although the game makes you think you have to walk on the predetermined path through the departures lounge gunning down everything that moves, you actually don't need to fire a single bullet to finish the level. But that is never made clear. I admit, I started shooting as I thought that by not shooting, I would not be allowed to progress. When the smoke had settled and the blood has stopped flowing, I honestly felt sick at what had just happened. The controversy this level provoked prompted a patch whereby the level could be skipped, which was at least something. But by telling players that 'the following level contains disturbing material' and then asking if they want to play it or skip, I'm sure the curious side of human nature got the better of many. Me for one. There have been many and will be many more times I pick up a gun in a video game but never have I wanted to put one down quicker than after that. I'm not often forced into feeling like this for pixels but it was precisely because this very thing could occur in real life (and has, coming from Northern Ireland where the country is only just emerging from the bloody legacy of terrorism) that I felt so sick. And if anything, society is now much more acutely aware of the threat of terrorism than ever before; as I write this, Manchester is trying to pick itself up from a suicide attack on a pop concert, claiming the lives of children. Children! And as a man with children now myself, I now view senseless video game violence and real world atrocities very differently than I once did. Whereas before I would've just opened fire on anything and everything (since it's just a video game, after all) and would've been just as appalled by an attack like Manchester as I am now, I now see things like this, be they virtual or real, and think 'what if my boy was ever caught up in something like this?' I wouldn't say my parent chip impedes my enjoyment of video games and or how I go about everyday life but it does make me think. It's for this very reason that I still can't bring myself to play 'That Dragon Cancer'. I know I should, just to on some level feel what those poor parents went through but I just can't. Maybe one day. A question lingers: How would I view this Call of Duty mission had I played it for the first time today? I think had this Call of Duty mission been released today, well.... perhaps thanks to the very fucked up world we live in, it maybe wouldn't have been released today. This Call of Duty level remains the biggest example of something that, it goes without saying, I would never want to experience in real life, at either end of the gun but conversely something which I had absolutely no taste then nor have any taste now for experiencing in a video game either. So far there have been a lot of examples of video game experiences that we would not want to live first hand. But are there any that we really would? Well, although the world seems to be becoming an increasingly intimidating and gloomy place, the release of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has puffed new life into me. It has made me reevaluate my perceptions of how beautiful the world and everything in it really is. Setting out with the greatest sense of wanderlust imaginable, cooking in the outdoors, living off the land, running through tall grass that parts as you go, getting caught in rainstorms, watching the sun rise and fall on the horizon, climbing hills, standing atop a mountain and gazing in every direction as far as the eye can see. These are all things that I hate the thought of....in reality, not being the most outdoorsy type. Or certainly did until I dived into Zelda. A game in which spending two hours doing very little except cook a few meals, discover two new species of fish and wrangle a wild horse feels like a triumph. Now I might actually consider spending the weekend walking up a hill and stopping for lunch under a tree rather than traipsing around a retail park before diving into McDonalds for a Big Value Meal. There's so much life in Zelda and so many possibilities, much like, well... life itself. Even the box art hints at the treasures that lie within: Link standing on a plateau, the world sprawled in front of him. He's looking over his shoulder at you as if to say 'Are you coming?' And it doesn't stop there; the inside cover depicts Link scaling a sheer cliff face, moving ever upwards. The sky really is the limit with this game. And while I admit that from time to time I do worry about the state of the world my boy will be growing up in, I am also wholeheartedly looking forward to introducing him to the world of video games. My wife is not so thrilled at the prospect though. I think she has visions of me trying to teach a six year old how to escape a six star wanted level in Grand Theft Auto or how to aim the sniper scope slightly above a target's head to account for bullet dip. But while Zelda is pure to its core, there is violence and danger: battling Bobokins with swords, pikes, axes, twanging bowstrings, setting things on fire and triggering explosions. But really is this violence? Come on now. Even the combat in Zelda is pure, good and true: no blood, no dismemberment; there is as much threat in the combat as a child running around in the back garden swinging a plastic sword. It's just honest, swashbuckling action with enemies disappearing in a puff of smoke. No looting dead bodies for items; items drop and their retrieval is greeted with a fanfare. You can't help but smile. And this is exactly what I hope I will be doing as I watch my son get lost in Zelda's world of endless possibilities for the very first time. Witnessing the pure joy on his face. But if the joy of virtual nature has its effect I sincerely hope my son and I will make it out the front door too, put the controller down and live some of Link's adventures: be it a walk in the woods one day, a hike up a hill, cooking a skewer over an open fire or running around slashing at imaginary Moblins. This is something I would most definitely want to live and all born on the back of a video game. I sincerely hope that we see more of this. Developers giving us experiences that give us a sense of achievement and fulfilment to such an extent that it gets us out into the world to chase similar experiences for real. I may never become a Premiership footballer, infiltrate a terrorist base or go over the top on the front lines. I've never been more ok with anything in my life than I have with that. But I can cook a sausage and climb a hill. And will look forward to doing so with my boy and whoever else wants to join. Virtual and real worlds are not so far removed as we might think: both are best enjoyed with others. So who's coming? God bless you, Zelda!

CQN continues it’s dramatic and EXCLUSIVE extracts from Alex Gordon’s book, ‘That Season In Paradise’, which takes you through the months that were the most momentous in Celtic’s proud history.

Today, we take another in-depth look in another thrilling instalment during an unprecedented and glorious campaign.

SCOTLAND’S footballing rulers, applying the identical reasoned judgement as that of General George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, decreed that champions Celtic should kick off the new 1966/67 league season with the opening game against Clyde at Shawfield.

So, thanks to the muddled thinking of the decision-makers at Park Gardens, where common sense was a distinct rarity, Jock Stein’s triumphant side were denied the opportunity of an afternoon of colourful celebration, a gala event for their loyal supporters following a twelve-year odyssey of First Division suffering and torment. There would be no opening-day acclaim at a sell-out 60,000 capacity arena with the fans eager to pay their rapturous respects to their heroes. The cherished league flag would remain unfurled and in mothballs for another day. Instead, the club were told they would begin the defence of their newly-won title with a confrontation against a collection of keen part-timers at a rusty, rundown ground that doubled as a dog track.

So much for pomp and ceremony.

  When the action got underway, however, there was no mistaking the gritty combination of enthusiasm, passion, verve and zest displayed by the Celtic players. It was obvious they were in the collective mood to pour every ounce of energy into the creation of something wonderful. They were two goals ahead inside twenty minutes and didn’t ease up throughout another lop-sided skirmish. The opening goal came in the tenth minute when Joe McBride, displaying his range of attacking skills, turned provider when he drew John Wright from his goal and passed neatly inside for Stevie Chalmers to sweep the ball into the inviting net. It was Celtic’s tenth goal in three games against gallant opposition in the space of only twenty-four days following the League Cup romps.

Eight minutes later, McBride added another; a vicious effort from a cross from John Hughes following a good run down the left flank from the tantalising winger which exposed the Clyde rearguard. Surprisingly, the supporters had to wait until the seventy-fifth minute before they witnessed the third goal. Chalmers, demonstrating the fact he had started his career as a winger, got wide before hurling in a hanging cross and Hughes, who always insisted he wasn’t particularly good in the air, got up superbly to launch an unsaveable header beyond Wright. In between the second and third goals, Celtic had struck the woodwork three times, had two efforts scrambled off the line and over-worked goalie Wright made a handful of decent stops. Everything had gone according to plan, but Bertie Auld had reason to feel a trifle tentative as the referee prepared to bring the contest to a halt. I co-authored the legendary player’s autobiography, ‘A Bhoy Called Bertie’, and here’s his memory from that game.

‘So, there I am, pinned against the dressing room wall with Big Jock’s massive left hand around my throat and he is threatening to wallop me with his right. If he was trying to get some sort of message across, it was working, take my word for it.

‘We had just come off the pitch after beating Clyde 3-0 at Shawfield and I knew our manager wasn’t greatly enamoured with some of my antics. My sin? I sat on the ball three times during the game. Okay, it’s a highly unusual ‘tactic’ when you are hoping to tempt a team into your own half. Clyde, though, refused to budge that afternoon. We were three goals ahead and you might expect them to open up and have a go at grabbing some sort of salvation. Not that day. The Clyde players seemed wary of even crossing the halfway line. They appeared to be content to keep the scoreline as it was.

‘I chased back to the eighteen-yard line to collect a throw-out from Ronnie Simpson. I looked up and, sure enough, there were the Clyde players refusing to come out of their own half. Quick as a flash, I decided to sit on the ball, hoping to spur at least a couple of their players into action. Nope, they weren’t buying it. I got up, rolled the ball back to Faither and asked him to return it. He duly did and I sat on the ball again. Still nothing stirred from our opponents. I staged an action replay immediately and parked my backside on the ball for a third time. Still, Clyde didn’t want to know.

‘I looked around the Shawfield Stadium and the Celtic fans were cheering and applauding. They loved this piece of showmanship, but I wasn’t doing it to belittle our rivals. Genuinely, I wanted them to make a game of it and they just didn’t want to know. I glanced over at our dug-out and that was when I saw Big Jock in full ranting mode. Not a pretty sight. Now whoever designed the dug-outs at Shawfield would never win any award for services to architecture.

‘For a start, you had to take a step down to get into them and that left you getting a worm’s-eye view of the action. All you could see were the ankles flying past and there is no way you could actually witness the game unfolding. It was the worst view in the house. But there was Big Jock, with all his bulk, trying desperately to clamber out of that small, confined space. There was a slab of concrete across the top of the dug-out that acted as a roof. Jock slammed his head off it – not once, not twice, but three times – as he attempted to climb his way onto the track.

‘He was furious and I thought, “You’re for the high jump here, Bertie. Let’s hope he calms down at full-time.”I could always hope. There wasn’t a chance of that happening. Once Big Jock went up like Vesuvius it took an awful long time for him to come back to earth. Maybe a week or two!

‘When the final whistle blew, I took a gulp and headed for the away team’s dressing room. I wondered if there was any chance I could get a shower, get changed and get on the coach before Jock emerged. I prayed for someone to stop him and have a chat before he could get into the dressing room. Headbutting a speeding train would be preferable to incurring the wrath of Jock. I knew I was in for an ear-bashing, but I didn’t anticipate what happened next.

‘Jock, with that heavy limp from the injury that ended his career, stormed in behind me as fast as he could. Now, the pegs in the changing area at Shawfield must have been put up by some fairly tall joiner. They were so high up the wall we used to have to put Wee Jinky on our shoulders when he was hanging up his gear!

‘Big Jock must have thought it would be a good idea to hang yours truly on one of those pegs that afternoon. He grabbed me with that massive mitt of his and lifted me off the floor. “Put me down, boss,” I squeaked, as his clenched right fist looked a wee bit too close to my nose for comfort. “Don’t ever treat a fellow-professional in that manner,” he growled. My feet were dangling by this stage as I attempted to plead my case. Jock wasn’t interested. “Do that once more and you’ll never play for this team again as long as I am the manager.” Thankfully, after a while, he released his grip and I slumped to the floor.

‘Then he turned to Faither, who thought he was going to get away with his part in my impromptu ‘tactics’ of trying to entice our opponents to cross the halfway line. “The same goes for you,” said Jock. “You encouraged him.” At least, our veteran goalkeeper was spared being suspended by the throat for a minute or two.’

Following his ‘tete-a-tete’ with Auld, Stein met the Press to sum up the contest. ‘I was delighted with the team and the way we played,’ he said. ‘What pleased me most was the way we controlled the game. That’s what I want to see because it pleases me more than individual brilliance. We’ve got a lot of tough games coming up and that’s the standard I’m looking for.’

It was just a pity a mere 16,500 could pack into ramshackle Shawfield to witness the action. Joe McBride, incidentally, had scored a hat-trick three evenings earlier as the Scottish League overwhelmed their Irish counterparts 6-0. Bobby Lennox claimed two and Tommy Gemmell, Bobby Murdoch and John Clark also represented the Select. The inter-league meetings were abandoned due to lack of public interest in 1980. The Scots played the Irish on sixty-two occasions and were victorious on fifty-six of the meetings. The fans eventually grew tired of the lack of competition in these fixtures.

One encounter that would have certainly packed them in at Parkhead was the possibility of world-renowned Brazilian side Santos, with the acclaimed Pele in their line-up, performing in the east end of Glasgow on October 12. Santos were the footballing equivalent of basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters as a massive draw wherever they played. The news spread quickly among excited fans who were hoping for a glimpse of the player who was rated the most expert exponent of a football on the planet; the incomparable Pele. One observer likened a defender attempting to contain the South American genius as ‘trying to capture a shaft of light in a matchbox’. As ever, there had to be a snag; the Brazilians were demanding £50,000 in appearance money and expenses. Celtic chairman Robert Kelly politely declined.

Next up for Celtic in the harrowing early-season schedule, with the club’s first-ever performance in the European Cup against Zurich only a fortnight away, was an intriguing meeting with Dunfermline in the League Cup quarter-finals with the first game at Parkhead on Wednesday September 14. A crowd of 36,000 were in for a soccer treat as the players strutted their stuff throughout a first-half of an exceptionally well-drilled exhibition. Even the demanding Jock Stein couldn’t have asked for any more from his players during a forty-five minute display of near-perfection. Celtic were 5-1 ahead at the interval and heading for a complete wipe-out of the Fifers, rendering a second leg redundant. However, the manager would have words after a second-half dip that saw the opposition, almost on the floor in the first period, score twice with the final scoreline revealing a 6-3 triumph for the trophy holders.

For most of the evening, though, Celtic’s football was simply breathtaking, an absolute joy to witness. Five goals thundered behind the powerless Davie Anderson, Dunfermline’s up-and-coming prospect, in twenty-three flawless minutes from the home side as they rendered the opposition impotent in their feeble attempts to stem the merciless tide that flowed relentlessly towards their nineteen-year-old goalkeeper. He was picking the ball out of his net after only thirty seconds following a trademark soaring header from Billy McNeill following Jimmy Johnstone’s right-wing corner-kick. Anderson and his defensive colleagues hardly had time to recover before John Hughes clubbed in a long-range second in the fourth minute. The groggy Fifers, gasping for breath, were three goals adrift seven minutes afterwards when Bertie Auld scored the most spectacular counter of the evening. As ever, Bertie has a story to tell.

‘The fans must have wondered about my celebration that night. I have to say, in all humility, it wasn’t a bad goal. As I remember it, John Clark rolled the ball into my tracks around the halfway line and I was forced to veer to my right. Everyone knew my left foot was my stronger and I used to drive Big Jock potty by insisting, “Why do I need to kick the ball with my right when I’ve got a left as good as this? It does the work of two feet!” On this occasion, though, there wasn’t any room to manoeuvre the ball back onto my left foot, so there was nothing else for it but to have a belt at it with my so-called standing foot from about thirty yards.

‘The ball just took off like a rocket. I was as amazed as anyone when it arrowed high into the top left-hand corner of the keeper’s net. He made it look even more special with a fabulous, acrobatic leap across his line as he tried to paw it away. Some hope! That was a goal as soon as it left my boot. I raced over to the Boss in the dug-out and waved my right leg at him. There are some fairly crazy goal celebrations around these days, but that one has got to be up with the daftest. At least, Big Jock got the message and permitted himself a smile. Mind you, the fact we were now three goals up after eleven minutes might have had something to do with it, too.’

There was brief respite for the visitors, though, when Alex Ferguson pulled one back with a header, but normal service was restored when Joe McBride rattled in a penalty-kick in the twentieth minute after Jim Mclean had handled in the box. Three minutes later, young Anderson was helpless when Johnstone sneaked in an angled drive between the rookie keeper and his near post. It had been forty-five minutes of sheer splendour which was lapped up by the fans, myself included. What did the second-half hold in store after such a persuasive presentation from the men in green?

Apart from another fine strike from Auld – this time with his left foot – Celtic never touched the heights of the opening period. To be fair, Dunfermline, no doubt with the words of a furious manager Willie Cunningham ringing in their ears, showed a determination hitherto undetected in the first-half of this particular visit to the east end of Glasgow. They stuck another two beyond Ronnie Simpson to close the gap, but no-one at Parkhead that evening believed a dramatic fightback would be on the cards in the second leg, due at East End Park the following midweek.

Celtic had an important home meeting with Rangers in between the League Cup-ties and Jock Stein displayed Nostradamus-like qualities when he looked ahead to the visit of the Ibrox side. ‘It would be ideal to get off to the same sort of start that we enjoyed against Dunfermline,’ he said. ‘But you can never budget for these things in football.’

Inside four minutes, Celtic were leading 2-0 and the game was practically over. It was one of the most remarkable commencements in an Old Firm duel anyone could remember. Rangers had been humbled in Govan during the Glasgow Cup-tie the previous month and had made noises of retribution in the league. They didn’t even get out of the starting blocks. The occasion had barely got into motion when John Hughes sent Bobby Lennox scurrying into a dangerous area. Lennox, who helped himself to a hat-trick at Ibrox, became goalmaker on this occasion, flashing low ball across the penalty area. Joe McBride, unmarked smack in front of goal, swung a boot at the ball and connected with nothing more menacing than fresh air. Bertie Auld, however, was following up behind his good personal friend and he thumped a first-timer low beyond the stranded Billy Ritchie from ten yards, the ball ricocheting into the net off the base of the upright.

The hands on referee Tiny Wharton’s watch nudged just beyond three minutes played when Celtic doubled their advantage. And it was a masterpiece of precision, ingenuity and innovation by the masterful Bobby Murdoch. Jimmy Millar, the man dubbed the ‘Old Ibrox Warhorse’, banged into McBride to give away an obvious foul twenty-five yards out. Lennox touched it sideways to Murdoch who elected for power. His shot, though, bounced off the defensive wall and what happened next summed up the mindset of the peerless midfielder. Without breaking stride, the multi-talented Murdoch flighted an impeccable and delicate ball high towards the keeper’s top left-hand corner. Ritchie threw himself frantically at the attempt, but it was futile; the Celt’s improvised effort gracefully glid towards its destination. Parkhead erupted. A fair percentage of the 65,000 in attendance appeared to be enjoying the fare on offer. There were still eighty-six minutes to play, but, as everyone realised, the game was over as a contest.

Jock Stein took the team to his old stomping ground in the Kingdom of Fife for the return leg of their League Cup quarter-final and teenager David Anderson, the goalkeeper bombarded and traumatised in Glasgow only a week earlier, was left out with the unpredictable Eric Martin recalled. Celtic were forced to wait until the thirty-second minute to score on this occasion and, remarkably, it was the blond head of skipper Billy McNeill that again administered the punishment on the Fifers. Jimmy Johnstone swung over a right-wing corner-kick and, uncannily like the effort at Parkhead only seven days before, McNeill rose to bullet the ball beyond Martin. Caesar smiled, ‘I could have been the club’s leading goalscorer if we played Dunfermline every week!’

Stevie Chalmers sent in a swerving drive that completely confounded Martin as Celtic doubled their lead three minutes before the interval to move into an unassailable 8-3 aggregate lead. And the perplexed custodian must have wished his manager had kept faith in Anderson in the fifty-fourth minute when he fumbled the ball and that was all the invitation Chalmers needed to claim No.3 on the night. No-one seemed to notice – or care – that George Fleming had scored one for Dunfermline late on; by that time the holders were sailing towards the semi-finals. Rocks were ahead, though, in the league game against Dundee at Dens Park three days later.

Andy Penman, a thoughtful, old-fashioned inside-right, was the first player to send Celtic into unknown territory by going a goal behind in this most memorable of seasons. Penman, a genuine craftsman who never fulfilled his potential, also possessed a cannonball shot and he demonstrated this ability with the utmost perfection to Ronnie Simpson and Co’s annoyance in the twenty-eighth minute of a keenly-contested affair. Penman was allowed to line up an effort twenty yards out and he struck a devastatingly-accurate drive high over the Celtic keeper’s left shoulder into the roof of the net.

Tommy Gemmell recalled, ‘That goal was our fault. We had seen Penman hit those shots before and we should have closed him down immediately. Faither wasn’t too happy that we didn’t get out in time to charge down his shot. And I can assure you our goalkeeper would spare no-one’s feelings when he described our lack of defensive qualities is such instances. Thankfully, though, we were only behind for four minutes.’

The majestic Billy McNeill, matchless in aerial battles, towered above the Tayside defenders to nod on an astute free-kick from Bertie Auld, the ball bending beautifully to pick out the advancing run of the centre-half. McNeill headed it down, there was pandemonium in front of goalkeeper Ally Donaldson and Bobby Lennox thrived in this panic-stricken environment. As the ball bobbled around, he thrust out a foot and prodded it beyond Donaldson. It was never going to be a contender for Goal of the Season, but it was crucial on an afternoon when Celtic’s opponents were clearly in the mood to halt the progress of the green-and-white machine.

Only twelve minutes remained when the visitors claimed the winner after they were awarded a penalty-kick following defender Doug Houston’s handball in the box. It was a stick-on spot-kick, but there was a problem – Joe McBride had sustained an injury and had remained behind in the dressing room at the interval with Stevie Chalmers taking his place. So, who was going to take the award? McBride had tucked away five in flawless fashion and now it was someone else’s turn to take the responsibility.

Up stepped John Hughes, who had knocked in more than a few earlier in his career, including two in the 2-1 League Cup Final win over Rangers the previous year. Alas, Hughes’ accuracy deserted him that afternoon. Donaldson, a goalie who, throughout his career, had been linked with Celtic, got down athletically to push the ball away. Chalmers, however, saved the blushes of his team-mate and raced in to smash the rebound into the net. The strike put him into the history books as the first substitute to score a goal for Celtic, but Chalmers would be better remembered for another goal later in the same season.

However, before the date of May 25 1967 bore the slightest significance to anyone of a Celtic persuasion, there was the business of playing the club’s first-ever tie in the European Champions’ Cup against FC Zurich at Parkhead on the evening of Wednesday September 28 1966. The players had become used to Jock Stein producing the magnetic tactics board by this time, but, more often than not, the manager ignored the device when he was dealing with domestic games. He reckoned he was going over old ground discussing the merits of opponents’ systems and one thing Stein detested with a passion was having to repeat himself.

John Clark recalled, ‘When the Boss was talking tactics, I found I had to listen intently. He would speak fairly quickly in a lot of detail and if you didn’t catch what he had said first time around there was no chance of him backtracking. It was always the individual’s fault for not paying attention, according to Big Jock. So, we were normally a fairly hushed group of players when the magnetic board was produced.’

Jim Craig admitted, ‘I had an inquisitive mind and I would ask questions. This was something that was new to Big Jock and something he didn’t embrace with any enthusiasm. I was the guy who would query this, that and the next thing while most of my colleagues bit their tongues and kept quiet. He would point to the tactics board and go through a lengthy routine. Some of us took it in and others didn’t. How could you tell Jimmy Johnstone how to play?

‘I would ask a few questions, make a point or two and Big Jock, plainly, didn’t welcome such intrusions. He was a meticulous planner and would go through our line-up and tell us exactly what he expected us to do. I thought it was only right and proper that I should ask a question or two just to clear up any possible misunderstanding. If Plan A wasn’t working, what was Plan B? Jock didn’t like that. He was a big fan of the master/servant relationship and, naturally, I didn’t agree with that mode of thinking. So, when you queried something, Jock would wave you away with that big left hand of his. “Oh, just do as you’re told,” he would say. Okay, he was the manager, but that didn’t mean I had to touch my forelock every time I spoke to him.’

Tommy Gemmell said, ‘As I’ve mentioned countless times, Big Jock was scrupulous in his preparations. When he got the tactics board out we knew we would have to sit through half-an-hour or so of instructions as he moved the little magnetic dots around. He simplified everything for us as usual, and, as you would expect, he had done his homework on our opponents. Their biggest name was their player/coach Laszlo Kubala, who had been a player for Barcelona at the height of his ability. However, to be honest, the Hungarian was now forty-one years old and his best days were in the past. We knew, though, they had had six players in the Switzerland squad for the World Cup Finals in England that summer and, as champions of their country, they would be no mugs.

‘So, by the time the kick-off came around to our first leg in Glasgow we were fairly well primed as to what to expect from our first opponents in Europe’s blue riband competition. Or so we thought. What Big Jock hadn’t legislated for were the Swiss being a team of cloggers. They set out to kick us off the park that night and Wee Jinky, in particular, got some heavy treatment. To be honest, we didn’t see it coming and Jock hadn’t anticipated it, either. There were some nations that would produce so-called nasty pieces of work, players and teams who concentrated on the physical side of the game. No-one predicted FC Zurich from Switzerland being one of those teams.’

Kubala, a clever and astute forward who scored 194 goals in 256 appearances for Barcelona between 1951 and 1961, had transformed the Swiss team after taking over earlier in the year. They were quite brutal in their treatment of opposing players which was in direct contrast to the way Kubala performed as a footballer. Danish referee Frede Hansen allowed a lot of challenges to go unpunished and there can be little doubt the Celtic players were knocked out of their stride by the unexpected approach by the Swiss.

The wiles and promptings of Bobby Murdoch and Bertie Auld in the middle of the park were being suffocated, Joe McBride and Stevie Chalmers were getting little joy in the centre of the attack against a defence that employed a sweeper, still a relatively new ploy outside Italy at the time, and Jimmy Johnstone and John Hughes were making no progress on the flanks against tenacious full-backs who stuck to their task with grim ferocity. As the contest unfolded, the 47,604 audience realised competing in the upper echelons of European football was a lot different from performing in the domestic game. It may have been even worse because Ronnie Simpson had been forced into action to produce a stunning stop shortly after kick-off.

In his 1967 memoirs, ‘Sure it’s A Grand Old Team To Play For’, the keeper recalled, ‘I had probably my best save of the entire European Cup competition in the early minutes. Zurich’s Italian inside-forward Rosario Martinelli came through fast and hit a shot at goal which swerved in flight. I had to change direction as I went for the ball and was fortunate to get one hand to it to save the troublesome effort.’

It was still goalless after the hour mark and the crowd was beginning to get more than just a little bit anxious. The Swiss players swarmed around the pitch as they nullified the threats of the opponents who had been clearly pinpointed by their player/coach Kubala, sitting only yards away from Stein on the trackside. Someone, though, must have overlooked the pulverising power Tommy Gemmell possessed in both feet, mainly his right. The clock ticked towards the sixty-fourth minute when John Clark, tidy and efficient as ever, halted a rare Swiss attacking foray and knocked a neat ball out to Gemmell, playing at right-back that evening with Willie O’Neil on the left.

The defender with the cavalier attitude, a few yards inside enemy territory, nodded the ball forward and must have been surprised – and delighted – there wasn’t a posse of opponents immediately surrounding him as he moved into attack. The Zurich defenders made their biggest mistake of the evening and backed off as Gemmell continued his surge forward. Celtic fans, with a reasonable certainty of what was about to transpire next, held their collective breath in anticipation. The adventurous Celt took a swift look up, got his eye-to-ball co-ordination absolutely spot on, and swung his mighty right boot at the spherical object that simply took off from twenty-five yards and blazed its way into the keeper’s top left hand corner of the net. Steffen Iten hardly moved a muscle as the missile zeroed in on its target.

Celtic Park bounced with the combination of joy and relief as the fans welcomed their team’s first-ever goal in Europe’s top-flight competition and, a mere five minutes later, they were hugging each other again as Joe McBride doubled the advantage. Clark, once more with his uncanny anticipation, broke up a Swiss raid and rolled a short ball to Gemmell who knocked it inside to McBride. The striker, who had been shackled up until that point, sensed danger. He played a swift one-two with Auld, who wrong-footed the Swiss defenders with a snappy back-heel to his team-mate. McBride, from the edge of the eighteen-yard box, whacked the ball and it took the merest of touches off a lunging defender as it swept beyond the bewildered Iten. Cue pandemonium in Paradise.

The game ended in a controversial note, though, when it looked as though McBride had claimed a third goal. Certainly there was nothing wrong in the manner in which he scored and there was no question of him being offside. However, referee Hansen signalled the game was over and thousands of puzzled supporters emptied out of Celtic Park wondering if their favourites had won 2-0 or 3-0. It transpired the over-fussy match official had blown his whistle just as the ball had been crossing the line. The Swiss, with their obsession for precision timing, would no doubt have applauded the intervention of the punctilious Dane.

The FC Zurich players left Glasgow the following morning naturally grateful their task at overturning the deficit at their Letzigrund Stadium the following Wednesday had been rendered a lot less difficult by a highly dubious decision by the referee. It was only a matter of time before they would become Celtic’s first European Cup victims on the Glasgow club’s invigorating march towards history.

TOMORROW: OCTOBER – ON THE VERGE OF SOMETHING SPECIAL

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Football is like opium, the addictive analgesic, taken by football fans around the world – the evidence abounds in every stadium environment and around television sets screening live matches. Now, you can also watch a tension-soaked match on your tablet or smartphone, as long as it is internet enabled and the appropriate apps are downloaded, many thanks to rapidly growing technologies! Nigerians are very passionate about football and the English Premier League (EPL) and other leagues in Europe have driven this passion to an all-time high. For those who do not know, I’m an Arsenal FC fan – a Gunner for life!

The excitement is usually palpable – chants of ahhs and oohs rent the air arising from additional surge of adrenaline; energetic victory songs and gloomy faces of defeat tell the inevitable stories after 90 mins. Sometimes, a team can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as in the cases of Liverpool versus Barcelona and Ajax versus Tottenham – two nerve wrecking semi-final Champions League matches that produced miraculous comeback victories by Liverpool and Tottenham that set the stage for an all-England clubs final in Madrid, Spain recently. Liverpool won the game 2 - 0 with Mohammed Salah scoring the first goal from the spot in less than two minutes and Divock Origi scoring the second goal three minutes from full time.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to participate at the next Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to hold from June 21 to July 19, 2019 in Egypt, with their group matches holding in Alexandria. Having missed the last two tournaments hosted by Equatorial Guinea in 2015 and Gabon in 2017, what are the chances of the Super Eagles now that the competition has been expanded into a 24-team format? The fighting spirit displayed by Liverpool and Tottenham is what the Super Eagles need to become relevant again in African football. Nigeria has won the Nations Cup three times – in 1980 when we hosted the competition; in 1994 in Tunisia and 2013 in South Africa.

I was right inside the FNB Stadium six years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, when the Super Eagles guided by the late “Skippo” Stephen Okechukwu Keshi – may God Almighty preserve his soul -- lifted the Nations Cup trophy as champions of Africa beating Burkina Faso by a lone goal in an epic encounter on February 10, 2013 when the tournament featured 16 countries.

Since 1957, Egypt has dominated African football by winning the Nations Cup a record seven times but the remarkable back to back wins in 2006, 2008 and 2010 stands the Pharaohs out as the Kings of African football. Cameroon and Ghana, on the other hand, have won the Nations Cup four times each and the continental rivalry between these three counties has become legendary. 

It is being speculated that Egypt is ‘hosting to win’ again – that’s what they did in 1959, 1986 and 2006. This should be a source of concern to the other teams including Nigeria, merely looking at the historical records. Expectedly, Mohammed Salah, the confident striker and EPL highest goal scorer last season -- an honour he shared with team mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang -- will lead the attack for Egypt.

In trying to assess the chances of the Super Eagles and understand how our national team can overcome the formidable challenge posed by Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana, I called Bode Oguntuyi, a sports reporter of note and long standing colleague, to share his views on the matter. Bode told me the Eagles will not be disgraced at the tournament but they have to work very hard.

Nigeria will play alongside Burundi, Guinea and Madagascar in Group B at the tournament in Alexandria. This is a group Nigeria should win without breaking too much sweat, with the toughest opposition likely to come from Guinea. 

Recent statistics suggest that the Eagles should not under rate the Guineans. The two countries were in the same qualifying group for the 2012 Nations Cup, and the Syli Stars prevented the Eagles from taking their place at the main event following a harrowing 2-2 draw in Abuja after the Guineans had won the first leg 1-0 at home.

Then, at the 2016 Africa Nations Championships, Guinea handed the home based Eagles another 1-0 defeat in the last group game to move into the quarter-finals while Nigeria headed home. For the Eagles to remain super and qualify from their group in Alexandria, Coach Gernot Rhor and his players should beware of the Guineans because, apart from Egypt further down the road, the Syli Stars will be out to stop them again.

Going by their current form, Bode expects the Eagles to qualify from their group but where they finish on the table may determine how far they go in the tournament. "If the Eagles take care of business and finish top of the group, they will be handed the relatively easy draw of playing the team that has the best third place finish in any of Groups A, C or D. But if they finish in second place, they will have to square off against the second placed team in Group F which has Ghana and Cameroon," says Bode.

I’m sure the Eagles would like to avoid a confrontation with Ghana and Cameroon so early in the tournament, a very good hint for Gernot Rhor. The competition gets tougher from that point on, since the chaff of the tournament would have been burnt off and only the teams with a real chance of winning the trophy would be left. By the time we add Guinea and Egypt into the mix, the Eagles and the coaching crew should know from Day One who their tough opponents would be and assess their chances critically. 

Michael Porter, the world-renowned professor of strategy, says the strategy is all about winning by gaining competitive advantage. For example, having an influential midfielder or a top striker or a goalkeeper with a safe pair of hands could be a good advantage. Mikel Obi was an influential midfield supremo at the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, and I expect him to lead by example again in Egypt, especially now that he is the team captain.

Realistically, it should be considered a successful tournament for the Eagles should they make it to the semi-finals. After that, any other achievement is a bonus. The reason for this is simple: despite the impressive results of both the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Nations Cup qualifiers during which they won their tickets with a game to spare, the team is still in transition. But because they are the Super Eagles of Nigeria, you underrate them at your peril. In fact, former international and ‘Prince of Monaco’, Victor Ikpeba, believes the Super Eagles will get to the semi-finals. “The team will do well having missed the last two tournaments,” says Ikpeba confidently. “Although we shall miss Victor Moses in the Eagles line-up, Odion Ighalo and Ahmed Musa will lead the attack and they will be supported by Alex Iwobi and Mikel Obi,” Ikpeba further assures Nigerians. 

*Braimah is a public relations and marketing strategist based in Lagos

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Ehi Braimah Disable advertisements :  from All Content http://bit.ly/2HRAbzm