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Post by Carl LaFong on Jun 10, 2018 13:02:30 GMT
Striker Victor Moses' parents were both killed in religious riots when he was just 11. He still carried on playing street football, though. "No boots, just in your bare feet, a little ball got chucked in and we started playing.”
That reads like he was playing football when someone told him his parents had been murdered and he kept on playing!
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 10, 2018 13:07:47 GMT
Striker Victor Moses' parents were both killed in religious riots when he was just 11. He still carried on playing street football, though. "No boots, just in your bare feet, a little ball got chucked in and we started playing.”
That reads like he was playing football when someone told him his parents had been murdered and he kept on playing! Shouldn't laugh, but aye you're quite right. I put it wrong. How about, after his parents were killed he was even more determined to pursue his football dream and continued to participate in street football, before eventually seeking asylum in the UK and forging a new life in south London.
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Post by Carl LaFong on Jun 10, 2018 13:08:27 GMT
That reads like he was playing football when someone told him his parents had been murdered and he kept on playing! Shouldn't laugh, but aye you're quite right. I put it wrong. How about, after his parents were killed he was even more determined to pursue his football dream and continued to participate in street football, before eventually seeking asylum in the UK and forging a new life in south London.LOL. Splendid edit!
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 10, 2018 13:59:02 GMT
Colombia keeper David Ospina's younger sister Daniela is a former professional volleyball player, star of Colombia’s Strictly Come Dancing, and, awkwardly for David, the former wife of his team-mate James Rodríguez.
Fellow keeper Camilo Vargas joined Independiente Santa Fe in 2009, who, according to his mother-in-law Sandra, “had fallen under a curse of witchcraft and bad things”. Invited to training, she washed players’ feet while begging them to listen to God’s warning and to open their heart to Jesus. Three months later Santa Fe were crowned Colombian champions for the first time in 37 years.
Defender Santiago Arias was 17 when his father, Raul, was approached by armed robbers outside a school, and was killed while shielding children from the bullets. “It was so hard. But I am where I am thanks to him, and I know that wherever he is now, my dad is still taking care of me.”
Barcelona's 6ft 5in tall defender Yerry Mina's feet were so big that Adidas made special boots for him. He started out as a keeper, put in goal due to his size, but had a stinker on his debut. “He conceded five really stupid goals so we had to sub him off,” said his first manager.
Spurs defender Davinson Sánchez was first spotted as a lad by the now Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio, playing football in a field in Cali, Colombia. Osorio duly signed up the 17 year old for Atlético Nacional.
As a youth growing up in the blistering heat of Cartagena, midfielder Wilmar Barrios paid for his bus fares to and from training by selling ice he'd wrapped in plastic bags to people on the street. "I'd earn 100 pesos (2p) for every bag I sold," he says.
Midfielder James Rodríguez reacted to Colombia securing qualification by bawling on live TV: “We’re back at the World Cup you son of a bitch!” to an entire nation. In May he launched his own cryptocurrency, JR10.
Midfielder José Izquierdo is a part-time DJ and he’s also responsible for picking the tunes in the Brighton changing rooms. “I like to play Neil Diamond,” he boldly admits.
Striker Juan Cuadrado was just four when he crawled out from under his bed to find his mother drowning in tears and his father shot dead - a victim probably of a right-wing death squad.
In 2014 striker Radamel Falcao starred in a viral video after meeting a 13-year-old fan who was so overwhelmed that he burst into tears. When the boy then blessed the striker’s injured knee, telling him: “This is the leg that God is going to strengthen”, Falcao burst into tears too....awwww.
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Post by Pangolin on Jun 10, 2018 14:15:44 GMT
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 10, 2018 14:25:45 GMT
Well spotted there. The resemblance to Ammit and Sobek (who I admit I'd never heard of) is definitely there
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 10, 2018 14:58:42 GMT
Senegal defender Saliou Ciss possibly holds the record for taking the most amount of time to leave the pitch after being red carded. Fighting his Valenciennes team mates he was finally dragged kicking and screaming off the field. Ciss tantrum
Earlier this year Liverpool striker Sadio Mané committed around £200,000 to fund the construction of a high-school in his home village of Bambaly, which is located in a remote and underprivileged part of south Senegal.
Striker Mbaye Niang was born in France and rejected early approaches by the Senegal national team. In 2017 he was approached again and this time said yes. His selection was criticised by some Senegalese media who doubted the depth of his allegiance. Senegal coach Aliou Cisse sought to quash that talk by saying : “Mbaye Niang’s name is Mbaye Niang, not Dupont. He is Senegalese.”
Seven years ago striker Keita Baldé got sent out on loan aged 15 from Barcelona's youth academy as a punishment for putting ice cubes in a teammate's bed. When Barca called him back he refused, instead signing up for Lazio. One to watch, in my eyes, this fellow.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 12, 2018 13:33:10 GMT
Serbia keeper Vladimir Stojkovic's quirky trademark is kissing the ball after every save he makes. As a Red Star Belgrade graduate he once said of bitter rivals Partizan Belgrade : “I wouldn’t join Partizan for all the money in this world. When you hate something it’s really that simple.” His current club? Partizan Belgrade.
Defender Dusko Tosic is married to one of Serbia’s biggest pop stars, Jelena Karleusa :
Ex Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has denied that he is sharpening his teeth for a potential encounter with Uruguay after being bitten by Louis Suarez in a previous encounter.
Ex Chelsea midfielder Matic doesn't boast about it but in his home village of Vrelo he is known and loved for paying poor people’s bills in grocery stores, covering their gambling debts or paying their electricity bills.
Striker Aleksandar Prijovic bears a tattoo of Dušan the Mighty, the King of Serbia from 1331.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 12, 2018 13:46:50 GMT
Tunisia defender Yohan Benalouane regularly posts self-portraits on Twatter. This isn't one of them, painted instead by one Jay Connolly - no doubt a James Bond/Benalouane fan and hopefully nothing more sinister :
Midfielder Naïm Sliti says Tunisia's realistic expectations are to reach the quarter-finals.
Striker Anice Badri is equally optimistic. “England and Belgium don’t scare me,” he said before arriving in Russia. “We’re convinced we can get out of our group.”
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Post by Carl LaFong on Jun 12, 2018 13:48:28 GMT
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 12, 2018 14:05:11 GMT
England keeper Jack Butland owns a golden cocker spaniel called Ralph.
Fellow keeper Nick Pope used to be a milkman.
Defender Kyle Walker is bursting with expectation : he said in April "It’ll take a miracle for England to win the tournament. We need to be realistic. England haven’t won a knockout game for God knows how many years.”
Defender Harry Maguire travelled to Euro 16 as a fan, watching England’s Slovakia stalemate in St Etienne. “It was good insight to see how passionate the fans are and how much it does mean to them.”
Midfielder Eric Dier's grandfather is the late Ted Croker, a former secretary of the Football Association.
Midfielder Jordan Henderson enjoys acting in Nivea TV commercials in his spare time.
Midfielder Deli Alli has recently launched his new fashion range, “BoohooMan by Dele”. He also dives a lot.
Striker Harry Kane owns two dogs, Wilson and Brady (named after the NFL players Russell and Tom)
Striker Jamie Vardy on his matchday menu : “Three Red Bulls, a double espresso and a cheese-and-ham omelette. That’s what makes me run around like a nutjob.”
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2018 14:09:48 GMT
Striker Jamie Vardy on his matchday menu : “Three Red Bulls, a double espresso and a cheese-and-ham omelette. That’s what makes me run around like a nutjob.”
Desperate to get to the khazi before sharting himsen if that's his diet I expect.
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Post by sdm3 on Jun 12, 2018 14:12:53 GMT
Defender Kyle Walker is bursting with expectation : he said in April "It’ll take a miracle for England to win the tournament. We need to be realistic. England haven’t won a knockout game for God knows how many years.”
12 years? Not that long.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 12, 2018 14:22:07 GMT
Portugal defender José Fonte is another player who has moved to the Chinese Super League. He signed up for Dalian Yifang in February, and was on the wrong end of an 8-0 thrashing in his first game.
Defender Rúben Dias is nicknamed 'The Bodyguard' by his team mates.
Midfielder João Moutinho stepped aside for the Euro 16 penalty shoot-out versus Poland, still affected by his penalty miss in the previous Euros against Spain. But then his captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, said: “Hey! Hey! Come kick it! You do it well. If we lose, then fuck it! Be strong!” Moutinho potted the penalty and Portugal went on to win the trophy of course.
When striker Gonçalo Guedes signed for PSG he celebrated by taking his family and friends out to a fine restaurant. When he saw some photographers outside the restaurant, he sent them out some ice-cream: on the face of it a very decent gesture...although it was mid-January.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 12, 2018 14:46:27 GMT
Iran midfielder Masoud Shojaei international football ban (for playing against Israli side Maccabi Tel Aviv) was lifted for this tournament. "I thank God I can wear the uniform of the national team like a soldier again," he says.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Ashkan Dejagah opened a sushi bar in Berlin earlier this year. It's where he used to live while playing for Hertha.
Midfielder Reza Ghoochannejad's sister-in-law is the much-respected actress Sareh Bayet, who won many awards from around the world for her 2011 performance in A Separation :
Watch out for striker Sardar Azmoun (32 caps, 23 goals) They dub him the Iranian Messi.
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Post by Pangolin on Jun 13, 2018 9:02:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2018 9:09:15 GMT
Will anybody fall over more times than Deli Alli in the tourney🤔 I think the lad has an inner ear problem.
If anyone can outdive him, Danny Welbeck can👍
How many career ending injuries will cheating bastard Sergio Ramos get away with🤔
How many games in before VAR becomes a complete nightmare annoying the piss out of everyone🤔
Will Marouane Fellaini have the biggest and best footballers hair at the tourney🤔 He's got a ways to go before he catches up Carlos Valderrama. There's usually a surprise shit hair cut or two unveiled at the World Cup.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 13, 2018 11:32:33 GMT
Spain defender Gerard Piqué is regularly booed and whistled at games due to his beliefs on Catalonia (his birthplace) and Spain. It doesn't always bother him, though. “Bro, they didn’t whistle at me today, did they?”, he once asked Marc Bartra at half-time of a Spain match. “Are you kidding?”, replied the centre-back, not believing the question was serious. “It was horrible, super intense.”
Chelsea defender César Azpilicueta can play left-back, right-back or in central defence.
Defender Sergio Ramos is a rap artist and released his first track 'SR4' in May. He can also be a dirty bastard on the field.
Recently wed midfielder Jorge Resurrección has an understanding new wife Beatriz Espejel, his childhood sweetheart. “My honeymoon will have to wait,” she said. “But I will enjoy the World Cup, too.” Awwww...
As a young lad, midfielder Marco Asensio had a poster of Zidane on his bedroom wall.
Midfielder Francisco Alarcón grabbed the headlines in July 2011 when Málaga paid Valencia €6m for a 19-year old who had played a mere 75 minutes in La Liga.
Ex Chelsea striker Diego Costa got the call ahead of current Chelsea layabout Alvero Morata. “Morata deserved to be here," coach/ex-coach Lopetegui said, “but it’s not easy to draw up a list of 23. And Diego brings a lot of competitiveness." You can say that again.
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Post by staggerstag on Jun 13, 2018 12:00:47 GMT
Poland keeper Bartosz Bialkowski or "Bart" is much loved at Ipswich Town. He was fans' Player of the Season for three years running.
Defender Michal Pazdan is nicknamed 'Pirhana', so watch out for this one.
Defender Thiago Cionek was born in Brazil but is eligible to play for Poland thanks to his great grandparents, who moved to South America in 1900. He came to Poland in 2008.
Defender Bartosz Bereszynski started life as a striker and is now a left-back.
Defender Lukasz Piszczek started life as a striker and is now a full-back.
Midfielder Jacek Goralski admits that if it hadn't have been for football he would most likely have gone into crime. “Many of my friends sit in prison, and one died in France."
Midfielder Kamil Grosicki, along with Robert Lewandowski, has potted over 50% of the goals in the national team under the current coach.
As a child, midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski witnessed his father stab his mother to death.
Midfielder Slawomir Peszko was dropped from the Euro 2012 squad following a drunken fracas with a taxi driver, despite being defended by Robert Lewandowski, who said: “I know what taxi drivers can be like in Germany. This one seems to have wanted to show he was the boss. My family have had trouble during taxi rides too."
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Post by Pangolin on Jun 13, 2018 14:20:18 GMT
Messi lookalike arrested
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