#Bundesliga's gold club

[las-furias]

#tres #son 3 #las furias #fulbo #Bayer Leverkusen #Bundesliga's gold club #Robert Andrich #Amine Adli #Exequiel Palacios

[katelynnwrites]

One Single Thread Of Gold (Tied Me To You) | Laura Freigang x Sydney Lohmann

warnings: not proof read oopsie

word count: 4151

summary: the invisible string theory is the idea that those who are destined to meet will meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. sydney and laura are two such people.

a/n: no i don't ship them together in real life, i just wanted to write this <3

Contrary to what most people think, Laura and Sydney have not known each other for that long.

Really, they’d only met in 2019.

Sydney had been trying to lock down her position on the senior team for a year when Laura got called up for the first time.

Of course, they had both heard about each other before that.

Laura had heard all about the younger midfielder who’s already becoming known as somewhat of a generational talent and the Bayern Munich player had heard all about the striker who is working her way up the Frauen Bundesliga’s top scorers list.

Like the sun orbiting the Earth, the Eintracht Frankfurt player and Sydney have been orbiting each other.

The two year age difference had kept them from meeting while on the youth teams, with Laura always being one age group ahead.

As fate would have it, one of them had always been out injured with one thing or another when their clubs played each other.

So it’s with nothing but knowledge of each other’s reputations that they meet.

And right away Sydney is sure that Laura is and will forever be the prettiest girl she has ever seen.

There was just something about her nervous energy and shy demeanor that pulled Syd in.

She was standing hesitantly to the side of the group, not really knowing anyone and not really being brave enough to approach just yet.

Ever the social butterfly, Syd separates from her Bayern teammates and walks up to Laura right away.

‘Hallo’ She greets.

The forward jumps slightly, having been startled by Sydney’s sudden presence.

‘Sorry h-hi. Hello.’ Laura stammers.

She holds out her hand and the midfielder grins, sticking out her own hand to shake Laura’s.

Laura who gets so lost in the Bayern player’s hazel eyes and brilliant smile that she doesn’t let go of Sydney’s hand.

It takes her at least a full minute to realise her mistake and when she does, she hurriedly drops Syd’s hand.

‘Fuck I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I thought about giving you a hug but I didn’t want to seem too forward and so I decided on a handshake but I think that’s too German of me? Doesn’t matter though, I made it awkward and now you must think I’m the weirdest person ever.’ Laura rambles, her cheeks rapidly growing redder and redder.

Sydney laughs, a bright melodic sound.

‘Not at all but we can start over if you’d like?’

‘T-That would be nice.’

The midfielder giggles again, ‘Hi I’m Syd and it’s really nice to meet you.’

‘Hey I’m Laura. It’s lovely to meet you too.’ The older player softly says.

A smile tugs on her lips and then Sydney unexpectedly pulls Laura into a tight hug, whispering in her ear, ‘And it’s not too much to hug.’

As the Eintracht Frankfurt player melts into the taller woman’s embrace, she notes that Sydney smells like a smell she had long forgotten existed.

She can’t even describe what the smell is like, all she knows is that at some point in her childhood she had smelt it and remembered feeling safe.

One could say that Sydney smells kinda like home to her.

******

The younger blonde doesn’t know what it is about striker but she just clicks with her.

They get along so well that after their first few camps together, anyone would think they have known each other for a lifetime.

Syd is aware that she’s been smitten with Laura from the very first moment they met.

She’s accepted that.

What she is finding completely out of her depth is the way the Eintracht Frankfurt player pays attention to her.

Laura is always watching, always listening and she catalogues her knowledge of Sydney like it’s her favourite thing to do.

She remembers the Munich native’s coffee order, her habits and what comforts her.

The striker focuses particularly on what makes Sydney happy.

Favourite flower, favourite books, favourite type of food. Laura knows it all.

And when Sydney questions it, the older woman simply replies, ‘Isn’t that what friends do?’

She says it so confidently and so easily that the blonde midfielder believes it.

She lets herself believe it for a long time.

Days turn into weeks, then months and eventually years.

Time is a curious thing. It gave no compasses and no signs as to when things would change between Sydney and Laura.

It is really not till the Euros in England that Sydney picks up on a clue that Laura may view her as more than just a friend.

Losing the final to the Lionesses is a hard blow but their team is determined to celebrate their own success.

So they throw a party in their hotel and the younger blonde is entirely surprised when the striker turns up in her jersey.

She’d not thought much of it when Laura had asked for one of her jerseys, simply thinking that the Eintracht Frankfurt player wanted it for her collection. She knows that Laura likes to swap jerseys.

But for all of their teammates and family members to be dressed up nicely and the forward to be aware of the fact and still make the decision to rep her name?

Well Sydney is starstruck by it.

She cannot stop looking at Laura who is dancing and bopping around to the loud music. She’s the life of the party.

She might have been shy when they initially met but now that she’s comfortable around the team, her outgoing personality is really shining through.

Some part she didn’t know existed inside of her loves her last name on the former Penn State player’s back.

Laura had paired the home jersey with light washed jeans and done her hair up in a messy bun. The midfielder appreciates the sliver of exposed skin on the taller woman’s stomach, courtesy of the way she has the top tucked up.

Her Olympus film camera is on its lanyard around her body.

That film camera had gone everywhere with the forward during their Euros journey and as Sydney continues being mesmerised by Laura, she comes to the startling realisation that she has been the main subject of Laura’s viewfinder.

She’d not thought about it before but now, she can’t help but think about every instance where Laura had taken a photo of her.

Casual photos of her in her street clothes, candid ones of her after games and simple ones where it was just her being herself in their hotel room.

Were there other clues that she didn’t see? And if so, how many?

Still, Laura doesn’t say anything or make a move so neither does Sydney. Even if Laura’s smile gives her butterflies and lights up her day.

******

The slightly older of the pair thinks time is mystical.

She’s known Sydney for four years now and it seems like no time has passed.

The time they spend at camp, joined at the hip just like they were at eighteen and twenty still never feels like enough.

They make the most of it but leaving back to their respective clubs have always been hard.

Laura misses Sydney like she’s missing some part of herself when they are apart. She can pinpoint the exact moment in time that she thinks the Bayern Munich player might feel the same way.

It’s not long after things have begun to go back to normal after Covid when Sydney takes full advantage and shows up to one of Laura’s games in Frankfurt.

The older blonde will never forget how warm her heart had felt when she spotted the midfielder in the crowd, just before halftime.

Sydney had shot her a wide grin as she noticed and Laura had played the rest of the match with a unique lightness.

She’d also gone all out to impress, scoring two more goals in the second half to complete her hattrick.

‘For you.’ The striker had murmured as she presented the match ball to Sydney.

Sydney who blushes a light pink and accepts it, before pointing out that it’s not yet signed.

Laura giggles before finding a Sharpie and signing it.

Then after a brief moment of consideration, she adds a heart.

The midfielder carefully brushes her finger over it, a soft smile growing on her face.

She tucks the ball under her arm protectively, ‘Thank you Lau. You played amazingly today.’

Now it’s Laura’s turn to have her cheeks flush.

’Did my best to put on a show cause I had a special someone watching today. Speaking of said someone, what are you doing here?’

Sydney laughs, tucking a few strands of loose hair behind her ear.

‘I had a couple days off and I thought I would surprise you. Seeing you at camp just isn’t enough.’

Laura swallows the rising emotion in her throat.

‘I missed you too.’

******

Sydney and Laura dance around their feelings for years.

After the Euros, they are both somewhat aware that the feelings they individually harbour are reciprocated.

But it is not till their Morocco trip, more than a year later that things actually change.

They’ve been shifting a bit with the two growing even closer than before in the lead up to the World Cup.

Germany is not doing too well and the anxiety, pressure and stress that builds draw them together, more than ever before.

They even lose their things in the airport together, Sydney her phone and headphones, Laura her passport for the ten most stressful minutes of her life.

They’re made for each other and yet they choose to mutually pine after one other.

When the younger German woman gets injured in the last training session before their first match of the tournament, Laura worries herself sick.

She’s physically ill with nerves and throws up as she waits for the Bayern Munich midfielder to get back from her MRI scan.

The striker couldn’t accompany Sydney to her scans because she had to finish up the training session with the rest of the team, so she is left to anxiously pace her and Lina’s shared apartment.

She keeps her phone close but as hard as she’s willing it to happen, does not receive any messages or calls from the younger blonde.

Laura is fearing that she might vomit again when there’s a knock on her door.

She flies to open it and nearly pulls Sydney into her arms when she sees her standing there.

The Eintracht Frankfurt player only doesn’t because of Sydney’s heavily bandaged knee and gently places her arms around the taller woman instead.

‘Just a slight sprain. Martina isn’t sending me home so I'll be available for selection after the first game.’ Sydney murmurs.

‘Syd…’ She sighs in relief.

‘I was so scared.’ The midfielder confesses shakily.

‘Me too. Me too.’

Laura holds Sydney closer and firmer, the two of them simply standing in the doorway for a long moment.

******

The way their World Cup run ends devastates them both but the midfielder more so.

Her sobs echo long into the night, Laura’s arms tightly wrapped around her waist, providing some semblance of comfort.

She cries and cries, the forward doing everything she can to assure Sydney that she did not let anyone down.

‘You were not selfish. You are not selfish. You had the courage to fail and that makes you the bravest person I know.’ Laura promises.

The shorter blonde tries to make her see that her two solo attempts on goal, in her only forty three minutes of World Cup playing time is an impressive feat. One that she should be proud of, given the pressure she had been under.

Sydney’s body shakes with the force of her emotions but she manages to turn her face into the side of Laura’s neck, burying it there.

The Eintracht Frankfurt player feels the drops of salty tears against her skin and eventually in the material of her shirt as they soak through.

Her own tears drip down the sides of her face and onto the pillow but she’s got the younger German woman in her arms so she is sure she is going to be alright. She puts her faith in the Bayern midfielder.

The woman in question is completely shattered but she knows that she will be okay because Laura’s got her.

Laura has never let her down before and Sydney has no reason to doubt her now.

******

It’s shortly after Christmas when Sydney finds out that Laura has a girlfriend.

Well she sorta finds out from social media.

She’s hanging out with a few of her club teammates at a dive bar and aimlessly scrolling through Twitter as she waits for Lina to come back with the drinks.

She doesn’t usually spend much of her time on social media but every now and then she does look through the various platforms.

A particular post catches her eye, her stomach dropping when she sees that it’s speculation on Laura’s love life.

The hazel eyed woman knows that fans can sometimes get carried away but when she clicks on the post, she realises it’s part of a thread.

The more she looks at the sequence of posts, the more uncertain she feels.

Laura would tell her if she were seeing someone right?

Sydney feels like her world is tilting off balance.

The striker means so much more to her then she lets on and now she can’t help but regret that decision.

She’s too late. The Eintracht Frankfurt player has moved on.

A weak exhale leaves her and she takes several deep breaths rapidly in a desperate attempt to steady herself.

It must not be working because there’s a hand on her shoulder, tapping her frantically.

‘W-What?’ She chokes out.

‘Sydney are you okay?’

‘Yeah why wouldn’t I be?’

Her voice sounds flat even to her own ears and Giulia clearly doesn’t buy it.

‘Syd are you sure? You look really pale.’

The midfielder does her best to feign coughing and stands up, saying, ‘I’m sorry but I actually think I’m coming down with something. I’ll take a rain check for our night out okay?’

‘Sure, feel better soon Syd. Do you want one of us to drop you home?’

Giulia, Lea and Maxi all offer to but Sydney shakes her head.

‘I’m okay to get home on my own. It’s not far anyway.’

‘Send me a text when you get home so that I know you are safe.’ Lea calls out as the German midfielder begins to leave.

Sydney gives a half hearted wave and quickly makes her way to her car.

As soon as she’s in the vehicle, she begins to cry.

She should have said something earlier, should have told Laura even a fraction of what she feels for her.

A fraction would have been better than nothing at all.

She thought she and Laura had been growing closer and she’s been working up the courage to say something for a while.

She should have worked faster because the older blonde has obviously gotten tired of waiting. She just thought that Laura was content with the way things were between them.

The forward never said anything so Sydney never thought otherwise.

Maybe she should have.

It’s perfectly bad timing on the former Penn State player’s part to call then.

The younger of the pair hesitates, staring at the ringing phone in her hand.

Laura’s contact is a familiar one and Sydney vividly remembers taking the photo for it.

She had sneakily snapped it with the shorter blonde’s own camera while she had been sleeping on the long plane ride to Australia.

Her hair is adorably mussed up in it and if one squinted, they can see drool in the corner of Laura’s open mouth.

Waru is featured too, the knitted koala having been loosely tucked into the striker’s arms as she slept.

The Bayern midfielder had never told Laura that she had been the one to take the photo but the older woman had known immediately.

She’d sent the photo, along with a rolled eyes emoji to Sydney as soon as she received the developed film photos back.

Sydney has never hesitated when it comes to the forward, except when it came to sharing her feelings for her.

Now as her finger hovers over the accept call button, she is terribly afraid that she is going to be responsible for her own heartbreak.

Biting her lip hard, she swipes to pick up the call.

‘Hey Syd!’ Laura excitedly greets.

‘Hi.’ The hazel eyed woman softly answers.

She tilts her head upwards, trying to keep a fresh wave of tears from falling.

‘Sydney? What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing. I’m okay Laura.’

There’s a brief moment of silence on the other end and then the striker gently says, ‘Syd you don’t sound okay…you sound like you’ve been crying…’

‘Haven’t been.’ Sydney tries to insist.

‘Sydney whatever it is, you can tell me. I’m here for you no matter what.’

Laura’s tone is earnest and the younger blonde can no longer choke down the lump in her throat.

Gripping her phone tightly, she covers her mouth in a failed effort to stifle the broken sob that escapes.

‘Sydney? Syd please, what's wrong?’ The Eintracht Frankfurt player begs.

The midfielder doesn’t know it but Laura is pacing her apartment, close to tears herself because of how helpless she feels.

Sydney sounds so sad and in pain and she can’t help her because she doesn’t know why.

In her car, the Munich native lets out a trembling whimper.

‘Why didn’t you tell me you have a girlfriend?’

Her sentence is filled with a hurt so raw that Laura feels it all the way over in her different city.

‘I-I’m happy for you but I just…I just-’

The midfielder can’t continue, too focused on trying to breathe through her tears.

‘Syd I don’t have a girlfriend. Where did you hear that?’

At her words, Sydney feels her heart ease.

It’s like the tight band constricting it disappears. All of a sudden, her heart is beating properly again.

‘Y-You don’t?’ The hazel eyed woman tentatively stammers.

‘I don’t.’ Laura confirms.

‘I’m sorry. I saw a post on Twitter and I clicked on it and then it was a whole thread and I couldn’t stop looking at it. I’m sorry I lost my mind a little. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ Sydney rambles.

‘Syd it’s okay. Really it’s okay. Social media can get to you sometimes.’ The striker reassures her.

Sydney lets out a relieved breath and whispers a small, ‘I’m sorry. I’m okay now I promise.’

It’s quiet on Laura’s end for a moment before she softly says, ‘Hey Syd? You never have to worry about me getting a girlfriend because you would be the first one to know if I did. I only have eyes for one person.’

’You do?’

If the midfielder’s voice was barely audible before, it’s tiny now.

‘Yeah.’

Laura’s own voice is minute too but she has never meant anything more.

******

It’s a week later at New Year’s that Sydney and Laura reunite.

The hazel eyed woman doesn’t say a word, simply walking into Laura’s arms as she stands waiting by the check in counter.

She fits perfectly into them, tucking her face into the side of the shorter blonde’s neck.

Her arms instinctively go around Laura’s waist and she presses a short kiss onto the striker’s sensitive skin.

Laura gasps faintly, staring at Sydney with wide eyes when she steps back.

‘What was that for?’

The midfielder simply smiles gently, ‘You aren’t the only one with eyes for only one person.’

******

Gold was the colour of the leaves on the tree in front of their rented villa.

It’s by the beach and Laura squeezes Sydney’s hand in hers as they pull their respective suitcases into the door.

There’s four bedrooms but the Bayern midfielder refuses to let go of the forward’s hand so with a bright grin, Laura tugs her into the closest bedroom.

Sam and Klara watch them go with a shared glance and rolled eyes.

Klara in particular knows that it’s been a long time coming. She’s seen the longing glances and noticed their growing affection towards each other.

Inside the bedroom, Sydney tosses her backpack on the floor and turns around to face the older German woman.

Laura’s about four centimeters shorter than her so she has to tilt her head upwards to meet the midfielder’s eyes.

‘Syd.’ She breathes.

‘Lau.’ Sydney whispers back.

She’s known for years that Laura is beautiful. She has had the colour of the striker’s eyes memorised and has dreamt of kissing her ever since they met.

The taller blonde is completely lost in Laura’s gaze, so much so that she misses the Eintracht Frankfurt player lunging for the stack of pillows on the bed until it’s too late.

‘Laura!’ Sydney cries out, reaching backwards for her own pillow.

The forward giggles, swinging her pillow at the Munich native.

Sydney eagerly makes up for lost time, joining in the pillow fight that Laura’s started.

‘I hope you know what you’ve begun.’ The midfielder teases.

Laura only smirks confidently in response and the two of them trade swats with the pillows until they physically can’t, laughing too hard to continue.

******

Time, wondrous time, gives Sydney and Laura the blues and then purple pink skies.

Morocco’s sunset is the most gorgeous that they’ve ever seen.

They’re sitting on the beach in front of their rented villa, watching the sun dip beneath the horizon on their final night before they fly back to Germany.

Sydney’s settled between the forward’s legs, contently leaning back against her chest.

Laura slips her hand into the midfielder’s, her heart warming when the younger blonde raises their joined hands and places a kiss onto the back of her hand.

It’s the latest in a series of kisses that Sydney has gifted the Eintracht Frankfurt player with over the duration of their trip. She’s placed them on the back of her shoulders, the inside of her wrists, cheeks, hands and forehead.

The past few days have been heaven for the both of them. They have learnt to surf, fooled around and soaked in the Moroccan sun with their friends.

They’ve also shared a bedroom and gone to sleep cuddled in each other’s arms every night.

It’s given the midfielder a kind of peace she has never experienced before.

‘Laura?’

Sydney’s murmur of her fellow blonde’s name is soft and tender.

The very sound of it gives Laura butterflies inside.

‘Yes Syd?’

‘I’ve never met anyone like you. I’ve never felt what I feel for you for anyone else.’

Laura smiles and she lightly pulls Sydney closer to her.

‘I’ve never met anyone like you either. What I feel for you is beyond what I feel for anyone else.’

Sydney turns around, running her thumb across the striker’s cheekbone.

The action is immeasurably adoring and Laura instinctively leans into her touch.

‘Isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me? Because there is no other way to explain how strong of a connection we have. I know that you’re it for me. You’re my person Lau.’ Sydney confesses.

Laura’s gray eyes shine.

‘You’re the only one for me too, Syd.’

The Bayern player gently cups the forward’s face, ‘What I’m trying to say is that I love you. I love you Laura.’

‘I love you too Sydney. Incredibly, ardently and with everything that I am.’

There is no hesitation in Laura’s answer. Why would there be when she’s known for years?

Sydney lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding.

‘Can I kiss you? Please Lau-’

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence, the blonde striker pressing her lips onto Sydney’s and cutting her off.

Sydney gasps into Laura’s mouth, right away realising that she’s never going to have enough.

The taste of Laura is everything and more, the midfielder slipping her hands into the Eintracht Frankfurt player’s hair fervently.

She leans back after a minute, reluctantly breaking the kiss just to look at Laura and desperately try to memorise the moment.

Then she pulls her right back in.

With Sydney’s lips on hers, Laura is certain beyond belief that every other kiss she’s had in her life has been wrong.

There’s solely Sydney. Sydney is the only thing that matters.

******

Later as she curls up to sleep, tucked into her girlfriend’s side, she’ll tell her that she is so very grateful for their invisible string. The one that’s brought them together.

Sydney will agree and then kiss her again. And her kiss will take the very air out of Laura’s body and give it back. It will not matter that her girlfriend’s lips are already on hers.

All that she’ll want is Sydney, closer and closer and closer.

German Translation:

hallo - hello

#sydney lohmann #laura freigang #laura freigang x reader #sydney lohmann x reader #sydney lohmann imagine #laura freigang imagine #sydney lohmann x laura freigang #laura freigang x sydney lohmann #woso #woso x reader #woso imagine #woso fanfics #woso fanfic #gerwnt #dfb frauen #gerwnt x reader #gerwnt imagine #dfb frauen x reader #dfb frauen imagine #katelynnwrites #uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine

[gwendolynlerman]

Deutschribing Germany

Sports

Germany ranks fourth in the Olympic Games medal count, having won 922 medals in both Summer and Winter Olympic Games since 1896. The country has hosted international sports events such as the 1936 and 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin and Munich, the 1936 Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the 1974 and 2006 FIFA World Cup. It will host the UEFA Euro 2024.

Soccer

Soccer is the most popular sport in Germany. The Bundesliga (“federal league”) is the top professional soccer league. Clubs such as FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, RB Leipzig, SV Werder Bremen, and VfB Stuttgart take part in it. The most successful team is Bayern Munich, having won thirty-two Bundesliga titles.

The German men’s national soccer team won the Olympic Games in 1976, the World Cup in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014 and the UEFA Euro in 1972, 1980, and 1996. The women’s national team is also a world power, having won the Olympic Games in 2016, the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2003 and 2007 and the UEFA Women’s Euro in 1989, 1995, and 2001, making Germany the only country to have won both the men’s and women’s World Cup and European titles.

Handball

Germany, together with Denmark, is regarded as the birthplace of handball, as the first match took place in Berlin. The men’s national team has won the Olympic Games once, the IHF Wold Men’s Handball Championship three times, and the EHF Euro twice. The most successful team in the Handball-Bundesliga is THW Kiel.

Basketball

The most successful clubs in the Basketball-Bundesliga are Alba Berlin, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Brose Bamberg, and USC Heidelberg. Notable German basketball players include Dirk Nowitzki, Elias Harris, Linda Frölich, Shawn Bradley, and Tim Ohlbrecht.

The German men’s national basketball team has won only one international gold medal at the 1993 Eurobasket, as well as one silver and two bronze medals. The women’s national team has won only one medal in international competitions, a bronze one at the 1997 Eurobasket.

Ice hockey

Germany has hosted the Ice Hockey World Championships seven times and the Ice Hockey European Championships four times. The men’s national team has never won an international competition, but has won seven silver medals, and is ranked seventh in the world.

Motorsports

Germany is one of the leading motorsports countries, having manufactured countless race winning cars. Notable Formula One champions include Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg, and Sebastian Vettel.

The country hosts the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a sports car racing series based in Germany, with rounds in other European countries. Since 1995, only German car brands are allowed to compete.

Winter sports

Germany is also very successful in winter sports, being the only country in the world to have four bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks. It has won more medals in bobsledding than any other country in the world, if those won by East and West Germany are included.

The country also dominates biathlon, luge, and skeleton thanks to athletes such as Sven Fischer and Uschi Disl in biathlon, Felix Loch and Natalie Geiseberger in luge, and Anja Huber and Kerstin Jürgens in skeleton.

Notable skiers include Tobias Angerer in cross-country skiing, Martin Schmitt in ski jumping, Eric Frenzel in Nordic combined, and Katja Seizinger in alpine skiing. Claudia Pechstein is renowned in speed skating and Katarina Witt in figure skating. 

Tennis

The two most successful German tennis players of all time are Boris Becker and Steffi Graf. The former won six Grand Slam titles, and the latter won twenty-two, becoming the only tennis player to win all four Grand Slam titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year.

Cycling

Jan Ullrich is one of the greatest riders, together with Tony Martin in individual time trial races and André Greipel among road sprinters. Germany has hosted the start of the Tour de France four times.

#langblr #german

[cookie4liran]

I'm so pissed off by all the nonsense right now, mfs who haven't watched a single match that gio played before WC are making things up to creat a shitty image of him.

First of all, I don't believe anything that comes out of berhalter's mouth, he said himself during the group stage that gio couldn't play because of injury, the decision was made to protect him, yet after the knockout stage failure, telling the media such nasty stories, training problem, locker room problem, trying to book gio a flight home and the damn vote, nothing is related to professionalism, even IF gio does have attitude problems (which I strongly doubt), it's still completely wrong to handle things this way, not to mention his history of lying and the fact that he has had problems with multiple players before, such as Brooks and Mckennie, I just can't simply trust berhalter's words.

Secondly, I know there are lots of people who know the name Gio Reyna only because of his father and haven't actually seen Gio play or seen what he is capable of on the pitch, so when something like this happens, people are supposed to believe the coach's story and automatically think Gio as some kind of spoiled rich kid who is relying on his dad's fame to get his place in the national team. No, he is none of these, yes he has his pride, and that's what he has earned for himself over the years, it's common that you haven't seen the videos of him playing in NY when he was 14/15 yo or his HAT TRICK of assists at 17yo (that made him the youngest player in bundesliga to achieve it btw), but you must have seen his glorious run playing against Mexico in the WC qualifiers right? People have to understand that, this kid, this young man is destined to achieve something that no one else can. Yes he is injured earlier this year and didn't get enough minutes at the club, but when he's fit, he starts, and he scores, because we have faith in him and he has never disappoint us.

Now let's get to the emotional part, I know it sounds cliche, but his heart is pure gold, if you've ever noticed he has a little tattoo, on his left arm, says love Jack, I believe you'd agree with me. Jack was his big brother and everything to him, he didn't play for his famous dad, he played and he is still playing this sport for Jack, because of Jack, he's humble, he's polite, he's caring, he's sweet, he always smiles and he treats people with kindness. Yes, that doesn't mean he's so perfect that won't do anything wrong, what I'm saying is, if he does something wrong, he will correct the mistake, he won't make a mess about it. He's a good kid who has just returned from injury, there's no reason for him not to cherish the opportunity to start in the WC, but to be lazy in training, I see no logic in this mess. He wants to show his talent, wants the country to be proud of him, wants his family to be proud of him, wants Jack to be proud of him, more than anyone else.

That's all, my only wish is that people will stop seeing him through the media, but through the game, through what he does on the field, through how his performance can make a difference, even just a few minutes like that one against England. And that's the real Gio Reyna.

He's not a big name right now, but he will. Maybe Berhalter has told some lies, but there is one thing he said I firmly believe, that he can see the shadow of Maradona in Gio.

Let him shine.

#giovanni reyna #usmnt #world cup #I love him #my most beloved #sorry about this long ass essay but I have to get it out of my aching heart #gio reyna #you will always be famous #it hurts me so bad I'm crying #come back to #borussia dortmund #we'll always love you

[niemannzhang79]

Fussballpokale: Die Glanzstücke des Fußballs

Fußballpokale sind nicht nur Trophäen, sondern auch Symbol für Leidenschaft, Ruhm und Erfolg im Fußball. Jedes Mal, wenn ein Team einen Pokal gewinnt, markiert dies einen historischen Moment, der für immer in der Erinnerung der Spieler und Fans verewigt bleibt. Von der Champions League über die Bundesliga bis hin zu regionalen Turnieren – Fußballpokale haben eine ganz besondere Bedeutung und sind das ultimative Ziel jeder Mannschaft.

Ein Blick auf diese glänzenden Schätze lässt die Herzen der Fußballenthusiasten höher schlagen. Die Pokale selbst sind wahre Kunstwerke, kunstvoll gestaltet und mit großem Detailreichtum gefertigt. Sie verkörpern den Zusammenhalt und den Teamgeist, der nötig ist, um den begehrten Titel zu erobern. Ein Fußballpokal ist mehr als nur ein Stück Metall – er ist der symbolische Beweis für harte Arbeit, Zielstrebigkeit und den Glauben an den eigenen Erfolg.

Die Geschichte der Fußballpokale ist ebenso faszinierend wie die Pokale selbst. Jeder Pokal hat seine eigene Geschichte, seine eigenen Legenden und seine eigenen Triumphe. Von den ersten internationalen Pokalwettbewerben bis hin zu den modernen Turnieren – Fußballpokale haben im Laufe der Zeit einen erheblichen Einfluss auf die Entwicklung des Sports gehabt. Sie haben Generationen von Spielern inspiriert und Fans in Euphorie versetzt, wenn ihre Lieblingsmannschaft den Glanz des Sieges einfangen konnte.

Fußballpokale sind mehr als nur metallene Trophäen. Sie stehen für unvergessliche Momente, Freude und den Stolz, Teil einer erfolgreichen Fußballgeschichte zu sein. Sie sind das, wovon Spieler träumen und worauf Fans hoffen. Lassen Sie uns gemeinsam in die Welt der Fußballpokale eintauchen und die Glanzstücke des Fußballs entdecken.

1. Geschichte der Fussballpokale

Die Anfänge der Fussballpokale reichen bis ins 19. Jahrhundert zurück. In dieser Zeit begann der organisierte Fußball sich zu etablieren und immer beliebter zu werden. Die ersten Fussballpokale wurden als Trophäen für die besten Mannschaften in Turnieren vergeben.

Während des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts entwickelten sich verschiedene Fußballverbände und -organisationen, die eigene Pokalwettbewerbe ausrichteten. Diese Fussballpokal e wurden zu Symbolen des sportlichen Erfolgs und zur Anerkennung für die besten Mannschaften einer Saison.

Im Laufe der Zeit sind die Fussballpokale immer prächtiger geworden. Sie wurden mit edlen Materialien wie Gold und Silber verziert und kunstvoll gestaltet. Die Pokale sind nicht nur begehrte Trophäen, sondern auch Symbole für den Ruhm und die Leidenschaft des Fußballs.

2. Der Wert der Fussballpokale

3. Die bedeutendsten Fussballpokale

2. Bedeutendste Fussballpokale der Welt

Der Fußball ist zweifellos eine der beliebtesten Sportarten weltweit und entsprechend gibt es auch viele bedeutende Fußballpokale auf der ganzen Welt. Diese Trophäen sind nicht nur Symbole für sportlichen Erfolg, sondern repräsentieren auch die Leidenschaft und Begeisterung der Fans. Im Folgenden werfen wir einen Blick auf einige der bedeutendsten Fussballpokale der Welt.

Die FIFA Weltmeisterschaft ist zweifellos der prestigeträchtigste Fußballpokal überhaupt. Alle vier Jahre treffen die besten Nationalmannschaften aus aller Welt aufeinander, um den begehrten Titel des Weltmeisters zu gewinnen. Der Gewinner erhält den goldenen FIFA WM-Pokal, der sowohl Eleganz als auch sportlichen Ruhm verkörpert. Dieser Pokal hat eine lange Geschichte und ist das ultimative Ziel für jede Nation und ihre Spieler.

Ein weiterer bemerkenswerter Fussballpokal ist die UEFA Champions League. Dieser Europapokalwettbewerb bringt die besten Vereinsmannschaften aus ganz Europa zusammen. Hier haben die Clubs die Möglichkeit, sich auf internationaler Bühne zu beweisen und den Glanz des europäischen Fußballs zu erleben. Der Champions League-Pokal, auch als "Henkelpott" bekannt, ist ein Symbol für den Erfolg auf Vereinsebene und wird von den Spielern und Fans gleichermaßen begehrt.

Neben den internationalen Turnieren gibt es auch viele nationale Fussballpokale, die große Bedeutung haben. Beispielsweise ist der DFB-Pokal in Deutschland ein hoch angesehener Wettbewerb, bei dem die besten deutschen Vereine gegeneinander antreten. Der Gewinner erhält den DFB-Pokal und sichert sich einen Platz im europäischen Wettbewerb. Dieser Pokal ist ein Symbol für die Stärke des deutschen Fußballs und für den Erfolg auf nationaler Ebene.

Diese Fußballpokale sind nur einige Beispiele für die Bedeutung und den Glanz, den sie repräsentieren. Sie bringen Spannung und Emotionen in die Stadien auf der ganzen Welt und sind der Traum eines jeden Fußballers. Die Fussballpokale machen den Fußball zu dem, was er ist - eine Sportart, die Millionen von Menschen begeistert und vereint.

3. Die Faszination des Fussballpokals

Fußballpokale üben eine enorme Faszination auf Spieler und Fans gleichermaßen aus. Jedes Jahr freuen sich Millionen von Menschen auf die spannenden Spiele und den spektakulären Wettkampf um diese begehrten Trophäen. Die Fussballpokale verkörpern den ultimativen Triumph und sind ein Symbol für Erfolg, Leidenschaft und Hingabe.

Die Begeisterung für Fußballpokale liegt in ihrer Geschichte und Bedeutung begründet. Jeder Pokal erzählt eine einzigartige Geschichte und wird mit besonderen Erinnerungen und emotionalen Momenten in Verbindung gebracht. Siege in wichtigen Pokalwettbewerben wie der FIFA-Weltmeisterschaft oder der UEFA Champions League werden oft als Karrierehöhepunkte angesehen und sind der Höhepunkt jeder Spielerkarriere.

Der Fussballpokal ist jedoch nicht nur für Spieler von Bedeutung, sondern auch für die Fans. Die Pokalspiele ziehen Menschenmassen an, die sich in bunte und leidenschaftliche Fans verwandeln. Es gibt kaum etwas Aufregenderes, als sein Team beim Kampf um den Pokal zu unterstützen und gemeinsam mit tausenden anderen Fans die Stadionränge zum Beben zu bringen. Die Spannung und Atmosphäre der Pokalspiele sind in der Fußballwelt einzigartig und lassen den Puls jedes Fußballliebhabers höher schlagen.

Insgesamt ist die Faszination der Fußballpokale unbestreitbar. Sie verkörpern Erfolg, Geschichte und Leidenschaft und bringen Spieler und Fans gleichermaßen zum Träumen. Die Fussballpokale sind das Symbol des Fußballs und werden für immer ein integraler Bestandteil des Spiels sein, der die Menschen weltweit in seinen Bann zieht.

#Fussballpokale

[alexbkrieger13]

Swewnt newest keeper addition. Read it before it goes behind a paywall... dn(.)se/sport/malvaktsdoldisen-tog-egen-vag-till-landslaget-har-alltid-velat-ta-mig-hit/ Fun fact sidenote: when she left Turbine Potsdam and went to the mid-table relegation league team Jitex, they eliminated Vittsjö from the Swedish cup. The Damallsvenskan team was at that time placed 5th and iirc Jitex 7th in Elitettan. They won 1-0. First thought was Vittsjö had rested players so I checked the line up. They hadn't...

With Hedvig Lindahl and Jennifer Falk at home, the Swedish goalkeeper trio in Spanish Córdoba is newly composed.

Zecira Musovic, with five caps, will be in charge of the routine before Friday's training match. By her side, she has Emma Holmgren - who has never guarded the goal in the A national team but has been in a number of meetings - and the debutant Emma Lind.

- It's great fun to be here for the first time, says Lind on the phone from the heat in Andalusia.

- It is proof that the work I have put in has led somewhere.

27-year-old Emma Lind shares the goalkeeping duties in Italian Roma, the club that last week made it to the Champions League for the first time. But for most people at home on the TV sofas, she is a mystery, and unlike, for example, Emma Holmgren - who won gold in the F19 European Championship in 2015 - she has taken a different path to Peter Gerhardsson's squad.

The fact is that a young Lind, raised in Vadstena, was not selected for any youth national teams before she debuted at U23 level as a 23-year-old.

- It is clear that I have always wanted to be in a national team environment, both to develop and for the honor of representing my country. But I don't know why it turned out the way it did. I was in the wrong generation sometimes, it felt like, and I played in Vadstena – which is a smaller place.

- But it's not something I've attached much importance to, although it would have been fun to make a few steps before U23. But better late than never!

A total of eight U23 matches are on the merit list. Lind continues talking about what it means to now train with the A national team:

- I have always wanted to get here. And now I'm here, so then the goal will be to make an international match as well - eventually. It's a competitive situation just like everyone else. I may have a little bit longer way to go, but I'll just try to do the best I can and show that I'm worth this chance.

After growing up in Vadstena , she played in the elite team before she played in women's Swedish in Limhamn Bunkeflo and Rosengård. In 2021 she moved to Germany and made four Bundesliga appearances for Turbine Potsdam before it became Jitex at the end of last year and then Rome.

The Swedish team Roma, where veteran goalkeeper Stéphanie Öhrström and defenders Elin Landström and Beata Kollmats are also home, is second in the league after five rounds. This weekend it was 5-0 against Parma, with Emma Lind in goal.

- It's been going well, even if it takes some time to get into a new culture when you don't know the language properly. But I'm enjoying myself better and better and getting more and more playing time.

[icompletesports]

Bayern Munich Star Davies Reveals Favourite Premier League Club

Bayern Munich Canadian defender Alphonso Davies has revealed that Chelsea are his Favourite club in the Premier League.Recall, Kingsley Coman who is Davies’ teammate at Bayern said in a similar interview disclosed that he was a fan of Bolton Wanderers growing up.

And when it was the turn of Davies, 21, he mentioned the Blues.

“If you had to support a team in the UK, who would it be?“ the interviewer asked.

And Davies responded:“I mean I grew up watching Chelsea, so Chelsea.”

Davies joined Bayern in January 2019 from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps FC on a contract lasting until 2023 for a then-MLS record transfer fee.

He was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season for 2019–20. In that season he also was part of the team that won the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League and the DFB-Pokal.

He is considered by some to be the best left-back of his generation.

In June 2017, Davies became the youngest player to appear for the Canadian men’s national team. By scoring two goals in a 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cupmatch against French Guiana, he became the youngest player to score for the Canadian men’s national team, the youngest to score at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and first player born in the 2000s to score at a top level international tournament.

Born a Liberian refugee, Davies was originally only eligible for the Liberian national team. On June 6, 2017, he passed his Canadian citizenship test and officially became a citizen of Canada, making him eligible to play for the Canadian national team.

#Canadian national team.

[elishamanning]

WHAT is the point of having a black and gold kit if you aren’t going to use the gold to compliment the gold bundesliga champions stars and club world cup winners badge???

[goats-guts-and-glory]

Ask/Tag thing: “Who are your top 10 favorite players of all time and why are they your favorite? Tag three people after answering.”

I was tagged by @mishaaaelk whose nuanced takes on all things football I enjoy very much.

---

Luka Modrić – Beloved Croatian grandfather. A man whose contribution to football cannot be conveyed with words alone. I would trust him to excel in just about every position (except, perhaps, as a goalie). Very few players are able to consistently live up to the impossibly high standard to which he holds himself. The concept of age-related decline clearly needs an overhaul.

Philipp Lahm – My role-model as a child when I still regularly played as a right-back (although he was just as good in defensive midfield and, according to one of his coaches, would have done a splendid job anywhere else as well). Captaining Germany to their third World Cup title in 2014, his subsequent retirement came as a shock to many fans across the world. As unassuming as he was brillant on the pitch, his quiet efficiency was at times overshadowed by his open criticism towards several prominent figures in the business.

Lionel Messi – Even the most stalwart of Madridistas would have a hard time denying that Messi is one of the most brillant players in the history of the sport. Growing up in the years of his active career feels like a gift that keeps on giving.

Wayne Rooney – The player who turned me a United fan, with the second-most goals scored in PL history (losing out only to Alan Shearer). A man who embodied United for over a decade before returning to his childhood club Everton.

Zinedine Zidane – Iconic as both a player and a coach. He has weathered the storms of public condescension and come out on top again and again. For a time, his iconic headbutt against Materazzi overshadowed both his ingenuity on the field and his competent leadership off it nowadays.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento / Pelé – A record-breaking legend who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, Pelé supposedly coined the term ‚the beautiful game‘ and more than lived up to the name.

Johan Cruyff – Mr. „totaalvoetbal“. Mr. „I´m so iconic that they named a dribbling move after me“ (see World Cup 1974). Mr. „I won the European player of the year award (aka the „Ballon d´Or“ for our Grandpa generation) three times before it was cool“.

Zlatan Ibrahimović – Unapologetically ridiculous. My shield against ridiculousness of all kinds is even less effective than the combined defensive efforts of West Brom and Fulham so far this season. Every word this man speaks is hilarious to me. As a side-note, his ruthless attitude (which has in no way diminished in his advanced age) continues to serve him well.

Thomas Brdarić – The former Hannover 96 captain was my first favourite player. I met him on a train once when I was a child. I think I was just staring at him while he exchanged a few words with my father. I remember him promising that the team would win the next Bundesliga game (in true Hannover fashion, they lost).

Goalies – Goal keepers are special; I can´t decide on a single one but they are definitely all up there among my favourites. Some of the keepers of whom I think particularly fondly are: Iker Casillas, Manuel Neuer, David de Gea, Keylor Navas, Philipp Tschauner, Robert Enke (RIP), Gianluigi Buffon, Jan Oblak and Oliver Kahn.

An honourable mention (because adding an eleventh spot makes a lot more sense given the football context) goes to Dr. Marcus Rashford MBE who continues to inspire me on and off the pitch. May everything he touches turn into gold (figuratively, not literally, because although he deserves all the Ballon d´Ors in the world, kicking precious metal around might not be the best thing to happen to a player who needs to keep his toes intact.

---

I am tagging @footballbewildin, @saint-dominik-of-zadar, @thermosoftea, @smollukita, @fishylife, @vatreniworld, @butterscotcheye and anyone who dares to face hours of agonising choices. Seriously, this shit was HARD.

#less important things #my stuff #wonderful but VERY CRUEL ask thing #it should´ve been 'top 100 favourite players' and I would STILL have had trouble choosing #luka modric #philipp lahm #lionel messi #wayne rooney #zinedine zidane #pelé #johan cruyff #zlatan ibrahimovic #thomas brdaric #marcus rashford #and a ton of goalies

[jamesv-t]

Text for those using screen readers:

Tabea Kemme rejoins the club

Tabea Kemme will take over from Joe Montemurro.

A versatile player, Tabea first joined Arsenal in 2018.

Though her time with the club was sadly cut short by injury, Tabea has studied for her coaching badges while working as a police officer in her native Germany, and is fully qualified to replace the man who originally signed her.

In her 140 appearances for Turbine Potsdam, she won the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the Frauen Bundesliga, adding to the FA WSL title won withe Arsenal in 2019.

The 29-year-old Germany International represented her coutnry from youth level and gained 41 caps for the senior team. Tabea also impressed in the Germany side that won gold at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Tabea’s agent, April Scherz, said “Tabea brings a wealth of knowledge to the side. She knows first-hand what it takes to be succesful in Europe and the Women’s Champions League, and Arsenal will benefit from both her enthusiasm and gung-ho attitude to life.” (x)

#tabea kemme #arsenal wfc #read it carefully

[portela-diez]

Draft Ratings - Fantasy EPL 2021

Yes, spent way too much time on this. But it had to be done.

Draft Rating: C+

-        Overview: Big Greenery. The name says it all. Bradley AKA “Ted Lasso” went for power with this year’s draft. Mr. Lasso may have found a loophole in the current fantasy format and will surely look to win his key battles in the air. With the likes of Van Dijk, Wan B, Tyrone Mings, Declan, Bissouma, Jannik, and the monstrous Benteke, you know that racking the 0.5’s Aerial Duels will occur week in and week out. The towering prowess of the squad may nod a couple baggers, but will certainly score a few own goals. However, it must be said, do not underestimate the man that may consider “football” his 5th favorite sport to watch and made the 2015 playoffs final.

-        Threat: Benteke

-        Sleeper: Mbuemo (hate saying that word)

-        Last remark: Healthy status of the entire squad is the only reason there is (+) tailing the C rating.

Draft Rating: B-

-        Overview: You would think being an Arsenal fan, Chasqui would hedge his bets, learn from past mistakes, and keep Arsenal picks to a minimum. But it seems like the true gunner spirit can never be suppressed. Nor relied on. Despite having the best defender in the league, this squad seems to lack depth and the almighty 90-minute studs. What IS going for him, though, is his new team name. With an updated name like Chasqui, and a fresh tattoo to match, this manager will never let a shitty draft ruin his year!

-        Threat: Emi Martinez

-        Sleeper: Ivan Toney

-        Last remark: Chasqui, the Peruvian messenger will surely have a message for me after this gets published.

Draft Rating: A

-        Overview: This team may have it all. His Kinko’s cheat sheet print out may have proven to be a wise move. Unlike Chasqui, Jon Fryer wants to improve on previous historical mishaps. Did he choose Man City players? Most definitely. But, did he pick the seemingly obvious Cityzen starters this year? Absolutely, mate. On top of that, the dark tabloid freaks still say HurriKANE has a chance at wearing his colors this year. Either way, his #1 pick guarantees goals. With a sneaker Shaw #2 pick, a late Auba #5 pick, and even a #9 Wilson pick, Jon Fryer may have decent season. However, wildcard Jonnie may need to be wary of the new FAAB spending budget. He has the tendencies to go all in, so let’s hope City doesn’t sign anyone else during the transfer window close, for his own sake.

-        Threat: Harry Kane

-        Sleeper: Milot Rashica

-        Last remark: Please get a new team name. Barn!

Draft Rating: B+

-        Overview: jvdV has 2 laws in managerial handbook: (1) Being the staunch defender that he is in REAL life, he will always draft 6 defenders. And there will always be a Ben Mee type player somewhere in there focalizing his back line. (2) Allan Saint Maximin and Richarlison belong to him. This man does not care if he picks them up in 2nd and 3rd round. They are his, do not even attempt to trade. The day that jvdV does not get to manage this pair, the world may slowly stop spinning, and begin spinning backwards.

-        Threat: Romelu Lukaku

-        Sleeper: None (lol)

-        Last remark: The Vardy Party is always on, it never stops.

Draft Rating: B-

-        Overview: Welcome to the league Phil! Now let’s talk about Cesc. The “Brentford” of the league, this wiz have may have a novato stamp on his forehead, but he surely has the tendency to turn his analytical art into a full blown legendary Leeds squad, capable of knocking down the top dawgs. With his Bundesliga 2 turtleneck, his never-before-seen data spreadsheet, and his Mount/Coufal/Harrison picks, this manager does not seem like he is here to mess about. Upon squad review, gaps exist. So much so, that at the time of this notation, he has already dropped 4 players. Best of luck to the Welsh gentleman!

-        Threat: Mason Mount

-        Sleeper: Leon Bailey

-        Last remark: No one tell him that he has to actually wake up sometimes early on weekends, cuz that boy can sleep!

Draft Rating: A+

-        Overview: Ellis got the Poodle Magic that every manager desires on draft day. Despite drafting a potentially injury-ridden Eze (that he was completely blind to), the team takes the cake from the sheer looks of it. The best pundits will tell you to snatch a premier defender in the 1st couple rounds, but the lad from Shrewsbury selfishly robbed all with 2, followed by a Werner and Rashford 5th / 6th round out. On top of all that, he commendably offered Jimenez a spot on his team. Not only a great manager, but charitable. Hats off.

-        Threat: Thomas Soucek

-        Sleeper: Patson Daka

-        Last remark: Hopefully the Wolves’ wingbacks don’t whip in too many crosses to the Mexi talisman. Feet only.

Draft Rating: C

-        Overview: Little did we know but looks like Evan may have some long-lost family in Leeds! That, or, he has a lot of trust in Bielsa. With 4 players from Leeds, and interestingly so, this team may have a similar level of volatility. A quick peek at the crystal ball will tell you that this team’s future has lots of massive point hauls with demanding victories, surely, but the hangovers could be worse, just like mine from yesterday’s draft. With a couple depth tweaks, the team may take him out from beneath the bottom of the barrel.

-        Threat: Jack Grealish (or Chris Wood, actually)

-        Sleeper: Kalvin Philips

-        Last remark: If you don’t get a couple quick victories and bounce from last season, then you may always walk alone.

Draft Rating: A-

-        Overview: Sonless is no longer sonless. Last season proved to be difficult without his star man, so he’s gone the extra mile this year to snatch him quick and change his luck. The question is… how will his #1 pick perform if his lethal strike partner vanishes off to another club? Time will tell. Until then, his defensive moves were that of an astute gaffer. His midfield will demand set plays and minutes. And his attack is good enough to pop him into the upper half off the table.

-        Threat: Son

-        Sleeper: Ibrahima Konate

-        Last remark: Lewis Dunk is a world class defender. Anyone that disagrees is an imposter.

Draft Rating: A-

-        Overview: Some may say he has the advantage living 10 hours ahead in Tel Aviv, where he gets to drink pints during matches without remorse under the shadows of the moon, compared to the rest of us that have to feel the wrath of our girlfriends hearing our 6AM Saturday alarm clocks, but either way, he is the reigning champ with the #1 pick.  Anyone with Bruno Fernandes is destined for greatness. It’s just the way it is. Throw in the likes of the Tarkowski commander, the rough diamond of Benrama, and a triggering Leicester midfield, and this gaffa may be super gluing his hands to the imaginary cup.

-        Threat: Bruno Fernandes

-        Sleeper: Adam Armstrong

-        Last remark: Will the Zern ever give up on Hudson Odoi to make his big splash? Don’t stay awake for this one!

Draft Rating: A+

-        Overview: The fact of the matter is gold talks. Even though he is undoubtedly the best fantasy manager, he has yet to get 1st place. EVER. Call it the commissioner’s curse. But this year, things are different. You know why? Because Messi left Barcelona. This will crack the plates, shift the fault lines, and force his misfortunes to flip over into luck. Somehow, with 4th pick, he landed last years PFA player of the year, KDB. Likewise with a 11th Ziyech pick. That already has to mean something. The only reason this rating did not get A++, is because his team may be heavily relying on some unknown sleepers. That, and he never picks a solid backline, which directly translates to his lack of defending in REAL life. But that’s just his game!  

-        Threat: KDB

-        Sleeper: Cucho Hernandez

-        Last remark: If he were to rely less on players that speak Latin-rooted languages, then he may actually have a chance.  

[overthinkingzo]

Chelsea FC beat West Ham United yesterday in the December 2020 edition of a West London Derby. Thiago Silva opened up the scoring after a finding a corner kick with a bullet of a header. West Ham pushed on until Timo Werner assisted Tammy Abraham with a whiffed shot to make it 2-0 to the Blues. In less than 2 minutes, a challenge by the American International Christian Pulisic lead to a Fabianski deflection which Tammy Abraham followed in to make the score 3-0 to the Blues over their West London rivals.

Timo Werner is going to be a sensational forward for Chelsea Football Club. Despite some Blues supporters criticizing him for his current drought and lack of goals this season compared to his time in the Bundesliga, he should not be written off as a success yet. It is still only his first season in London, and the dynamic German has been inserting himself into great positions on the field. While his latest shots at goal mostly hit woodwork or are struck directly to at the goalkeeper, Timo has been making great runs with the ball at his feet as well as off the ball.

In 14 matches in his first Premier League season, Timo has produced positivity. As a striker, passing efficiently can be difficult right next to the opposition’s midfield and defense. Timo Werner right now is successfully making 80% of his passes and he has 4 assists. While he has been stopped from slotting the ball into the back of the net lately, Timo has also struck gold 4 times for Chelsea so far. The striker’s 8 total goal contributions in 14 games may seem lackluster compared to his impressive showing in his homeland, but he is still helping put the Blues in position to lift trophies this season. Once he gets his rhythm, his confidence will come back. He is going to impress the world with his blistering pace, excellent pass selection, and proven attacking threat. He is still young and still growing. Just do not write him off yet!!

Photo from Getty Images

#Chelsea #timo werner #football #soccer #west london #west ham

[leaschuller]

Hi! Maro anon. Who’s Simone and why is she a legend? Sorry, I’m not well versed in a lot of the players still

:O Maro anon

Simone Laudehr has a very interesting history with the Bundesliga and the Gerwnt, she seems to have a curse following her where every team she’s on always comes second no matter where she moves. (I have a feeling she’ll be winning it this year though...the year she also likely R-words from professional football) Sad hours right? :( the saddest.

Her list of amazing achievements with the National Team include:

A World Cup, 2 European Championships, Olympic bronze and Gold (Though she was injured for the final, you’ll see them with her jersey during the medal ceremony).

And with club 1 Champions league with Frankfurt and 2x Pokal cups.

She’s retired from the National Team now but she still plays for Bayern.

[kevkesblog]

Translation: Marco Reus and Julian Brandt play “Who are you!?” for BVB TV (Published: April 13, 2020)

Rules: Marco and Julian get some hints about BVB players and they have to guess who among the players do these hints belong.

Round 1

Tip 1: I made my Bundesliga debut against VfL Bochum.

Marco:      It’s me.

Correct!

Ju:             So the question answered itself (laughs).

Round 2

Tip 1: BVB is my third club in my career.

Tip 2: I scored one Bundesliga goal thus far.

Tip 3: I got two fellow country-men in my team.

Marco:      I have somebody in mind, but I don’t know where he played elsewhere… (thinks) No, I can’t be him. He scored one Bundesliga goal, right?

Yes.

Marco:      Marvin Hitz.

Julian:      He did score once, right!?

Correct!

Marco:      YEEESSS!

Julian:      He did a header goal right! It was against us! (laughs) Back in Leverkusen. (laughs)

Round 3

Tip 1:       I’m still waiting for my professional debut for BVB.

Tip 2:       My profiles name on Instagram has the jersey number from Zagadou in it.

Tip 3:       I transfered from FC Barcelona to BVB.

Julian:      Mateo Morey.

Correct! 2-1.

Round 4:

Tip 1:       I scored my first goal during my first game for BVB.

Tip 2:       I recieved two Fritz-Walter-Medals.

Julian:      Thats me!

Correct!

Marco:      Did you really score in your first BVB game? Against who?

Julian:      Augsburg. Because I was injured during the Super Cup.

Round 5:

Tip 1:       Before every game I drink an Espresso. I take some rest. I shower and listen to music.

Marco:      I was thinking about one when I heard Espresso.

Tip 2:       I scored my up to this date only Bundesliga goal against Nuremberg.

Tip 3:       My sister is sitting in Parliament of the swiss cantone of Zurich.

Julian:      Manu [Akanji].

Correct!

Marco:      Really!? How can I not know that!

Julian:      This sister thing was a bit to cheap for me. I thought this… perhaps misleads us, but he told me once that he scored against Nurmberg. The seventh goal was his (laughs)…

Marco:      Yeah, right…

Julian:      I can still remember that one.

Ok. 2-3 now.

Round 6:

Tip 1:       I’m the first player from my country playing for BVB.

Tip 2:       BVB suggested jersey number 9 to me. But I took a different one.

Tip 3:       Last season, I was the only BVB player, playing all 34 Bundesliga games.

Julian:      Jadon [Sancho] !?

Correct!

Round 7:

Tip 1:       My father is an IT professor.

Tip 2:       I recieved the Fritz Walter medal in gold in 2009 and 2010.

Marco:      Mario [Götze]

Correct!

Round 8:

Tip 1:       I will become a father in 2020 for the first time.

Marco:      Achraf Hakimi.

Correct!

Julian:      There were only two choices possible. Manu or Achraf.

Marco:      Yeah, right…. Holy smokes!

Julian:      But we already had Manu… yeah.

Ok, finaly round.

Round 9:

Tip 1:       I’m an under 19 european champion.

Marco:      Mo Dahoud!

That’s correct!

FINAL SCORE: 

Source: BVB TV

#julianbrandt #julian brandt #marcoreus #marco reus #bvb #borussiadortmund #dfb #diemannschaft #German NT

[drawingplayersnotfouls]

Alexandra Popp — Originally a sweeper, the German striker is the captain for both her national team and her current club, VfL Wolfsburg. She's a multiple-time UEFA Women's Champions League, Bundesliga, and DFB-Pokal champion for FCR 2001 Duisburg and VfL Wolfsburg. At international play, she's a gold medalist (2016), a two-time Algarve Cup winner (2012, 2014) and also a FIFA U-20 (tournament which she won both the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe) and UEFA U-17 champion.

https://www.instagram.com/drawingplayersnotfouls/

#soccer #football #women's soccer #women's football #woso #wolfsburg #vfl wolfsburg #gerwnt #popp #alex popp #alexandra popp #frauen bundesliga

[elishamanning]

Wontorra: „And really, with that we’re back on the subject of football players’ public image. Right, we’ve read all about that, they drive luxurious Lamborghinis, they eat golden steaks, they have their hairdressers flown in - I’m just saying „they“, even if it’s in all likelihood not [the entirety of all footballers], but just a few select players. But to what degree can that be a problem that your (plural) image makes people regard you professional footballers more and more critically? Kramer: „Yes, that just happens to be my favourite topic. I think a big problem is social media. You post things quickly, and then quickly you get reactions to it and everybody knows about it and then things like that just happen that are not… cool. Although I think you really have to consider the bigger picture. When somebody gives Ribéry a golden steak to eat, he’s earned it, for all I care he can eat a golden steak I don’t have a problem with that. Because he’s just always („Gas geben“, don’t know how to translate that here. Likes he’s saying RF works hard, he can play hard, something like that?), for 15 years he’s been among the best Bundesliga players playing for Bayern Munich, he’s made shitloads of money, so when he says ‘whoa I’d like to eat that golden steak’ that’s just completely alright, and if he wants a big car - I drive a nice car as well, or living in a nice apartment or a nice house, those are all things he’s earned and he can do, all not a problem as such. I just think, once again, it’s how you go about it (presenting it), that’s just a fine line, isn’t it? Though I guess some [people/players] actively go for the confrontation, 'I live my life the way I want and nobody can tell me anything!’, and that’s fine as well. Generally on that subject I think we are often quick to say 'he’s lost it completely, he should focus more on playing football!‘ and stuff like that, but if we’re completely honest, a fast car and a golden steak don’t have anything to do with focus/concentration, and neither does instagram. Especially as if I went and did that history degree (he’s talked before about how he’d like to go and study history, but being „too far“ from it now) people would say ‚great you’re doing something besides [football]!‘ when that would take up much more focus/concentration than eating a steak or driving a fast car. Wontorra: „Well it just creates this impression of the football player having lost touch with reality. (Again that’s not a good translation, he says „abgehobener Fußballer“, like literally the opposite of „down to earth“, „abgehoben" means having lost touch with the ground and floating somewhere in the air). But how much of that can also be attributed to footballers getting pampered/spoilt far too much by the clubs and having everything taken off them (as in they don’t have to do anything, the clubs see to it being done for them)?“ Kramer: „Whoa, yeah, that’s quite a… these really aren’t your common-or-garden questions of ‚How are you?‘ and ‚What will next week’s line-up look like?‘!“ Wontorra: „(Laughs) That’s why you enjoy it!“ Kramer: „Tough talk!“ (in German he says „Harter Tobak!“ which I just love cause it’s such an old-fashioned expression, it literally means ‚rough/strong tobacco!“ and conjures the image of someone stuffing their pipe, at least to me) Wontorra: „But you are a thoughtful person, that’s what’s so great about it, you actually reflect on the issues and Kramer: „(Looking down bashfully) I’m happy [to hear that].“ Wontorra: „…and you said that footballers *have* to reflect on these things in order to put it all in a realistic context.“ Kramer: „Yes, and there *is* a certain danger there, of course. I for one am just glad that when I was young, I had my parents that admonished me quite harshly at times and said things like ‚No, you definitely won’t buy that car now, you’ll get this used Toyota Corolla instead!“, and things like that, because it really is like that, you can’t properly grasp things as they’re happening. And it was even quite tolerable in my case, I don’t know what I earned from my first contract but it was just a fraction of what today’s 18 or 19 year-olds earn with *their* first contracts.“ Wontorra: „Your father would probably know.“ Kramer: „Yes, actually I know, too, I just don’t want to say it. (Wontorra laughs.) But that [making so much money so young] makes you lose touch and leads you to do stuff that’s not… appropriate, that’s… actually normal, isn’t it? You mustn’t forget many of the players are really, really young, but they’re not perceived to be so young. When you see them on the pitch you don’t think, 'they’re really quite young!‘ Alright, if a player makes a mistake that leads to a goal you might say „oh well he’s just 19, he lacks experience.“ but you don’t see him as a typical 19 year-old. But he is, he’s actually got the behavioural patterns of a child. He’s sacrificed a lot, socially, because he missed out on a ‚proper‘ adolescence. Back in school, I kind of missed the train socially, because when it all started, around 15/16 and everybody was like, 'she’s gotten off with him’ and ‚he’s with her now‘, I never had any part in that because I always had a game or I had training - and I’m not trying to say that that was bad or asking for sympathy or anything, but still I didn’t have a ‚classic‘ adolescence in that sense and then, when at 18 or 19 you sign your first fat contract and suddenly you earn money, maybe to a certain degree you want to compensate for that and live out your adolescence/missed-out puberty, maybe. It’s just, in my opinion, as ever a matter of how you put it across/present yourself. It’s a process of maturity in a way and not everybody gets that right in the beginning. I said some things early in where today I think „Oh dear! - Wontorra: „‚If only you hadn’t!‘“ Kramer: „Exactly‚ ‚If only you hadn’t!‘ but that’s just part of it all, isn’t it?“ Wontorra: „But shouldn’t you, especially as a professional footballer, at least somewhere at the back of your head, also be aware of how damn lucky/fotunate you’ve been? And how if it hadn’t worked out, maybe if there’d been just one different coach somewhere along the way, you wouldn’t have ended up a professional player?“ Kramer: „Yes, that’s it, that really is the most important thing of all, and seriously I say that all the time, to my friends and my parents and so on, that’s what keeps you grounded a bit. I could list you at least 10 or 15 instances where I was just in the right place at the right time and if I’d missed one of those 10 to 15 situations today I’d be… no idea, maybe play in Regional Liga? The density of good players is really high („Leistungsdichte“? „Density of performance“? No idea.) You *have* to be grateful for what you’ve got and for what you’ve achieved, though you also mustn’t forget, I mean, I’m not *just* a résumé of good luck, I also have a lot of ambition and a little bit of talent, but I also really had a lot of good luck, just like many others. I mean, of course there is the one in a million player, like, Mario Götze, when I met him in the U14 I knew he’d definitely become a great one, but take him out of the equation and just look at the *normal* footballer blessed with the usual amount of talent, everyone of us every day has to say many times ‚thank you!‘ and ‚I’ve been so lucky!‘ and then everything’s alright.“ Wontorra: „How many of your former teammates from your old ‚A-Jugend‘ team (that’s the oldest youth team, the 17 to 19 year-olds) have actually made it and become professional footballers?“ Kramer: „Hmmm, my old A-Jugend… well, we had a very strong A-Jugend team, we were West-German champions even and reached the final of the German championship… there’s Thanos Petsos, who’s in Vienna now, and Pierre Lasogga, Qatar, Julian Riedel at Hansa Rostock…“ Wontorra: „Alright, but it ends there, doesn’t it?“ Kramer: „And this was a really good year - Kevin Kampl! Really a good year.“ Wontorra: „Are you still in contact with those who didn’t make it?“ Kramer: „Yes and that’s another thing, and that’s my plea - this would be a good note to finish on, actually (Wontorra laughs), talking about that stuff before, the hype surrounding footballers and their golden steaks, the Ferraris and the Million$, we mustn’t forget that there are many, many more who also gave up their youth and invested a lot into football and, because school suffered from that, as it did with me, today they work at Starbucks at the airport. Not to devalue that job at Starbucks at the airport, of course. But… they just sacrificed a lot. And they are [gestures with his hands far apart] and the pyramid goes like this [gestures a pyramid with a narrow top], and those who made it can afford their gold steak today and people can get annoyed with them, but you must also see those who didn’t make it, because there are very, very, very many, so… be grateful and be aware of how lucky you’ve been.“ Wontorra: „That Starbucks example, by the way, you were talking about a real-life person there. But you also have friendships that originated in football, with other professionals who did make it. One of them we asked to send you their love (again. Idiom. „Gruß ausrichten lassen“): Max Kruse: „Hallo Chris! Wunderschöne Grüße from the Bosphorus! I was asked about anecdotes about you and me, but to be honest I don’t think people should hear about most of those anecdotes! But I’ve got one, I’ve got a question for you: have you finally overcome your phobia of snakes? So, lots of love, see you soon, ciao ciao!“ Wontorra: „So this was Max Kruse, one of you close friends, but what’s he talking about with the snakes?“ Kramer: „Yes, well. We were, now when was this, I think in the winter of 2013 we were in Australia together and we googled venomous snakes, and there was one, the [Rotbauchotter]? Anyway, the second most venomous snake in the world and if it bites you you’re dead within seconds or something. And one day, though hiking’s really not for Max Kruse but I forced him to that time, we drove into the outback, into the Blue Mountains near Sydney and walking up some sandy path suddenly this snake came towards us. And we’d read just before that it was quite aggressive as well, attacking humans and so on, the kind of stuff you find on google, and so we ran what felt like 20 kilometres in full sprint back out of this forest and were panicking really, really badly though I would say that he felt just the same panic as I did. I’m really very much afraid of snakes, I just can’t with them, they’re… just like wasps they just… [does a wiggling/swaying movement] they don’t move smoothly, you know? You can’t really read them [/their movements], I don’t like that. And so… that will probably stay like that forever, that I’m really afraid of snakes, and was really afraid in that moment there with him, but we both were.“ Wontorra: „There was an incident in Duisburg only the other day (Kramer: „Yeeees“) but that had a happy end, and so did yours, so all’s well that ends well. And so at least, in the middle of your winter holidays you had a special training unit.“ (…)

#submission #christoph kramer #sorry it took so long #i have comments that i want to make later