Page 93 - Soccer360 Issue 104

DID YOU KNOW?
• Paulo Dybala has been involved in 18 goals against Udinese in Serie A (10 goals and 8 assists), since Opta collected the data of assists (2004/05), only Francesco Totti (20 v Parma) has taken part in
more goals against a single side in the competition.
NAPOLI TRIBUTE
A flashmob of Napoli supporters who gathered to mark the third anniversary of the death of Diego Armando Maradona on November 25. The club legend helped them reach the first two Serie A titles of their history and remained an icon long after his departure. He died of heart failure in Buenos Aires on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60. Hundreds of Napoli fans met up at the famous mural of Maradona in the Quartieri Spagnoli area of the city, where they watched their team beat Atalanta 2-1 in Bergamo.
IDOL OWEN
Former Barcelona and Manchester City star Sergio Aguero has opened up on his childhood footballing idol. Aguero’s time at City saw the Argentinian become one of the most prolific strikers in Premier League history before his exit in 2021. Aguero’s time in the Premier League saw him face some of
the most iconic strikers in world football, but he admitted former Liverpool star Michael Owen was his hero as a youngster.
TRENDY
Roma wore special edition jerseys against Udinese, with hidden images in the numbers designed by pop art figure Philip Colbert. The Giallorossi took to the field with very special shirts that have drawings embossed in the yellow numbers on the back. These are some of the trademark lobster motifs that have made British pop art figure Colbert famous.
17
As of match week 13, James Ward-Prowse has 17 dead- ball assists in the Premier League since the start of the 2020-21 campaign; the only other player in double figures during this period is Aaron Cresswell (10).
RED CARD MANIA
During the later stages of Sevilla’s trip to Real Sociedad, Sergio Ramos – who was already on a yellow card – fouled Brais Mendez with a strong challenge that connected with the midfielder’s shin. Initially, the referee gave a foul and awarded a second yellow, before VAR deemed that it should instead be a straight red card. It meant that Ramos was shown two red cards, although only one will count.
JUST PLAY BETTER
MD have released a report claiming that Barcelona have dropped seven points from four matches this season in the first 14 matches of this La Liga season from refereeing decisions that have gone against them, with the latest ones being against Rayo Vallecano.
GHANA-RING RIDICULE FROM MP
Harry Maguire has received an apology from... a Ghanaian MP who ridiculed the Manchester United defender last year. Maguire was bizarrely discussed in Ghanaian parliament in December 2022 as he was slammed for his showings at the back for Man United. Isaac Adongo, an MP representing the Bolgatanga Central Constituency, referenced
the England international when he
condemned Vice President Mahamudu
Bawumia for the performance of Ghana’s
economy. Adongo addressed Bawumia
as an ‘Economic Maguire’ in a brutal swipe
at the Red Devils star. However, Adongo has changed his tune on Maguire as he has hailed his recent performances at club level.
VIRTUALLY MOCKED
Alejandro Garnacho was brutally mocked by one of his Manchester United teammates on social media over his EA Sports FC 24 team.
The Argentine’s team included legends like Peter Schmeichel,
Patrick Vieira and Ronaldo Nazario. Garnacho also included himself
on the left side of the attack. After seeing Garnacho’s team on social media, teammate Facundo Pellistri took the opportunity to mock the Argentine. The Uruguayan wrote: “And he still can’t win any games.” To which Garnacho replied: “Still 3-0 in games against you. Stop spending money it won’t make you good.”
CATHY WOULD NOT HAVE APPROVED
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his late wife Cathy would not have approved of the way in which he spent £650,000 in November. Having retired back in 2013, the legendary former Manchester United manager spends a lot of his free time involved in horse racing these days. The Scot has always been a racing fans and now has 32 racehorses, as well as a stud operation in Hemel Hempstead. That very same operation bred Spirit Dancer, which landed the Bahrain International Trophy and gave 13-time Premier League winner Ferguson his “best moment in racing”. But the 81-year-old claims
his late wife Cathy, who sadly passed away in October, would have “gone mad” with his last two purchases, a pair of horses which totaled £650,000.
SUSTAINABLE GAS
Former England and Tottenham star Paul Gascoigne fought
back tears while discussing his battle with addiction with Vinnie Jones for his new TV show. Former Wimbledon player Jones stars in the new show titled ‘In The Country’, where he attempts to transform his 114-acre farm in West Sussex to what is described as a ‘sustainable utopia’. He is helped along the way by members of his family, while former team-mates also play cameos in the show. Former adversaries also play a role in the show - The Wimbledon midfielder infamously grabbed Gascoigne in his nether regions during a match between ‘The Crazy Gang’ and Newcastle in 1988 - and then sent him a toilet brush - and that is one word that can be used to describe Gascoigne and Jones in the past. But any animosity between the pair is long forgotten, with the England icon joining Jones in the show.
SOCCER360 91