It is 15.00pm on Sunday afternoon and tipping 34 degrees as I step out of the railway station, but more than the heat it’s the visual impact that overwhelms...
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When God smiled at Mancini: The craziest Serie A comeback of the 21st Century
They had become a garden with no water, an oak with no leaves, a dry and thirsty land where vessels were filled only with shame for failing to triumph...
Read MoreLuciano Spalletti: The past and present of Italy’s last great innovator
Different yet, somehow, so similar. Rome and Milan are, in terms of traditions, culture and lifestyle, worlds apart. Football, however, makes no exception. The rivalry between the teams from...
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Mario Balotelli: A portrait of adversity
The year is 1461 – Portuguese explorers have just sailed onto the shores of modern day Sierra Leone, just above the Gulf of Guinea. It’s the tipping point of...
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Exploiting an untapped gem: Could the city of Venice benefit from selling its football?
‘TGU guest writer, Patrick Graham, studied history in Venice for three months, becoming attached to their local team Venezia FC, recently promoted to Serie B. Whilst there, it struck...
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Hachim Mastour and Milan: The story of a fenomeno crowned too soon
There is no surer sign of financial difficulty than when a big club, one that is used to being at the top come season’s end, decides that it is...
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Ultra-turned-footballer: The paradoxical nature of Paolo Di Canio
Tell me your favourite incarnation of Paolo Di Canio and I’ll show you what kind of football fan you are. If it’s first-time-scissored-volley-vs-Wimbledon-Di-Canio, you are probably a purist. If...
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Crazy for football: How the beautiful game is helping psychiatric patients in Italy
Between February 23 and 29, 2016 in Osaka Japan, 12 Italian players aged between 20 and 50 took part in the first ever futsal World Cup for people with...
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