Danny Hart 
Josep Guardiola Sala was born in Santpedor, Spain, on January 18, 1971. Throughout his trophy-laden career in football, the player-turned-manager has been known to fans as both Josep and Pep. But why? In Spain, Pep is short for the name Josep, hence why people refer to Guardiola by his nickname. The former Spain international was
When Zinedine Zidane arrived at Real Madrid in 2001 wearing the number 5 shirt, the football world was understandably a little confused. The number 5 is almost always worn by defenders, not attacking midfielders like Zizou. So why did the Frenchman opt for 5 instead of a more traditional number like 7 or 10? Zidane
If you’re a long-term football fan, you almost certainly grew up watching two players take kick-off in the centre circle. Nowadays, only one player takes kick-off, but why? In 2016, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) announced that one player can take kick-off instead of two. After 18 months of consultations about rule changes, two-player
Even the biggest critics of the Premier League would admit that England’s top division features the very best players and managers from all around the world. English players seem to have no problem winning the title season in and season out. However, the same cannot be said for managers. Howard Wilkinson was the last English
It’s often said that goalkeepers are a bit mad. Outfield players get the glory of scoring and creating goals for their team, while goalkeepers receive abuse for 90 minutes from opposing fans and are mostly judged on mistakes. They also dive to the ground thousands of times in their careers, but why? Goalkeepers dive because
A list of the most exciting footballers of all time would not be complete without Ronaldinho. The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner became a global sensation thanks to his flicks and tricks in the shirts of Brazil and Barcelona, among others. So why did a player with so much skill and worldwide appeal decide to hang