Golaço Stories

HNK Rijeka might be soccer's best example of the complex geography and history of Europe. The Croatian club has an unbelievable history in which it has lifted trophies in 5 different countries without ever having been relocated since its foundation. To situate yourself better below is a map of modern-day Europe and where the city of Rijeka is located exactly within Croatia. The saga begins in 1906 when the club was founded as CS Olimpia in the city of Rijeka in what at the time was the Austria-Hungary Empire (see map below). In Austria-Hungary, CS Olimpia got a silver trophy...

Imagine spending 200 million euros, on a near 70,000 seat stadium, in one of the richest cities of the country, home to the counties most popular and domestically successful club, and yet it's such a disaster it gets demolished in just 16 years. This is the story of the Stadio Delle Alpi (Stadium of the Alps) in Turin, Italy, temporary home of Juventus and Torino. The stadium was an ambitious project aimed at replacing the aging Stadio Comunale and being one of the major stages of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.  Immediately the major issues were evident. First of all...

The Copa Del Rey did not always have the format it has today. When it was founded in 1903 it consisted of champions and runner-ups of regional leagues. In the late 1920's Spanish soccer reorganized to have a national league along the lines of what we see today, and therefore the Copa Del Rey also had to be restructured both in terms of format and qualification method. In May of 1927 Real Union won the last Copa Del Rey in the old format defeating Arenas Club in the final by 1-0. Nevertheless the Spanish Federation wanted to give the "old"...

Brazil's soccer culture is very rich and full of folklore, and one of the ways in which this is expressed is in the name of the stadiums. It is very common for stadiums to have poetic names or to be given nicknames that are more charismatic than the official name. Here are a few of the best examples: Name: Brinco de Ouro da PrincessTranslation: The Princess's Golden EaringClub: Guarani Capacity: 29,000Name Meaning: The stadium is located in the city of Campinas which is known and "The Princess of the West". In reference to the city's nickname and the stadiums shape a...

Few countries allow the existence of "B Teams" within their professional soccer pyramid, even fewer allow them to participate in the cup, and of those few even fewer are able to progress significantly. In 1993 Hertha Berlin's B team, known at the time as Hertha Berlin Amateure, shocked Germany. As the name suggests, B Teams are really only meant to develop and test young players in a competitive scenario. However in Germany these reserve teams are allowed to participate in the national cup which opens up the possibility of a Cinderella story.  The journey began in the round of 64...