Golaço Stories

         It is commonly said that the city of Rovaniemi, in Finland, is the real life home of Santa Claus, and a local club took that Christmas spirit to the next level. The fusion of two neighborhood clubs in 1992 resulted in the creation of FC Santa Claus. The Christmas theme goes beyond just the name for this charismatic club. The founding story, as told by the team, is that they were founded by Santa's elves who were kicking the ball around in the snow in-between packing presents. Not only that, but the club had to ask Santa...

         In Brazil's remote northern city of Macapá lies one of the most curious soccer stadiums in the world. Officially it is named Estádio Milton de Souza Corrêa, but it is much more commonly known as the "Zerão" (The Big Zero). The reason behind the peculiar name is because the midfield line on the pitch runs perfectly on the equator, meaning that it's exactly at latitude zero. This creates a few funny scenarios, like the fact that the teams defend in the southern hemisphere during one half and in the northern hemisphere during the other half. Also, you could...

   Not George Weah, not Didier Drobga, not Samuel Eto'o. The first African player to score a hattrick in UEFA Champions League history is Yakubu Aiyegbeni. The Nigerian international had a historic season for Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in 2002/03, scoring a total of 7 goals in the UCL. Of those 7 there was a notable goal against Manchester United, but more importantly a historic hat trick against Olympiakos.Yakubu was only 19 years old at the time, he would go on to play in the Premier League and even score for Nigeria in the 2010 World Cup. Despite his many...

       It is often mentioned when talking about the Dutch National Team that many of their players are descents of, or were even born in, Suriname. Legendary names such as Gullit, Kluivert, Seedorf, Davids and more, all could have potentially played for the Surinamese National Team, however, prior to 2019 the country did not allow for dual citizenship. Alternatively, a team called Suriprofs existed which consisted of professional Dutch players with Surinamese blood. With this team they were able to play unofficial friendly matches and raise money for charities, while at the same time feed fans imagination regarding what the Surinamese National...

    We live in a period in football where many clubs are deciding to rebrand and change crests full of detail and history for a more minimalistic look. Luckily for the more traditional fans UD Las Palmas stands against this trend and has one of the most complex crests in the sport today.In the center of the crest, surrounded by a white border, are the cities’ municipal arms granted to the club by the city mayor of the time. However, below it, is the most interesting part. If you look closely you’ll see five smaller crests of five different...