Rory Smith
Posts
Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich and the Bitter End
A star striker is eager to move to Barcelona, and his club doesn’t seem to realize it might be its own fault that he wants...
At Champions League Final, the Fans Weren’t the Danger
Preconceptions about Liverpool supporters and policing decisions that didn’t prioritize their safety led to the chaos at the Champions League final. That’s dangerous for every...
Ukraine Is One Game Away From the World Cup
Competing for a place in a World Cup already comes with pressure, but Ukraine’s players have not shied away from what getting there would mean...
Luis Díaz Is the Liverpool Star Who Never Should Have Made It
Luis Díaz has become a hero in only five months in England. But his story resonates not because he made it, but because so many...
The True Cost of Kylian Mbappé’s New Deal
It is easy to be dazzled by money in soccer, especially as the figures blur into incomprehension. But the numbers matter because of what comes...
Real Madrid’s Florentino Pérez Is More Powerful Than Ever
A year after the Super League debacle, Florentino Pérez is back in the Champions League final, having turned a club owned by its members into...
Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal: Premier League Season Hangs on Final Day
As City and Liverpool take aim at the title and Arsenal and Spurs settle the last Champions League place, Leeds is playing for its Premier...
Lyon’s Women Defend the Past in a Changing Champions League
The arrival of new money in women’s soccer has come at a cost in Europe: It has separated the sport from its past.
How Haaland’s Advisers Worked the System on the Way to Man City
A carefully crafted strategy for a young striker’s career paid off handsomely. But will everyone get what they want out of the deal?
Andrea Pirlo Is Timeless
With elite soccer increasingly driven by coaches and systems, Pirlo feels as if he belongs to another era. But can a classic ever go out...