Rory Smith

6 days ago | observer.co.uk | Rory Smith

There are moments from that weekend that I want to become memories. The sight of my seven-year-old son, Ed, hearing the first strains of You’ll Never Walk Alone rising up from the vast crowd on the Strand, instinctively lifting his scarf above his head, and picking up the lyrics. My father-in-law’s voice cracking just a little as he told me how much it meant to watch Liverpool lift a league title with his grandson.

6 days ago | observer.co.uk | Rory Smith

On the podium at the Allianz Arena, a beatific smile fixed on his face and a glistening tear in his eye, Nasser Al-Khelaifi waited impatiently for his crowning glory. It had, admittedly, taken rather longer than he had anticipated. It had, in all likelihood, cost a little more, too: somewhere in the region of £2 billion in transfer fees alone, plus all those wages and, at times, legal bills.

1 week ago | observer.co.uk | Rory Smith

Here, then, is football in its final form: David Beckham, Tom Cruise and the NFL star Odell Beckham Jr, gathered around a faux fireside on a Chesterfield sofa on a sound stage in London, maintaining stilted conversation while the Champions League final plays out on a screen behind them, the biggest game of the season cast into shadow by the halogen light of their fame.

1 week ago | mib-raven-newsletter.beehiiv.com | Rory Smith

👀 The Eyes of the World 🏆Lautaro MartĂnez could be forgiven for thinking he has done enough. In vaguely descending order: He has won the World Cup, part of the Argentina side that emerged victorious in Qatar three years ago; he has lifted the Copa AmĂ©rica twice; the second time, in 2024, he did so as the competition’s leading scorer, a status he sealed by scoring the winning goal in the final. He won the Finalissima, too, when that was a thing.

1 week ago | criatures.ara.cat | Rory Smith

Tècnicament, quan els nens comencen a jugar a futbol formal a Anglaterra —amb 6 anys—, els partits no són competitius. No hi ha classificacions. Ni tan sols es registren els resultats. Tot i això, era evident, per a qualsevol que sabés comptar, que els nostres no eren bons. Va ser aleshores quan vaig idear un pla per intentar mitigar les derrotes. Em va semblar un pla força bo. Feia dos anys que animàvem els nens a jugar a futbol com cal. Feien passades des del darrere. Tocaven la pilota.