Since Round of 16 fixtures are coming up next week, I thought it'd be a good time to talk about 2020-2021 Champions League futures. Who are you guys putting your money on? Any value still on the board? Personally liking Man City or Juve but anyone think any of the longer odds are worth a punt?
Bayern Munich +275
Manchester City +375
Liverpool +550
Juventus +1200
Paris Saint-Germain +1200
Chelsea +1400
Atletico Madrid +1400
FC Barcelona +1600
Real Madrid +1600
Borussia Dortmund +2000
Atalanta +3300
RB Leipzig +4000
Sevilla +4000
Borussia Monchengladbach +12500
FC Porto +15000
Lazio +15000

Hey guys! As promised yesterday, here's my matchday analysis from Sunday's games.
 
I've decided I'll just be publishing one analysis on Reddit from today onwards instead of 2 (either Saturday or Sunday), but you'll be able to view all the analysis from both weekend days and lots of other interesting FI related stuff on my new website - https://academy.indexscholar.co.uk
 
Anyways enjoy!
 
West Ham [1] – Liverpool [3]
 
Mohammed Salah swept up the dividends in the top forward category with 2 goals against West Ham in a 3 - 1 win. Game winning goal points definitely played their part but in my opinion Salah fully deserved the dividend win. He started off slowly but gradually grew into the game and started to cause problems for The Hammers defence. At first he almost converted a nice cutback from Origi in the first half but his shot was well blocked.
He grabbed his first goal of the game on 56 minutes in typical fashion from the right hand side. It marked the end of his barren 6 game run without a goal. He was able to place his shot into the far corner leaving after being played the ball by Curtis Jones who had an immediate impact coming off the bench.
He netted his 2nd of the game on 67 minutes after a swift Liverpool break-away from a West Ham corner on the opposite end. He exquisitely controlled Shaqiri's whipped cross and slid the ball past Fabianski. It was a world class move finished off by a world class player.
All in all, 239 PB points for Salah here with 61 touches, 6 shots (4 on target), 40 accurate passes, 1 key pass and 1 successful dribble attempt. He won't win PB often but when he gets these braces combined with game winning goal points he can be in with a shout.
Has risen in price from a low of £1.71 on the 18th of January to current buy price of £2.42. Still a far way off his 1 year high of £4.12 but as the platform has become more dividend-centric with all the changes that have taken place over the past year, I wouldn't be investing at this price. There are cheaper forwards who will provide you with more opportunities to win dividends.
 
Trent Alexander Arnold scored a fairly modest 113 points but he performed fairly well here, providing a brilliant cross field pass to Shaqiri which started off the counter attack which saw Liverpool score the 2nd. At £4.88 I wouldn't be rushing in to buy, but would certainly add him to my watchlist.
 
And finally, a word on Thiago Alcantara. Played the full 90 minutes and was very impressive. What caught my eye with him was his ability to pick out a through pass. There was a moment were he cut inside from the left flank and played a defence-splitting pass through the West Ham defence. Origi could only get a toe on it to send the ball wide in the end, but it was a sublime piece of vision from the former Bayern and Barcelona man.
In this game he had 121 touches, 93 accurate passes, 2 key passes, 1 cross and 6 long balls (3 accurate), He created a big chance and was influential on the defensive side too with 2 interceptions and 5 tackles. If he keeps his place in the side then he looks like a real snip at £1.58, as he's way down from his 1 year high of £2.79.
 
Chelsea [2] – [0] Burnley
 
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been a massive benefactor from the arrival of Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. Classed as a Forward on the Index but playing as a right wing back is good news for holders. The numbers look good too. At the surface we've seen two respectable scores of 156 and 140 against Wolves and Burnley respectively.
Beyond that however, in this game we saw him complete 90 minutes for the second successive game with 83 touches, 48 accurate passes (84.2%), 2 key passes, 11 crosses, 4 dribble attempts and 2 long balls. If he keeps playing in this position, I can see the potential for a PB win down the line if he's able to grab a goal involvement.
The market has been quick to spot the opportunity however, as his price has shot up to £2.23 from £1.38 on the 23rd of January and a remarkable 1-year low of 89p. For those who don't hold I would advise to wait and see whether Tuchel continues to play him in the right wingback role, as the new Chelsea manager is known for tinkering with his tactics.
 
Cesar Azpilicueta defied the odds to win star man with 261 points on a gold day for his holders. 28p in dividends for a player that is 46p at the time of writing is incredible. Scored the game winning goal for Chelsea with a powerful strike in a 2 - 0 win over Burnley. Wasn't fully nailed under Frank Lampard but appears to be 100% back in the starting fold in Tuchel's 3 at the back system, playing as the right-sided centre half just like he did under Antonio Conte to great success.
His stats for this game were good with 106 touches, 84 accurate passes (87.5%), 1 key pass, 2 crosses and 9 long balls. Can be picked up now on bids for 35p, which is a cheap way in for a Chelsea starting defender.
 
Marcos Alonso is another one who's been launched back into the picture at Chelsea, with the Spaniard scoring Chelsea's 2nd today. Controlled a beautifully weighted pass from Pulisic onto his chest and rifled a left footed volley into the top corner. Alonso's ability to score at the opposition end has never been in doubt, as it's the defensive side of his game which can be suspect. However, playing in his favoured left wingback role affords him that extra attacking freedom as he's got more insurance behind him from the left sided centre back (Rudiger). With his highest bid at 39p and down from a 1 year high of 94p he's another cheap option that I would be happy to pick up. But the cautious personality in me would say wait a little bit as he could be rotated with Ben Chilwell.
 
Thiago Silva popped up here with 211 points and finished in 3rd place in the defender category. World class defender who could have been picked up at 28p last month. Wins performance dividends quite a bit and has won a bit of media in the past as well. At 52p now I'd be cautious though as he's 36 years old. All it takes is a single serious injury to wipe out your investment in him. Solid option but I'd personally stay clear of this one as his retirement date is theoretically closer than the other Chelsea defenders like Azpilicueta, Rudiger and Alonso.
 
Mason Mount also played another blinder here, scoring an 8.0 rating on SofaScore. 154 points from 80 minutes is good, and he was involved in the game with 73 touches, 4 shots (all off target), 45 accurate passes (88.2%), 3 key passes, 10/14 ground duels won and 4 tackles. If he improves his shooting accuracy and subsequent goal output, he'd no doubt be an even better hold.
He's risen to £2.27 on the back of his recent performances, which is a price I would be a bit hesitant to fork out for considering the fact that English players tend to cost more than their European counterparts. But if he dipped again to around the £1.50 - £1.70 mark I'd be more tempted to have a look.
 
Also, a quick shout-out to Jorginho who scored 191 with no goals or assists here and 154 in his previous game with no goals or assists either. If he continues to get starts, he'll be back in the mix. He's way off his 1 year high of £2.16, and with the current highest bid sitting at 64p he looks a decent shout.
 
Patrick van Aanholt [DEF – Crystal Palace]
 
The Dutch international recorded a score of 186 with no goals or assists in his game against Wolves at home.
He has a decent PB record despite playing for a mid-table Premier league side.
Looking back at last year he's produced some 140's and 150's although we have to go back all the way to 22nd February 2020 for his highest score of 291. The ability to win dividends is certainly there, but you might be looking at a long wait as Palace aren't a team that's usually on the front foot with regard to ball possession.
Still, at a price of 37p he is worth a punt. You only need to look at a player like Azpilicueta to see that the reward is possible. The Chelsea captain is trading at 45p and he won a gold day star man worth 28p against Burnley.
 
Brighton & Hove Albion [1] – [0] Tottenham Hotspur
 
Pascal Gross caught everyone's attention with his performance in a 1 - 0 win against Tottenham. 232 PB points to seal the win in the MID category playing in a central midfield position he was influential in dictating Brighton's attacks.
79 touches, 40 accurate passes (83.3%), 14 crosses, 2 long balls, 1 assist and 3 dribble attempts was quite impressive considering Spurs had 57% ball possession.
Can be picked up on bids at around the 25p mark which is very cheap. Although Graham Potter does favour rotation in his side, Gross has played 90 minutes in the last 3 games, racking up 151 points against Fulham with no goals or assists and a 90 pointer against Leeds who dominated the ball with 66% possession. There's value all over the market and Gross exemplifies this with his win.
 
Another Brighton player who I really like the look of in the bargain bin category is Solly March. He scored 153 points against Spurs and has been playing in a left wingback role whenever called upon. Classed as a midfielder he's OOP in a good way. He's also registered a 193 score last month against Sheffield United with no goals or assists. Potential is definitely there with the highest bid on him currently standing at 17p.
 
Liam Cooper [DEF – Leeds United]
 
Leeds captain Cooper has been out with injury at various parts of this season but he's a defender who does decently enough on the matrix. He has a PB average of 129.4 in the last 5 games and played the full 90 minutes in 4 of those games, scoring once against Manchester United.
If he's able to pop up with a goal whilst playing the full 90 there's scope for a win I feel.
At present he has no bids on him which shows the problems that the Football Index are having with liquidity in the market.
 
Koen Casteels [GK – VfL Wolfsburg]
 
Casteels came 3rd in the goalkeeper PB standings with a clean sheet and 137 points locked in after a 3 - 0 win against Freiburg.
He was only 2 points off of 1st place as well which is quite encouraging.
2 saves, 26 accurate passes (81.3%) and 18 long balls (12 accurate) are more than decent stats I must say.
38p highest bid at the time of writing is a cheap price to pay for a goalkeeper who continues to impress with each passing week.
 
Lorient [3] - [2] Paris Saint Germain
 
Neymar was on the goal trail in his side's 3 - 2 away defeat at Lorient. He scored 2 composed penalties, drawing the foul for the first one after being played through by a flick on from Mbappe.
The attack really does flow through him in this side, as he showed with 115 touches, 55 accurate passes (78.6%), 3 key passes, 6 crosses, 4 long balls and 13 dribble attempts (5 successful).
At £6.79 it's a tricky one to call. For one, he fits the matrix to a tee being the ball magnet that he is, picking it up from deep and driving forward with it to the opposition box in a similar way to players like Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard.
But what puts me off is the fact that he's missed so many games for PSG. As of the 10th of January, he had only played in 52.43% of PSG games since joining the club which is insane. At the premium price point, I would also be looking at his media potential and with him publicly coming out and saying he wishes to stay at PSG, there isn't a very strong case for buying in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, he is a quality Football Index player but the likes of Messi (yes I know he's old) and Bruno Fernandes are winning dividends on a more consistent basis than Neymar.
 
The absence of Marquinhos is telling.
 
PSG with Marquinhos - 19 games, 16 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss  
PSG without Marquinhos - 10 games, 3 wins, 1 draw, 6 losses
 
Kimpembe clearly looks uncomfortable marshalling the defence in his absence, although he's just come back from injury himself and is known to need a bit of time to get back into his groove.
You would do well to pick him up on a bid of around £1.05 as Marquinhos is well away from his 1-year peak of £2.04. He is a world class defender who elevates PSG's level and he's scores very well on the matrix. His last 7 scores of 75, 186, 167, 154, 162, 174 and 181 are outstanding with no goals or assists in those games.
Although arguably there are better defenders with regard to goal threat but he does pop up with important goals as we saw at the tail end of the last season. Marquinhos gets the buy seal of approval from me at that price.
 
Yusuf Yazıcı [MID - Lille OSC]
 
There is a player here no doubt about it. I've watched him steal a PB win off of Rodrigo de Paul (who I hold) on a gold day in the past when the latter registered a 288 on the 22nd of November.
That night Yazici scored 356 points, albeit with 2 goals and an assist.
What's so impressive is this guy doesn't often complete 90 minutes yet he still racks up the points. 190 points in his last outing here and subbed off at the 70th minute mark, albeit with a game winning goal. If he had played on, I'm quite sure he would have been very close to the top of the PB leader board.
3 shot attempts, 37 touches, 13 accurate passes and 6 crosses is what he produced here.
At a £1.88 buy price I would lean slightly towards buying as he's still quite young at 24 years old.
 
Benjamin André [MID – Lille OSC]
 
A player who I've held in the past is 30-year-old Benjamin Andre.
With his highest bid currently 6p I am a bit surprised. Don't get me wrong he's not going to be winning PB regularly being a more defensive midfielder but he is capable of sneaking a win on a bronze or silver matchday at some point.
His last 5 scores are 153, 118, 115, 112 and 125. His 3 most recent games with goal involvements saw him score a 192 against Nantes (goal - 1st March 2020), 206 against Bordeaux (goal - 26th October 2019) and a 205 against Angers (assist - 13th September 2019).
It's a long shot as his last win came in 2019 but there's plenty of players that go a while without a win before showing up on everyone's radar again. Decent punt at that price.
 
That's it for this week I'll be posting my next analysis after this weekend.
And just as a reminder again I've got all this analysis and more available on my new website - https://academy.indexscholar.co.uk
See you next week!

So this whole Messi thing is pretty big news, but also interesting how widespread it goes. Thought it would be interesting to collate the current top post in each premier league club's sub relating to Messi's transfer request (or saga shortly beforehand) - the announcement was about 12 hours ago so these numbers are as of that point
/gunners (Arsenal) Arsenal will get Messi only if Napoli goes for him: 1484 Points I'm assuming this is an in joke where Arsenal tend to GAZUMP Napoli targets. Looks like the sub are mostly joking in relation to the news, but there's definitely a glimmer of hope amongst some
/avfc (Aston Villa) Discussion: What are the odds we get some of these Barcelona scraps.: 0 Points Looks like the Aston Villa sub was kind of pre-occupied by a certain someone being omitted from the England squad (and rightly so if you ask me). Very grounded response to the Messi news. EDIT: Rightly so that they're annoyed about him being left out, not rightly so that he was omitted!
/BrightonHoveAlbion (Brighton & Hove Albion) Not even a single post in the last 12 hours, let alone a mention of Messi
/Burnley (Burnley) Again, no mention of the Messi news here, come on Burnley you can dream
/chelseafc (Chelsea) Messi has chosen Manchester City as the club he'd like to play for: 171 Points Some actual news, highlighting that there was a chance he could've gone to Chelsea. However looks like this joke is well on its way to overtake it. Also plenty of chatter in the daily discussion.
/crystalpalace (Crystal Palace) Schrodingers Messi: 12 Points A very serious thread discussing the possibility of the Argentinian joining
/everton (Everton) Argentine veteran we should sign: 158 Points Another very serious thread, but would he keep Bernard out the team?
/FulhamFC (Fulham) Absolutely no mention of the man himself. I've also realised that clarifying the team name next to the sub link is a little redundant, but hell I've started now
/LeedsUnited (Leeds United) Messi wants to leave Barcelona: 63 Points I like this thread, it's clearly very tongue in cheek but I can sense the faintest little morsel of hope as well. Big fan of the top comment too.
/lcfc (Leicester City) Shooters Shoot: 134 Points So Leicester City is clearly the most active in terms of making jokes about this, including a beautiful photoshop with Messi & Suarez in Leicester shirts. The top post is a hail mary (hey I'm not American but that's a saying, right?) shot at getting the man to the East Midlands
/LiverpoolFC (Liverpool) Rival news : Messi wants to terminate his contract at Barcelona: 316 Points Firstly, I felt dirty going on this sub - but I did it for science. A serious discussion post, with mostly non-serious responses (aka. the whole of /soccer)
/MCFC (Manchester City) "Messi wants to play for Manchester City..." Marcelo Belcher: 934 Points !RemindMe 2 Weeks
/reddevils (Manchester United) [https://old.reddit.com/reddevils/comments/igdc9l/](Deportes Cuatro Manchester United have started an approach for the signing of Lionel Messi): 728 Points This was actually posted before the news, also "Tier Unknown" is my new band name thanks guys. EDIT I'm struggling to format this one, I think it's to do with the square bracket in the link
/nufc (Newcastle United) It would appear that the failed takeover has completely destroyed any level of hope (or even joy) from within the Newcastle sub
/SheffieldUnited (Sheffield United) When Messi arrives at the Lane...: 34 Points This is more like it, Sheff Utd bringing the jokes back - thanks guys
/SaintsFC (Southampton) Sadly no news on the South Coast, maybe they're playing it coy - I'm expecting some updates soon
/coys (Tottenham) No news at all, I expected more Tottenham... I'm pretty sure I spotted something last night when I was thinking of this post, perhaps it got removed
/WBAfootball (West Brom) Not even this gargantuan news could wake up the West Brom sub
/Hammers (West Ham) #AnnounceMessi: 128 Points I like how some subs went for slightly more sophisticated attempts at humour, West Ham went for a straight up shitpost
/WWFC (Wolves) Messi isn't portuguese, so the lack of posts is completely understandable
In Summary Reddit's standard formatting is not the nicest to use, but I'm too far in to go adding chrome extensions. Serious Posts: 5 (I'm including the Villa one here) Joke Posts: 7 Total Radio Silence: 8

Clean Sheet odds:

​

Team	Clean Sheet %	Day
1. PSG	54%	1
2. Chelsea	48%	1
3. Manchester City	45%	2
4. Inter	40%	2
4. Olympiacos	40%	2
6. Bayern	36%	2
6. Dinamo Kiev	36%	1
8. Dortmund	33%	1
8. Lazio	33%	1
10. Sevilla	31%	1
11. Real Madrid	30%	2
12. Liverpool	25%	2
13. Barcelona	24%	1
14. Atletico	24%	1
15. Leipzig	22%	1

​

Odds to score:

This does NOT include assists. Bet against means if it's possible to bet against the player scoring, Yes usually indicates higher accuracy while No could also mean the bookie isn't sure of that player starting.
Forwards:

Player	Goal %	Bet Against	Day
1. Lewandowski	69%	Yes	2
2. Mbappe	68%	Yes	1
3. Neymar	61%	Yes	1
4. Lukaku	59%	Yes	2
5. Immobile	54%	Yes	1
6. Lautaro Martinez	50%	Yes	2
7. Werner	49%	No	1
8. Aguero	48%	No	2
9. Abraham	43%	Yes	1
9. Benzema	43%	Yes	2
11. Jesus	42%	No	2
12. Messi	42%	No	1
13. Suarez	41%	No	1
14. Ronaldo	40%	Yes	1
15. Zapata	38%	Yes	2

Midfielders:

Player	Goal %	Bet Against	Day
1. Alexis Sanchez	46%	No	2
2. Di Maria	45%	No	1
3. Gnabry	40%	No	2
4. Sterling	39%	No	2
5. Pulisic	38%	No	1
5. Tsygankov	38%	Yes	1
7. Jota	37%	No	2
7. Müller	37%	Yes	2
7. Salah	37%	No	2
7. Sane	37%	No	2
11. De Bruyne	36%	No	2
11. Torres	36%	Yes	2
13. Perisic	35%	No	2
14. Reus	34%	Yes	1
14. Sancho	34%	Yes	1
16. Foden	33%	Yes	2
16. Coman	33%	No	2
18. Correa	32%	No	1
19. Ilicic	31%	No	2
19. Mane	31%	No	2

​
Note: Keep in mind that the odds can change after there are more team news, lineups etc.

So I decided to gather a list of the most upvotes post on each PL teams’ subreddit because i sometimes like going on different subs and seeing the fans react to important moments In their history/ season. It also allows you to revive memorable PL moments and players I guess. Here it is.
DISCLAIMER: Obviously there are a lot of different factors involved like the age of the sub and number of users at the time of the post so keep that in mind
Gunners (Arsenal):
FA Cup 2020 Celebrations
BACKSTORY
We all know this one, no need to go into detail. Arsenal won the 2020 FA Cup in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea courtesy of a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
avfc (Aston Villa)
Aston Villa avoid relegation in the 19/20 PL season
BACKSTORY
Aston Villa avoid relegation (this looked very unlikely only a few weeks back) from the Premier League after a 1-1 draw to West Ham United. This point was enough to keep them up after Watford lost 3-2 to Arsenal and results did not go in Bournemouth’s favour.
Burnley (Burnley):
The reaction to the banner flown over the stadium during a fixture against Man City
BACKSTORY
Some morons decided to fly a banner over the Burnley stadium saying “All Lives Matter” as a response to the Black Lives Matter protests that had been taking place before every Premier League game.
BrightonHovealbion (Brighton)
Mooy Zidane comparison meme
BACKSTORY
Just a meme about Zidane looking like Aaron Mooy
ChelseaFC (Chelsea):
Chelsea sign Kai Havertz
BACKSTORY
Chelsea signed Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported few which could reach up to 71 million pounds. The German International’s excellent performances for club and country lead to international recognition for the youngster and led to a race for his signature which Chelsea eventually won.
CrystalPalace (Crystal Palace):
Crystal Palace beat Leicester 5-0
BACKSTORY:
Palace beat Leicester 5-0 thus beating their record of highest win margin in Crystal Palace’s PL history. They moved up to 11th place.
Everton (Everton):
Leighton Baines tribute
BACKSTORY
A tribute to Everton legend Leighton Baines who retired on the last game of the 19/20 Premier League Season. A loyal and faithful servant of Everton and a firm fan-favourite notable for his deadliness from set-pieces, astuteness in defence and great attitude on and off the pitch.
FulhamFC (Fulham)
Joe Bryan appreciation thread
BACKSTORY
Fulham secured promotion in a 2-1 victory over Brentford in the Championship Play-off Final after Extra Time. 2 goals from Joe Bryan were enough to get Fulham over the line and grant them the win, returning them to the Premier League.
LeedsUnited (Leeds)
Chris Wood equaliser vs Newcastle
OVERVIEW
Chris Wood scores a 95th minute equaliser against Newcastle in 1-1 draw at St James’ Park. This was an important goal as it kept their hopes of getting promoted through the playoffs to the Premier League.
lcfc (Leicester City):
Leicester win the PL
BACKSTORY
Again, we all know the story, but it remains remarkable. A Leicester team ranked 5000/1 to win the title managed to pull it off with after excellent seasons in particular from Vardy, Mahrez and Kante as well as the master Tinkerman, Claudio Ranieri
LiverpoolFC (Liverpool):
Liverpool become PL champions
BACKSTORY:
We all know but Liverpool became the Champions for the first time in 30 odd years. After an agonising end to an enthralling title-race the previous season, Liverpool and Klopp finally got their hands on the Holy Grail.
MCFC (Man City):
Story about a lifelong Man City Fan who passed away with cancer a couple of years back
I don’t want to take anything away from the story or get any details wrong inadvertently. It’s best you go read it yourself if your up for it.
RedDevils (Man Utd)
A beautiful picture of Marouane Fellani getting hit in the head with a football
BACKSTORY
In Man Utd’s 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in the 2017 Super Cup, Fellaini’s image went viral all over social media so much that even Fellani himself reacted to it.
nufc (Newcastle):
A foreign supporter’s love letter to Newcastle
BACKSTORY
A Newcastle’s fan journey of supporting the club and how he fell in love with and decided to become a supporter of it.
SheffieldUnited (Sheffield United)
A pretty mediocre Messi joke can’t lie
BACKSTORY
When Lionel Messi, arguably one of the greatest players of a time , announced that he wanted to leave Barcelona, almost every set of fans in the world started jokingly thinking about how he would fit in their team.
SaintsFC (Southampton)
Hassenhuttl’s first game
BACKSTORY
After the mediocre period that Mark Hughes has while in charge of Southampton, the manager was sacked and replaced with Hassenhuttl. In his first ever game, he managed to secure a 3-2 victory. The fans were pretty hyped.
coys (Tottenham):
Spurs reach the UEFA Champions League Final
BACKSTORY
Tottenham Hotspur reached the first Champions League Final in their history. After being 3-0 down to a rampant Ajax side, a sensational hat trick from Lucas Moura marked an unbelievable comeback in the biggest game in the club’s history. The last of Moura’s goals came in the 96th minute and provoked tears of joy from manager Mauricio Pochettino.
WBAfootball (West Brom):
A funny dig at wolves
BACKSTORY
There is a rivalry between Wolves and West Brom, just as there is with all Midland Clubs. Not too sure about the context of the Kanye tweet tho tbf.
Hammers (West Ham):
Michail Antonio appreciation post
BACKSTORY
During the run-in, Antonio was in excellent form (particularly after the break) and was one of few players that really helped to drag West Ham over the line and steer them away from the drop zone. He was rewarded with a POTM because of his form which was well-deserved.
WWFC (Wolves):
Adama appreciation post
BACKSTORY
After a disappointing 18-19 campaign, Adama truly stepped up his game this year. Amazing dribbles, blistering pace, incredible strength and rapidly improving pace has made him one frightening (and fun to watch) player in the Premier League.
Well there it is, I hope u enjoyed it

I am not even going to analyse Messi and Ronaldo's all-rounded greatness, titles and individual accolades in this post, this is purely focused on their goal-scoring feats.
Remember the glory days of the 90's/2000's where the benchmark for a great striker [which neither Messi or Ronaldo even are] was to score 30+ goals a season? Before Messi and Ronaldo changed football forever, this was the aspiration for an elite CF.
You had many great CF's during this era. To name a few: Brazilian Ronaldo, Henry, Shevchenko, Drogba, Eto'o, Vieri, Van Nistelrooy, Raul, Del Piero, Trezeguet, Batistuta, David Villa, Makaay, etc.
Newer era in the past decade has seen strikers break this barrier with much more regularity with the likes of Lewandowski, Suarez, Aguero, Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Falcao, Kane, Aubameyang, Mario Gomez, Benzema and more achieving it on multiple occasions.
I'm going to illustrate just how off the charts Messi and Ronaldo's numbers have been by drawing up a comparison of all the CF's in the past 20 odd years who have broken the 30 goal barrier on more than 2 occasions. It's strict criteria meaning that even 27-29 goal seasons will not be counted towards it unless it falls on or below 40 total appearances considering injury-hit campaigns**. League Coefficients will also be applied so that only the top 5 European Leagues will be considered.**
​
​

Striker Name	No. of Seasons with 30+ gls	Clubs
Lionel Messi	12 [2008-2020]	Barcelona
Cristiano Ronaldo	11 [2007-08, 2009-2018, 19-20]	Man United, Real Madrid, Juve
Robert Lewandowski	7 [2011-2013, 2015-2020	Borussia Dortmund, Bayern
Sergio Aguero	6 [2011-12, 2013-15, 16-19]	Manchester City
Edinson Cavani	6 [2010-13, 2014-15, 16-18]	Napoli, PSG
Thierry Henry	5 [2001-2006]	Arsenal
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	5 [2011-2016]	AC Milan, PSG
Luis Suarez	5 [2012-14, 2015-2018]	Liverpool, Barcelona
Ronaldo Lima	4 [1996-98, 2002-04]	Barcelona, Inter, Real Madrid
Samuel Eto'o	4 [2004-06, 08-09, 2010-11]	Barcelona, Inter Milan
Ruud Van Nistelrooy	4 [2001-2004, 2006-07]	Man United, Real Madrid
Karim Benzema	4 [2007-08,11-12, 15-16, 18-19]	Lyon, Real Madrid
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang	3 [2015-17, 2018-19]	Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal
Radamel Falcao	3 [2011-13, 2016-17]	Atletico Madrid, Monaco
Harry Kane	3 [2014-15, 2016-18]	Tottenham
Neymar	3 [2014-16, 2017-18]	Barcelona, PSG
Didier Drogba	3 [2003-04, 06-07, 09-10]	Marseille, Chelsea
Roy Makaay	3 [2002-2005]	Deportivo, Bayern Munich
Gonzalo Higuain	3 [2009-10, 2015-17]	Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus
Mario Gomez	3 [2008-09, 2010-12]	Stuttgart, Bayern Munich

​
Some notes to take away from this data:
- Criteria inevitably was kinder to some and incredibly harsh to others. Prime example being Shevchenko who was a perennial 28-30 goal man and put up two 30+ seasons at Dynamo Kiev including CL goals, yet only qualified for 1 top 5 Euro league 30+ season here. Raul was another 29 goal a season man, hitting that figure on 3 seasons along with one 30+ season so of course also deserves a mention.
- Also honourable mentions go to consistent 25-30 goal a season men in Di Natale, Forlan, Batistuta, Inzaghi, David Villa, David Trezeguet, Rivaldo, Crespo, Hasselbaink, Icardi and also to the players that broke the 30 goal barrier in 2 seasons in Diego Milito, Rooney, Dzeko, Van Persie, Luca Toni, Immobile, M'Bappe.
- Also a shout-out to Christian Vieri who put up outstanding scoring numbers but suffered from injuries capping his totals in the 25-29 goal range, did it for 4 seasons without even playing close to 40 games.
-Worth noting that plenty of the players on this list put up multiple other seasons over 20 and in some cases, 25-29 but in over the 40 apps cap. Just had to introduce a cap somewhere otherwise would have been too generic a list and have too many players to list. Also like the old school 30+ goal barometer.
- Messi and Ronaldo's numbers speak for themselves, absolute dwarf the competition nearly doubling the season count of the most elite goalscorers of their generation in Lewandowski and Aguero. What's even more amazing is that the vast majority of Messi and Ronaldo's seasons were actually in the 40-60 goal range, eviscerating Aguero from the podium and only leaving Lewy hanging in there.
- Ronaldo Lima's numbers are insane when you consider that he only made 36 apps in club football over the course of 4 seasons in the middle of his prime ! And he comes back from 4 year injury hell to dominate and win a World Cup as well as put up back to back 30+ goal campaigns at Real Madrid, incredible feat.
- Benzema being so high up and having the longest period of time between his first 30 goal season and his last along with Ronaldo is pretty remarkable. Combine that with his CL goalscoring record as well as his phenomenal link up play/all round game and it's easy to see why Real Madrid have persisted with the guy and he has outlasted everyone barring Ramos and Marcelo at the club.
- Aguero's place is incredible too although the criteria was a little kinder to him than others. Didn't have as high a peak as a few below him on the list, no denying his consistency though up there with the very best. He actually had 4 seasons of near-misses too between his Atletico days and being reduced games at City because of injuries.
- Also surprising to see Cavani so high up the list, was absolutely ridiculous at Napoli one nearly forgets.
​
Hope that somebody finds this write-up interesting, took long enough haha.
Stats source: Wikipedia

Clean sheet odds:

​

Team	Clean sheet %	Day
1. Juventus	56%	2
2. Atalanta	47%	1
3. Leipzig	37%	2
4. Barcelona	35%	2
4. Manchester City	35%	1
6. Marseille	33%	1
6. Real Madrid	33%	1
6. Salzburg	33%	1
9. Atletico	28%	1
9. Dortmund	28%	2
11. Chelsea	24%	1
11. Liverpool	24%	1

​

Odds to score:

This does NOT include assists. Bet against means if it's possible to bet against the player scoring, Yes usually indicates higher accuracy.
Forwards:

Player	Goal %	Bet against	Day
1. Ronaldo	63%	Yes	2
2. Haaland	62%	Yes	2
3. Zapata	59%	Yes	1
4. Messi	56%	No	2
5. Benzema	51%	Yes	1
6. Daka	48%	No	1
7. Morata	47%	Yes	2
8. Gomez	46%	Yes	1
9. Aguero	40%	No	1
9. Lukaku	40%	Yes	1
9. Sorloth	40%	No	2
12. Mbappe	37%	Yes	2

Midfielders:

Player	Goal %	Bet Against	Day
1. Iličić	53%	No	1
2. Salah	48%	Yes	1
3. Mane	42%	Yes	1
4. Jota	40%	No	1
5. Vinicius	35%	Yes	1
6. Joao Felix	34%	Yes	1
6. Sancho	34%	Yes	2
6. Sterling	34%	Yes	1
9. Coutinho	33%	No	2
10. De Bruyne	29%	Yes	1
10. Fernandes	29%	Yes	2
12. Mahrez	28%	No	1

​

United's transfer market woes in the post Ferguson era.

TLDR: United are not good in the transfer market. They consistently pay more for less. Tables incoming.
I wanted to make this post to highlight United's shortcomings in the transfer market. This is going to be a complicated way of saying United need a Director of Football, or at the very least a long term plan. In the past 7 years United have not had a clear vision towards building a team. They have let four managers with very different ideas make decisions on which players should be bought and sold. This has led to a lot of change and turmoil within the squad. During this time teams like Leicester, Liverpool, Dortmund and Bayern would become very adept in a transfer market that has seen transfer fees ballooning out of control. In the notable transfer sections I tried to include known players in positions that United were looking for while excluding players that United would never be in for i.e. Suarez.

David Moyes - 81 crosses (2013-2014)

United set the tone for what the future will hold in the first transfer window post Ferguson. Moyes rejects Thiago and United proceed to spend over the odds on Fellaini, as reports come out that they are working on signing Bale, Ronaldo and Fabregas. United also miss out on Ander Herrera on deadline day. In January, Mata joins a position group that includes Rooney and Kagawa.
Targets
CM, LB
Players In

Player	Pos	Club	Fee
Marouane Fellaini	CM	Everton	£29.16m
Juan Mata	CM	Chelsea	£40.26m

Notable Transfers

Player	Pos	Club	Fee
Mesut Ozil	CM	Arsenal	£42.30m
Thiago	CM	Bayern Munich	£22.50m
Nemanja Matic	CM	Chelsea	£22.50m
Isco	CM	Real Madrid	£27.00m
Lucas Digne	LB	PSG	£13.50m
Riyad Mahrez	RW	Leicester	£00.45m

Hindsight is 20/20 - Missing out on Thiago hurts, given his age and cost Moyes should have been overruled. Digne would have been a decent signing to learn under Evra who had a couple years left. Buying Thiago and Digne instead of Fellaini and Mata would have saved United around £35.00m and better set them up for the future.

Louis Van Gaal - Oranje United (2014-2016)

Now it starts to get bad. Louis Van Gaal takes over United after a strong showing at the World Cup. He buys Blind and Rojo to accomodate switching to a 5-3-2 formation. Late in the window Angel Di Maria is signed and United switch to a traditional 4-3-3. The United old guard is starting to look old; Rooney, Carrick, RVP are all in the twilight of their careers. Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw finally make it to United. During LVGs tenure Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young begin their transformations into full backs. LVG guts most of the squad in his two years at the club. Favorites like Nani, Rafael, Chicharito and RVP leave the club. United becomes a group of players rather than a cohesive squad.
Targets
Year 1 - CM, LB, CB, ST
Year 2 - ST, LW, CM, RB
Players In

Player	Pos	Club	Fee
Angel Di Maria	CM	Real Madrid	£67.50m
Luke Shaw	LB	Southampton	£33.75m
Ander Herrera	CM	Athletic Bilbao	£32.40m
Marcos Rojo	CB	Sportin CP	£18.00m
Daley Blind	CB	Ajax	£15.75m
Falcao	ST	Monaco	£6.84m (loan)
Year 2
Anthony Martial	ST	Monaco	£54.00m
Memphis Depay	LW	PSV	£30.60m
Morgan Schneiderlin	CM	Southampton	£31.50m
Bastian Schweinsteiger	CM	Bayern Munich	£8.10m
Mateo Darmian	RB	Torino	£16.20m
Sergio Romero	GK	Sampodoria	Free

Notable Transfers

Player	Pos	Club	Fee
Alexis Sanchez	CF	Arsenal	£38.25m
Antoine Griezmann	CF	Atletico Madrid	£48.60m
Paulo Dybala	CF	Juventus	£36.00m
Cesc Fabregas	CM	Barcelona	£29.70m
Toni Kroos	CM	Real Madrid	£22.50m
Ivan Rakitic	CM	Barcelona	£16.20m
Ngolo Kante	CM	Leicester	£8.10m
Alex Sandro	LB	Juventus	£23.40m
Layvin Kurzawa	LB	PSG	£22.50m
Nathaniel Clyne	RB	Liverpool	£15.93m
Joao Cancelo	RB	Valencia	£13.50m
David Luiz	CB	PSG	£44.55m
Medhi Benatia	CB	Bayern Munich	£25.20m
Virgil Van Dijk	CB	Southampton	£14.13m

Hindsight is 20/20 - LVG shuts down Moyes's work on Toni Kroos. Herrera comes in, only for LVG to go after Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger the following year. In another universe United have a midfield of Thiago, Kroos, and Hererra that cost them £77.00m. Plenty of full backs are on the move in these two years, instead United opt for Valencia and Young. Also a certain Dutch defender moves to the PL. United start paying over the odds for players. Schneiderlin and Hererra cost United more than Kroos, Fabregas and Rakitic.

Jose Mourinho - "Respek" (2016-2019)

After winning the FA Cup LVG is fired the next day and Jose Mourinho takes over. Jose immediately attracts big names and Paul Pogba comes home. Following a Europa League win and a second place finish that never saw United threaten for the title Jose falls out with Pogba and begins a now all too familiar process. Alexis Sanchez is signed and the morale hits a new low.
Targets
Year 1 - ST, RW, CM, CB
Year 2 - ST, CM, CB
Year 3 - CB, LW, CM
Players In

Player	Pos	Club	Fee
Paul Pogba	CM	Juventus	£94.50m
Henrikh Mkhitaryan	RW	Dortmund	£37.80m
Eric Bailly	CB	Villarreal	£34.20m
Zlatan Ibrahimovic	ST	PSG	Free
Year 2
Romelu Lukaku	ST	Everton	£76.23m
Nemanja Matic	CM	Chelsea	£40.23m
Victor Lindelof	CB	Benfica	£31.50m
Alexis Sanchez	LW	Arsenal	Swap
Year 3
Fred	CM	Shaktar Donetsk	£53.10m
Diogo Dalot	RB	Porto	£19.80m
Lee Grant	GK	Stoke	£1.53m

Notable Transfers

Player	Pos	Club	Fee
Leroy Sane	LW	Man City	£46.80m
Sadio Mane	LW	Liverpool	£37.80m
Riyad Mahrez	RW	Man City	£61.00m
Lucas Moura	RW	Spurs	£25.56m
Mohamed Salah	RW	Roma	£20.70m
Mohamed Salah	RW	Liverpool	£37.80m
Christian Pulisic	LW	Chelsea	£57.60m
Fabihno	CM	Liverpool	£40.50m
Youri Tielemans	CM	Monaco	£22.50m
Wilfried Ndidi	CM	Leicester	£15.84m
James Maddison	CM	Leicester	£22.50m
Virgil Van Dijk	CB	Liverpool	£76.19m
Aymeric Laporte	CB	Man City	£58.50m
Martin Skriniar	CB	Inter	£30.60m
Davinson Sanchez	CB	Spurs	£37.80m
Stefen de Vrij	CB	Inter	Free
Ricardo Pereira	RB	Leicester	£19.80m
Serge Aurier	RB	Spurs	£22.50m
Benjamin Mendy	LB	Man City	£51.57m
Kyle Walker	RB	Man City	£47.43m
Joao Cancelo	RB	Juventus	£36.36m

Hindsight is 20/20 - Jose never really fit United, however he did much better than previous managers did. Spending £170.00m on a ST and an attack minded midfielder when you play a defensive counter attacking system is mind boggling. Jose bought three defenders and not one of them was a ready made player. Meanwhile VVD would join Liverpool and Laporte would join City with a gaggle of full backs. Jose would persist with Valencia and Young. The Fred signing was an odd one given the cost. Its important to point out that during Jose's tenure transfer fees ballooned to new heights. I think it is also interesting to see how Leicester are showing up United in the market. Ndidi, Maddison and Pereira are all good players whom play in positions that United needed, and United spent around double for the players they would eventually sign. Jose would have known that the defenders he had were not good enough. I am still shocked that he didn't start by rebuilding the defense.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - "Ole's at the wheel" (2019-Present)

Targets
Year 1 - CB, RB, CM, LW
Year 2 - RW, CB, LB, ST, CM
Ole joins United and the mood is immediately lifted. Players are smiling and more importantly the team starts winning. United give Ole the job and immediately come back to reality. United claim that they have their stuff together in the transfer market and shrug off any suggestions of a Director of Football.
Players In

Player	Pos	Club	Fee
Harry Maguire	CB	Leicester	£78.30m
Aaron Wan Bissaka	RB	Crystal Palce	£49.50m
Daniel James	LW	Swansea	£16.00m
Bruno Fernandes	CM	Sporting CP	£49.50m
Year 2
Donny Van De Beek	CM	Ajax	£35.10m
Alex Telles	LB	Porto	£13.50m
Amad Diallo	RW	Atalanta	£18.90m
Facundo Pellistri	RW	Penarol	£7.65m
Edinson Cavani	ST	PSG	Free

Notable Transfers
I am going to leave this blank because I think its too early to determine much from this.
Hindsight is 20/20 - Maguire and AWB is United paying for mistakes of the past. There were plenty of opportunities to be more proactive in the market with a vision on the future. VDB and Telles represent good value signings. Diallo and Pellistri are unknowns, but personally, I like these types of signings because they represent low risk, high reward. Bruno's signing saved the 19/20 season, but you have to question what took them so long. At this point we are all aware of the embarrassment of the summer window.
Summary
United are in dire need of a long-term plan. This shows that United do spend money, they just spend it poorly. A revolving door of managers and two investment bankers are not going to be able to build a cohesive side capable of challenging for trophies. They are constantly paying more for players who do not prove to be more value. Until United make the change to put a football minded person in charge of building the squad the club will continue to wallow in mediocrity. The big misses over the past seven years are Thiago and Kroos, and buying 3 fullbacks over that period while two converted wingers occupied those positions. Oh, yea and the right wing.

I thought that the odds of an Adlers victory against Bayern were very slim. Two things I have noticed in my time following die Adlers are that we play horribly against Köln and well against Bayern. This seems to be true even though Köln are usually blow us in the table, and Bayern above.
Lewandowski is having the season of a generation. There was little that Trapp could do on the majority of the goals. He was screened on Lewandowski's second, the defense allowed too many Bayern players unchallenged pass receptions in spaces around the box.
Once it was obvious that we were not going to be competitive watching Bayern be Bayern was worth the time. I watch a lot of football, and for all the talk of Liverpool, Barcelona, etc., Bayern has been one of the best teams I've seen for the past season or two.

I made this comment a little earlier on someone's post about how to play against stronger, faster, better, and smarter teams. This was my response, which kind of spun off into some tangents.
The reason for posting is that I am curious about yall's opinions on gamesmanship. Specifically, I would love to hear yall's opinions of my take on competitive football. Do not hesitate to voice opinions and disagreements - I love debating and discussing topics of my passions/ interests openly and constructively.
EDIT: There is a very big misunderstanding with this post. With the approach to the game, mentality, and behavior I discuss in this post, I am VERY STRICTLY referring to highly competitive levels of football. I am NOT referring to recreational Sunday leagues or teams, nor am I referring to "moderately" competitive levels of football like an "elite" men's league.
Again, I repeat - almost verbatim:

I am talking about HIGHLY COMPETITIVE football with this mentality. That is IT. I am not talking about Sunday League or a higher-level/"elite" men's league. These antics and behavior have absolutely no place in recreational, street football nor do they have a place in "moderate" competitive levels.

In essence, should you be a footballer that finds themself approaching the game in a similar fashion as to what I described, you should only act on this if:

1. Your job depends on it.
2. Your scholarship depends on it.
3. You are trying to be scouted -- which does not mean that those who are playing Sunday League trying to "get scouted" should use this. I am talking about those in high school under the USSDA program (or whatever they changed it to now) or are on club teams trying to play at the collegiate level.

Okay, edit over. Don' try this approach at your Sunday league. You will look like a complete jackass.

Grit: Typically, It Can't Be Taught

In a hypothetical scenario, you are given these choices:

1. Play a team with strong, technically sound, football smart primadonnas
2. Play a team with footballers that are not very strong, smart, or technically sound - BUT are absolute mother****ers; grunts that work harder than anyone on the pitch, running you into the ground, following you around the pitch, getting into your head and weakening your game, taking on dangerous, hard tackles, pick fights, talking **** in your ear all game. Just absolutely annoying, pest-like players that are filled with nothing but grit, determination, and a desire to win at any cost.

Who are you going to choose to play against? I, for one, would sure as hell pick team #1.
So my advice for your team is to be team #2. Be absolute mother****ers on the pitch and be completely relentless in everything that you do. Do not let them rest physically or mentally. Live in their mind the whole game; do not stop talking in their ears, go into every tackle the hardest you possibly can while keeping it CLEAN, and do not stop being a pest with your unrelenting physical efforts. This is a mindset that must be carried with you during all aspects of your game and preparations. This means the night before the game and when you wake up the next morning, you are fully determined to make the other team's game a living hell for 90 minutes. Accept that they may outclass you with their skill and game knowledge, but you will also REFUSE to accept that they will outwork you or be even remotely close to your determination for victory.

Gamesmanship: My Controversial Opinion and View of Gamesmanship in Competitive Sports

What is gamesmanship? Here is a definition I found online:

Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal) methods to win or gain a serious advantage in a game or sport. It has been described as "Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end". (Wikipedia)

I played competitive football for 12 years, which I ended after four years at the NCAA Division 1 college soccer level. I played center-half/defensive mid my entire career. Although I saw a decent amount of success in my career, which ranged from Division 1 All-Conference teams in the Southern Conference, to USSDA Defender of the Year Nominations, to US Training Center Invitations, and to captaining my USSDA U16 team to national playoffs, I was, and still am, slower than a tortoise bogged down by 100 lb. dumbbells. However, I was always very strong, physically built and big in size, and I knew how to use my body effectively. My technical ability heavily was influenced by my extremely slow pace, as I realized no matter how much I train dribbling to beat players and becoming technically sound with skill moves, my pace and slow acceleration would never allow me to be successful or effective with it. I realized I needed to keep my game to 3-4 touches max and gain pinpoint precision with passing. I figured the distance that I could not cover quickly with pace could be made up for by accurate "long" passes - which ultimately became a successful and incredibly important part of my game. I was a "connector" player for my team. In this regard, I tried to emulate Paul Scholes' deeply positioned, connecting play over long distances. I constantly searched for pockets of empty space, dropping back deep to connect with my center halves - sometimes dropping in as a third center halve to allow our pacier and offensively dangerous fullbacks to advance up the pitch and creating passing lanes from the pockets of space I left by dropping back. My college teammates would joke that they never saw me sprint ever in their 4 years of playing with me, to which they were probably not far off. I hardly ever needed to sprint or run to my maximum - yet very slow - speed. Defensively, and mostly due to my slow pace, I was forced to become very football smart. I was not able to make errors in positioning or allow myself to be on the wrong side of an attacke the ball because if this happened I was exposed and could not use agility to compensate for my errors. Therefore, I did not typically have to sprint or reach my maximum speed of 4 mph.; instead, I would read the game by following the movement of players in their relation to the ball. I would watch body language and eyes as opponents were on the ball. I would occupy spaces that I thought would block so many options that the point of attack would have to constantly just be switched until they became impatient or frustrated and forced something. With this comes leadership and constant communication with your team - you must look for opportunities to press, which are errors or when the opponent faces their back to your goal with the ball at their feet. Pounce on these opportunities and communicate with your team so loudly they can hear you from Old Trafford. Just this constant loud communication and constant, chaotic movement can cause a lot of mental pressure and added stress to your opponents game. Take advantage of this. I thought of my extensive game knowledge, but lack of pace like this:

They may be able to run past me, but they can't run through me if I am already there - nor could they even attempt to run with the ball if I get to the ball before they do.

Here is a good and quick example of football knowledge and how I used it to compensate for my lack of agility:

When a player had their back to me receiving the ball, I would grab one side of their body and faint to that same direction so that the opponent could see me visibly for a split second. If I did this to your left side, which way are you going to turn? If you said left, I would probably assume you are into black magic of some sorts and knew I was baiting you into turning right. I legitimately can not think of a time this did not work. The player would turn in the opposite direction of my touch every time. This allowed me to defend smartly and effectively while also not being exposed by my lack of pace and agility.

However, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, from the age of 8 until 21, there was one part of my game that remained consistent the entire time; I never lost it. That was my unwavering and overwhelming desire to beat my opponent at any cost. I was rough, tough, and relentless. I used my natural aggression and tenacity in my favor, which left me uninjured throughout my entire career. This is because I was always told, as long as you go in harder than your opponent, you will not get injured - I took that and ran with it. I used the maximum amount of aggression and ferocity that I could without committing a foul or getting booked, which was not always successful (it is easy to get carried away). When I went in for a tackle, I was never trying to get just the ball; I made sure to get the ball and make contact with the player - every time. Roy Keane was always an inspiration to me in this regard, although I did try to keep a more level head than he was able to throughout his career. They would remember that aggression every tackle they went into against me for the rest of the game.
For all 12 of my competitive years in football, I only knew the other team as the enemy - It was us vs. them. It was war for 90 minutes, which meant no chatter during the game with the opponent, no friendly smiles to opponents or anyone associated with them, no half-assed tackles, no second that goes by not utilized to create an advantage over them. As a pundit for Sky Sports Football, Roy Keane put it best after watching Manchester United and Liverpool in the tunnel before the match. He was infuriated with the way the players behaved. He said:

I’m disgusted with players (scenes in the tunnel). You’re going to war, they’re hugging and kissing. Don’t even look at the opposition. You’re going into battle against them.The game hasn’t changed that much, the players have changed. You’re going to war against these players and they’re hugging each other. Chat to them after the game, or don’t even chat to them after the game.

This mentality perfectly demonstrates my perception of competition. This war meant no sympathy for myself and especially not for the opponent, no sportsmanship (OTHER THAN INJURY), and leaving no stone unturned. After battling for a corner, throw-in, or any 50/50 with me, they were going to feel like they had been handled by a bear. They will not breathe, rest, or ease their mind until I decide I need some short rest in my relentless pursuit for victory. To be completely frank, I legitimately did not see my opponents as people. They were simply just objects obstructing me from my team's destination. They were interfering with my team's ability to win, so I treated them as such. I would utilize every tool I had to find victory. This included "Pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught, using whatever dubious methods possible to achieve the desired end."

Examples: Mentality and Use Of Gamesmanship In Competitive Matches Throughout My Career

Before the Match

• No talking to opponents
• No laughing/ smiling with opponents
• If there ever is a scenario where they are in close quarters with you/your team (i.e., they walk past your team's bench or you meet in the tunnel before the game), there is no engaging in ANY conversation, banter, or unnecessary friendly gestures put forth by them.
  • See their eased, careless state-of-mind and self-inflicted exposure of their vulnerabilities through attempted cordial relations as weakness, as they are extending invitations for friendship, not for the impending war.
  • By attempting harmonious conversations, over-zealous kindness, or banter, they are mentally in one of two places:
    • Pre-match -- with a mentality of acceptance for their loss; they are ready to make friends instead of strive for victory.
    • Post-match -- with a mentality of easily achievable victory; they extend these friendship offerings as a means of sympathy for your "overwhelming loss" they are about to deliver to you.
  • Regardless, take both instances and use them as fuel. Punish those who surrender before and annihilate those who feel victory comes easy when playing against you.
• No watching/ looking at opponents during warmup
  • This displays concern for the other team and what they are doing. If you are fully prepared and are confident in what you are capable of/ where you are willing to go on that pitch, there should be no need to look at the other team.
• When shaking hands pre game:
  • Eye contact
  • Firm, solid handshake. Like a gentleman. Do not be a jabroni and fist bump. Be a man and shake their hand before they are put through hell for 90 minutes.
  • No words -- No "good luck" or anything like that. Why would you wish your opponent good luck? It baffles me.
  • Read body language, voice tone, eye contact, and handshake. I may sound ridiculous, but there is a ton of information subconsciously given up in these instances. Slumped shoulders? Shaky, quiet voice? Breaks eye contact with you? Grips your hand like a giant wet spaghetti noodle? WEAKNESS.
    • This means you go in even HARDER against these players. Regardless of whether they gave up pre-game or are cruising in post-game, show them what a real match feels like - especially if they are mentally and physically prepared for a proper battle during the game.

During the Match

• Do not leave your opponent alone. When marking an opponent in close contact - say, a corner, set piece, goal kick, etc. - it is not uncommon for players to place their hands on the back of their opponent. This in itself is not a foul. Here, lies another great moment for some methods of gamesmanship.
  • "Accidentally" step on his toes - continuously. When you and an opponent are standing, isolated far from the ball, step on his toes inconspicuously.
    • This will drive opponents up the wall, resulting in their frustration and lost of focus on the game.
    • Best case scenario: they get booked for retaliation of something the official never saw in the first place.
  • While your hand is on your opponent's back, pinch them repeatedly, hard.
    • It is incredibly unlikely that the official will ever notice this is occurring. The only thing they will see is the opponent retaliating and using unprovoked force on you, which may result in a booking or warning. Advantage you.
  • On a set piece, corner, goal kick, etc. where you know your opponent will be jumping, do one of two things:
    • Grab onto their shorts -- When they jump, their shorts will come down as they jump, which will result in retaliation of some sort and a shift of their focus from the game to you.
    • Step onto the back of their boot -- When they jump, their cleat will most likely be pulled off of their foot, which, again, will most likely result in retaliation.
• Constantly communicate with your team loud and vocally about your opponents
  • Talk about weaknesses of specific players on their team, but do not do so discreetly or quietly. In addition, do so about their team as a whole.
  • Communicate so that the benches, coaches and entire crowd can hear. This causes humiliation, insecurity, frustration, and an over-zealous attempt to prove this weakness or area of exploitation wrong. This will cause them to attempt things that are foolish and not in the best interest of their team's success - this in turns not only causes a specific player to become frustrated, it causes their entire team to become frustrated. Again, opponent's mentality and focus off the game.
• Whenever there is a foul committed by your team or the ball is out of bounds, immediately grab the ball and begin to walk away. You will be signaled and called by the official to give the ball back.
  • However, instead of giving the ball back directly to the player and enabling them to play quickly and keep their rhythm, you will toss them the ball by throwing it high up into the air.
    • This frustrates opponents immensely.
    • I have never been booked for this nor have I seen anyone ever get booked for this, all the more reason it causes frustration for the opponent. Opponent's mentality and focus away from game and towards official and your antics.
  • Not only does this affect the opponent, it also allows your team to catch their breath, recover to their positions, and not be caught out by a quick set piece or throw-in.

Post-Match

• Be a gentleman.
• Be gracious in defeat and in victory.
• Shake hands.
• ***one caveat\***
  • If the other team repeatedly and unapologetically demonstrated disrespectful behavio gloat in victory/ refuse to be gentlemen in defeat, you do not owe them anything.
  • Respect is earned, not given.
  • Do not show respect to those who do not respect you.

My Advice for You

Be a warrior - do not focus on anything else. You want to win more than they do. You want it more than them. You are going to go to places physically and mentally that they are unwilling to go to. You are not going to stop until you win. Utilize these examples I provided and exploit the weak mentalities of the other team. None of these examples require skill or technical ability, so there is no reason they can not be implemented into your game to give you an advantage. Having said that, gamesmanship within itself is not alone. It is very affective, but victory still requires grit, determination, and a relentless engine deep within you that will not stop until the final whistle blows; until you drop to the floor because you gave every last bit of yourself to the battle; until you are victorious. Take some time to research and watch videos of significantly weaker teams/ opponents taking on some of the greats and coming out victorious. Take Celtic vs. Barcelona for example. Celtic was clearly outclassed, but they used their unrelenting will to win and defeated Barcelona, which seems impossible when looking at the statistics of that game. But, at the end of the day, stats do not matter. Celtic managed the game better than Barcelona and was victorious. Also, do not ever forget of the classic English Premier League meme "But could you do it on a cold, rainy night at Stoke?" This classic meme in regards to the harshness of Stoke City's home turf conditions due to weather and their gritty playing style is a perfect example of how a lesser skilled team can still pose tremendous complications to any team in the world. There are genuinely people who believe that Lionel Messi - arguably the greatest footballer to ever live - would struggle on a cold, rainy night at Stoke. Which, obviously, has nothing to do with his technical skill or ability. It has to do with playing conditions and opponent play style. Would Messi's intricate and beautiful do well against a gritty, nasty, ugly and tough, work-horse team like Stoke City? Or would he crumble under the circumstances. Last but not least, never forget that Leicester City FC won the 2015/16 English Premier League trophy after being given 5,000-1 odds, that Riyad Mahrez went from playing for Le Havre in France's Ligue 2 in 2013 to winning a Premier League title, becoming the first African to earn the PFA Player of the year, and being named to the PFA Team of the Year all in 2015/16 - and eventually became Africa's most expensive footballer in 2017/18 with a £60m transfer fee to Manchester City and win two Premier League titles in 2017/18 and 2019/19. LEAST WE NOT FORGET the wiry, hard-working, pest of a player who is so affective in his unconventionally aggressive and direct style of play, Jamie Vardy - who won the golden boot in the 2019/20 season, 4 years after many thought he had peaked in his career. How incredibly wrong were they? Jamie Vardy not only continued to greatness while remaining at Leicester City, he also became the oldest player ever in the Premier League to earn the Golden Boot Award. The list of these instances goes on, and on, and on. Anything is possible.
Listen, do not give one ounce of thought to how much "better, stronger, faster, or smarter" the opponent is. Sure, those things could be true. However, even if they are - it does not matter. Why does it not matter?

Because you want to win more than them and are going to do anything in your power to do so.

God, I could run through a brick wall right now.

Ethics of Gamesmanship

Some people find gamesmanship to be unethical or not in proper "sportsmanship," which I respond: They do not win very often. Sportsmanship should only be demonstrated in two instances:

1. When injury occurs
2. When the final whistle blows

Aside from these instances, there should not be any form of sportsmanship displayed. Why should there not be any sportsmanship displayed, you ask? Because while you are demonstrating friendly nature and great sportsmanship, the man who does not care about any of this is pushing the rules of the game to the limits, taking advantage of your kindness and lifting the trophy at the end of the season - but hey, at least you were nice! Those that look down upon gamesmanship lose more than they win. In all walks of life, victory is a result of one team, group, or individual doing something their opponent was unwilling to do OR it is the result of that team going to a place that their opponent was not willing to go. Those that refuse gamesmanship as a part of their game will miss out on a tool to be used in efforts to win games - games can not always be won with talent alone. Those that refuse gamesmanship because of its "unethical" and dubious nature will simply be taken advantage of and lose to those who decide to utilize its power in a competitive setting. True champions accept that there is life on the pitch and life off the pitch - your best friend on the other team is not your best friend during a match, but they are as soon as the whistle blows. A good example of this is the rivalry that existed between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira. These are two legends of the game that understood the principle of competitiveness and the difference between life and football - both of which saw incredible success due to their unrelenting attitudes, grit, and use of gamesmanship. And, like true gentleman, they are able to sit back and separate the game from every day life; displaying an understanding of war, defeating the enemy through any way possible, and as a result, being victorious.

This is my project in my spare time (which I definitely seem to have too much of these days) to try and learn more about some of the smaller leagues around the world and even some of the more obscure champions in high-profile football nations.
One-hit wonders are a weird thing in football. When you look at league title winners for different countries across the years, they usually stick out as oddballs (as in, sandwiched between one, two, or three teams and their domination). A good deal of them come out of nowhere and then disappear back into irrelevance shortly afterward. Yet, they leave a mark on the league that will never be erased.
I can't possibly cover every one-hit wonder in football history. Please don't be offended if I didn't get to your team (or country). I don't think any less of your team's league title and in a perfect world, I would've done them all. I want to get the biggest and baddest out of the way so I thought I'd start with UEFA. There's admittedly a lot, however: I'll have to break this off into two halves and the second half will come tomorrow.
Anyways, here goes:

• Spain:
  • Deportivo La Coruña (1999-2000): between 1971 to 1999, the title had never left the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and San Sebastien. Deportivo finished with just 69 points in one of the worst seasons in La Liga history (in terms of overall records, keep in mind that this was a 38-game season too) but honestly, they were due as they had several top place finishes in the 90s (it was also cool to have done so over Barcelona, finishing ahead by 5 points). Deportivo managed a couple good seasons afterwards but quickly declined and are currently fending off relegation from the Segunda Division, having last been in La Liga in the 2017-18 season.
• England:
  • Leicester City (2015-16): only 5 teams had won the Premier League since its inception up until that season. Leicester was promoted just two seasons ago and had a 14th-place finish the previous season. So it's was super surprising when Leicester won the league in a season where their odds to win was 5000-1 (and comfortably too, by 10 points over Arsenal). Even more surprising, Leicester fell to 12th place the following season and have never quite been the same though they're having a decent year this season.
  • Nottingham Forest (1977-78): Forest earned the last promotion spot to the First Division by 1 point after the prior season. In their first season back to the top flight, Forest went its last 26 games without a single loss as they finished on top of the table by 7 points, beating out 2-time defending champions Liverpool. Forest would have a few more good seasons afterwards but could never quite repeat and have not played top-flight football since the 1998-99 Premier League season.
  • Ipswich Town (1961-62): between Forest's and Ipswich's title, it's debatable which was more surprising, but my vote goes to Ipswich's. They were comfortably promoted just the season prior and while it was a bit close with Ipswich edging Burnley by just 3 points, it was enough to give them their first and only title. I say this one was even more surprising than Forest's because Ipswich fell off a cliff afterwards, finishing 17th the following season and then 22nd (aka last) the following season and got relegated. They have not been in the Premier League since 2001-02 and are currently a middling League One team.
• Germany:
  • VfL Wolfsburg (2008-09): Bayern had won 8 of the past 12 league titles prior to this season and while Wolfsburg did finish 5th the season prior, they were mostly an afterthought in the Bundesliga for much of their time. Then, this season happened, and Wolfsburg won its final game to finish two points ahead of the evil Bayern empire. Wolfsburg fell off a cliff pretty fast afterward, but at least they've remained in the Bundesliga and things admittedly have been better recently.
  • Hansa Rostock (1990-91 DDR-Oberliga): let us not forget the East German football champions. In the very last season of the DDR-Oberliga before the Wall fell, Rostock claimed the league by 3 points over Dynamo Dresden for their first and only title to date. Amazingly, Rostock was promoted just 3 seasons prior and were a fairly middling club prior to making it to the top. Rostock spent much of the 90s and 2000s in the unified Bundesliga but sadly fell out and are currently a middling 3. Liga team.
  • Eintracht Braunschweig (1966-67): the early days of the Bundesliga were quite chaotic. Braunschweig never finished higher than 9th in the first three Bundesliga seasons. So it was a bit surprising when they suddenly climbed to the top of the table this season, beating out defending champions 1860 Munich by 2 points. This is one of the few instances of back-to-back one-hit wonders in football history (1860 Munich occupy the next spot). Braunschweig fell back into mediocrity the following season and have only finished in the top 3 once since then: in 1976-77. They're currently stuck in the 3. Liga.
  • 1860 Munich (1965-66): yes, there is another team in Munich, and yes, that team has won something (in American terms, they're the New York Mets of German football). 1860 Munich slowly climbed from 7th to 4th before earning the top spot in the Bundesliga this season, beating Dortmund by 3 points. After their runner-up season the following year, however, this club fell off the map pretty fast as they've never been in the top 3 since. Like Braunschweig, they're also stuck in the 3. Liga as a certain other Munich team continues its run.
• Italy:
  • Cagliari (1969-70): behind Hellas Verona (who occupy the next spot), this is probably the team you forget about every damn time that won the Serie A. I'll admit I was genuinely surprised when I first found out a Sardinian club actually won Serie A. What makes this one interesting is Cagliari only started playing in Serie A for the first time 5 seasons ago but quickly ascended to runner-up and then league champions this year (even better, they beat Inter Milan by 4 points). Then, they suffered a slow death out of Serie A and while they're currently back, have had double-digit finishes in 17 of their past 18 Serie A appearances.
  • Hellas Verona (1984-85): here's a nice surprise. It's true that Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan had an unusually terrible performance in the aggregate that season (Verona actually beat out Torino for the title by 4 points) but please don't let that take away from the fact that this team won the league title just 2 seasons after promotion (and after a pretty mediocre finish the previous season). Verona got relegated after the 1989-90 season and while they're back in Serie A, haven't quite been the same.
  • Sampdoria (1990-91): they were a pretty good team the previous seasons but I don't think anyone really predicted their rise to the top that year. They finished 4 points ahead of AC Milan and 5 ahead of Inter Milan to claim their first and only. Sampdoria continued their good, not great status for a few seasons afterwards before suffering relegation. They're back in Serie A but have been mostly mediocre since.
• France:
  • Montpellier (2011-12): they were promoted just 2 seasons prior to this one and had a pretty mediocre finish the previous season. This title was significant not just because it was truly amazing but also because it held off the PSG monster for 1 season as they beat them out by 3 points. PSG aside, this season was amazing also because Montpellier has not had nearly the same success since as they fell into mediocrity the season afterward, although they've had a few good seasons recently.
  • Lens (1997-98): Lens had a few good seasons in the 90s but the previous one to this one wasn't one of those as they finished 13th. Then, 1997-98 happened. The 90s were a really chaotic time and Lens managed to put themself on the list of unique teams that won it that decade, edging Metz on a goal difference tiebreaker. Lens had a runner-up performance in 2001-02 and were a consistent top-half finisher in the 2000s but got relegated after the 2008-09 season and have never been the same since. They're in Ligue 2 currently, although they're only 3 points out from a guaranteed promotion spot as of today.
  • Auxerre (1995-96): two seasons prior to Lens' title, Auxerre pulled off another one-hit wonder season. Auxerre factored in the top of the standings in the late 80s and early 90s so it was only fair that they finally got their shot at glory this season. In hindsight, it was also really nice that they beat PSG by 4 points to claim their first and only league title. Auxerre continued at the top flight for years afterwards but were never quite the same and suffered relegation after the 2011-12 season. They've been in the Ligue 2 prison since then.
  • Strasbourg (1978-79): although Strasbourg was promoted just 2 seasons prior to this one, they had a surprising 3rd-place finish the season prior and finished off the nice surprise with said title. For a team that has spent this long in the top flight, it's kind of surprising to me how they've only won it once. Unfortunately, Strasbourg almost perfectly descended down the league table the following seasons and suffered relegation in the 1985-86 season. After an embarrassing liquidation in 2011, Strasbourg is thankfully back in Ligue 1 as a middling team.
• Portugal:
  • Boavista (2000-01): the Primeira Liga is honestly an embarrassment. At least we got to see a team not in the Big 3 win the league in this millennium as only the second and to date last time that's ever happened. Boavista was dangerously consistent in finishing at the top of the tables in the 90s and even had a runner-up season in 1998-99. Boavista finally broke the Big 3 stranglehold 2 seasons later and it was by 1 point over Porto. Sadly, Boavista suffered heavily for a match fixing scandal in the late 2000s but have since returned to Primeira Liga and have become a middling team.
• Russia:
  • Alania Vladikavkaz (1995): say who now? They're now known as Spartak Vladikavkaz and are currently stuck in the third-tier black hole thanks to a bunch of dissolutions and exclusions. Vladikavkaz had been a sort of wild card the previous seasons having usually finished towards the top of the regular season standings, and it finally paid off dividends as they beat Lokomotiv by 6 points to claim their first and only. They had a very close runner-up season the following year but never were quite the same afterward and got relegated after the 2005 season.
• Belgium:
  • KAA Gent (2014-15): Belgium, amazingly, has just 1 active one-hit wonder. Gent had gone the past 114 seasons without a league title...and then this happened. Belgium has the weird championship round after regular season system and it really helped Gent as Club Brugge actually finished ahead of them by 4 points in regular-season play. But Gent managed to make up for it in the championship round and finish ahead by 2 points for the title. This was cool because Gent hadn't even made the championship round the past two seasons although they've been towards the top ever since.
• Netherlands:
  • Twente (2009-10): I don't think Dutch fans were expecting two champions in a row that weren't Ajax or PSV. AZ won the previous year but they already had one at the time. Twente had been factoring in the top of the league table for a few years and actually finished as runner-up to AZ in 2008-09. So it really wasn't surprising that Twente finally had their turn on top, and to make it even better, they denied Ajax by a single point. What I haven't said yet is that fans had to suffer through the team almost dying due to bankruptcy earlier the previous decade. So this was a real treat for them. Twente finished as runner-up the next season but suffered more financial problems in the 2010s, although they're back in the Eredivisie this season fighting off relegation.
• Ukraine:
  • Tavriya Simferopol (1992): there have been only three champions in top-flight Ukrainian football: Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk, and...this club. Tavriya qualified for the championship round in the Vyshcha Liga's first season (the top-flight before the Ukrainian Premier League formed) and they beat Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 in the final to claim the title. Since then...Ukrainian league parity has been pretty non-existent and Tavriya is now stuck in the Ukrainian Second League.
  • Zorya Voroshilovgrad (1972): this team is now Zorya Luhansk in the Ukrainian Premier League. Back in the Soviet League, they won a nice title in 1972 after spending the late 60s towards the basement. Like most one-hit wonders, however, they suffered a very quick decline and even finished dead last one season afterwards. They've yet to find success in the Ukrainian Premier League, their best season being a runner-up finish in 2015-16 to powerhouse Donetsk.
• Turkey:
  • Bursaspor (2009-10): from 1984-2009, the Turkish football league title never left Istanbul...until this season when Bursaspor managed to end a very long dominant run by the Big 3 Istanbul clubs. To add an extra level of sweetness, they denied Fenerbahce by 1 point. Bursaspor had a decent 6th-place finish the previous year but as recently as two seasons prior were pretty mediocre. So to make it on top this season was truly surprising. Bursaspor slowly slid down the table the following years, however, and were relegated after the 2018-19 season. They're currently fighting for a promotion spot back into the Super Lig.
• Austria:
  • Grazer AK (2003-04): Grazer had factored towards the top of the league table for a while but only managed to break through this season, beating out Austria Wien by a single point. Grazer finished as runner-up the following year but suffered a quick downfall and were relegated out of the Austria Bundesliga following the 2006-07 season thanks to financial problems. The phoenix club that formed in place of it recently gained promotion into the Austrian Second League although they're currently fighting out of the relegation zone.
  • LASK Linz (1964-65): this team's title was significant because it was the first non-Viennese club to win the Austrian football league, beating Rapid Wien by 1 point. LASK had been fairly inconsistent the previous years but managed a big high this season only to continue their inconsistent ways afterward. They're in the Austrian Bundesliga as of today and if their lead holds, they could find themselves with a second title (sadly, that would take them off this list, but at least it would end RB's run).
• Denmark:
  • Nordsjælland (2011-12): Nordsjælland had been a very middling club throughout much of the 2000s and so it a was a nice surprise when, after a 6th-place finish the previous season, they climbed to the top and ended a run of 3-straight Copenhagen titles, beating them by 2 points for their first title. After a runner-up season the following year, they fell back to being a middling club in the Superliga. Oof.
  • Silkeborg (1993-94): what's amazing about this one is that just three seasons ago, Silkeborg barely avoided relegation via the relegation playoffs. And yet here they were, sitting on top for just this one season. Silkeborg had a runner-up season shortly afterwards but faced actual relegation following the 2002-03 season. After a bunch of ups and downs, they were promoted back into the Superliga prior to this season although it looks likely that they'll be relegated again due to their inevitable last-place regular season finish (it will be hard for the relegation round to save them).
• Scotland:
  • Dundee United (1982-83): yes, teams outside of Glasgow have won Scottish titles, just not for a very long time. It's amazing that Dundee claims two one-hit wonders (the other one you'll see later on). It must've felt good to beat Celtic by a single point. Dundee United had been competitive the past few seasons and finally broke through this year. While the following seasons saw them remain competitive, they couldn't break through the Glasgow iron wall and suffered relegation in 2016 (although they face almost certain promotion back after this season).
  • Kilmarnock (1964-65): Kilmarnock finished this season tied with Hearts for their first (and only) title). They had two back-to-back runner-up finishes the two seasons prior and, as they say, third time's the charm. However, as with too many clubs on this list, Kilmarnock began a gradual descent down towards relegation which came in the 1972-73 season. They have been one of Scotland's better clubs but are pretty mediocre this season.
  • Dundee (1961-62): Dundee's other club beat Rangers by 3 points to claim their first and only. Dundee was mostly mediocre with a few 4th-place finishes the season prior before finally breaking through. Dundee had some good seasons following that but suffered relegation in the 1975-76 season. They were recently relegated out of the Scottish Premiership and will have to work hard for a promotion spot.
• Czech Republic:
  • Vitkovice (1985-86): back in the days of Czechoslovakia, Vitkovice beat Sparta Prague by 3 points to claim their first and only title. Just the season prior, they finished in 11th, so it was a bit shocking. They were runners-up the following year and managed to make it into the first year of the Czech First League but got relegated that same year. They're currently playing in the Czech National Football League where they hope to gain a promotion back to the First League.
  • Bohemians Praha (1982-83): they defeated Banik Ostrava by 2 points to earn the title. Bohemians had factored towards the top of the table for a few years prior to this one so it was only fair that they finally got their chance. They were very up and down the following years and in the 1994-95 season, their second in the new Czech Republic, they got relegated. However, as of today, they do play in the Czech First League again, though it looks like they'll have to play in the relegation playoffs to avoid dropping down.
  • Zbrojovka Brno (1977-78): as recently as the early 70s, Brno was towards the bottom of the league so their rise to the top in 1978 was a nice surprise. Brno finished as runners-up in the 1979-80 season but then suffered a quick drop-off in performance and got relegated after the 1982-83 season just 5 years after their title. The club was also recently relegated prior to the 2018-19 season and currently play in the second tier.
  • Hradec Kralove (1959-60): just making the cutoff, Hradec beat Slovan Bratislava by 2 points to earn this league title. This one was truly a shocker as Hradec Kralove was promoted prior to the same season and even more shocking in hindsight as they suffered relegation just 4 years later. Hradec is playing in the second tier as of today.
• Greece:
  • Larissa (1987-88): the Greek football title has not left Piraeus, Athens, or Thessaloniki...except for this year. AEL finished 3 points ahead of AEK to finish first and give Larissa it's only football league title. The past two seasons, AEL had finished with back-to-back 8th-place results, so it was a bit surprising how quickly they rose (also helped that Olympiacos and Panathinaikos were kinda trash that year). Larissa fell back to being a middling club afterward however and suffered relegation in the 1995-96 season. They're back in the Super League now but as of today, they're in the relegation group.
• Switzerland:
  • Luzern (1988-89): they finished 1 point ahead of Grasshopper to earn their first and only. They were a bit inconsistent in the years prior but at least they finally gave their fans this one to cheer. However, Luzern suffered a shocking relegation just 3 years later after the 1991-92 season. Thankfully, they're back in the Swiss Super League and are currently a middling squad. It's kind of sad that this title remains the Lucerne canton's only title, meaning they have the fewest of all the Swiss cantons with titles.
• Croatia:
  • Rijeka (2016-17): this team saved Croatia from the horrors of Dinamo Zagreb as they broke through this season, beating Dinamo by 2 points in a close race. They had played second and third fiddle to Dinamo for a few years prior and it was only a matter of time before they finally upended the evil Dinamo empire. While they're back to their old status now, I think fans still thanks Rijeka tons that Dinamo doesn't have 14 straight titles dating back to 2005-06.
  • NK Zagreb (2001-02): Zagreb does have another team, and they won once in 2002 leading Hajduk Split by 2 points. As early as two seasons ago, NK was toiling in 8th place. Sadly, the club suffered relegation after the 2015-16 season and is currently stuck toiling in the 4th league.
• Sweden:
  • Kalmar (2008): they had to fight to win it, but they managed to defeat Elfsborg by 1 point to earn the title that year. Kalmar was runner-up the previous year so it wasn't too surprising that they broke through the next year. However, Kalmar quickly slid back into mediocrity the following years and just barely managed to avoid relegation thanks to surviving the relegation playoffs.
  • Hammarby (2001): Hammarby edged Djurgårdens by 1 point for this hard-earned title. This one was surprising because Hammarby had two mediocre seasons prior to this title-winning year. They had a runner-up season two years afterward but have yet to reach the top again, although they've had quite a few years towards the top of the table, including a 3rd-place finish last season.
• Norway:
  • Stabæk (2008): the really cool thing about this title is that Stabæk achieved promotion out of the 1. divisjon just 3 seasons prior and yet quickly climbed to the top, beating Fredrikstad by 6 points. Unfortunately, Stabæk suffered a similar fate as other clubs on this list as they quickly fell into double-digit placement territory and got relegated just 3 seasons later. They're back in the Eliteserien now, however, though they've been fairly mediocre since.
  • Moss (1987): Moss claimed this year's title by finishing 3 points above Molde. The amazing thing was Moss wasn't even in the 1. divisjon (then the highest league) the season prior. They also suffered slow death down the league standings the following years and got relegated in 1990 with a last-place finish just 3 years later. They're currently stuck in the 2. divisjon.
  • Skeid (1966): finishing 1 point above Fredrikstad, Skeid claimed their first and only Norwegian title to date. The seasons prior, Skeid was mostly a middling team and not really a serious contender. Skeid finished runner-up the next season then was suffered a shocking downfall in 1970 with relegation, just 4 years after their title. They were relegated out of 1. divisjon last season and thus will begin 2020 in 2. divisjon.
• Israel:
  • Ironi Kiryat Shmana (2011-12): Ironi Kiryat Shmana killed the league that season, winning by 14 points. They were promoted back just the season prior and tasted quick success upon their return. They've managed to stay alive in the Israeli Premier League but have had to fight through the relegation playoffs the past few seasons just to stay in
  • Hapoel Haifa (1998-99): Hapoel Haifa had been competitive before this season and finally broke through and it was against who else but Maccabi Tel Aviv, beating them by 7 points in the last iteration of the Liga Leumit. Sadly, Hapoel Haifa suffered relegation just 3 seasons later in the 2001-02 season. They're back in the Israeli Premier League, however, and will be guaranteed a spot next season as they just made it into the championship round.
  • Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv (1989-90): they finished finished 4 points ahead of Hapoel Petah Tikva to earn this title. Just the season prior, Bnei Yehuda finished just 1 spot out of relegation so this was a surprise. After a few years, however, Bnei Yehuda became a middling team and suffered a slow death to relegation after the 2000-01 season. They are back in the Israeli Premier League but will have to fight through the relegation playoffs this season.
  • Hapoel Kfar Saba (1981-82): edging Maccabi Netanya by 1 point helped this club win their first and only title. Just the previous season, Kfar Saba avoided relegation by a mere 2 points in the spot just above. In a very rare instance, they got relegated the very next season in last place making them the first league champion on this list to have suffered that. They're back in the Israeli Premier League but are in the lower half of the relegation group so have a long fight ahead of them.
  • Hapoel Ramat Gan (1963-64): they beat Maccabi Jaffa by 1 point to win the Liga Leumit. I believe Ramat Gan was promoted just the season prior and in that season, they finished second to last and avoided relegation simply because the league expanded the following season. That really boded well for them I guess. Ramat Gan quickly became a consistent middle-of-the-table team after that. They have been out of the Israeli Premier League since the end of the 2012-13 season and are currently in the Liga Leumit which is now the second-tier league and are currently trying to fight their way out of the relegation group.
• Kazakhstan:
  • Tobol (2010): Tobol was really due for one with several runner-up finishes in the previous years and were consistently towards the very top of the table. 2010 was their breakthrough year as they finished just 1 point above Aktobe. However, Tobol quickly fell into the high relegation group/low championship group tier (aka middling) starting the season afterwards, although they seem to be climbing the standings again.
  • Taraz (1996): they finished 2 points above Irtysh Pavlodar to claim their only title. They finished as runner-up the previous year so it's not too surprising, but after a runner-up finish the next year quickly fell into double-digit placement territory and suffered relegation in 2001, just 5 years later. They have since suffered 2 relegations from the Kazakhstan Premier League although made it back last season and survived the relegation playoffs so will also be in for 2020.
• Belarus:
  • Dinamo Brest (2019): a very recent entry, Brest had been making some quiet noise the past few seasons and finally put an end to the BATE madness by claiming the first non-BATE title since 2005 (also a one-hit wonder year), leading BATE by 5 points at season's end. Who knows what next season will bring?
  • Shakhtyor Soligorsk (2005): Soligorsk crushed the league that year, defeating Dinamo Minsk for the title by 13 points. Soligorsk had been hanging around towards the top of the league table the few years prior so it comes as no surprise they finally had their breakthrough. They've continued to give BATE a run for its money and have been runner-up many years since but have never quite been able to make it to the top again.
  • Gomel (2003): Gomel won the league this year by 8 points over BATE. Gomel had a pretty good team the past years but they weren't really expected to win the championship that year. Gomel did have a runner-up year in 2007 but then quickly fell into relegation territory in 2009, just 6 years after winning the league. Recently, they suffered another relegation out of the Belarusian Premier League after last season.
  • Belshina Bobruisk (2001): as you can probably tell, the late 90s-early 2000s were a chaotic time in Belerusian football as evidenced by all these one-hit wonders, Belshina included as they beat Dinamo Minsk by 2 points for their first and only Belarusian title. They had been a very middling club the previous seasons but suddenly ascended to the top this season. They quickly averted to their old ways the following seasons and suffered relegation just 3 years later in 2004 with a last-place finish. However, they will be playing in the Belarusian Premier League the next season as they earned a promotion from the First League last season.
  • Dnipr Mogilev (1998): this team won the league by 9 points over BATE. They had been making quiet noise towards the top half of the standings the previous seasons and had their moment to shine this year. The team quickly fell back to the middle of the league but managed to hang around for a while before relegation in 2011. Their status became very complicated in the 2010s as a bunch of problems plagued the team, but they recently applied for entry into the Second League of Belarus and got it granted for the following 2020 season.
• Azerbaijan:
  • Turan (1993-94): Turan edged what is now known as Qarabag by 1 point for the title that year. They had been towards the top of the league the two seasons prior so it's not surprising they finally got their breakthrough in the newly-formed Azerbaijani Premier League. The club, however, slowly started slipping into irrelevance although they managed to stick around in the Premier League for a while. Turan has been in the First Division for a little bit now but currently sits toward the top of the table so maybe they'll turn that into a promotion.
• Bulgaria:
  • Lokomotiv Plovdiv (2003-04): they beat powerhouse Levski Sofia by 3 points to claim their first and only one. They were a pretty middling 6th-place club the prior season so it was a bit surprising how they managed the trip to the top. Much of their time has since been averaged around the middle of the league table.
  • Beroe Stara Zagora (1985-86): Beroe won the league by 2 points over Trakia Plovdiv. This was a genuine surprise as Beroe was towards the bottom of the table at 12th the previous season and fell back to 13th the following season. Beroe managed to stick around for some time but faced relegation in the 90s. They're currently back in the Parva Liga, however, and are fighting to retain a spot in the championship group.
• Romania:
  • Viitorul Constanta (2016-17): as a fair warning, the new millennium saw a lot of new faces in Romania. This is one of the newest clubs on this list, having been founded in 2009 and only having played in Liga I since the 2012-13 season. They won this title via tiebreaker over longtime Liga I powerhouse FCSB. Viitorul experienced a pretty rapid acceleration to the top and have remained towards the top ever since, although they did end up in the relegation group this season.
  • Astra Giurgiu (2015-16): they beat FCSB by 5 points for the title that year. They had been hanging out towards the top of the league with a runner-up season in 2013-14, so they were pretty much due for one and it came this season. Since that season, Astra has never finished outside of the championship group.
  • Otelul Galati (2010-11): they earned the title by leading Poli Timisoara by 4 points at season's end. This was a genuinely surprising win as Otelul had been a downright mediocre team the seasons prior (and even the season right before). Otelul then slowly declined and suffered relegation just 4 years later after the 2014-15 season. They're currently a middling III Liga team. They've fallen really hard.
• Poland:
  • Piast Gliwice (2018-19): this one was amazing on two counts. For one, Piast had spent the last two seasons very low in the relegation group of the Ekstraklasa. For another, Piast trailed historical powerhouses Lechia Gdansk and Legia Warsaw by 7 points and in 3rd place of the championship group. But Legia and Lechia choked big time in the championship round while Piast didn't lose a single game, giving them the last Ekstraklasa title and their first ever. They are currently in line for another championship round appearance though they're even further behind this year at 6th.
  • Szombierski Bytom (1979-80): if you had to ask a lot of Polish fans today if they knew this club, they probably wouldn't and it's because they're playing in the 4th-tier. They did, however, claim this title over Widzew Łódź by 3 points. As recently as two seasons ago, Szombierski was a 12th-place team. They then began a quick descent downward and was relegated following the 1983-84 season.
• Slovakia:
  • Spartak Trnava (2017-18): the Slovan Bratislava/Zilina nightmare was quickly getting old so it was nice for teams like Trnava to upset the balance a bit. Trnava won the league title this year 5 points over Slovan. Trnava had been making some quiet noise the previous few seasons although this title was slightly more unexpected. Trnava, unfortunately, fell into the relegation group the following season and is currently in it right now.
  • MFK Ružomborek (2005-06): this team won the league in 2006 by leading what was then Artmedia Bratislava by 6 points. Ružomborek had been quite inconsistent in the previous seasons, hopping between the top and the bottom of the league table but finally came out on top this season. They have proceeded to become a fairly consistent middle-of-the-pack team.