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Welcome to Saturday's Sporting Icon!  Every Saturday, this page will showcase some of history's most unappreciated sports superstars. From the winding streets of Monaco to the NBA hardcourt, I think it's time to shed some light on the greatness of some of the world's least treasured icons. Saturday 30th January - Adriano  The favelas of Rio have given birth to some truly undeniable talent. Born into abject poverty, Adriano remains one of the most skilled and accomplished football players to ever grace the football world stage. However, alongside this bountiful success sits one of the most significant falls from grace that any sport has ever seen and is sadly what this great Brazillian is most remembered for.  Like many young men, Adriano grew up playing on the dirt pitches in the favelas of Rio, with nothing more than a smile on his face and a great dream in his head. However, unlike many others, Adriano made this dream a reality as he possessed a deadly combination of ...

Since 1951, the NBA has undergone many era-defining changes. Through the evolution of its players, we have seen greatly different play styles ranging from the overly physical approach of the '80s and '90s to the rise of small ball. Remarkably, since the introduction of the 3-point line in 1979, no significant change has been made to the NBA that has made such a notable difference in how the game of basketball is played. So what's next? Well, with the likes of Steph Curry, Trae Young and Damian Lillard extending the limits of shooting ability with every passing season, something new is on the horizon; the introduction of the 4-point line. Since it's an introduction in 2018, the discussion over the addition of a 4-point line in the NBA is something that has been highly controversial. It is no question that the 3-point shot is at the centre of every NBA coaches gameplan in 2021 and is a tool that, if used effectively, can be the very difference between winning and losing a...

  Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  In order to determine a winner, each rivalry will be split into 2 categories: Statistical dominance and individual or team success. In case of a draw, the winner will then be elected from personal opinion.  Wednesday 27th January - Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna  In terms of world sporting rivalries, few will ever touch the globalising excitement that Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna captured at each and every race weekend. As competitors, their styles of driving could not have been more opposing, with each showcasing a unique genius that propelled them to be some of the greatest racing drivers the world has ever seen. Otherwise known as "The Professor", Alain Prost...

In the last 10 years, the NBA landscape has changed. What once was a place of competitive  greatness has descended into a non-competitive madness, and at its core is the creation of "The Super Team". Before a season even starts, even a lesser basketball fanatic can quite easily predict a finals matchup just by looking at player rosters and recent trade deals. However, no matter how certain or spectacular their victory is, I just have one question: Is it really that impressive?  For me, not really. Unfortunately, this is a concept in the NBA that won't be going away anytime soon, with the recent forming of another 'Super Team' in Brooklyn which brings together the talents of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden.  Now I admit, for an NBA franchise, this is a surefire way to make some big money. Alongside increases in TV coverage and jersey sales, they are guaranteed to get an influx in fans that "have always loved Brooklyn" and players that "ju...

  Welcome to Saturday's Sporting Icon!  Every Saturday, this page will showcase some of history's most unappreciated sports superstars. From the winding streets of Monaco to the NBA hardcourt, I think it's time to shed some light on the greatness of some of the world's least treasured icons. Saturday 23rd January - Dennis Rodman  When people think Chicago Bulls, they think of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. I mean who wouldn't? They dominated both sides of the ball and grabbed all the front-page headlines that every paper in America had to offer (the good one's at least). They truly were the titans of 1990's NBA basketball. However, for every angel, there is a devil, and for the Chicago Bulls, that devil came in the form of Dennis Rodman, who to this day remains the most underrated and controversial basketball player of all time.  As a shy kid from Dallas, no one would have ever imagined that Dennis Rodman would ignite the NBA hardcourt with his smash-mou...

It's no secret that as of late, Chelsea has been the most disappointing 'Big Six' side. Since they sat at the top of the table in early December, the Blue's have followed a promising early showing with top-class mediocre football. With a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 5 losses over the last 8 games and with over £222 million spent in the summer transfer window, Lampard may start to feel his seat on the Chelsea throne start to slip away.  Now, as I have said in the past, football thinking is very medieval in that on most occasions, the manager is blamed for a teams underperformance rather than the players. However, in this case, this way of thinking may be justified.  For any team, the purchase of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner is something footballing dreams are made of. Each player dominated at their former clubs and definitely made a case for their astronomical combined price tag of £129 million. However, with Havertz having an anonymous impact and Werner playing like a sh...

Welcome to Greatest Rivals! Each Wednesday, this page will pitch two great rivals against each other to finally find out who the real winner is! Over the coming weeks, this page will cover many great rivalries, from the glory of el Clasico to the back and forth action of some of Wimbledon's finest performers.  In order to determine a winner, each rivalry will be split into 2 categories: Statistical dominance and individual or team success. In case of a draw, the winner will then be elected from personal opinion.  Wednesday 20th January - Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo  I know. This is one hell of a rivalry to start on and is easily one of the biggest sporting questions of the century. Not only is this a topic shrouded in controversy and in-depth statistics but is also fairly unique as it is a question that can actually be answered. No matter what sport you look at, most of its fans define their greatest player of all time and put them up against a player from an entire...

The last 20 years have been a sporting gift to mankind. Living legends such as LeBron James and Lionel Messi have shaped the century and given birth to some of the greatest moments that sport has ever seen. However, in this modern sporting world, time moves quickly, and like it or not, the current outfit of legends are beginning to see the call to retirement. But it's not all bad news. Thanks to an athlete's undying love for their sport and huge sums of money, coaching positions have provided a great way for the love affair between athlete and sport to continue, but if not successful can leave an everlasting stain on their once great legacy.   Let's start with the positives. On the most part, the conversion from a great player to a great coach usually works out. I say this because no matter where you look, many of your favourite clubs are managed or coached by once-great players. Real Madrid has had great success under Zinedine Zidane, winning 3 Champions League trophies al...

Welcome to Saturday's Sporting Icon!  Every Saturday, this page will showcase some of history's most unappreciated sports superstars. From the winding streets of Monaco to the NBA hardcourt, I think it's time to shed some light on the greatness of some of the world's least treasured icons. Saturday 16th January - Seve Ballesteros  Born in the small town of Pedrena (Spain), Ballesteros grew to be the heartbeat of golf in continental Europe and started at the age of 12, borrowing his brother's clubs, playing on the local beach, and sneaking onto the exclusive golf courses to play in the moonlight. This was a passion and determination for success was soon rewarded as Ballesteros turned pro at the age of 16 and began a journey that would inspire a whole generation of young golfers and professional athletes.  In a career that spanned over 3 decades, Ballesteros was victorious in 93 professional tournaments, becoming one of the most successful golfers of all time. These v...

Honestly, this is a tough question to answer. Not only because it is completely subjective to each person but also because athletic qualities in each sport are measured differently. Sure, N'golo Kante may run 11 kilometers over the course of 90 minutes, but how can that be judged against Eliud Kipchoge running 26 miles in 2 hours? However, in terms of defining the perfect athlete, only one sport seems to incorporate all aspects of athletic ability and can truly award its athletes with this illustrious title; Basketball .   Perfect is a strong statement and as every athlete is human, no one can truly be perfect, but basketball players certainly come close and are much more than just a bunch of tall people running around for 48 minutes. NBA players possess an elite level of technical skill, tactical genius, and physical ability that no other sport comes close to matching, and can maintain this for over 2 decades against the very best the world has to offer. Still not convinced? Let...

Gender equality is something that has been debated over for centuries. In 2021, the situation is still not perfect, but major steps have been taken to make the sporting world a more inclusive place. The Olympics have played a major role in this and was the very first sight of women's participation in sport on a global scale when they were invited to compete in the 1900 Paris Olympics across five events. Since then, women's participation has exploded into almost every sport at both the Olympic games and as professionals. However, watching professional sportsmen compete against professional sportswomen is still something that is rarely observed and can only be found in events such as Tennis (mixed doubles) and Equestrian. So the question is, will we ever see professional unisex sport, and what are the needed steps to get there?   Anatomically, there are a lot of differences between male and female athletes. For example, higher levels of testosterone in males allow for increased m...

Lionel Messi is the greatest club football player in history. No ifs. No buts. With his blend of seemingly unstoppable talent and alien-like technical ability, he has won everything he could possibly win in club football and has set the bar higher than ever before. With 34 major titles won wearing the famed Barcelona shirt and with 1021 goal contributions in his 894 appearances, there is no question why Barca executives don't want to see Messi depart Camp Nou. But with his heart set on a move away from the famed Spanish squad, the question on everyone's mind is "Where will he end up?". The finger obviously points to big-money clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain, but with the Argentine still proving his worth in 2021, could a move away from the comfort of his hometown upset both his fanbase and his legacy?  Messi has been set on a move away from Barcelona since the humiliation they suffered against Bayern Munich in the 2019 Champions League quarter-fi...

Welcome to Saturday's Sporting Icon!  Every Saturday, this page will showcase some of history's most unappreciated sports superstars. From the winding streets of Monaco to the NBA hardcourt, I think it's time to shed some light on the greatness of some of the world's least treasured icons. Saturday 9th January - Pierre Levegh (24 Hours of Le Mans)  Outside of Formula One, the biggest race for international motorsport is undoubtedly the 24 hours of Le Mans. In 1952, 57 cars lined up to begin the historic race around the French countryside and only 17 would finish, among them sat Pierre Levegh. As a proud Frenchman himself, Levegh desperately wanted a French car to win on home soil, but with others not being able to provide a victory, he stepped up and delivered one of world motorsports' greatest ever drives.  In a car he built himself, Levegh drove for 23 of the possible 24 hours, with a perfectly healthy and capable co-driver sat frustrated and confused on the pit w...

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have set an unprecedented bar for footballing success. Never in history have two players been so far above the competition, yet so close to each other in terms of technical and physical ability. No matter what side of the fence you come down on, you have to agree that both are generational talents that have provided over 2 decades of sensational football and have a shared 11 Ballon d'Or trophies to prove it. However, over the last decade, many other players have displayed superhuman talent throughout their own seasons and were more than worthy of a Ballon d'Or for themselves, but due to the might of Messi and Ronaldo, they were never recognized. So, in the spirit of setting the record straight, here is how the last decades' Ballon d'Or trophies should have ended up:  2010 - Wesley Sneijder (Actual Winner - Messi)  As probably the least well-known player on this list, Wesley Sneijder was still well and truly robbed of the 2010 Ballon d...

Dominance is a concept that is rarely found in sport but is something that can take many forms. Some look in the win loss column. Others look to a teams influence and impact on the global sports stage.  However, no matter how you define it, some of history's greatest sports teams have gone above and beyond to produce some of the most dominant and influential eras of sport, and it is something that we all should be proud to have witnessed. So with that in mind, the aim of this article is not to find the greatest team of all time, but is focused on shining a little light on the golden age of sport that we're all so lucky enough to live in.  New Zealand All Blacks - Rugby  When you think about world rugby, you think about the All-Blacks. For the last 112 years since their inception, they have reached a level of global dominance that no nation from any sport could ever dream of. Since 1909, the All-Blacks have won 77% of their games and hold the joint record of most World Cup...