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Morethangoals, Pieter Cornelisz. Hooftstraat 22B, Amsterdam (2026)

18/06/2026

World Cup Stories: Faustino Asprilla the Colombian Star of the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups

Colombia has never produced anyone quite like Faustino Asprilla. Unpredictable, fearless, impossible to mark they called him El Pulpo, the octopus, because his legs seemed to be everywhere at once and no defender ever knew what was coming next.

It began on the streets of Tuluá, in Valle del Cauca. His talent carried him to a professional debut with Cúcuta Deportivo, then to Atlético Nacional, one of Colombia’s giants, where he announced himself to the world. Italy came calling, and Parma paid a fortune to bring him to Serie A in 1992.

At Parma he found his greatest stage. He helped end Milan’s 58-match unbeaten run with a stunning free kick, and across his time there lifted four European trophies the Cup Winners’ Cup, the UEFA Cup, the Super Cup, and later a second UEFA Cup. Then Newcastle, in 1996, arriving in a snowstorm wrapped in a fur coat. His defining night came in September 1997: a hat-trick against Barcelona on Newcastle’s Champions League debut, becoming the first man ever to score three against the Catalans in the competition.

But Colombians remember him for the shirt. In the qualifiers for USA ‘94, he scored twice in the legendary 5-0 demolition of Argentina in Buenos Aires one of the greatest nights South American football has ever seen. He carried Colombia to both the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, 20 goals in 57 caps, fourth on his nation’s all-time list.

Los Cafeteros opened their 2026 World Cup with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan at the Estadio Azteca a new generation chasing the magic Tino once gave them. Flair, courage, chaos and genius in one player. Faustino Asprilla was never ordinary.

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Written by Lotus Marpessa

18/06/2026

World Cup Stories: Asamoah Gyan

They called him Baby Jet, because nothing caught him. For two decades, Asamoah Gyan was the heartbeat of the Black Stars the man who scored when Ghana needed it most, and stood tall when it mattered most.

He always believed. As a schoolboy he told his friends, half-joking, that Ghana would only reach a World Cup once he wore the shirt. It came true. He made his debut off the bench against Somalia in 2003 and scored. The qualifying road shaped him a vital goal in Kinshasa before 80,000 roaring fans, soldiers escorting the team to training, a young man unshaken by the noise.

Cologne, 2006. He told his brother to fly home and tell Ghana he would score against the Czech Republic. After 68 seconds, he did Ghana’s first-ever World Cup goal, past one of the world’s finest keepers. Goals followed in 2010 and 2014: six in total, making him Africa’s all-time leading World Cup scorer, past Roger Milla, Drogba, Eto’o.

Then 2010, his finest year. Three goals carried Ghana to within a breath of an African first a World Cup semi-final. A continent held its breath. And when heartbreak came against Uruguay, he didn’t hide from it. He stepped straight back up in the shootout. “Mistakes happen,” his captain told him. “You’re the best player. Go.” That was Gyan never broken, always back.

Fifty-one goals in 109 caps. Three World Cups, two AFCON finals, a nation’s hopes carried on his back. Glory and heartache in the same breath and the courage to keep believing through both. That was Baby Jet. Ghana’s greatest.

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Writers by Tomiwa

18/06/2026

Get To Know Kwadwo Asamoah:

Ghana have opened their World Cup with a 1-0 win over Panama a late, breathless winner in Toronto, the kind of moment that sends a nation roaring. Watching a new generation carry the Black Stars forward, it’s worth remembering one of the quietest men who ever wore the shirt.

Ask anyone who played with him. The quiet one. The one who never complained, never showboated, never missed his job. The one nobody could do without.

He grew up in Kumasi, in a neighbourhood by the stadium where rich and poor lived side by side. Football wasn’t supposed to come from there but older boys leaving for Europe handed him their boots before they flew, and told him to keep pushing. From the Namoru academy to Liberty Professionals in Accra, his rise was quiet but relentless: one season at Liberty, then the youth ranks, then the Black Stars all inside a year.

Europe came through Switzerland and a loan at Torino, before Udinese became, in his own words, the club where he grew up. Then Juventus, and the defining chapter. Signed as a central midfielder, shifted to left wing-back by Conte in a single friendly and he never gave the shirt back. Six consecutive Scudetti, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa medals, two Champions League finals. Inter followed, then Cagliari, where he became the African player with the most Serie A appearances in history.

For Ghana, more than 70 caps and two World Cups including 2010, where his outside-of-the-boot assist against Portugal became folklore. Pure practice, he insists.

Today, back home, he and his brother run two sides of the same dream near the Trasaku Valley: a paid Juventus academy, and SMACK — where talented kids who arrive on foot, without boots, are fed, schooled, and given a chance. He’s handing down exactly what was once handed to him. No farewell tour. Just a quiet life of giving the game back.

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Written by Tomiwa

18/06/2026

World Cup Stories: John Barnes MBE

He almost never wore the shirt at all. At seventeen, John Barnes had a football scholarship waiting at Howard University and a one-way path back across the Atlantic. A taxi driver who stopped to watch a Sunday game changed everything and set the teenager from Kingston on the road to two World Cups with England.

Mexico ’86. A quarter-final against Argentina, Maradona already a god, England two goals down. Barnes comes off the bench and the game tilts. He glides down the left, hangs up the perfect cross, Lineker heads it home and almost conjures another. For a few wild moments, the Jamaican-born winger nearly dragged England back from the dead.

Italia ’90. This time he starts, part of the side that captured a nation and marched to within a penalty shootout of the final, before injury stilled him and the dream ran on without him.

At club level, he was untouchable. At Liverpool he became the most thrilling player in England two league titles, two FA Cups, both Player of the Year awards in his first season, the FWA prize again two years later. Defenders simply could not get the ball off him.

Yet England was always complicated. Bananas rained from terraces. Jimmy Greaves questioned his commitment because he wasn’t born in England, and stadiums booed him with the ball at his feet. He wanted to come off; Graham Taylor refused to let them win.

He carried Kingston and London in the same stride, turning that weight into a voice on race, class and belonging. Appointed an MBE in 1998, inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 the young Barnes who almost flew to America instead lit up Anfield and two World Cups, and made the world look twice.

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Written by

18/06/2026

Paul Ince (the ‘Guv’nor) was born in Ilford, London, in 1967 to Barbadian parents and grew up as a West Ham supporter. He was discovered at 12, signed with West Ham as a trainee at 14, and broke into the first team in 1986 before making a controversial move to Manchester United 4 years later.

He quickly adapted to the Red Devils, scoring 25 goals in 206 games. Ince won many trophies with them before moving to Inter Milan in 1995. Just like other black players, he suffered lots of racial abuse in Italy, especially in away games. After scoring his first goal against Cremonese, the home racist shouted “f**king nigger” at him, and he said in an interview: “So I turned towards them and clapped as if to say, ‘Yeah, well done.’ That’s when the referee booked me.” However, he claimed that Inter fans were loving, but he left the club in 1997. “So it was a family decision, and never a football decision. To this day I think I should have stayed, but family always comes first.”

Ince signed for Liverpool in 1997 after claiming he waited for United’s offer. He spent 2 seasons with the Reds without winning any silverware. Between 1999 and 2007, he played for Middlesbrough, Wolves, Swindon Town and Macclesfield Town.

On the international stage, Paul Ince scored 2 goals in 53 caps for England from 1992 to 2000 and became the country’s first black captain. He stated, “I just wanted to be the England captain. I didn’t want to be remembered as the first black England captain because I didn’t see it that way.”

After retiring as a player-coach, Paul Ince managed MK Dons (twice), Blackburn Rovers, Notts County, and Blackpool, with his last role at Reading in the 2022–2023 season. He became the first British black manager in the Premier League with Blackburn in 2008, saying, “I definitely can open the door for black managers.”

Paul Ince faced racial abuse during his career, including in England and Italy. Despite this, he became a top player and a role model coach. He has condemned institutional racism, stating that his skin color resulted in fewer opportunities compared to white individuals.

✍🏾 Ayomide Adeyemi

18/06/2026

Ghana’s Most Decorated Midfielder of His Generation

Michael Essien rose from a Ghanaian footballing lineage shaped by those who came before him. Long before his ascent, Ibrahim Sunday, named African Footballer of the Year in 1971, opened Europe’s first doors for Ghanaian players. In the decades that followed, Abedi Pelé and Marcel Desailly became the first globally successful Ghanaians, proving talent from Ghana could define elite clubs and major tournaments.

Essien did not arrive to replicate that legacy, but to extend it. His rise was built on control, discipline and relentless consistency. After emerging at the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship, where Ghana finished third, he moved to Europe with Bastia, then reached another level at Olympique Lyonnais. There he won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and was named Player of the Year in 2005, confirming his place among Europe’s elite midfielders.

That same year, Chelsea signed Essien for £24.4 million, making him the most expensive African footballer at the time. Under José Mourinho, he became a central figure in one of the club’s most dominant eras, winning Premier League titles in 2005–06 and 2009–10 and multiple domestic trophies. He earned a Champions League winners’ medal in 2011–12 as a Chelsea player, later reuniting with Mourinho at Real Madrid before adding Serie A experience with AC Milan.

With the Black Stars, Essien was equally influential. He represented Ghana at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and was part of the squad that reached the Round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup Ghana’s first appearance on football’s biggest stage, playing in midfield alongside captain Stephen Appiah and Sulley Muntari. He carried the shirt across three World Cup cycles, named again in 2014.

Since retiring, Essien has turned to coaching and mentorship with FC Nordsjælland, aligned with the Right to Dream model. His work today centres on education, structure and opportunity keeping the pathway once opened for him accessible to those who follow.

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Written by Rex Jayz Godswill

17/06/2026

World Cup Stories: Viv Anderson England’s First Black Senior
International and a Member of Two World Cup

England’s squad today is a mosaic of backgrounds. But before the team looked like the country it represents, Viv Anderson broke the mold. In 1978, he became the first Black player to wear the senior England shirt.

Born in Nottingham to Jamaican parents who came over with the Windrush generation, Anderson grew up on the Clifton estate. As a boy he rode the train to Manchester United every school holiday, only to be told he wouldn’t quite make it. He took a job as a silk screen printer then Nottingham Forest called.

There, under Brian Clough, he grew up fast. Early in his Forest career, away at Newcastle, abuse poured from the stands as he checked the pitch. Anderson told Clough he didn’t think he could play. Clough’s reply became his compass: you’re here on your ability, so show these people what you can do. Let them dictate to you, and you’ll never have a career. Under Clough, Anderson lifted back-to-back European Cups one of only a handful of players who can say that.

Then the World Cups. Anderson was named in England’s squads for both 1982 and 1986. He didn’t get on the pitch young and behind Mick Mills and Phil Neal in Spain, then injured with Gary Stevens preferred in Mexico. But he was there, twice, on football’s biggest stage.

He never claimed the moment alone. He roomed with Laurie Cunningham, the talk always whether Viv or Laurie would be first. He pointed back to Jack Leslie, picked by England in the 1920s before being dropped once the FA realized he was Black. History, Anderson insists, should tell these stories.

Anderson earned 30 caps, was later appointed MBE, and inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. He resists “pioneer” says he just played his part, right place, right time. But the sight of him in white told a generation the shirt could be theirs. Today’s diverse England proves it. It started with Viv Anderson.

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Written by Rex Jayz Godswill

17/06/2026

World Cup Stories: Mayanga Maku A Historic Name From Zaire’s World Cup Generation

He played at the World Cup. He was one of the 200 greatest African footballers of all time. And yet most of the world has never heard his name. Get to know Mayanga Maku.

Before DR Congo returns to the World Cup stage in 2026 for the first time since 1974, it’s time to meet the men who were there the first time and none deserve to be remembered more than Jean Adélard Mayanga Maku.

Born in Kintambo, Kinshasa, Mayanga Maku joined AS Vita Club in 1968 and became a key forward during the club’s most dominant era in Congolese and African football. His flair, vision, and attacking instinct made him a crowd favourite, his silky play pure joy to watch on the streets of Kinshasa.

In 1973, AS Vita Club captured the African Cup of Champions Clubs the CAF Champions League of its day defeating Asante Kotoko on aggregate. Mayanga had already announced himself on the continent a year earlier, scoring three goals at the 1972 Africa Cup of Nations. He wasn’t just a domestic star. He was a continental force.

Then came 1974. Mayanga played in all three of Zaire’s World Cup group matches against Scotland, Yugoslavia, and Brazil. His vision and movement orchestrated Zaire’s attacking play, and against Scotland the Leopards pushed hard before losing only 2-0. That same year, he was part of the Zaire squad that won the 1974 Africa Cup of Nations.

But the World Cup unravelled for reasons beyond football. Bonuses withheld. Presidential threats. Players terrorized. The chaos has too often erased what the team actually were: reigning African champions, pioneers, and warriors.

In 2006, CAF named him one of the 200 greatest African footballers of the last 50 years. History always finds its way back to the truth.

Now DR Congo are back at a World Cup. The Leopards roar again. And Mayanga Maku is part of the foundation they’re standing on.

17/06/2026

The story of Bwanga Tshimen is inseparable from the foundations of Congolese, then Zairian, football. Blessed with exceptional talent and a deep sense of responsibility, he became one of Africa’s most respected defenders of his era. His standing was confirmed in 1973, when he was crowned African Footballer of the Year a historic milestone that placed Zaire firmly on the continental map. He remains DR Congo’s only winner of the award.

Born in 1949 in Élisabethville, now Lubumbashi, Bwanga joined TP Mazembe, one of Africa’s most prominent clubs, and stayed from 1965 to 1981. Operating as a commanding, versatile libero, he was known for discipline, positional intelligence, and leadership. His elegant style earned him the nickname “the Black Beckenbauer” from the African and French press.

With TP Mazembe, Bwanga reached the summit of African club football, winning the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1967 and 1968. Those triumphs defined a golden era and established the club as a continental force.

At international level, Bwanga captained Les Léopards through their greatest period. In 1974, he led Zaire to the Africa Cup of Nations title. That same generation carried Zaire to the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany, making the nation the first sub-Saharan African country to reach the tournament. Despite heavy defeats and controversy, Bwanga led with dignity and represented his country with pride.

He later reflected calmly on how forfeits, refereeing protests, and federation decisions shaped competitions beyond the pitch, offering rare insight into the realities of African football. After retiring, he studied sports administration and dedicated himself to coaching and mentoring young players.

His legacy stands honoured: IFFHS Player of the Century for DR Congo and CAF’s list of the 200 greatest African footballers of the last 50 years.

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Written by 34

17/06/2026

World Cup Stories: Eusébio Turned the 1966 World Cup Into His Stage

3-0 down. Quarter-final. World Cup. And one man dragged his country back from the dead.

They called him the Black Panther the man who carried Portugal onto the world stage. Born Eusébio da Silva Ferreira on 25 January 1942 in Lourenço Marques, Mozambique, then a Portuguese colony, he honed his skills on the streets before his pace and power took him to the grandest stage of all. He arrived in England as the reigning European Footballer of the Year. He left it as a legend.

His scoring began against Bulgaria, then exploded against defending champions Brazil two goals as Portugal won 3-1 and sent Pelé’s side home. Then came the quarter-final against North Korea. Portugal fell 3-0 behind. But the Koreans had never faced a supercharged Eusébio. He scored four, set up the fifth, and Portugal won 5-3 one of the great World Cup comebacks.

He finished as the tournament’s top scorer with nine goals, claiming the Golden Boot. But the semi-final broke Portuguese hearts. England’s Nobby Stiles man-marked him into silence, Bobby Charlton scored twice, and Eusébio walked off in tears O Jogo das Lágrimas, the Game of Tears.

Yet he did not arrive alone. Portugal’s 1966 side carried other sons of Mozambique captain Mário Coluna, the commanding Benfica midfielder they called the Monstro Sagrado; full-back Hilário; and defender Vicente Lucas, all born in Lourenço Marques like Eusébio himself. Together they turned a colonial era squad into a stage for African talent the world had long overlooked.

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Written by Rex Jayz Godswill

Morethangoals

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