Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i World Soccer

For many years in England, football consumers have been fed the narrative that the Premier League is the best competition in the world. That argument may help to sell newspapers and TV subscriptions but it does not tell the whole story. The theme of “life outside the Premier League” has been a familiar one to World Soccer readers over the years and we continue with it this month. We turn the spotlight on two players who are thriving after leaving Manchester United last summer. We speak to Chris Smalling (page 46) about the good, bad and occasionally ugly aspects of his new life in Serie A; and we profile Romelu Lukaku (page 34), a player who has defied the critics throughout his career and is doing so again this season…

“She could and should be a multi-millionaire, but she never asked for a penny more than her team-mates. She’s always put her team, her country first”John Herdman on record-breaking Canadian international Christine Sinclair CHRISTINE SINCLAIR The Canadian set a new world record for either men or women when her two goals in an11-0 victory over St Kitts & Nevis took her past Abby Wambach’s previous best and on to 185. The 36-year-old was described as “an amazing human being” by former national coach John Herdman. ERLING HAALAND The Norwegian became the first substitute to score a hat-trick on his Bundesliga debut. The 19-year-old achieved the feat in Borussia Dortmund’s win against Augsburg. THE MALDINIS When Daniel Maldini lined up against Verona in Serie A he became the third generation of…

When Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in the 1960 European Cup Final, the German club’s president was Rudolf Gramlich. He had played for the club in the1930s and been capped 22 times by the national side. What went unreported was the fact that he had been an active member of the Nazi party and the notorious SS. A full admission had to wait until January this year, on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Frankfurt’s current supremo, Peter Fischer, set out Gramlich’s grisly past as the club stripped him, posthumously, of the title of honorary president. But how many more Gramlichs were rehabilitated through their post-war efforts to construct a newly democratised West Germany from Hitler’s wreckage? No one knows and,…

When Adem Taous pulls down an Esperance attacker to concede a penalty and then boots the ball into the stand in protest, one yellow card follows another and the Club Africain defender trudges off to a shower of water bottles and derision. There is no support for Taous as one of Africa’s biggest derbies has been neutered since the revolution that convulsed Tunisia in 2011 and unleashed the Arab Spring. With the exception of the 2016 Cup Final, only one set of fans can attend the derby – and to make matters worse, not even all of Esperance’s fans can go. “To see it before was incredible,” sighs Nour Hassouna, who helps run a popular Esperance website, nodding at the empty stands behind both goals. “Now there are so many…

Eric Abidal is a hugely popular personality at Barcelona, thanks to his part in the Champions League victories of 2009 and 2011 and his recovery from life-threatening liver cancer to resume his playing career. But the Frenchman’s role as a unifying figure at Camp Nou has been placed in doubt after Barca’s director of football clashed with the club’s untouchable superstar, Lionel Messi. After a tumultuous few weeks – during which Ernesto Valverde was sacked and replaced as coach by Quique Setien, the team experienced a run of poor results, and the directors were criticised for a disappointing January transfer window – Abidal came under pressure to defend himself and the club’s hierarchy. In an interview with Catalan newspaper Sport, Abidal effectively accused the senior players of downing tools to…

Revolutionary new plans are being proposed for the future of African football as FIFA president Gianni Infantino suggests a dramatic overhaul to invigorate the continent’s prospects, with the beleaguered Confederation of African Football scurrying to keep up. It includes a change to the frequency of the Africa Cup of Nations finals, which has already had its immediate dates altered; the creation of an African “Super League”; professionalisation of referees; and much more competition at all levels for men and women. These ideas come after a six-month stint in charge at CAF headquarters in Cairo for FIFA general-secretary Fatma Samoura. She was there with the purpose of cleaning house, although success has yet to be seen and she departed with CAF’s marketing and TV deal with long-time French partners Lagardere Sports…

Christmas this year was very different for Roma defender Chris Smalling. Rather than return to the frost and fog of Manchester, the Englishman and his family, together with friends, spent a glorious sun-blest festive break in his new home on the ancient Via Appia in Rome. And it would be a mistake to imagine the 30-year-old as some sort of Napoleon, languishing in exile on St Helena, wondering why he no longer plays for either England or Manchester United. When United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told him in August that he would no longer be an automatic first-choice selection, Smalling knew what he wanted to do. Solskjaer told him that there would be plenty of football for him, but that meant “maybe half the games”, says Smalling. So when a…

Joshua ZIRKZEE (Bayern Munich, Ger, & Hol) In a sentence Eighteen-year-old Dutch supersub who sprung out of the Bayern shadows late last year, scoring with his very first touch on his Bundesliga debut, against Freiburg, and repeating the exact same trick a few days later, against Wolfsburg. What they say… Former Schalke and Holland centre-forward Youri Mulder: “This kid has a massive career in front of him. He’s a serious talent. He has the perfect build for a striker, a nose for goals and, what’s more, he can really play. In short, he’s a fantastic footballer” Jochen Sauer, Bayern Munich’s head of youth development: “He is the type of striker you don’t often see today: big, athletic but technically very accomplished too. He’s just completed his first short steps on…

The new J.League season kicked off in February with Yokohama F-Marinos defending their first J.League title in 15 years and FC Tokyo, the club they pipped at the post last time out, drawing ever closer to a long-awaited maiden championship success. Kawasaki Frontale, champions in 2018 and League Cup winners last year, and Kashima Antlers, Japan’s most-crowned club, were also both itching for the restart after slipping up by their own high standards in the league last term. The J.League’s biggest spenders, Vissel Kobe, look as though they could be back on course for their aim of becoming “Asia’s Number One Club” after beating Kashima 2-0 in the Emperor’s Cup Final – a victory that secured a first-ever bite at the Asian Champions League this year. J.League attendances were better…

The numbers do not lie. Since South America introduced its marathon World Cup qualification programme in1996, Ecuador have picked up a total of112 points at home but just 36 away. And the contrast is especially stark in the last two successful campaigns, those of 2006 and 2014, where the team made it to Germany and Brazil. In 2006 the split of points won home and away was 23-5. In 2014 it was 22-3. Underpinning this, of course, is the phenomenon of altitude, with Ecuador playing their home games at Quito, some 2,800 metres above sea level. While this may not present the difficulties of La Paz in Bolivia, which is around 800m higher, the statistics surely bear out the fact that Quito is a cause of discomfort for the unacclimatised…

HOW IT WORKS Every month, journalists from each member of the European Sports Media group select their first Xl based on the best individual performances from Europe’s top competitions. For details of how each ESM member voted, visit worldsoccer.com/esm11 GOALKEEPERS Marc-Andre TER STEGEN (Barcelona) 15 ALISSON (Liverpool) 9 Thibaut COURTOIS (Real Madrid) 8 Samir HANDANOVIC (Internazionale) 7 Jan OBLAK (Atletico Madrid) 6 Kasper SCHMEICHEL (Leicester City) 5 Manuel NEUER (Bayern Munich) 2 Andre ONANA (Ajax) 2 Wojciech SZCZESNY (Juventus) 2 ADRIAN (Liverpool) 1 David DE GEA (Manchester United) 1 EDERSON (Manchester City) 1 Dean HENDERSON (Sheffield United) 1 Lukas HRADECKY (Bayer Leverkusen) 1 Benjamin LECOMTE (Monaco) 1 Rui SILVA (Granada) 1 Tomas VACLIK (Sevilla) 1 DEFENDERS Virgil VAN DIJK (Liverpool) 38 Trent ALEXANDER-ARNOLD (Liverpool) 29 Andrew ROBERTSON (Liverpool) 16 Sergio…

“Imagine, he’s ‘the King’, he was always such an imposing figure and today he can’t walk properly”Pele’s son Edinho says his 79-year-old father (left) is now reluctant to be seen in public Giovanni REYNA (Borussia Dortmund) Erling Haaland may have got eight goals in his first four competitive games, but is not the only teenager to have recently announced himself at Dortmund. Gio Reyna scored a wonder goal in a 3-2 loss at Werder Bremen in the cup. Like Haaland, the17-year-old American creative midfielder is from good footballing stock. While the Norwegian’s father Alf-Inge played for Leeds United and Manchester City, Giovanni’s dad is USA Hall of Fame playmaker Claudio Reyna. Giovanni joined Dortmund last summer from New York City FC and has only been a member of the German…

BELFORT The team from the fourth-tier of French football knocked high-flying Montpellier out of the Coupe de France in a penalty shoot-out. SOUTH KOREA UNDER-23s Scored injury-time winners in games against China, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to win the AFC Under-23 Championship and confirm their place in the Men’s Olympic Games Football Tournament later this year in Tokyo. LIVERPOOL The European champions’ 2-0 win at West Ham United meant Jurgen Klopp’s side had beaten every top-flight opponent in a campaign for the first time. ATLETICO MADRID Diego Simeone’s team were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by third-tier Segunda B club Cultural Leonesa. BRENDAN RODGERS The Leicester City manager had won 31 domestic cup ties on the trot going into the semi-finals of the League Cup but saw his…

“Whoever has the ball is more likely to make a mistake”Jose Mourinho revels in his safety-first approach after Tottenham Hotspur beat Manchester City 2-0 EUROPE Bottom of the Bundesliga, Fortuna Dusseldorf replaced coach Friedhelm Funkel with UWE ROSLER. MORENO LONGO agreed to take charge of Torino after they parted company with Walter Mazzarri following 7-0 and 4-0 defeats to Atalanta and Lecce in Serie A. Brescia sacked Eugenio Corini for the second time this season and appointed DIEGO LOPEZ as coach. SERGEN YALCIN left Yeni Malatyaspor and replaced Abdullah Avci as coach of Besiktas following their Turkish Cup loss to second-tier Erzurumspor. AFRICA Croatian BRANKO IVANKOVIC was named coach of Oman, replacing Dutchman Erwin Koeman who was relieved of his position after December’s Gulf Cup. Ghana named CHARLES AKONNOR as…

MONDHER KEBAIER Replaced Alain Giresse in 2019 as coach of a national side that remains tainted by its association with dictator Ben Ali. WADII JARII President of the Tunisian federation since 2012 and re-elected in 2016. He is a committee member within CAF, where he is rumoured to be positioning himself for a run at the confederation presidency. TAREK DHIAB One of Tunisia’s greatest ever players was sports minister after the revolution in 2011, he was re-appointed after last year’s elections, only to lose the brief when his party could not form a government. WAHBI KHAZRI Born in Corsica and a former French under-21 international who made his senior debut for Tunisia in 2013 and is now the joint-fourth top goalscorer for the country. HAMDI MEDDEB A junior with Esperance…

Jurgen Klinsmann and Lars Windhorst were supposed to herald a bright new dawn for Hertha Berlin. Klinsmann, the big-name former Germany striker, was hired in November by Windhorst, the businessman who had purchased a 49.9 per cent stake in the club and funded a major recruitment splurge in January. But Klinsmann quit after just 76 days in charge. The former Germany, USA and Bayern Munich boss, who had been appointed interim “trainer” until the end of the season, was not exactly a roaring success, winning only three of his nine Bundesliga matches at the helm. He departed with Hertha 14th in the table, six points above the relegation zone. A 3-1 home defeat to Mainz was seemingly the last straw for Klinsi, coming as it did a few days after…

Two years ago, Andre Villas-Boas crashed a car into a sand dune while competing in the Dakar Rally. Shaken but with no broken bones, he quit the race and returned to his family in Portugal. As a metaphor for his coaching career, the accident was apt. The man who had been the youngest coach to win a European competition – the 2011 Europa League with Porto, aged 33 – had hit the buffers and retired hurt. The clubs he has led during his career would light up any veteran manager’s CV – Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Zenit and Shanghai SIPG – but it is easy to forget that Villas-Boas is only 42, with many years still ahead of him. And so it has proved this season at Marseille, where he…

Chris Smalling is part of a new wave of players who have relocated to Serie A from the Premier League, including a number of former team-mates at Manchester United who have been deemed surplus to requirements of late. Romelu Lukaku has been in impressive form for Internazionale since moveing there last summer, and he was joined there by United loanee Alexis Sanchez, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury. In January, Ashley Young, whose United contract had been set to expire this summer, also joined Inter, on a short-term deal with an option to extend next season. Young was joined at Inter by Spurs’ Christian Eriksen and Victor Moses, on loan from Chelsea. Inter coach Antonio Conte believes from his time at Chelsea that the intensity of Premier League…

For MLS, 2020 marks F a 25th season – which is quite an achievement in the US, where professional soccer’s history is strewn with the corpses of leagues that didn’t make it. Even the vaunted North American Soccer League – the league of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer – lasted only 17 years, from 1968 to1984. But MLS is doing more than survive, it is expanding. The 2020 season will see the addition of Inter Miami and Nashville, bringing MLS up to 26 teams, with more clubs on the way to what is considered the minimum of 30 – which is half as big again as most of the world’s top leagues. A large-size league is necessary for national coverage of the USA’s vast area. It is a measure of MLS…

Last year’s AFC Champions League ended badly for East Asia with the title going to a team from the west of the continent, Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, for only the second time since 2005. That, however, is nothing compared to how the 2020 version has started for the region. Due to the coronavirus that originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December and spread around the country and elsewhere, the four Chinese teams were conspicuous by their absence when the continental tournament kicked off in February, with Shanghai Shenhua, Guangzhou Evergrande, Shanghai SIPG and Beijing Guoan all on extended training camps following the postponement of the Chinese Super League, which had been due to start on February 22. While the Chinese FA has just one country to worry…

The Confederation of African Football is in a state of disarray, according to an audit by a leading accountancy firm. The investigation, carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that the organisation’s accounting was “unreliable and not trustworthy”, and that some 35 of 40 large payments, totalling $8.3million, were “unusual” or had “little or no supporting documentation”. CAF’s presidential office was found to be “directly involved” in the controversial decision to employ French company Tactical Steel, a little-known manufacturer of gym equipment, as a key supplier of sportswear for its competitions. The audit also questioned “the role played” by CAF president Ahmad and his attache, Loic Gerand, in the deal with Tactical Steel. The company’s financial dealings with CAF were described as “highly suspicious”. Ahmad has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. FIFA president…

Brexit evolution, not revolution As the UK awoke on the morning of Saturday, February1, apparently nothing had changed. The trains ran; cars, buses and lorries converged in the usual traffic jams; planes took off and landed. Britain had not fallen off the edge of Europe into the Atlantic Ocean. Brexit had happened and the transitional countdown was inexorably under way. As for daily life, so also for sport in general – and football in particular. This prospect has, over the past three years since the referendum, fascinated many directors and officials in other major western European countries and their leagues. They consider Brexit a massive own goal for the Premier League and believe they can cream off a slice of the TV and sponsorship action. Along the way they would…

Have we reached peak pressing point? When Spain were at their peak the fear was occasionally expressed, particularly among British critics, that if teams could retain possession so well then football was in danger of taking on the dynamic of basketball. One team would have an attack, then the other would have an attack, and so on and so on, rather than the physical and tactical midfield battles that seemed so essential to the sport. A decade on, that seems a remarkable concern to have had. It is true that roughly one in six Premier League games features a split of possession that is greater than 70-30 – which doesn’t necessarily make for an enthralling spectacle – but the sport that football can most resemble in this case is handball,…

“It will stay with me until my dying day”Rob Rensenbrink on his missed chance in the 1978 World Cup Final ROB RENSENBRINK (1947-2020) Although he got14 goals in 46 games for Holland, Rensenbrink will always be remembered for the one he didn’t score. After 89 minutes against Argentina in the 1978 World Cup Final, and with the score at1-1, Holland’s Rudi Krol lofted a long ball down field. His only thought was to clear the lines with extra-time in sight. As the host nation’s defence hesitated, Rensenbrink accelerated in from the left and toe-poked the ball past the South American keeper. But his shot struck a post and ricocheted away. Argentina had survived and went on to win 3-1 in the extra half hour. “In the Netherlands now people only…

US BEN GUERDANE Avoided relegation on goal difference last season after a final day 1-0 win over Metlaoui which is now being investigated for match fixing. CA BIZERTIN Four-time Ligue1 winners from the northernmost city in Africa, they were the first Tunisian club to win a CAF title, taking the 1988 Cup-winners Cup. CS CHEBBA Based on the north coast and doing well this season after winning promotion last year. CLUB AFRICAIN Tunisia’s second-oldest side have won13 Ligue 1 titles and the African Cup of Champions Clubs in1991. They retain the biggest support among Tunisian football fans. ESPERANCE SPORTIVE DE TUNIS Founded in January1919, Tunisia’s oldest club have won four Champions League/Cup of Champions Clubs. Known in Arabic as “El Taraji” after the coffeehouse where the club’s founders often used…

Filling the shoes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was never going to be an easy task, but LA Galaxy looked to have pulled off one of the most significant signings in the history of MLS with the arrival ofJavier Hernandez from Sevilla. The 31-year-old, aka Chicharito (“the Little Pea”), arrives in California after10 years in Europe, with Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham United and Sevilla, and will receive a $6million salary for each of the three years of his contract. Mexico’s all-time top international goalscorer and the country’s most popular player of his generation will bring new eyeballs and interest in MLS in a way that not even the likes of Ibrahimovic and David Beckham managed to do. Signing the sport’s biggest star in North America is a no-brainer…

Bayer Leverkusen fans should thank their lucky stars that the Werkself’s in-form striker, who recently made headlines with an outstanding brace in a thrilling 4-3 Bundesliga victory over Borussia Dortmund, did not stay true to his family’s sporting business. Volland’s father Andreas represented Germany at ice hockey, and growing up in Bavaria the young Kevin showed a great deal of promise with a stick and a puck, only to eventually come to the conclusion that football was his number-one calling. At 15 he joined the Munich1860 youth ranks and five years later he moved to Hoffenheim. For the last three-and-a-half seasons, he has featured for Leverkusen. Now 27, the left-footed front man has certainly been pulling out all the stops in the last18 months. During the 2019 calendar year he…

1 ANOTHER UNUSUAL TWIST IN DANI OLMO’S CAREER That attacking midfielder Olmo chose to leave Dinamo Zagreb for RB Leipzig says a great deal about his level-headed take on what is best for his career. Having won his first full cap for Spain last autumn and starred in the 2018 European Under-21 Championship triumph, he had a gaggle of top clubs tracking his every move for the Croat champions, including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Milan, Barcelona – where he spent seven years in the La Masia academy – Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United. Yet the 21-year-old chose to throw in his lot with Leipzig, having been impressed with their ambitious project and reputation for putting their faith in youth. In this particular equation, prestige and elite wages…

Due to tough citizenship laws that forbid dual nationality, Suriname has never been able to dip into the talent that exists in former colonial power Holland, with Dutch internationals Edgar Davids, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Virgil Van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum all of Suriname heritage. But with the interpretation of the citizenship act having recently changed, Suriname coach Dean Gorre now has the chance to select a squad from a much bigger pool. And the timing could not be better as Suriname have qualified to compete in the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the first time next year. What will be the impact of the rule change that allows Dutch players of Suriname heritage to play for you? It’s huge. We’ll be going from an amateur team to a…

Fame came late in the day for Rose Reilly, Scotland’s only World Cup winner – who was victorious when playing for Italy in1984 – but the pioneer will complete a move from anonymity to centre stage when a play about her life travels her home nation in April. The production of Rose is another indication of the belated flowering of the women’s game north of Hadrian’s Wall. Reilly, 65, has been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame and in January was made an MBE in The Queen’s New Year Honours List. As recently as 2013 a well-known media figure suggested Motherwell’s Fir Park home should be “torched to cleanse the stadium after it played host to women’s football” But as a player she was banned for life by…

LEADING CONTENDERS The first Libertadores of the new decade will climax with a November 21 Final in Rio deJaneiro’s Maracana stadium, the home ground of Flamengo, and the defending champions will certainly expect to be present on the big day. Under Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus there is little sign of Fla resting on the laurels of a magical 2019. They can count on an array of attacking options, although the loss of Spanish centre-back Pablo Mari, who has joined Arsenal on loan, is a big blow. He made the high defensive line viable last year, but without him they could be vulnerable. Their group is far from easy, so there could be some early jitters. While Flamengo are undoubtedly the team to beat, fellow Brazilians Gremio will be gunning for…

Despite twice winning the Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations and beating Brazil 3-1 at the Under-17 World Cup in 2005, until last year Gambia had not won a competitive away game at senior level. But under Tom Saintfiet all that is changing. After an impressive 3-1 win in Angola gave his team a flying start in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers, the Belgian coach says: “Before I came the team had not won a senior match in five years. When I came I made discipline on the pitch so the players understand what they need to get results.” Such performances are finally getting the locals behind their national team and a crowd of 40,000 – the biggest for a game in the country – crammed into the 25,000-capacity Independence Stadium for…

Last year’s Champions League quarter-final clash between aristocrats Al Ahly and the “new money” of South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns was one of few classics the competition can boast in its 23-year history. Sundowns, owned by billionaire mining magnate Patrice Motsepe and boasting resources few other African sides have access to, put together a quality performance rarely seen before on the continent as they clinically dismantled African football’s most successful club and won the first leg 5-0 in Pretoria. Al Ahly, record eight-time competition winners, had never been treated as such before and it was their biggest defeat in 77 years. The Cairo giants were befuddled by the outcome, finding it hard to accept despite the obvious gulf in quality. Usually such a reversal leads to the realisation that the tie…

AFRICA CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Group A Nov 30: Primeiro Agosto (Ang) 1 Zesco United (Zam) 1; TP Mazembe (DRC) 3 Zamalek (Egy) 0. Dec 7: Zamalek 2 Primeiro Agosto 0; Zesco United1 TP Mazembe 2. Dec 27: Primeiro Agosto1 TP Mazembe1. Dec 28: Zesco United1 Zamalek1. Jan 10: Zamalek 2 Zesco United 0. Jan 11: TP Mazembe 2 Primeiro Agosto1. Jan 24: Zamalek 0 TP Mazembe 0. Jan 25: Zesco United1 Primeiro Agosto1. Feb 1: Primeiro Agosto 0 Zamalek 0; TP Mazembe 3 Zesco United1. Group B Nov 29: Al Hilal Omdurman (Sud) 2 FC Platinum (Zim) 1; Etoile Sahel (Tun) 1 Al Ahly (Egy) 0. Dec 6: Al Ahly 2 Al Hilal Omdurman1. Dec 7: FC Platinum 0 Etoile Sahel 3. Dec 28: Al Ahly 2 FC Platinum 0;…

BANGABANDHU GOLD CUP Played in Dhaka, Bangladesh Group A Jan 15 Bangladesh 0 Palestine 2 (Salem 29, L Kharoub 58) HT: 0-1. Ref: Pandy (Nep) Jan 17 Palestine 2 (Abu Warda 90+3, Salem 90+6) Sri Lanka 0 HT: 0-0. Ref: Hanafiah (Mly) Jan 19 Sri Lanka 0 Bangladesh 3 (M Mia17, 64, Ibrahim 83) HT: 0-1. Ref: Rai (Bhu) Group B Jan 16 Mauritius 1 (A Francois 3) Burundi 4 (J Nshimirimana 28, 47, 85, Asman Ndikumana 41) HT: 1-2. Ref: M Rahman (Ban) Jan 18 Burundi 3 (J Nshimirimana 54, Tambwe 60, 61) Seychelles 1 (Monnaie 26) HT: 0-1. Ref: Uddin (Ban) Jan 20 Seychelles 2 (Waye-Hive19, Monnaie 28) Mauritius 2 (Ferre 67, A Francois 90+1) HT: 2-0. Ref: Pandey (Nep) Sent off: Mathiot (Seychelles) 83 l The top…

The meeting between the two biggest clubs in the autonomous Basque Country in northern Spain is one of the world’s friendliest derbies, with fans of both sides coming together to celebrate a shared sense of identity. To this day Athletic maintain a policy of only fielding players from the region – and it has proved remarkably successful, with the club winning eight La Liga titles and being one of only three clubs, with Real Madrid and Barcelona, never to have been relegated. For many years Sociedad, who have been league champions twice, followed the same practice, before abandoning the policy in 1989 with the signing of Republic of Ireland international John Aldridge from Liverpool. Perhaps the most dramatic display of the clubs’ heritage came in December 1976, just over a…