It not "MY" outlook! mate....🤣 I wouldn't have a scooby doo about international economic growth! I cited the IMF! And it’s easy for me to say because I'm probably a little bit more self-reliant than your average person when it comes to finances and being able to weather these economic...

I'm probably a little bit biased when it comes to France and French football because I have a strong affinity with it all but as far as developing talent and polishing rough diamonds it's the global epicentre right now. And the case study is the recent transfer window..... The EPL collectively...

While there are of course some distinct challenges beneath the surface, I think a strong case can be made that the Australian economy is showing remarkable resilience..... And a recent IMF report said it expected Australia to lead major advanced economies in growth throughout 2026 and 27, with...

I like Ronaldo too.....sure he's the opposite to Messi in many ways. He's an absolute extrovert, a bit flashy on and off the pitch and has always embraced the superstar spotlight almost to the extreme..... But in many ways he's just like Messi....they have bith shared that rare echelon of...

Nah.....he sets a fantastic example.... Despite living under the most intense sports microscope on the planet since he was a teenager, he managed to avoid the kind of destructive off-field controversies that have derailed so many other generational talents. Even with all the wealth, fame, and...

I think he's been a great ambassador for the game.....

I dunno. .. It depends on what the actual transfer fee for Marmoush turns out to be... Edit] its been set at £60m according to the Daily Telegraph in the UK. But generally speaking I think City absolutely milked Spurs in Savinho As did West Ham for Fernandez.

The whole situation just felt surreal.

I wonder if similar media and cultural put-downs of football culture by journalists or fans of dominant rival codes exist in other countries, and is it as entrenched as Australia? I know it's a completely different scenario but I remember when England somehow won the so-called rugby union...

No....The sheer absurdity of his talent was enough to tell his story!

Surely the selection process was rigged against better or more “authentic” Australian break dancers here? Who are the people guilty of excluding the real talent? And referring to Punchanello's "Establishment white lady privilege" comment was the real talent from less privileged backgrounds? I...

He has but he was the captain of Argentina. You probably more than anyone on this board would understand the expectations required to do that job..... And people claiming that other players manage to behave with absolute dignity and grace under identical pressure. Really? Who? Show me the...

I think that occasionally some people do like to impose their version of history on the rest of us. Sometimes they'll do this with good intentions in order to broaden the debate on a particular subject. And sometimes, well perhaps they just want to be a little bit controversial..... And while...

Manchester City's net spending isn't too bad.... They've pulled in around £300m in sales and spent around £450m. That's a net spend of ~ £150m. They’ve been excellent at extracting high fees for players who weren’t automatic starters. Obviously Rodri was a nailed on starting player when fit...

The NRL and AFL 'soccer bashing' journalists don't really need to do it... Domestic football in Australia already has enough problems that are more serious than anything an NRL or AFL columnist can throw at it!!

It's been one hell of a brutal transfer window for Ligue Un..... And the numbers tell the story pretty clearly. French clubs sold way more than they bought. Collective sales came in somewhere between €1bn and €1.2bn depending on the source, while spending sat around €500-600m. Big net positive...

There was handful of high-profile, high-tension moments playing for Argentina that maybe got amplified heavily by the media and social platforms, which could be argued contrasted with his otherwise quiet image. But when you're playing and especially captaining a country with the footballing...

According to Data Factory Leo Messi played 780 first team games for Barcelona over 17 seasons and got 77 bookings plus one sending off in the Spanish Super Cup final against Athletic Bilbao. For a player who played that many times for Barca and was constantly fouled, averaging less than five...

Not really. Passion and high stakes bring out the competitor in almost everyone at that level of football. When you are operating under that kind of intense microscope, emotional reactions are bound to happen. ... Throughout his career, teammates, coaches, and opponents have almost universally...

I think that Leo Messi was a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.... And most of us here probably won't come close to seeing anything like him again. Maintaining an elite, world-class standard across nearly 20 years at the absolute peak of the game is something football has rarely if ever witnessed.

Sure was.....

Brilliant post.....You have hit the nail on the head there on a structural shift that goes far beyond football.... It is touching the very architecture of Australian civil society. It's not something that I've even thought about before or seen discussed on any serious poltical or cultural news...