Welcome to Football History, the site dedicated to the history of the beautiful game. On this site you'll find stories about every aspect of the history of soccer: great matches, legendary footballers, glorious defeats, cult heroes, and more. Check out the list of recently added articles below.

Football Who is Who: Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli was the star of the Uruguayan national football team that won the Copa América in 1983 and 1987. A gifted play maker, Francescoli was also just about the only member of that hard-as-nails team who did not seem primarily driven by the urge to kick his opponent off the field.
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Famous Clubs: AFC Ajax
Few clubs can boast a trophy cabinet as richly filled as that of the Dutch football club Ajax Amsterdam. As if the abundance of silverware wasn't enough, Ajax have produced some of the most prodigiously talented players in the history of the game, like Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, and Dennis Bergkamp.
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Great Footballers: Alfredo di Stefano
Alfredo di Stéfano was the driving force behind Real Madrid's domination of the European Cup in the late 1950's. He was an incredibly versatile forward, who combined speed with a superb technique, stamina, tactical insight, and productivity. Many believe him to be the best all-round player in history.
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European Championship: Euro 2008
In an exciting tournament, the host countries found themselves unable to progress beyond the group stage. Holland, Portugal, and Croatia were impressive early on, but all three crashed out in the quater-finals. In the end it was the Spanish that won the championship, after beating Germany 1-0 in the final.
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Football Who is Who: John Aldridge
John William Aldridge helped Liverpool, the team he supported as a boy, win the English league in 1988 and the FA Cup in 1989. A descendent of Irish immigrants, Aldridge won caps for the Irish Republic at Euro 1988, including the famous 1-0 victory over England, and at the World Cup in 1990 and 1994.
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European Footballer of the Year: 1978
Kevin Keegan was named European Footballer of the Year in 1978. He was a slightly curious choice as he didn't win anything with HSV that year and failed to qualify for the World Cup with England. Apparently Keegan didn't need any more silverware to convince the football world of his worth as a player.
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Great Footballers: George Best
A superb dribbler of the ball, George Best was undoubtedly the most naturally gifted British player of his generation. A combination of lightning pace, perfect balance, and ability to score goals with both feet, meant Best was a handful for even the best of defenders in the 1960's.
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The World Cup: FIFA 1970

Football Who is Who: Ali Daei
Ali Daei scored a record number of 104 international goals for Iran. Truth be told, weak opponents in the Asian region were probably a contributing factor, as his goal ratio at the club level was more modest. Daei spent four years playing in Germany, winning the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 1999.
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The European Cup: Benfica - Barcelona
The 1960/61 season saw an end to Real Madrid’s domination of the European Cup. In a match so thrilling that Benfica's inspirational club president, Maurício Vieira de Brito, suffered a heart attack during the second half, Benfica were able to secure the prestigious trophy with an 3-2 victory over Barcelona.
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Great Footballers: Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff was the star of the exciting 1974 Dutch 'Total Football' World Cup squad and the Ajax team that won a hat-trick of European Cups in the early Seventies. Three times European footballer of the year, he was by far the best European player of his generation, and probably of all time.
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Cult Heroes: Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones rose to prominence in the late '80's as a member of Wimbledon's FA Cup winning 'crazy gang'. The football hardman personified, Jones was responsible for one of English football's most iconic scenes, when he came up with a novel way of distracting an opponent by grabbing Paul Gascoine's testicles.
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Football Who is Who: Franky van der Elst
Franky van der Elst started his career at RWDM, but it was at Club Brugge that the hard-working defensive midfielder grew into a true club icon. Twice voted Belgian footballer of the year, Van der Elst competed in the World Cup with the Belgian national team in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998.
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Glorious Defeats: Hungary 1954
Hungary were the dominant national team of the early 1950s. In 1952 they had won Olympic Gold in Helsinki and the "Magical Magyars" arrived at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland undefeated in four years. Their most resounding victory to date had been achieved the previous year.
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Great Footballers: Michel Platini
Three times European Footballer of the year, Michel Platini led France to two World Cup semi-finals and the 1984 European Championship title. One of the greatest passers of the ball in the history of the game, Platini was also a master of the free kick. He won the European Cup with Juventus in 1985.
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Influential Coaches: Ernst Happel
Ernst Happel is widely recognized as one of the greatest coaches in the history of European football. Happel was the first coach to win the European Cup twice, lifting the trophy with Dutch giants Feyenoord in 1970 and then repeating the feat in 1983 with unfancied HSV of Germany.
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Football Who is Who: Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle reached the semi-final of the World Cup with England in 1990, but the dream of a place in the final turned sour when the flamboyant winger botched up his effort in the penalty shoot out that decided the game. Waddle won the French league title with Olympique Marseille three times.
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