Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Michael Butler

Eight European football powerhouses prepare to collide

Jan Oblak pulls off a big save to help dump Inter out.
Jan Oblak pulls off a big save to help dump Inter out. Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT

Almost anything can be classified as nostalgia these days. If you squint hard enough down, even the most mundane or objectionable things can be rebranded in sepia-tinted. Why does Football Daily yearn for Andy Townsend on co-commentary (when Ally McCoist is such an obvious upgrade) and still get a kick out of seeing the Continental Tyres logo every time it walks past a parked car? Perhaps because football, and life, was better back in the day: free-to-air Big Cup, referees making honest and understandable mistakes in a fast-paced game, Darren Bent scoring against Liverpool via a Liverpool-branded beach ball. None of these things would be possible in 2024. And football now is poorer for it.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.