Closelooknet: Worldplay

The Angel with Bent Legs

Thomas Look — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 10:03:10 GMT

Pau Grande is not the kind of place that produces gods.

A factory town wedged into the hills north of Rio de Janeiro, it owes its existence to a British-owned textile mill that employed most of its residents and dictated the rhythms of their days. The houses are small. The streets are narrow. The nearest beach is an hour away. In the 1930s, when Manuel F…

A Deformed Spine, A Deadly Own-Goal, and Some Very Special Divine Inspiration

Thomas Look — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:11:48 GMT

Fate Was Not Kind To These Three Soccer Greats - Part 2. Sometimes, the lives of former football legends take a turn for the worse. These icons have faced hardships like poverty, illness, addiction, and even untimely deaths due to accidents or suicide. Closelooknet is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribed This compilation presents 12 of the most heart-wrenching stories in recent football history. It's a journey through the lives of soccer heroes from various countries and eras who faced dire circumstances post-retirement.

These Are Europe's Surprise Champions from 1970 – 2020: Underdogs, Disparaged, Unforgettable, One-Hit Wonders

Thomas Look — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 19:46:20 GMT

Their Name Was Nobody. This is about the no-names who were considered relegation candidates from the start. In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich has been the perennial champion for years.

In Spain, it's either "Barca" or Real, while in Italy and France, Juventus Turin and Paris St. Germain have been dominating the title races for years. In England, "rich cl…

Fate Was Not Kind To These Soccer Greats: A Brazilian Revolutionary, Binge Drinking and the “Bomber of the Nation.”

Thomas Look — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 07:14:00 GMT

Tragic Tales of Soccer Heroes - Part 1. This compilation presents 12 of the most heart-wrenching stories in recent football history. It's a journey through the lives of soccer heroes from various countries and eras who faced dire circumstances post-retirement.These tales span the early days of professional football, the fervent period between 1945 and 1970, and the globally interconnected football world of the past five decades. The stories encompass diverse players - talented forwards, elegant midfielders, unique goalkeepers, and tough defenders.Their post-career struggles might have stemmed from missing the limelight, the adoration of fans, or simply the inability to adapt to life beyond the field. These are the stories of soccer greats to whom fate was unkind.

Horror on the Bosporus - The Night of the Shame of Istanbul

Thomas Look — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 14:41:00 GMT

(1) The facts

The World Cup qualification playoff matches between Turkey and Switzerland in 2005, known as the "Horror of Istanbul," were marked by intense and controversial events on and off the pitch. These matches were part of the qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

First Leg: Switzerland vs Turkey (November 12, 2005)

Venue: Stade de Suisse, Bern, S…

The Mystical Aura of the Great Soccer Scandals

Thomas Look — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:53:00 GMT

The mystical aura of the great soccer scandals

These are moments that have been memorized in our memory. Inseparable. We think of them when we even hear "Football World Cup." They belong to our football socialization and have partly found their way into everyday language.

The hand of God. Photo by Dall E 3 from a prompt by Thomas Look

The most beautiful go…