#UCL 2021-2022

[lemonhemlock]

i know i've converted my blog into asoiaf meta for the most part, but now that the champions league is back and madrid are set to face liverpool again next week, i remembered this article and just... with all this talk of meta-narratives and arcs and symbolism... can you feel nostalgic for something that happened just last year??? this is going to be super indulgent but i am most definitely feeling thoughts & thinking feelings right now !!!

so for anyone who has no idea what i'm talking about, how about i introduce you to a tale of uncanny resilience in the face of the impossible? not just of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, but of the over-praised, overachiever, drenched in privilege and exposure, that the rest of the world learns to despise, bc they become sick and tired of their (supposedly manufactured) success? what happens when you're the villain in everyone else's story and the world is rooting against you anyway but you also just kind of stop performing for whatever reason?

do you just lay down and take it? accept that your luck has run its course and endure the critiques and the slander with gritted teeth?? once you reach that level of transcendence, is there truly any going back? are you even of this earth anymore?

so that is how madrid dragged itself through the champions league in the 2021-2022 season. the undisputed queen of europe, with an unequaled (then-) 13 titles under her belt, the team that had achieved the impossible feat of winning 4 titles in 5 years, now became the team that everyone wrote off. cursed with the most onerous bracket in the history of the knock-off stages, doomed (blessed??) to face-off the most nefarious avatars of modern footballing culture - first paris saint germain, a PR-sanitizing tool for the crimes of the qatari political elite, then chelsea, a team owned by a russian oligarch with a similar function - also the acting champions of europe, to boot.

four difficult matches that no one expected madrid to survive and nearly took us out so many times. until they didn't. until we opened our eyes each time after the final whistle and there we were, still standing. and there they were, gone, vanquished. a nightmare you wake up from, disoriented, asking for the date, time, place, context. what year is this. is it safe to come out? is this real? have we done it again? what are the odds to us, other than mere suggestions, foolish calculations that only heretics give credence to?

Against PSG they had come down from 1-0 down, 2-0 on aggregate to win 3-2, gifted a way back and scoring twice in a minute, three in quarter of an hour. Against Chelsea they had gone from 3-0 down on the night, 4-3 down on aggregate, with 10 minutes left to win 5-4 on aggregate. It had been extraordinary that they were even standing, but this is the team you have to kill a hundred times. If not, know that they’re coming for you.

the whole world knows that you never, absolutely, under no circumstances, let madrid worm their way into the final, because that's as good as surrendering the title to them and calling it a day. as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. if divine intervention is needed, it will come. inexorably. real madrid are god's team, baby.

so the world throws the hardest hurdle at us for the semi-final. the greatest obstacle. the best chance at making us fail. pep guardiola's manchester city. another such propaganda toy, this time for the UAE, a soulless, plastic club. the embodiment of manufactured apathy. but who's counting. the first leg ends 4-3 for them. the goals didn't stop coming, so i remember asking myself why were they both dressed in blue. light for man city, dark for madrid. what a peculiar choice. what a peculiar year.

In Manchester Real Madrid faced 16 shots. They were beaten 4-3, but celebrated that almost as a victory given how overrun they had been, aware that the difference could have been far greater; rarely can City have felt more like they had lost a game that they had won.

but it is in the second leg that they remembered who they were. we had just forgotten, you see!! a momentary lapse of judgement. it is just before the finish line when you muster up that last ounce of strength and command your feet to press you forward. undaunted visionaries violently upturning any kind of logic or common sense! what was supposed to happen candidly did not happen. it's that easy. it's that simple. flippantly refusing to capitulate!!! our white flags don't mean the same thing as everyone else's! how silly they were to think... !

There were 39 seconds left and Real Madrid needed to score twice or they were out, halted at the gates of the final, their luck running out at last. Eighty-eight seconds later they had done, collective madness taking everyone. Somehow, they had forced extra time; soon, they had the winner, which by then you knew they would. Look in the top corner of your screen. It had shown 89:20 RMA 0 – 1 MCI (3-5). Look again and it showed: 94.13 RMA 3 – 1 MCI (6-5). And it had taken a few seconds to update the score.

delusion that becomes truth itself??? because you make it so???? sometimes seeing truly is NOT believing, you need to re-make reality in your image and according to your own hallucinations of grandeur!! sometimes you are pygmallion and that scoreboard is your galatea goddamn it. you're not lying to yourself, you're prophesizing what you will create out of this world!

The champions of France, Europe and England all eliminated at the Bernabéu.

What happened was the most ridiculous resurrection of them all: even more implausible, the margins finer, the race against the clock more frantic, like they were watching that video back again only on fast-forward, everything flashing by.

There was something mystical at play; some fate, some force that means that the more you fight it, the more inevitable it becomes.

liverpool surely hate our guts. two lost UCL finals against us, the first fraught with enough controversy to last a generation. i don't know what's going to happen next week. we might as well lose & forfeit this season. but, even so, we'll always have something other teams don't. that bright, celestial belief in our strength and our resolve, that vision that only we can see and deliver forth, even in the face of the absurd, of the hopeless.

and i think that there's inspiration in that. i think it's a neat reminder that we have so many stories of our own to tell and there's a power we wield in fleshing them into existence.

The players knew: they had seen the video that proves it.

so go forth and be brilliant!! bring around your own remontada!

“We’ve come back, we’ve come back!” he shouted, leaping about celebrating. There’s something about that “we” that stuck in the throat. He wasn’t alone, some fans turning and trying to get back in. Had they learned nothing? Do they not know this team they support? Of course you have come back, you fool.

[artetass]

[jude5bellingham]

tbt pt.2 ౨ৎ trent alexander-arnold

part one here!

pairing: trent alexander-arnold x f!reader

summary: part two of throwback thursday, reader is lfc's photographer but people start thinking there is something off when she is exclusively posting tbts

notes: hope u guys enjoy :3

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66 and liverpoolfc

liked by trentarnold66, liverpoolfc and 102,549 others

yourusername my first heartbreak tbh.. #tbt

view all 80,435 comments

trentarnold66 mine too

yourusername wrong actually! your first heartbreak was when i laughed in your face when you asked me out cause i thought you had to have been joking

ibrahimakonate oh wow😂😂

user1 trent getting aired out on a tbt of 2021/2022 ucl finals post of yn's is crazy😭😭

trentarnold66 it was just a misunderstanding 😒 we are literally married now anyways

virgilvandijk no need to open old wounds

yourusername sorry skip im running out of content

mosalah you will have more if you comeback!

yourusername soon mo!!!!

andyrobertson94 comeback to work soon

yourusername hopefully

user2 yn isnt at work???

user3 we miss you yn

user4 real lads' first heartbreaks💔

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66 and england

liked by trentarnold66, england and 100,878 others

yourusername throwback to when my (now) ex-boyfriend made me pay stupidly expensive tickets to see him #tbt

view all 60,090 comments

trentarnold66 did not

yourusername did too

joegomez5 you two are such children

yourusername 🤫

trentarnold66 stop calling me your exboyfriend

yourusername you literally are mate

andyrobertson94 your exboyfriend sounds terrible

yourusername he didn't even score! why'd i spend all that money!

ibrahimakonate 😂😂😂

szoboszlaidominik what's your exboyfriends @

yourusername oh hell no....

user5 her calling trent (her husband) her ex boyfriend 😭😭😭

user6 they're literally so funny 😭😭😭

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66 and england

liked by trentarnold66, england and 120,432 others

yourusername shouting out this young lad from liverpool #tbt

view all 80,003 comments

trentarnold66 ...

andyrobertson94 up and coming young scouse lad

curtisjr young lad just trying to make it

judebellingham that is broski 🙏

user7 i wonder how trent felt seeing these pictures 😭😭

user8 has anyone else noticed she's only been posting tbts?? i know she does normally but she hasn't uploaded a not tbt in a while..

user9 she might just be going through old content!! she has a habit of uploading extra pics from old tbts later when she feels like she needs to post more!!

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66

liked by trentarnold66, liverpoolfc and 109,883 others

yourusername even with setbacks, just know YNWA ❤️‍🩹 #tbt

view all 65,556 comments

trentarnold66 i miss you at the games

yourusername alright pack it up loverboy

yourusername i miss you at games too... GET BACK ON THE PITCH!

judebellingham mate can never catch a break huh

yourusername nope!

user109 WE also miss you yn

harvelliott we miss you

❤️ liked by yourusername

liverpoolfc yn YOU need to remember that ynwa ❤️❤️

curtisjr ^^ ❤️

mosalah ^^ ❤️

ibrahimakonate ^^ ❤️

virgilvandijk ^^ ❤️

yourusername okay relax guys i'm going to cry and i'm a real ugly crier...

trentarnold66 @yourusername liar

andyrobertson94 trent's just a sap after all

user10 is yn okay? why did lfc comment that?

user11 did yn leave lfc?

user12 why are they all leaving hearts and saying ynwa?? did yn leave??

user13 i hope everything is alright yn ❤️ YNWA❤️

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66 and england

liked by trentarnold66, england and 100,409 others

yourusername when @england hired me for the season and then i literally just watched him have stronger bonds with men than me but that's ok i guess #tbt

view all 80,867 comments

trentarnold66 i'm not even going to say anything

aaronramsdale you're acting like trent didn't kick me out of the room to spend time with you

yourusername okay don't get dramatic! it wasn't even your bed!

aaronsramsdale 🙁

england 😳

yourusername 😳

judebellingham no photos of trent and i?

yourusername yeah as if i was gonna post my ex-boyfriend's side ting

judebellingham ex-boyfriend 😭

user14 did yn leave lfc for the england nt???

user15 if you left for the england nt, we still love you yn ❤️❤️

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66 and liverpoolfc

yourusername yes i have heard the news, trust me we are all devastated but YNWA klopp and thank you for the memories, especially the ones in the making ❤️❤️❤️ #tbt

user has restricted comments on this post

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66 and andyrobertson94

liked by trentarnold, andyrobertson94 and 101,255 others

yourusername no words can describe how i feel about this friendship but maybe this ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 emoji can! #tbt

view all 90,888 comments

andyrobertson94 love you both❤️❤️ can't wait for your return

trentarnold66 ❤️

szoboszlaidominik that should be me 💔

yourusername leave my ex-boyfriend and his husband alone... homewrecker...

user16 we hope you feel better ❤️❤️ we miss you and klopp

user17 klopp hasnt even left yet

user18 tell that to the hole in my heart

yourusername and trentarnold66

liked by trentarnold66, andyrobertson94 and 150,809 others

yourusername hi everyone! i'm so sorry i did not say anything during these last few months... if i'm honest they were very difficult. I was not myself for the last few months so I took a leave of absence from lfc, that i'm so incredibly grateful for, and i tried to post like usual even though i was running out of photos and energy. Trent's injury, Klopp's announcement, and everything else in this world felt incredibly hard to deal with but even in those times I could always turn to this community to put a smile on my face. I'm so happy to let you all know Trent and I have welcomed a beautiful and healthy son to our family. anyways, long story short, always remember that i love you and that ynwa❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

view all 109,004 comments

andyrobertson94 Proud godfather here!❤️❤️

user229 omg😭😭😭

liverpoolfc congratulations yn! we love you & ynwa❤️

virgilvandijk ❤️

curtisjr new young scouse lad about to become a superstar 💫

judebellingham 🤍

aaronramsdale ❤️

jordanhenderson ❤️❤️

szoboszlaidominik ❤️

ibrahimakonate ❤️

user19 we love you yn❤️❤️

user20 im so glad you put yourself first❤️❤️

yourusername

liked by trentarnold66, andyrobertson94 and 109,899 others

yourusername my pretty boy 🤍🤍

view all 30,990 comments

yourusername trent is there too i guess

andyrobertson94 you know you could've asked me to take a picture of the three of you right

yourusername you don't get it andy

andyrobertson94 🙄

virgilvandijk two very stylish lads in the pics

yourusername it's cause i styled them after you skipp😁

curtisjr didnt know your exboyfriend could dress so well

yourusername he can't without my help 😕😕

user21 sobs... this is so cute😭😭

user22 dilf trent

❤️ liked by yourusername

user23 theyre soo cute together 😭😭

yourusername

tagged trentarnold66 and liverpoolfc

liked by trentarnold66, liverpoolfc and 120,389 others

yourusername some day my kids will know the winner that their father is #tbt

view all 89,343 comments

liverpoolfc they'll watch him win another with their own eyes

❤️ liked by yourusername

andyrobertson94 more importantly, they'll know how big of a winner their godfather is

yourusername honestly... you kind of are the captain of scotland and a member of the great british empire ...

trentarnold66 okay stop agreeing with each other

yourusername no need for jealousy in my comments

user24 KIDS??? AS IN PLURAL????

user25 omg is this a pregnancy announcement 😭😭

user26 ANOTHER ONE??? OMG

user27 UGHHHHH SPILLLLL

yourusername and trentarnold66

liked by trentarnold66, andyrobertson94 and 100,445 others

yourusername i don't think i could even begin to describe how happy and grateful i am, but i will try. i love the family i have created here in liverpool with the help of everyone. you are all family, thank you for the love and support you have always shown me. ❤️❤️

user has restricted comments on this post

[devilishchaos]

Heyy idk if u take requests but can u do where the reader have a girl with ruben and they’re celebrating the ucl win on the pitch etc and the their child starts playing with ronny and they assume that the girl and ronny have a tiny crush on eachother yk cute moments etc🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Moments like this | Rúben Dias Imagine

Rating / genre: pure fluff

Pairings: Reader x Rúben Dias

Warnings: use of pet names "babe", "baby"

Word Count: 1 059 words

AN: Hello! idk if I take requests, I received this one and this is my first ever request, I loved it and thank you so much. <3 I unfortunately don't speak portuguese so I used google translate, if you find any mistakes don't hesitate to let me know. On another note - I absolutely love Ronnie and everybody from City! I kind of added a little bit more plot so I hope it is okay and I also made it kinda long, like why am I like this? but hey I loved working on this, so I hope you enjoy it :) x

p.s. while I was working on this Mr. The Sexiest Man Alive posts this picture..like sir, are you trying to unalive me or sth..respectfully tho..Rúben stop playing with me and let me have your kids <3 :p x

This is a work of fiction. The story, names, characters and incidents either are product or the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

“Is your missus here tonight?” John asked his best mate Rúben, from across the room, as all Manchester City players were getting dressed in their kits and were preparing to attend the Uefa Champions League final tonight. Rúben turns away from his locker, trying to brush out a crease that had formed in his shorts. 

“Yes, she flew with the kids. They landed, like two hours ago.” He tells him, going to the mirror to begin fussing with his hair, even though he would just be pushing it back out of his face anyway. “This puts even more pressure. I’m basically obliged to perform well.” 

“She flew alone with two kids for what four hours?” Bernardo joins the conversation, grinning at Rúben. “She is a wonder woman.” 

“She definitely is!” John agrees, walking over to pat Rúben's shoulder comfortingly but he shakes his head, already nervous at the idea of his kids watching him. After the loss in the final 2021 and in the semi’s in 2022, Rúben promised his family to win the next time around. And now it was hitting him hard - he never breaks his promises. The pressure was definitely skyrocketing through the roof. 

*

It all happened very fast. You needed a couple of seconds to process that Rodri in fact had scored a beautiful goal. Which meant that City took the lead 1-0. There were approximately 20 more minutes and if City were able to handle the tension, that meant that the guys would complete a treble. You knew what that meant to them, to Rúben. Everything was at a very high stake. Your stomach was in knots and your leg bobbed up and down with anxiousness as you were looking at the clock, counting down the seconds until the end of the match, until the referee's final whistle. 

After what felt like the longest extra time that you’ve experienced in a match it was finally over, when the end of the match was announced everybody in the VIP sector (the families of the players) stood up and raised their arms in joy, cheering in excitement. 

“George. Azlia. Come on! Let’s go congratulate daddy!” you took them by their hands and somehow managed to get down to the pitch. 

The three of you push your way through the crowd on the soccer field. It was hard for you to see the way in the ocean of bodies. Then John taps lightly on your shoulder and points at a gap you can pass through. That’s when you see him. He has his back turned to you, engaged in conversation with a staff member. He doesn’t see you, but it’s like he feels you coming, and turns around, his gaze landing to you. Without looking back at the man behind him, he excuses himself and starts making his way over to you. 

“Papai!” George screams as he breaks away from your hand and runs to your husband, obviously he can't contain his excitement anymore. Rúben kneels down to be on the same level as him and he runs straight in his arms. You picked up Azlia as she was struggling to keep up with your pace with her little feet, because you wanted to get to Rúben faster. 

As you finally reach him you walk right into his open arms, your hands fisting his jersey. It feels so good to be holding him. 

“You did it! I’m so, so, so proud of you, amor! You did so good! I’m so happy for you! A treble, wow..unbelievable!” you said quite loudly in his ear with a smile that hurt your cheeks. 

You raised your head a little and he bent down a little, so you could share a kiss. As you pulled away, you gave him a kiss to the side of his mouth and ran your fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck. 

“Eu te amo, meu amor.” he said to you, looking directly into your eyes wanting to look into them forever. 

Not breaking eye contact you replied just a heartbeat later “Te amo mais.” 

“Da-da,da-..” Azlia babbled in your arms, reminding you guys of her existence. 

“Eu também te amo, princesa.” Rúben said as he kissed her chubby cheeks. 

*

The awarding took place very quickly. You moved away with the rest of the wives, girlfriend and family members of the players and found yourself jumping from conversation to conversation. Everyone was so excited. Except the kids. They didn’t understand what was happening and just ran away the second the ceremony was done. 

You were frantically looking for Azlia when you felt two big, strong hands on your waist, bringing you into a hug from behind. 

“What are you doing, love?” Rúben asked with amusement. 

“I’m looking for Azlia! I can’t find her! George ran away with Roman and Riaan, and I swear Azlia was standing right beside me and now she is gone.” you said while turning in his arms, to face him. 

“Baby she is a one-and-a-half-year-old, with tiny little legs. How far can she go?” he chuckled, as you continued to search for her with your eyes. 

“Oh, there she is. Taking pictures with the other kids.” you finally spotted her, taking a picture with Kyle, his sons and Ronnie. 

“Baby, chill. These kids are having the time of their lives. They can’t stay in the same position for more than 10 seconds. Look at them running around!” Rúben assured you. That made you smile, but not as much as when you watched Ronnie chasing Azlia around and the two pig tails on top of her hair were bouncing with every step she took.

“Aww, look babe, Ronnie is showing Azi his medal. How cute!” you pointed at them for Rúben to see. 

“He is now putting his medal on her..” Rúben stated quite shook “Yo, Foden, watch your son!” he then shouted in Phil’s direction, who stood all the way to the other side of the pitch. 

“Rúben! Oh my God! Baby..they are kids..” you hit his chest lightly, bursting into a fit of giggles. 

“I have a medal, too..I’m gonna go show it to her.” and with that he left you watching him attempt to come close to Ronnie and Azlia, but when they saw him approaching them - they ran away laughing.

[hadiysor]

Hmmmmm...

real madrid @ liverpool

[hersidekick]

10 Things Alejandro Balde can’t live without

via GQ Spain

~ curly sponge & afro pick comb

~ football boots - the lime coloured one has the date of his first team debut 14/09/2021 in the ucl group stage

~ sanchoco - traditional Dominican stew

~ prince of bel air canvas

~ bone (honestly dunno what this is for since it’s not subtitled :/)

~ lebron james jersey

~ photos of kids in Guinea Bissau - his paternal home country

~ bracelet

~ speakers & headphones

~ plane ticket to 2022 Qatar World Cup

Bonus: there was a rubik’s cube on the table as well but there wasn’t a section where he spoke on it

[leonsliga]

At the request of the wonderful @realmadrider, here’s some of my comfort footy vids 😁 happy watching!

All things DFB and Bundesliga:

Bayern Summer Games 2022 (especially the Guess the Song challenge)

Agility Challenge • Kimmich vs. Goretzka (AKA Kimetzka being an old married couple for nearly 7 minutes)

Wer kennt mehr? Leon Goretzka & Joshua Kimmich

Stadt, Land, Fußball - Thomas Müller and Leon Goretzka

Thomats Challenge: Bundesliga Edition

The big FC Bayern quiz with Manuel Neuer and Sven Ulreich

Google Autocomplete Challenge with Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka

Servus, Leon Goretzka!

Leon Goretzka vs. Julian Brandt: Buzzwire Challenge

Bundesliga Stars Try to Draw Their Team Logos - Witsel, Goretzka, and Co.

Mats Hummels vs. Thomas Müller: Me or Him Challenge

Pro vs. Pro:Direct with Thomas Müller

Read My Lips: 🇩🇪 vs. 🇫🇷

Close-Up with Leon Goretzka

60 Seconds Challenge: 🇩🇪���🇫🇷

Neuer, Müller, and Lahm making fun of Kramer’s memory loss during the 2014 World Cup final

One gotta go with Marco Reus and Julian Brandt

Manuel Neuer and Bastian Schweinsteiger dancing on the beach

Don’t get distracted! With Julian Brandt and Marco Reus

Müller & Co. Decorating the Christmas Tree

Hummels & Brandt: Which of You…

FC Bayern Teammate Insights

Neuer, Martínez, and Hernández Carpool Q&A

EURO Taxi with Thomas Müller and Mats Hummels

Manuel Neuer vs. Thomas Müller

New Season, New Berni ft. Müller, Neuer, Sané, and Davies

So feiern die Bayern das Triple

Neuer, Piszczek & Co. Try to Draw - Who is the Best Artist

Take it easy | BVB-Challenge with Marco Reus and Julian Brandt

Kimmich vs. Gnabry | Copy the Penalty Challenge

Chunkz vs. Neuer | YouTuber vs. Pro Keeper Penalty Shoot Out Challenge

Manuel Neuer im Interview

Who am I? BVB-Challenge with Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer

Manu lifting up a jar of Nutella like it’s Simba

DFB Nutella Commercial

Will Grigg’s on fire! Is Mats Hummels terrified?

Bayern Summer Games 2021

Thomats Christmas Challenge

Serge Gnabry: Unlocked feat. Yung Filly

Who knows more? Marco Reus vs. Mario Götze - 2018 edition

Who knows more? Marco Reus vs. Mario Götze - 2019 revenge

Netradio Newcomer with Marco Reus and Julian Brandt

Best of Radio Müller

Thomats dieses Mal olympisch - eng subs

Don’t get distracted! With Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer

Cow-Milking and Welly-Throwing | Team-Building Fun at FC Bayern

Shell Game w/ Manuel Neuer

Pantomime w/ Manuel Neuer

Drawing w/ Manuel Neuer

Marco Reus vs. Mats Hummels - Buzz Wire Challenge

Manuel Neuer reveals the results of his doping test (spoiler alert: it was urine)

Thomats Basketball Challenge

Thomas Müller “JAAA” compilation

A Spanish Lesson for Neuer with Thiago - Repeat after Me Challenge

Fußball-Dart: Goretzka gegen Burgstaller

You Have to Answer - Marco Reus

Bayern Team Photo Vlog

Who knows more 2.0: Brandt vs. Hummels

Thomats Tangram Challenge

FC Bayern wish you a Merry Christmas

Mario Götze’s Most Famous Picture

Mats Hummels pranks Gio Reyna

DFB Water Polo Teambuilding

Erling Haaland being a funny guy for 3 minutes straight

Bromance: Manuel Neuer & Leon Goretzka

Manuel Neuer, Per Mertesacke, & Arne Friedrich - Sky ad

Neustädter vs. Reus

Literally anything else:

50 most shocking moments of the 2010 World Cup

Jose Mourinho explains football to a baffled Ted Lasso

Timo Werner being the funniest German for 2 minutes (because he’s an adorable bean)

Lingard and Rashford | Roommates

Ney…freezin innit

Wingmen: Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard

Manchester United x Stone Roses

I am Jose Mourinho 😎

Sergio Ramos drops the Supercopa under the bus

Marcelo, Bale, Ramos, & Co. joking around on a plane because why not

Lies | Toni Kroos & David Alaba

Kroos & Modrić | Teammates

Toni Kroos’s fantastic interview after RMA beat Liverpool in the UCL final

Luka Modrić taunting Gerard Piqué like the girlboss he is

Real Madrid x NFL with a heavy dose of Modramos

Roy Keane’s angriest moments discussing Manchester United - very validating as a United fan in the modern era tbh 😭

THE Kunessi stream - eng subs (55 minutes in all its glory)

When Kun met Leo

Kun calling Leo on stream

Sergio Agüero interviews Lionel Messi

Honestly every episode of the Champions

[ukrfeminism]

Rape complainants should be told pre-recording evidence could harm their chances of securing a conviction at trial, researchers say.

"Special measures" allow them to be interviewed and cross-examined before the trial and away from the defendant.

But a University College London study, the first of its kind, found 20% fewer rape convictions in such cases.

Special measures, under Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, were introduced in 2016.

In 2021, they were expanded to cover adult rape complainants, in a flagship government policy aimed at increasing the number of cases coming to trial.

The study looked at conviction rates in comparable trials, with both adult and child complainants, from 2016 onwards.

And when all offences were considered, it found 10% fewer convictions in trials employing special measures. For rape, convictions were 20% lower.

Using screens and barristers changing from gowns and wigs into suits are other ways to accommodate vulnerable and intimidated complainants.

Prof Cheryl Thomas KC, at UCL Faculty of Laws, said Section 28 "may need reform".

"It would be prudent for police and the Crown Prosecution Service to routinely advise witnesses of lower conviction rates," she said, because of "such a strong and consistent correlation between the use of Section 28 evidence and lower jury conviction rates".

In 2022, Rain, not her real name, was kidnapped off the streets of Plymouth on a night out and raped.

And she jumped at the chance to pre-record her evidence and be cross-examined by video link, as she felt so shocked by the assault.

'Security blanket'

"It was so horrific and damaging," Rain told BBC News.

"It stripped everything away.

"I couldn't leave the house alone for nearly a year.

"Doing the cross-examination before meant I could take breaks and recover myself.

"It felt like a security blanket.

"I also got a better understanding of what had happened that night, as I had memory loss."

Rain's attacker was jailed for 18 years on the basis of her interviews, corroborating CCTV and DNA evidence.

But in many cases, the study suggests, pre-recording evidence leads to an "inequality of arms" between the defendant and complainant.

The authors refer to psychological research showing in-person interaction can create higher levels of empathy than interactions on screen.

Other reasons could be special-measures cases are inherently weaker or recording equipment is poor.

'Negative impact'

John Riley, from the Criminal Bar Association, who both prosecutes and defends rape cases, said: "The complainant's police interview serves as an investigative tool and their evidence in chief.

"The quality of this interview can be very varied.

"Sometimes, the complainant is some distance from cameras.

"The defendant is always in person before the jury.

"The absence of a witness in person in both parts of the complainant's evidence can have a negative impact on the jury."

'Vulnerable victims'

Complainants who had already opted for pre-recorded cross-examination could in theory change their minds but the defence could object.

"They may argue the complainant is unfairly getting two bites of the cherry, being cross-examined twice with a better knowledge of the line of questioning by that point," Mr Riley said.

"Special measures cannot be a panacea for all the deficiencies in the system, namely the backlog.

"There needs to be a review."

The government said it would consider the study but "pre-recorded evidence supports those extremely vulnerable victims who may otherwise feel unable to have their voices heard to see justice done".

[cant-get-no-worse]

I answer stuff on #anon ask when I don’t forget to, and I also apparently rant.

The Gerard Piqué and Lionel Messi 2021 drama (guest appearance by Shakira).

« FC Barcelona’s downfall » and why Neymar’s departure in 2017 is just the tip of the political and financial iceberg

Neymar leaving Barcelona saga (2017 - 2021)

LM10 leaving Barcelona saga (2014 - 2021)

Chanting for Messi in 2023.

FC Barcelona’s 2022/2023 La Liga title and its meaning.

On Neymar and Messi’s unlikely bond.

On Messi and Ronaldo and the new gen.

Getting over the team that made you fall in love with the club, and letting yourself fall in love with the new.

Reflecting on the journey of football’s main 5′7 character.

Whilstling for the 10: le Parc and Nou Camp.

The Camp Nou renovation and a new era.

Anfield, the 2018/2019 UCL run. 

Thank you, 10. I’ll wait.

Neymar et le Chemin du Roi

The disaster of AFA & Scaloni drama

La Remontada, refereeing and Luis Suarez

Vids :

Farewell, temple

Other # :

#fc barcelona

#barça

#campeones 2022/2023

#web weaving

#ballon d’or

#Πάνθειον serie (legends of fcb)

#liveblog (games)

[probayern]

tagged by lise @acrazybayernfan who came up with this and also @thommi-tomate and @miasanmuller 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

what are your top 10 most memorable Bayern matches?

1. Bayern 6-0 Schalke (2023): i have to include this because i was there and it was very very special, will never forget it <3 thomas opening the scoring and then us winning 6-0 in the middle of one of our worst stretches that i've ever seen... special.

2. 8-2, i mean, come on. that was also RIGHT as i was starting to watch live regularly again after not being able to as much for a few years and it really drew me fully back in

3. 2012 ucl final. absolutely devastating. that was right around when i first got into bayern and i still don't like to think about it

4. not one match, but the 7-0 win over barca in 2013. it was impossible for me to watch bayern live in the ucl at that time (as i was in school) but i love those matches i love rewatching them

5. bayern 4-0 stuttgart (2021) this is a completely random one but i will never ever forget it, phonzy getting the red in like the 10th minute and then us scoring 4 goals. right around when i started posting on bayernblr <3 tail end of the hansi era, which was flawed but still probably my favorite recent era to watch, his football with us was so much fun

6. bayern 5-1 wolfsburg (2015) i mean. 5 goals 9 minutes. incredible incredible scenes. will never get old.

7. villarreal 1-0 bayern (2022) i think there are a lot of matches you can point to in the past few years and be like that's where we went wrong, and the psg match the previous year also probably deserves to be on this list, but this one really, really hurt. i think you all know that i think we've not been all that good since 2021 but this one... we should've won. we should have gone to the semis that year. flaws and all. i think a lot of things could have been different if we had won this match.

8. köln 1-2 bayern (2023) very very recent but. one of the most insane football viewing experiences i've ever had. i will never forget how i felt when jamal scored that goal. my heartrate did something absolutely insane that day

9. 2013 ucl final: served my interests soooo much on so many levels. i dream of the day we get an all german final again. That robben goal (i miss him). the high of getting revenge for the previous year. they just don't give us narratives like that anymore

10. gladbach 0-5 bayern (2021) i mean. this was insanity. this was the first time i was like ohhh there is a mentality hole in this team and that is a Problem. set the scene for a lot of the issues of the nagelsmann era. hopefully we are coming out of that a bit? still. that complete and utter collapse was something

i feel like everyone has been tagged but!! i'll tag @moosiala @goretzkas @antibayern @gxtzeizm @fabioquartararhoe and @musialas

[kesacamelya]

Kali Kelima

Bagaimana rasanya gagal lima kali berturut-turut? Sedih? Jelas. Lelah? Sudah pasti. Namun, dari semuanya, aku bersyukur karena Allah memberikan ketenangan dan kelapangan hati yang mungkin tidak dirasakan oleh orang lain.

Aku juga masih punya banyak waktu sebelum batas usia tugas belajar dan pendaftaran beasiswa untuk S2 habis, jika dibandingkan teman-teman CPNS seangkatanku yang lahir di tahun 1988-1990. Selama kesempatan itu masih terbuka, aku akan tetap memperjuangkannya.

-----

Selangkah, selangkah... Kalau kuingat perjalanan tujuh tahun terakhir (sejak pertama kali daftar Australia Awards di tahun 2018), setiap tahunnya, aku selalu merasa selangkah lebih dekat.

2018: Lulus seleksi CPNS 2019: Kerja sebagai CPNS dan dapat diklat TOEFL ITP 2020: Dilantik sebagai PNS, tes TOEFL ITP dapat skor 607 2021: Tes IELTS dapat skor 7.0, gagal seleksi Chevening 2022: Dapat LoA Conditional dari UCL, gagal seleksi LPDP 2 kali 2023: Dapat LoA Conditional dari UCL dan University of Manchester, gagal seleksi LPDP 2 kali 2024: [sampai Juni 2024] Tes IELTS dapat skor 7.5, tes TOEFL iBT dapat skor 96, dapat LoA Unconditional dari University of Manchester, University of Chicago, University of Melbourne, dan UNSW, gagal seleksi LPDP 1 kali

Cause it's a long, long, long, journey... FIM aja aku usahakan tujuh kali, apalagi untuk beasiswa lanjut studi :)

[lemonhemlock]

But you can’t have breathtaking comebacks without looking like you’re going out. You can’t bring yourself back from the dead if you’re playing well. It’s all part of the script.

another shout-out to all my burnt-out overachiever girlies who happen to need a pick-me up 🥂

[live-laugh-loverpool]

what are the best 5 hugs ali has given virg or vice versa?

huh...never thought of that before! but in my fic universe, I'm gonna say that the best hugs shared between those two were:

The first hug when they met!!!

When Ali got him and Virgil friendship bracelets two MONTHS after they met

When they won the UCL

When Virgil went over to Ali's house during lockdown (negative COVID test in tow) and moved in with him because they missed each other too much

After lockdown ended and everybody could FINALLY hug in training again

Winning the Premier League

When Ali scored THAT goal against West Brom (I will never shut up about it MWAHAHAHAHA)

Clinching top-4 in 2020-21

The FA Cup in 2021-22

After the 1-0 win against Man City in 2022-23

When they came back from World Cup '22

When Virgil popped up in the Selecao's training camp in Barcelona to visit Ali after losing the Nations league

After the 2-1 win against Newcastle United this season where Virg got a (CHEAT!) red card

After the Spurs loss

...plus many, many others.

[pedripics]

How many times have Pedri attended press conferences(barca and national team)

For Spain:

After of Spain vs. Sweden (EURO - Jun 15, 2021)

Ahead of Italy vs. Spain (EURO - Jul 5, 2021)

Ahead of Spain vs. Iceland (Friendly - Mar 28, 2022)

Ahead of Spain vs. Costa Rica (World Cup - Nov 21, 2022)

Ahead of Morocco vs. Spain (World Cup - Dec 5, 2022)

For Barça:

Ahead of Barça vs. Dynamo Kyiv UCL (UCL - Nov 3, 2020)

Ahead of Barça vs. Napoli (UEL - Feb 16, 2022)

Ahead of Barça vs. Inter (UCL - Oct 11, 2022)

Ahead of Barça vs. PSG (UCL - Apr 15, 2024)

There was also a press conference when he joined Barça and for his contract renewal

[ikram1909]

I’ve done a bit of research on Hansi Flick with ACL injuries and knee injuries (not putting any opinions so you can draw your own conclusions):

He was the Bayern manager from Nov 2019 to June 2021 and then the German national team manager from Aug 2021 to Sept 2023.

Leroy Sané: He tore his ACL in 2019 with Man City and returned to play with them for 11 minutes before moving to Bayern at the end of the season. While Flick wasn’t managing him when he first returned to play, he was managing him for the majority of the 2 years (2 years after return to play is the critical period for re-injury etc.).

Niklas Süle: He tore his ACL for the second time in October 2019 and returned in the UCL in August under Hansi Flick. He also came on in the final that they won in the 25th minute that same month. He eventually ended up leaving Bayern for Dortmund saying “Hansi Flick put his trust in me as a coach. I didn’t feel that trust at all levels of the club.”

Florian Wirtz: Wirtz tore his ACL in 2022 and returned at the end of the year. Flick was the German national team manager at the time and Wirtz had this to say about him and why he didn’t go to the World Cup - “We were in contact throughout the entire process, often chatted about my rehab. At the end of the day, it was not in a place where the coach could 100% trust that I could be playing as I had not played a single minute or even trained with the team with physical contact. After talking to the doctors, (Hansi Flick) said that I should focus on getting fit and to a top level, and he can’t wait to see me back in the team.” Flick also publicly offered support for him when he was first injured saying - “I've already phoned him and tried to encourage him. He's still young, he'll come back at least as strong, I'm sure of it. He gets our full support. “ Wirtz then played under Flick for Germany for several international friendlies with varying minutes.

Other knee injuries that were longer than 1/2 games:

Kingsley Coman had a capsular injury in his knee that meant he missed 7 games.

Joshua Kimmich injured his meniscus in 2020 so missed 13 games including internationals.

So he has dealt with 3 ACLs and a couple more knee injuries from what I’ve found. There might be more I’ve missed of course.

First of all, thank you you're literally the best! 💕💕

Second of all, I think this looks promising and he's pretty understanding which what Gavi would need post injury. The fact that the players had so many good things to say about him is nice to hear he seems like a good person at least.

[ecl1pse]

so my grandma is dying.

my dad flew out to see her on friday bc she's been staying with my uncle on monterrey since late september(??). my sister flew out earlier on january & stayed there for almost a month but by the end of her stay, my gradma's health went into a downward spiral. my sister accompanied her to san miguel, my ucle believes she might've had a stroke on the way back to monterrey bc she came back with such a different attitude & even lower appetite.

we've been getting updates on her since & it's honestly gotten worse. she's at the point where she can't get off bed, doesn't eat & can't recognize people anymore. my dad sounded so sad.

honestly, i'm not doing great but i'm not as sad about it i thought i would feel. she's 92 years old. maybe it hasn't fully sink in, or maybe i've done a good job at preparing myself emotionally bc it already hit me just how vulnerable she was back in 2021 when she had back to back injuries. the fact that she recovered from a broken clavicle & broken ribs in the span of 6 months was miracle on itself, but then i gave her covid on january 2022 & she still managed after that. the lady has beaten nearly anything that has come her way. except old age, i guess.

she's been declining a lot mentally, though, so i was expecting something like this for years now. not so quickly, but i guess at her age, anything becomes catastrophic so easily. i honestly felt like she wasn't going to make it at times when she was sick with covid. there's no making it out of this one, though. i think this is it.

i'm not sure of what to do now. they said she looks really bad and it's just sad to see her but we don't know when she's going to go. i wanna go say goodbye but i'm not sure how hard it's going to be to see her like that or if it will even help. there's been too many instances in my family of someone dying just as the last person came in to see them & idk if i'm prepared to see her actually go in front of me. she's been like a mother to me, she was my favorite person growing up, i think i grew up to be just like her way more than i'd like. my uncles say i should go and see her, but my dad says i shouldn't, that it's really bad. plus taking time off for this & then the funeral wouldn't be ideal. i just hope she's not waiting for me. i hope she's comfortable & not in pain. it's what she deserves now. blissful ignorance is the only thing i want for her in these moments.