#euro cup 2020

[thewales-family]

The Princess of Wales June 2024 Photo Challenge

29. Favourite photo(s) of Catherine at sporting events.

[lovelybrandt]

The Coolest Kai Havertz DFB Team Themed Toiletries Bath Set Shower Gel And Shampoo From Henkel Fa Men Schwarzkopf Schauma Boy A Euro 2020 Special Fan 🇩🇪⚽😍✨

Source: Gallery Images From Pinterest.

Thanks To Send For lesaraxdragon And ColorsOfMySeason gavirae.

[citruscloudsandmoon]

On a side note though...

Maybe it's high time England stops using the phrase 'It's coming home' 👀

Said phrase had done nothing except served as a roadblock for the team.

[eleanoroliphant]

senza nulla togliere alle squadre dal talento talmente puro da arrivare alla vittoria entro i 90 minuti ma queste finali senza supplementari o rigori al cardiopalma, senza testate e strattonate e lacrime e coppe sollevate ben oltre la mezzanotte devo dire che non finalano come le finali italiane tendono a finalare

[f4t1m4st4r2008]

some cursed mascotverse images 1/2

[reasonsforhope]

"Spain’s Catalonia region rolled out a pioneering women’s health initiative [at the beginning of March, 2024] that offers reusable menstruation products for free.

About 2.5 million women, girls, transgender and nonbinary people who menstruate can receive one menstrual cup, one pair of underwear for periods and two packages of cloth pads at local pharmacies in northeast Spain free of charge.

The Catalan government said that the initiative, which is called “My period, my rules,” was meant to “guarantee the right to menstrual equity.” The regional government cited statistics that said 23% of women polled by Catalonia’s public opinion office said they had reused hygiene products designed for a single use for economic reasons.

Tània Verge, Catalonia’s regional minister for equality and feminism, called the program a “global first.”

Scotland’s government passed a law in 2020 to ensure period products are available for free to anyone who needs them. But in comparison with the Catalan program, in Scotland the products are for single use and are distributed through schools, colleges and universities, not pharmacies.

“We are fighting menstrual poverty, which affects one in four women in Catalonia, but is also about gender justice. We are fighting the stereotypes and taboos about menstruation,” Verge told The Associated Press. “And (...) it is about climate justice. We need to reduce the tons of waste generated by single-use menstrual products.”

The distribution of reusable products is also aimed at reducing waste. The regional government said that Catalonia produces about 9,000 tons of waste from single-use menstrual hygiene products.

The reusable products are acquired by the public health care system, which covers the entire population, and distributed by Catalonia’s 3,000-plus private pharmacies. The program cost the regional government 8.5 million euros ($9.2 million).

“I am completely in favor of this initiative,” 29-year-old graphic designer Laura Vilarasa said. “It will give women a product that is absolutely necessary to have for zero cost.”

Spain’s national government passed a law last year granting women with debilitating menstrual pain the right to paid medical leave."

-via AP News, March 5, 2024

[pedripics]

IBAI x PEDRI - January 2, 2024 (summary)

He’s doing okay but things are a bit tough at the moment

He spent Christmas at home in Tenerife with his family

They play 'Suika Game' a lot in the dressing room (but on the phone and not the PC because it's free there lol)

He laughed a lot with Piqué in the dressing room. Piqué didn't really like training sessions but he was very good in the matches

Have you ever looked at Pique and thought that if you wanted to, you could dribble past him 7 times? - "Yes (laughs)"

Ferran has supported him a lot and is always there for him

Ferran takes the shark mentality very seriously, so Pedri gave him some shark slippers and now Ferran wears them in the dressing room

He tries to help Gavi every day because he knows what it's like to be injured for a longer time and he's confident that he will come back in great condition

Pedri does pilates now after Puyol recommended it to him

Pedri has Aleix García in his Fantasy team (his brother is first, he is second)

He rarely uses Twitter, he uses Twitch and TikTok more

They are behind Xavi 100%

In his opinion, Neymar looks good with every hairstyle

Girona are playing very well and he thinks that they could win LaLiga

Jordi Alba and Piqué were always fighting but that's how they got on. They just liked to fight lmao

Vitor Roque is wonderful, he is always happy, whenever Pedri sees him he is smiling

He doesn't like press conferences at all because they are a bit disturbing as all the journalists stare at you while you just sit there

In the Premier League, they are able to spend 80 or 90 million for players which is unbelievable. In La Liga, academies are what makes the difference

They don't really talk about the Super League in the dressing room

Boca Juniors or River Plate? - He's only watched one game and Boca won, so Boca

For Pedri, Busquets is the best No. 6 in history

His favourite player is Iniesta (in case you somehow didn't know that yet)

His favourite XI in history: ter Stegen, Jordi Alba, Piqué, Ramos, Alves, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (after being forced by Ibai), Messi and Luis Enrique as a Coach (he changed out Ronaldinho for Neymar later)

Luis Enrique doesn't have What's App. If you want to talk to him, you need to send him an SMS

He was nervous when scoring the decisive penalty against Real Betis because the goalkeeper was a giant

Hardest defeat: penalty shootout against Italy (Euros 2020)

He supported Argentina in the WC final (for Leo)

He would like Haaland to sign for Barça (in his words "as a replacement for Lewy because he won't play for us until he's 60") and he also really likes Julían Alvarez (agent Pedri 👀)

His first friend at Barça was Trincāo

A dream: to win the Champions League and the World Cup

Before games, he likes to listen to slow Spanish music (Julio Iglesias? - "Maybe (laughs)")

His favourite singer is Quevedo (everyone act surprised please)

Vitor is only 18 years old, you cannot ask him to be the new Pele, but he has a lot of confidence from the club

He normally always stops for fans but there are always the same 5-6 TikTokers in front of the training ground so he sometimes doesn't stop if it's just them

He is rewatching Prison Break at the moment, even though he's seen it two times already. The first season is the best one in his opinion

He used to watch anime but not anymore

Kounde has the confidence to wear anything

They should listen to the players more because the calendar is so tightly packed right now and there are too many injuries

He would like to score more goals

He found scoring goals strange when he was younger because he never knew how to celebrate and all he did was run and look stupid

Ibai breaks his computer mouse and engineer Pedri tells him to plug it out and in again (Pedri indeed managed to fix it)

Favourite place in Barcelona? - Camp Nou ❤️

Ibai and Pedri played 'Guess these 100 Players' and Pedri guessed 94/100 right (and Pedri realised he doesn't know enough South American players)

[pitchsidestories]

"Pursuit of Happyness"

"I am a human and I have and will give everything to the game that I love. Ultimately I just want to be happy again." (Chloe Kelly)

Chloe Kelly's career so far..

At a young age she joined the Arsenal Youth Academy

2015-2018: 19 appearances for Arsenal's first team

2020-25: 109 appearances for Manchester City

Kelly has won 48 caps for England and scored 7 goals including the winner in the Euro's final in 2022 and was a part of the World Cup final squad in 2023

What the Arsenal Head Coach Renée Slegers said about her loan

"Chloe is an exciting attacking player and will be a great addition to our squad as we approach the second half of the season. She’s direct and explosive, with huge natural talent and ability. We’re all looking forward to working with Chloe as an Arsenal player in the coming months.”

Welcome back to Arsenal, Chloe Kelly ! 🤍❤️

data and quote source, image sources in the comments section

[architect-2015]

Hand In Hand | mapi león

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In which Kennedy Russo and María León have been a couple since Russo debuted at Fc Barcelona in 2020 - this well know to the public - so after the Fifa WWC 2023 the lioness gives insight of the pain caused by the spanish federation, she tells the players story.

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

The Call Up

Kennedy’s life since joining Barcelona has been as sweet as it could be, a record breaking transfer from Manchester United, winning league title after league title, winning the Champions League after the heartbreaking defeat the previous year and The summer of 22’ winning the European Championship along side her little sister Alessia.

But the joys of her international careers do not match those of her girlfriends, after their quarter final knockout in the Euros tournament, the truth began to spill about the Spanish Football Federation: the lack of respect for players, the harmful environment and the disrespectful head coach - Jorge Vilda.

María León had always been one to speak her mind, never let her thoughts and opinions be squashed by others. So she did what was right - She took a stand.

Mapi and 14 other Spaniards resigned from the national team, with a dream for change. A dream that turned into a nightmare.

The Federation took no notice of these players.

The game carried on.

So when the World Cup call ups were around the corner, they knew they had to give up their childhood ambitions to win a World Cup, to stand up for what is right.

————

In the cozy living room of Mapi León’s home, the couple laid out on the sofa - arms tight around one another. A conversation needed sat unspoken plaguing the air.

“Would you be okay if i played?” a shy mumble left Kennedy’s mouth, she obviously wanted to play as anyone would in a World Cup but she also wanted to support her other half.

María shifted undeath the 27 year old, sitting them up and holding her girlfriends face in her warm hands.

“mi corazón, of course you should play, you’re coming off the back of your biggest international win you can’t give up on your World Cup dream just because of me. That can’t happen, I’ll make sure it wont happen.”

Mapi’s voice was thick with emotion. She hadn’t given up on her dream - simply put it on the back burner - so the fact Kennedy would consider sacrificing hers made her angry. Not angry at her girlfriend, she could never be angry with her but angry with the world that power hungry men like Vilda not only effected her career but the game as a whole.

“Cariño you’ll go, you’ll play for your country, your sister, you’ll play for yourself and i’ll be here cheering as loud as i can being as proud as i can.”

————

The Tournament

The older Russo had excelled during the tournament, many sung her praises complementing her performance and goal scoring ability and her link ups with her younger sister.

She was making her opinion know with her now well recognised celebration, creating a ‘M L’ with her hands into the closest camera. A nod to her partner back home.

Getting through to the final was the best night of her career this far, celebrating with her team, her sister and her best friend Lucy Bronze - a women who had shared experiences of world cup disappointment like Kennedy.

To then find out Spain would be joining them well that was a feeling she couldn’t put into words, fear, excitement, being endlessly proud of her spanish friends for making to their first final but most of all anger, anger that María and many other couldn’t have their World Cup moment, anger their dreams had been taken away, anger that selfish men once again had come out on top.

————

The Final

{María❤️}

mi corazón, good luck with the game tonight. You’ll play amazing and hopefully you’ll be the one lifting that trophy! te amo! xxx

It was half time and the lionesses were down 1-0, a beautiful goal from Olga had put the spaniards infront. The eldest Russo had been yellow carded in the first 45 minutes for straight up shouting at the spanish head coach - every wrong action he made, she countered with a word to the referee or to his face. It was now clear that the young women had a strong desire to make this match miserable for the man. It’s the least she could do after all the damage he’s caused.

A speech from Sarina and Millie had instilled some determination into the squad but walking back out from the tunnel had been the thing to create a fire inside of Kennedy.

The second half had now been played in until the 87’ minute after a saved penalty from Jenni Hermoso, one in the opinion of Kennedy was well off the penalty spot.

A well timed pass from Lucy Bronze had Kennedy flying past the spanish back line, continuing her run towards Cata Coll, slotting it with a perfect strike into the top left corner.

The crowd erupts, before Kennedy could process what had happened, she had fallen victim to a human pile on- tears of overwhelming joy overflowed from her eyes.

A whistle was blown, a VAR check.

The words ‘possible offside’ had create a looming feeling of fear within the midfielder.

[CHECK COMPLETE: OFFSIDE]

The floor seemed to fall from beneath her feet, breath leaving her chest involuntarily, the spanish chants invading her ear as sobs left her mouth. Arms looked around her frame: Lucy. “Head up Russo we have time, we’ve got to keep going”

Many minutes of added time passed until the final whistle blew, they failed, they had lost. He had won.

Crashing to her knees - in that moment she couldn’t find it in herself to feel happy for her Barcelona teammates, she couldn’t begin to imagine how this would effect María’s international career, she could only feel the guilt seeping in. She was offside. She has ruined the lionesses chance of becoming world champions. She let her country down.

Whilst her time stood still as she laid there on the grass, the world moved on.

A delicate hand was placed in her back and her sister’s floral perfume surrounded her like a blanket of safety. Alessia. Her manicured hands hooked underneath her older sisters arms, pulling her into a sitting position.

All the adrenaline had left Kennedy , making a feeble attempt to support herself only led to her head falling onto the shoulder of her sister, looking for some form of comfort. A comfort she knew could only be provided by María.

It felt like hours that the sister duo sat on that pitch, their shirts now soaked with sweat and tears. A sobbing Lucy Bronze had joined the circle, arm in arm the three walked towards the tunnel of spaniards - who were eager to hold the trophy in their grasp.

The walk was agonising, through the rows of players, to shake hands and then to be bestowed with a silver medal. She like Mapi lived with a ‘second is the first loser’ mentality.

Her time on the pitch concluded with watching the trophy being lifted from afar, her eyes glued in the celebrations of the man she despised.

————

The Interview

“So Kennedy tell me how are you feeling?”

She hated interviews, especially after a loss.

“Uh- It’s hard you know. I’ve now had the opportunity to play in three world cups and i’m honoured to have done that but it’s just not a nice feeling to inch closer and closer every time to then fail, in the biggest moment of my career i was offside so… yeah it’s not a nice feeling at all.”

Anyone who was watching the interaction could tell that the Russo women was actively trying to keep her emotions at bay. Little things like tapping her foot, the furrow between her brown, and most noticeable rubbing her thumb harshly across the skin of her wrist - above a fine line tattoo of a lion.

“You are referring to your goal that was not allowed due to it being offside, do you agree with that decision?”

“Well it’s not up to me to undermine the decisions made by the referee, whilst some of them i do not agree with at the end of the day it’s not my job. I guess it just wasn’t in our cards to win today and yeah we’re all disappointed but we’ll come back from this. Train harder, play smarter. Our squad is full of young people who are no where near finished with their world cup dreams.”

“Now we saw you had some confrontations during the game with the spanish head coach, are you allowed to comment on that?”

“I mean i’m probably not but i can say i do not like Jorge Vilda, not as a coach and not as a person. When you are given the role of a head coach it is your job to keep your players safe, to respect your players, to respect the game and make sure your players have a good working environment. He does none of that. He abuses the authority he has been given and i find it disgusting. The RFEF and Jorge Vilda have shown on countless occasions their lack of professionalism.”

“And can i question you on your celebration from this tournament?”

“Of course so, my celebration is for someone back home, someone i said i would play for and i did. It was upholding my promise i made to her and to others that you shouldn’t let someone else tarnish your desire and whilst they cannot be here, i am so i said i’d carry that desire for all of us.”

“Is that in reference to the players of the spanish national team that are not here? You also said ‘she’ and it’s public knowledge that you and a certain Mapi León are in a relationship, did you see play for her”

“Every footballer has dreamt of playing and winning a world cup, and to be able to do that is the greatest achievement anyone could have. We know as players especially as women that things don’t always go our way - but to be able to stand up for what you believe to the scale those women did and continue to do is incredible, i’m so unbelievably proud of them because fear is a big factor in taking a stand. You could protest but if you fear the results, you won’t get anywhere. I stand hand in hand and in full support of those women. The game cannot progress unless there is change.”

————

Kennedy Russo - England national player - fined for statement made in a post match interview in regards to RFEF and Jorge Vilda.

In a post match interview after world cup final loss, Kennedy Russo who plays for the England National Team and FC Barcelona was fined by the RFEF for some comments she made on their in her words ‘lack of professionalism’

Whilst Sarina Weigman or The Lionesses are yet to comment on this, the decision was made to send Russo back to Barcelona prematurely.

————

Back home

There was no place she would rather be.

A silver WWC medal was sat on a shelving unit above her tv, among other items she had won over the course of her career.

Walking through the shared house towards the bedroom was the most exciting part. Finally being reunited with María after this last month.

Opening the door, a warm light flooded through the windows. Mapi laid asleep under the thin layer of sheets and a little black furball had taken his place on Kennedy’s pillow.

Taking a seat beside her girlfriend, her hand begins it’s course through her bleached hair. Leaning down she places a delicate kiss on her partners neck, seemingly waking her up in the process.

“Buenos días, sleepyhead”.

“Mmm? mi corazón? hola”

María shoots up from her position to wrap her arms around her lover, her face concealed in Kennedy’s neck. Tears of relief are flowing down her cheeks, she had missed this. She had missed her.

Russo shifts them so her girlfriend is sat on her lap whilst Kennedy’s back is against the light green headboard. Whispers of reassurance dance around the room as many kisses are placed on any exposed skin.

“I’m so proud of you Cariño but i’m so glad you’re back”

And while the World Cup had not gone the way anyone had planned, it was alright. This was all they needed - no medal could ever match the love they hold for one another.

wow a non WWE fic, i might start writing some more woso stuff but who knows also i dint speak spanish so some stuff might be incorrect ❤️

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Charles Leclerc

Updated December 2024

Name: Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc

Age: 27

Nationality: Monagasque

Years in F1: 7 (Alfa Romeo Sauber 2018, Ferrari 2019-Present)

Number: 16

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Leclerc is a very strong racer, known for his raw speed, aggression, and talent on street circuits. He is famous for his late braking overtakes, and for holding off on overtaking until the perfect moment. There have been times in races where he has chosen not to overtake/let someone by because he was biding his time for the most strategically sound moment. Often, commentators refer to him sitting behind drivers as 'prowling' due to his later actions. Like Verstappen he can be very aggressive, and he pairs it with a strong instinct and technical skills which leads him to be a very clean overtaker. The only criticism I would have is that in his nature to wait for the perfect moment, he often lets opportunities slip by. Other than that, he's a particularly well rounded driver, and when placed in a solid car is a regular on the podium.

History: Born into a racing family (his father Hervé raced in F3) Leclerc first drove a cart when he was 5 years old, and started his karting career in 2005, winning the French PACA Championship in 2005, 2006, and 2008. In 2009 he became French Cadet champion before moving up to the KF3 class in 2010, where he won the Junior Monaco Kart Cup. He continued in the KF3 class for 2011, winning the CIK-FIA KF3 World Cup, the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy and the ERDF Junior Kart Masters.

(Leclerc in 2009)

Leclerc graduated to the KF2 category in 2012, winning the WSK Euro Series title, and finishing 2nd in the CIK-FIA European KF2 Championship and the CIK-FIA Under 18 World Karting Championship. In his final year of karting in 2013, Leclerc won the South Garda Winter Cup and finished second in the CIK-FIA World KZ Championship, behind Max Verstappen (his childhood rival).

(unknown on left (got lazy), Leclerc middle, Verstappen right)

In 2014 Leclerc started in single-seaters where he took seven podium positions, to finish runner-up in the championship behind Nyck de Vries. Leclerc also won the Junior Championship title in the last race of the season. He graduated to Formula 3 in 2015, and had a successful stint, earning multiple podiums, but finished 4th in the standings. In 2016 he moved on to GP3, where he took his first championship win.

(Leclerc in 2014)

Formula 2 was where Leclerc really shined. He joined in 2017 for PREMA Racing, one of the best F2 teams. In his rookie year he dominated the track, regularly getting pole positions and wins. This led him to earn the championship title before the season even ended, and made him one of a short list of drivers who won F2 in their rookie year. To this day that season is seen as one of the best performances F2 ever saw. During GP3 and F2 he was a testing and reserve drive for both Haas and Ferrari, after joining the Ferrari Drivers Academy. In late 2017 his contract with Alfa Romeo Sauber (Ferrari's junior team) was announced for the 2018 season.

Leclerc had a strong season with Sauber, regularly finishing within the points in a midfield car. It was his performance at there that made Ferrari take the plunge and choose him for the 2019 seat. This would be one of the rare times that Ferrari had actively gone after a driver, and they offered him the longest contract in Ferrari history; 5 years.

(Leclerc in his year with Sauber)

Unfortunately this year for Ferrari were not all that great. While Leclerc clinched his maiden win at Spa, and a massive win at Ferrari's home in Monza, there were multiple car failures that held both him and his teammate back. However, he did end the season at 4th in the championship, and ahead of his teammate 4x WDC Sebastian Vettel.

(Leclerc winning in Spa 2019)

2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 will all carry similar dark clouds for Leclerc. Only in 2022 was he truly battling for the championship, and by midway in the season the battle was already lost. But still, Leclerc is a regular on the podium and has won multiple races in his time with Ferrari.

His 2024 season was perhaps his strongest, showing incredibly consistent results, especially after the summer break. he had three fantastic wins, one in Monaco, one in Monza, and one in Austin. Beyond that he was a regular podium finisher. He finished 3rd in teh championship.

(Leclerc's on top step in Monaco 2024)

Major Races:

2019 Bahrain GP - This was almost Leclerc's first win, and where he secured his first ever pole position. Unfortunately a late race engine problem cost him victory and he would finish 3rd.

2019 Spa GP - Leclerc's first win, after snatching pole and keeping his lead, he held off Lewis Hamilton in the final laps. An especially emotional win, as his good friend Antoine Hubert had passed away in a F2 accident the day before.

2019 Monza GP - This was the first Ferrari home win in nearly 10 years, and was a very emotional one for Ferrari and Leclerc. Starting on pole, he drove a highly defensive race and held off the two Mercedes the whole time.

2022 Australian GP - By far Leclerc's most dominant win, he started the race on pole and had incredibly fast pace the whole time. He also snatched fastest lap (a grand slam) and crossed the line with a significant gap to second.

2023 Vegas GP - While Leclerc only finished P2 in this race, his last lap overtake on Sergio Perez wowed the crowd. This intense last-minute lunge got him up to 2nd. He stated he chose to take this risky move because he had seen Perez make a mistake on that corner a few laps earlier.

2024 Monaco GP - When Leclerc won his home GP, there wasn't a dry eye in the city. Taking pole in qualifying, he drove a level-headed and strong race, making zero mistakes the entire time. He finished with a solid lead and became the first Monagasque in 90 years to win in Monaco.

2024 Austin GP - Starting from 4th, an incredible triple overtake saw Leclerc take the lead of the race early on, and he controlled it for the rest of the time. Brilliant drive.

2024 Abu Dhabi GP - While not a race win, Leclerc drove an incredible race moving from P19 to finish on the podium. Perhaps his most impressive race to date, it was a masterclass on overtakes and wheel-to-wheel driving.

Cheers,

-B

[hendolish]

England NT Fic Recs ♡

never know where to start for a pairing or you're new to england nt rpf? here's a shameless collection of my favourite fics to give you a head start 🫶🏻 ———

Jack Grealish/Jordan Henderson

melt by inlovewithnight (8k)

soulmate au where you feel everything your soulmate does and can't bear being too far away from each other. they're just so at ease and in love with each other in this. probably my favourite hendolish fic! <3

About as subtle as an earthquake, I know by Lizz_88 (Bluejay00) (68k)

jack's a stripper, jordan's himself. so much more than what it says on the tin! all the characters are super complex and it takes a lot of work for these two to get together (with no shortage of lap dances and smut along the way) <3

Calm Before The Storm by preachingdoll (6k)

post-euro 2020 heartbreak jack needs a bit of help coping. jordan's there to offer a helping hand... the smut and dirty talk is 10/10

best worst behaviour by Bellelaide (25k)

kind of a hendolish classic, jordan puts bratty jack in his place.

♡

John Stones/Jordan Pickford

Sun City AU by Bellelaide (series, 40k)

honestly one of my favourite fics ever, let alone footie-wise. jordan's on a very british all-inclusive holiday at a hotel where john works. the vibes are just immaculate, you can visualise everything so clearly and there's so much depth to their characters!

Ice Melts by Bellelaide (7k)

enemies to lovers kinda? john doesn't think much of jordan before the 2018 wc but the further they get in the tournament, the closer they become. amazing characterisation and banter as always.

Helping Hand by slatkomore (14k)

with john's career ended abruptly by an injury, he turns to coaching instead and soon becomes the england u19s manager where he meets the goalkeeper coach, jordan pickford...

your world cup or mine? by Bellelaide (15k)

john goes to sleep at the 2022 wc and wakes up back in 2018 where he and jordan aren't together and barely friends. such an interesting concept and dynamic!

♡

Jack Grealish/John Stones

The Things We Did and Didn't Do by InTheFicOfIt (series, 104k)

john and jack sleep together in the aftermath of the euros, the following fic explores everything that comes after, including jack moving to man city and their friends finding out. i'm never usually tempted by this pairing but this fic is so damn good! it's written so wonderfully and there's so much of it- i couldn't put it down!

♡

Ben white/Aaron Ramsdale

happy together by foxholecourts (1k)

this fic perfectly encapsulates their vibe for me. the back and forth between the two of them is just delightful and exactly how i imagine them to be together, but it's also as equally sappy! i love these two idiots sm <3

watching you watching me by foxholecourts (2k)

ben likes to be watched... 10/10 benaaron characterisation from this author as always.

sweettalker by Anonymous (5k)

smut with a lot of dirty talk about the other arsenal lads. ben is very complex in this- an interesting take on their relationship!

I’m Not In Love by ceraunophilex (1k)

aaron falls in love immediately, ben slowly warms to him. short and sweet.

♡

Jordan Henderson/Trent Alexander-Arnold

Shake Me Into the Night by orphan_account (17k)

always hits me right in the feels. based around liverpool winning the champions league, the writing is so detailed and amazing!!

♡

Jude Bellingham/Reece James

the sun and the rainfall by ohsusie (series, 6k)

jude asks reece about some of the rumours surrounding him to help him broach a sensitive topic of his own. reece gives him some guidence. they're so sweet in this!

♡

Dele Alli/Eric Dier

In This World Of Ours by dierdele (53k)

the classic deledier best friends to lovers 2018 world cup get-together fic. you can't beat it, literally so cute oml.

♡

Marcus Rashford/Jesse Lingard

both your hands in the holes of my sweater by yvenger (jjjat3am) (3k)

this one is so much fun hehe, the ~2018 man u squad if they were a sunday league team where jesse's very confident and marcus has a huge crush on him. love the inner dialogue so, so much. ending is super cute!!

i can feel that body shake by princessrosberg (3k)

an england nt night out leads to them getting together and their first time! jesse and marcus characterisations are on point, esp the way they talk to each other <3

♡

Harry Kane/Gareth Southgate

All Good Things... by orphan_account (12k)

their established relationship is so cute in this! post-2018 wc and preparing for the euros, england team banter is perfect.

wished by orphan_account (23k)

gareth is harry's p.e teacher at school. listen… no comment... there's a reason it's the most kudos-ed southkane fic

♡

[lovelybrandt]

The Every Of Year Euro World Cup And Women's EWC Emblem Series Legend And Present Future Past 🏆🏅⚽✨ Coming Soon This Sneak Peek Brand New Logo Launched FIFA World Cup 50th Anniversary Years Are Available Now.

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[womanwithahotdogstand]

The Eurosnobs know absolutely nothing about the NWSL, let alone women’s football. The amount of them that genuinely think the NWSL is a retirement league like MLS is astounding. They even say the league isn’t competitive. Like what?? It’s way more competitive than the leagues in Europe. And they literally know nothing about soccer history before 2020. Like in their minds football didn’t exist until England won the Euros and Barcelona dominated champions league. Remember during the SheBelieves Cup they thought the US was copying the Arnold Clark cup 🤦🏻‍♀️

Opinion (y’all can decide if it’s popular or unpopular or not): The USWNT losing the 2023 World Cup, aka the year everyone decided to finally take their head out of the sand regarding women’s sports, was only a “disaster” in the sense that it made everyone write off the USWNT and American soccer at large. Our captain also saying Americans are stupid regarding soccer also didn’t help. So, thanks, Lindsey.

[alexbkrieger13]

Imagine Bayern win the league and the cup and the cl and Denmark gets to a good place in the Euros and then P gets the 2025 Ballon d'or and then they're like oh we better just give you the 2020 one we stole from you

and then...

you wake up from your dream

[underwater-i-will-go]

that england squad is a bit of a joke i can't even lie ... and when it comes down to international caps and squads i'm not someone who goes by how much i like the players or what clubs they play for.

jordan henderson curse is back. dear god.

KYLE WALKER. KYLE FUCKING WALKER. have we not suffered enough ? what is this ? a nostalgia contest since stones is injured ? fucks SAKE.

injury prone reece james who's done fuckall for chelsea this season.

ramsdale whose club is getting relegated only because pope has been horrendous and there are no other keepers available ? yeah ?

i'm happy trafford is there but in the end he won't make it into the actual matchday squad again because of fucking dean henderson and aaron ramsdale. what is this ? the 2020 euros ?

tuchel needs to bring in YOUNG AND VITAL PLAYERS not some that are on a bring of retirement.

love dan burn but ... what is this ? this is literally the most random player there next to fucking rogers. happy for him and all but it's so RANDOM ?

like based on his performance and when choosing a player that's not from a big six club, it could TECHNICALLY have been tarkowski over burn and i don't say this because he's an everton player, but because tarkowski's recent (or overall performance over the years) performances have been fucking insane.

also coming back to young players ... why not branthwaite ? palmer's there, trafford's there, even livramento when looking at recent u21s players that have eventually made it into the senior squad.

swear down watch fucking michael keane leave in the summer and do fairly well for a new club and he's getting a call up again because wow keane was once one of england's most promising young players. bring back tom davies then, too by that logic.

i think tuchel relies on nostalgia here because ... rashford ? love the bloke but come on now.

also lewis-skelly ? this is bizarre and i don't care that this is "only" latvia and albania like mind you that the same man will in the end pick the squad that will go into the actual WORLD CUP next year in case we even qualify. bit worrying this is all.

apologies but i have been following england since fucking 2006 and i am very passionate about the players chosen.

overall this is a GOOD SIDE don't get me wrong but if we actually want to achieve something next year we need young players. vital players. this is just qualifiers now and given the countries we play it'll be sound. but it still rattles me beyond belief.