The Definite Article

The release of the latest FIFA video game is many football fans’ highlight of the year. Every late September, avid gamers wait in anticipation to play the new release – and test out all its new features. But there’s one thing that keeps the series ticking over anything else – and it wouldn’t be the same without it. The soundtrack is the unsung hero of the football-simulator titles – and every year it throws up tunes ranging from Brazilian dance-funk to German industrial rock. There’s a problem though. The number of songs on the soundtracks usually ranges around thirty-forty, meaning many of the best songs can get swept under the rug. These songs will pass you by and you’ll never actually find out the artist or even the name of the track. But what’ll surprise many is that, while there’s always songs on the game that seemingly come from the depths of Antarctica, there’s many songs that are actually by bands who we see all over the news, all the time. The producers at FIFA ...

Fernando Torres was once one of the world's best football players. He was the spearhead of Liverpool and his national team and reknown around the world. But his £50m move to Chelsea in 2011 saw his career hit the ground. But what really happened to cause such a drastic change in his form? Today, you get the truth. On the 23 rd April 2011, on a wet, gloomy day in South West London, Fernando Torres sat disheartened on a cold bench in Chelsea’s dugout, as he watched his team face West Ham. Didier Drogba was the club’s first choice striker, and it was the fifth game in a row he had started on the bench. In the 76 th minute, ‘El Nino’ – the kid, finally got his break. He replaced Drogba, and trudged onto the sodden Stamford Bridge turf to try and seal the victory. Chelsea were already one-nil up after a Frank Lampard goal in the first half. The 84 th minute. The ball drops to Nicolas Anelka in the West Ham half. He sends it through to Torres. Now he’s one-on-one wi...