Mohamed Moallim
@mhmdmllm.bsky.social
Years have gone by and I've finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
https://circulatievoetbal.wordpress.com/
https://circulatievoetbal.wordpress.com/
The case for Xavi. wp.me/p7N1aT-sZ
Bringing the Idea Home to Amsterdam
Ajax have lost their grammar, their rhythm, their faith. In Xavi Hernández, the philosophy they gave the world might finally return — a teacher of thought, a believer in the rondo, and a living lin…
wp.me
November 7, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The case for Xavi. wp.me/p7N1aT-sZ
Four games. Zero points. One goal. Fourteen conceded. wp.me/p7N1aT-sk
How to Not Start a Champions League Campaign
Ajax’s Champions League collapse has become a study in entropy, numbers revealing what nostalgia long concealed. Four games, fourteen goals conceded, one scored: the story of how a philosophy harde…
wp.me
November 6, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Four games. Zero points. One goal. Fourteen conceded. wp.me/p7N1aT-sk
Once the silent understudy, Ayase Ueda has risen to become Feyenoord's new ace. wp.me/p7N1aT-qn
Feyenoord’s New Ace
Once the silent understudy to Santiago Giménez, Ayase Ueda has risen to become Feyenoord’s new ace — a striker defined not by flair but by patience, precision, and a rare sense of calm in a game ad…
wp.me
October 20, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Once the silent understudy, Ayase Ueda has risen to become Feyenoord's new ace. wp.me/p7N1aT-qn
Thirty-six players have scored a "perfect" hat-trick in Premier League history. Few did it with more style, power and technique than Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink against Tottenham. wp.me/p7N1aT-3F
The Anatomy of a Perfect Hat-Trick
The hat-trick began as a cricketing quirk. In football it became a mark of glory. But the “perfect hat-trick” — right foot, left foot, and head in one match — is something rarer still. …
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October 17, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Thirty-six players have scored a "perfect" hat-trick in Premier League history. Few did it with more style, power and technique than Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink against Tottenham. wp.me/p7N1aT-3F
The wait is almost over. wp.me/p7N1aT-o8
The Awakening of Norway
After a quarter-century of exile, Norway is stirring again. With Erling Haaland rewriting record books and Martin Ødegaard orchestrating from midfield, Ståle Solbakken’s side has rediscovered belie…
wp.me
October 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM
The wait is almost over. wp.me/p7N1aT-o8
My all-time Oranje XI. wp.me/p7N1aT-bM
The Ultimate Oranje XI: A Team to Explain Dutch Football
Cruyff, Van Basten, Gullit, Robben. An all-time Dutch lineup that balances eras and philosophies, capturing the soul of Oranje in eleven players.
wp.me
October 12, 2025 at 2:20 PM
My all-time Oranje XI. wp.me/p7N1aT-bM
Forty-one years on, one football match still shapes how the Netherlands sees Malta, and how Malta sees itself. Spain 12–1 Malta in 1983 wasn't just a result. It was trauma, conspiracy, humiliation and redemption, all rolled into 90 minutes. wp.me/p7N1aT-kG
Ghosts of Seville: How Spain 12–1 Malta Still Haunts the Netherlands
Ronald Koeman glanced at a teamsheet and clocked the name Bonello, a reminder that some matches never end. Forty-one years after Spain’s 12–1 over Malta sent Oranje crashing out of Euro ’84 qualify…
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October 9, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Forty-one years on, one football match still shapes how the Netherlands sees Malta, and how Malta sees itself. Spain 12–1 Malta in 1983 wasn't just a result. It was trauma, conspiracy, humiliation and redemption, all rolled into 90 minutes. wp.me/p7N1aT-kG
Ajax held talks with Oliver Glasner and he could easily have been in charge there. Instead, their loss has been Crystal Palace's gain, with results that speak for themselves. The Eagles are now daring to dream of a future once thought impossible. wp.me/p7N1aT-jX
Flight Path: How Oliver Glasner Taught Crystal Palace to Soar
A year ago, the Eagles were staring at relegation and another season of struggle. Now, under Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace are flying higher than ever — unbeaten in 19 matches, lifting silverware,…
wp.me
October 5, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Ajax held talks with Oliver Glasner and he could easily have been in charge there. Instead, their loss has been Crystal Palace's gain, with results that speak for themselves. The Eagles are now daring to dream of a future once thought impossible. wp.me/p7N1aT-jX
Once a nostalgic whisper, Union Saint-Gilloise are now rewriting Belgian football's present. wp.me/p7N1aT-jR
The Sleeping Giant Awakens: Union Saint-Gilloise and the New Order in Belgian Football
Once the dominant force in Belgian football before vanishing into obscurity, Union Saint-Gilloise have risen again with patience, precision and purpose. Ninety years after their last league title, …
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October 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Once a nostalgic whisper, Union Saint-Gilloise are now rewriting Belgian football's present. wp.me/p7N1aT-jR
At 33, Abdellah Zoubir is finally living his Champions League dream. From futsal prodigy to Qarabağ icon, he’s taken the long road to Europe’s biggest stage, scoring in European competition for eight consecutive seasons and standing shoulder to shoulder with Mbappé, Salah and Kane. wp.me/p7N1aT-jL
The Futsal Foundations of a Champions League Late Bloomer
From futsal courts in northern France to the Champions League stage at 33, Abdellah Zoubir’s journey has defied every convention. Now, after nearly a decade of near-misses, the Qarabağ FK playmaker…
wp.me
October 3, 2025 at 11:45 AM
At 33, Abdellah Zoubir is finally living his Champions League dream. From futsal prodigy to Qarabağ icon, he’s taken the long road to Europe’s biggest stage, scoring in European competition for eight consecutive seasons and standing shoulder to shoulder with Mbappé, Salah and Kane. wp.me/p7N1aT-jL
Ajax once embodied bold, intelligent football, but now they stand at a crossroads. Nostalgia has left them clinging to a past they can no longer recreate. Unless they face reality, their "way" risks becoming nothing more than a hollow myth. wp.me/p7N1aT-jc
House of Glass: Ajax’s Fall and the Mirage of Identity
Once the standard-bearers for a bold and intelligent footballing philosophy, Ajax now stand at a crossroads. Years of boardroom chaos, misguided recruitment, and ideological confusion have left the…
wp.me
October 1, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Ajax once embodied bold, intelligent football, but now they stand at a crossroads. Nostalgia has left them clinging to a past they can no longer recreate. Unless they face reality, their "way" risks becoming nothing more than a hollow myth. wp.me/p7N1aT-jc
José Mourinho, now back at Benfica, visits the clubs that shaped him across five days. Opposite him, Francesco Farioli is turning Ajax disappointment into momentum with a perfect-start Porto. wp.me/p7N1aT-ix
Old Gunslinger, New Challenger: Mourinho’s Return, Farioli’s Rise and a Week That Could Redefine Them
One returns to confront his past, the other charges into his future. José Mourinho’s Benfica visit Chelsea and Porto in a week heavy with history, while Francesco Farioli’s perfect start at the Dra…
wp.me
September 30, 2025 at 9:00 AM
José Mourinho, now back at Benfica, visits the clubs that shaped him across five days. Opposite him, Francesco Farioli is turning Ajax disappointment into momentum with a perfect-start Porto. wp.me/p7N1aT-ix
Sergio Busquets' retirement got me thinking about the oldest question in football: what does it really mean to control a match? wp.me/p7N1aT-5n
The Geometry of Possession: Football’s Most Dangerous Statistic
From Lobanovskyi’s equations to Cruyff’s triangles, from Sacchi’s synchronised Milan to Guardiola’s relentless Barcelona, possession has always been both weapon and trap. Is keeping the ball the ga…
wp.me
September 29, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Sergio Busquets' retirement got me thinking about the oldest question in football: what does it really mean to control a match? wp.me/p7N1aT-5n
Mjällby are now 11 points clear with five games left. From a fishing village of under 1,000 people to the brink of the most improbable title in Swedish football history.
From a fishing village of under 1,000 people, Mjällby are eight points clear at the top of Allsvenskan and close to Swedish football's biggest shock. No billionaire owners, no stars, just belief, data and a team built by a school principal and a postman. wp.me/p7N1aT-ic
Welcome to Leicester-landet: The Unbelievable Rise of Mjällby
From a seaside village of fewer than a thousand people to the summit of Sweden’s Allsvenskan, Mjällby’s story is one of football’s most enchanting modern miracles. Built on fan ownership, tactical …
wp.me
September 28, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Mjällby are now 11 points clear with five games left. From a fishing village of under 1,000 people to the brink of the most improbable title in Swedish football history.
On a November afternoon in 1988, Diego Maradona dismantled Milan with a 25-yard header that defied reason, a moment of genius against geometry. "We could dominate as a team," Arrigo Sacchi later said, "but one touch from him could change everything." wp.me/p7N1aT-6l
When Maradona Broke the Trap
On a November afternoon in 1988, Diego Maradona dismantled Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan with a 25-yard header that defied reason. It was more than a goal: it was genius against geometry, a reminder that e…
wp.me
September 28, 2025 at 10:00 AM
On a November afternoon in 1988, Diego Maradona dismantled Milan with a 25-yard header that defied reason, a moment of genius against geometry. "We could dominate as a team," Arrigo Sacchi later said, "but one touch from him could change everything." wp.me/p7N1aT-6l
From a fishing village of under 1,000 people, Mjällby are eight points clear at the top of Allsvenskan and close to Swedish football's biggest shock. No billionaire owners, no stars, just belief, data and a team built by a school principal and a postman. wp.me/p7N1aT-ic
Welcome to Leicester-landet: The Unbelievable Rise of Mjällby
From a seaside village of fewer than a thousand people to the summit of Sweden’s Allsvenskan, Mjällby’s story is one of football’s most enchanting modern miracles. Built on fan ownership, tactical …
wp.me
September 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
From a fishing village of under 1,000 people, Mjällby are eight points clear at the top of Allsvenskan and close to Swedish football's biggest shock. No billionaire owners, no stars, just belief, data and a team built by a school principal and a postman. wp.me/p7N1aT-ic
Harry Kane has reached 100 goals for Bayern Munich in just 104 games, the fastest anyone in Europe's top five leagues has achieved this century and a milestone few players in history can match. wp.me/p7N1aT-hx
Centurion: Harry Kane and the Relentless Art of Goalscoring
Some strikers measure their careers in seasons, others in milestones. Harry Kane has measured his in history, reaching 100 goals for Bayern Munich in just 104 games and doing so with a precision an…
wp.me
September 27, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Harry Kane has reached 100 goals for Bayern Munich in just 104 games, the fastest anyone in Europe's top five leagues has achieved this century and a milestone few players in history can match. wp.me/p7N1aT-hx
Great coaches know equality is a myth. Guardiola, Ferguson, Lippi, Bill Belichick and Phil Jackson proved treating players alike is the greatest lie in elite team sport. wp.me/p7N1aT-4A
Not All the Same: How Great Coaches Manage People, Not Just Players
The great coaches know equality is a myth. Guardiola, Ferguson, Lippi, Belichick, Phil Jackson — each discovered that treating players “the same” is the biggest lie in sport. Managing people, not j…
wp.me
September 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Great coaches know equality is a myth. Guardiola, Ferguson, Lippi, Bill Belichick and Phil Jackson proved treating players alike is the greatest lie in elite team sport. wp.me/p7N1aT-4A
Never before has a foreign league shaped an Oranje XI like this. Against Poland, the Dutch started with eight Premier League players, a new record. The day may soon come when all eleven wear English club colours. What once felt impossible is beginning to look inevitable. wp.me/p7N1aT-4r
Oranje Sails West
From Gerrit Keizer moonlighting in London in the 1930s to Koeman’s quip about relocating to England in 2025, Dutch footballers have always travelled. But with eight Premier League starters against …
wp.me
September 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Never before has a foreign league shaped an Oranje XI like this. Against Poland, the Dutch started with eight Premier League players, a new record. The day may soon come when all eleven wear English club colours. What once felt impossible is beginning to look inevitable. wp.me/p7N1aT-4r
What happened to the playmakers who once defined football? The No.10 was the game’s heartbeat: Zidane, Riquelme, Baggio. Players who shaped tempo, dictated space, and embodied imagination. But as tactics evolved, their stage shrank. Are they gone, or simply reborn in new guises? wp.me/p7N1aT-4e
The Last Playmakers
“If we have to travel from A to B, most of us take the six-lane highway and get there as quickly as possible. Riquelme would choose the winding mountain road, the scenic route which takes him…
wp.me
September 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
What happened to the playmakers who once defined football? The No.10 was the game’s heartbeat: Zidane, Riquelme, Baggio. Players who shaped tempo, dictated space, and embodied imagination. But as tactics evolved, their stage shrank. Are they gone, or simply reborn in new guises? wp.me/p7N1aT-4e
The Ballon d'Or once revealed brilliance. Today it distorts more than it illuminates. wp.me/p7N1aT-1I
The Ballon d’Or Has Outgrown Its Purpose
Created in an age of scarcity, the Ballon d’Or once revealed brilliance otherwise hidden across Europe. Today, in a sport defined by systems and collectives, it has become a spectacle that distorts…
wp.me
September 22, 2025 at 10:00 AM
The Ballon d'Or once revealed brilliance. Today it distorts more than it illuminates. wp.me/p7N1aT-1I
When Ajax meet PSV today, it will mark their 2,050th consecutive match with at least one academy graduate in the starting line-up, a tradition unbroken since September 1981. wp.me/p7N1aT-48
September 21, 2025 at 10:15 AM
When Ajax meet PSV today, it will mark their 2,050th consecutive match with at least one academy graduate in the starting line-up, a tradition unbroken since September 1981. wp.me/p7N1aT-48
Erling Haaland just hit 50 Champions League goals in 49 games, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record. The art of the No.9 endures: patience, invisibility, sudden brilliance. The lion in the sun still hunts. wp.me/p7N1aT-3O
An Ode to Nine
The number nine is football’s purest art: waiting, vanishing, then striking in a heartbeat. In Erling Haaland, that art endures — a striker who bends games to his will while scarcely touching the b…
wp.me
September 19, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Erling Haaland just hit 50 Champions League goals in 49 games, breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's record. The art of the No.9 endures: patience, invisibility, sudden brilliance. The lion in the sun still hunts. wp.me/p7N1aT-3O
José Mourinho returns (again). The "Special One" always lingers in the game's imagination. wp.me/p7N1aT-2a
The Special One and His Shadow: José Mourinho Against the Modern Game
From Porto’s clairvoyant triumphs to Chelsea’s swaggering rise, José Mourinho once bent football to his will. But as the game embraced possession, pressing, and algorithms, his philosophy of fear a…
wp.me
September 17, 2025 at 2:35 PM
José Mourinho returns (again). The "Special One" always lingers in the game's imagination. wp.me/p7N1aT-2a