Becoming the complete player means nailing the four Rs – Receiving the ball, Releasing the ball, Retaining the ball and Running with the ball. Watch Nike Academy coach, Dean Smith, run his players through the essential drills as they continue their progress.

Lassana Diarra is used to defying the odds. Not the tallest, the largest or the strongest, he’s carved a role for himself in Les Blues midfield, from sheer determination and committed training. Every second of his preparation will be tested, if he gets his chance to show what he can do aga ...

Sometimes you witness the precise moment a promising talent moves up several gears into the major league. For the man they call Super Mario, it happened in just 48 minutes. Last night, Balotelli scored two, created one and won the penalty for another. He even had to be dragged away from ta ...

At the heart of the game stands the playmaker. The one whose first touch is already the start of the second. Who creates space out of chaos. Who sees runs no-one else sees or imagines. The one to whom precision is the norm and the spectacular expected. The one the other players look back to ...

The CTR360 is the ultimate control boot. Developed for players who pull the midfield strings. Players who specialise in killer through-balls. Players like Cesc. On Sunday, Cesc wore the CTR360 for the first time, getting a chance to see how the boot would improve his game. Over 90 minute ...