Erling Haaland. Dominik Szoboszlai. Sadio Mané. Dayot Upamecano. Konrad Laimer. Karim Adeyemi. Marcel Sabitzer. Naby Keïta. Takumi Minamino.



What do all of these players have in common? They all honed their craft at Red Bull Salzburg before making the move to Europe’s biggest clubs. Another player who has thrived after ascending through Salzburg’s development system is Diadié Samassékou.



Born in Bamako, Mali, Samassékou was 11 years old when he enrolled in the JMG Academy, which had already produced various soccer stars like Gervinho, Yaya and Kolo Touré, and Salomon Kalou. Living away from his family and dealing with the taxing demands of a loaded academic and training schedule, Samassékou was forced to become a man ahead of schedule. Eventually, it paid off as he joined AS Real Bamako in 2013 and began playing regular minutes in the Malian top flight.



“I played in the streets until I was 11 before joining the Jean-Marc Guillou Academy, where I took classes until I was 18,” stated Samassékou in an exclusive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Soccer Talk</a> interview. “When you’re a kid, you just play to enjoy yourself… it’s different from professional soccer, but it’s a lot more fun. I had the chance to grow up with a lot of players that are professionals now, so it was a really great time for me. I was still living in Bamako, but I was always behind closed doors and only saw my parents on the weekends. However, I saw that I wasn’t the only kid in that situation and realized that I had to do it. I was just an 11-year-old kid, I wasn’t used to it, but at the end of the day, this made me what I am today.”



Having gradually made his mark in the Malian Première Division and the CAF Champions League, Samassékou’s first big breakthrough came in New Zealand during the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with Mali edging Mexico to a place in the knockout round before beating Ghana and Germany. Although they failed to beat Serbia in the semifinals, Samassékou would come away with a bronze medal and earn the attention of Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg, who signed him to a four-year deal.



After biding his time in the second tier, Samassékou emerged as a full-fledged starter in 2016/17, leading Salzburg to a domestic double under Óscar García before guiding them to another league title in 2017/18. It wasn’t long before leading pundits like Leonardo Bertozzi and <a href="https://rg.org/news/soccer/nico-cantor-opens-up-the-golazo-show" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nico Cantor</a> were starting to declare Samassékou as one of the rising stars in African soccer, with the Malian making the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season after leading Salzburg to the semifinals. The following season, Samassékou scored 2 goals and 2 assists in 45 appearances to guide Salzburg to yet another domestic double alongside other future Premier League players like Hwang Hee-chan, Patson Daka, Dominik Szoboszlai, and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/erling-haaland/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Erling Haaland</a>.



“To see the level that he’s at right now… I don’t even think Erling himself would’ve believed he’d be where he is today,” says Samassékou of Manchester City’s Norwegian striker. “You could see that he was really sharp at finding angles and he just wanted to score goals, but nobody would have expected what he’s doing now. He’s quite fast, and as a striker, he has all the qualities needed to perform at the highest level. His performances over the past few years have been really amazing, and that goes down to his dedication to constantly improve.”



After a sensational chapter in Salzburg that saw him win two Austrian Cups and three Austrian Bundesliga titles, as well as being named in two Austrian Bundesliga Teams of the Season, Samassékou made the move to Hoffenheim, who paid a club-record fee of £10.8 million for him in 2019. Samassékou was eased into the team and eventually became a starter in midfield on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic, guiding them to Europa League qualification and emerging as a fulcrum in the center of the pitch. However, after failing to convince new manager André Breitenreiter, Samassékou made the move to Greek giants Olympiacos, where he played 25 times before returning to Hoffenheim.



Samassékou struggled for minutes both at Hoffenheim and at Spanish side Cádiz before returning to Germany, where, after being frozen out for the first months of the 2024/25 campaign, he made seven straight starting appearances in December and January, only to suffer a muscular injury. He returned two months later but would last just five minutes before injuring his thigh vs. Heidenheim, which would end up being his 97th and final appearance for Hoffenheim. After several weeks as a free agent, Samassékou decided to end his European adventure and join <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/mls/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MLS</a> side Houston Dynamo on a 1.5-year contract on August 23, 2025. On September 20, he made his MLS debut after replacing Brooklyn Raines for the final seconds of Houston’s 1-0 win vs. Portland Timbers.



“It was a great feeling to make my Houston debut. I was put into the match during a very stressful moment; the hardest situation to come into a match as a player is when you’re winning 1-0, because you need to be able to read the game. But it was really nice, and the atmosphere in the stadium was really good. That’s what I like about MLS: you’ll see in the pre-match festivities that every game is a show. I’m really happy to be here, so let’s see what I can bring to the team. I’m just looking forward to starting to play every game for Houston.”



He was left on the bench for the final three matches of the season as Houston narrowly missed out on a playoff spot for the first time since Ben Olsen’s appointment in 2023. Although he has competed in three different Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for Mali, all signs point to him being left out of the squad for next month’s tournament, which will see them face off against Zambia, Morocco, and Comoros. However, at 29 years of age, time is on Samassékou’s side as he looks to make it back into the national team for the first time since June 2024 and earn his 42nd cap for Les Aigles.



“Playing for the Mali national team, especially in midfield, you’ve got to deal with some tough competition. First of all, I just need to focus on myself and give my best; it’s more about performances than anything else, so I’m just trying to be the best version of myself here in Houston. If the national team coach [Tom Saintfiet] thinks that I can bring something to the team and calls me up for the tournament, then I will be happy to play in my fourth AFCON. But I think they are already doing a good job and already have a lot of good players, so I’m not sad to not be in the team. If I can help Mali, then I will do it, but my priority right now is to enjoy and perform and be the best version of myself that I can be.”

‘Nobody would have expected what he’s doing now’: Samassékou breaks down Haaland’s success and his own MLS goals

'Nobody would have expected what he’s doing now': Samassékou breaks down Haaland’s success and his own MLS goals - World Soccer Talk

destacadas

The summer of 1966 was a special one for English soccer. England won their first and only major trophy after beating West Germany 4-2 in the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, while one of the greatest English TV presenters of all time — James Richardson — was born in Bristol, England.



Born on May 29, 1966, Richardson spent most of his childhood in England but also enjoyed brief spells in the Middle East. “I like living abroad,” stated Richardson in an exclusive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Soccer Talk</a> interview. “I was born in Bristol and lived near London until I was about seven before my folks moved to Lebanon. I lived in Lebanon for a little bit and then returned to England before moving back to the Middle East and living there at 10 or 11 years old. I really grew up with this idea of there being a bigger world out there, one with better weather, and thinking, ‘How nice would it be to go and spend time there as an adult?’ I’ve got three brothers and sisters who’ve all gone and lived abroad as well. Some of them grew up in India, one of them’s now an American citizen, one was in Australia for ages and is now in France… I mean, we’re all over the world. I’m very, very happy to go to a new place and learn a new language anytime the opportunity arises. I’m pretty flexible, but I would love to go and live in Japan… let’s make that happen.”



After purchasing a satellite dish in 1989, Richardson started watching <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/serie-a/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Serie A</a> — the best league in the world at the time — and developed an appreciation for Italian soccer that had never quite registered with him for his native English soccer. Shortly after, he started dating a girl from Rome. And while they didn’t end up tying the knot, this relationship would prove instrumental for Richardson, who started following Roma — an affinity that has lasted for three decades — and learning Italian, eventually becoming fluent. This, combined with a fledgling experience in TV production, would prompt him to be hired by British free-to-air public broadcast television Channel 4 as a producer for a new program: Football Italia. Richardson moved from England to Italy in 1992, where he would spend the next decade.



Initially hired to be a hands-on producer to help out Paul Gascoigne, the most talented English player at the time who had recently left Tottenham Hotspur for Lazio, Richardson was forced to step into the spotlight when Gascoigne began to frequently miss his appointments. He went from an unknown producer to one of England’s most beloved TV presenters almost overnight. Whether sipping an affogato outside a café while analyzing the latest in Italian football, or chatting with Serie A stars and managers, Richardson was able to connect with millions of British viewers and bring them to the front and center of Italian soccer. He returned to London in 2002, where he has stayed ever since, presenting Eurosport’s live coverage of Serie A before anchoring Bravo TV’s Football Italia Live and the reboot of Gazzetta Football Italia. But by the end of 2006, Serie A had lost its glamour following the Calciopoli scandal as well as the rise in popularity of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Premier League</a>, prompting Richardson’s legendary Football Italia chapter to come to an end after 14 years.



Can Serie A ever return to the zenith of world soccer like it was a quarter-century ago? Richardson isn’t optimistic. “I don’t think winning the UEFA Champions League will make that much of a difference for Serie A clubs. José Mourinho did it with Inter, and it didn’t move the needle in any way. Inter could have done it a couple of seasons ago vs. Manchester City… they were really close to winning that final. But I think those teams were exceptions. The overall financial health of the league is improving massively, and it really has to begin with that. Thankfully, that’s happening, and that’s the fruit of these incredible levels of foreign ownership of Italian clubs. Pretty much half of Serie A is now in the hands of North American owners, be they Canadian or American, which has brought an entirely new mentality to the way these clubs are being run. It was a bit of a freak show, not just the clubs themselves, but also the way the league was set up. It was a little ‘casereccio,’ or homemade, and I think there’s no way that anybody can compete with the Premier League.”



“The Premier League is a tremendous league. It’s enormously wealthy, which means that it can acquire all the best players, and it also has a kind of historical resonance that no other league can match. It’s the home of football, and therefore, your Manchester Uniteds, your Liverpools, your Nottingham Forests have a cachet that, even though Juventus and Milan are also amazing teams, there’s something special about English football. Can Serie A ever compete with that again? Well, everything’s cyclical, so yes, I think they can, but you would need the Premier League to hit a bit of a speed bump, because the way they are at the moment is just unprecedented… probably only the NFL in world sport can come close to the kind of turnover that the Premier League has. Certainly, the other football leagues, the other countries’ football leagues, are left so far behind in terms of the international broadcast rights that the Premier League makes, because when people around the world watch foreign football, it’s almost always the Premier League that they watch. There’ll be the odd exception, like El Clásico, but it’s the Premier League occupying second place for all those other viewers from all those other countries. Right now, they’re pretty unassailable, but as I say, everything’s cyclical. Maybe, when I’m an even older man, we’ll see Serie A back at the top of the pile.”



Despite having to find a broader niche than simply Italian soccer, Richardson has been able to land on his feet and stake his claim as one of the top presenters in the game alongside the likes of <a href="https://rg.org/news/soccer/dave-johnson-talks-legendary-broadcasting-career-struggles-with-multiple-sclerosis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dave Johnson</a> and Kate Scott. After co-presenting Setanta Sports’ The Friday Football Show and Football Matters with Rebecca Lowe between 2007 and 2009 and working with BBC’s Late Kick Off for the South West region, Richardson returned to Italian soccer coverage with ESPN. He then worked at BT Sport (now TNT Sports) from 2013 to 2017, where he hosted live Serie A matches and the Sunday night round-up show European Football Show, as well as The UEFA Champions League Goals Show, while he also co-hosted The Fantasy Premier League Show by Premier League Productions.



Today, Richardson spends most of his time hosting The Totally Football Show podcast, masterfully weaving between a plethora of topics and chatting with seasoned journalists like James Horncastle, Raphael Honigstein, Julien Laurens, and Alvaro Romeo. But while he’s made his reputation in soccer — traveling to the United States last summer as part of the joint DAZN/5 presentation team for their coverage of the first-ever 32-team FIFA Club World Cup — he’s also branched out into other, lesser-known sports like cycling, darts, sumo, and niche competitions such as The World’s Strongest Man and The Great Model Railway Challenge.



“I don’t really write too much. The main thing I do is my podcast, which I do four times a week. We have a European soccer show, and then a preview and a review show on the Premier League, and then a show where we do retro stuff or anything that we find not tied to that week’s news. It’s called The Totally Football Show — silly title, but there you go — do give it a listen if you never have. I’m recording four times a week and watching all the soccer that goes around it. It’s so much soccer that it takes up most of my time, and then I’ve also got other stuff which happens at different points, like going away to do World’s Strongest Man for the last 15 years, and then other stuff like hosting a sumo tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I’m pretty much doing the podcast and then random other stuff, or if somebody employs me to go on TV, like I did for DAZN with the FIFA Club World Cup, then that’s super good. But mostly, at the moment, I’m a podcaster.”



At nearly 60 years of age, James Richardson has spent the past three decades emerging as one of the top sports presenters in the entire industry, and while he’s done just about everything there is to do, he’s shown no signs whatsoever of easing off the pedal.

“Everything’s cyclical”: James Richardson on Serie A’s future and the Premier League’s dominance

“Everything’s cyclical”: James Richardson on Serie A’s future and the Premier League’s dominance - World Soccer Talk

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more in-form, goal-scoring center back than Christian Gray.



Over the past four months, he has scored against Western Springs AFC and Eastern Suburbs in the Northern League, and he also netted a late equalizer in Auckland City’s recent draw vs. Auckland FC’s reserve side. However, the most important goal of his career came on July 24 — not in his native New Zealand, but in the United States.



Having lost their first two matches to Bayern Munich and Benfica by a combined 16-0, Auckland City were already eliminated from the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/fifa-club-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2025 FIFA Club World Cup</a>, unlike Boca Juniors, who were seeking to book their ticket to the knockout round with a victory. When Boca opened the scoring in the 26th minute via an own goal, all signs pointed to Auckland suffering yet another heavy defeat in Nashville. Instead, they held firm and reached halftime with a manageable deficit, and in the 52nd minute, they pulled level as Christian Gray headed home from a corner kick. While Boca exited the tournament without a win, and Bayern and Benfica confirmed their spots in the Round of 16, Auckland managed to bow out of the Club World Cup with their heads held high.



“Coming off the back of the previous results, if we were told that we’d get a point from that game vs. Boca, I don’t think anyone would have believed you,” said Gray in an exclusive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Soccer Talk</a> interview. “It was a funny feeling after the game… you’re not sure how to react. It’s a draw at the end of the day, but when you take everything into account, it’s still a good result. It took a moment to realize it’s not a win, but it’s not a loss.”



Born in the Gisborne region of New Zealand, Gray was raised by Sandra Edge — who won gold at the 1987 World Netball Championships in Glasgow, silver in 1991 in Sydney, and bronze in 1995 in Birmingham — and Rodger Gray, who captained New Zealand’s men’s national team and scored four goals in 39 caps between 1989 and 1997, in addition to representing Mt. Wellington, Waitakere City, and Waitemata FC.



Like many players such as <a href="https://r.org/2025/10/24/sergey-palkin-the-architect-of-shakhtars-domestic-dynasty/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sergey Palkin</a>, Diadie Samassékou, and Marco Verratti, he was hooked on soccer from a young age and sought to emulate his father. Initially a striker, Christian transitioned to midfield and later to center back, ultimately following in his father’s footsteps by launching his senior career with Waitakere United in 2016.



“My father and my uncle played together for the national team and club team. Mum has a netball background, so I guess I grew up surrounded by sport. Academically, they were both involved in coaching, and Mum also has a teaching background, so sports were always a big part of my childhood.”



Gray moved from Waitakere United to Hamilton Wanderers, then to Birkenhead United and Eastern Suburbs in 2019, before eventually joining Auckland City in January 2022. Unlike New Zealand’s two professional clubs, Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix — who play in the Australian league — Auckland City remain an amateur side, and because of that, they compete in the New Zealand top flight. They have not only participated — they have dominated, winning 10 league titles and 13 OFC Champions League trophies, including each of the last four. As a result, Auckland have played in more FIFA Club World Cups (12) than any other club, finishing third in 2014.



An unused substitute in Auckland’s defeat to Al Ahly in Morocco in 2023, Gray made his first Club World Cup start against Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, facing Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, and Fabinho in a 3–0 defeat. He was on the bench nine months later as Auckland lost 6–2 to Al Ain in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in Qatar. The tournament was later rebranded and expanded into a 32-team Club World Cup, meaning Auckland would spend a full month abroad and have more chances to prove themselves.



“Traveling to all these locations has been awesome. We’ve ticked off quite a few places. We just got back from Egypt where we saw the pyramids — something I probably never would have done without football. That’s been a big part of why we play. We’ve played against some huge names over the last four years, at big stadiums, and visited countries we might never have seen otherwise. I had the chance to play against Benzema a year after he won the Ballon d’Or, and other legends like Edinson Cavani and Ángel Di María.”



After competing in Cincinnati, Orlando, and Nashville, Gray returned to New Zealand before heading back to Egypt to face Pyramids in the Intercontinental Cup. Unable to overcome a strong opponent, Auckland lost 3–0. He later scored an own goal vs. Birkenhead but responded by helping his team secure wins vs. Western Suburbs and Wellington Olympic, followed by a 1–1 draw with Auckland FC’s reserves.



“There are always lessons from these matches that we’ll take back into the National League. Pyramids are obviously a strong side, so the big thing is taking what we learned and applying it at home.”



Gray has become a key figure in Auckland’s backline thanks to his timing, awareness, passing quality, and physical bravery. Like Gonçalo Inácio, Marc Guéhi, and others, he excels aerially, scoring and defending with equal determination.



At 29, Gray has faced world-class opposition — yet has not been called up to the New Zealand national team, largely due to not being a professional player. His full-time job is teaching Physical Education and Health at Auckland Grammar School and Mt. Roskill Intermediate, while also coaching the school’s boys’ team. His days begin before dawn and often end late at night, alongside completing his graduate teaching diploma.



“It’s been a busy year, juggling everything — especially with all the travel. I coach in the mornings, teach during the day, study on weekends, and train in the evenings. I’ll finish my diploma in December and become a registered teacher.”



Whether Gray will someday turn professional or play for the All Whites remains uncertain, but one thing is certain: his goal against Boca Juniors will be remembered as one of the biggest shocks in FIFA Club World Cup history.

How a Full-Time Teacher Scored the Goal That Shocked Boca Juniors at the Club World Cup

The full-time teacher who stunned Boca Juniors: Christian Gray on Auckland City’s Club World Cup moment - World Soccer Talk

The full-time teacher who stunned Boca Juniors: Christian Gray on Auckland City’s Club World Cup moment

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past five years, you’ve probably heard of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/wrexham/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wrexham Association Football Club</a>. Founded in 1864, Wrexham is the oldest club in Wales and the third-oldest professional association football team in the world. However, it wasn’t until the end of 2020 that the club began receiving worldwide attention following its highly publicized takeover by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds through Wrexham Holdings LLC.



These two Hollywood stars ushered in a new era of success through significant investment and the global fame of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series, helping Wrexham achieve visibility surpassing even some Premier League clubs like West Ham and Brighton.



However, McElhenney and Reynolds haven’t been the only driving forces behind Wrexham’s meteoric rise. One man who has played a crucial role in the club’s historic ascent is Les Reed.



Born on December 12, 1952, in the London suburb of Wapping, Reed played for England at the schoolboy level and was one of the 97,000 in attendance for the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final at Wembley, where England beat Germany 4–2 in extra time. Unable to make his senior debut, Reed spent time at lower-league sides such as Cambridge United, Watford, and Wycombe before retiring early to pursue a coaching career and a degree in physical education.



Reed began coaching with non-league sides Finchley and Wealdstone, winning the Football Conference and FA Trophy with the latter, before joining the Football Association (FA) as a development officer in 1986. It was during this first of many stints with the FA that Reed’s career truly began to take off.



“The turning point came during my first period with the FA,” stated Reed in an exclusive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/">World Soccer Talk</a> interview. “My three-year contract was coming to an end, and by that time, I was running some of the highest-level coaching courses at the Lilleshall FA Centre — where the national school was — and overseeing courses for professional coaches. It was a time when coaching qualifications became mandatory. Many former players and long-time coaches had to complete these courses, including those who’d been in the game at the highest level for decades.”


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“Quite a lot of them passed through my hands. One was Alan Curbishley, then reserve team coach at Charlton Athletic, who had just been offered the full-time manager role. He completed both his preliminary and full licenses with me as his tutor. Afterward, he called to ask me to join him as his assistant. I had to decide — stay with the FA coaching England youth teams, or take this opportunity that might never come again?”



“I took the chance. I was with Alan for three years; we earned promotion to the Premier League, and that’s where my reputation started to grow. After those three years, I was headhunted back to the FA as Director of Technical Development to set up the academy programs. I oversaw all national teams and became assistant coach to Kevin Keegan with the England men’s national team. That call from Alan probably changed my career — it gave me confidence and a reputation I’ve carried ever since.”



Reed hasn’t just left his mark on England’s national teams but also across the globe — in Northern Ireland, South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. After building a name at Charlton and later as Fulham’s Director of Football, he joined Southampton in April 2010 as Head of Football Development and Support, later becoming Vice-Chairman.



At Southampton, Reed oversaw youth development, scouting and recruitment, sports science, and medical operations — helping steer the club from England’s third division to a stable Premier League presence. One year after his side reached the 2017 EFL Cup Final, Reed returned to the FA as Technical Director before moving back into club management in 2021 — this time, with a Welsh club.



With nearly half a century of experience, Les Reed has established himself among the top football executives in the game — alongside names like Giuseppe Marotta and <a href="https://r.org/2025/10/24/sergey-palkin-the-architect-of-shakhtars-domestic-dynasty/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sergey Palkin</a>. Just a few months after purchasing Wrexham, McElhenney and Reynolds offered Reed a position as advisor to the board. He was immediately tasked with key decisions — replacing the manager, determining which players to retain, and which to release — and struck gold by appointing Phil Parkinson as manager.



With Parkinson leading from the touchline and Reed providing strategic oversight from his office in Spain, Wrexham have maximized their resources and risen rapidly through the divisions.



“I don’t have many encounters with Rob and Ryan. You won’t see me on the documentary. I stay very much in the background,” Reed explained. “Ryan once described me as their secret weapon. If they’re at a game and I’m around, we’ll have a general chat rather than a business one. They’re very approachable — if something important comes up, they’re open to hearing it. But as a consultant, I generally work through the board and executives. These days, I work more closely with Michael Williamson and Phil Parkinson. In the early days, I had more contact with the owners as the club grew, but now that it’s larger and has more people at the executive and operational level, my role is more behind the scenes.”



Wrexham have made history as the first team in England’s top five divisions to achieve three consecutive promotions, and they’re now aiming for a fourth — which would take them to the English top flight for the first time ever.

‘Ryan Reynolds did once describe me as their secret weapon’: Les Reed on Wrexham’s journey and Hollywood’s impact

'Ryan Reynolds did once describe me as their secret weapon': Les Reed on Wrexham’s journey and Hollywood’s impact - World Soccer Talk

At 33 years of age, Tesho Akindele has lived in a number of different locations across the United States from Colorado to Texas to Florida to North Carolina. However, his journey began not in the USA, but Canada.



Born in Calgary to a Nigerian father and a Canadian mother, Akindele bounced around from Calgary to Mississauga to Toronto before moving to Thornton, Colorado at seven years of age, where he began playing for the Northglenn High School soccer team. Similar to many other members of the diaspora like Callum Hudson-Odoi, <a href="https://rg.org/news/soccer/jerome-opoku-eyeing-world-cup-adventure-with-ghana" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jerome Opoku</a>, and Daryl Dike, Akindele remained in touch with his West African roots despite living on the other side of the world.



“I think my Nigerian roots played a huge role in my career,” stated Akindele in an exclusive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Soccer Talk</a> interview. “Starting with the reason I play soccer, it’s in my Nigerian dad’s blood. As soon as I could walk, we were playing soccer. One of my earliest memories is us playing balloon soccer in our living room. I remember my dad, he’d balance the ball on his head, and I’d be slamming into him, trying to get the ball off his head while he’s walking towards my goal. So I remember that part, and then as I got older as well, it helped me a lot.”



“Back then, long-distance phone calls were a big deal. Once a month, we’d make some early morning phone calls with family from Nigeria. I’m on one end, and the phone is just getting passed around on the other end. And then I think another thing that my dad did really well, especially when we moved to Colorado, there were groups of Nigerian meetups. We would be going to these functions, two or three times a year where there were hundreds of Nigerian people. So, we’d be there, traditional clothes, parties, dances, and traditional food. And the older I got, my dad’s family started coming over. My cousins, aunts and uncles started coming over from Nigeria, so my dad definitely did a good job connecting us to that heritage.”



He rejected an offer to join Colorado Rapids’ academy at 17 in order to enroll at the Colorado School of Mines, where he emerged as their all-time leading scorer (76 goals) and a four-time All-American. It’s why, just a few months away from achieving an electrical engineering degree, Akindele decided to quit his studies and put all of his eggs into one basket – that of becoming a professional soccer player. Eventually, his gamble paid off; on January 16, 2014, FC Dallas selected Akindele with the sixth overall pick of the MLS SuperDraft, making him the highest-drafted NCAA Division II player in MLS history.



“When I was in school, my parents would give me money every month for food, but then, I told them that I withdrew from school. At that point, I didn’t even know if I was going to be invited to the Draft Combine or if I was going to get drafted, but I felt that it was my chance to make it as a professional. I asked my parents to give me money for food for three more months in case I didn’t get picked and needed to find a USL team. I wasn’t sure if I would make it to the MLS or not. They said, ‘No, we’re giving you money just to go to school. If you don’t want to be in school, that’s fine, but that’s a decision that you’ve got to make and figure out for yourself.’ I was worried, but luckily, I got drafted, and it ended up not being a problem.”



“My mom gave me one check for $300 or something like that, and it was like, ‘Okay, if you actually do need it, here’s one last check.’ And I still have that check in my room to this day. I didn’t have to cash it, but I was down to the end and really betting on myself. I appreciate that my parents put me in that position, because it was like, ‘Do you really believe in yourself and want this, or not?’ They weren’t disappointed that I left, but they also weren’t anticipating me to go down that path.”



Three months after being drafted, Akindele made his professional debut for Dallas. He quickly went from a benchwarmer to a key figure in attack, scoring 8 goals and 5 assists in 32 appearances and winning the 2014 MLS AT&amp;T Rookie of the Year. He continued his impressive form in 2015, scoring 6 goals and 1 assist in 32 appearances for Dallas, in addition to making his international debut for Canada. Akindele scored 3 goals in 19 caps and competed in the 2015 and 2021 Gold Cups, serving as a valuable figure in attack as Canada went from the laughingstock of the region to one of North America’s strongest sides. And after returning to the World Cup after 36 years in 2022, Canada will be competing in their third World Cup in 2026 and co-hosting the biggest tournament in sports alongside the USA and Mexico. “I think Canada will do great, assuming players can stay healthy. They’ve got so many talented players,” added Akindele.



After an impressive spell in Texas that saw him score 28 goals and 13 assists in 164 appearances and spearhead Dallas to their first trophy in 19 years with the 2016 U.S. Open Cup and 2016 Supporters’ Shield, Akindele left for Orlando City in December 2018, where he enjoyed a career resurgence. Akindele led Orlando to their first-ever trophy with the 2022 U.S. Open Cup and racked up 21 goals in 121 appearances before retiring from soccer at the end of the 2022 campaign and moving to Charlotte. But while he’s no longer playing soccer at the professional level, Akindele remains closely connected with the beautiful game, whether that’s watching <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/lionel-messi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lionel Messi</a> play in MLS or mentoring his son on the pitch or playing alongside his friends in the local parks.



“Lionel Messi has had a great impact in MLS, bringing so many people to all of his games, breaking records, and, when I go to the park with my son after school, I see more Messi jerseys than Charlotte FC jerseys,” Akindele said.



“I still love soccer and still watch a lot of games. I just love being a soccer dad right now, I love going and watching my oldest son play real soccer games, watching him just figure it out out there on the field. That’s been exciting. I’ve played a little bit here in Charlotte. The guy who owns the coffee shop here at Camp North End plays on an adult team, and every once in a while, he’s like, ‘Dude, we have no players, can you come out and play with us?’ So I’ve played with them a few times, and I’ve also played street soccer with Uptown FC, who will meet every Sunday and play 3-a-side or 4-a-side on these little mini-pitches, playing in a parking lot or under a bridge, and I’ve enjoyed that. Honestly, my biggest worry with playing soccer is getting injured. I’m a little bit older now and I’m worried about people tackling me too hard. If I play on an 11v11 field, I’m worried about sprinting and pulling my hamstring or something like that. I like the small-sided games, where people don’t tackle too hard, and I don’t have to go full-out sprint and worry about my hamstrings.”



Since hanging up his boots at the age of 30, Akindele has made just one fleeting return to professional football, playing once for Des Moines Menace in a U.S. Open Cup match against Union Omaha in April 2024. Today, his main focuses are raising his two young sons with his wife Taylor, and working as a Development Analyst for Camp North End, a renovated 76-acre industrial complex in Charlotte with food, retail, art, and entertainment, including murals, sculptures, and diverse food options.



“I work at a place called Camp North End, which is a mile north of Uptown Charlotte. It’s a huge area, about the size of 14 square blocks of a downtown, and we’re taking these old buildings and constructing new stuff on the site. We’re redeveloping these buildings that were built in the 1920s and 1940s and also building brand new apartments here. The way I frame it is, ‘We’re building a neighborhood here,’ because at the end of the day, we’re gonna have 2,000 apartments on this property, and 2 million square feet of offices and small businesses and coffee shops. There are so many layers to real estate development, but it’s like being a project manager in some sense because you need to just gather people. There are the architects, the city engineers, the investors, and the general contractors, and a developer’s job is to corral those people and point them in the right direction to make sure the project gets completed, so that I’m not the only one taking on this whole gigantic project, but I’m one of the members on the team. Basically, we’re project managing towards building a better neighborhood.”

Tesho Akindele exclusive: On Nigerian roots, betting on himself, and Messi’s MLS impact

Tesho Akindele exclusive: On Nigerian roots, betting on himself, and Messi's MLS impact - World Soccer Talk

At 41 years old, Ben Harburg has lived in a number of locations across North America, Africa, Europe, and Asia, but today he finds himself increasingly traveling back to Saudi Arabia after making a historic purchase. Harburg became the first-ever foreign owner in the history of Saudi soccer when he acquired 100% of Saudi Pro League side Al-Kholood on July 24, 2025, the latest in a series of strategic investments that have defined his career in finance.



“Historically, clubs in Saudi Arabia were predominantly owned by the government, not individuals,” Harburg stated in an exclusive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Soccer Talk</a> interview. “Even today, I’m the only individual owner in Saudi clubs. The government started privatization a few years ago, with government-affiliated entities acquiring some clubs. So far, eight clubs have been bought this way. I am the first foreign investor in Saudi Arabian soccer and likely the first in the Middle East, because most other clubs in the region are owned by government-affiliated entities, royal family members, or ministries of sport. It’s fairly unique.”



Born in Colorado Springs, Harburg moved across Michigan, Switzerland, Egypt, and Spain. Like many others such as Lalas Abubakar and <a href="https://rg.org/news/soccer/james-richardson-serie-a-glory-years" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Richardson</a>, he fell in love with soccer as a teenager after attending a Cádiz match in 1997. Harburg received a Fulbright scholarship to attend the Freie Universität Berlin, where he studied Islamic studies and oriental philology, and he became a Neubauer Scholar at Tufts University. He spent time in Berlin, Dubai, Southeast Asia, and China, co-founding one of Asia’s largest commodity trading companies before selling out of commodities in 2010 to focus on venture capital and technology. Since then, he has enjoyed widespread success as a Managing Partner at MSA Capital, a global investment firm with over $2 billion in assets under management, including strategic investments in companies like Palantir, Uber, and Airbnb.



“What the $2 billion refers to is the money we’ve raised from outside investors to invest on their behalf. That’s not my personal wealth. We manage funds from institutional investors like endowments, foundations, pensions, and sovereign funds. The number may seem large, but we benchmark ourselves daily against firms managing $10, 15, or even $50 billion,” Harburg explained.



“This experience helps me as an investor and sports executive. I’m used to highly institutional environments involving governance, reporting, and sound investment decisions. Everything I do on the technology side is mirrored in football — creating value, improving performance, and strategic growth — and the results have been strong so far.”



Harburg made his first sporting investment after watching the Netflix documentary Sunderland ‘Til I Die, plotting Spain’s top three division teams in a spreadsheet and analyzing key figures: city size, stadium size, fan base, GDP per capita, legal issues, and club valuations. He first invested in Cádiz in October 2021, and nearly four years later, he completed a full takeover of Al-Kholood.



“It was a unique opportunity to be the first independent investor,” Harburg said. “I’m not only the first foreign owner in the Saudi top division, but also the first purely financially-driven investor. That’s important because I compete against government-owned clubs that don’t need to make a profit. It’s like building a private army alongside a military with unlimited resources.”



Unlike other Saudi teams with virtually infinite budgets, Al-Kholood operates on a limited budget. After finishing ninth in their first top-flight season, the club invested just over €5 million in 11 new players, including Orlando City striker Ramiro Enrique. In contrast, Al-Nassr spent €105 million on transfers, reinforcing a squad that includes João Félix, Sadio Mané, and Cristiano Ronaldo.



“I own 100% of Al-Kholood,” Harburg added. “We’re competing against players like Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and the top stars in the league. Our budget is a fraction of what clubs like Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, or Al-Hilal spend, but I believed it was the right decision. I’m bullish on Saudi Arabian football — the country has a massive soccer fan base, a rich pedigree, and top talent. Salaries now surpass even the Bundesliga or Ligue 1.”



“We’ve got global superstars like João Félix, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, you name it, so the quality of soccer is very high. Saudi Arabia’s a really authentic soccer market. You’ve got about 75% of people in Saudi Arabia who would describe themselves as football fans, which is the highest in the world.”



Currently, Harburg is focused on his work with Al-Kholood, who, after losing their first two matches against Al-Ettifaq and Al-Nassr, have since beaten Damac, Al-Shabab, and Al-Bukiryah in league and cup competitions. They aim to continue this winning streak in their next match against Al-Najma.

“I’m bullish on Saudi football”: Ben Harburg on owning Al-Kholood and facing players like Ronaldo

“I’m bullish on Saudi football”: Ben Harburg on owning Al-Kholood and facing players like Ronaldo - World Soccer Talk

Alhassan “Lalas” Abubakar may have been born in Kumasi, Ghana, but it’s fair to say that he’s made his name in the United States.



Raised in the Ghanaian capital of Accra, Abubakar quickly became enamored with soccer, playing on the streets with friends and for his high school team before continuing his development at the University of Ghana. After just a couple of months, Abubakar received a life-changing opportunity. The University of Dayton had sent a representative to Ghana to sign one of his teammates, who then recommended Abubakar. Despite interest from Europe, he accepted Dayton’s athletic scholarship and moved to Ohio to start a new chapter.



“I remember when I heard Dayton’s assistant coach was coming, I told my mother that it’s every kid’s dream to leave Africa to play soccer and study at the same time,” Abubakar said in an exclusive <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Soccer Talk</a> interview. “I told her to pray for me, and right after the trial, I called her and said, ‘Mom, he picked me.’ We were overjoyed. I didn’t know where Dayton was or what the weather was like; I was just happy for the opportunity.”



Abubakar scored 4 goals and 6 assists in 61 appearances across three seasons at Dayton, leading the Flyers to the 2015 A-10 Championship and earning the 2016 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year award, as well as First-Team All-Conference honors. He also gained experience in amateur soccer, being nominated for the PDL’s Young Player of the Year with the Charlotte Eagles and leading the Michigan Bucks to the 2016 Premier Development League title while winning PDL Defender of the Year. These performances caught the attention of Columbus Crew, who selected him fifth in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.



Abubakar split time between USL Championship side Pittsburgh and Columbus in 2017, playing 10 times for the Crew, before enjoying a strong sophomore MLS season in 2018 with 23 appearances. However, when Gregg Berhalter left Columbus to coach the US Men’s National Team, new manager Caleb Porter relegated Abubakar to a reserve role. He departed in May 2019 for the Colorado Rapids, where he established himself as a starting-caliber center back, blending physicality with excellent positional awareness and quality on the ball. Similar to other top center backs like Sergio Ramos, <a href="https://rg.org/news/soccer/auckland-city-gray-club-world-cup-career-ambitions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christian Gray</a>, and Gabriel Magalhães, Abubakar also contributed offensively, scoring 9 goals and 3 assists in 153 appearances in Colorado.


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“I’m always growing in my soccer skills,” Abubakar said. “Looking back at previous seasons, I’ve made strides in reading and understanding the game. I’ll keep learning and working hard to reach the top. I’ll never stop until I get there.”



Abubakar excelled over six seasons in Colorado, winning Defender of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and helping the team reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2020 and the Western Conference semifinals in 2021. Seeking his first professional trophy, he signed with FC Dallas as a free agent on a two-year contract with a one-year club option.



Despite starting the season on the bench, Abubakar became a key figure in Dallas’ backline, making 26 MLS appearances and two US Open Cup appearances. His run of 10 consecutive full-90-minute matches included his first goal for Dallas in a 2-0 win over Portland.



“I feel ready for anything on the field,” Abubakar said. “The coaches know what they get from me whether I play right back, left back, center, or part of a back three. I’m always ready to help the team succeed, whether it’s starting or coming in for the final minutes.”



As FC Dallas looks to finish in the top nine and return to the playoffs, Abubakar and his teammates hold their destiny in their own hands with three games remaining in the regular season.

“I’ll never stop until I get there”: Lalas Abubakar talks ambition and growth

“I’ll never stop until I get there”: Lalas Abubakar talks ambition and growth - World Soccer Talk

Columbus Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko has emerged as a key figure in Wilfried Nancy’s back line, helping the MLS Cup champions stay among the Eastern Conference contenders. In an exclusive interview with World Soccer Talk, the Ukrainian international discusses his journey from Europe to MLS, his partnership with Nancy, and the ambitions driving the club forward.



Born in Melitopol, Ukraine, Cheberko came through the UFK Dnipro and FC Dnipro youth systems, making 15 professional appearances before moving to Zorya Luhansk in 2017. Dnipro’s financial crisis had sent the club from European competition to collapse within just a few years. Originally a central midfielder, Cheberko shifted to defense at Zorya, playing both left back and center back, and earned his first senior Ukraine call-up in 2020.



He played 45 minutes in a 7–0 friendly defeat to France and then had to wait five years for a second appearance. That same year, Cheberko joined Austrian Bundesliga side LASK Linz for a reported €300,000, but struggled for minutes and soon moved to Osijek in Croatia. Over two seasons there he made 61 appearances, helping the club consolidate its place in the Croatian top tier, before signing with Columbus Crew in June 2023.



Two years on, Cheberko is an indispensable part of Nancy’s defense, with more than 80 appearances across all competitions.



“My relationship with Nancy is good—he’s such a good person who not only looks at your football skills but tries to help you in life and give you advice,” Cheberko told World Soccer Talk. “That’s why he’s built such a good atmosphere and a healthy environment in the team, because every player trusts him. You can be a bit more open with him in contrast to other coaches.”



Like teammates <a href="https://rg.org/news/soccer/nothing-to-hide-chris-mavinga-talks-football-career-scouting-ambitions">Chris Mavinga</a> and Brad Smith, Cheberko went many years without silverware before moving to MLS. His first season in Columbus ended with the MLS Cup, and his second brought a Leagues Cup triumph over Los Angeles FC and a trip to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final, where the Crew fell to Pachuca, narrowly missing FIFA Club World Cup qualification.



Cheberko has been vital on both sides of the ball. He ranks second on the team with 64.3 accurate passes per MLS game, just behind Sean Zawadzki (64.9), and also sits second in clearances per game (2.6) and third in tackles per game (1.7). He leads the squad in interceptions (1.1).



“My biggest strength is the way I play with the ball and how I can find a solution with the first pass and combine with the offensive players,” he said. “Thanks to my past in midfield, I can do some things on the ball that other defenders cannot. While I’ve transformed a lot as a center back, I’ve tried not to lose that confidence on the ball. I still have a lot of room for improvement, so I’m just trying to close that gap and be the best version of myself that I can possibly be.”



Columbus are again in position for a strong postseason, aiming to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third straight year. The Crew sit comfortably in the Eastern Conference’s top seven and are pushing to avoid the wild-card round.



“The fans constantly give us energy in home matches by cheering for us—it doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing, or super hot, they show up and support us,” Cheberko added. “You want to give back to them by performing well and winning the game. When the former owner wanted to move the team to Austin, the Crew fans took action to ensure that they didn’t lose the team. They’re always supporting, always asking me questions about my country, and we just want to pay it back, do our best to win the games, and represent the club and city.”

Exclusive: From Ukraine to MLS champion, Yevhen Cheberko talks Columbus Crew’s playoff push and life under Wilfried Nancy

Exclusive: From Ukraine to MLS champion, Yevhen Cheberko talks Columbus Crew’s playoff push and life under Wilfried Nancy - World Soccer Talk

With over ten years of experience, Zach Lowy is an accomplished freelance soccer journalist who has contributed to leading news outlets. His expertise and insights have led to him being a popular guest on radio and television, with appearances on prominent sports platforms such as BBC and SiriusXMFC.

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