Stories from Football
Tales of players, teams and tournaments, from the World Cup countdown to football's living history
The Anatomy of a Draw: The 0-0 Paradox and What the Data Reveals
We analyzed 1,754 matches across Europe's top 5 leagues. 0-0s aren't "low-shot" games — they're "low-quality-shot" games. And what decides a draw isn't possession, it's xG parity.
Vózinha: The 40-Year-Old Who Stopped Spain and Became a Folk Hero
On his World Cup debut, a journeyman goalkeeper held a tournament favorite scoreless — and woke up famous.
Türkiye at the 2026 World Cup: The Road After a Tough Opener
A 2-0 loss to Australia leaves Türkiye needing results — but the group is still open
Players(14)
Vózinha: The 40-Year-Old Who Stopped Spain and Became a Folk Hero
On his World Cup debut, a journeyman goalkeeper held a tournament favorite scoreless — and woke up famous.
Messi's Last Dance: A Champion Chasing One Final Act in 2026
At 38, the World Cup holder began his farewell tournament the only way he knows how — by rewriting the record books.
Fergus Suter: The Story of Football's First Professional
A Glasgow stonemason crossed the border in 1878 and changed football forever — the amateur era ended, the passing game began.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu: A Leadership Journey from Mannheim to Inter Milan
The son of a Turkish migrant family in Bavaria reinvented himself as Inter Milan's regista. A career map, told through Goalence data.
Luka Modrić: From War to the Ballon d'Or
Croatia's legend, Real Madrid's engine, and the man who ended a ten-year stranglehold on football's greatest individual prize.
Neymar: A Star Crushed by Expectation
Football's most flamboyant talent — and the question that never went away: did the price tag break him?
Teams(2)
The Anatomy of a Draw: The 0-0 Paradox and What the Data Reveals
We analyzed 1,754 matches across Europe's top 5 leagues. 0-0s aren't "low-shot" games — they're "low-quality-shot" games. And what decides a draw isn't possession, it's xG parity.
Real Madrid's 15 Champions League Trophies: The Full History
First in 1956, fifteenth in 2024. Five straight, La Decima, the Ronaldo era, Ancelotti's second stint — a history no other club is close to.
Tournaments(12)
Türkiye at the 2026 World Cup: The Road After a Tough Opener
A 2-0 loss to Australia leaves Türkiye needing results — but the group is still open
Africa Frustrates the Favorites: Morocco 1-1 Brazil and a Record Generation
A record ten African nations arrived at the 2026 World Cup — and several of them refused to play the part of underdog.
Curaçao: The Smallest Nation Ever to Reach a World Cup
A Dutch-Caribbean island of roughly 150,000 people made history in Kingston — and then scored on the world's biggest stage.
World Cup Tactics Through History: From WM to Possession-Pressing
Every World Cup gets a tactical signature — the formation, the press, the system that wins it. Eight tournaments, eight tactical revolutions.
Pi-Ratings vs Elo vs xG: Three Models, One Football Match
Three statistical lenses for the same 90 minutes. Each picks up a different part of the truth — Goalence picks one, but here's why all three matter.
From 1-10 to 4-2-3-1: 150 Years of Football Tactics Evolution
From kick-and-rush to tiki-taka, here's how football's shape became today's 4-2-3-1, step by step.