Slang

A young player with exceptional talent who's expected to become world class. The label creates pressure and expectations. Some wonderkids fulfill the hype (Messi, Mbappé), others don't (Freddy Adu, remember him?). Football Manager made the term mainstream - everyone's hunting the next wonderkid before their price explodes. The hype machine starts younger every year.

The tense period during VAR reviews when everyone waits to see if a goal stands or gets disallowed. Named after the literal thing fans do. Games now have these long pauses where nobody knows what's happening, the referee draws a rectangle in the air, and then you find out if you're celebrating or mourning. Changed the rhythm of how goals are experienced.

The player who lies down behind the defensive wall at a free kick to stop the ball going underneath. As attacking players got better at dipping the ball under jumping walls, teams started putting someone on the ground to block that gap. It looks undignified but it works. You see it at almost every free kick near the box now, especially in the Premier League.

Internet term for a player or manager who's supposedly overrated and not as good as their reputation suggests. Can be affectionate ("bald fraud" for Guardiola when City lose) or genuinely hostile. The accusation is that they've tricked everyone into thinking they're better than they are. Applied to pretty much every successful figure after a bad result.

Similar to gazumping but sounds more aggressive - actively intercepting a transfer that's in progress. The hijacking club doesn't just outbid, they convince the player to change his mind when he'd already agreed terms elsewhere. Creates drama, headlines, and enemies. Barcelona hijacking Cesc Fàbregas from Arsenal's rivals became legendary.