Robbie

Leaving the ground with both feet to make a challenge. It's dangerous and usually a red card, regardless of whether you get the ball. The force and lack of control make serious injury likely. Some old-school players complain the game has gone soft, but there's no good reason to tackle with both feet up. It's reckless by definition.

Moving the ball toward the opponent's goal through passes, carries, or dribbles. Analytics tracks how many yards a player advances the ball and how often they progress it into dangerous areas. Good for identifying players who drive attacks forward even if they don't score or assist. Midfielders and ball-playing defenders get judged on this now.

Barcelona versus Real Madrid. The biggest club match in football, loaded with political and cultural baggage between Catalonia and the rest of Spain. It pulls in over 400 million viewers globally. The Messi-Ronaldo years (2009-2018) turned it into a personal duel between the two best players on the planet, and they faced each other 34 times. The history is full of wild games, controversy, and individual brilliance.

Argentine term for the classic number 10, roughly meaning "hook" or "connection." Plays centrally behind the strikers, linking midfield to attack through vision and passing rather than running. The enganche gets creative freedom but doesn't track back much, which makes the role rare now that everyone has to press. Riquelme was the perfect example - all touch, all passing, zero interest in defending.

Same as a third man run but emphasizing the passing combination. Player A passes to B, who lays off to C, who passes to A running beyond - it's a quick combination that uses the third man to unlock space. The timing and execution have to be sharp. When it works, it cuts through defenses that are set up to deal with direct passes.