The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar: December 4th

Day Four of our Football Advent Calendar is already upon us and the countdown to Christmas is flying by.

So without further ado, let’s dive straight into another dose of festive facts.

The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar: December 4th

Shirt Number: 4

The ambidextrous Ivan Perisic wears the number for Croatia.

During Euro 2016, Perisic had the number shaved into his head just for a further reminder as if the massive number on the back of his shirt wasn’t enough.

On top of his 140 caps for his country, he also represented Croatia in beach volleyball, having partaken in the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.

Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu also wore the number for his country, despite being a striker.

His reasoning? A tribute to two of his idols growing up. His older brother and Stephen Keshi. The number was his choice as he wanted to emulate the leadership qualities of Keshi and be like his older brother. Brotherly love.

Goal On this Day: Suarez demolishes Norwich in style

There is a superb selection of goals from this day throughout the years.

Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero displayed flawless technique to volley past Fiorentina in 1994. The contact is supremely delicate and measured and it took an enormous amount of concentration to direct it goalward.

What makes the goal even sweeter is the fact it was scored in the 89th minute to complete a Juventus comeback.

The Old Lady were 2-0 down against Fiorentina but Del Piero’s moment of magic put Juve 3-2 in front. Check it out on YouTube if you have a second, you won’t regret it.

Next, we have a Puskas-nominated goal in 2016 from Alejandro Camargo.

The jaw-dropping strike was netted in a humble setting, a game between Universidad de Concepcion and O’Higgins in the second tier of Chilean football.

After O’Higgins goalkeeper Miguel Pinto had punted a clearance over the halfway line, Camargo’s response was emphatic.

The midfielder connected with the ball on the volley from 60 yards out and the strike had enough pace to soar into the net before Pinto had a chance to defend it.

But the Goal of the Day cannot be whittled down to just one, we just have to appreciate Luis Suarez’s catalogue of screamers against Norwich City 11 years ago.

Each one is sublime in its own right, with examples of superb individual flair, dead-ball deadliness and ridiculous confidence throughout.

Footballer Born on this Day: Diogo Jota

The birthday candles will be out at Anfield today, as Diogo Jota turns 28 years old.

After coming through the ranks with boyhood club Pacos de Ferreira, Jota would make his name in a loan spell in the EFL Championship.

The Atletico Madrid loanee netted 17 times as Wolverhampton Wanderers earned promotion into the Premier League.

Wolves made the easy decision to buy Jota permanently for £14 million and the Portuguese continued to impress, with his instrumental performances helping Wolves qualify for the Europa League.

Jota’s performances were not going unnoticed and Jurgen Klopp decided to splash £40 million on the forward in the summer of 2020.

Fast forward four-and-a-half years later and Jota remains an integral part of the Liverpool squad having won the FA Cup once and the Carabao Cup twice while with the Reds.

Jota is not only adept on the pitch but also on the sticks. The Liverpool man is never too old for gaming and is a highly skilled FIFA player. He even owns an eSports team called Luna Galaxy!

Fact: Tottenham Hotspur receive their first sending-off in the league in 36 years.

Yes, you read that right. The Lilywhites’ disciplinary record was squeaky clean for almost four decades until it was tarnished on this day in 1965.

Legendary forward Frank Saul was the man to break the record after being given his marching orders in a league match at Turf Moor against Burnley.

Saul was the first player to be dismissed in the league for Tottenham since Cecil Poynton in October 1928.

In fact, Poynton’s sending-off was the first instance of a player being sent for an early bath in Tottenham Hotspur’s 46-year history.

During the well-behaved spell in their domestic exploits, Spurs did have a player sent off in Europe when Jimmy Greaves was punished in the European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final against OFK Belgrade.

Red and yellow cards were first introduced in the 1970 Mexico World Cup, with FIFA finally implementing a clearer system to aid viewers in understanding when a player had been cautioned or directed to leave the field of play.

Nowadays, with the presence of VAR and a much lower threshold for red cards, the chances of this happening to any club ever again are nigh on impossible.

Read – The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar: December 3rd

See more – The Premier League players with the most assists this season as surprise names enter top five

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