As the players trudge off for a deserved rest, a graphic appears on the screen. All the basic stats are there: possession, shots, shots on target. So far, so normal. One advanced metric, though, ...

The annual soccer calendar is approaching its business end, with title races across many of Europe’s major leagues either already decided or close to being wrapped up (congratulations, Liverpool).

The likes of Eric Cantona, Franco Causio, Claudio Gentile, Junior, Matt Le Tissier, Romario, Julio Salinas, the Van de Kerkhof twins and Zico all represented their nations at beach soccer. The Beach ...