One of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game is a Barcelona fan. Kobe Bryant on the cover of ESPN the magazine in a Barcelona jersey.
But why do they always have non soccer players in some pose or position that never happens in a real soccer game? And Kobe Bryant actually knows how to play soccer…Bryant’s love for football / soccer came during his time living in Italy.
NEW: The news of Kobe Bryant’s passing has come as a huge shock to everyone connected to FC Barcelona. Bryant, one of the greatest players ever to grace the game of basketball, was deeply admired by all, but the player was also an admirer of the football team. He was a frequent visitor to the club when in Europe or when the football team was on tour in the US. Kobe Bryant will be greatly missed.
I guess that’s why they’re not soccer players and in Bryant’s case a basketball player, but more often than not, the players show just how much they don’t know about soccer when they try to do some move or trick that you never really use. Perhaps they just caught Kobe Bryant at a bad time, looks like he might have been trying to flick the soccer ball over his head in the picture below but failed.
Kobe Bryant Photo Shoot
Looks like he can juggle the ball a bit, strike the ball, and head it.
Kobe does have some good insight into the game though. He recognizes that soccer players are trained to see the field, and this translates into good basketball. Kobe said:
I just enjoy the game and its influence. If you look at European basketball players who grew up playing soccer, they see our game differently—the angles, the cuts. I enjoy watching that.
