HeyJulien

Calon Onest, Calon Lân by ladytelemachus (LJ, deleted)

Wales: Wayne Hennessey and Aaron Ramsey

This is not a World Cup fic, because Wales have not qualified for a World Cup in forever. This is a fic that is kind of about that, and kind of about language, and kind of about the weight of a nascent national team, and kind of about English colonialism, short and sweet and perfect.

all these things that i've done by @stickmarionette

Argentina (World Cup 2010): Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi

So what if Leo plays within himself sometimes? It doesn't mean that he forgets to pass. He dribbles because he can.

Diego, of all people, should understand. Leo, Diego the manager and the motherland.

If you're new this will sound wild to you, but once upon a time Argentina hated Leo Messi. The federation took forever to call him up. The sports media called him the Catalan and spent half the time judging him for not showing up for his country the way he did for his club, FC Barcelona. Enter the one guy who could possibly get it: Diego Maradona. This fic is the raw nerve of that 4-0 loss to Germany and the desperation of knowing you've got to carve a path and haven't got the time. Little did we know.

Invictus, or, On the Plus Side, You Now Possess the Most Sought-After Phone Number in Spain by synaesthetical (AO3)

Spain (World Cup 2010): Victor Valdes, Pepe Reina, and Iker Casillas

Víctor Valdés is at his first international tournament and a bench player for the first time in years. On most days, he's fine with that. On the days that he has to deal extensively with Pepe Reina's lunacy and Iker Casillas's martyrdom, he wishes he had gone windsurfing instead of to the World Cup.

You have to be kind of insane to want to be a goalkeeper. Fortunately, Spain has no shortage of insane people. Our cast of characters: deadpan sarcastic Victor Valdes, who regularly had panic attacks before games and dropped off the face of the earth the moment he retired; Pepe Reina, official court jester of the 2010 Spain national team; and Iker Casillas, lord, savior, legend, talisman, man who cries a lot. Victor's voice in this is snarky and stinging, Pepe gives better than he gets, and I could read about their team shenanigans forever.

The Secret of Sopwell House by @heyyjulien

England (Euro 2004): Jamie Carragher/Gary Neville

The national team is trying to qualify for the Euros 2004, when the FA suspends Jamie Carragher from the squad under dubious circumstances. They make two crucial mistakes: They forget to tell Jamie before he makes his way to the England training camp. And they underestimate Gary Neville.

And now for something entirely different: Carraville fic in disguise. In real life, Gary Neville attempted to organize a players' strike on behalf of Rio Ferdinand. This is an AU where he does all that for then-club rival and current IRL partner in crime punditry Jamie Carragher. Everyone's voices are pitch-perfect, from our leads to David Beckham's and Sir Alex Ferguson's. The atmosphere really makes this fic: the pressure cooker of the England camp, the period-accurate abuse and homophobia, the *gestures* everything that's going on inside GNev's head.

The Cynics by rainhat (AO3)

Italy (World Cup 1982): Antonio Cabrini/Paolo Rossi

Paolo took a survivalist approach to lying and secrecy. He was good at both, and didn't think a great deal about either. The lie about Antonio was proving hard to keep so far.