Can we make room for art in football?

Data has taken over, at the cost of flair and artistry. Can the game balance the two?

- Rudraneil Sengupta

When was the last time you saw a football player charge at defenders, doing double, triple, or quadruple step-overs? This was a defining element of the game, in the eras of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldinho (with added samba hip movements, in his case).

The charge was guaranteed to bring a stadium alive and send a thrill through those watching on TV. It is pretty much extinct in the new age of "structured" football.

The fade of the step-over is just one sign of a bigger change, as Spanish footballer-turned-manager Cesc Fabregas has said. In a recent interview with BBC, he added: "The training methodology has changed... Coaches tell you exactly how they want you to play... The kind of freedom I had, no player can have now."