title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya lies north of Ise Bay on the Nōbi Plain. The city was built on low-level plateaus to ward off floodwaters. The plain is one of the nation's most fertile areas. The Kiso River flows to the west along the city border, and the Shōnai River comes from the northeast and turns south towards the bay at Nishi Ward. The man-made Hori River was constructed as a canal in 1610. It flows from north to south, as part of the Shōnai River system. The rivers allowed for trade with the hinterland. The Tempaku River feeds from a number of smaller river in the east, flows briefly south at Nonami and then west at Ōdaka into the bay.


title: Nagoya

text: The city's location and its position in the centre of Japan allowed it to develop economically and politically.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: "Cfa") with hot, humid summers and cool winters. The summer is noticeably wetter than the winter, although rain falls throughout the year.


title: Nagoya

text: One of the earliest censuses, carried out in 1889, counted 157,496 residents. The population reached the 1million mark in 1934 and as of December 2010 had an estimated population of 2,259,993 with a population density of . Also an estimated 1,019,859 households resided there—a significant increase from 153,370 at the end of World War II in 1945.


title: Nagoya

text: The area is . Its metropolitan area extends into the Mie and Gifu prefectures, with a total population of about 10million people, surpassed only by Osaka and Tokyo.


title: Nagoya

text: In the Jomon and Yayoi period, the Ōguruwa Shell Midden was discovered before the settlement of Nagoya.


title: Nagoya

text: In the Kofun period, Nagoya was settled and the Danpusan Kofun and Shiratori Kofun was built in this area. The Atsuta Shrine is of ancient origin, it is home to the Imperial Regalia of Japan, the legendary sword "Kusanagi no Tsurugi". According to traditional sources, Yamato Takeru died in 113 AD. The possessions of the dead prince were gathered together along with the sword Kusanagi; and his widow venerated his memory in a shrine at her home.


title: Nagoya

text: The Seigan-ji was built by the Fujiwara clan in the late Heian period. A member served as the head priest of the nearby Atsuta Shrine, one of the legendary shrines of Japan. It is believed that Yura-Gozen, also known as Urahime, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, was married to Minamoto no Yoshitomo (1123–60) and their son Minamoto no Yoritomo's birthplace is Nagoya, he is also the founder of the Kamakura shogunate.


title: Nagoya

text: Oda Nobunaga and his protégés Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu were powerful warlords based in the Nagoya area who gradually succeeded in unifying Japan. In 1610, Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital of Owari Province from Kiyosu, about seven kilometers () away, to a more strategic location in present-day Nagoya.


title: Nagoya

text: During this period Nagoya Castle was constructed, built partly from materials taken from Kiyosu Castle. During the construction, the entire town around Kiyosu Castle, consisting of around 60,000 people, moved from Kiyosu to the newly planned town around Nagoya Castle. Around the same time, the nearby ancient Atsuta Shrine was designated as a waystation, called Miya (the Shrine), on the important Tōkaidō road, which linked the two capitals of Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo). A town developed around the temple to support travelers. The castle and shrine towns formed the city.


title: Nagoya

text: During the Meiji Restoration Japan's provinces were restructured into prefectures and the government changed from family to bureaucratic rule. Nagoya was proclaimed a city on October 1, 1889, and designated a city on 1 September 1956, by government ordinance. Nagoya became an industrial hub for the region. Its economic sphere included the famous pottery towns of Tokoname, Tajimi and Seto, as well as Okazaki, one of the only places where gunpowder was produced under the shogunate. Other industries included cotton and complex mechanical dolls called "karakuri ningyō".


title: Nagoya

text: Mitsubishi Aircraft Company was established in 1920 in Nagoya and became one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in Japan. The availability of space and the central location of the region and the well-established connectivity were some of the major factors that lead to the establishment of the aviation industry there.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya was the target of US air raids during World War II. The population of Nagoya at this time was estimated to be 1.5million, fourth among Japanese cities and one of the three largest centers of the Japanese aircraft industry. It was estimated that 25% of its workers were engaged in aircraft production. Important Japanese aircraft targets (numbers 193, 194, 198, 2010, and 1729) were within the city itself, while others (notably 240 and 1833) were to the north of Kagamigahara. It was estimated that they produced between 40% and 50% of Japanese combat aircraft and engines, such as the vital Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. The Nagoya area also produced machine tools, bearings, railway equipment, metal alloys, tanks, motor vehicles and processed foods during World War II.


title: Nagoya

text: After the war the city was able to rebuild and take up its role again as one of the country's leading industrial and manufacturing centers, it became known as the "Houston and Montreal of the Orient". It also plays an increasing role in the meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions (MICE) industry, hosting the Expo 2005 and the Nagoya Protocol conference in 2010.


title: Nagoya

text: The Nagoya International Center promotes international exchange in the local community. It houses the U.S. Consulate on the 6th floor and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) on the 7th floor.


title: Nagoya

text: The sister city relationship with Nanjing, China was suspended on February 21, 2012, following public comments by Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura denying the Nanking Massacre.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya is the center of Greater Nagoya, which earned nearly 70 percent of Japan's 2003 trade surplus.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya's main industry is automotive. Toyota's luxury brand Lexus, Denso, Aisin Seiki Co., Toyota Industries, JTEKT and Toyota Boshoku have their headquarters in or near Nagoya. Mitsubishi Motors has an R&D division in the suburb of Okazaki. Major component suppliers such as Magna International and PPG also have a strong presence here. Spark plug maker NGK and Nippon Sharyo, known for manufacturing rolling stock including the Shinkansen are headquartered there.


title: Nagoya

text: The aviation history has historically been of importance since the industrialization. During the war the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter was constructed in Nagoya. The aviation tradition continues with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation headquartered in the Nagoya Airfield's terminal building in Komaki. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft is produced at a factory adjacent to the airport. The MRJ is a partnership between majority owner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyota with design assistance from Toyota affiliate Fuji Heavy Industries, already a manufacturer of aircraft. It is the first airliner designed and produced in Japan since the NAMC YS-11 of the 1960s. The MRJ's first flight was on November 11, 2015.


title: Nagoya

text: Japanese pottery and porcelain has a long tradition due to suitable clay being available in Owari Province. Before and during the Edo period there were two main kilns in the region: Seto and Tokoname. In Nagoya Castle a type of "oniwa-yaki" (literally "garden ware") called Ofukei ware was produced by the feudal lord's court. Almost every feudal lord had his own "oniwa-yaki", also to have gifts made. In the town itself Toyoraku ware and Sasashima ware Japanese tea utensils were made with refined tastes. Ofukei ware started under the first Owari lord Tokugawa Yoshinao and was interrupted once, but continued on until the end of the Edo period. It became widely known in Japan. The lord's taste in ceramics was also imitated by other Owari samurai, such as Hirasawa Kurō and Masaki Sōzaburō, who made their own pieces.


title: Nagoya

text: Toyoraku ware continued on until the Taishō era under the 8th generation. Colourful pieces and gorgeous tea utensils were highly valued. Sasashima ware also experienced its heyday during this time. Colourful and soft ceramic items such as sake and tea utensils and objects were produced and intently collected.


title: Nagoya

text: An early type of manufactured production was the blue-and-white Kawana ware. With the advent of industrialization during the Meiji era of the late 19th century, some export wares were produced. Industrial-scale export porcelain was made by old Noritake, also "Nagoya E-tsuke" () became popular.


title: Nagoya

text: Production of industrial ceramics continues to be an important economic factor with companies such as INAX, NGK, and NGK Insulators.


title: Nagoya

text: The city has an increasing role in the meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions (MICE) industry. It hosted in 1989 the World Design Expo (世界デザイン博覧会) for which the Nagoya Congress Center was constructed. It hosted the Expo 2005 and the Nagoya Protocol conference in 2010, as well as the G20 Aichi-Nagoya Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in November 2019, which was held at the Nagoya Kanko Hotel and Kawabun.


title: Nagoya

text: Mechanized puppets, called "karakuri ningyō", are a traditional craft from the area. Robot technology is another rapidly developing industry.


title: Nagoya

text: Brother Industries, which is known for office electronics such as multifunction printers is based in Nagoya, as is Hoshizaki Electric, which is known for commercial ice machines and refrigeration equipment. Many small machine tool and electronics companies are also based in the area.


title: Nagoya

text: The World Expo 2005, also known as Aichi Expo was held near Nagoya in the neighboring cities of Nagakute and Seto from March 25 to September 25, 2005.


title: Nagoya

text: Retail is of importance in the city. Traditional department stores with roots in Nagoya are Matsuzakaya, Maruei and the Meitetsu Department Store. Oriental Nakamura was bought by Mitsukoshi from Tokyo in 1977.


title: Nagoya

text: The Owari province was historically well known for the "cloisonné" art form. The Ando Cloisonné Company continues the long tradition.


title: Nagoya

text: The city offers venues for conferences and congresses such as the Nagoya Congress Center and the Nagoya International Exhibition Hall.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya has mostly state-run primary and secondary schools. The area in the city limits includes international schools such as the Nagoya International School and Colégio Brasil Japão Prof. Shinoda Brazilian school.


title: Nagoya

text: State and private colleges and universities primarily located in the eastern area. Some Western-style institutions were founded early in the Meiji era, with more opening during the Taishō and Shōwa eras. Nagoya University was set up in 1871 as a medical school and has produced six Nobel Prize laureates in science. Nanzan University was established by the Roman Catholic Society of the Divine Word in 1932 as a high school and expanded to include Nanzan Junior College and the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture. The main campus was designed in the 1960s by the renowned architect Antonin Raymond. Some universities specialise in engineering and technology, such as Nagoya University Engineering school, Nagoya Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute; these universities receive support and grants from companies such as Toyota.


title: Nagoya

text: Other colleges and universities include: Aichi Prefectural College of Nursing & Health, Aichi Shukutoku Junior College, Aichi Toho University, Chukyo University, Daido University, Doho University, Kinjo Gakuin University, Kinjo Gakuin University Junior College, Meijo University, Nagoya City University, Nagoya College of Music, Nagoya Future Culture College, Nagoya Gakuin University, Nagoya Management Junior College, Nagoya Women's University, St. Mary's College, Nagoya, Sugiyama Jogakuen University, Sugiyama Jogakuen University Junior College, Tokai Gakuen Women's College. Various universities from outside Nagoya have set up satellite campuses, such as Tokyo University of Social Welfare.


title: Nagoya

text: The Hōsa Library dates to the 17th century and houses 110,000 items, including books of classic literature such as historic editions of "The Tale of Genji" that are an heirloom of the Owari Tokugawa and were bequeathed to the city. The Nagoya City Archives store a large collection of documents and books. Tsuruma Central Library is a public library and Nagoya International Center has a collection of foreign-language books.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya is served by Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), built on an artificial island in Tokoname. The airport has international flights and a high volume of domestic flights.


title: Nagoya

text: A second airport is Nagoya Airfield (Komaki Airport, NKM) near the city's boundary with Komaki and Kasugai. On February 17, 2005, Nagoya Airport's commercial international flights moved to Centrair Airport. Nagoya Airfield is now used for general aviation and as an airbase and is the main Fuji Dream Airlines hub.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya Station, the world's largest train station by floor area, is on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line, the Tōkaidō Main Line, and the Chūō Main Line, among others.


title: Nagoya

text: Meitetsu is also based in Nagoya, and along with Kintetsu provides regional rail service to the Tōkai and Kansai regions.


title: Nagoya

text: Several private and public bus companies operate with of routes throughout the region. Most local bus routes complement existing rail service to form an effective intermodal transit network.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya Port is the largest port by international trade value in Japan. Toyota Motor Corporation exports via this port.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya is known for its orderly grid street plan for which the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu is ultimately responsible.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya is a starting point for visits to the surrounding area, such as Inuyama, Little World Museum of Man, Meiji Mura, Tokoname, Himakajima, Tahara, Toyohashi and Toyokawa and Hamamatsu. Reachable with at most a two-hour journey are Gifu, Gujo Hachiman, Gifu, Ise Shrine, Takayama, Gifu, Gero Onsen and the hill stations in the Kiso Valley Magome and Tsumago.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya was a major trading city and political seat of the Owari lords, the most important house of the Tokugawa clan. They encouraged trade and the arts under their patronage, especially Tokugawa Muneharu, the 7th lord, who took a keen interest in drama and plays and lived lavishly. Under his rule, actors and actresses began to visit Nagoya. Arts and culture was further supported by the city's wealthy merchants. Culture flourished after the feudal Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji era. During World War II many old buildings and artefacts were destroyed. The region's economic and financial power in the post-war years rekindled the artistic and cultural scene.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya has multiple museums, including traditional and modern art, handicrafts to industrial high-tech, natural and scientific museums.


title: Nagoya

text: Nagoya Castle's collection is from the Owari Tokugawa era. The main tower is a museum that details the history of the castle and the city. The Honmaru Palace, destroyed in World War II, is slated for reconstruction by 2016 and will again be a prime example of the "Shoin-zukuri" architecture of the feudal era. Tokugawa Art Museum is a private museum belonging to the Owari Tokugawa, who lived in Nagoya castle for 16 generations. Among other things, it contains 10 designated national Treasures of Japan, including some of the oldest scrolls of "The Tale of Genji". The Nagoya Noh Theatre houses various precious objects of Noh theatre. The Nagoya City Museum showcases the history of the town.


title: Nagoya

text: Yōki-sō is a villa and gardens located in Chikusa-ku, close to Nittai-ji. It was constructed in the Taishō era for Ito Jirozaemon Suketami XV, the first president of Matsuzakaya.


title: Nagoya

text: Paintings and sculpture are exhibited at the Nagoya City Art Museum. Modern art is displayed at the Aichi Arts Center. The Aichi Arts Center also is the venue of rotating exhibitions. The city is also home to the Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts, a sister museum to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which was founded to bring aspects of the MFA's collection to Japan.


title: Nagoya

text: The art of porcelain and ceramics can be seen at the Noritake Garden. Toyota has two museums in the city, the Toyota Automobile Museum which shows vintage cars, and the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, which showcases company history, including its start as a textile mill.


title: Nagoya

text: The Nagoya City Tram & Subway Museum has trams and subway cars, as well as the Nagoya City Science Museum. The SCMaglev and Railway Park opened in March 2011 with various trains from the Central Japan Railway Company.


title: Nagoya

text: Other art museums in Aichi prefecture are the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum and the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art. Meiji Mura is an open-air museum with salvaged buildings from the Meiji, Taishō and Showa eras. Another museum in Nagoya is the Mandolin Melodies Museum.


title: Nagoya

text: Other museums in the city include the International Design Centre Nagoya, the Japan Spinning Top Museum and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Money Museum.


title: Nagoya

text: The civic authorities promote tourism and have taken steps to safeguard architectural heritage by earmarking them as cultural assets. Apart from the castle, temples, shrines and museums in the city, a "Cultural Path" was instituted in the 1980s, located between the Tokugawa Art Museum and Nagoya Castle. This residential area has historic buildings such as the Nagoya City Archives, the Nagoya City Hall main building, the Aichi Prefectural Office main building, the Futaba Museum, the former residence of Sasuke Toyoda, the former residence of Tetsujiro Haruta and the Chikaramachi Catholic Church. Most buildings date from the Meiji and Taishō era and are protected.


title: Nagoya

text: "Nō" and "Kyōgen" theatre date back to the feudal times of the Owari Tokugawa lords. The Nagoya Noh Theater at Nagoya Castle continues that tradition and is a prominent feature in the cultural life of the city, with monthly performances.


title: Nagoya

text: Developed during the Edo period, one of Japan's "kabuki" grand stages is Misono-za, which also hosts various other Japanese entertainment such as concerts.


title: Nagoya

text: In 1992, the large, modern Aichi Arts Center was opened in Sakae. It is the main venue for performing arts, featuring a main hall that can be used for opera and theatre and a concert hall. The Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra performs there, as well as many visiting guest orchestras.


title: Nagoya

text: is a school of "Ikebana", or Japanese floral art. It was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Nagoya.


title: Nagoya

text: Apart from the main national festivals and holidays, other festivals in Nagoya are unique to the city/region.


title: Nagoya

text: Major events include the June Atsuta Festival, the July Port Festival, the August Nagoya Castle Summer Festival Castle and the October Nagoya Festival. Wards and areas host local festivals such as the in Ōsu.


title: Nagoya

text: The is spoken in the western half of Aichi Prefecture, centering on Nagoya. It is also called . The Nagoya dialect is relatively close to standard Japanese and to the Kansai dialect, differing in pronunciation and vocabulary.


title: Nagoya

text: The world premiere of the first "Godzilla" movie was in Nagoya on October 27, 1954. The city, especially Nagoya Castle, has been featured in two other Godzilla movies: "Mothra vs. Godzilla" and "Godzilla vs. Mothra". The city is also featured in "Gamera vs. Gyaos" and is the main setting of 2003 film "Gozu." The 1995 film "The Hunted" starring Christopher Lambert and the 1992 film "Mr. Baseball" starring Tom Selleck were also filmed in the city.


title: Nagoya

text: The city was the setting for the 2007 movie "Ashita e no yuigon" (translated as "Best Wishes for Tomorrow"), in which a Japanese war criminal sets out to take responsibility for the execution of U.S. airmen. The anime "The Wind Rises" by Hayao Miyazaki, released in 2013, is a highly fictionalized biography of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero's chief engineer Jiro Horikoshi and takes mostly place in Nagoya of the 1920s and 1930s. Nagoya is also the setting for the manga and anime series Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki, which highlights many of the sites and traditions of the city.


title: Nagoya

text: In 2007, the Chunichi Dragons won the Japan Series baseball championship. In 2010, Nagoya Grampus won the J. League championship, their first in team history. Nagoya is also the home of the Nagoya Barbarians semi-pro rugby football club.


title: Nagoya

text: A "honbasho" sumo tournament is held every July at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium. The city has hosted The Crowns golf tournament since 1960 and the women's Nagoya Marathon since 1984.


title: Nagoya

text: In September 2016 the city was awarded the right to host the 2026 Asian Games after it was the only city to lodge a bid. It will be the third time Japan hosts the event after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.


title: Nagoya

text: The city hosted the official 1979 Asian Basketball Championship. Later, it became one of the host cities of the official Women's Volleyball World Championship for its 1998, 2006 and 2010 editions.


title: Gran Colombia

text: Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish: "República de Colombia"), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. It included present-day Colombia, mainland Ecuador (i.e. excluding the Galápagos Islands), Panama, and Venezuela, along with parts of northern Peru, northwestern Brazil, and Part of Guyana. The terms Gran Colombia and Greater Colombia are used historiographically to distinguish it from the current Republic of Colombia, which is also the official name of the former state.


title: Gran Colombia

text: However, international recognition of the legitimacy of the Gran Colombian state ran afoul of European opposition to the independence of states in the Americas. Austria, France, and Russia only recognized independence in the Americas if the new states accepted monarchs from European dynasties. In addition, Colombia and the international powers disagreed over the extension of the Colombian territory and its boundaries.


title: Gran Colombia

text: Gran Colombia was proclaimed through the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Colombia, issued during the Congress of Angostura (1819), but did not come into being until the Congress of Cúcuta (1821) promulgated the Constitution of Cúcuta.


title: Gran Colombia

text: Gran Colombia was constituted as a unitary centralist state. Its existence was marked by a struggle between those who supported a centralized government with a strong presidency and those who supported a decentralized, federal form of government. At the same time, another political division emerged between those who supported the Constitution of Cúcuta and two groups who sought to do away with the Constitution, either in favor of breaking up the country into smaller republics or maintaining the union but creating an even stronger presidency. The faction that favored constitutional rule coalesced around Vice-President Francisco de Paula Santander, while those who supported the creation of a stronger presidency were led by President Simón Bolívar. The two of them had been allies in the war against Spanish rule, but by 1825, their differences had become public and were an important part of the political instability from that year onward.


title: Gran Colombia

text: Gran Colombia was dissolved in 1831 due to the political differences that existed between supporters of federalism and centralism, as well as regional tensions among the peoples that made up the republic. It broke into the successor states of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela; Panama was separated from Colombia in 1903. Since Gran Colombia's territory corresponded more or less to the original jurisdiction of the former Viceroyalty of New Granada, it also claimed the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, the Mosquito Coast, as well as most of Esequiba.


title: Gran Colombia

text: The official name of the country at the time was the Republic of Colombia. Historians have adopted the term "Gran Colombia" to distinguish this republic from the present-day Republic of Colombia, which began using the name in 1863, although many use "Colombia" where the confusion would not arise.


title: Gran Colombia

text: The name "Colombia" comes from the Spanish version of the eighteenth-century New Latin word "Columbia", itself based on the name of Christopher Columbus. It was the term preferred by the Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda as a reference to the New World, especially to all American territories and colonies under Spanish rule. He used an improvised, quasi-Greek adjectival version of the name, "Colombia", to mean papers and things "relating to Colombia", as the title of the archive of his revolutionary activities.


title: Gran Colombia

text: Simón Bolívar and other Spanish American revolutionaries also used the word "Colombia" in the continental sense. The establishment in 1819 of a country with the name "Colombia" by the Congress of Angostura gave the term a specific geographic and political reference.


title: Gran Colombia

text: The Republic of Colombia comprised more or less the former territories of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (1739–1777), which it claimed under the legal principle of "uti possidetis". It united the territories of the former Third Republic of Venezuela, the United Provinces of New Granada, the former Royal Audiencia of Panama and the Presidency of Quito (which was still under Spanish rule in 1821).


title: Gran Colombia

text: Before a new constitution could be written by the Congress of Cúcuta, the Congress of Angostura appointed Bolívar and Santander president and vice president, respectively. Under the Constitution of Cúcuta, the country was divided into twelve departments each governed by an intendant. Departments were further divided into thirty-six provinces, each headed by a governor, who had overlapping powers with the intendant. Military affairs at the department level were overseen by a commandant general, who could also be the intendant. All three offices were appointed by the central government. The central government, which temporarily was to reside in Bogotá, consisted of a presidency, a bicameral congress and a high court (the "Alta Corte").


title: Gran Colombia

text: The president was the head of the executive branch of both the central and local governments. The president could be granted extraordinary powers in military fronts, such as the area that became Ecuador. The vice-president assumed the presidency in case of the absence, death, demotion, or illness of the president. Since President Bolívar was absent from Gran Colombia for the early years of its existence, executive power was wielded by the vice president, Santander. The vote was given to persons who owned 100 pesos in landed property or had an equivalent income from a profession. Elections were indirect.


title: Gran Colombia

text: Since the new country was quickly proclaimed after Bolívar's unexpected victory in New Granada, its government was temporarily set up as a federal republic, made up of three departments headed by a vice-president and with capitals in the cities of Bogotá (Cundinamarca Department), Caracas (Venezuela Department), and Quito (Quito Department). In that year, none of the provinces of Quito, nor many in Venezuela and New Granada, were free yet.


title: Gran Colombia

text: The Constitution of Cúcuta was drafted in 1821 at the Congress of Cúcuta, establishing the republic's capital in Bogotá. Bolívar and Santander were elected as the country's president and vice-president. A great degree of centralization was established by the assembly at Cúcuta, since several New Granadan and Venezuelan deputies of the Congress who formerly had been ardent federalists now came to believe that centralism was necessary in order to successfully manage the war against the royalists. To break up regionalist tendencies and to set up efficient central control of local administration, a new territorial division was implemented in 1824. The departments of Venezuela, Cundinamarca and Quito were split into smaller departments, each governed by an intendant appointed by the central government, with the same powers that Bourbon intendants had. Realizing that not all of the provinces were represented at Cúcuta because many areas of the country remained in royalist hands, the congress called for a new constitutional convention to meet in ten years.


title: Gran Colombia

text: In its first years, Gran Colombia helped other provinces still at war with Spain to become independent: all of Venezuela except Puerto Cabello was liberated at the Battle of Carabobo, Panama joined the federation in November 1821, and the provinces of Pasto, Guayaquil and Quito in 1822. That year Colombia became the first Spanish American republic recognized by the United States, due to the efforts of diplomat Manuel Torres. The Gran Colombian army later consolidated the independence of Peru in 1824.


title: Gran Colombia

text: As the war against Spain came to an end in the mid-1820s, federalist and regionalist sentiments that had been suppressed for the sake of the war arose once again. There were calls for a modification of the political division, and related economic and commercial disputes between regions reappeared. Ecuador had important economic and political grievances. Since the end of the eighteenth century, its textile industry had suffered because cheaper textiles were being imported. After independence, Gran Colombia adopted a low-tariff policy, which benefited agricultural regions such as Venezuela. Moreover, from 1820 to 1825, the area was ruled directly by Bolívar because of the extraordinary powers granted to him. His top priority was the war in Peru against the royalists, not solving Ecuador's economic problems.


title: Gran Colombia

text: Having been incorporated later into Gran Colombia, Ecuador was also underrepresented in all branches of the central government, and Ecuadorians had little opportunity to rise to command positions in the Gran Colombian army. Even local political offices were often staffed by Venezuelans and New Granadans. No outright separatist movement emerged in Ecuador, but these problems were never resolved in the ten-year existence of the country. The strongest calls for a federal arrangement instead came from Venezuela, where there was strong federalist sentiment among the region's liberals, many of whom had not fought in the war of independence but had supported Spanish liberalism in the previous decade and who now allied themselves with the conservative Commandant General of the Department of Venezuela, José Antonio Páez, against the central government.


title: Gran Colombia

text: In 1826, Venezuela came close to seceding from Gran Colombia. That year, Congress began impeachment proceedings against Páez, who resigned his post on April 28 but reassumed it two days later in defiance of the central government. Support for Páez and his revolt—which came to be known as the "Cosiata" (a Venezuelan colloquialism of the time meaning "the insignificant thing") in Venezuelan history—spread throughout Venezuela, aided by the fact that it did not explicitly stand for anything, except defiance to the central government. Nevertheless, the support Páez received from across the Venezuelan political spectrum posed a serious threat to the unity of the country. In July and August, the municipal government of Guayaquil and a junta in Quito issued declarations of support for Páez's actions. Bolívar, for his part, used the developments to promote the conservative constitution he had just written for Bolivia, which found support among conservative Ecuadorians and the Venezuelan military officialdom, but was generally met with indifference or outright hostility among other sectors of society and, most importantly for future political developments, by Vice-President Santander himself.


title: Gran Colombia

text: In November two assemblies met in Venezuela to discuss the future of the region, but no formal independence was declared at either. That same month, skirmishes broke out between the supporters of Páez and Bolívar in the east and south of Venezuela. By the end of the year, Bolívar was in Maracaibo preparing to march into Venezuela with an army, if necessary. Ultimately, political compromises prevented this. In January, Bolívar offered the rebellious Venezuelans a general amnesty and the promise to convene a new constituent assembly before the ten-year period established by the Constitution of Cúcuta, and Páez backed down and recognized Bolívar's authority. The reforms, however, never fully satisfied the different political factions in Gran Colombia, and no permanent consolidation was achieved. The instability of the state's structure was now apparent to all.


title: Gran Colombia

text: In 1828, the new constituent assembly, the Convention of Ocaña, began its sessions. At its opening, Bolívar again proposed a new constitution based on the Bolivian one, but this suggestion continued to be unpopular. The convention fell apart when pro-Bolívar delegates walked out rather than sign a federalist constitution. After this failure, Bolívar believed that by centralizing his constitutional powers he could prevent the separatists (the New Granadians represented mainly by Francisco de Paula Santander and José María Obando, and the Venezuelans by José Antonio Páez) from bringing down the union. He ultimately failed to do so. As the collapse of the country became evident in 1830, Bolívar resigned from the presidency. Internal political strife between the different regions intensified even as General Rafael Urdaneta temporarily took power in Bogotá, attempting to use his authority to ostensibly restore order, but actually hoping to convince Bolívar to return to the presidency and the country to accept him. The federation finally dissolved in the closing months of 1830 and was formally abolished in 1831. Venezuela, Ecuador and New Granada came to exist as independent states.


title: Gran Colombia

text: The dissolution of Gran Colombia represented the failure of Bolívar's vision. The former republic was replaced by the republics of Venezuela, Ecuador, and New Granada. The former Department of Cundinamarca (as established in 1819 at the Congress of Angostura) became a new country, the Republic of New Granada. In 1858, New Granada was replaced by the Granadine Confederation. Later in 1863, the Granadine Confederation changed its name officially to the United States of Colombia, and in 1886, adopted its present-day name: the Republic of Colombia. Panama, which voluntarily became part of Gran Colombia in 1821, remained a department of the Republic of Colombia until 1903, when in great part as a consequence of the Thousand Days War of 1899–1902, it became independent under intense American pressure. The United States wanted territorial rights in the future Panama Canal Zone, which Colombia had refused.


title: Gran Colombia

text: With the exception of Panama (which, as mentioned, achieved independence seven decades later), the countries that were created have similar flags, reminiscent of the flag of Gran Colombia:


title: Gran Colombia

text: In Peru, the dissolution of Gran Colombia is seen as a country ceasing to exist, giving way to the formation of new nation-states. The significance of this view is that the treaties Peru had signed with Gran Colombia became void when the countersignatory ceased to exist. The three new states, the Republic of New Granada (which later changed its name to Republic of Colombia), the Republic of Venezuela, and the Republic of Ecuador, in the Peruvian view, started with a clean diplomatic slate.


title: Gran Colombia

text: An alternative view is that Ecuador and Venezuela separated from the Gran Colombian Federation and inherited all of the treaty obligations that Gran Colombia had assumed, at least to the extent that they apply to their respective territories. There are indications that Colombia itself maintained this position; Gran Colombia and its successor state, the Republic of Colombia, shared a capital city, a subset of the same territory, and much the same citizenry. It would be unnatural to disavow their common histories.


title: Gran Colombia

text: The question of the status of treaties and accords dating to the revolutionary period (1809–1819) and Gran Colombia period (1819–1830) has a profound effect on international relations to the present day.


title: Gran Colombia

text: There have been attempts at the reunification of Gran Colombia since the separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903. People in favor of reunification are called ""unionistas"" or unionists. In 2008, the Bolivarian News Agency reported that then-President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez announced a proposal for a political restoration of Gran Colombia, under the Bolivarian Revolution.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: WWE Clash at the Castle was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American promotion WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Saturday, September 3, 2022, at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, marking WWE's first major stadium event to take place in the United Kingdom since the 1992 SummerSlam and the company's first UK PPV overall since Insurrextion in 2003. The event's title is a reference to Cardiff Castle, which is situated near Principality Stadium.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: Seven matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Drew McIntyre to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. In other prominent matches, Seth "Freakin" Rollins defeated Matt Riddle, Gunther defeated Sheamus to retain SmackDown's Intercontinental Championship, and in the opening bout, Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky) defeated Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka in a six-woman tag team match. The event was also notable for the main roster debuts of NXT's Giovanni Vinci, who rejoined Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser to reform Imperium, and Solo Sikoa, one of Reigns' cousins and the younger brother of The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso), thus officially joining The Bloodline stable.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: The event received universal acclaim from fans and critics, particularly for the Intercontinental Championship match and main event with the former receiving five stars from Dave Meltzer, making this the second match on the main roster to get such a rating ever in the 2020s.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: On October 25, 2021, the American professional wrestling promotion WWE revealed its 2022 major event schedule for the Raw and SmackDown brands, with an event slotted for Labor Day weekend at a to be determined location. On April 12, 2022, while the event's title was not revealed, WWE confirmed that the event would be held on Saturday, September 3 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, marking the company's first major stadium event to be held in the United Kingdom (UK) in 30 years. Although WWE's last major event to take place in the UK was the 2003 Insurrextion, the promotion's last major event to be held in a stadium in the UK was the 1992 SummerSlam at the original Wembley Stadium. On April 29, 2022, during a WWE Live event at London's O2 Arena, WWE wrestler and UK native Drew McIntyre revealed the event's title as Clash at the Castle, a reference to Cardiff Castle, which is situated near the stadium. The event aired on pay-per-view (PPV) worldwide and was available to livestream through Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network in international markets. Unlike other WWE pay-per-view events broadcast in the UK, which air on BT Sport Box Office, Clash at the Castle aired on BT Sport 2, making it available for all subscribers.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: In the first 24 hours after the event's initial announcement, it was reported that 59,000 people had pre-registered for tickets. This broke a company record, with more fans registering for pre-sale tickets than any other WWE event, including WrestleMania. Tickets went on sale on May 20, with hospitality packages also available. By August 19, 2022, 63,803 tickets had been sold.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, "Monday Night Raw" and "Friday Night SmackDown."


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: On the July 8 episode of "SmackDown", Drew McIntyre was scheduled to face fellow European native Sheamus to determine the number one contender for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle. As Sheamus feigned illness, the match did not occur. The match was later rescheduled for the July 29 episode as a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match, which McIntyre won. At SummerSlam the following night, Roman Reigns retained the undisputed title, thus confirming that Reigns would be the defending champion against McIntyre at Clash at the Castle.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: On the August 5 episode of "SmackDown", Shayna Baszler won a gauntlet match, earning a match against Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women's Championship at Clash at the Castle.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: After Bianca Belair retained the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam, she was confronted by the newly formed stable of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky. On the following episode of "Raw", Bayley, Kai, and Sky interfered in a match between Alexa Bliss and Asuka. Belair would join the fray, siding with Bliss and Asuka. The following week, Bayley, Kai, and Sky challenged Belair, Bliss, and Asuka to a six-woman tag team match at Clash at the Castle, which was accepted by Belair.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: At SummerSlam, Matt Riddle was originally scheduled to face Seth "Freakin" Rollins, however, the match was called off due to Riddle suffering an injury (kayfabe) incurred by Rollins on the "Raw" prior to the event. At the event, however, Riddle appeared and called out Rollins and the two brawled, which ended with Rollins performing the Stomp on Riddle. On the August 15 episode of "Raw", Riddle revealed that he was medically cleared. Later that same night, Riddle engaged into another brawl with Rollins before challenging him to a match at Clash at the Castle, which was made official.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: On the August 19 episode of "SmackDown", Sheamus won a fatal five-way match, earning a match against Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash at the Castle.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: During the Clash at the Castle Kickoff pre-show, Madcap Moss teamed with The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) to face the team of Austin Theory and Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis) in a six-man tag team match. In the end, Ford performed a From the Heavens on Gable to win the match.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: The actual pay-per-view opened with Alexa Bliss, Asuka, and Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair facing Damage CTRL (Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky) in a six-woman tag team match. In the end, Sky performed a moonsault on Belair and Bayley pinned Belair to win the match.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: Next, Gunther (accompanied by the reformed Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser)) defended the Intercontinental Championship against Sheamus (accompanied by The Brawling Brutes (Butch and Ridge Holland)). Before the match, a brawl ensued between The Brawling Brutes and Imperium, while Sheamus and Gunther stared each other down in the ring. During the match, Sheamus performed the White Noise and Celtic Cross on Gunther for a nearfall. In the closing moments, Gunther countered a Brogue Kick attempt from Sheamus and performed a powerbomb and lariat on Sheamus to retain the title. Following the match, Sheamus received a standing ovation from the crowd.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: After that, Liv Morgan defended the SmackDown Women's Championship against Shayna Baszler. In the end, Morgan performed the Oblivion on Baszler to retain the title.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: In the fourth match, Edge and Rey Mysterio (accompanied by Dominik Mysterio) faced The Judgment Day (Damian Priest and Finn Bálor; accompanied by Rhea Ripley). In the closing moments, Rey and Edge performed the 619 and Spear, respectively, on Bálor to win the match. Following the match, Dominik hit Edge with a low blow and his father Rey with a clothesline, turning heel for the first time in his career, and ending his friendship with Edge.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: In the penultimate match, Matt Riddle faced Seth "Freakin" Rollins. As Rollins attempted a rolling elbow, Riddle countered and applied the triangle choke on Rollins. Rollins countered the submission and performed the Bro Derek on Riddle for a nearfall. Rollins countered a powerbomb from Riddle and performed a Pedigree for a nearfall. Rollins mocked Riddle's tag team partner, Randy Orton, by performing a Hangman's DDT on Riddle. Outside the ring, Riddle threw Rollins on the announce table and attempted to attack Rollins with a steel chair, only for Rollins to avoid Riddle. As Riddle re-entered the ring, Rollins performed the Stomp. In the closing moments, Rollins performed a second Stomp on Riddle from the middle rope to win the match.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: In the main event, Roman Reigns defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre. During the match, as Reigns attempted a Superman Punch, McIntyre countered and performed the Future Shock DDT. Reigns then performed a Spear in McIntyre for a nearfall. Reigns applied the Guillotine on McIntyre, who escaped. As McIntyre performed the Claymore on Reigns, Reigns inadvertedly bumped into the referee, incapacitating him. Austin Theory ran out and attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract, however, professional boxer and UK native Tyson Fury, who was in the front row, knocked him out. Reigns then obtained a chair and entered the ring, however, McIntyre performed a Claymore on Reigns for a nearfall. After Reigns performed another Superman Punch, he attempted a Spear, but McIntyre countered and performed his own Spear on Reigns. McIntyre then performed a Claymore on Reigns, only for NXT's Solo Sikoa, a younger cousin of Reigns, to pull the referee outside the ring. Reigns then performed a Spear on McIntyre to retain the title. Following the match, Fury entered the ring and shook Reigns' hand. Fury then tended to a disappointed McIntyre, who was seated in the corner of the ring, and stated that regardless of the result, McIntyre still made his country proud. Fury then lead McIntyre and the crowd into singing "American Pie", while McIntyre initiated the singing of "Don’t look back in anger".


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: The event received universal acclaim for the Intercontinental Championship match which Dave Meltzer of the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" gave five stars, making it WWE's second five-star match of 2022. The main event, however, was criticized by some for its ending. The match received a 4-and-a-half star rating, while Rollins vs. Riddle received a 4-and-a-quarter star rating. Triple H said that Clash at the Castle was a massive success, stating that Clash at the Castle was the number one international PPV in WWE history, the highest rated UK PPV in WWE history, and the best-selling non-WrestleMania event in WWE history.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: On the following episode of "Raw", Edge came out and stated that he had known Dominik Mysterio for a long time and recounted his history with the Mysterio family. Rey, Dominik's father, then came out and wanted an explanation for Dominik's actions. Dominik then came out, flanked by The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor, Damian Priest, and Rhea Ripley) and ignored his father. After Rey sadly walked backstage, Edge then vowed to get an answer out of Dominik, however, Judgment Day viciously attacked Edge. Later that night, Rey faced Priest in a losing effort. The following week, Edge defeated Dominik by disqualification after interference from The Judgment Day. After the match, they attacked Edge's leg with a steel chair, ending the attack by placing the chair on Edge's leg and Balor hitting a Coup de Grace on the chair. Two weeks later, Edge returned and challenged Bálor to an "I Quit" match at Extreme Rules, and Bálor accepted.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: For Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle, their very personal rivalry seemed to end at Clash at the Castle, but Riddle could not sit back after his loss. Riddle and Rollins were involved in some serious altercations between each other in the following weeks, and a Fight Pit match between the two was made official for Extreme Rules with UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier appointed as the special guest referee.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: On the following episode of "SmackDown", Solo Sikoa officially joined The Bloodline, thus making his main roster debut. Later that night, Sikoa fought Drew Mcintyre where he lost via disqualification due to Karrion Kross attacking McIntyre, who would begin a rivalry with Kross. On September 23, a strap match between the two was scheduled for Extreme Rules.


title: WWE Clash at the Castle

text: Also on "SmackDown", Imperium (Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, and Giovanni Vinci) defeated The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, and Butch) in a six-man tag team match. On September 29, a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match between the two teams was scheduled for Extreme Rules. Prior to Extreme Rules, Sheamus faced Gunther in a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship on the October 7 episode of "SmackDown" where Gunther retained after he struck Sheamus with a shillelagh while the referee was distracted.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: Crash (stylised in all caps) is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Atlantic Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: Whereas Charli's prior work was known for its experimental, hyperpop production, "Crash" features a more conventional dance-pop sound, with Charli dubbing it her "major label sell-out" record. Songs from the album include elements of pop music of the '80s and '90s, and Charli has cited Janet Jackson, among others, as a musical influence for the album. David Cronenberg's 1996 film of the same name inspired aesthetic themes of the album, including the title and artwork. Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics. Commercially, "Crash" is Charli XCX's most successful album to date, topping the charts in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It also became her first top ten album in New Zealand and the United States.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: In September 2019, Charli XCX released her third studio album, "Charli", to critical acclaim. A previous version of her third album was originally slated for a 2017 release, although Charli later decided to scrap that project following most of its demo tracks being leaked on the Internet. Following the release of "Charli", she explained in an interview with music magazine "The Fader": "I'm not supposed to say this, I'm supposed to be like, in it, 'this album ("Charli"), stream it, buy it', but I'm like, already thinking about the next one, it's done, I'm onto the next level". A month after its release, she confirmed that she was already working on another album. In November 2019, she then stated that her current plans for the next year included the creation of two new albums.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: During the months of January and February 2020, Charli published Instagram stories of herself in the studio with a variety of producers, including Patrik Berger and Justin Raisen, both of whom had previously collaborated on Charli's debut album "True Romance". She also had recording sessions with longtime executive producer A. G. Cook, as well as Deaton Chris Anthony.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recording sessions for the album were canceled. On 6 April 2020, Charli XCX announced through a public Zoom call with fans that she would be working on a new album in self-isolation, with the tentative title "How I'm Feeling Now". Charli decided to postpone "Crash" recording sessions, then only known loosely as the "Janet album", and began working on a new fourth studio album spur of the moment. Work on this album began in Charli's home on 3 April and continued until the album's release date of 15 May. Charli had first mentioned the "Janet album" on 6 April, when she posted a screenshot of a conversation with Cook, where she said, "And I wanted to do Janet album in September into quicker album in December", implying that she originally planned to release the "Janet album" in September and a "quicker", more impromptu album in December of the same year. Following the release of "How I'm Feeling Now", Charli hinted that she was back at work on the "Janet album".


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: On 13 March 2021, she announced on TikTok that the album would be "poptastic". Days later, on 19 March, Charli debuted new songs for the first time on a Bandsintown virtual show, which would become commonly known amongst fans as "Don't Think Twice" (later revealed to be "Twice") and "What You Want" (later confirmed to be "New Shapes"). Following the event, she gave an interview in which she referred to the album as "poptastic" and added that she was "feeling extremely creative".


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: On 1 November 2021, she tweeted that she would be disclosing secrets about the album that week, and five hours later, she revealed the collaborators she would be working with on the album: Lotus IV, Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek, Oscar Holter, Digital Farm Animals, Rina Sawayama, Ian Kirkpatrick, Jason Evigan, Justin Raisen, SadPony, Ariel Rechtshaid, Ilya, Oneohtrix Point Never, Mike Wise, and Jon Shave. Oscar Holter had already been confirmed as a producer for the album with the album's first single "Good Ones". A collaboration with Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens, with production from Deaton Chris Anthony, had also been teased a few days before the announcement. The song, titled "New Shapes", was released as the album's second single. In early 2022, the third single from the album, "Beg For You" featuring Rina Sawayama, was released. A collaboration with Sawayama had been teased since 2019, and both artists confirmed there had been different previous attempts at a collaboration.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: On 15 August 2021, following the announcement of the album's first song, she tweeted a picture of a grave with her own name engraved on it and the death date "March 18, 2022", which was thought to be the album's release day. The next day, she tweeted a behind-the-scenes video of a photoshoot of that grave, utilizing a fragment of "Good Ones". This grave would be featured in "Good Ones"' music video after it was released. It was widely hinted that the album would be published on 18 March 2022, because after the release of "Good Ones", she stated that the album might be released around that date.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: The album was formally announced on 4 November, an hour before the release of the second song, on all of Charli's social media, along with the announcement of a 37-date tour, titled Crash: the Live Tour, across North America and Europe and a link to pre-save the album. It was also revealed that the album will have 12 tracks and last for 33 minutes. Later that day, Charli went live on TikTok and shared new snippets of new tracks, including the then-unknown tracks "Baby", "Constant Repeat", "Beg for You", and three other snippets.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: On 19 December 2021, Charli posted an Instagram post with the caption "2022 sneak peak...", which included numerous images related to work for the album cycle, including images of photo op and recording behind the scenes, a talk with Rina Sawayama about their collaboration, and a video of Charli practicing with background dancers for the track "Baby".


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: Throughout late 2021 and early January 2022, Charli continued to share the samples she teased on TikTok, most notably the tracks "Beg for You" and "Baby". On 4 January, Charli uploaded a snippet of what appeared to be a music video for the song "Baby". On 20 January, it was reported via iTunes that the album's fifth track will be 2 minutes and 48 seconds long, which was later confirmed to be "Beg for You". On the same day, Charli revealed the title and a studio snippet of her collaboration with Rina Sawayama, "Beg for You". On 21 February 2022, the singer announced that a deluxe edition would be released the same week as the standard album. However, the deluxe edition was released a week later than the standard one, on 25 March.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: The album's liner notes dedicate it to Sophie, a friend and collaborator of Charli who died in early 2021. Sophie had produced a number of tracks for Charli including the entirety of her 2016 EP "Vroom Vroom", as well as the majority of her scrapped third studio album.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: On 23 June, she participated in the Doritos event "Live from the Upside Down" in collaboration with the Netflix series "Stranger Things".


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: "Good Ones" was released as the album's lead single on 2 September 2021. It is a dance track mixed with synth-pop and electropop. The song received acclaim for critics with most of them highlighting its synth-pop production. Its music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, and filmed in Mexico. was released the same day as the song. "New Shapes" was released on 4 November 2021 as the album's second single, featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek. The latter track was also met with positive reviews from critics for her move away from hyperpop and towards synth-pop. The music video was released a few days after. Charli XCX was set to appear on the ninth episode of "Saturday Night Live"'s 47th season alongside Christine and the Queens and Polachek to promote the singles, but the performances were cancelled due to the rise of the coronavirus Omicron variant in New York City. The performance was later rescheduled to 5 March 2022. "Beg for You", a collaboration with Rina Sawayama, was released on 27 January 2022 as the album's third single. The song is a UK garage track with elements of '90s house music. It samples September's 2006 single "Cry for You", as well as the song "Don't Cry" by Belgian dance group Milk Inc. It received acclaim from music critics, highlighting its catchiness. "Baby" was released on 1 March 2022 as the album's fourth single. The track is an '80s-inspired post-disco track with new jack swing elements. It has received positive reviews for its catchiness and sultry production. On 14 March 2022, "Every Rule" was released as a promotional single, followed by "Used to Know Me" on 17 March 2022. "Used to Know Me" was released in April 2022 as the album's fifth single.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: When teasing and promoting the record since May 2021, Charli took on an evil, demonic or soulless persona, so as to play into a deal-with-the-devil idea. George Griffiths of the Official Charts Company compared the concept to Marina's "Electra Heart" (2012). Visuals for the album include ""femme fatale" powers" and a multitude of "dark spells and curses" as well as signature nods to both cars and car crashes. Several publications found references to the David Cronenberg films, mainly the 1996 film of the same and "Videodrome", the former of which is also an aesthetic inspiration. Charli talked about the aesthetic themes and the reference to the Cronenberg film by saying, "Referencing Cronenberg is unavoidable when the album is called "Crash". [...] For this album, I was exploring the idea of what the most sexualized, heightened, vampiric version of myself could be. And I think that also plays into the 'selling your soul' narrative [and] danger — it's very volatile, the image of this album. I think some people are really turned off by it, which is quite interesting, and some people love it. It's heightened sex, sexiness — that's where I was at. And I think that does relate back to Cronenberg's "Crash" because that book and that movie is about these people who want and feed off their favorite thing and will go to any length to feel this sexuality and connection." In accordance to this statement, "Under the Radar" wrote in their review: "The intersection of violence, sexuality, and technology explored within the album's cover art calls to mind influential science fiction writer and cultural prophet J. G. Ballard's contentious 1973-released novel "Crash"—and, by extension, Cronenberg's 1996-released film adaptation. Deft studies of humanity's psychological and physical transformation alongside technological and cultural advancement, both novel and film reveal a world 'beginning to flower into wounds.' This merging of flesh and blood with steel and plastic is fully embodied within the album's production, which (mirroring Ballard's prose) applies a highly technical and intricately calculated approach, pristine melodies scrubbed of any discernible warmth or familiarity, courtesy of Charli XCX and her team."


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: On 8 April 2020, Charli told a fan through Zoom that the album was influenced by the music of Janet Jackson, an artist who has frequently been cited by PC Music label producers such as Cook, as well as EasyFun, as a source of inspiration. Then, on 21 April, she told "Stereogum" that this was her most polished album yet, both musically and artistically, and that she was currently listening to a lot of Jackson's songs. She indicated that the album will be a musical departure for her. On 5 May, she indicated that it will be her most "pop" album yet, and that she wanted the song videos to be extremely theatrical, even suggesting that she play different characters in them. On 29 October, she said that while there was still a lot of Jackson influence on the album at the time, it is no longer exclusively influenced by her, and there are now other inspirations.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: On 23 May 2021, she indicated that the album was "for the "True Romance" angels" and that she wanted to have a song that is "Stay Away 2.0". Then, on 8 July, Charli posted that she was extremely into songs that she did not compose.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: "Crash" eschews Charli XCX's previous hyperpop and futurepop work, in favor of "punchy power pop", '80s synth-pop, and dance-pop, with elements of pop-funk, dream pop, eurodance, disco, nu-disco, Italo disco, and "post-Internet glitch". Album opener "Crash" is a new jack swing song with hard funk drums. "Good Ones" explores electropop and synthwave, and "New Shapes" continues the album's '80s synth-pop sound, while adding indie pop and electro-funk into the mix. She samples europop songs "Show Me Love" and "Cry for You" on "Used to Know Me" and "Beg for You", respectively, in an effort to strike a balance between nostalgia and futurism. "Beg for You" additionally is a UK garage song that evokes 2000s bubblegum and '90s house. "Baby" is a post-disco, dance-pop, and pop-funk song with new jack swing elements reminiscent of Janet Jackson's "Control" and replicates the electro-funk of Cameo. "Lightning" is a techno-pop song with flamenco flourishes, while "Yuck" fuses a 70s funk and boogie baseline with disco and "hyper-modern synths". "Selfish Girl" was dubbed "Dua Lipa-style dance fantasia".


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: She has listed Janet Jackson, Cameo, Sister Sledge, Serge Gainsbourg, Steve Vai, Black Eyed Peas, Charlie Puth, Cyndi Lauper, Rick James, Taylor Dayne, Boy Meets Girl, and Belinda Carlisle as musical inspirations for the album. Featured artists on the album include Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek on "New Shapes", as well as Rina Sawayama on "Beg for You"; the songs were released as the second and third singles from the album, respectively. Producers on the album include Oscar Holter, and Lotus IV and Deaton Chris Anthony, on the singles "Good Ones" and "New Shapes", respectively. A. G. Cook, George Daniel, Digital Farm Animals, Ian Kirkpatrick, Jason Evigan, Justin Raisen, Ariel Rechtshaid, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Oneohtrix Point Never, Jon Shave, and Mike Wise have also been revealed to have produced other tracks on the album.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: "Crash" received "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic, which assigned it an average score of 79 based on 21 reviews.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: Writing for "Clash", Joe Rivers said that ""Crash" is certainly a mixed bag, but it does demonstrate that, whatever her motivations and mindset, Charli XCX is an artist we should treasure. Even when she's not at her best, she displays enough nous and melody to stand head and shoulders above practically all her rivals". Elly Watson from "DIY" gave the album rating 4.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that ["Crash"] "may be closing a chapter for Charli but it is in no way a swan song". and also added that "Instead, she once again explores new ventures, crafting a pop album that celebrates the old classics as well as the new, and cements her status as a true pop trailblazer". Helen Brown on a five-out-of-five stars review for "The Independent", said that "Crash" is "the biggest, plushest, most mainstream release to date from the shy Essex music nerd turned hot LA diva. And while some fans may miss the 29-year-old's quirkier sonic experiments, there's no denying Charlotte Aitchison's ability to pump out enough relentlessly solid and sexy hooks to secure herself a place at pop's top table... or dancing on top of it." For "Pitchfork", Owen Myers says that "Despite a couple of slightly weaker moments (oddly, the album's lead singles), "Crash" is Charli's best full-length project since "Pop 2", a canny embrace of modern and vintage pop styles by one of its most sincere students. It sets a bar for creative mainstream pop: the ruthless, intoxicating dream factory that can chew you up and spit you out and leave you coming back for more."


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: El Hunt, writing for "NME", says that, "At times, "Crash" eases off the throttle slightly – the interpolation of 'Show Me Love' on 'Used to Know Me' is infectious, if slightly too straightforward, while smouldering ballads 'Move Me' and 'Every Rule' could do with more of the skewed hints of unfamiliarity found in spades elsewhere. These are minor gripes, though, and by the time those synthesised strings whirr into life on the jagged pop-funk track 'Baby' they're easy enough to overlook." While adding that "One emotion that her music will never evoke is boredom, and even when her sights are trained on infiltrating mainstream pop, she's still an artist with a knack for surprising. If "Crash" really does mark the death of Charli XCX as a major label artist – what a way to go. Fellow critic Tom Hull regarded the production as major and "in some ways the top of her game", while concluding that the album ultimately excels with the "delirious" "Used to Know Me".


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: Reviewing for "Paste", Eric Bennett writes that, "When Charli achieves the perfect confluence of what she loves about pop music, and what we love about her music, it soars, creating some of her finest material to date. But when that balance is not achieved, the songs can feel generic or reductive—two words that have never applied to Charli XCX before. One must commend Charli on taking such a big swing: When you've become known for taking risks, the only way you can change things up is by playing it safe."


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: In a mixed review for "The Guardian", Alexis Petridis writes that "Not only does "Crash" not work – or at least not entirely – it leaves you wondering about its author's motivations. For all the messaging around it, it sometimes feels less like a smart concept than a shrug; the work of an artist seeing out a fraught five-album major label deal with a half-hearted 'whatever'. If there's a saving grace here, it's that the mercurial XCX – now a free agent – will doubtless return with something more interesting sooner rather than later."


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: "Crash" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 16,117 units, becoming her first album to top the chart. In Ireland, the album opened at number one on Irish Albums Chart, also scoring her first album to reach the top. In Australia, "Crash" also debuted at number one on ARIA Albums Chart, becoming her second top-ten entry and the first to reach the top spot. The same week, "Crash" was also the best-selling album on vinyl. "Crash" debuted at number one on the Scottish Albums Chart.


title: Crash (Charli XCX album)

text: In the United States, "Crash" debuted at number seven on the "Billboard" 200 with 31,500 equivalent album units (19,000 pure and 15.6 million on-demand official streams), becoming her highest-charting album to date and first top 10 on the chart. In Germany, the album opened at number 19 on Offizielle Deutsche Charts, becoming her first top-20 entry in the country. In Canada, "Crash" opened at number 16 on "Billboard" Canadian Albums, becoming her first top-20 entry. In the Netherlands, "Crash" debuted at number 16 on the Dutch Album Top 100, making it her highest entry on the chart.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City.


title: Mark Hughes

text: During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, and also played for Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as the English clubs Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and finally Blackburn Rovers. He made 72 appearances for Wales scoring 16 goals. He won a host of winners' medals during his playing career, including two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two UEFA Cup Winners' Cups. He also collected an FA Cup runners-up medal and a League Cup runners-up medal. Hughes was the first player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award twice, in 1989 and 1991. He retired from playing in 2002.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes was appointed manager of Wales in 1999 and remained in the role until 2004. He failed to qualify for a World Cup or European Championship during his five years in charge, although his reign coincided with a marked improvement in results. Wales came particularly close to securing 2004 European Championship qualification. Hughes then spent four years in charge of Blackburn, guiding them to sixth place in 2005–06. He took charge of Manchester City in June 2008 for a year and a half before spending the 2010–11 season at Fulham. He joined Queens Park Rangers in January 2012, helping them retain their Premier League status in 2011–12. Despite some high-profile signings in the summer of 2012, QPR began the 2012–13 season in very poor form, and Hughes was dismissed on 23 November 2012.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes was appointed manager of Stoke City on 30 May 2013. He guided the club to three consecutive ninth-place Premier League finishes in 2013–14, 2014–15 and 2015–16. Progress at Stoke stalled in the 2016–17 season, with the club finishing 13th in the table. Following a poor start to the 2017–18 season, with the club in the relegation zone heading into the new year, he was dismissed by Stoke on 6 January 2018, hours after an FA Cup third round exit to League Two side Coventry City. He was appointed manager of Southampton on 14 March 2018, signing a contract until the end of the season, with Southampton one point above his former club Stoke in 17th place at the time of his appointment. He guided the club to safety at the end of the 2017–18 season, but was dismissed in December 2018 with the club at 18th in the table.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Born in Ruabon, Wrexham, Hughes joined Manchester United after leaving school in the summer of 1980, having been spotted by the team's North Wales talent scout Hugh Roberts. However, he did not make his first team debut for three years – scoring in a 1–1 draw away to Oxford United in the League Cup, in the 1983–84 season.


title: Mark Hughes

text: When Hughes made his United debut, the club's forward partnership consisted of 27-year-old Irishman Frank Stapleton and 18-year-old Norman Whiteside from Northern Ireland, and breaking up that partnership would not be an easy challenge for Hughes. But Hughes quickly broke into the first team, partnering Frank Stapleton in attack while Norman Whiteside was switched to midfield to partner Ray Wilkins and stand in for the injury prone Remi Moses. The departure of Wilkins to Milan at the end of the season saw manager Ron Atkinson decide to stick to using Whiteside in the centre of midfield, enabling Hughes to keep his place in the first team ahead of new signing Alan Brazil, and he was rewarded handsomely as he scored 25 goals in 55 matches across all competitions as United achieved an FA Cup final victory over Everton. They also finished fourth in the league.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes managed a further 18 goals in the 1985–86 season, where they led until February having won their first ten league matches of the season, before a dismal second half of the season saw them slip into fourth place in the final table. That season saw him score 17 goals in the Football League First Division – it would remain the highest goals tally in a league season throughout his career.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In the summer of 1986, Hughes was sold to Barcelona for £2 million. United announced on 21 March 1986 that Hughes would be heading for Spain at the end of the season, but the transfer had been agreed many weeks earlier.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Manager Terry Venables signed Hughes at the same time that he signed Gary Lineker from Everton to form a new strike partnership at the Camp Nou, but Hughes was a disappointment in his only season at Barcelona, whereas Lineker did well in three seasons there.


title: Mark Hughes

text: He was subsequently loaned out to West German club Bayern Munich for the 1987–88 season, where he regained his form. On 11 November 1987, he played two competitive matches in one day, first for Wales against Czechoslovakia in Prague in a Euro 1988 qualifier, and second, after being flown across the border into West Germany, appearing as a substitute for Bayern in their second round cup replay over Borussia Mönchengladbach.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In May 1988, Hughes returned to Manchester United, managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, for a then club record fee of £1.8 million. As he had done in his first spell at Old Trafford, Hughes proved to be a dynamic goalscorer and was a key player for the club over the next seven years. Alex Ferguson had been keen on re-signing Hughes for United soon after becoming manager in November 1986, but Hughes would have been liable for taxation on money earned playing overseas if he had returned to England before April 1988.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In 1988–89, his first season back in England, United disappointed in the league and finished 11th after an erratic season. They had gone ten league matches without a win in the autumn but then went on a strong run after the turn of the new year to lift them to third place, only for a late season collapse to drag them down to mid-table. Hughes was voted PFA Player of the Year, the first Manchester United player to be credited with that award, in its 16th season. He was also United's joint top scorer that season, along with Brian McClair, on 16 goals.


title: Mark Hughes

text: A year later, Hughes scored twice as United drew 3–3 with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, before a Lee Martin goal in the replay gave United their first major trophy in five years. He was United's top goalscorer that season, scoring 15 goals in all competitions; 13 of his goals had come in the league, where United finished a disappointing 13th. He scored his third United hat-trick in a September clash against Millwall in the league at Old Trafford, which United won 5–1.


title: Mark Hughes

text: The following season, Hughes scored both goals against former club Barcelona as United lifted the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, winning the final 2–1 in Rotterdam. Once again, he was their top scorer, this time with 21 goals in all competitions, although his tally in the league was bettered by Brian McClair and Steve Bruce. They also reached the Football League Cup final that year, but United suffered a shock 1–0 defeat to a Sheffield Wednesday side managed by Ron Atkinson, who had been Hughes's manager in his first spell at Old Trafford. Hughes was also voted PFA Player of the Year again this season. The 1990–91 season also saw Hughes score the last of his four hat-tricks for United, in a League Cup quarter-final replay against Southampton at Old Trafford, which United won 3–2. In 1991–92, Hughes suffered the disappointment of missing out on a league title medal as United were pipped to the title by Leeds United, but had some compensation in the form of a League Cup winner's medal. He found the net 11 times in the league and 14 times in all competitions.


title: Mark Hughes

text: For much of the 1991–92 season, United had been linked with a move for the Southampton striker Alan Shearer, but the player chose to stay at the South Coast club until the season's end before making a decision about his future, before deciding to sign for Blackburn Rovers. Sir Alex Ferguson remained intent on signing a new striker for United that summer, although it was far from clear whether it was Hughes or his strike-partner Brian McClair who would lose his place in the first team or be switched to another position in order to accommodate a new signing. Ferguson's hunt for a new striker ended with the acquisition of Dion Dublin, although Dublin was injured after playing just a few matches for the club, and it was not long before United were in the hunt for another new striker, as a lack of goals were seeing them slip behind in the title race. Eric Cantona was eventually signed at the end of November, which prompted interest from Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan, who had first asked Ferguson about Hughes's availability that summer. Ferguson, however, insisted that Hughes was not for sale, and he remained a regular choice in the first team, playing alongside Cantona while McClair was mostly selected in central midfield from then on.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In May 1993, Hughes finally collected an English league title medal as United won the first-ever Premier League title; Hughes was United's top scorer with 15 goals in the league and a further goal in the League Cup. From December, he mostly played alongside new signing Eric Cantona in attack, with Brian McClair being switched to the centre of midfield. Hughes collected yet more silverware in 1994 as United won the league title as well as the FA Cup, with Hughes scoring in the final. He also scored Manchester United's consolation goal in their 3–1 defeat in the 1994 League Cup Final at the hands of Aston Villa at Wembley in that season. In so doing, he became only the second player (after Norman Whiteside in 1983) to score in the finals of both the domestic cups in the same season. This has since been achieved a third time by Didier Drogba in 2007. His partnership with Cantona in attack also went from strength to strength, as he found the net 22 times in all competitions as Cantona scored a further 25.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In December 1994, with United second to Blackburn in the race for the league title, media reports were linking United with the signature of several highly rated strikers including Andy Cole and Stan Collymore, and there had already been some impressive performances in the first team from 20-year-old striker Paul Scholes. Hughes was now widely tipped to be the player most likely to lose his place to any new signing in the forward positions, and when United completed the £7 million signing of Cole on 10 January 1995, it was almost immediately reported that new Everton manager Joe Royle was tabling a £2.5 million bid for Hughes.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Four days later, however, Hughes suffered a knee injury early in a match against Newcastle, colliding with opposition goalkeeper Pavel Srníček as he scored a goal. The injury was initially feared to be cruciate knee ligament damage, which would inevitably have put him out of action for at least the rest of the season, but it was instead revealed to be a serious gash, and he was back in action within a month, during which time United were left without the services of Eric Cantona, who attacked a Crystal Palace fan and was subsequently banned for eight months. Hughes now found himself with his first team place still looking secure, at least in the short term, and in partnership with Andy Cole. He even signed a new two-year contract.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes came close to winning both the Premier League and FA Cup again in 1995, but a failure to beat West Ham United on the final day of the season and the inability to score an equaliser against Everton in the FA Cup final a week later condemned United to their first trophyless season in six years. The FA Cup final was his last match in a United shirt. He had scored eight goals that season and 12 in all competitions. During two spells at the club, he had found the net a total of 163 times (116 of his goals coming during his second spell). Perhaps the most memorable of those goals came in April 1994, when he scored a spectacular equaliser in the final minute of extra time in the FA Cup semi-final against Oldham Athletic at Wembley.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes scored eight league goals in 1994–95 (two of them in the 9–0 defeat of Ipswich Town at Old Trafford on 4 March 1995) and managed a total of 12 in all competitions (two in the FA Cup and another two in the European Cup). By the time of his departure from Manchester United, he was the last player at the club to have been there before the appointment of Sir Alex Ferguson as manager in November 1986.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes left Old Trafford for the second and final time in June 1995 when he was sold to Chelsea for £1 million, in a summer that also saw the departures of players such as Paul Ince (to Inter Milan) and Andrei Kanchelskis (to Everton). Ironically, Hughes scored a consolation goal for Chelsea in the home Premier League fixture against Manchester United in 1995–96; a 4–1 win for United at Stamford Bridge in October. He was on the losing side again as United beat Chelsea 2–1 in the FA Cup semi-final that season, less than two years after he had scored one of United's goals in their FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes was one of the key players in Chelsea's resurgence as a top club in the late 1990s, forming a potent strike partnership with Gianfranco Zola and helping to freeze out Gianluca Vialli (who became the club's player-manager in February 1998). He put in match-winning performances against Liverpool and Wimbledon in the FA Cup in 1997, and Vicenza in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup a year later, playing a big part in Chelsea's glory in both of these competitions. In winning the FA Cup, he became the only player in the 20th century to win the trophy four times. He ended his Chelsea career with 39 goals from 123 matches and was transferred to Southampton for £650,000 in July 1998.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In July 1998, Hughes was signed by Southampton for a fee of £650,000 by manager Dave Jones, as an alternative to injury-plagued David Hirst, who retired within 18 months of Hughes's arrival. The goals failed to flow and Hughes was pushed back into midfield, where his experience helped Southampton maintain their Premier League status.


title: Mark Hughes

text: His two goals for Southampton came against Blackburn Rovers, who he was later to join, and a "memorable volley" at home to Newcastle on 15 August 1999. Hughes had disciplinary problems throughout his career, and in his first season at The Dell he received 14 yellow cards, a total which has not been exceeded in the Premier League .


title: Mark Hughes

text: When Glenn Hoddle arrived as Southampton's manager in January 2000, Hughes did not fit into his plans and he left for Everton in March 2000. He played 16 times over the course of seven months for Everton, scoring his only goal against Watford.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes left Goodison Park on a free transfer for Blackburn Rovers in October 2000, moving outside the top division for the first time in his playing career in 2000–01. He played a key role in getting Blackburn promoted from Division One in 2001. He also lifted the League Cup with Blackburn in February 2002, before finally hanging up his boots in July 2002 a few months short of his 39th birthday.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes's final career goal came in a 2–1 Premier League defeat to Leicester City on 30 March 2002. At the time, he was the second oldest player to score in the Premier League, behind Stuart Pearce. More than a decade on he is still ranked as third in this category following goals by Teddy Sheringham, who scored his final Premier League goal in December 2006 at the age of 40.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes scored just 17 minutes into his Wales debut, scoring the winning goal against England on 2 May 1984. He went on to play 72 times for his country, scoring 16 times.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes was appointed as head coach of the Wales national team in 1999, while still playing elite club football for a few more seasons. Initially appointed on a temporary basis alongside Neville Southall to replace Bobby Gould, Hughes had soon done enough to earn himself a long-term contract, with Southall eventually leaving the set-up. When he took over, Wales were going through a bad patch but in the five years with Hughes in charge, Wales came close to qualifying for UEFA Euro 2004. In their Euro 2004 qualifying group, Wales ended up second, beating Italy 2–1 in Cardiff in the process, but was denied a place in the final tournament after losing to Russia in the playoffs.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes quit the Welsh national side in September 2004 to take charge of Blackburn in the FA Premier League, the last club he had played for. His key aim was to keep Blackburn clear of relegation, which he succeeded in doing, while also taking the club to an FA Cup semi-final for the first time in over 40 years.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In his second season, he helped Blackburn finish inside the top six of the Premier League and subsequently qualify for the UEFA Cup, beating teams such as Chelsea, Manchester United (twice) and Arsenal en route. After just missing out on the League Cup final, his team sealed their spot in Europe by defeating champions Chelsea 1–0 at home. On 4 May 2006, Hughes and assistant Mark Bowen signed new three-year contracts to remain at Blackburn until the summer of 2009.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes then set about creating a formidable side at Ewood Park. He entered the transfer market, bringing in players such as Benni McCarthy (£2 million), David Bentley (£500,000), Ryan Nelsen (free), Stephen Warnock (£1.5 million), Roque Santa Cruz (£3.5 million), and Christopher Samba (£400,000). Rovers finished tenth in the Premier League in 2006–07, and reached the UEFA Cup round of 32, where they were knocked out by Bayer Leverkusen 3–2 on aggregate. Rovers faced Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, their third consecutive semi-final since Hughes took charge. The match ended in defeat, 2–1. He won the Premier League Manager of the Month award for October 2007, and eventually led Blackburn to a league finish of seventh in 2007–08, Hughes's final season in charge at Ewood Park.


title: Mark Hughes

text: During his spell in charge of Blackburn, Hughes's side was accused of being "over-physical" and "dirty" on multiple occasions and the club finished bottom of the Premier League disciplinary table in all four of Hughes's seasons in charge.


title: Mark Hughes

text: On 2 June 2008, Manchester City sacked manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. Interest was also reported from Chelsea, however, who had recently sacked their manager, Avram Grant. Blackburn confirmed on 2 June that they had agreed to allow Hughes to talk to City. The following day, Blackburn agreed to a then-world record compensation package for Hughes to take over as manager of Manchester City, and he was appointed as head coach on 4 June 2008 on a three-year contract.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Following the appointment, Manchester City's executive chairman Garry Cook stated, "The Club intends to invest in new players as well as securing the long term services of key members of the current first team squad. Mark has already identified some of the players and backroom staff that he wants to see here at City, and we will begin the process of recruiting them immediately." The players who did arrive were Jô, Tal Ben Haim, Vincent Kompany, Shaun Wright-Phillips (returning from Chelsea) and Pablo Zabaleta. Hughes's first match in charge resulted in a 4–2 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park but was followed up with 3–0 wins against West Ham and Sunderland.


title: Mark Hughes

text: On 1 September 2008, Manchester City were taken over by the Abu Dhabi United investment group, who made large amounts of transfer funds available to Hughes, allowing City to break the British transfer record and sign Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5 million. Hughes was very active in the January 2009 transfer window, signing Wayne Bridge from Chelsea, Craig Bellamy from West Ham and Shay Given from Newcastle, as well as Nigel de Jong from Hamburger SV. City finished tenth in Hughes's first season with the club, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. City's home form was among the best in the League, but their away form was among the worst.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In the summer of 2009, Hughes added Gareth Barry from Aston Villa, Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn, and Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Touré from Arsenal to his squad, while Carlos Tevez also joined after his two-year deal with Manchester United expired. In addition, Hughes signed defenders Joleon Lescott from Everton for a reported £22 million, and Sylvinho – a former Arsenal and double Champions League winner with Barcelona – on a free transfer.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes started the 2009–10 Premier League campaign with a 2–0 away win at former club Blackburn, followed by a 1–0 win over another former club, Barcelona, in the Joan Gamper Trophy at a capacity Camp Nou. City then won 1–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Eastlands, followed by Crystal Palace in the League Cup 2–0 and Portsmouth 1–0 to maintain a 100% clean sheet start to the season. City continued in good form, beating Arsenal 4–2 and West Ham 3–1 either side of a 4–3 derby day defeat to Manchester United. City would then, however, go on a run of seven-straight draws.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Manchester City beat Scunthorpe United 5–1 and Arsenal 3–0 in the League Cup to reach their first semi-final since 1981. Hughes then led City to their first victory over his former club Chelsea for five years with a 2–1 victory. That last victory was one of only two wins in 11 successive Premier League matches, and Hughes left City before their League Cup two-legged semi-final against Manchester United; he was sacked on 19 December 2009 and replaced by Roberto Mancini.


title: Mark Hughes

text: On 29 July 2010, Hughes became the new manager of Fulham, following the departure of Roy Hodgson to Liverpool. Hughes agreed a two-year contract with the London side and was officially unveiled to the media on 3 August 2010, before his first match as manager on 7 August against Werder Bremen. Hughes was joined at Fulham by his backroom team of Eddie Niedzwiecki, Mark Bowen and Kevin Hitchcock. His first league match in charge of the Cottagers came exactly a week later, when they drew 0–0 at Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the Premier League season, followed by a resolute display against Manchester United in a 2–2 draw at Craven Cottage.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Draws followed in four of Fulham's next five Premier League matches against Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers, Everton and West Ham, with a solitary 2–1 home win over Wolves. This meant that at that stage – including the seven-draw streak at Manchester City before his dismissal the season before – all but two (86%) of Hughes's last fifteen Premiership matches had been drawn. The bizarre run, exclusively made up of draws or 2–1 results, continued with 2–1 defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion in the second half of October 2010. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Hughes led Fulham to an eighth-placed finish in the league and UEFA Europa League qualification through the Fair Play league.


title: Mark Hughes

text: Hughes resigned as manager of Fulham on 2 June 2011, having spent less than 11 months at the club. Following his departure, he said, "As a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences." Fulham owner Mohamed Al-Fayed hit back at Hughes for questioning the club's ambition, calling him a "strange man" and a "flop" and said he rescued him from becoming a forgotten man after being sacked by Manchester City. In September 2013, Hughes said he made a mistake in leaving Fulham when he did.


title: Mark Hughes

text: On 10 January 2012, Hughes agreed terms with Queens Park Rangers and signed a two-and-a-half-year contract as their new manager, replacing the recently sacked Neil Warnock. Hughes's first match in charge of QPR came on 15 January 2012, a 1–0 defeat away to Newcastle. Hughes's first win as QPR manager came on 17 January 2012, a 1–0 victory over Milton Keynes Dons in a FA Cup third round replay at Loftus Road. His first Premier League victory was on 21 January 2012, QPR beating Wigan Athletic 3–1 at home.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In January 2012, Hughes brought in two defenders in Nedum Onuoha and Taye Taiwo and two strikers in Djibril Cissé and Bobby Zamora. Cissé made an immediate impact scoring on his debut against Aston Villa. Defeats against Wolves, Blackburn and Fulham, however, prevented QPR from pulling themselves away from relegation trouble. Victories over Liverpool, Arsenal, Stoke City, Swansea City and Tottenham meant that they went into the final match of the season two points ahead of Bolton. They faced Hughes's former club Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium, who needed a win to secure the Premier League title. Despite scoring twice through Cissé and Jamie Mackie, two late goals from Edin Džeko and Sergio Agüero earned City a dramatic victory and championship title. Bolton's failure to beat Stoke, however, meant that QPR survived in the Premier League.


title: Mark Hughes

text: In the summer of 2012, QPR brought in a large number of high-profile signings with the intent of establishing themselves as a Premier League club. In came Ryan Nelsen, Andrew Johnson, Robert Green, Samba Diakité, Fábio, Park Ji-sung and Junior Hoilett all before the start of the season. Rangers' new-look squad, however, got off to an awful start as they crashed to a 5–0 home defeat against Swansea on the opening day of the 2012–13 Premier League season. Hughes branded his players performance as "embarrassing". Hughes then signed José Bosingwa, Júlio César and Esteban Granero but saw no improvement in results, going 12 matches without victory. He was sacked as manager on 23 November 2012 after the team suffered a 3–1 home defeat to Southampton six days earlier and replaced by Harry Redknapp.