Italy captain and former Golden Ball winner Fabio Cannavaro will miss the European Championship after injuring his right ankle in the Azzurri's opening training session.
The USMNT take on Spain on Wednesday. Nike Soccer blog has posted up a preview of the game. That can be found here.
Inter Milan's president, Massimo Moratti, who fired manager Roberto Mancini, and the Portuguese Jose Mourinho, tipped as future club manager, met this past Friday in Paris.
Massimo Moratti, accompanied by other club board members, were with the Portuguese at the restaurant "La Tour d'Argent" according to sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport, who displayed photos of the two leaving the popular Parisian spot.
Inter is likely to officially announce the Special One's signing early this coming week. The daily news site also stated Mourinho's desire to sell Zlatan in order to sign Drogba. Signs that Inter are trying to keep Ibra-cadabra at all costs might mean that they couldn't reach an agreement...
Inter Milan is ready to fight for Ibrahimovic after Barcelona has made it clear that they're interested in his services. According to this Sunday's edition of the "Gazzetta dello Sport", the Italians are willing to offer €12 million per year for a contract til 2013... Good grief! That's roughly $50,000 a day!!
Making that cash, Zlatan would be the highest paid footballer, topping the big boys Kaka and CR7. Apparently the deal has been agreed by both parties, but no official word will come out before September.
With DBecks as captain, the three lions didn't take notice of the Soca Warriors with goals scored by Gareth Barry('12), and Defoe('16) in the first half making it look like it'd be a massacre. But a slow second half saw them score only one with Defoe again after 4 mins into it.
Brazilian players and some of the Seattle Seahawks' players including Matt Hasselbeck, met up as the "Canarinhos" reckoned the pitch before they play Canada tonight at the Qwest Field. Apart from the jersey and pleasantries exchanged, was a moment of classic Brazilianism displayed by Robinho as he impressed the quarterback.
Let me kick off by saying: Great read!!
The book is by Franklin Foer, and in it, he makes an analisys on how the game itself can be seen as globalization and it's effects/results on many different cultures where it encounters corruption, racism, tribalism, nationalism and hooliganism. Don't be thrown off by all these "isms", he travelled the globe and met with many figures who give their own view and experience with the game and life. Among the topics, The Red Star Belgrade's supporters part in the Serbian nationalism is INSANE!! Berlusconi's and the Agnelli's influence over the Italian game and how Inter supporters cope with it... Chelsea's drastic change from working class to the posh style... The never ending corruption in the Brazilian league... Real Madrid x Barcelona's rivalry with focus during Franco's regime... And more including the USA, which he makes and ironic analisys in the end.
Definitely worth getting this!
The book can be found at Amazon with the "Search Inside" feature which allows you to take a peek.
In it's best game since Capello took over, England defeated the US by 2x0. Goals by Terry(named captain) with a header from a DB cross and Stevie G sneaking thru the center like a forward, receiving a pass from Gareth Barry(on his first touch of the game) and again, like a forward with all the coolness in the World, touching it past Brad Guzan. Also, DB received a golden hat as an award for his 100th cap.
If number 14 brings Thierry Henry to mind, then here's a chance to improve your knowledge of the game. To me and many others, the most graceful player to ever play the beautiful game! He is synonymous with Total Football as well as being known for perfecting a skill named The Cruyff Turn, the man was a center forward who would drop deep into his own area confusing his marker or move to the wing where he would cause havoc. Back then, this was unheard of... 'Cruyff(as spelled outside the Netherelands) was known for his technical ability, speed and acceleration, but his greatest quality was vision, based on an acute sense of his team-mates' positions as an attack unfolded. The sports writer David Miller believed Cruyff superior to any previous player in his ability to extract the most from others. He dubbed him "Pythagoras in boots" for the complexity and precision of his angled passes and wrote: "Few have been able to exact, both physically and mentally, such mesmeric control on a match from one penalty area to another."
He is rated by many to be in the same league as Pele and Maradona.
