Beckham No Great Loss for England
David Beckham underwent successful surgery on his torn left Achilles tendon on Monday and it was confirmed that he would miss the World Cup.
A trip to South Africa looked highly probable for Beckham until he did himself a mischief in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday night.
I always found it slightly disconcerting Read more...
‘The Messiah’ Playing a Game of His Own
Lionel Messi produced one of the most spectacular second-half performances I have seen in a long time as he scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 win against Valencia on Sunday.
Los Ches and their meticulous coach Unai Emery had got the tactics right in the first-half and went in 0-0 at half-time. They looked dangerous on the break, although there were still signs at the other end of the problems Messi would later cause.
End of an Obsession for Real Madrid
Miralem Pjanic is destined for big things. He is not a household name, but that may change after his goal for Lyon knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League.
Europe's premier club competition was the be all and end all for Real this season as the final on May 22 is at their Bernabeu Stadium.
As I watched Cristiano Ronaldo trudge off down the tunnel, his early goal not enough to send Real through as they bowed out 2-1 on aggregate in the second round, my immediate thoughts turned to the future of coach Manuel Pellegrini, but also the prospect of Real's worst nightmare coming to fruition.
African Challenge Faltering?
2010 was meant to be their year. Finally an African nation was going to make a sustained challenge at a World Cup.
It was on home turf for the first time and there were more African players operating in European superpowers than ever before. The Elephants were ready to rampage and the Black Stars were aiming for the sky. There was even optimism that Nigeria's Super Eagles may soar, having reached the semi-finals of the African Nations Cup.
But with the tournament just three months away, a cloak of uncertainty is wrapping itself around the African challenge.
Henry Deserves Better
Thierry Henry didn't touch the ball much during France's comprehensive 2-0 friendly defeat by Spain last Wednesday, but when he did, boos and jeers reverberated around the Stade de France.
France supporters are notoriously hard to please and seeing a Spain team ease to victory against their boys probably hammered home the magnitude of the task at this year's World Cup.
“El Apache” a Journalist's Dream
Carlos Tevez's assertion that John Terry would have "lost his legs" in his old neighborhood in Argentina for having an affair with Wayne Bridge's ex-partner is the stuff of journalistic fantasy.
The Manchester City striker twisted the knife further into Terry with quotes in the English press on Thursday suggesting the former England captain lacked a moral code.
City Players Battle for Bridge
John Terry having an affair with Wayne Bridge's ex-partner might just turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to Manchester City's season.
City have looked overly defensive and predictable since Roberto Mancini was appointed coach in December but on Saturday they produced a second-half performance full of fight and no little skill to hammer Chelsea 4-2.
Lucio on Another Level
I witnessed one of the best individual defensive performances of the season at the San Siro as Inter Milan defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League.
Lucio was an absolute colossus in central defense for the nerazzurri, who triumphed thanks to goals from Diego Milito and Esteban Cambiasso.
Spoilt Ronaldo Showing Himself Up
Cristiano Ronaldo's petulance knows no bounds. On-field strops seem to be par for the course with him these days, but even by his standards Sunday's display takes some beating.
Let's make no mistake, Ronaldo was sublime in Real Madrid's 6-2 thrashing of Villarreal, scoring the first, making two more and winning the penalty which Xabi Alonso converted. But Read more...
Pellegrini Forever on the Precipice
Manuel Pellegrini is a man constantly under pressure at Real Madrid. This pressure intensified after the 1-0 Champions League defeat to Lyon on Tuesday.
The trouble is that Real's squad is so expensively assembled that the convenient solution to the club's ills is to replace the coach. Get rid of Cristiano Ronaldo because the team often play better without him? Never. Sell Karim Benzema because he hasn't made the expected impact since joining from Lyon? No way. Instead of attempting to build a team with more equilibrium, it is easier just to replace the coach.