Soccer Fans

Shakira Waka Waka 3D This Is Africa NEW EDITED VERSION in HD

2010-06-17T12:23:00.000-04:00

The wildly popular Shakira and the Waka Waka This Is Africa song has just been reedited by Chrome and this version is just awesome!
Waka Waka is a high-powered montage of extraordinary soccer footage, from players scoring spectacular goals in packed outdoor stadiums to street kids running joyously on dilapidated fields throughout the world. Honigsberg flawlessly splices these scenes with shots of Shakira energetically dancing with her brightly dressed entourage, creating an outstanding story that at once captures the singer's passion and the spirit of the World Cup.

"I definitely felt privileged to work on this video for several reasons," noted Honigsberg. "Yes, it was a rare opportunity to cut the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup - and after watching over eight hours of past World Cup footage I've finally come around to being a soccer fanatic. But most importantly, the video acts as a platform to assist South African children through the sales of the solidarity T-shirts worn by the soccer players in this video. Ultimately, that will be the lasting contribution; providing educational opportunities to the children of South Africa."

via: Great-Ads | Shakira Waka Waka This Is Africa

World Cup Soccer Fans and Babes of the World

2009-02-20T14:14:00.003-05:00

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup just one year away I thought we should recap some of the beautiful soccer fans from the last World and Euro Cup before our hunt for the 2010 sexiest soccer fans begin.

I'm sure we all agree that soccer, football for my UK visitors truly has the greatest and best looking fans of any sport. Enjoy the clip you footy maniacs.

Are You Footballs Biggest Fan

2008-10-07T23:01:00.004-04:00

This lovely sexy footy babe wants to know if you are footballs biggest fan, soccer if you are from USA. I may not be footballs greatest fan but I think this footy babe has a new fan in me.

Croatia Ranked Number 5 In The World

2008-10-03T05:50:00.005-04:00

These lovely football supporters are just as thrilled as we are to see Croatia ranked number 5 in the world by FIFA. We will see these beautiful football fans in South Africa for the FIFA 2010 World Cup.

FIFA World Ranking 2008 CupSoccer Style

2008-09-28T19:24:00.007-04:00

Fifa recently updated their World Rankings this past September 2008, the 3rd to be exact. Spain remains number 1 and Italy is close behind at number 2. Turkey was down in 25th place on the FIFA World Ranking in May, a level to which they had not sunk since 2006. But the team coached by Fatih Terim, who took the reins in August 2005, have improved significantly in recent months and have stormed into tenth place.

All the technical mumbo jumbo about where each country ranks is really not important to us right now, what is more important are the fans!! Below in order by the Fifa World rankings are sexy football supporters for each country respectably. You decide if Fifa ranked each country properly.

Number One: SpainNumber Two: ItalyNumber Three: GermanyNumber Four: NetherlandsNumber Five: Croatia

More Wild Soccer Fans Supporting Their Country

2008-09-23T22:44:00.003-04:00

I thought we could take a new direction with our collection of wild, sexy and beautiful soccer fans, how does a view from behind sound? I thought it sounded good too, so I give you a wonderful example of two beautiful football fans from Italy and from Brazil.

Italian Soccer Fans - The Beautiful Ones

2008-09-21T21:13:00.005-04:00

Will Italy repeat and win the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, I hope so or we wont be seeing to many sexy soccer fans like these two beautiful Italian football supporters. images via: footyball.net

Brazilian Soccer Fans Are The Hottest

2008-09-21T10:08:00.002-04:00

Yet another hot Brasilian soccer babe to add to our collection of the hottest soccer fans around the world. Brazilian soccer fans are the hottest.

Budweiser The Official Beer of The 2010 FIFA World Cup

2008-09-20T20:30:00.004-04:00

It's official FIFA and Budweiser agree to terms and they will be the official beer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Come on, was their really any doubt they would not be; no other beer company has sexy babes like Budweiser.

I Love Football - Beautiful Soccer Fan

2008-09-10T22:04:00.001-04:00

Just another beautiful soccer fan cheering on her team. We love football too!

Two Beautiful Croatian Soccer Fans Celebrating

2008-09-10T21:59:00.003-04:00

Croatian soccer fans celebrating. You know most football and soccer fans are truly the greatest of all sports fans, but I have to admit the Croatian fans are some of the best in the world. They lost their Fifa 2010 World Cup qualifying match today 4 - 1 to England. They'll bounce back for sure.

Brazilian Twins Synchronized Olympic Swimming Team

2008-08-23T07:44:00.005-04:00

The Beijing Olympic Synchronized Swimming has begun, and in keeping with the Olympic theme for another few days, why not enjoy the sexy Brazilian twins Mia and Branca Feres. Who knew synchronized swimming could be so sexy?

German Soccer Fans Showing Off

2008-08-18T21:21:00.002-04:00

Judging by the look on these sexy soccer fans, I think their team lost the match.

Polish Soccer Fans Enjoying The Match

2008-08-18T21:12:00.004-04:00

Polish soccer fans, this young lady is being frisked by security before entering the stadium. Now I ask you, she is a sexy football fan and her clothes do seem rather tight fitting, is it possible this guy is just enjoying his job too much.

This sexy soccer fan is supporting her team from Poland, sorry I meant Polska. Isn't great admiring the fact that every soccer nation has beautiful sexy soccer fans?

George Bush gets Into The Beach VolleyBall Action at the Olympics

2008-08-16T01:03:00.003-04:00

Keeping in the spirit of the Olympic Games and the sexy Olympic athletes in Beijing, George Bush stopped by the beach the other day and met with beach volleyball medal contenders: Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh. I thought I was the only one who was enjoying the sexy Olympic beach Volleyball action!
So much is being said about how women are being exploited at the 2008 Olympic games, looks like even George W. Bush wanted to get into the action with the sexy Olympic Beach Volleyball ladies. It is o.k. people beach volleyball is a sport and there are many sexy Olympic athletes playing the sport.
Kerri Walsh most certainly has excellent form, now this is what we call a talented Olympic athlete, we can't argue with the president of the United States now can we. Do you think George is thinking just how sexy these Olympians are too?

2008 Beach VolleyBall Olympic Athletes

2008-08-14T06:18:00.005-04:00

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are off to great start, and we have seen great athletic performances, keeping in the spirit of the most beautiful Olympians at the games it is time to take a closer look at the 2008 Olympic Beach Volleyball competition. Below are some random images from what has become a very popular sport at the Olympics. I would love to say that these are some of the sexiest Olympic athletes but, that wouldn't be very fair of me, not would it.

Dara Torres, Sexy Olympic Athlete and Now Olympic Silver Medal Winner

2008-08-13T07:25:00.004-04:00

Beautiful Olympic Athlete "Dara Torres" - Still turning heads at 41.

When we look at some of the beautiful athletes at the Olympics this year, how can we not look at the beautiful and very sexy Dara Torres. The 41 year old mother still looks and is in the best shape of her life, now that is a sexy Olympic athlete.

Forty-one-year-old Dara Torres led the women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay to a silver medal finish. She's the oldest woman ever to make the U.S. Olympic swim team. “The water doesn’t know what age you are when you jump in,” Torres told NBC's Matt Lauer last month. “So why not?”

Puma Soccer Commercial The World Of Football

2008-08-12T21:52:00.004-04:00

2008 Puma Soccer Commercial, The World Of Football.
Be sure to turn your volume up - the sound effects are great in this Puma Soccer Commercial.

PUMA takes you to the world of football in the year 2178 AD where they launch the v1.178 Speed Legs and transform the game as we know it. This spot is for the new v1.08 speed boot and is absolutely brilliant! Athletes appearing include: Buffon, Eto'o, Ljungberg, Crouch and Anelka

Hot Sexy 2008 Olympic Sexiest Female Athletes

2008-08-10T14:08:00.010-04:00

Sexiest female athlete to watch at the Olympic games Ana Ivanovic from Serbia.
Sexy female Olympic Athletes, the list is growing quickly from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Woman's singles tennis star Ana Ivanovic is one the hottest women at the Olympic games this year, and with pictures like this, you can see why!
Tennis, gentlemen she plays tennis...Filed under Sexiest Olympic Athletes

Sexy Olympic Athlete Logan Tom USA Beach Volleyball

2008-08-10T13:42:00.004-04:00

Sexy Olympic Athletes, Logan Tom. Logan not only a a great athlete and member of the popular US Beach Volleyball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, but a rather sexy Olympic athlete.

click to enlarge image
Logan Tom, sexy Olympic athlete - USA Volleyball team.

Amanda Beard Sexiest Olympic Athlete Ever

2008-08-09T21:34:00.002-04:00

You wanted more Sexy Olympic Athletes, Amanda Beard is by far the sexiest athlete at the Olympics of 2008. I think the image speaks for itself, in case you are wonder this sexy athlete posed nude for the Peta campaign - Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin. Don't Wear Fur.

Amanda Beard for Peta

2008 Beijing Olympics Sexy Olympian Athletes

2008-08-09T13:58:00.010-04:00

Well the 2008 Beijing Olympics have begun, and what better way to celebrate the Olympics than to feature some of the sexiest, beautiful and truly wonderful athletes of the games. Yes, these are a few of the sexiest female athletes at the Beijing Olympics.

Blanca Vlasic - Croatian High Jumper

Haley Cope - member of the U.S.A Olympic Swim Team, and featured model on Maxim and FHM just name a few

Heather Mitts - U.S.A Soccer Team and Sexy Olympians finalist.

Amanda Beard - U.S.A Olympic Swim Team

Bia and Branca Feres - The Brazilian born twins and Synchronized Swimming Team partners at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The obvious finalist for sexiest Olympic Athletes for sure.

Enjoy the games of 2008 in Beijing, more sexy Beijing Olympic athletes will be posted as the games go on over the next couple of weeks. Something has to keep us busy while we wait for soccer to get going again.

Toronto FC Soccer fans and Supporters The Best

2008-08-09T13:19:00.004-04:00

With Football alive and thriving in Toronto, it is appropriate to show of fthese fans in action. Only being in the league for 2 short years the Toronto FC fans have proven to be the best in the league.This guy is great, even Toronto loves David Beckham.

Italian Soccer Fan Roaming The Streets

2008-08-09T12:58:00.005-04:00

An Italian soccer fan roaming the streets with a crowd of Italian football fans. This sexy soccer fan from the looks of it just might of had too much pasta for lunch. Still a beautiful football supporter.

Spainish Soccer Players Nike Commercial

2008-07-31T04:54:00.005-04:00

Spanish football supporters you will enjoy this and soccer fans in general will enjoy this Nike soccer commercial, the music is great, and well shirtless hot soccer players are always great to watch.

Nike advertising, this advertising seems to virtually involve a crush between Spain’s football team and their soccer fans.

All five soccer players in this ad, Fernando Torres, Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Puyol and Fábregas are all sponsored by Nike as individuals. They are all individually sponsored by Nike; however the Spanish national team is sponsored by ADIDAS.

People in the background are discussing why the Spanish football team can’t win any big tournament and what the team needs to be successful. This must have been created well before they won the EuroCup!

The answer is taking football to the next level and win with Nike of course.

Video Clip, Beautiful Sexy Soccer Football Wags

2008-07-27T20:46:00.003-04:00

The EuroCup not only showcased some of the world's greatest soccer teams and footballers, but as you can tell from my little site here... some of the world's most beautiful soccer fans.

I think you will all enjoy this video clip of the sexiest wags.

The Best WAG's (Wive and girlfriends) of the Euro 2008 and the sexiest soccer wives, I have to go with Christiano Ronaldo's lovely girlfriend Nereida Gallardo as the best of the wag's.

Alena Seredova - Gianluigi Buffon
Edita Hortova - Milan Baros
Anine Bing - Anders Svensson
Sylvie van der Vaart - Rafael van der Vaart
Nereida Gallardo - Christiano Ronaldo

10 Hot Soccer Players , the super Hot ones....

2008-07-24T21:25:00.011-04:00

We've had too many requests for more sexy soccer players to be shared, so here we go with a collection of some of the sexiest soccer players in the world.

10 Sexy Soccer Players, by popular demand!

The super sexy Italian soccer player Fabio Cannavaro and Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso will take off their cloths for you. Hey, wait, there's more, the duo will also be joined by Andrea Pirlo, Manuele Blasi and Gianluca Zambrotta. The five hunks together will striptease in the latest steamy commercial for Dolce & Gabbana. This one counts for five sexy soccer players.
Italian superstar and another sexy soccer player Luca Toni
What would a list of sexy soccer players be without the one and only sexiest footballer of them all, Christiano Ronaldo.
Model and and Swedish soccer star Fredrik Ljungberg.

Finally, I was told I had to include Spanish forward Fernando Torres as one the hottest soccer players.

Soccer Fans From The EuroCup

2008-07-13T13:46:00.004-04:00

Just a few random shots of more ladies supporting their teams at the EuroCup. Croatian fans above celebrating a respectful performance at the EuroCup and a lovely Czech fan simply looking on and looking beautiful I might add.

Thanks to GaleriaShqiptare.net for the images

Italian Soccer Fans Spotted At The EuroCup

2008-07-13T13:28:00.009-04:00

Italian Soccer Fans - Sexy Soccer Fans

Italy not only has a tremdous soccer history with some of the greatest players in the world today but, their fans...wowzers have they some truly beautiful fans. some of the sexiest soccers fans in the world are from Italy. I make my point with the images that follow...enjoy.Have I convinced you yet that Italy not only produces great soccer players but some very beautiful sensual soccer fans as well?

The Hottest Footballers In The Game TOP 5 LIST

2008-07-12T10:30:00.010-04:00

I had a few ladies comment about us not sharing images of the best looking and sexiest soccer players on the site, so we conducted a brief survey and had the ladies and yes a few men vote for the hottest sexiest soccer players - footballers in the game today.

Without out further ado I give you:
THE HOTTEST FOOTBALLERS TOP 5 LIST

Number 1 Christiano Ronaldo
Number 2 Sergio Ramos
pictured here with his special friend Miss Spain Elizabeth Reyes
Number 3 Luca Toni
Pictured here with his lovely lady Italian model Marta Cecchetto

Number 4 Fernando Torres
Number 5 Gianluigi BuffonKeep in mind we did this just after the EuroCup so it was pretty much just the European soccer players who came to mind when the survey was done.

The EuroCup and The Ladies Who Love It

2008-07-08T14:49:00.007-04:00

Well, congrats to Spain and the Spanish Fans on winning the EuroCup, a well deserved championship. Now back to the issue at hand - THE FANS! Enjoy a small but very enticing collection of a few more soccer fans from the EuroCup.

World Cup 2010 here we come.

More Random Beautiful Soccer Supporters

2008-05-14T16:26:00.005-04:00

From Korea with love.

Dutch soccer fans having fun.

A real hearted sexy soccer fan from Trinidad & Tobago.

A Soccer Fan From Germany - The Skirt

2008-05-14T16:14:00.004-04:00

Isn't soccer, football or whatever you want to call this great game simply wonderful?

Soccer fans truly are the greatest, don't you agree?
This soccer fan from Germany doesn't mind what happens to her skirt,
she just wants to get to her seat and enjoy the football.

A Few Lovely Ukrainian Soccer Football Fans

2008-05-14T16:08:00.005-04:00

The Ukrainians may not be be a football power house, but they do have some very sexy soccer fans.

Check back often, with the 2008 Euro Cup just around the corner I'll be sharing even more lovely sexy soccer fans from Europe.

Football and A Swedish Kiss - Soccer Fans

2008-04-29T08:10:00.006-04:00

These sexy soccer fans from Sweden couldn't help but to express their joy over the game of football and Sweden so they had gave the other fans a thrill during this soccer match.

Italian Soccer Fan Gets Excited

2008-04-29T08:06:00.003-04:00

A couple enjoying and supporting the Italian National Football Club. This lovely Italian woman is obviously a fan of the game!!

Fans of Soccer Football Truly Are The Sexiest

2008-04-27T14:52:00.006-04:00

For those of you who are not soccer fans, I give you these reasons below to closely examine and then decide if soccer is not the greatest sport in the world.

...and we do have the sexiest soccer fans period.Above a German soccer fan, very nice and a Brazilian football fan enjoying the view of lovely Austrian supporter in the stands.
Soccer truly does have some of worlds sexiest fans and loyal supporters.

Sexy Soccer Babes - Football Babes

2008-04-27T14:40:00.003-04:00

Now these sexy soccer ladies are on to something exciting, I only wish the rest of us knew where this soccer game was being held. After examining this wonderful image for sometime I notice the soccer ball was an England ball. Is soccer sexy? It most certainly is.

Attractive Football Fans Seem To Travel In Pairs

2008-04-18T08:52:00.003-04:00

Has anyone else noticed that the sexiest of football fans seem to travel in pairs?

Anyway, here is today's soccer babes of the day.

Beautiful Croatian Soccer Model - Hrvatska

2008-04-16T11:06:00.004-04:00

For our Hrvatska Croatian soccer fan supporters we came across these shots of a lovely model sporting a beautiful new Croatian uniform for our viewing pleasure.
Special thanks to the guys at SoccerAlley dot com for finding these sexy soccer fans.

The Sexy Women Behind The Great Soccer Players

2008-04-08T10:41:00.007-04:00

Celebrating the opening of the past Fifa World Cup of Soccer
the trio of Pamela Diaz, Alena Seredova and Raica Oliveira participated in a fashion show.
Details of who these lovely soccer women belong too are below.

Ronaldo, the the Brazilian football superstar keeps his feet grounded with his stunningly beautiful girlfriend Raica Oliveira.

Gianluigi Buffon the Italian goalkeeper for the Italian National Soccer team
didn't do too badly with his lovely girlfriend Alena Seredova.

Pamela Diaz,
the girlfriend of Manuel Neira of the Spanish club Union Espanola.

Soccer Babes - USA Mexico and Croatia

2008-04-04T19:45:00.006-04:00

Another small collection of soccer babes from around the world of soccer and football.

Today we feature soccer fans from Mexico, a rare entry from the United States and a farewell kiss from 3 football fans from Croatia.Lets be honest, the United States is far from becoming a soccer power house, and their contribution of soccer babes is few and far between. Having said that I think they have been redeemed with this sexy soccer supporter.

Soccer Babes From Germany and A Swiss

2008-04-02T09:46:00.005-04:00

Just a few more soccer fans from Germany and Switzerland for your viewing pleasure.It is so nice to see a woman who loves her football this much.

England Has Some Lovely Football Fans

2008-04-02T09:27:00.006-04:00

England most certainly has some very lovely football supporters of their national team.

A small collection of sexy soccer fans with the English persuasion.

English Soccer Fans Celebrating In The Street

2008-04-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

A trio of lovely English soccer fans celebrating in the street.

Italian Soccer Fans Lovely Ladies

2008-03-30T20:19:00.000-04:00

Calcio Italia, what is world cup of soccer without a collection from the Italian side?
A history of fabulous football and some very lovely fans to cheer them on.

Argentina Has A New Soccer Team, Wow!

2008-03-30T20:06:00.000-04:00

With a team like this Argentina should be the fan favorite for the next Fifa World Cup.
Every nation should have a second national soccer team just like this one.

More Soccer Fans Enjoy The Match

2008-03-28T09:51:00.000-04:00

A true Italian Fan supporting the Azzuri

Two lovely ladies from Croatia after the Brazil and Croatia Match

Ah the Brazilians. No need for words here.

Sexy Soccer Fans From Around the Globe

2008-03-27T10:40:00.002-04:00

More Lovely Soccer Babes

2007-11-14T00:28:00.002-05:00

Do we really care who wins

Cheer on sweety...cheer on

More Sexy Soccer Fans

2007-05-26T16:51:00.001-04:00

Yum Yum Yum....I don't know who they are cheering for and to be honest I don't care!
I can't thank god enough for the wonderful gift of vision.

Italy Wins Cups and here are the Fans...Hot

2006-07-10T18:35:00.001-04:00

Wow, Buffone Has one lovely lady

2006-07-06T22:55:00.001-04:00

Toronto streets flooded with Italian soccer fans

2006-07-06T22:46:00.000-04:00

Toronto streets flooded with Italian soccer fans

Canadian Press

TORONTO — Throngs of Italian soccer fans have hit the streets of Toronto to celebrate their team's win over Germany in the World Cup.

The city's Little Italy district was flooded with fans just moments after Italy won 2-0 today.

Fans tried to take over the streets but police were standing by to maintain order and ensure traffic could pass.

Toronto's College Street is likely to be awash in Italy's colours well into the evening, as the street partiers celebrate their team's berth into Sunday's World Cup final.

Italy will play the winner of tomorrow's Portugal and France match.

Italia Makes it to the semi finals....hello sweetheart

2006-07-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

Love em or hate them....italy has some of the sweetest fans!!
FORZA ITALIA

Today's sexy fan spottings in Germany

2006-06-28T12:55:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, heres todays sexy fan spottings in Germany
.....enjoy

what the.............................

2006-06-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

Were down to 8 teams, and the girls get finer and finer

2006-06-27T13:15:00.000-04:00

I found more soccer babes watching the world cup

2006-06-27T13:14:00.001-04:00

I think shes determined to get to her favorite soccer player....good bless her

Theres Nothing to be said here......

2006-06-24T15:11:00.001-04:00

Remember world cup 2002? this is priceless!!

2006-06-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

This one was just too funny I couldn't resist posting this for you guys.
Did she fart or do these guys take their soccer too seriously?

Ohhhhhhh Brazil

2006-06-24T14:47:00.001-04:00

TRULY THE GREATEST TEAM EVER.......BRAZIL!!!!!!

Anyone disagree??

I didn't think so.....lol

Argentina..won 6-0

2006-06-22T22:17:00.000-04:00

I heard there was a game something about Argentina winning 6-0
Yaaaaa....I'm sure thats what I heard

Even More Sexy Fans

2006-06-22T22:12:00.001-04:00

I think we have a number of countries represented here....

Just Sexy soccer Fans

2006-06-22T22:06:00.001-04:00

Well...............this blog has totally lost what it started out being.....BRING ON THE SOCCER HUNNY'S

Even More Sexy World Cup Soccer Women

2006-06-09T15:22:00.002-04:00

I know my blog kinda got side tracked...well, here they are.....Todays Hot Sexy Soccer Ladies...I still have know who I'm cheering for....Croatia, Italy, France, Brazil I'm really starting to like the Italian and USA combination....what do you think?

More Hot Soccer Ladies

2006-06-07T10:05:00.000-04:00

I have know idea who I'm cheering for anymore...china....france.....I think we need more teams to pick from.

Sexy Soccer Ladies

2006-06-07T08:42:00.002-04:00

uuhhhhhhhh, ya...thats my team.....go USA....I mean go Argentina.....uuhhhhhh......its a draw

WOW...SOCCER IS SEXY!!!

2006-06-07T08:33:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist, but we all know soccer is the greatest game alive, and these pictures reconfirm just how great the game of soccer and the fifa world cup frenzy really is.....enjoy!! I can't thank god enough for the gift of vision and soccer!!!

one is never enough......

Robinson reaches new flights with World Cup ball

2006-06-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

Paul Robinson hates flying, but it is the flight of a football that is worrying him ahead of the World Cup.

The England goalkeeper has spent the last month trying to read the unpredictable trajectory of the new-look balls that are going to be used at the tournament -- and admits he is still no closer to working them out.

"It is very goalkeeper-unfriendly," Robinson said. "I don't know if it's an unfair advantage for forwards, but it's a difficult ball for goalkeepers.

"It's two pieces glued together. It moves a lot. It's light like a volleyball, and when it's wet it's even worse."

Robinson has tried to cram in as much practice as possible with the new ball, surreptiously slipping a few into the bag for training sessions at Tottenham towards the end of the season.

Pele, Maradona and 170 former winners to star at World Cup opening

2006-06-06T22:50:00.000-04:00

Pele, Diego Maradona and more than 170 players who have won the World Cup will be the stars of the glittering opening ceremony for this year's tournament, the organisers said.

Pele, widely considered the world's greatest ever player, will carry the World Cup trophy on to the pitch of the futuristic Munich stadium with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

The ceremony will take place directly before the opening match of the tournament between host nation Germany and Costa Rica.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said inviting players who have won the World Cup since its inauguration in 1930 would create "a special atmosphere".

All 22 players from the 1974 final in which Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1 in Munich will be present for the ceremony, the organisers said.

England play down Rooney hopes but Ronaldo is fit again

2006-06-06T22:45:00.000-04:00

England tried to temper pre-World Cup optimism that Wayne Rooney had made a rapid recovery from injury, while reigning champions Brazil said striker Ronaldo was sure to line up in their first match.

Pele and Diego Maradona, arguably the two best players in the history of football, will be the stars of the opening ceremony in Munich on Friday immediately before host nation Germany take on Costa Rica in the first match, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

The eyes of England are on the broken foot bone of Rooney, the 20-year-old Manchester United striker and potentially his team's most influential player, after signs he may be able to play some part in his country's opening matches just weeks after being on crutches.

Pictures of Rooney launching into the air for a scissor-kick with his injured right foot dominated front pages in Britain, but England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson pleaded for calm until the player has an all-important scan on Wednesday.

A decision on whether Rooney will stay in the England camp, or be replaced before FIFA's June 9 deadline, will be taken afterwards.

"I think there's been said so much about Rooney, let's wait until tomorrow afternoon or Thursday morning," Eriksson said after his players had their first training session at their picturesque base in Baden-Baden.

"I think he looks very good. I don't really have any other news about him. Let's wait as, very soon, we will know what is going to happen about him."

Ronaldo, who needs two goals in this World Cup to equal the 14-goal tournament record held by Gerd Muller of West Germany, will be fit to face Croatia in Brazil's Group F opener on June 13, team doctors said.

He has complained of pains and blisters on his feet and attributed them to new boots, so the Brazilian medical staff asked his club Real Madrid to send several pairs of his normal boots.

"The healing process and the blisters is virtually complete," said Brazil team doctor Jose Luis Runco. "Ronaldo won't have any more problems."

Italy's troubled preparations suffered a fresh blow when defender Gianluca Zambrotta was ruled out of their first match against Ghana on Monday because of a thigh injury, the Italian team doctor told the Ansa news agency.

Another defender Alessandro Nesta is also uncertain because of muscular problems as Italy struggle to prepare against the backdrop of a wide-ranging investigation into match-fixing into some top Italian clubs.

FIFA said Friday's opening ceremony would be a celebration of past winners of football's biggest prize, including all 22 players from the 1974 final in Munich in which West Germany beat the Netherlands 2-1.

Pele will carry the trophy into the futuristic Munich stadium with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

The Netherlands were set to arrive in their training base in western Germany on Tuesday, while the United States were still searching for form in an indifferent warmup campaign after they beat Angola 1-0 in a friendly played behind closed doors on Monday.

Scolari warns Ronaldo to cool it

2006-06-04T18:14:00.000-04:00

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has warned Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo to control his temper at the FIFA World Cup™ after he received a yellow card at a warm-up match over the weekend.

"It's a situation that worries me because the majority of our opponents provoke Cristiano and he does not know how to deal with it," he told state-run television RTP. "Our opponents know that if they get at Cristiano he will react this way. Cristiano has to understand that he is part of a group and these attitudes hurt the entire group and not just him," he added.

"We need to show Cristiano the difficulties which he has to face because decisive games are coming up. I am sure he will listen to me and his team-mates beacause it is crucial that this type of imprudent act is not repeated at the World Cup."

Ronaldo, 21, got a yellow card in the 31st minute after being fouled and pushing opponent Jeff Strasser in the throat during Portugal's 3-0 warm-up win over Luxembourg in Metz, France on Saturday.

The winger apologised for the incident after the match. "You can see my foot and leg, this was not easy but this doesn't justify my reaction. I expect not to do it again so as not to be penalised at the World Cup," he said.

Portugal are pooled with Mexico, Iran and Angola in FIFA World Cup Group D with their first match against debutants Angola in Cologne, Germany, on 11 June, two days after the start of the tournament.

Don't rush Rooney, warns Pele

2006-06-04T18:01:00.000-04:00

Brazilian legend Pele urged England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson not to rush Wayne Rooney into a premature return from injury for the World Cup.

Although the England coach is confident 20-year-old Rooney will play in Germany, Pele believes it could put the entire team's campaign in danger.

"It concerns me to hear that England may take Rooney," Pele told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

"It's dangerous to take a player whose fitness is in question. It can disturb the way the coach chooses his team."

Three-time World Cup winner Pele compared the dilemma to that Brazil faced in 1998 when Ronaldo played in the World Cup final against France despite not being fit.

"He played in the final even though he had been taken ill on the day of the game and Brazil lost 3-0," he said.

"The World Cup lasts only four weeks. You need players who are at the top of their game, which includes their fitness."

Pele added: "England have plenty of other big-match players such as David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. They are not a one-man team."

Rooney is recovering from the metatarsal injury he suffered five weeks ago, and a scan next Wednesday will determine whether Eriksson retains him in his squad for the finals.

I'd cry if we win the World Cup, says Beckham

2006-06-04T17:57:00.000-04:00

David Beckham says be would probably burst into tears if England were to win the World Cup.

The England skipper believes his side have every chance of victory in Berlin on July 9 and admits it would be very emotional moment.

"It would be incredible and I know what would happen," Beckham said Sunday.

"I am an emotional person and there's no doubt I would cry. It's made many captains cry over many years and many World Cups.

"Winning trophies is always an emotional moment and the World Cup is the biggest trophy of them all and will be the biggest thrill.

"As a kid, I always dreamed of playing for Manchester United and for my country, being captain of my country and winning trophies.

"And I am so lucky that I have been able to do all of those things - except winning something with my country, so that would really top it off for me."

Beckham continued his preparations by playing 68 minutes of Saturday's 6-0 rout of Jamaica at Old Trafford, with Sven Goran Eriksson's side starting their Group B campaign next Saturday against Paraguay.

And Beckham insisted that England need to get off to a strong start to their group stages in order to set the tone for their campaign in Germany.

"If you don't start off well, it puts still more pressure on you, but hopefully we can put that right," he said.

"I don't think the games are going to be as easy as people think. Paraguay are going to be very tough to come up against straight off.

"And each team in the group has players with the potential to upset us, so it is vitally important we get a good start."

"Germany-Cocktail"

2006-06-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

Manuel Goetzendoerfer takes a sip of his so-called "Germany-Cocktail"
Manuel Goetzendoerfer takes a sip of his so-called "Germany-Cocktail" 01 June 2006 in Munich. Together with two other students of Munich's Technical University, he developed the drink in the national colors of Germany for the FIFA Football World Cup to take place in Germany from 09 June to 09 July 2006. The cocktail mainly consists of black vodka, blood orange juice mixed with grenadine (red) and orange juice (gold). AFP PHOTO DDP/JOERG KOCH GERMANY OUT

US team arrive at high-security World Cup base

2006-06-02T21:24:00.000-04:00

The US team arrived in Germany to take up their heavily guarded World Cup headquarters just one week before the tournament begins.

The US delegation, led by coach Bruce Arena and captain Claudio Reyna, arrived at the Fuehlsbuttel airport after a seven-hour flight from Newark.

They were serenaded by a choir singing "We are the Champions" before boarding a bus to take them to the Park Hyatt hotel in the centre of the city.

Unlike many of the 32 nations, who are based in hotels tucked deep in the countryside, the United States have opted for a city centre location just as they did at the 2002 World Cup where they were based in the South Korean capital Seoul.

Security will be tight due to the possibility of attacks from Islamic extremists.

The team was to have its first workout later in the day at the Norderstedt training base of the SV Hamburg Bundesliga club.

The US team's preparations have included a defeat to Morocco and victories over Venezuela and Latvia.

The US exceeded expectations at the 2002 tournament by reaching the quarter-finals where they were eliminated by eventual finalists Germany.

They will play the Czech Republic, Italy and Ghana in a tough-looking first-round Group E.

Italy coach angered by strong-arm Swiss

2006-06-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

Italy coach Marcello Lippi slammed Switzerland's tough tackling after watching his side held to a 1-1 draw in a World Cup warm-up match.

Lippi, whose side face Ukraine in a further friendly on Friday, was unhappy at the uncompromising physical approach shown by the Italians' fellow World Cup qualifiers in Wednesday's game.

The silver-haired guru, already deprived of Alessandro Nesta and Gianluca Zambrotta, said he had been forced to change half his team during the second half because of Switzerland's tactics.

"We came for a friendly, but we came across a team that was aiming for a little more than that," he explained.

"We suffered from so many incidents that I was forced to make substitutions that I hadn't planned."

However, Switzerland -- who, unlike Italy, can hardly lay claim to being one of the favourites in Germany -- made just as many changes from a starting line-up that was also weakened.

The Azzurri also clocked up two yellow cards to a single Swiss one.

While the former Juventus coach was justifiably satisfied with his side's tight-knit and sometimes five-strong defence, Switzerland fielded only a single striker throughout the game, Alexander Frei.

Frei candidly admitted afterwards that he was out of shape.

Italy can expect a tougher challenge from Ukraine's veteran Sergei Rebrov and possibly Chelsea-bound Andrei Shevchenko, if he is fit enough to play on Friday.

Lippi's complaint about Swiss vigour also proved to be something of a backhanded compliment for Arsenal duo Philippe Senderos and especially 19 year-old Johan Djourou on only his second international.

Djourou, still a reserve for his club, was sweeping balls off opponents with the confidence of an Italian veteran.

Italy, meanwhile, only created a single scoring chance in the first half, for their only goal, and that was helped on by a glaring defensive error.

The Azzurri's tense midfield seemed to struggle to shrug off training rituals.

Apart from flashes of sharpness up front in the second half, Lippi only had two clear causes for satisfaction.

One was that, with a few days in Switzerland, the squad have a chance to put some distance between themselves and the match fixing scandal at home.

The other was Francesco Totti. Playing his first international since he broke his ankle in February, the Roma star gingerly confronted Djourou and Senderos.

But once he dropped deeper into midfield, Totti was threading potentially match winning passes through to the penalty area.

"He grew as the minutes went by - he started off rather unsteadily. But he played better in the second half ," Lippi observed.

Ukraine head into the friendly against Italy with a decisive 4-0 victory against Costa Rica under their belt.

Injuries have forced coach Oleg Blokhin to replace several key players.

But the Italians may find in their last warm-up before Germany that the Ukranian substitutes from the under-21 side are just as eager to prove their worth as the Swiss youngsters.

Cole fired by remembrance of tournaments past

2006-06-01T22:53:00.000-04:00

Cole fired by remembrance of tournaments past

When Joe Cole looks forward to the World Cup, he always starts with a backwards glance.

Four years ago, Cole, by his own admission, was just glad to be in Japan, content that his status as a fringe player in the England squad that reached the quarter-finals was commensurate with his age and experience.

But the experience of going to Euro 2004 and not seeing a single minute of action is one he does not enjoy recalling, even if he does accept that the short-term pain contributed to long-term gain in terms of his development as a player over the last two years.

"I was a kid, 20-years-old at the last World Cup and I was happy to be there and enjoyed the experience," Cole said ahead of England's final warm-up for Germany, an Old Trafford friendly against Jamaica.

"But the last tournament was disappointing for me personally because I didn't play at all. It hurts and I said then that I didn't want that to happen again.

"You want to play and I said to myself 'I don't want to go to another tournament and not help the team or not make an impact' so hopefully in whatever role I'm called upon this summer I can help us win some games."

With Wayne Rooney set to miss some or all of the tournament, the importance of Cole's creative spark for England has been increased and his recent form, for both club and country, has been reassuringly strong.

His ability to cut inside from his left-midfield berth and take opponents out of the game was at the root of much of England's good work in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Hungary, in which Steven Gerrard was deployed in Rooney's normal position behind Michael Owen.

For many of Cole's admirers, the former West Ham player is equally well-equipped to exploit the freedom to roam offered by that particular role.

But it is indicative of how much more disciplined he has become, that there is no longer any serious questioning of his ability to hold down a midfield berth in which he has to balance the need to get forward with the more prosaic task of ensuring left-back Ashley Cole is not overly exposed.

That has been widely attributed to the guidance of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who has worked hard to eradicate Cole's early tendency to over elaborate and concede possession too cheaply.

But the player himself slightly balks at suggestions he has undergone a sort of Damascene conversion to the importance of tracking back since moving to Stamford Bridge.

Having been so highly-rated as a teenage prodigy at West Ham, Cole believes he has suffered from having had to do his growing-up, as a footballer, in public.

"It has been difficult because all my mistakes have come under the scrutiny from everyone. That is no-one's fault but it is how it was for me. I have lived with those (high) expectations for a long time.

"I don't feel I have gone from the biggest duffer who has kicked a football to a good player. I have always been a good player who has just tried to get better.

"The last two years have been fantastic for me but the hard work starts now. I want to help the team to do something."

Stadium Live Webcams

2006-05-31T20:31:00.000-04:00

If your looking forward to watching the world cup this year
then you have to check out this link. You'll find links to live web cam feeds to all the stadiums in Germany hosting world cup games.
I really think its great. Let me Know what you all think.

Italians losing faith in football

2006-05-31T07:33:00.000-04:00

Italians losing faith in football

The weather is beautiful - but the mood is ugly.

As football fans around the world are preparing for a month of hope, exaltation and for most inevitable heartbreak, for many football-loving Italians the agony has already begun.

Their faith in the game has been stretched to breaking point by the biggest scandal in the country's sporting history.

An unseasonable cynicism is threatening to make a mockery of Italians' four-yearly voyage to football heaven and hell.
And they could do with something to cheer about. The economy shows few signs of life - and the recent general election left the country as divided as ever.

Time, if ever there was one, for a spot of feel-good football fever. But it is not to be: revelations about the extent of corruption in the domestic game have seen to that.

Big scalps

Back in 1966, disgruntled fans threw rotten tomatoes at their under-performing prima donnas when they flew home early after being dumped out of the World Cup by the minnows of North Korea.

This year, they have started early. When Gianluigi Buffon - the world's most expensive goalkeeper - joined his team-mates for pre-tournament training the fans whistled their derision.

The reason: Buffon is being investigated for illegal gambling - an allegation he has denied. Buffon is not alone. From Turin in the north to Rome in the south, there is a heavy reek of corruption about the game they call calcio.

As if to underline the seriousness of the problem, the same man who led the inquiry into political corruption in the 1990s has been appointed to head the investigation into what the papers have dubbed Calciogate.

Match-fixing, transfer-fixing, false accounting - it has everything. It touches the biggest clubs in the country: Juventus and AC Milan are being investigated, as well as Rome's Lazio and Fiorentina of Florence.

Already it has claimed the heads of the Juventus board, as well as the president and vice-president of the Italian football federation.

One of the two Italian referees who had been picked to officiate at the World Cup has had to unpack his bags after being incriminated in the row over whether Juventus was able to effectively pick its match officials.

End of affair

You can bet your bottom dollar it will not stop there. There have even been suggestions that the position of the national team coach, Marcello Lippi, has been compromised by his links with some of the men at the centre of the row.

For now, Lippi has the confidence of the man appointed to sort out the mess. After the World Cup, though, it is anybody's guess.

One of the wisest heads in world football, Franz Beckenbauer, says it is all bound to take its toll on the team's performance when the tournament begins.

Three times winners of the World Cup, Italians are passionate about their football.

The scandal is the talk of the town - the chatter at cafes and bars is of little else. There is a touch of Machiavelli about it all: a belief by powerful men that the ends justifies the means.

But it has introduced a tired world-weariness into the way ordinary football-loving Italians talk.

For Aldo Lundari - a lifelong Juventus supporter, like his father before him - what has happened marks the end of the affair.

"They have taken us for a ride," he says, sipping a glass of chilled white wine, a Juventus flag still hanging limply from his home in Bergamo, outside Milan.

For Aldo - as for many other Italians - what happens in Germany is now of only academic interest.

"I'll watch the World Cup - he says, sadly - but it just won't be the same."

By Mark Duff BBC News in Milan

World Cup 2006 Group E Preview: United States Of America

2006-05-31T07:25:00.000-04:00

World Cup 2006 Group E Preview: United States Of America

By Alan | Related entries in World Cup 2006
Bruce Arena leads his USA side into battle in Germany sitting comfortably as the fourth placed side in FIFAs world football rankings. Whether they deserve such a lofty position (even in the extremely questionable world of FIFA rankings) is debatable but one thing is for sure: the United States are more hopeful tha never of reaching the final stages of the World Cup.

A quarter final defeat to eventual finallists Germany in 2002 displayed just how far the Americans have came since their return to the World Cup in 1990, their first in forty years. Now with growing Major League Soccer attendences and an experienced misture of both European based and homegrown players, they are aiming to go one better in Germany and make it through to the semi finals to really cement their growing reputation as one of the world’s footballing powers.

Football (I can’t bear to call it soccer ) will never be one of the top sports in the USA regardless of the giant leaps it has been making in recent years, it will forever be the doyen of kids and Europeanised real sports fans but another good World Cup would go some way to showing the rest ofthe football loving world that the Americans are no longer a laughing stock and that they don’t even need any shoulderpads or kneepads to compete.

Red Bull denies 120-million-dollar offer for Ronaldo

2006-05-30T17:11:00.000-04:00

Red Bull denies 120-million-dollar offer for Ronaldo

The Austrian maker of the energy drink Red Bull denied reports that it had offered Brazilian striker Ronaldo a 10-year contract worth 120 million dollars to play for US club Red Bull New York.

"It is false that there is or was a 10-year offer in the absurd amount of 120 million dollars," the company said in a statement.

"There was and is no such offer for Ronaldo. Therefore he cannot have rejected it," Red Bull added.

The company said it had been in talks with the Brazilian superstar however, including over a move to the New York team, which Red Bull bought in March.

Ronaldo, who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid, said Monday he could envisage playing in the United States in the future but was for the present focused only on his country's defence of the World Cup.

His agent Fabiano Farah said however that he had turned down a 120-million-dollar, 10-year deal for Ronaldo to play for Red Bull New York in the US Major League Soccer.

Red Bull is also the owner of Salzburg football club, which placed second in the Austrian league table this season and has just signed on former football stars Giovanni Trapattoni and Lothar Matthaeus as manager and trainer respectively.

The Austrian club, which hopes to raise its profile and that of the Bundesliga by bringing in some foreign talent, has recently been linked in the press with, among others, Ronaldo's Brazilian teammate Roberto Carlos, Czech international Pavel Nedved and Portuguese international Luis Figo.

English football hooligans forced to hand over passports

2006-05-30T17:01:00.000-04:00

English football hooligans forced to hand over passports

A British hooligan being arrested in France in 1998. More than 3,000 English football hooligans were due to have handed over their passports to police to prevent them travelling to the World Cup in Germany.

More than 3,000 English football hooligans were due to have handed over their passports to police to prevent them travelling to the World Cup in Germany.

The 3,286 football supporters subject to a banning order preventing them from attending matches were required to hand their passports in to their local police stations by 5:00pm (1600 GMT) Tuesday.

They will also be required to attend a police station each time England play during the tournament.

If they do not comply with the order, the fans face six months in prison and a fine of up to 5,000 pounds (7,250 euros, 9,400 dollars).

British police at borders, airports and ports will also have a list of names and photographs of hundreds of other fans who are not subject to banning orders but who could be prevented from leaving the country if they display threatening behaviour.

These include hundreds of supporters whose banning orders expired this year and were not renewed.

"Officers will use all powers available to them to stop high risk supporters leaving the country," said Bryan Drew, head of the UK Football Policing Unit.

In all, around 100,000 England fans are expected to travel to Germany for the World Cup, the biggest foreign contingent.

Foreign Office Minister David Triesman is expected in Berlin on Wednesday to meet his German counterpart and discuss security measures around the England games.

These include the deployment of a 20-strong mobile team in cities where England play and a 24 hour call-centre in Berlin, Triesman said on Tuesday.

French fans optimistic for World Cup hopes

2006-05-30T16:57:00.000-04:00

French fans optimistic for World Cup hopes

Reports of dissension within France's World Cup squad has failed to douse public enthusiasm with over 50 percent of fans canvassed in an opinion poll saying the team would at least reach the semi-finals.

Raymond Domenech's men were under siege last week when they were accused of being aloof from their fans at a training camp in the French Alps while a row over who is the squad's top goalkeeper resurfaced with a vengence.

That resulted in ugly scenes at a friendly game against Mexico in Paris on Saturday when sections of the home crowd booed certain French players.

But the opinion poll carried out by L'Equipe newspaper found that French fans were optimistic over how Zinedine Zidane and his team-mates will perform in Germany where they are grouped with Switzerland, Togo and South Korea.

The poll showed that 51 percent of fans thought that their side would reach at least the semi-finals, while 15 percent said they would go all the way and win it as they did in 1998.

There was good news too for the embattled Domenech with 68 percent of fans saying they had full confidence in him and only 19 percent saying the opposite.

On whether the team was dependent on Real Madrid playmaker Zinedine Zidane, French fans were split with 45 percent saying it was and 48 percent saying it was not.

New date set for Rooney foot scan

2006-05-29T11:42:00.000-04:00

New date set for Rooney foot scan

England are to keep their options open on Wayne Rooney's injured foot bringing forward to June 7, the next assessment scan on the injury.

The 20-year-old Manchester United star had been due to fly out to Germany with Sven Goran Eriksson's squad next Monday before returning to Manchester 10 days later to have the CT scan which would determine whether or not he will be able to take any part in the competition.

But following a meeting between Eriksson, Sir Alex Ferguson and the medical teams of both England and Manchester United at the Premiership's Carrington training complex on Monday morning it has been decided to bring the scan forward by seven days.

That offers Eriksson the flexibility to bring in a replacement if it is decided Rooney is not fit enough to participate in his first World Cup.

"Following a meeting today between England's medical team and Manchester United's medical team with both managers present it has been agreed to obtain a further precautionary CT scan on June 7 in order to help the England management to make a decision (on Rooney's fitness) before the deadline of June 9," Manchester United said a statement.

"Both parties agree that everything possible is being done to aid recovery of a fracture that involves the joint."

All Content is Copyright © 2006 WorldSoccerNews.com and AFP

Ronaldinho has double vision of World Cup, Champions League

2006-05-29T11:31:00.000-04:00

Ronaldinho has double vision of World Cup, Champions League

Brazil star Ronaldinho wants to complete a dream season by adding a World Cup winners' medal to his Champions League crown with Barcelona.

The two-time world footballer of the year said that helping Brazil win a record sixth World Cup would make it a 'perfect year' following Barcelona's triumph in Europe.

"I think that all players dream of winning the biggest tournaments in the world," Ronaldinho said at Brazil's pre-World Cup training camp here. "If we win the World Cup it will be a perfect year for me.

"I've had a great season whatever happens but I have a great opportunity to do so something special and I don't want to let it pass me by."

If Ronaldinho manages to help Brazil win in Germany, he will join an elite band of footballers who have won both titles in the same season.

While a total of 49 players have graced the finals of international and European club football's greatest tournaments in the same year, only a fraction of that figure, eight, have managed to win both.

Ronaldinho's Brazil team-mate Roberto Carlos managed it in 2002, and another Real Madrid player, France's Christian Karembeu achieved it four years earlier.

Six members of the Bayern Munich side led by Franz Beckenbauer achieved the feat in 1974. Ronaldinho meanwhile has slotted into life at Brazil's idyllic Swiss retreat seamlessly, and said the mood within the camp was buoyant.

"We've been working hard on regaining possession when we lose, and keeping the ball when we have it," Ronaldinho said. "We're trying to recreate the same sort of atmosphere that we had when we won the Confederations Cup last year, and it shouldn't be a problem."

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has so far showed no sign that he intends to break up his team's 'Magic Quartet' of Ronaldinho, Kaka, Ronaldo and Adriano by introducing a more defensively-minded midfielder.

All four players lined up in training alongside each other, with Ronaldo in particular looking sharp and trim, allaying fears that his weight had ballooned out of control at Real Madrid.

Ronaldo contributed two fantastic goals in a practice match on Saturday and was constantly involved during a gruelling day of training.

All Content is Copyright © 2006 WorldSoccerNews.com and AFP

Italy's Zambrotta injured

2006-05-29T11:26:00.000-04:00

Italy's Zambrotta injured

Italy left back Gianluca Zambrotta injured his right thigh during a training match at the national team's training base at Coverciano, team doctors said.

Zambrotta received the knock against amateur side San Geminiano and immediately left the pitch for treatment. Further tests will be made to find the exact nature of the injury.

Zambrotta said: "I hope it's not too serious. I felt a lot of pain in the muscle when I straightened the leg and I hope it's an isolated problem which has nothing to do with fatigue or my physical condition.

"I will stay here for treatment because I really want to take part in the World Cup."

For the moment there is no reason to believe Zambrotta will miss Italy's first match in the June 9 to July 9 finals in Germany against Ghana on June 12.

Italy's other Group E matches are against USA and the Czech Republic.

Italian soccer scandal spreads

2006-05-28T10:16:00.000-04:00

Italian soccer scandal spreads

MILAN/ROME - Reuters

Italy's football scandal broadened on Friday when police searched the soccer federation's headquarters and media said at least 18 games from last season's Serie A were being investigated for suspected match-fixing.

In separate developments, judicial sources in Parma said a probe into suspected illegal gambling involving four Juventus players was underway. Three residents of Parma have also been put under investigation, they said.

Naples judicial sources said former football federation (FIGC) president Franco Carraro, who resigned on Monday, has been put under investigation by magistrates who are looking into telephone taps relating to the 2004-05 season.

Carraro responded to reports earlier this week that he was under investigation by saying: "I am absolutely calm because I know I have always acted correctly.

"Over the years I have featured in many investigations from magistrates and I have always been cleared or acquitted."

Naples magistrates refused to comment on newspaper reports that specific games are now being examined by investigators.

La Repubblica daily said 18 matches from Serie A, one of the top five soccer leagues in Europe, and one from Serie B are being looked into while Gazzetta dello Sport said the probe extended to 29 rounds of the 38-game season.

On Thursday the board of directors of Juventus resigned en masse ahead of a shareholders' meeting on June 29.

Shares in Juventus dived for a second day in a row and were down seven percent at 1.97 euros in midday trade. They have lost some 15 percent of their value since Wednesday's close.

National team coach Marcello Lippi denied reports that Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi, who is at the centre of the storm, had pressed him to pick certain players.

"The selection of the national team takes place under the eyes of everyone," said Lippi, who worked with Moggi during two separate spells as Juventus coach and will lead the Azzurri at next month's World Cup finals in Germany.

The scandal erupted last week with the publication of telephone intercepts featuring conversations between Moggi and senior Football Federation officials responsible for the selection of referees for Serie A games.

On Friday, carabinieri police searched the federation's offices in Rome, the FIGC said.

As well as the Naples investigation, magistrates in Rome are examining the operation of the GEA management company, which controls almost 200 players and coaches and is headed by Moggi's son Alessandro.

Turin magistrates have put Juventus CEO Antonio Giraudo under investigation for possible false accounting relating to the club's transfer dealings.

In Italy, investigations by public prosecutors do not necessarily lead to criminal charges.

Juventus could win their 29th Italian title on Sunday's final day of the season but the status of last season's win now depends on the outcome of the investigations.

If Juventus were to be found guilty of "sporting fraud", the technical term used in Italy, they could be stripped of their title win and face demotion to the second tier Serie B

Past Award Winners

2006-05-28T07:50:00.000-04:00

2002 Landon DONOVAN (USA)---Just 20 years old when he arrived in the Far East with the United States, Landon Donovan helped spark a profound upswing in both form and results for the previously unheralded Stars and Stripes.

1998 Michael OWEN (ENG)---England may have only reached the second round at France 98 yet they provided one of that tournament’s defining moments with the wonder goal Michael Owen scored against Argentina.

1994 Marc OVERMARS (NED)---Marc Overmars was one of the quickest and most talented wide players of recent times. Patrolling the left side of the park, the Dutchman frequently left opponents dumped in the mud with his high-speed dribbling before popping over dangerous crosses with his preferred left foot.

1990 Robert PROSINECKI (YUG)---Even before the 1990 FIFA World Cup™ in Italy, Robert Prosinecki was already marked down as “one to watch”.

1986 Vincenzo ‘Enzo’ SCIFO (BEL)---After another season on the banks of the Yonne, Scifo returned to Italy with Torino before joining Monaco. In 1997 he finally came full circle, returning to Anderlecht where 12 years earlier he had made his first-division debut.

1982 Manuel AMOROS (FRA)---A key protagonist in one of the most spectacular FIFA World Cup™ semi-finals ever, at Spain 1982, France's Manuel Amoros is now remembered as a tireless hard worker

1978 Antonio CABRINI (ITA)---One of the revelations of the 1978 FIFA World Cup Argentina™, Antonio Cabrini began his long international career in the Azzurri's opening 2-1 victory over France in Mar del Plata on 2 June.

1958 PELÉ (BRA)---Pelé. The God of football. O Rei. Whatever the name, the memory is the same - of a world-beating superstar, a record-breaking footballing icon.

Source:fifaworldcup.com

World Cup Soccer 2006

2006-05-26T20:57:00.000-04:00

Robinho to follow in Peles footsteps

World Cup Soccer 2006

2006-05-26T20:53:00.000-04:00

World Cup Soccer 2006

2006-05-24T14:42:00.000-04:00

Italy-

Azzurri ready to start long road to fourth FIFA World Cup

With three FIFA World Cups™ to their name, Italy are rightly held up as one of the great football nations. Their first triumph was way back in 1934 at the second ever global showcase, held on Italian soil. Four years later in France, they became the first team to successfully defend their crown and their third title was secured in 1982 in Spain.

Germany 2006 will mark Italy's 16th appearance at a FIFA World Cup finals, making Sweden 1958 the only finals they did not grace with their presence. Following their successes in 1934 and 1938, Italy lifted the FIFA World Cup for the third time at Spain 1982 thanks largely to an outstanding performance by striker Paolo Rossi. After a subdued start to the tournament, Rossi burst into life in the knockout stages, scoring a hat-trick against Brazil to put his side through to the semi-final, where he struck twice more against Poland. Brimming with confidence, the Italians then went on to beat West Germany 3-1 in the final, with Rossi scoring a sixth tournament goal to clinch the Golden Shoe as top scorer.

Italy's strong national league, boasting world-famous sides such as AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan, has traditionally provided the platform for a competitive Italy team. Over the years, Serie A has produced true legends of the game such as Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Gianni Rivera and the unforgettable Dino Zoff who played in the victorious 1982 side at the age of 40.

However, life has not always been a bed of roses for the Italians, who have suffered their fair share of disappointments, including an abrupt exit from the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™. After battling their way through to the Round of 16, the Azzurri succumbed to hosts Korea Republic. Italy led for most of the match but conceded a late equaliser and the South Koreans secured victory with an extra-time golden goal.

In the wake of this crushing blow, Giovanni Trapattoni replaced Dino Zoff and led Italy through qualifying for UEFA EURO 2004. One defeat and just four goals conceded in eight matches marked a return to the traditional Italian virtue of resolute defending but more disappointment awaited the Azzuri in the finals in Portugal where they failed to progress beyond the group stage despite not losing a match. Having drawn against Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1) in their opening two games, a 2-1 victory over Bulgaria saw them finish only third in the group behind the two Scandinavian sides.

Trapattoni then made way for former Juventus coach Marcello Lippi who immediately adopted the mantra "No-one is guaranteed a place" – something Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri soon found to their cost. A new generation emerged, all eager to seize their opportunity. Between summer 2004 and autumn 2005, Lippi gave debuts to nine players - Cristian Zaccardo, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, Daniele De Rossi, Manuele Blasi, Mauro Esposito, Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta – and together they accounted for eight of the 15 goals scored by Italy on the road to Germany.

These youngsters now form the spine of the new-look Azzurri with Zaccardo operating in defence, De Rossi playing as a holding midfielder, and Toni and Gilardino forming a potent partnership in attack and netting six goals between them in qualifying. Toni can even be seen on the home page of the Italian Football Federation's website alongside established players such as Alessandro Nesta, Francesco Totti, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon and il mister Lippi.

Apart from a setback in Slovenia where they lost 1-0 on 9 October 2004, Italy comfortably secured their berth for Germany with seven wins, two draws and that solitary defeat to finish top of a group including Norway, Slovenia and Scotland.

2006-05-24T14:30:00.000-04:00

Player To Watch: Aaron Lennon

Tottenham midfielder Aaron Lennon admits he originally planned to spend this summer in front of a television set cheering on England at the FIFA World Cup™. Now he will have to make sure somebody has the matches recorded for him to see how he played.
Lennon’s selection in the England squad would have generated all the headlines had coach Sven-Goran Eriksson not also chosen 16-year-old fellow Gillette Best Young Player Award candidate Theo Walcott, but the emerging Spurs star was simply happy to be booked on the plane less than a year after moving to White Hart Lane from Leeds United. Lennon said: “What has happened to me is almost too fantastic to be true. The World Cup… I never imagined I might be part of it.”

He made an instant impression at Tottenham with a fantastic 2005/06 season, though he was expecting to be spending his early days at the club as understudy to fellow right-sided midfielder Wayne Routledge. When Routledge cracked a bone in his foot at Portsmouth in the first game of the season, Lennon stepped in and never looked back. "You quickly learn that you have to take opportunities when they arise," he said.

Lennon’s frightening pace, excellent ball control and crossing ability made him a firm favourite with the fans and Spurs manager Martin Jol, who gave the 19-year-old 29 appearances in his first season, most of them from the start of the match.

A call-up for the England Under-21 side came against Austria, but a hamstring injury ruled Lennon out of the UEFA European Championship play-off with France. He returned to fitness and form, helping Tottenham towards a UEFA Cup spot with his highly effective creative skills.

When Lennon scored an impressive winner in a lively performance for Spurs against Bolton Wanderers on the same weekend that Wayne Rooney sustained his broken metatarsal injury, his England credentials gained yet more credence and the calls for his inclusion in the senior squad grew louder.

At the time, Lennon said: "I heard from my team-mates that Mr Eriksson has watched us but I have been concentrating on just doing well for Spurs and not who is watching. “ Eriksson certainly was keeping tabs and he said: "Every time we went to see him, we had good reports during the last two-and-a-half months. He's in very good shape and that's important."

Lennon has rapidly gone from armchair England fan to wondering what kind of impression he might create at the finals. “I remember as a kid watching Michael Owen and that stunning solo goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup,” said Lennon. “I'm not saying for one minute I could ever make the same impact but obviously it would be a dream come true to go to Germany and then maybe come off the bench to help swing a result."

2006-05-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

Player to Watch: The rise of the other Ronaldo

Imagine being a full-back confronting Manchester United and Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo in full stride - the ball is at his feet, except you can't keep track of it as he drags his legs and steps over it two, three, four times and all the while you are scrambling backwards, trying to maintain concentration. Ronaldo is most certainly a Player to Watch - but only if you can keep your eyes on him for long enough.

If such a hypothetical scenario had been played out in reality, at least you would have been in good company because Ronaldo has been tormenting the world's finest full-backs over the course of the past few years.

Manchester United broke the world record transfer fee for a teenager when they paid Sporting Lisbon £12.24m for the youngster in August 2003 - handing the then 18-year-old a five-year deal. United, who had just sold David Beckham to Real Madrid, needed a new star on the right flank to somehow plug the gap left by the England captain.

Their attention was first drawn to the pacy winger during a pre-season match in the USA. It seemed they had found exactly what they were looking for when they came up against Ronaldo playing for Sporting Lisbon that night. The United players might have been momentarily alarmed to see the name Ronaldo on the Sporting team sheet, but if anyone had explained that this was, in fact, a kid from Madeira who was allegedly named in honour of the former American president Ronald Reagan, their initial concerns would likely have been eased.

United lost the game 3-1 but were left mesmerised by the trickery, pace and dribbling skills of Ronaldo, a player that Sporting had signed up as far back as 1997 from Nacional and blooded in their first team in the 2002/03 campaign. The visitors talked about him non-stop and were so impressed that on the plane back to England they personally urged Sir Alex Ferguson to sign up Ronaldo immediately. Unknown to them, their manager had been keeping tabs on Sporting's pearl for months and as other clubs started to show an interest, Ferguson made his move for what he described as "one of the most exciting young players I've ever seen".

When his record signing was announced, Ronaldo was thrilled to be given the number seven shirt worn by the departed Beckham. Curiously, seven is also the number worn by Ronaldo's idol Luis Figo and, a week after joining United, he made his full debut for Portugal alongside his mentor Figo against Kazakhstan.

Ronaldo's performance in his first game for United against Bolton Wanderers earned him rave reviews and Sir Alex, delighted to see his new signing slot into Beckham's position so well, proclaimed: "It looks like the fans have a new hero." Yet his first season at United was not all plain sailing and after showing initial promise he eventually attracted criticism for what some saw as an over-elaborate step-over dribbling action and a mystifying failure to deliver the final, killer cross.

Ronaldo, as he himself always stresses, is quick to learn and he has worked hard on that part of his game, though his manager is keen to protect his investment and has opted to let the player rest in Portugal for the past two winters. As Sir Alex explained during Ronaldo's first season: "He is only 18 and we have to be careful how we use him." The Scot's wisdom shone through in the 2004 FA Cup Final when a refreshed Ronaldo produced a devastating man-of-the-match performance against Millwall at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, scoring a header as the Red Devils prevailed 3-0 to claim their tenth cup.

He took that outstanding form into UEFA EURO 2004 with Portugal, where he was instrumental in his team's memorable run all the way to the final, although disappointment lay in store as Greece pulled off a fairytale victory. Ronaldo capped a hectic summer by taking part in the Olympic Games football tournament, but Portugal failed to make an impression in Athens.

A return to the FA Cup Final a year later ended in disappointment as United were pipped to the trophy, on penalties, by Arsenal. But the Mancunians were impressed with Ronaldo's progress over the previous 12 months and offered him an improved contract. In the summer of 2005 he agreed an extension that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2010.

Having been short-listed for the FIFA World Player of the Year accolade for two years running, Ronaldo received special recognition by fans worldwide who voted him their Young Player of the Year at the FIFPro awards in 2005. However, the season building up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ started in difficult circumstances for Ronaldo when his father was taken seriously ill and he died just a day before Portugal's qualifying match away to Russia in September. Ronaldo bravely played on to honour his dad in Moscow and helped Portugal towards the finals as they secured a 0-0 draw, with coach Luiz Felipe Scolari paying special tribute to his courage afterwards.

Ronaldo went on to guide Portugal to the top of their qualifying group for Germany 2006 and now with his first finals ahead of him, perhaps this could be the time when Madeira's golden boy starts to outshine his Brazilian namesake. But the teenager is not getting carried away just yet, saying modestly: "My only concern is to be at my best and win titles with United."

2006-05-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

Player to Watch: Wunderkind Podolski wows Germany

Less than two years ago, Lukas Podolski was an unremarkable U-19 striker seeking to bridge the gap between youth and senior football. Now the 20-year-old has his name splashed over an adidas designer collection following a stellar ascent hitherto unprecedented in German football.
The host nation's hopes at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ rest to an extraordinary degree on the young shoulders of a player described by his former coach Huub Stevens as "the young Johan Cruyff, the young Ryan Giggs or Wayne Rooney".

At 18, Podolski was still part of the FC Cologne youth section. Then first-team boss Marcel Koller, battling to stave off relegation from the Bundesliga on a shoestring budget, stumbled across the 1.80m, 81 kilos striker on the club's junior roster. Podolski was invited to train with the seniors and made his top-flight debut shortly afterwards, his name ringing around the terraces where he had until recently stood regularly.

His meteoric rise dates from that debut on 22 November 2003, and his star is still in the ascendant. Cologne failed to avoid the drop in spring 2004, but Podolski emerged from his first 19 senior appearances with an impressive ten goals, the best tally by an 18-year-old in the Bundesliga's 43-year history.

The home-grown youngster chose to stay put and drop down a division with his club. "It was a good place to learn," said Podolski recently of the following season in the 2. Bundesliga, a campaign where his 24 goals helped Cologne make an immediate return to the top flight. Even before the 2004/05 season began he had become the first second-division player since 1975 to break into the national team, celebrating his debut for Rudi Voller's Germany on 6 June 2004 against Hungary with a late substitute appearance.

'Prinz Poldi' - as his fans know him - subsequently received a taste of top-level tournament action at UEFA EURO 2004 and has now scored seven times in 15 international appearances.

"Poldissimo" has never hidden his admiration for Barcelona, his favourite club after Cologne, although his deal with the Rhineland outfit runs until 2007. That has not stopped Europe's big boys monitoring the situation closely, with domestic rivals Bayern leading the pack.

Bayern coach Felix Magath is unstinting in his praise. "I believe Podolski can make the same impact in 2006 as England's Wayne Rooney at EURO 2004. Rooney is more powerful and robust, but Podolski has a touch more elegance. And watching him play, you'd never know he was just 20. He's got the guile of a veteran, even though he's just a youngster."

The player's immense popularity derives from a great deal more than his footballing ability. Podolsi has become a new cult figure for the masses, appearing here, there and everywhere - and lapping up the adulation like a natural. "Lukas instinctively finds the right words," says his agent Kon Schramm. "He's not changed for the worst in the slightest."

Player to Watch: Prodigy Rooney growing up

In the fast-track world of Wayne Rooney, the Player to Watch tag could be considered a good three years too late. All eyes have been on the young Manchester United and England striker ever since 17 August 2002 when he made his debut for his boyhood club, Everton.
Indeed his first senior goal of any description, in an Everton pre-season friendly against Austrian minnows SC Bruck earlier that summer, prompted an excited stadium announcer to declare: "The third Everton goal is scored by Wayne Rooney, who many believe will be England's next Alan Shearer!" But where Shearer was 21 when he made his England debut, Rooney – who today celebrates his 20th birthday – has already become his country's key player.

His first goal in the English Premiership, a spectacular last-minute strike that ended then champions Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run in October 2002, signalled that with Rooney anything is possible. Just as defenders bounce off his stocky boxer's frame, so Rooney sends records tumbling.
He beat James Prinsep's 124-year record as England's youngest player when he made his debut against Australia on 12 February 2003 aged 17 years and 111 days. Seven months later, he became England's youngest ever scorer when – aged 17 years and 317 days – he struck the opening goal in a UEFA European Championship qualifying win away to FYR Macedonia.

It was, of course, at the European Championship in Portugal the following summer that the world at large woke up to the sheer scale of Rooney's talents. Playing without fear, he struck plenty of it into opposition defences with his thrilling runs from deep, scoring four goals as England defeated Switzerland and Croatia to reach the quarter-finals. The 18-year-old was making international football look like child's play.

There followed a £27million move to Manchester United and a remarkable debut hat-trick against Fenerbahce in October last year, since when Rooney, whom his peers voted Young Player of the Year in the spring, has swiftly become Mr Indispensable at Old Trafford. The same, of course, applies with England. Michael Owen recently described Rooney's game as "running at people, playing in that hole, shooting from distance, passing the ball, bits of skill". Just about everything, in other words.

He excelled in central defence in a Young v Old match during one England practice session this month and even enjoys trying his luck in goal on the training ground. In the words of England legend Sir Bobby Charlton to FIFAworldcup.com: "He has a marvellous appetite for the game."

The question then as Rooney steps out of his teens is just how good he can become. Sir Alex Ferguson said on signing him for United that Rooney was "the best young player this country has seen in 30 years" but while his ability is not in doubt, the youngster's temperament has been. In the 2003/04 season at Everton he picked up more bookings than goals, and twice in the last 12 months has lost his cool completely on England duty.

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson substituted Rooney before half-time against Spain last November to spare him what appeared an inevitable dismissal. A second red-mist moment came during the defeat by Northern Ireland in September when, after collecting a yellow card, Rooney – seemingly frustrated at being played out on the left flank - swore at his captain David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand before disappearing into his shell in the second half. Rooney was sent off later in September playing for Manchester United against Villarreal for his sarcastic applause of referee Kim Milton Nielsen, yet while there is an undoubted edge to his game, it must also be acknowledged he is still growing up

Rooney has only scored one of his ten goals for England since EURO 2004 – and that in August's 4-1 friendly loss to Denmark – but he is the man their opponents will fear most at the FIFA World Cup™ finals. Sir Bobby is not surprised by his importance to Eriksson's side. "He's a great player and they won't be denied, great players." Such praise from one of the game's greats strengthens the conviction that Rooney really will be one of the players to watch in Germany next summer.

2006-05-22T19:39:00.000-04:00

Italian soccer coach Lippi to remain at helm of national team despite scandal

ROME (AP) -- Italy coach Marcello Lippi received full support Monday from the Italian soccer federation amid calls that he resign -- less than three weeks before the World Cup -- in the country's wide-ranging soccer scandal.
Lippi met with federation commissioner Guido Rossi in Coverciano, Tuscany, where the Italian squad is training ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off June 9 in Germany.
"I have come here . . . to reaffirm full and total confidence in the national side of Marcello Lippi ahead of the World Cup," Rossi was quoted by the ANSA news agency. "I never had any doubts over his position."
"It would have been folly to point to Lippi as being guilty, without striking at the real culprits in this situation," added Rossi, who was appointed last week to clean up the scandal.
Lippi was questioned Friday for more than three hours by prosecutors investigating match-fixing, illegal betting and manipulation of referee assignments.
Lippi is not under investigation, but prosecutors are trying to establish whether he was pressured or influenced by the official at the centre of the scandal -- former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi -- to select certain players for the national team.
Lippi's son, Davide Lippi, works for GEA World, a player agency that is also being investigated. The agency is run by Moggi's son, Alessandro Moggi.
Lippi has dismissed the accusations and ruled out stepping down, but many have called for his resignation over the past days, claiming the move would help restore credibility and serenity to the Italian team.
"From this point on, I will only think about the national team," he said after the questioning.
Lippi has also resisted calls not to call up Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus and Italy goalkeeper who is involved in the illegal-betting probe. Buffon has denied wrongdoing, and is part of the Italy squad.
The scandal weighs heavily on Italy heading into the World Cup.
Moggi, accused of influencing referee appointments, has resigned from his job at Juventus, along with the team's entire board, and the club's stock has taken a plunge on the Milan stock exchange.
Juventus, which includes such stars as David Trezeguet, Pavel Nedved and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, risks being stripped of the league titles it won in the past two seasons and being relegated to Serie B.
Lippi is a former coach of Juventus.
Three other Serie A teams have been implicated in the scandals, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio, in different probes conducted in Rome, Parma, Naples and Turin.

2006-05-22T11:37:00.000-04:00

Player to Watch: Robinho following in Pele's footsteps

Known to followers of the beautiful game as Robinho, Robson de Souza is rapidly earning himself yet another moniker – namely, "the greatest magician with the ball" since the days of Pele and Garrincha. That, in any case, is the verdict of football fanatics the length and breadth of Brazil, where an entire nation is following the 21-year old's astonishing progress with baited breath.
"He has everything it takes to become even better than me," exclaims Pele himself. 'O Rei' has seen dozens of young pretenders to his crown come and go in the past, but something about the latest star attraction at Santos - the club so close to his heart – tells him it may be different this time.
Like so many of his idols, Robinho's first introduction to the game came in the back alleys of the Sao Vicente favelas in Sao Paulo State, a virtual breeding ground for outstanding footballers. His family were poor, but his father made enormous sacrifices to buy him his very first pair of football boots, and they turned out to be his passport to joining a 'futsal' gym.
The young Robinho was soon turning out for Portuario, a local club, but before long caught the eye of scouts from Santos and was taken under the wing of the club's president, Marcelo Teixeira. So far, so typical perhaps - a classic tale told a hundred times in a country where football is without doubt the quickest route out of poverty.
Diminutive but dripping with potentialRobinho wasted no time in seducing the knowledgeable crowds packed into the Vila Belmiro, the stadium previously treated to the trickery of Pele and countless other luminaries.
With his spectacular touches, slide-rule passes to his friend Diego (now with FC Porto) and a string of decisive strikes, Robinho powered Santos back to their former glory. They collected two state championships in 2002 and 2004, while Robinho himself was awarded the Golden Ball as Player of the Year in 2004.
Rather than cash in on his newfound fame, though, Robinho has for the time being resisted the lure of the heavyweight European clubs. He undoubtedly wants to repay the team that gave him his first break, but it is true also that, at five feet seven inches tall and weighing a slight 135 pounds, he needs to toughen himself up and hone his tactical discipline before his pace and technique can flourish on the Old Continent. Indeed, the Brazilian admits that he "can get a whole lot better".
And given his boundless enthusiasm for practice, there is every chance that he will. Leave Robinho alone with a ball and he will juggle it, launch himself into mazy dribbles for an invisible crowd, perfect his shooting for hours on end, in order to satisfy his passion for the game between matchdays.
"I still get the same joy out of playing and I still have that same desire. Whether I'm training or living my everyday life, football is nothing but pure pleasure," he explains, with the trademark smile that never leaves his face.
'A rare jewel'It is a pleasure regularly shared by the Vila Belmiro faithful, and one both he and they must have felt in abundance in mid-February when he scored twice to help secure a memorable 3-0 derby victory over wealthy neighbours Corinthians in the Sao Paulo state championship. The youngster had only just come through the trauma caused by the shameful kidnapping of his mother Marina. Held for 41 hours, she was eventually released in the rundown Sao Paulo district of Perus on 18 December, after the payment of a ransom.
In the international arena, Robinho scored his second goal for the Seleção in Sunday's 4-1 defeat of Paraguay and his national boss Carlos Perreira has no qualms about labelling him " a rare jewel, even in Brazilian football".
He has helped set Brazil fans dreaming of success at Germany 2006 and, with this in mind, Pele has officially asked him to "continue his career with Santos and ignore all the offers of millions coming from Europe". His goal in the 4-1 demolition of Paraguay on Sunday suggests he is not doing too badly where he is at the moment.

For Pele, a three-time FIFA World Cup™ winner himself, it is an important issue. "I can understand Robinho is thinking about his own future and that of his family, but I'd like it if he could find all the financial incentive he needs to remain in Brazil with my old club and set a precedent for so many other young players," he said.
"We're trying to make Robinho understand that staying at Santos is the best way to prepare himself for the World Cup," adds club president Teixeira. His price tag has nonetheless been set at 50 million USD, a figure the European giants are sure to regard as a worthy investment for the extraordinary talents of the 'authentic' next Pele

2006-05-22T11:25:00.000-04:00

Player to Watch: Italian prodigy dreaming of Germany 2006

5 July 1982 is an important date in Italian football for two reasons. While Paolo Rossi was scoring his historic FIFA World Cup™ hat-trick in the 3-2 victory over Brazil in Barcelona, 700 kilometres away in Biella in northern Italy, a baby was being born who is now well on the way to following in the footsteps of Rossi, Schillaci and Co; a certain Alberto Gilardino.
Now 22 years old, the 1.84-metre striker is already an established fixture for Serie A club AC Parma. He made his top-flight debut in January 2000 aged 17 for FC Piacenza, and has since gone on to make 110 appearances in Italy’s premier division (Piacenza, Hellas Verona and AC Parma). Gilardino, who finished joint top scorer in Italy’s European U-21 Championship glory in Germany a few months ago, is one of the hottest prospects in Italian football.
Remarkable seasonHis strengths are numerous -- he is fast, good in the air, has a powerful shot with either foot, he is a team player and is never afraid to chase back to win the ball in midfield when necessary. His goal scoring prowess was highlighted in the second half of last season when he notched up an incredible 17 goals, four of which came in the final game of the season against Udinese. In fact, he came very close to usurping Andrej Schewtschenko as the season’s top scorer, the Milan marksman finishing just one goal ahead of Gilardino with 24 strikes.
So it was all the more surprising and disappointing for Gilardino and Italian fans when national coach Giovanni Trapattoni overlooked the prodigious talent for EURO 2004 in Portugal. The Olympic Games, where he is one of the star names in the Italian line-up, is a golden opportunity to make an impression on Trapattoni’s successor Marcello Lippi.

“Obviously I see this as a chance to improve my prospects with the senior team. The World Cup qualifier against Norway is on 4 September, and I would like to be involved,” Gilardino told FIFAworldcup.com defiantly.

Battle for Olympic Gold
Firstly, however, his attentions are firmly focussed on Olympic business. Italy have endured a long 68-year wait for Olympic Gold since the Berlin Games in 1936, and will be hoping to banish the memories of a disastrous EURO 2004.

“The mood in the camp is excellent and I’ve already been inspired by the Olympic spirit. The atmosphere is completely different to the European Under-21 Championship in Germany. After becoming European champions, we obviously want to win the gold medal as well. That is our objective,” claims the confident striker, who will wear the number 9 shirt in Greece. Asked how his team-mates would assess his ability, Gilardino ripostes: “I hope the defenders would say I’m a nightmare.”

The first hurdle has been cleared. Gilardino worked tirelessly in Italy’s opening game against Ghana in Volos and was rewarded by netting the vital equaliser to tie things at 2-2. “The way we came back from being 2-0 down against Ghana shows the character we have in the team.” And the youngster has no qualms, physically or mentally, about playing two major tournaments back to back: “That’s no problem,” he declares.

Staying with Parma
In recent months, the striker has attracted the advances of Europe’s elite clubs. Real Madrid, AS Roma and Juventus all attempted to take advantage of the insolvency problems of Parma’s main sponsors Parmalat, and snap up the exciting youngster for a bargain price. However, Parma stood their ground and Gilardino extended his contract until June 2007. “It was the right decision. I am happy and pleased that I extended my contract with Parma by another year.”

The contractual security should give him peace of mind and allow him to keep his thoughts focussed on forging a path to the next major tournament, the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany. “The 2006 World Cup is definitely my main ambition and I will be working very hard to be there,” he promises.

And on 5 July 2006, things could come full circle if “Gila” scores in the first semi-final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ in München to shoot his team into the final.

2006-05-21T11:40:00.000-04:00

Croatia's Luka Modric and Portugal's Joao Moutinho

"We can live with the big boys" ran the headline in one Croatian newspaper after Zlatko Kranjcar's team secured a morale-boosting 3-2 friendly win over Argentina on 1 March.
Beating the much-fancied South Americans undoubtedly raised confidence levels throughout the Croatian camp ahead of first-round tests against Brazil, Japan and Australia at the FIFA World Cup™, but that newspaper headline appeared particularly applicable to young midfielder Luka Modric who, on his international debut, showed on that Geneva night that he could indeed "live with the big boys".
The Dinamo Zagreb starlet was making his first senior appearance in the absence of the injured Robert Kovac and rewarded coach Kranjcar's faith in him with a fine display in the centre of midfield alongside Niko Kranjcar and Niko Kovac. Indeed Modric's performance prompted Kranjcar to muse that his team had not only won a game that night, but also "won a player".

Joao Moutinho has found himself in the spotlight very early in his professional career. Now in his second season at Sporting Lisbon, he has already collected the awards for best newcomer and best midfielder in Portuguese football.
He has even realised his dream of playing for his country. If things continue in this vein, he might just find himself in the running for the Gillette Best Young Player award at the FIFA World Cup™.
Born into a sporting family - his father played football, his mother basketball - he showed an early desire to follow in their footsteps, and stopped at nothing to achieve his goal. "I always liked football and was lucky to have a footballer for a father. I remember going with him to the club all the time, and just kicking a ball around for hours. My parents seemed very happy that I wanted to pursue a career in sport", he once said.
As a boy, Moutinho played in the lowly ranks of his city's team, Portimonense, but the minute he turned 13 he had the chance to sign for one of Portugal's great clubs. Several teams showed an interest in the youngster but his parents encouraged him to sign for Sporting, given their reputation for nurturing talent with Luis Figo, Simao Sabrosa, Ricardo Quaresma and Cristiano Ronaldo all having passed through the club's ranks to name but a few.
At Sporting, Moutinho has grown into the complete midfielder, a true box-to-box player with a keen eye for a pass and tremendous vision. Despite his age, he has already shown his organisational qualities, and reads the game masterfully, dictating the pace whenever it is needed.
His slender frame belies his physical presence and strength in the tackle, and his performances both in the league and especially in the UEFA Cup against Feyenoord and Newcastle United last term made him one of the darlings of the Lions' faithful in the post-Ronaldo era.