FC Basel 1893 How They Got Here:Basel beat Vitoria de Guimaraes (also known as Vitoria SC) 2-1 on aggregate in the third round of qualifying. Basel won the Swiss League last season. Star Performer: MF Benjamin Huggel. An experienced member of the Swiss national squad, Huggel is a strong presence in central midfield. In his […]

Imagine an all-star team of footballers featuring the top names in the sport. Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, Thierry Henry, Robinho and David Villa. Now imagine all of these players on the same team, Manchester City. Before yesterday, that notion sounded ridiculous, but now that the Abu Dhabi United Group is in charge […]

So, Manchester United has picked up another piece of silverware after beating Portsmouth 3-1 on penalties in the annual curtain raiser to the new season. The game, which ended 0-0 in regular time, was a bit of a sleeper at times with Man United controlling large portions of the match but unable to score. A […]

Imagine how many hundreds of thousands of words were wasted discussing the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo moving from Man United to Real Madrid this summer. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the word count went into the millions as the story was the biggest tease from June through August. While the episode appears to […]

Undoubtedly, the minute I post this, Ronaldo will give up on Real Madrid and move to Hamburg, so forgive me for being premature. Let’s take a look, as the season begins, at the seven best signing so far this summer in the Bundesliga. Christian Fuchs (SV Mattersburg to Bochum) Austria entered the Euros as a […]

It's finally official, Rafael van der Vaart the Netherlands midfielder and Hamburg's captain is on his way to Real Madrid pending the results of a medical. The Bundesliga's own version of the Ronaldo affair has come an end. Although the clubs themselves have not released the details regarding the transfer fee, reports in the German […]

It's hard to label any transfer deal that costs 21 million Euros a bargain but considering the numbers that have been thrown around this summer, Ronaldinho's move to AC Milan looks to be cheap. The former two-time World Player of the Year (2004, 2005) signed a three-year contract at the San Siro after enduring a […]

Many scholars of art, literature, football and music will argue that the classics are far better than the recent and current crop of artistes. Legends such as Dali, Picasso, Shakespeare, Yeats, Dickens, Cruyff, Pele, Pukas, Lennon, Sinatra, Presley and Marley come to mind, people who were far more talented than our present day idols. It's […]

The only thing stopping Cristiano Ronaldo from becoming a Real Madrid player is Manchester United themselves. In his body language and in the words he says, it's so apparent that Ronaldo wants to join Real Madrid. It's always been his desire to play in Spain, so if the opportunity comes along he's going to try […]

As the old saying goes, money talks and Cristiano Ronaldo is listening. The 23-year-old Portugese superstar finally ended his silence in an exclusive interview with respected Brazilian website Terra he is reported as stating: "I would like to play for Real Madrid but only if it is true they are ready to pay what Manchester […]

As the old saying goes, money talks and Cristiano Ronaldo is listening. The 23-year-old Portugese superstar finally ended his silence in an exclusive interview with respected Brazilian website Terra he is reported as stating: "I would like to play for Real Madrid but only if it is true they are ready to pay what Manchester […]

If BBC Sport could be as creative and slick with their live football coverage as they are with their promotional trailers, the Beeb would rule the TV roost once again and kick Sky Sports to the gutter. Such is the artistry and fine detail that's included in BBC Sport's trailer for Euro 2008 (see below). […]

While Premiership footballers are working on their tans, the businessmen within football are busier than ever. Silly season has well and truly begun as football agents, chairmen, publicists and executives burn the midnight oil. As we've seen in the past few days, it's not been just player transfers that clubs have been dealing with (such […]

Manchester United defeated Wigan 2-0 to win their second consecutive Premier League title. The brace flowed fittingly for this season. The young generation won it, with Cristiano Ronaldo deftly slotting in a penalty. The older generation sealed it with Ryan Giggs, in his record-tying 750th appearance for United, touching in a through-ball from Rooney. The […]

Arsenal beat Bolton 3-2 at the Reebok, keeping mathematical title hopes alive. The Gunners, with 10 men on the pitch, scored three goals to reverse a 2-0 deficit. Diaby deserved his red card for raised studs. Poor fortune averaged itself through an unmarked corner, a penalty and a deflection. Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in […]