Soccer Uniforms Blog

Can history repeat itself? England versus the USA 1950 remembered.

2010-03-16T23:58:00.001-07:00

Soccer is a sport with a very rich history, and there will be those in the England camp will be seriously hoping that it doesn't repeat itself when the national team steps out in their famous red, white and blue soccer uniforms in the Rustenburg Stadium, South Africa against the United States national team. For in one of the greatest coincidences in the rich annals of soccer history, the two teams meet in their first competitive match since the USA defeated England almost 60 years ago to the day. The game was a wakeup call for the English team, which had the feeling that all they needed to do was to turn up and win the game, and eventually the World Cup would fall into their hands. After all facts and statistics were on their side as English, self crowned "Kings of Football",, had won 23 three of their last 30 matches, while the US had lost their last seven and against weak opposition, conceding no less than 45 goals in the process.

The England team on paper looked very strong and likely to sweep the USA aside by a record score. So complacent were they, that the rested their undoubted superstar, master dribbler Stanley Matthews on the bench, with no substitutes allowed in those days. Without Matthews, England's team were still no slouches, containing stars of the ears such as Billy Wright, Tom Finney, Stan Mortenson and a young full back called Alf Ramsey, who went on to manage the World Cup winning England team in 1966. On the other hand the USA was filled by a group of enthusiastic amateurs as interest in soccer in the US was very limited, and most of the team members were expatriates from Europe, with one or two of them still not holding full US Citizenship, ( or so it was claimed) . Before they took the field for this historic encounter the USA squad had managed to train together just once, so to say that they were unprepared to make soccer history would be a bit of an understatement.

So the biggest worry that must have been on England manager Walter Winterbottom's mind was who would be keep counting of the score as the history making encounter kicked off on the 29th June 1950 in the at Estádi Independência in the town of Belo Horizonte in a pleasant summer evening.
It certainly looked that way as England began to apply pressure on the US goal from the kick off, and the largely neutral crowd sat back awaiting the goal feast. The problem appeared that the England team also sat back as well, and any shots that didn't go high and wide r hit the posts, were handled by the US goalkeeper Frank Borghi, playing the game of his life.
As the game progressed, and England's efforts seemed to be getting more and more desperate, the US team began to grow in confidence, and even launched the occasional counter attack.

The crowd began to get behind the USA team who were putting up a very brave struggle, and went wild n the thirty-seventh minute, when the US's star player Walter Bahr tried a speculative long shot which the England keeper Bert Williams obviously taken by surprise, could only palm out to Joe Gaetjens who headed it straight back into the net. England were stunned as they went in for half time, and as they came out for the second half, expectations were that that they would push the USA team aside and gain the victory that was so rightly theirs against this team of upstarts. However they continued to fall over their own feet, and a clear lack of team play and understanding saw them continue to waste chances till time ran out for them not just for this game, but same say or English football, at least at national level.

Although interest in the soccer and the World Cup was nowhere near the level that it is today, the result sent shock waves around the globe, and England and the other top level international teams learned a valuable lesson that day, Never treat the opposition team lightly!

A week in the life of David Beckham

2010-03-16T00:44:00.000-07:00

A glorious career spanning more than fifteen years at the top looks like it is being drawn to a close.Two tumultuous events coming within five days, almost symbolically signal the fact that we are unlikely ever to see superstar David Beckham feature again on the World soccer stage, at any kind of major level.
The standing ovation that Beckham accepted gracefully at Old Trafford on Tuesday as he and his teammates at AC Milan were humbled by the red soccer uniforms of Manchester United.

Milan were a team of aged superstars with many of them in the twilight of their careers and will like be moving on to soccer pasture when Milan's season draws to a close, more than likely without a single trophy to grace their cupboard. Among these tremendous players whose best years are far behind them are Dutchman Clarence Seedorf who holds the record of winning a Champions League trophy with three different clubs Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter. Milan. Now 34, Seedorf's career is very much on its last legs, and he looks unlikely to be included in the Dutch squad for this summer's World Cup.
Another player with a rich history who won't be going to South Africa with is Italian national squad is Milan legend Pipi Inzaghi. Inzaghi has been with Milan since 2001, joining them after a short and unsuccessful spell with Juventus. Fillipo (or Pippo as he became generally known) holds some very impressive records from his very successful records from his time at Milan, among them becoming the first player ever to score in all of the international club competitions. A possibly more impressive record that
Inzaghi holds, but this jointly with Raúl of Real Madrid is the 68 goals scored in European club competitions with all clubs. . An indication of the striker's significant contribution to Milan's titanic soccer struggles in Europe is that he remains the team's goal scorer in the club's history with 39 goals. At 37, Pippo's sporting legs, like Clarence Seedorf's, appear to have deserted him, and it looks like both of these tremendous player's will gradually wind down.

The likely end of David Beckham's career sadly looks like being a lot more dramatic and painful than his two colleagues. Playing at Milan to keep himself in contention to be included in Capello's World Cup squad, David suffered a rupture to his Achilles tendon in the last minute of their fairly uneventful single goal Serie A win over Chievo on Sunday.

Beckham was on his run up to take yet another trademark free kick, when he suddenly pulled up. The look on this much loved superstar's face told it all. The realisation that he wouldn’t be making it to his fourth World Cup finals and that’s his waning career had suffered a very severe blow.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid ace, who is also England's most-capped outfield player with 115 appearances, underwent surgery on his Achilles tendon the following day in far of Finland, With his foot liable to be in a cast for around six to eight weeks, the 35 years old's World Cup dream is over.

Liverpool and Fulham have rough nights in Europe, but what do you expect

2010-03-11T21:15:00.000-08:00

Last night saw the first legs of the eight round of the Europa League, which some of the crueler soccer commentators compare to a poor man's Champions League. There are teams still competing who shouldn't be there and others that are just happy to be there. There are no truer examples than England's two remaining representatives, Liverpool and Fulham.
Liverpool, who is having a very disappointing season by their standards, lost narrowly 1-0 away to Lille, while Fulham were very lucky to escape with only a 3-1 defeat against Juventus.
Liverpool went into the tie last night with a history as rich as any English club in European competition. Their famous red soccer uniforms have graced the European soccer stage since in 1964, and they have won the European Cup or European Champions League no less than five times, as well as taking part in two losing finals, the most recent three years ago against Barcelona, and the other, the infamous final against Juventus in Brussels in 1985. The Reds have also won the UEFA cup and the UEFA Super cup three times, a record which puts them up there among the European greats.
So why is it that you feel almost uncomfortable seeing Liverpool play in the Europa League, while you seem almost surprised to see lowly Fulham still there and holding their own?
When comparing the clubs, you can't help comparing the record of their respective managers. Liverpool's Rafa Benítez came to Annfield as a relatively young man, yet with an already proven pedigree in Europe, having taken Valencia to the La Liga championship in 2002 and 2004 and the UEFA cup the same year.
His first season in Merseyside was one that legends were made of, and he led Liverpool to victory in that remarkable final of 2005, where they came back from 3-0 down to Milan, to win on penalties. It looked like the glory days of Shankly and Paisley were back from Liverpool and the championships would begin to roll in again. Yet since then, the Reds have failed to reach their potential and Benitez's ability to take them there has been increasingly under question. Speculation has it that Liverpool would like to try someone new in the manager's role but the club's hapless owners can't afford to pay Benitez the almost £20 million that they would have to if they let him go. These days Benitez looks increasingly more like a manager with a plan that he only understands.

On the other hand, Fulham manager 62-year old Roy Hodgson knows exactly where he came from and possibly where he is going too, Hodgson is a real journeyman manager, had managed teams all over Europe and the World, including Inter Milan and even the Swiss National Team. He was brought to Craven Cottage by Fulham's millionaire chairman, Mohamed Al-Fayed, when the club were struggling, probably as a stop gap. Since then Hodgson has turned the club's fortunes around considerably. Today they are a solid middle of the table team in the English Premier League and in the eighth round of Europa League. To some teams that a great position to be in, and to others it’s a disaster. It's all a case of what you expect and the difference is that football expects a lot from Liverpool and a lot less from Fulham.

A tale of two superstars as Real crash out of Europe.

2010-03-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

In a scenario that was so dramatic that it was almost expected, Real Madrid once again failed to produce the goods in the European Champions League. After spending around a quarter of a billion dollars in the summer for the cream of Europe's players, Real in their traditional white soccer uniforms put up a limpid performance in front of 100,000 home fans to be held to a 1-1 draw, and go out 2-1 on aggregate. Irrespective of the hype surrounding the "new Galacticos", the cruel hard facts are that Real are out of the Champions League at the first knockout round for the sixth year in succession, and someone has a lot of explain to do why, when it came to the crunch, Real failed to produce the goods.

Yet it all looked so different in the sixth minute at the Bernabeu, when super expensive signing Christian Ronaldo put Real ahead on the night, and meaning that the tie was all over. In an ideal World, Real would then have gone on to add one or two more goals just to seal the victory, put on a show for the fans and confirm their role as the top team in Europe, and put these upstarts in Barcelona and Manchester in the their place.

And as the first half wore on, and Real Madrid, playing some lovely football, failed to find the net and that feeling of déjà vu began to creep in for the home fans. At half time in the dressing room, the team talks must have been interesting, and it appeared that real had come out for the second half with a siege mentality while Lyon's manager Claude Puel had managed to convince his players that this tie was theirs for the taking. And they went on to prove him right by equalizing through the Bosnian Miralem Pjanić who slammed a crisp shot home from 12 yards as the Madrid superstars looked on in wonder. The goal appeared to crush real's resolved altogether, and the tie petered out to a draw. As the Lyon players celebrated their victory, and superstar Christiano Ronaldo slipped quietly from the field you can't help wondering what his thought were, and especially what it might feel like to go back to Old Trafford.

David Beckham, also a modern hero who learned his trade under the watchful glare of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester, made an emotional return to the scene of most of his former glories last night. David, despite his superstar status has always retained his humility, was obviously moved by his welcome from the Old Trafford faithful when he came on as a substitute in the 73rd minute. He might not have been so welcome if Manchester were not ahead 3-0 at the time with the tie well and truly in the bag.
And once again it was Wayne Rooney who put them there. He put united ahead in the 15th minute with yet another fabulous headed goal, and added a second soon after the start from a fine pass by Nani. The hyper-active Ji-Sung Park drilled in the third on the hour to put Milan out of their misery, and after that it was a stroll for the Reds and an opportunity for Beckham to bid his fond farewell to the European soccer stage that he has graced so well for years. Darren Fletcher put even more icing on the cake with a late fourth. What stood out on the night was the total lack of contribution from Ronaldhino who not so long ago was also a World superstar but at only 28 looked very much like a spent force.
And the showdown between Rooney and Ronaldo won’t be happening this season, at least not at club level, and Real will be left to ponder what went wrong, especially when this year's Champion's League final is due to be played at the Bernabeu Stadium.

Bayern squeeze through while Bendtner forces Arsenal fans to eat their words.

2010-03-09T19:36:00.000-08:00

The first bout of the deciding games in the eighth round of the Champions League kicked off last night with lots of goals and drama.

The first match in the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence saw
Bayern Munich makes it through to the quarter-finals, but only by virtue of the away goals ruling, as they lost 3-2 to Fiorentina. After their narrow
2-1 first-leg victory Bayern looked to be in for a tough test, and their fears were rapidly confirmed as Vargas put the home into the lead, which meant that the Germans were on their way out on the away goals rule. Things went from bad to worse for Bayern at the start of the second half as midfield star Stevan Jovetic put Fiorentina two goals ahead, with a crisp drive from 12 yards.

However the Germans never give up easily and when Mark van Bommel shot home for twenty yards in the sixtieth minute, then the tie was a complete draw and extra time seemed more than likely. However that particular possibility was nipped in the bud, as Jovetic popped up a few minutes later to put Fiorentina 3-1 ahead on the night and, on paper at least, through to the next round. No sooner had the celebrations died down, when Bayern again demonstrated why that have remained at the forefront of European soccer for so many years, with their highly experienced and super talented smashed in a long range shot to put Bayern through to the next round, despite some frantic efforts by the purple soccer uniforms of Fiorentina to decide the tie yet again with a late winner. What made the difference at the end of the day was
Bayern's impressive Champions League record of scoring in away ties, with no less than 18 of their last 19 goals coming away from home. .
Bayern's defeat was their first in 19 games in all competitions.

In the other tie in London Arsenal swept Porto aside with an impressive 5-0 win against former European Champions, Porto. Arsenal also had to overcome a 2-1 defeat on the first round, and home fans were skeptical of their chances, especially as midfield powerhouse and team Captain Cesc Fabregas was out with a hamstring injury and Swiss striker Nicklas Bendtner was playing. The reason for the fan's cynicisms was that Bendtner had had an absolute howler of a game on Saturday against lowly Burney in the Premier League. The word was Bendtner should have scored about five, but missed them all, eventually being substituted to cries of relief from the home fans. Something must have hit home because Bendtner was a different player last night at the Emirates, putting Arsenal ahead as early as the sixth minute, and through on the night. He went on to confirm the gunners ascendancy with another well-taken strike before the break, with Porto finding it difficult to keep track of Arsenal's typically slick passing play and looking already down and out.

The goal of the night was not from Bendtner but from Frenchman
Samir Nasri, playing in Cesc Fabregas' midfield role, who notched up a fine goal after a beautiful solo run, and substitute Emmanuel Eboue made it four just a few minutes later after a counter-attack with the ever impressive Arshavin providing the final pass. To put the icing on the cake for Arsenal and for Nikolas Bendtner in particular was converting a very late penalty and completing his hattrick. The crowd roared in appreciation as the man who looked like he couldn't hit a barn door from three yards just three days ago stepped up and slotted the ball home with complete professionalism.

Real go top in Spain as Barca falter under strange circumstances.

2010-03-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

The race for the La Liga title is gaining pace with Real Madrid coming back from a two goal deficit to beat Sevilla in a thrilling game. The victory saw Real ease past Barcelona by virtue of an improved goal difference. Ex-Liverpool ace Xabi Alonso was kind enough to give the visitors an early lead, putting the ball into his own net. Bernabeu was stunned into silence when a rare mistake from keeper Iker Casillas saw Ivica Dragutinovic's free-kick float into the top left corner as the Real defence looked on in dismay.
It was a rare site to see the white soccer uniforms go down the tunnel two goals behind at half time.

As was the case in many of the weekend fixtures in Europe, the second half told an entirely different story. Cristiano Ronaldo slammed the first nail into Sevilla's coffin when he coolly side-footed the ball home after a neat inter-passing move. The whites were level just four minutes later, with midfielder Sergio Ramos heading home powerfully from a corner. The pressure on Sevilla's goal was unrelenting with both Gutti and Higuain hitting the woodwork, and Raul getting in the way of a goal bound Ronaldo shot. The was fire in the eyes of the Madrid player's eyes as the pushed for victory and it came from a very late goal from substitute Rafael van der Vaart.

Real went into the game knowing that a victory, and even a narrow one, would take them to the peak of the table. In the early game champions Barca struggled slightly, away to Almeria. It was a very unbalanced game, marked by some strange refereeing decisions more than good football. Barca came back twice to equalize with both goals coming from Lionel Messi.

However Messi's star was eclipsed but not by any of the players, instead by referee Carlos Clos Gomez. First he sent Barca coach Pep Guardiola to the stands in the first half, and Swedish Zlatan Ibrahimovic to an early bath with half an hour to go.

Gomez also succeeded in upsetting everyone in the ground by delaying the match's kick off for around fifteen minutes. He apparently took exception to the Almeria player' soccer uniforms, which offered support to the people of Chile after the recent earthquake.
When the game eventually got under way Domingo Cisma had put the Almerians ahead after just 12 minutes, and leaving Barcelona on the lookout for an equalizer. It finally came three minutes before half-time, and again referee Gomez was involved in another controversial decision. This time he awarded a free kick for the visitors, which looked dubious in the extreme. A grateful Messi stepped up to beat keeper Alves with an exquisite free-kick.
That's how the score remained at the break, but Barca went behind soon after the match resumed. . Captain Carles Puyol feeling as generous as his counterpart Alonzo at Real, gifted the home side a really soft own-goal.
However Messi came up with the goods scrambling a late equalizer, to keep the champions in close sight of Real.
With the title race in La Liga finely poised, El Clasico on 11 April looks like being a bit of a league decider.

In Italy at the weekend Serie A leaders Inter Milan were surprisingly held to a stuffy goalless draw by Genoa away. Inter, and especially Jiao Mourinho were disappointed to lose the chance to pull further away from AC Milan who were also held to a no-score draw by Roma on Saturday.

Villa win it in Second

2010-03-07T16:38:00.001-08:00

The last two games of the FA Cup quarter finals were played on Sunday with the most exciting game of the two being at Reading. The home team, struggling in the Championship had been having a great run in the cup, and it looked like continuing as they went in at the interval 2-0 ahead, with both goals coming from promising young striker, Shane Long. Things looked down and out for Aston Villa at the break, but they came out for the second half with a whole load of fresh vitality. Vitality that saw them shatter Reading' s hopes for a place in the semis with three goals in the space of ten minutes early in the half that saw Reading's lead disappear as fast as it had come. England World Cup Squad hopeful Ashley Young notched up the first, and then Villa's giant Norwegian born striker made his indelible mark on the game by scoring a rapid brace to put the amber and claret soccer uniforms very much in the driving seat. Villa's amazing comeback was sealed in stoppage time as Carew completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after he had been fouled by Reading's Ingimarsson.

Villa are having a great season by their standards, in the Semi Finals as well as very much in the running for that highly important fourth place in this season's Premier League. March will be a very decisive month for them, and things are looking good for them. Yesterday's win was amazingly the first that the club had had in the month of March since Martin O'Neil became manager of the club in 2006.

The other semi saw John Terry and Chelsea taking on the less glamorous but hard working Stoke City side at Stamford Bridge. Terry has been very much in the headlines in the last few weeks and for all the wrong reasons. His performances on the field in the last few weeks have also been less than impressive, but yesterday he put in a solid performance and even scored the decisive second goal in Chelsea's relatively easy 2-0 win.

Frank Lampard, who is hitting some pretty good form as the season progresses, opened the scoring for Chelsea, hammering in a powerful drive form more than twenty yards. Chelsea created a number of chances, some of which they should have taken advantage of before Terry sealed the victory with a typical header from Lampard's corner. Stoke rarely threatened, with the only real chance coming from one of Rory Delap's famous long range throw ins. Ex-Chelsea player Robert Huth's headed it on, and Mamady Sidibe flicked his header in from close range when it looked easier to score. What was obvious to all in attendance is that Chelsea have a real problem with their replacement keeper Hilario, in for the injured Peter Cech. Better teams will give this Portuguese veteran a really difficult time, and one of them will surely be Aston Villa who will meet Chelsea at Wembley in the first semi-final. Portsmouth will play either Tottenham of Fulham in the other.

There was also some Premier league action yesterday with Everton pushing Hull below the red line with a crushing 5-1 home win. Spanish star Mikel Arteta marked his recent return from injury by scoring two goals for the Toffees. Other scorers for the Goodson Park Club were American Land on Donovan, and promising young player Jack Rodwell. Hull's Richard Garcia also chipped in with an own goal for the blues, while teenager Tom Cairney scored Hull's solitary effort at the right end of the park, equalizing with a superb volley

United go top in England as "the Carrot Top" scores his hundredth.

2010-03-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

United go top in England as "the Carrot Top" scores his hundredth.

Paul Scholes, one of the three remaining "wonder babes of the nineties" of Old Trafford, has never been known as a loud or outgoing personality,
Yet he seemed to be turning more and pinker yesterday at the Moulineux stadium in Wolverhampton, as he danced along, celebrating his hundredth Premier League goal. Scholes, who normally shuns interviews, said after the game the his goal, and the resultant 1-0 victory against Wolves, could be the one that will make United the Premier League champs for the fourth successive campaign. Wolves put up a tremendous struggle and a draw was looking very much on the cards till Scholes got on target in the 73rd minute when he met a deflected cross from Nani to nudge the ball home. Yet Wolves could have still snatched a draw in the dying seconds of the game, had not
Sam Vokes missed a tremendous chance to score than not but blasted well over the top. Very conspicuous by his absence was Wayne Rooney, while Berbatov continues to flatter to deceive. With Rooney looking doubtful for Wednesday's return match against Milan in midweek, the realization seemed to cause Sir Alex Ferguson's face to gradually become the same colour as the United soccer uniforms.

Earlier in the day, Arsenal provided their usual display of wonderful football, without the ability to take their chances , This time among the spectators were struggling Burnley, who could only look on in dismay as Arsenal squandered chance after chance to go ahead. Particularly at fault was Nicholas Bentdner who missed a barrowload of chances, before being substituted to the relieved cheers and applause of the Emirates crowd. Arsenal appeared to have the points in the bag, as Cesc Fabregas put them in the lead with a typical double passing move with Samir Nasri. That appeared to be that, as Burnley, whose away record is the worst in the Premier League, never looked like coming back. But come back they did, with a fine equalizing strike from David Nugent. However the Gunners stepped up a gear after that and won the game with two late goals from Walcott and Arshavin. Wenger was left with some worries as principal playmaker Fabregas limped off with a recurrence of a hamstring injury. With Porto in midweek in the Champions League, Arsenal will sorely miss their midfield dynamo.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Bolton succeeding in pulling away slightly from the relegation zone. They did so with a deserved 2-1 victory against the under-achieving West Ham in London. South Korean midfielder Lee Chung-young and Jack Wilshere got the goals for Bolton, while Alessando Diamanti pulled a goal back for West Ham late on, and even later Junior Stanislas hit a shot off the woodwork, as the referee was looking to blow the final whistle.

It was also cup day in England yesterday, and Portsmouth, who have bigger problems off the field that on it these caused a bit of a shock by beating the Birmingham 2-0 in the first of the quarter final games played. Portsmouth victory was sealed by two excellent goals, both coming in rapid succession, late in the game; they came from Frederic Piquionne, who is proving to be a shrewd loan signing by manager Avram Grant. The other tie, between Fulham and Tottenham, ended in a tight goalless draw, meaning a replay at White Hart Lane in about ten days time.

Will the Italian Invasion of England succeed?

2010-03-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

For the first time in history, three of the most pivotal roles in English soccer are being held by Italian soccer managers. And during the coming few months, their names may become embellished in the annals of soccer history. The question is whether they will achieve the tough goals that have been set for them, or they will unfortunately go the same way as their predecessors. Lots of potential but no awards. The three managers in question come with tremendous credentials and all have won awards both as players in their Italy as well as managers. In case you haven't guessed the three managers who will be under the spot lamp till the end of the summer are Roberto Mancini of Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti of Chelsea and Fabio Capello, the England International team manager. While none of them ever played together or even outside Italy, all of them pulled on the national soccer uniform with considerable distinction.
Mancini comes up first, because he was the last to arrive on the English scene to manage Manchester City. He arrived somewhat under a cloud, not of his own making, after the acrimonious sacking of Mark Hughes. The appointment of Mancini initially looked like a good idea as City began to win games instead of drawing them, which they did with remarkable regularity. Roberto started well with a few wins, but City's form has slipped recently, and they were ousted from the FA cup by lowly Stoke City. City's and Mancini's only hope for glory remaining this season is to book that hard fought for fourth place in the Premier League and with it a ticket to next season's Champions league. Competition will be tough, with Liverpool, Aston Villa and Tottenham all in with a chance. If Mancini succeeds in steering City into fourth place, he will surely be around to guide them next season, and even if he doesn't him might well still be.
Also feeling the pressure just now will be Carlo Ancelotti of Chelsea. Chelsea go into action tomorrow in what will be a very significant month for them, and one which may well decide if Carlo will make it past his first season. Which is something of an achievement at a club who has gone through five managers in the last three seasons (if you count Butch Wilkins who managed them for a single game)? Carlo's and Chelsea's challenge begins tomorrow with a cup game against Stoke at home. A week on Tuesday, Chelsea face Inter Milan in the second leg of their Uefa Champions League at home. They will have to overcome a 2-1 away defeat as well as the mind games of their former iconic manager José Mourinho. The crunch time for Chelsea's season draws to an end on the third of April when they head to Old Trafford for what could well be the Premier League Championship decider. Depending on how Chelsea fare in the coming month, and even more so in the following one, will determine whether Ancelotti's stay in England will be considered a success or not. Lifting the Champions League Trophy at the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid in May might be the only real guarantee that the Carlo will become the first Chelsea manager in years to keep his job for more than one season.
Looking down on his two younger colleagues from above is Fabio Capello, the England team manager. Capello has worked wonders in reshaping the England team squad and restoring their somewhat faded prestige. He led them to South Africa with a lot of class and aplomb, and a relatively easy draw should see them through the group stages, after that, it's all down to the luck of the draw,
What's for sure is that the next few months are going to be hot for these sons of Italy and for all of England.

Is there an Arsenal injury curse?

2010-03-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that Arsenal are not everyone's favorite football team, which is difficult to understand as they play some very attractive football, and their manager Arsene Wenger is one of the most respected and knowledgeable in the game. His ability to spot a young talent to don the famous red and white soccer uniform and nurture them to greatness is renowned. At the helm at Arsenal since 1996, Wenger has recognized talent in many players and his current squad bears witness to his ability. Despite the fact that Arsenal was up there and winning trophies up till 2005, they have won nothing since and not even got close in the UK. They did have the distinction of being the first London club to reach a European Champions league final, losing out to Barcelona in 2006
Since the (some say) premature departure of Thierry Henry to Barcelona in 2007, Arsenal appears to have lost their edge in the last third of the pitch. To watch them play some times can be very frustrating as they have some really skilful players, and a creative gem in Cest Fabregas, but they just don't seem to score enough goals, especially against the other members of the big four ( Chelsea, ManUtd. or maybe Liverpool)
Unfortunately where Arsenal does appear to lead the field is in the number of horrific injuries that their players have suffered over the last few years. Every team going through a tough season, and especially those who are playing a lot of games, are liable suffer injuries to their key players. However very few see their players being stretchered off with career threatening injuries the way Arsenal have, especially in the last few years.
The recent terrible injury blow that Arsenal suffered was with their young Welsh talent, Aaron Ramsey who was a victim of a studs up tackle by Stoke's Ryan Shawcross which left Ramsey with seemingly no less than six fractures to his shin. Shawcross left the field in tears, and the Arsenal and Stoke players were obviously shaken as nineteen year old Ramsey was stretchered of, and is not likely to feature again on a soccer pitch till 2011.
It must have been like déjà vu for Wenger as he recalled the day in February 2008, in a match against Birmingham City, where another one of his protégés, Croatian born Eduardo suffered a badly broken left fibula as well as an open dislocation to his left ankle. The injury was caused by an over the ball tackle by Birmingham's captain Martin Taylor, who was promptly sent off. It took Eduardo almost exactly one year to get back to proper match fitness.
As Arsenal's season continues and they still remain in contention for the two major trophies ( Premier League and Champions League) how will Ramsey's injury affect the rest of the players' ability to get stuck in around the opposition's penalty area when the tackles start to fly.

Mixed fortunes for World Cup teams in a night of International friendly action.

2010-03-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

There was a definite taste of the fast approaching World Cup finals in the air last night as the cream of the national teams were testing each other’s abilities across Europe and the globe. No less than 33 friendly internationals took place on Wednesday evening, with many of the countries who will be taking part in the finals in action, with some of them even playing against each other.
Last night, most eyes in the UK were on Wembley, and England’s friendly with African champions, Egypt. Before the action could begin, there had to be some kind of off-field drama. This time it was, how would the crowd greet recently deposed captain, John Terry and to everyone’s surprise, the reaction was subdued. England looked very smart in their World Cup winning red soccer uniforms.

On the field too, things were also pretty subdued, at least in the first half, Egypt showed why their second successive African cup of nations was not a fluke. They went down the half time tunnel leading 1-0 and justifiably too. If Sir Alex Ferguson has his effective “hair dryer” treatment, than Fabio Capello has his stony glare, which most people might find even more frightening. He must have been doing some glaring at half time, as England came out looking a different team in the second half. That most unlikely looking of soccer heroes Peter Crouch grabbed a brace and Sean Wright-Phillips slipped in a soft goal, to make for a fairly incisive 3-1 victory.

Elsewhere Scotland succeeded in winning 1-0 at Hampden against the Czech Republic. Neither team will be at the World Cup finals, and the only significant thing about the game was that it was new manager Craig Levien’s first in charge. Elsewhere Wales lost at home to Sweden and Northern Ireland had a very disappointing away defeat to lowly Albania.

Across the rest of Europe, there were some interesting matches taking place with probably most interest being in how Diego Maradona’s Argentina would fare against Germany. And they answer was that they did very well. In what will be their second last friendly before boarding the plane to SA, Argentina won 1-0 with a strike from Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain. Argentina looked a lot stronger in all departments than the lack luster German side.

Probably the most significant game of the night took place in Paris, where World Cup 2006 runners up took on Spain, the Euro 2008 Champions. Spain took the spoils, with goals from David Villa and Sergio Ramos in Spain’s first away victory over France for more than forty years. The victory showed why the Iberian superstars have now won 42 out of their last 45 internationals and have to be taken very seriously in the summer in South Africa.

Elsewhere Netherlands won over the United States by two goals to one, while reigning World Champions Italy were held to a tame goalless draw at home to Cameroon.

Real Madrid tops the money league as Man Utd fans get despondent about the Glazers

2010-03-02T14:25:00.000-08:00

Whoever tells you that football is not big business will find it difficult today, with the release of figures showing the turnover of Europe's top clubs. For the fifth consecutive year, Real Madrid have won the title as being the World's richest club, which is about the only title that they have won during that period. The Madrid club, who are so hungry for glory actually made a profit of $525 million (£350 million, €385 million) for the 2008/09 season. However that was before they paid out no less than $475 million (€350 million, £318 million) on the cream of players from all over Europe to make a squad that would try and take some of the glory from their arch rivals Barcelona.

Barcelona had a great season last year, winning every competition that they took part in; including La Liga and the Champions League, leaving Real's trophy room completely bare. In third place was Manchester United who lost out in the Champions League final to Barcelona, but gained a healthy £55 million profit when they sold superstar Christiano Ronaldo. Christiano has now donned the famous all white of Real Madrid, one of the most well known soccer uniforms on the global stage. Filling his boots as the king pin of Manchester United these days is Wayne Rooney, who looks like he might be knocking both Christiano and Lionel Messi of their perch to become the World's top footballer.

Manchester's season seems to be moving into top gear just at the right time, and last Sunday's Carling Cup final win as again a fine display of not so silky football, played with a lot of grit. The icing on the cake was Wayne Rooney coming off the bench to score the winning goal with a header. While statistics are not readily available, soccer pundits are saying that Wayne has scored more goals with his head in the last month than in all the rest of his career put together.

While there are happy times on the field for Man-U these days, they certainly don't have their problems to seek off it. And it all comes down to money. The problems began in 2005, when the club was taken over by US billionaire Malcolm Glazer who had made his fortune running American football teams. Glazer paid out around $1.2 billion ( £800 million) for the club, which was largely financed by borrowing, meaning that huge amounts of interest has being paid out every year since then. According to the most recent accounts released in January, United's debt burdens have increased to around one billion dollars (£716.5 million) with close to $100 million (£68.5 million) paid out in interest during 2009 alone.

The fans say that these huge interest payments has begun to sap the club's ability to buy the top players that will keep them at the forefront, both at home as well as in Europe. Signs of the fan's dissatisfaction at the Glazer's running or the club have become increasingly apparent with many fans giving up wearing their favourite red soccer uniforms. Instead they have begun to wave green and gold scarves and banners, which were the colours of Newton Heath. Newton Heath was a simple football club who changed their name to Manchester United more than a century ago. United's fans are calling out for a return to the days where soccer was more a sport and less of a business. Let's hope they succeed!

The Under 20 World Cup‘s Most Promising Players

2009-10-12T16:16:00.002-07:00

Some of the most talented players under the age of twenty are showcasing their talent at FIFA’s Under-20 World Cup taking place in Egypt. This Championship has brought soccer greats like Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho into the limelight. Here’s who to look out for this year:

Soccer Shirt No. 18 Ransford Osei (Ghana)

Eighteen year old Osei is already an international player, with seven goals to his credit at the African Youth Championship. This deadly striker is known for his speed and is currently on loan to Twente in the Dutch league.

Soccer Shirt No. 13 Douglas Costa (Brazil)

This left midfielder played a big role in Brazil’s success at the South American U-20 Championships. Already playing for Gremio, it is rumored that Man U and Real Madrid are both keeping an eye on him. As a free-kick specialist, it comes as no surprise that Douglas is being called the ‘new Ronaldinho’!

Soccer Shirt No. 9 Richard Sukuta-Pasu (Germany)

Sukuta-Pasu, under contract with Bayer Leverkusen, got the world’s attention at the UEFA U-19 tournament in 2008. This quick paced striker runs with the ball and has his eyes focused on the goal. Standing tall at 6 feet 2 inches, Sukuta-Pasu plays for Bayer Leverkusen at present.

Soccer Jersey No. 8 Hernan Perez (Paraguay)

Midfielder Perez was signed up by Villarreal until 2014 after playing s single game for his former team! He finished as joint top scorer at the South American U-20 Championships with five goals. Perez is central to Paraguay’s hopes of delivering a surprise at the Under-20 World Cup this year.

Soccer Jersey No. 9 Krisztian Nemeth (Hungary)

Nemeth has already been signed up by Liverpool for his excellent striking skills. Though not too tall, Nemeth is good with the ball in the air and on the ground, and it’s just a matter of time before he is recognized as a class act.

Soccer Shirt No. 17 Fran Merida (Spain)

As part of the talented Spanish team, Merida has already got a taste of action while playing for Arsenal. Having started with the youth team at Barcelona, Merida moved on to Arsenal where he has made his presence felt with his innovative passes.

Soccer Shirt No. 11 Paolo Henrique (Brazil)

Attacking midfielder Paolo plays for the Brazilian club Santos, as well as, his country’s Under-20 team. You can expect to see him in action in Brazil’s senior national team after some years. Expectations are high that Paulo Henrique and Douglas Costa will form a deadly pair in the midfield, upping Brazil’s chance to secure its fifth title.

No matter which teams reach the finals, you can be sure these players with those soccer uniforms, will become household names before the Under-20 World Cup ends, so remember these names!

Under-20 World Cup at Egypt

2009-10-12T16:16:00.001-07:00

This year’s top youth soccer competition kicked off on 24 September in Egypt and we’re in the thick of the action, with teams in their youth soccer uniforms vying for the title and players looking out to impress. As of now, ten nations have made it to Round 16 – Brazil, Germany, Spain, Egypt, Venezuela, Ghana, Italy, Paraguay, Uruguay and UAE. Let’s take a look at the teams and the history of this tournament…

The FIFA Under-20 World Cup has been around in various forms since the year 1977. As we know it today, 24 teams with 21 players each, born on or after January 1, 1989, are eligible to compete. The Championship takes place every two years, with Argentina holding the record with six titles. Though, sadly enough, they failed to qualify this year. Brazil follows with four titles and Portugal with two titles. Spain, Germany, and the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia have won one title each.

Without Argentina to defend its 2007 title, the title could belong to anyone, though bookmakers consider Brazil, Germany and Spain as favorites. But Egypt, who automatically qualify as hosts, Ghana and Italy cannot be ruled out to deliver a surprise! Spain, Venezuela, Ghana and Uruguay have six points each from two matches, so their place in one of the top two spots in their respective groups is secure. While Germany, Italy and Paraguay have four points each from their two matches. Now, the battle is on for the remaining places.

Here’s a look at the groups: In Group A, there’s Egypt, Paraguay, Italy and Trinidad and Tobago. Group B has Spain and Venezuela through to Round 16, with Nigeria beating Tahiti in a not so impressive game, though keeping their hopes alive. The situation in Group C seems tighter, as both Korea Republic and USA bounced back in style. The Koreans managed to draw against Germany, and the US crushed Cameroon 4-1. Group C sees Germany securing 4 points to make it to the knockouts, with the US, Cameroon and South Korea in need of victories to make it.

Group D comprises of England, Uruguay, Ghana and Uzbekistan, out of which Ghana and Uruguay convincingly sealed their berths in the last sixteen. Ghana’s Black Satellites, who won the 2009 African Youth Championship, are in good playing form, so watch out for them! Both Ghana and Uruguay have secured six points and can no longer be dislodged. The defeated teams, England and Uzbekistan, will now meet in the final group match, with England hoping to salvage its pride and avoid elimination.

The action now shifts to Group E and F, with Brazil, Australia, Costa Rica and the Czech Republic in Group E. This Group remains open since Brazil failed to beat the Czechs, ending in a draw, resulting in both teams going through to the knockouts. Group F has South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Honduras and Hungary, with UAE going into the last Round 16 after defeating Honduras. Favourites Brazil are looking to claim their fifth title, and as usual, expectations are high. It remains to be seen which team takes centre stage wearing their national youth soccer uniforms with pride in the finals on October 16 at the Cairo International Stadium.

World Cup 2010 – South Africa is Ready, Are You?

2009-10-12T16:15:00.002-07:00

Keep your soccer shirts ready, South Africa is all set to give you an unconventional and truly memorable World Cup next year. Working full throttle, the country is ready to launch its first wildlife soccer venue, the Mbombela Stadium in the province of Mpumalanga. Besides the friendly local population, there’ll be giant, orange shaped giraffes to welcome you from the roof and black and white zebra print seats!

There’s wildlife strewn all around the Mbombela Stadium with traditional paintings in the foyer, and psychedelic colors in the corridors! With its vivid paints and flamboyance, this stadium is a dramatic and modern football venue that offers great views and 43,540 seating capacity. A freshly laid pitch only adds to the vibrant colors! The only thing missing are equally vibrant spectators in their world cup soccer jerseys, holding up their country’s flags. Guess that’ll have to wait until June next year!

The city’s mayor, Lassy Chiwayo, is thrilled with this achievement, “For us this is a story of commitment, resilience and hard work. There are many unsung heroes who have made this possible. I want to pay tribute to the construction workers and to the community, who threw their weight behind us. This new baby towering above us symbolizes hope. We’re hoping this tournament will act as a stimulus for economic and social development,” declared Chiwayo.

Even Durban seems almost ready to open its doors with its new multi-purpose 69,000 capacity Moses Mabhida Stadium. Scheduled to host seven World Cup matches, and a semifinal, the stadium is just weeks away from completion. And the excitement is palpable. Once ready, the finalists of a local school competition will be the first to walk onto the newly laid turf to mark its official opening along with Durban’s citizens. This will be followed by a Premier Soccer League match the next day. January to May 2010 will see a line-up of more PSL matches and concerts at the venue, ironing out any possible rough spots before soccer’s greatest competition in June 2010, the FIFA World Cup.

Durbanites are known to make the most of match days, be it soccer, rugby or cricket. They reach the stadium hours before and set up barbeques in adjacent fields as pre and post match festivities that go on into the wee hours of the morning. In keeping with this festive spirit, the authorities are planning on investing R250 million to upgrade the area and develop a people’s park near the stadium with training fields, a running and cycling track, playground and tea garden! An official explained, “For us as a city it was always very important that the stadium is financially viable after 2010… We have worked hard to ensure that the entire precinct becomes an area used by the residents of the city.”

The idea is to make it a well utilized asset that’s buzzing with activity before and after the World Cup. And, of course, it’s part of a promise to deliver a uniquely African World Cup!

World Cup 2010 – Who’s In, Who’s Out?

2009-10-12T16:15:00.001-07:00

Well, England, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Paraguay, Ghana, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Korea DPR have qualified, so has host South Africa, for the 2010 World Cup. That’s 11 teams with dreams to win the title so far… What about Argentina? Does it have a chance or will it miss the soccer fiesta for the first time in 40 years? Let’s take a look…

Argentina’s coach, former legend Diego Maradona, who gave the soccer shirt 10 an iconic status back in the day, prayed for divine intervention hoping that his team reaches the 2010 World Cup at South Africa. After a 3-1 defeat against rival Brazil, that too, on home ground, things don’t look too good for the Argentineans. It was their first defeat at home after being defeated 5-0 by Colombia 16 years back. But Maradona stood his ground, repeating, “The bearded one (God) saved me many times before – and I hope he will do so this time.”

Having lost to Paraguay as well, Argentina now stand fifth in the continental group, a place below the final qualifying berth. Ready to take on Peru on home ground, plus a make or break match against Uruguay, Argentinean fans are keeping their fingers crossed, as is their coach. “We have to get it into our heads that these two games are crucial to our hopes and we can’t keep giving things away such as we did against Brazil,” said Maradona. Recently, while on a slimming course in Italy, fans surrounded him, complaining that a World Cup without Argentina just wouldn’t be the same… He is said to have responded, “Don’t worry, Argentina will be there.” So, it’s a match against the Peruvians and another crucial game against arch rivals Uruguay that’ll decide Argentina’s fate. Both Argentina and Uruguay could be vying for fifth place in the South American qualifying group, making it a critical match.

Meanwhile, Brazilian coach Dunga has earmarked a 24 man team before the South American group’s final two games, hoping to give more players experience. Brazil will soon play Bolivia, followed by Venezuela. Dunga explained, “We have two games ahead and the first one is very wearing, but we’ll try to do our best in Bolivia… Despite we have already qualified, we’re Brazil and we have to win always. We try to keep the group and give chances to some new players.”

Spain’s soccer uniform number 6, Xavi Hernandez, feels that England is a strong candidate that can come in the way of Spain’s World Cup dreams. Backing England as one of his favorites to win the 2010 World Cup, the midfielder feels that, “England were the big absence from Euro 2008 and I expect they are itching to show they can win the World Cup. They will be among our biggest rivals along with Brazil, Italy and Germany. And we might see a surprise this time from an African country like Ivory Coast. They look very strong to me right now.” Let’s see how the cookie crumbles… Only time will tell.

Soccer Fathers & Sons!

2009-10-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

Soccer fever runs high among fans from different countries, it also runs among siblings and friends. But did you know it also runs in the genes, with fathers and sons both taking the pitch? Here’s a look at some famous father and son duos taking centre stage on the pitch, though separated by a decade or more…

Cha Bum-Kun and Cha Doo-Ri
Cha Bum-Kun is regarded as the greatest South Korean player ever and one of the best soccer talents to be imported into the German Bundesliga. Awarded the title ‘Asia’s Player of the Century’, he first played for Frankfurt before moving on to Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Having played more than 100 games for Korea Republic during his career, including the 1986 World Cup, Cha Bum-Kun is now the manager of the Suwon Bluewings. While playing for Bayer Leverkusen, he scored 52 goals and played an important role in Leverkusen winning the UEFA Cup in 1988.

His son, Cha Doo-Ri has large shoes to fill. Born in Germany while his father played for Frankfurt, Doo-Ri spent his growing years in Germany, and currently plays for Freiburg. Doo-Ri has huge expectations from himself and hopes to follow his famous and gifted father’s footsteps. Learning from Bum-Kun’s experience as a seasoned soccer player, Doo-Ri feels his father’s insights have helped him make the transition as a professional player. Known for his killer instinct in front of the goal, Leverkusen’s manager Ilja Kaenzig is waiting for Doo-Ri to acclimate himself to the rigors of the Bundesliga and join the team in the near future. Doo-Ri is equally eager to wear the Leverkusen soccer shirt, just like his father once did…

Cesare and Paolo Maldini
Which soccer fan doesn’t know the Italian Maldini’s? Father Cesare, and son Paolo, have had the honor of lifting the European Cup as AC Milan’s captain. Cesare, who wore the number 25 soccer shirt, represented his country during the 1962 and 1966 World Cups, and went on to become coach after retirement. His son, Paolo, ended his 25 year long career after winning numerous club and international honors, including the Champions League title in 2003. The same title was won by his father 40 years ago. Today, Cesare’s grandson, Christian, carries on the family tradition of playing for AC Milan, though he’s still in the youth team.

Johan and Jordi Cruyff
If you’re not familiar with the name Johan Cruyff, you don’t know your soccer! That’s the legendary status of this Dutch soccer star. Recognized as the greatest footballer from Netherlands, and one of the best in the world, Johan sadly couldn’t win a World Cup though he enjoyed great success at clubs like Barcelona, Ajax and Feyenord. His son Jordi, had a fairly successful career as attacking midfielder at Barca and Man U, and is now at Valletta, a Maltese club. As for his father, the thrice named ‘European Footballer of the Year’ went on to manage Ajax and Barca. Johan Cruyff is remember for introducing Total Football to the Dutch team. In 2007, Ajax retired the number 14 soccer uniforms in honor of Johan Cruyff…

Amazing Soccer Trivia

2009-09-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Since you enjoyed reading the wild soccer facts so much, here are some amazing firsts:

 Pele, the king of football, is said to have stopped two factions fighting a civil war in Nigeria during the year 1967. Both sides actually held a 48 hour ceasefire to watch Pele play in Lagos! That’s the power of football and Pele!

 Gerd Muller managed to score 68 goals out of the 62 games he played for West Germany.

 Tommy Docherty was sacked as Manchester United’s manager for sleeping with the physiotherapist’s wife!

 Before he joined Barcelona, Luis Figo had actually signed illegal contracts with Parma and Juventus!

 Brazil’s striker Ronaldo was declared the Most Valuable Player of the 1998 World Cup, even though Brazil lost the championship final to France. Ronaldo has also been named World Player of the Year thrice!

 Lilian Thuram is France’s most capped player with 137 caps and 2 goals.

 Hungary has won the most gold medals in the Olympics for soccer since the year 1952!

 Robbie Fowler signed for Manchester City from Leeds United with the understanding that his former team would continue to pay him a salary!

 During the largest soccer tournament ever held, as many as 5,098 teams and 35,000 players competed for the second Bangkok League Seven-a-Side Competition in 1999!

 Germany’s Oliver Kahn is the first goalie to win the Most Valuable Player of the World Cup in the year 2002.

 Brazil happens to be the only country that has made an appearance in every single World Cup final! And it is also the only country to have lifted the trophy five times.

 The fastest goal in a World Cup match was scored by Czechoslovakian Vaclav Masek after just 16 seconds into the game against Mexico in 1962!

 American Bert Patenaude was the first to score a hat trick in World Cup history while playing against Paraguay in 1930.
 Sweden’s Erik Nilsson and Switzerland’s Alfred Bickel are the only players to have played in a World Cup before and after World War II. They both wore their national team’s World Cup soccer jerseys in 1938 and 1950!

 Germany lost two World Cup finals in 1982 and 1986, making soccer uniform number 11 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge the only captain to have lost two finals!

 The first own goal during a World Cup was scored by Paraguay’s Ramon Gonzales in a first round match against the United States in 1930.

 Soccer legend Eusebio scored as many as 46 goals in the European Cup for his team Benfica!

 The fastest hat trick was made by Hungarian Laszlo Kiss during a match against El Salvador in 1982. He scored during the 70th, 74th and 77th minute of the game, which also makes him the only substitute to have ever scored a hat trick!

 The largest attendance for a soccer match saw a whopping 199,854 fans turn up for a match played by Brazil and Uruguay during the 1950 World Cup at the Maracana Municipal Stadium at Rio de Janeiro!

Wild Soccer Facts!

2009-09-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Wild Soccer Facts!

Soccer, the most watched and played sport in the world, has some amazing and weird facts that are truly fascinating! Here are some you might enjoy:

 During the first World Cup in 1930 at Uruguay, the soccer balls used were monkey skulls wrapped in paper and leather!

 Soccer as we know it originated in Britain.

 Soccer shirt number 10, Diego Maradona, was just 16 when he made his debut for Argentina.

 Talking about number 10, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious numbers in soccer. Number 10 soccer jerseys have been worn by legends of the game, such as Michel Platini, Pele, Zico, Zinadane Zidane, Rivaldo, Mario Kempes, including Maradona, of course.

 Sheffield Wednesday’s goalkeeper Kevin Pressman was actually sent off after 13 seconds against Wolverhampton Wanderers, making it the fastest red card in English soccer!

 Goalkeepers were not required to wear different colored soccer uniforms from their teammates until 1913.

 Soccer became an Olympic sport in 1908.

 Former England international, Paul Gascoigne, was arrested and sectioned under the Mental Health Act in Newcastle.

 Sheffield FC is the world’s oldest club, going back to the year 1857!

 Ronaldinho scored all 23 goals for his youth team, during which his team beat the opposition 23:0. He was only 13 at the time!

 Italian goalie, Walter Zenga, holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in World Cup history. He played 517 minutes without letting in a goal during the 1990 World Cup tournament!

 Pele is the youngest player to score a goal in the World Cup. He was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored against Wales in 1958.

 Cameroonian, Roger Milla, is the oldest player to play in the World Cup. He was all of 42 years and 39 days when he played against Russia in 1994! During that game, he also scored, making him the oldest goal scorer in the World Cup!

 In 1990, the United Arab Emirates qualified for the World Cup for the first time. Although they were knocked out during the group stage, two players managed to score goals. Both of them received a Rolls Royce for the goals!

 The 1970 World Cup held in Mexico was a landmark tournament since yellow and red cards were used for the first time in its history. Yellow cards were given as a warning, while red cards were used to eliminate players from matches. If a player received two yellow cards, it counted as a red card.

 According to video evidence, one of the fastest ever goal scored was in 2.8 seconds by Uruguayan Ricardo Olivera in 1998!

 Sweden has actually played against Brazil seven times in World Cup history. No other country has faced Brazil that often.

 No host country has ever been eliminated during the first round of a World Cup tournament.

 Pele scored as many as 589 goals in only 605 matches for his team Santos!

Double Trouble for Adebayor

2009-09-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Emmanuel Adebayor, from Manchester City, has done it again. He has now been charged by the FA for violent conduct against former Arsenal team mate, Robin Van Persie. Earlier, Adebayor was charged with improper conduct, which saw him run the length of the pitch while celebrating his goal against Arsenal, provoking the opposing team! For more details, read on…

Adebayor is looking at a three match ban for shoving his studs down Dutchman Van Persie’s face during a match against Arsenal that saw him score in his fourth consecutive match. Though Manchester City won 4:2, the victory was marred by Van Persie’s accusation of Adebayor deliberately kicking him in the face. This three match ban means Adebayor, also a Togo international, will not to be able to play for Manchester City until October 19.

According to an FA statement, ”Under the fast track disciplinary process, Adebayor has been charged with violent conduct following an incident with Robin van Persie, which resulted in the Arsenal player receiving facial injuries.” Referee Mark Clattenburg advised FA that though he wasn’t privy to the incident, had he been, he would’ve sent Adebayor off.

The stormy Togolese joined Manchester City on 18 July 2009 after signing a five year contract for a transfer fee somewhere in the region of £25 million. Adebayor scored during his debut against Blackburn Rovers, smashing a shot from 18 yards in the third minute! His second match saw him score the only goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers, giving his team a 1:0 win. He headed the ball into the goal during his third consecutive league match versus Portsmouth, which again saw Manchester City win by 1:0. And then came the fourth consecutive goal during the fateful match…

Prior to this, Emmanuel Adebayor was criticized for celebrating a goal by running the entire length of the pitch in front of Arsenal supporters, who almost invaded the pitch and threw objects towards him in anger. He was booked for this, but later apologized. Mark Hughes suggested that Adebayor did this in order to be loved by Manchester City fans.

Adebayor, who was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008, also plays for his birth country Togo, though he was also eligible to play for Nigeria. He helped Togo to qualify for the 2006 African Cup of Nations, during which he scored 11 goals in the qualifiers! He also played a leading role in Togo’s 2006 World Cup qualification. Though Adebayor failed to score a single goal in the World Cup, and Togo was eliminated during the group stage, he was made team captain after the qualification.

This is not the first time that Adebayor has got into trouble for his impetuosity and temper. During the 2006 African Cup of Nations, he almost left the tournament after a fight with his coach and was once dropped from the team after a row over bonus payments! But Adebayor was brought back into the national Togo team in 2007.

Adebayor wears soccer uniform number 25.

Messi Becomes Barca’s Highest Paid Player

2009-09-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Argentinean national team’s soccer uniform number 10, Lionel Messi made history recently when he signed a new contract with club Barcelona that makes him the highest paid player in the squad ever…

Barca’s president, Joan Laporta, was thrilled to make the deal official, “Leo should be the highest paid player in the squad. He deserves it. He’s the best player in the world and one of the best in football history. He’s content and that’s why he’s playing the way he is”. Leo joined Barca as a youth team player back in 2001 during which he won a host of trophies. He also played a leading role in the club’s recent unprecedented title treble – the Primera Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League. Scoring 38 goals in the three competitions, and helping with 16 assists, Messi is now a popular choice to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo as FIFA World Player of the Year this December.

The striker’s contract with Barca was to expire in 2014, but he signed a new one that keeps him with the club until 2016, which will probably be the best years in his career. Ending all speculation, Leo claimed, “I want to spend all my career here, in Barcelona, if it’s possible. I would love to finish at Barcelona. This contract is a result of everything that happened last year and of what I have done since coming into the first team. I am simply one more person in this spectacular group of players, where there is a team that is very nice, very united and in which I am simply part of continuing to win things”. According to the new deal, Messi’s release clause increases from 150million Euros to 250million Euros.

Laporta declared, “This is the best news Barca can receive today. It is important to have a player with his human qualities and his football ability. This deal recognizes all that he gives to Barcelona. It is impossible to imagine the team without a player like Messi. We expect Leo to retire here with Barca.” This announcement was expected for some time now and coach Pep Guardiola joined in to express his delight, “It’s an immense piece of news for the club and for the player that Messi is renewing his contract, as it also was when Victor Valdes and Xavi did so. People go to football to see the best and that’s what they are. It’s a privilege for Barca to have some of the best footballers like Messi.”

Next on the club president’s list is captain Carles Puyol, whose services he also hopes to retain at Camp Nou. There have been rumors that the captain is not too happy ever since Barca acquired Ukrainian defender, Dmytro Chygrynskiy. Laporta asserted, “I am convinced that Puyol is keen to end his career at Barca. But I also understand that a player of his age examines the possibility of having an experience outside of Spain.” Let’s see how the cookie crumbles over the next couple of months…

2010 World Cup: Qualifying Teams

2009-09-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

It’s official. Besides host South Africa who automatically qualify, Brazil, England, Netherlands, Spain, Paraguay, Ghana, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Korea DPR have also secured a berth in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. While, Peru and Bolivia have no chance of qualifying. Let’s take a look at the South American Zone...

Brazil is ahead of Paraguay by three points, with both teams securing a place in the World Cup by defeating Argentina. Paraguay’s 1-0 win marks Argentina’s fourth defeat in the last five qualifying games, putting it in the fifth position with only two matches remaining to get one of the two remaining automatic qualifying places.

Legendary soccer shirt number 10, Diego Maradona, now the Argentinean coach, was gracious in his praise of the winning team even though he’s now in the line of fire, "Paraguay played well, particularly Cabanas and Haedo Valdes. They held the ball and midfielders attacked us from the sides. We should have marked them better. It is down to poor form and failures as a team. I didn't think we were going to be like we are. I wanted to be higher in the table. This is the reality we must live and I will face it like always in my life. We still have a chance and we are holding it." Used to facing criticism, Maradona made it clear that it doesn’t faze him, and was quick to defend Lionel Messi. "Do not throw stones at Messi yet again," said Maradona. "The Paraguayan players and Martino knew that he was dangerous. "They were three or four around him. They neutralized him well and he was not able to shine like he normally does."

Meanwhile, having won the Confederations Cup in June, Brazil qualified for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time by beating Argentina 3-1. Though coach Dunga was quick to say that despite the qualification, his team is still under pressure to perform, "To say a national team is ready one year before the World Cup would be too soon. We have a combative spirit and a team who do their best each match. They can say we don't play well, but they cannot say we do not do our best." Brazilian midfielder, Felipe Melo, who wears the number 5 soccer uniforms, feels Chile is one of the best teams in South America, "I see Chile as one of the qualified teams. They are second in the table and it is not by chance. They are dangerous."

It’s confirmed that former Jamaican coach, Brazilian Rene Simoes, is taking over as new national coach of Costa Rica. He’ll be taking over from Rodrigo Kenton, who was recently fired after his team failed to score a single goal in their last three World Cup qualifiers. Aged 56, Simoes is remembered for leading Jamaica to their one and only World Cup debut back in 1998. He also even coached the Brazilian women’s team, that won a silver medal during the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Maradona To Coach Argentina for 2010

2009-08-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

He’s one of the greatest players in the world and has now taken over as coach of the Argentinean national team. The legendary wearer of the number 10 soccer shirt, Maradona, is back in action for this country. He dreams of winning the FIFA World Cup one more time – this time from the sidelines as he steers his team to victory and makes soccer history…

Now, 48 years of age, Maradona is a seasoned man with a look of having been through it all and survived it. Beset by addiction problems, he seems to have fought his demons hard and won over them. He’s even cheated death on occasion! As Maradona himself admits, the worst has already happened… His daughter actually pulled him out from the bottom of the sea… His fans and countrymen have every reason to rejoice as he takes the field again to teach the younger lot. After all, who can forget this legend’s on pitch skills?

Maradona enjoyed the years when he was playing for Argentine the most, but now duty calls, duty to his country, to his team and to himself. A confident Maradona is sure that Argentina will sail through the 2010 World Cup qualifications. He considers coaching his country a dream come true, though explains that he’s only had the boys together for about 40 days since he joined. But Maradona being who he is, he plans to make the most of it. He should have all his players together for 20 days before the World Cup and that’s when he plans to lay the foundation and work towards becoming world champions. So, if you’re an Argentinean fan, get your world cup soccer jerseys ready for the big event in South Africa!

Coach Maradona’s strategy for the team is to vigorously press up front, thereby decreasing the space between attack, midfield and defense. And he’s quick to point out that when his team loses the ball, it should be on top of the other team right away without losing precious time. Considering Argentina has an enviable possession rate, it needs to make the most of it.

This soccer uniform number 10 is driven by a dream to win the World Cup once again and to meet Nelson Mandela while in South Africa! He fondly remembers the first time he held the World Cup Trophy… He touched it kissed it and wouldn’t let go! That according to Maradona is the ‘most beautiful thing’. And that’s what he’s been telling his players – 30 days of sacrifice to win the World Cup are nothing in a man’s life… kissing that trophy is like touching the sky…

Which brings us to something else in Maradona’s life that makes him feel like he’s touching the sky – his grandson. Yes, this legend is a grandfather! And for him, nothing compares to watching his grandchild… Maybe, it’s Maradona’s turn to live a calm and smooth life after much struggle and adversity. We are with him… Go Diego!

Soccer Power Takes Over the US

2009-08-18T15:13:00.001-07:00

It’s football, not soccer that rules in America. All around the world, soccer is known as football, but in the US the word is reserved for all American football. And soccer gets relegated to the background. Not anymore! Soccer has steadily grown in popularity since the 70s, and with USA’s national team reaching the much respected finals of the 2009 Confederation Cup, Americans sat up and let out a collective ‘YES, WE CAN!’

If you go by FIFA World Rankings, USA is ranked 12th in the world and first in CONCACAF. The national team has played the last five FIFA World Cups though they’ve never really got far in tournament. During the Confederation Cup, interest in soccer peaked and text messages were flying thick as Americans got into the spirit of the game, a game that can’t be denied its infectious enthusiasm and inherent vigor. Better late than never, USA! Welcome to the world soccer fiesta! The more the merrier!

As the FIFA 2010 World Cup nears, the excitement in the US is palpable. Newly turned fans are eagerly awaiting the national team’s next World Cup qualifier against El Salvador that will take place on the 5th of September. For decades, soccer was no where close to entering mainstream American sports. But the 2009 Confederation Cup and the media attention it received has converted many casual fans into soccer lovers. Host of ESPN Radio’s ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd’ is among the many to have jumped onto the soccer bandwagon. After all, the national team made it to their first ever FIFA final recently! They can be proud of their performance considering this isn’t a nation of hardcore soccer lovers like most of the world! I mean, it takes real skill to beat Spain during the Confed Cup semifinals. This was no small victory! Spain topped the FIFA World Rankings and had a record of 15 straight wins and 35 undefeated games before the Americans upset their winning spell. And the US sure did give their best during the finals even though they eventually lost 2:3 to Brazil. As far as any diehard soccer fan is concerned losing to Brazil in a final is an honor by itself!

The US national team has won 7 out of 8 qualifying matches against Cuba, Barbados, Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago during the second and third rounds of qualification for the 2010 World Cup. This put the US into the fourth round, where it faces El Salvador, Costa Rica, Mexico, Honduras, and Trinidad and Tobago.
It began the fourth round by defeating Mexico 2:0, and went on to draw against El Salvador. The next game saw the US enjoy a 3:0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago, with soccer shirt number 17 Jozy Altidore becoming the youngest US player to score a hat-trick. And then came a 3:1 defeat against Costa Rica, followed by a 2:1 win against Honduras. Though the US team’s recent 2:1 defeat against Mexico during the 2010 World Cup fourth round qualifiers sure was disappointing, it’s been a pretty good season for US soccer.

As things stand right now, the United States has won 3 games, lost 2 matches and has drawn one in the fourth round, taking it to the second place with two points behind Costa Rica and four games to go. The players to look out for are soccer uniforms number 10 Landon Donovan, number 17 Jozy Altidore, number 1 Tim Howard, number 8 Clint Dempsey and number 3 Carlos Bocanegra.

Let’s hope the game we love to play and watch catches on in the US and generates the same amount of love and enthusiasm as it does across the world.

Meet FIFA’s Soccer Ambassadors

2009-08-18T15:12:00.001-07:00

Ambassadors of soccer uphold FIFA’s vision, “Develop the game, touch the world, build a better future.” They were dynamites on the soccer pitch and are now humanitarians off the field. They believe in making the world a better place through soccer, by uplifting the less haves and giving them a dream to strive for. Meet the Ambassadors…

Abedi Pele, former Ghanaian international soccer player and captain, is regarded as the greatest player in Ghana’s history and amongst the best in the African continent. As a pioneer of African soccer in European clubs, Pele played for Italian, Swiss, German, and French teams. He also played 67 times for his country in the 80’s and 90’s. Named African Footballer of the Year in 1991, 1992 and 1993, his name was also included as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers in March 2004. Though he never got to play a World Cup, he dominated African soccer for nearly a decade. Today, Pele owns a club that nurtures young talent to join the fledgling league of Ghana. This legend is deeply involved with charity work and is one of the continent’s most respected Ambassadors. As a member of FIFA’s Football Committee, Pele has the honor of taking part in the maximum number of charity matches than any other African player.

Jomo Sono lost his soccer star father in a car crash at the age of 8. His mother abandoned him and Sono was looked after by his ailing grandparents. At the age of 10, he sold apples and peanuts during soccer matches. During a soccer match one of the players was absent and Sono was asked to quickly put on a soccer shirt and stand in for the player! That was the beginning of Sono’s illustrious career. He soon became known for his incredible dribbling and accurate passing skills. A fan gave Sono the nickname Jomo, or burning spear, since he saw in him the same leadership qualities as the President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta. And Sono sure did live up to his name! Having played for Orlando Pirates, he went to play for New York Cosmos alongside Brazil’s Pele. On his return, he bought the Highlands Park Club and renamed it Jomo Cosmos in honor of his old team. The club achieved great success and Sono developed new talent for Bafana Bafana, South Africa’s national team. Today, the Black Prince is the longest serving coach in South Africa’s Premier League and is also on the board of the Premier League.

Former Cameroonian forward, Roger Milla, is one of the first African players to become a major international soccer star. Having represented his country in three World Cups, Milla attained international stardom at the age of 38 when most footballers retire! Wearing the famous number 9 soccer shirt, he went on to score 4 goals in the 1990 World Cup, which got Cameroon into the quarterfinals. He also made it to Pele’s list of the 125 greatest living footballers. Besides winning numerous distinctions on the soccer field, Milla serves as an Ambassador for Cameroon and UNAIDS.

Liberian George Weah played for clubs in France, Italy and England for 14 years. The year 1995 saw him become the FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and African Footballer of the Year. Considered as one of the best African footballers ever, Weah has since taken up humanitarian and political causes in Liberia. Through soccer he spreads joy and promotes education among children. As President of the Junior Professionals, Weah discovered many a talent who have gone on to play for the Liberian national team.

Lucas Radebe, former South African player and national team captain, began his career as a goalkeeper. He later moved to the Kaizer Chiefs where he played as a midfielder. Radebe then joined the South African National Team in 1992. The year 1994 saw him move to wear the Leeds United soccer uniforms, where he became a huge soccer star and captain. Radebe was also captain of the South African national team during the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. Radebe is FIFA’s Ambassador for the SOS Children’s Villages.

Countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa

2009-08-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

With less than 300 days to go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa is in top gear in terms of preparation and spirit. Receiving a shot in the arm for successfully hosting and organizing the recently held Confederations Cup, the country is all set to deliver on its promise to host a spectacular World Cup for fans worldwide. Even US President Obama is expected to attend the opening ceremony! Wonder if he’ll get into the spirit of the game and wear a soccer shirt or the South African makaraba hat?! Or, who knows, maybe he’ll even have his own vuvuzela to blow on!

Dr Danny Jordaan, Chief Executive Officer of the Organizing Committee, stressed that the 300 day mark should serve as a reminder of the important work completed and more that still needs to be done in the build up to the tournament. “It is important to record this milestone as a significant one in our country’s history, but for those involved in organizing the tournament – from the construction worker to the marketing executive – it is just another marker along the route to ensuring the World Cup is a success,” said Dr Jordaan. The completion of the stadiums, infrastructure and transportation projects, the initiation of the volunteer program and the World Cup Final Draw are some milestones to cross on the way to 2010.

Fourth of December, 2009, is a big day for the country and Cape Town in specific as it will host the World Cup Final Draw. The 32 teams who qualify for the World Cup will be drawn into groups for the first round of the tournament. South Africa took another step towards World Cup readiness by launching its first visitor information centre. This and other Visitor Information Centers is the government’s initiative to boost tourism in the host cities of Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane and Mangaung/Bloemfontein. Developed at a cost of 6.7 million rand, the centers will be a one-stop, centralized service to assist fans with information regarding tourism products.

Another shot in the arm for South Africa is President Obama’s expected attendance at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup that will take place in Johannesburg on the 11th of June. FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, revealed Obama’s acceptance of the invitation during a special media discussion in Johannesburg. This would mark Obama’s first visit to Africa since he was elected President of the US.

The opening ceremony will kick off at Soccer City, the ultra modern 100,000 capacity stadium, with either hosts Bafana Bafana or former world champions Italy playing. Blatter emphasized that the world should trust South Africa, which will deliver one of the most memorable World Cups ever! After all, the country passed the test of hosting the Confederations Cup with flying colors. And that bodes well for the 2010 World Cup. So, book your tickets, buy your soccer uniforms and other soccer merchandise and make your way to the centre stage of world soccer – South Africa 2010!

All About The Premier League

2009-08-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

Known as ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, the Premier League is the world’s most watched, most popular and most profitable sporting league. Nearly half a billion soccer fans across 202 countries wear their custom soccer jerseys as they closely follow their favorite English teams from August to May each year. Officially called the Barclays Premier League, it has 20 clubs playing 38 games each, with the ‘Big Four’, namely Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, dominating the competition.

Attracting some of the best players in the world, it’s hard to believe that the first Premier League competition kicked off as recently as 1992! The competition was formed when leading clubs in the Football League First Division decided to break away from the Football League in order to reap the benefits of a lucrative television rights deal. The combined club revenues stood at a staggering £1.93 billion in 2007–08.

The Barclays Premier League also ranks first, ahead of Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga. Though 43 clubs have participated in the Premier League until now, only Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, and Chelsea have managed to win the title. Man U are the current champions with eleven Premier League titles to their credit.

But back in the 80s English football was at its lowest. Stadiums were falling apart and violence among fans led to a ban of English teams in European competitions. This led to the resignation of the first division clubs from the Football League on the 20th of February, 1992. Three months later, the Premier League was born… It gave television rights to Sky TV, which was a huge step considering fans were not used to being charged to watch televised soccer at the time. But high quality soccer, Sky’s effective marketing strategies and sponsorship deals saw the popularity of the Premier League rise beyond expectation.

Initially dubbed the FA Carling Premiership in 1993, sponsorship changed hands in 2001 with Barclaycard dishing out £48million for a three year funding. Sponsorship was renewed in 2007 for a price of £65.8million! Profitable revenues saw the best world players joining the Barclays Premier League. And over the years, it became the most competitive tournament in Europe.
But of late, with Barcelona winning the European Cup and Man U spending huge amounts on transfers, there is an element of doubt as to which competition ranks first. Another criticism faced by the Premier League is the increasing dominance of the big four clubs, which has led to a huge gap between them and the rest of the clubs. Newcastle United’s manager Kevin Keegan feels that the Big Four’s dominance threatens the division: “This League is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great Leagues in the world.”

But criticism aside, there is no doubt that when the Premier League club players take the pitch in their soccer uniforms, the whole world sits up and takes notice. Emotions run high and life gets rescheduled according to match timings! So, get your soccer shirts out as a new season is ready to kick off!

Ronaldo to Replace Brand Beckham?

2009-08-18T15:07:00.000-07:00

You’ve seen him in advertising campaigns for Nike, Coke, FIFA Street 2, Extra Joss, and of course, his bare-chested appeal in the Pepe Jeans ad. According to advertising and marketing experts and football agents, Cristiano Ronaldo has the ‘X factor’ that could well replace David Beckham as the footballer who earns the most from endorsements. Considering Ronaldo’s teenybopper appeal and this age group’s importance as the advertisers’ main target audience, it might just happen… and soon.

Experts feel there is currently a need for a central soccer brand. Beckham’s 34 years of age and current career phase doesn’t exactly make him a hot youth icon anymore. Sure, no one can deny his good looks and knee weakening ability among adults, but he’s past the stage of driving 13 year olds crazy. And that’s where Ronaldo can step in and fill Beck’s shoes. The 24 year old Portuguese has all the right qualities to appeal to kids and teens – he’s a looker, has a great body, plays well and is part of an extremely popular and successful team.

If Becks raked in $42.5 million through product endorsements last year, Ronaldo earned $19.6 million. But now that this 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year has become the world’s most expensive player after his transfer from Man U to Real Madrid, his worth has sky rocketed. When Ronaldo was ‘unveiled’ on the 6th of July at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium wearing Real’s soccer uniforms, nearly 80,000 screaming teens and young adults were there to greet him!

Actually, Ronaldo seems to be following in Beckham’s footsteps in more ways than one! Becks left Man U for a successful stint with Real, so did Ronny boy! Becks wore the number 7 soccer shirt at Man U, as did Ronaldo after him! Becks was the ultimate youth icon, as Ronaldo is slated to be! If there’s anything that can go against this young man, it’s his lack of ‘family life’ and the accusation that he’s not much of a team player. This could bring his appeal down among advertisers. Beckham continues to shine in that arena with his image of a happy family man and his reputation as a great team player. For this reason, some experts would like to see Ronaldo settled and married to a nice girl!

But, at the end of the day, it’s his on field performance that will determine his success as brand Beckham’s successor. After all, you’re only as good as your last match… And companies are looking for endorsements from soccer stars so they can associate their product with the star’s phenomenal success. As far as veteran football agent, Jon Holmes, is concerned, “Ronaldo is a good looking guy and I would say his level of articulateness is about the same as Beckham’s… He is probably a better player than Beckham in that he is more versatile. Beckham is a workhorse of a player, Ronaldo seems to be a more natural player.”

Well, let’s see if Ronaldo is going to be the next big clothes horse after Becks! Time will tell…

The Three Ronaldo’s of Soccer!

2009-07-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

The game of soccer has seen many players with the same first or last name throughout its history. Some of them were separated by a generation, others stood shoulder to shoulder on the soccer pitch! Sure, the Peles, Coles, Keegans and Nevilles immediately come to mind, but the three Ronaldo’s of world soccer hold centre stage when it comes to common names!

The mid 1990s and early 2000s saw Brazilian striker Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima reigning as the superstar of soccer. Regarded as the best player in the world, he has the honor of being the only other player besides Zinédine Zidane to have won three FIFA Player of the Year awards. Remembered as ‘O Fenômeno’ or The Phenomenon for his goal scoring ability, Ronaldo made the number nine soccer shirt famous and synonymous with a centre forward position.

An integral player in the Brazilian team that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups, Ronaldo went on to break Gerd Müller's world record of fourteen goals by scoring his fifteenth goal during the 2006 World Cup, making him the highest scorer in World Cup history! With 97 appearances in international matches, Ronaldo has 62 goals to his credit and happens to be just 15 goals away from the Brazilian national record! Countryman and soccer legend, Pele, included Ronaldo in his list of FIFA’s 100 greatest footballers ever. Ironically, though ‘The Phenomenon’ is Cristiano Ronaldo’s idol, the young Portuguese footballer’s name comes to the new generation’s mind when they hear the name Ronaldo!

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, named after his parent’s admiration for former American president, Ronald Reagan, joined Sporting Lisbon around the time Brazil’s Ronaldo was claiming his third FIFA World Player award! That too, after helping his country win their fifth World Cup title. As for the young Ronaldo, he was picked up by Manchester United’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Sadly enough, the older of the two Ronaldo's faced some grievous injuries that saw his career go downhill... Meanwhile, young Ronaldo’s career began to peak and he picked up his first FIFA World Player award. Today, the young dynamo has the distinction of being the most expensive and highest paid player in the history of soccer with a £80 million transfer to Real Madrid!
While we’re talking about Ronaldo’s let’s not forget another superstar in his own right, Brazil’s Ronaldinho, whose real name is Ronaldo de Assis Moreira! Born on the 21st of March in 1980, he was nicknamed Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho to distinguish him from senior Ronaldo! Who, by the way, was already known as ‘Ronaldinho’ in Brazil, that’s why the Gaucho had to be added! Getting confusing, isn’t it?! Anyway, when senior Ronaldo moved to Europe he went by his first name, and Ronaldinho dropped ‘Gaúcho’ from his nickname and became simply Ronaldinho! If it was confusing earlier, don’t know what this is?!

Ronaldinho, also an extremely prolific goal scorer, is recognized as one of the best footballers of his generation. Winning his first Champions League in the year 2006, he soon became a Spanish citizen. Though he had his first taste of fame at thirteen when he scored as many as 23 goals in a 23:0 win against a local team! Proudly wearing their youth soccer uniforms, the U-17 Brazil team won the 1997 World Championship at Egypt, where Ronaldinho was discovered as a rising star, someone to watch out for. He went on to score two goals in the tournament!

Given that Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were just starting their careers when Ronaldo was at the peak of his career, it would be a shame if the next generation were to forget the older Ronaldo’s contribution to this game... For some of us, he will always be lovingly remembered as R9, The Phenomenon that he certainly was...

The Hope That Soccer Brings

2009-07-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

The Confederations Cup recently played in South Africa brought some great, exhilarating moments of soccer to the African continent and the world. If it served as a perfect recce for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it also made some young dreams come true. After all, soccer is a game of hope, a democratic religion that transcends all barriers. The perfect vehicle for change…

During the Confed Cup the Under 17 team, SuperSport United, had the privilege of playing none other than Brazil! These young footballers couldn’t believe their eyes when they ran onto the field side by side their soccer idols. Brazil’s reserve squad wearing their customary training gear were marked by the Under 17’s in their youth soccer jerseys. It was a seemingly impossible dream come true for these boys, who took this light practice match seriously. After all, Brazil's reserve squad were soccer stars in their own right, with Alexandre Pato and Julio Baptista to name a few! Luckily, the Brazilians went easy on the local boys, scoring three goals in 30 minutes before calling it a day! What was a simple training match for Brazil turned out to be an opportunity of a lifetime for these Under 17’s, who usually get to see their soccer idols from a distance, that too, if they’re lucky, let alone play with them on the same pitch! Some of the youngsters are so motivated, they’re all set to work hard in the hope that they get a chance to play against these soccer stars in the 2014 World Cup at Brazil! You never know, there’s always hope when it comes to soccer…

As Khoza, Chairman of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa, said while inaugurating the Football for Hope Forum, “Football rewards talent and skill, regardless of class or status. In football, all that counts is performance on the field. It matters not if a player is rich or poor. It matters not if a player is tall or short. It matters only who performs on the field. In football, nobody is excluded - everybody is included. In football, hope lives. Hope is never extinguished. In football, nothing is impossible. Everything is possible”. The Forum, held during the Confederations Cup, brought together development institutions and global organisations to address issues like HIV and Aids education in South Africa, landmines in Cambodia, homelessness in England and ethnic conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The idea is to use soccer as a platform for hope and action, with an aim to ensure sustainable living for everyone.
The Football for Hope Forum highlights the fact that soccer has the potential to change the world for the better. As it did for fifteen youngsters who represented South Africa at a youth football tournament in Norway. The chosen ones were mostly orphans who were once taking drugs and living on the streets before they were taken in by SA Cares for Life and taught to play soccer. Called the Lesedi Strikers, this young team was excited about flying and going overseas for the first time.

Around 30,000 children from around the world are expected to attend this youth tournament. Managing Director of SA Cares for Life, Riekie van den Berg, described the tour as life changing for the 15-strong team, "You can see that soccer can change lives and the whole community is behind them and the World Cup is definitely a big part of this, everyone is going soccer mad now”. Surely enough, these kids wore their youth soccer uniforms with great pride and showcased their soccer skills and country’s rich culture to the rest of the world.

Champions League action gets exciting.

2009-07-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

It is getting close to the kick off in the leagues all across Europe and that means that the Champions League action is about to get exciting too. Next week sees the first leg of the third round qualifiers taking place and there are some big names taking to the field in the hope of making the group stages.

There are some soccer kits that stand out from the crowd and lovers of green and white hoops are in for a thrill in the third round of the Champions League. The most famous club to wear the green and white hoops soccer kit are Celtic from Scotland and they will be joined in this round by Sporting Lisbon from Portugal. These two teams have clashed in the past with a need for a change soccer jersey taking place but in this round they have been kept apart.

Celtic will be lining up against Dynamo Moscow in the hope that they can repeat their qualification knockout of Spartak Moscow from two years ago. A deserved 1-1 draw in Moscow was followed by a 1-1 draw at Parkhead and it took penalties to separate the two sides. The hero of the hour was Artur Boruc in the goalkeeper jersey, saving from the spot and guaranteeing Celtic their Champions League windfall. If the club are to make it through to the group stages this season they will need the Polish stopper to be back to his sparkling best.

The other green and white soccer kit will welcome FC Twente from Holland to Lisbon in another match that could go either way. Steve McLaren has managed to bounce back from ridicule as England manager and has performed a good job in the Dutch top flight. The Portuguese team will start the favourites to get through this round but with home advantage, FC Twente will be hopeful of upsetting the odds. As long as Steve McLaren doesn’t speak in that terrible Dutch accent again, then they have every chance.

Whoever progresses from this round shouldn’t think that their work is done and start placing the Champions League patches on their new soccer uniforms for 2009/10 as there is still one more qualifying round to go and there are some big names lying in store. Arsenal, Lyon, Shahktar Donetsk and Stuttgart are some of the teams who will be competing in the final knock out round for this seasons Champions League which is sure to be of great interest to all. The fans of the teams involved will be wearing their replica jerseys and praying for the best result but fans of those who have already booked their spot in the group stages will be able to watch on in a relaxed manner. There are some fans who are annoyed at the way the Champions League is being restructured in order to make the big clubs more secure in the qualification but there are sure to be one or two teams who slip through the net and cause an upset. No matter how much the big teams spend, there will always be a team or two to give them a bloody nose and the 2009/10 Champions League will not be any different.

Brazil to Host The 2014 World Cup!

2009-07-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

It’s official. The futebol crazy and highly skilled country of Brazil has been confirmed by FIFA as the host nation for the 2014 World Cup. Celebrations broke out across cities as Brazil’s dream of hosting the entire footballing world became a reality! Fans took to the streets doing the samba until it resembled a sea of dancing green and yellow soccer jerseys! The year 2014 may be far, but you can be sure it’ll be a World Cup generations will remember. This one will surely be nostalgia and history in the making!

As FIFA’s President, Joseph S. Blatter, announced each of Brazil’s twelve host cities for the 2014 World Cup, spontaneous scenes of euphoria broke out in the mentioned cities! Across the nation, thousands and thousands of fans gathered in front of big screens waving the Brazilian flag. At some stadiums the national anthem was performed, while at others it was time for some samba reggae! If fireworks lit up the sky in a to-be host city, 40,000 green and white balloons gently flitted heavenward, in another. Patriotic fervor blended with a passionate love for the sport as fans painted stadiums yellow in their football jerseys! Soon, the party spilt out onto the streets where in true Brazilian style, music and dance held sway.

Brazil will have the honor of hosting the ultimate football event across the globe after a gap of 64 years; 64 years that saw Brazil contribute some of the finest moments and biggest legends in the history of football. This five time World Cup champion is already gearing itself up for the big event. Ricardo Teixeira, President of the Local Organizing Committee of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, delighted 190 million inhabitants when he called each one a winner and declared there will be many reasons to celebrate over the next five years! But he was also at pains to remind the people of the country that, “the 2014 World Cup is only just starting and all we have done is pass the entrance examination. We have five whole years ahead of us before we can graduate."

The last time Brazil hosted the tournament was back in 1950, when it lost the finals against Uruguay. Brazil’s selection makes it the fifth country to have ever hosted the football World Cup twice. With 500,000 fans expected in 2014, the cost of constructing and remodeling stadiums is pegged at more than $1.1 billion! In addition, millions will go into building modern infrastructure, including $2.46 billion towards upgrading its airports.

Ricardo Teixeira, President of the Football Confederation, pertinently pointed out that, "The World Cup goes far beyond a mere sporting event. It's going to be an interesting tool to promote social transformation." With thousands of tourists landing up in Brazil for the grandest of football events in 2014, the government has its work cut out – to showcase each of the 12 host cities with a view to boost tourism and investment. After all, with Brazil's natural beauty, vibrant city life, and phenomenal flair for football, the 20th World Cup promises to a fine football festival! Until then, get ready to enjoy the Brazilian team take centre stage in their World Cup soccer uniforms at South Africa next year! There’s another party to attend before the Brazilian samba takes over!

Soccer Stars and Their Superstitions

2009-07-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Most of us are superstitious about small little things. But when the stakes are big, the superstitions become bigger! Our favorite soccer players are no different. They are known to have their idiosyncrasies when it comes to the numbers on their soccer shirts to which socks they put on first! Their superstitions verge on the weird to the harmless, from the unbelievable to the cute! Let’s take a look at some famous ones who are (in)famous for their strange ones!

The absolute winner has to be Argentinean goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea. Not only is he remembered for his heroic penalty shot saves back in 1990, but also for his superstition that peeing in the centre of the pitch is lucky for the team before shootouts! So, his team mates obliged by building a circle around him, blocking him from view while he did his job! During the 1993 Copa America, Goycochea repeated this ritual prior to penalty shootouts while playing against Brazil and Colombia! And Argentina went on to win the competition!

If the earlier superstition led a team to victory, this next one almost caused a diplomatic disaster! Luis Aragonés, Spain’s ex-coach, disliked the color yellow to such an extent, he once made captain Raul change the yellow jersey he’d worn for training! And that’s not all! It’s said that during his career, his team went to Germany for a competition, and on arrival they were welcomed with a bouquet of yellow flowers, which the coach refused to accept!

Italian Giovanni Trapattoni, who coached the Republic of Ireland, Germany, Austria, Portugal as well as his home team, was often seen sprinkling holy water given to him by his sister, who’s a nun! But he made sure to sprinkle it only on his part of the field! Another Italian, Gennaro Gattuso of AC Milan, went to such extremes during the 2006 FIFA World Cup that he wore the same sweater right through the competition! He admits it put him in the foulest of moods since he was sweating buckets, but still couldn't get himself to take the sweater off! And if that’s not enough, this midfielder would read a few pages of Dostoevsky before each game! This too developed into a superstition he found hard to break, just in case...

Leeds United ex-manager Don Revie was superstitious about a particular suit and made it a point to wear it to every game until his team lost while he had it on! English defender Gary Neville admits wearing the same shoes, belt, aftershave all season long! If he’s on a winning streak, he refuses to change his boots! Even Chelsea’s superstar Frank Lampard confesses that he has his share of superstitions such as listening to the same music on the way to the stadium!

Getting back to another former Argentinean coach, Carlos Bilardo, not only did he wear a lucky tie, he also carried a statuette of the Virgin Mary to all games. And he banned his players from consuming chicken since he believed it brought bad luck! Bilardo had a weird habit of linking unrelated things to victories! His team’s bus broke down once and they had to take taxis to get to the game on time. They went on to win that game and from that day on, Bilardo made his players arrive for games in taxis! He even made his 22 players file past a bride on her wedding day and shake hands with her one by one during the 1986 World Cup! Why?! Brides bring luck, that’s why! The very next day, Maradona, who was equally superstitious about wearing the number 10 soccer uniform, led Argentina to victory against Brazil! Now, can you deny a man his superstition if it resulted in Brazil’s defeat?!

Beckham Back to America!

2009-07-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

David Beckham returned to the Los Angeles Galaxy after spending six months on loan at AC Milan in Serie A. Ever ready with a smile, Becks, said he was happy to be back, but wouldn’t disclose how long he plans on staying! The 34-year-old midfielder admitted that he would consider returning to the Premier League though he once said he would never play against Manchester United.

Beckham’s return to the Galaxy wasn’t without controversy. It coincided with the release of a book by Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl. Titled “The Beckham Experiment,” it has Galaxy’s captain, Landon Donovan, criticizing Beckham extensively for his lack of commitment towards the Galaxy. Donovan also openly expressed his frustration over having the captaincy taken from him and given to Beckham. The English superstar responded by calling Donovan unprofessional for speaking without confronting him first.

Under Galaxy coach, Bruce Arena’s, watchful eye and careful mediation, the two players sat down to sort out their differences after their team’s 1-0 victory over Chivas USA. It is said that Landon apologized for his comments. And it seems Becks accepted the apology graciously. Both Beckham and Donovan will get a chance to prove that they’ve put the feud behind them when they next take the field together. Beckham has five goals and 12 assists in 30 games since he joined LA Galaxy, while Donovan leads with six goals and four assists. Let’s see which way the ball rolls!

The Galaxy is looking for a chance to make it to the playoffs. It has already won three consecutive games, capped by their win against Chivas USA. Beckham joined the Galaxy in 2007 for $32.5 million under a five year contract. Dogged by ankle and knee injuries, he managed to play just eight matches for the Galaxy that year, delivering one goal and three assists. The year 2008 saw a healthier Beckham chip in with 10 assists in 25 league matches. Though Los Angeles Galaxy missed the playoffs that year, Beckham’s presence in the number 23 soccer jersey was hugely felt with the average attendance for the games nearly doubling! And more than 400,000 Beckham Galaxy soccer jerseys have been sold in the last two years!

Becks has been at pains to prove his commitment to the Galaxy, declaring that he intends to see his five year contract through. But he’s also extremely keen to play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup next year at South Africa. If that means moving back home, it’s up for consideration! Its seems Beckham’s latest mantra in life is ‘never say never’! After all, who knows what’s to happen next! On leaving Man U, he swore ‘never’ to play for another English club and couldn’t imagine wearing another soccer uniform in the Premier League against Man U, but he’s learnt to never say never again!

As of now, amidst all the mixed signals, it seems a move back to Milan is more likely. After all, Becks still retains the right to terminate his contract after this season. The man is known to follow his heart. And his heart is clearly elsewhere…

Soccer Nicknames!

2009-07-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Over the years, soccer stars have been affectionately renamed by their fans. Some pet names salute on-field expertise, others are a burden to carry, and yet others dip into the animal kingdom for inspiration! Some of the most popular footballers are recognized by diminutive versions of their real names. And quite a few have been rechristened according to their appearance. Let’s take a look at some memorable, bizarre and unique nicknames in the world of soccer.

* Brazilian Ronaldo’s deadly dribbling and goal striking abilities earned him the title O Fenomeno.

* Gabriel Batistuta won recognition as Batigol after becoming Argentina’s most prolific goal scorer.

* Frenchman Fabien Barthez has gone down in history as the Baldheaded God (Le Divin Chauve)!
* Spaniard Ivan de la Pena’s nickname, The Little Buddha, has its origin’s in his lack of hair!

* Simple contractions transformed giant stars into affectionate, approachable guys - Jurgen Klinsmann was Klinsi, Michel Platini became Platoche and Filippo Inzaghi is Pippo!

* The famous wearer of the number 10 soccer shirt, Argentinian Diego Maradona was initially stuck with the not so flattering moniker, Fluffy, owing to his scruffy hairstyle! Luckily, he was later graced as the Golden Child (El Pibe de Oro).

* One of the most skilled dribbler, finisher and free kick specialist, Brazilian Zico, was so multitalented, he became dubbed the White Pele - a tough title to live up to for any player! Interestingly enough, Pele himself endorsed this comparison, admitting that “throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico.”

* Pet names take on such huge proportions, they sometimes replace and erase a players real name! Even their soccer jerseys carry their nickname! And thankfully so, or we wouldn’t have known where our favorite players were on field, without looking at the number on their soccer shirts! Pele, the greatest legend of the game, would’ve had Edson Arantes do Nascimento on the back of his soccer shirt! And our very own Garrincha would be Manuel Francisco dos Santos!

* For reasons unknown to us, German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is known as Der Ausserirdische or The Extra Terrestrial! Is there something we should know here or has ET already gone home?!
* If German soccer star, Franz Beckenbauer, was The Emperor (Der Kaiser), his team mate, Gerd Müller, went down in history as The Bomber thanks to his goal scoring prowess!

* And now, time to enter the ‘soccer zoo’ where you’ll find Lionel Messi - the Flea, Claudio Lopez - the Louse, Emilio Butragueno – the Vulture, and their illustrious ancestors, Jack Charlton - the Giraffe, Lev Yashin - the Black Spider, Mario Kempes – the Matador, Eusebio – the Panther and Kevin Keegan – the Mouse! It’s a full house here, as you can see!
* Some players found themselves firmly ensconced on royal ground and sat on the throne with due honors. Ghanaian international, Prince Opoku Bismark Polley Sampene, known as Prince Polley, was a popular player in the Dutch league back in the 90’s.

* And then a name came along in the 80’s that took on spiritual proportions of the highest order - Jesus Zamora! Imagine Jesus playing for Spain at the Soccer World Cup! It doesn’t get more surreal than that, does it?!

To wear soccer uniforms, it doesn’t matter where you were born for soccer stars.

2009-07-13T11:44:00.001-07:00

The thrill of representing your country and wearing your national soccer jersey with pride is something that is a dream for many soccer players but sometimes, players play for a country other than the one they were born in. The vast majority of international players turn out for their country of birth but there can be many reasons why they play for another and the laws make this perfectly.

Some players may think that their chances of playing for their own national team is limited so decide to play for another team in order to gain more caps and get the chance to play at a major tournament. It is obvious that Brazil has an abundance of great players and not everyone can get their way into the squad and some top class players are an example of this. Soccer fans the world over will recognize Deco as a Portugal player and Marcos Senna was a major part of Spains Euro 2008 success but both players were born in Brazil. Perhaps both believed they would stand a better chance of being picked by another nation but it goes to show that even great players can use the ruling to play for another nation.

Other big nations like England, France, Italy and Germany have also benefitted from the rules that allow players to play for a nation other than their country of birth. England fans would agree that Owen Hargreaves was the best player in the England soccer uniforms at their last major tournament but he was born in Canada. France have long picked the best players from their colonies around the coast of Africa to play for them and the backbone of the team, like Patrick Viera who won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 hailed from outside France. The history of Germany shows strong links to Poland and Turkey which means that many players have switched their allegiances. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podoski were both born in Poland but have starred in the white soccer top of Germany as opposed to the red kit of Poland.

Italy not only have Giuseppe Rossi who was born in America and could be playing for the USA national team. Italy also two Argentinean born stars, Mauro Camoranesi and Pablo Danial Osvaldo, in their line-up so although the rules of who a player can play for can really help small nations get some great players, it can also be of benefit to the major nations as well.

One player who has thrilled fans in the green and white soccer kit of his club and country is Aiden McGeady. The Celtic wide man was born in Scotland but choose to play for the Republic of Ireland through links on his grandparents side but this move has not been without controversy. McGeady opted for the FAI after the SFA made no moves to select him and even though he was well within his rights to opt to play for another national team, McGeady is subjected to racial and sectarian abuse at away grounds throughout Scotland.

No matter the reason a player chooses to play for another national team, there is a fair amount of controversy and not every fan believes the rules are right. International soccer is an exciting proposition though and anything which ensures more talented players are able to play is better for soccer fans everywhere.

Soccer Style Statements!

2009-07-07T15:44:00.001-07:00

It’s a world of soccer and it’s a world of fashion with the most amazing soccer accessories and gift items. Here’s a quick peek at what’s cool, hot and unique at soccer stores and online sites! Get ready for a few surprises…

Soccer Car Power!
• Mini kit air freshener - Let your car smell great with an air freshener that comes in the shape and colors of your favorite team’s soccer gear!
• Soccer shatter decal - This very cool, eye catching, attention grabbing, soccer ball looks like it crashed right through your car windscreen! It’s removable and 3 dimensional. And a big time hit as a car accessory. Sure makes for a great conversation starter!
• Steering wheel cover – A one-size-fits-all steering wheel with soccer ball imprints all over. The perfect gift for your coach!
• Love soccer magnet – A ribbon shaped magnet that’ll add the cool quotient to your car.

It’s Black! It’s White!
• Soccer jibbitz – Snap these nifty soccer shaped jibbitz’s into your Crocs and strut the room in style. A hot favorite!
• Black soccer bottle – Durable, practical and good looking, this bottle comes insulated with a straw. It’ll quench your thirst all right, but not your thirst for the game!
• Soccer necklace – For both boys and girls, this soccer ball pendant on a silver necklace works like a charm… A very personal style statement.
• Soccer sunglasses – Pretty in pink and boyish in black, these glares have a soccer ball imprinted on both sides of the temples. Subtle and smart, this’ll make you look hot and feel cool!

Subtly Soccer!
• Crystal paperweights – Shaped in male or female figures, these crystal soccer gifts are classy and original. Very well crafted, with great finesse.
• Silk soccer ties – A handmade silk necktie is a great winner, especially with fathers and ‘others’! 
• Soccer team personalized diary – A 2009/2010 hard back diary that takes you back to the glory days of your favorite soccer club. A great buy for nostalgic soccer fans who can leaf through 100 years of newspaper coverage on their club’s best games. You can even get your name embossed in silver on the cover!

Squeeze Me Please!
• Soccer monkey – A huggable plush monkey takes a shot at a soccer ball dressed up in a professional soccer uniform. He stands 16 inches tall and makes a cute gift for yourself!
• Sock monkey soccer boy – Another exclusive! A squishy monkey made from good quality sock material! He’s also ready for action in his soccer uniform. A perfect gift for your favorite soccer player!
• Soccer boy bobble frame – This hand-sculpted ceramic bobble frame lets you slip in a 1.5″ X 1.5″ photograph! You can even customize it with a team number on the back of the soccer jersey. Very cool for soccer fans, coaches, Most Valuable Players, brothers, friends and, of course, yourself!

So, these are the latest picks from the world of soccer accessories and gifts. Some can be personalized, others are simply originals! What are you waiting for? Get online and shop! Have fun!

Owen back in the red Soccer Uniform and at the top of the league

2009-07-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

Season 2009/10 was going to be a nervous one for Liverpool fans anyway, what with Manchester United looking to sneak beyond them with regards to titles won but things just got tougher for the Liverpool reds. One of their favorite sons has signed a contract for Manchester United and in the irony of ironies, he could be the man who fires Manchester United to the proud position of having won the most top flight domestic titles in England. To those on the outside, Michael Owen wearing the red soccer kit of Manchester United will not be too different from Michael Owen wearing the red soccer jersey from Liverpool but for fans of both clubs, it is a defining moment of a season that is yet to kick-off.

Owen has struggled at Newcastle United, never really looking comfortable in the black and white striped kit of the Magpies but as a club, Newcastle have been on a downward spiral for a number of years. This has culminated in their relegation and although some fans hoped that their big name players would stay and help them bounce back to the Premier League, more have been happy to get the underachievers off the wage bill. Having lost his place in the England squad and with a world cup year ahead, there is no way that Michael Owen could afford to play Championship football for a season but it seemed as though his top flight options were not going to be too attractive. As much as the sight of Michael Owen in the Newcastle soccer kit was strange, if the player was seen playing the Hull City soccer uniform, it would have been the death-knell for his career. That’s why the shock move to Manchester United may just be thing to revitalise the player and perhaps get him on the plane to South Africa.

Its clear that Owen would probably have preferred a return to Anfield and have the chance to play in front of the Kop again but Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has never been an admirer of the player. He had the chance to buy him before which was declined and even though Liverpool’s league hopes last season disintegrated because of a lack of a poacher, Benitez still believes he is better off without him. This left Owen looking for another club and in England, they don’t come any bigger than Manchester United which is why Owen could hardly turn down the lure of Old Trafford.

Its not as if United need to improve their global branding but considering they have new home and away soccer uniforms to sell this season, bringing in another world famous player like Michael Owen will do them no harm. They may have lost Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be playing in the all white soccer uniform of Real Madrid next season, and Owen is no Ronaldo but it gives the club another star striker who can grab goals when they need them most. Do not expect Michael Owen to be playing week in and week out for United but you can expect him to come off the bench in tight matches and he may prove to be the deciding factor in a league campaign that is destined to be tight.

2008/09 draws to a close

2009-06-30T11:59:00.001-07:00

Two major finals brought the 2008/09 season to a close but soccer fans need not worry too much as the European qualification campaign for the 2009/10 Europa League is just about to get away. Yes, the triumphant squads from Brazil and the German Under 21 side will barely have had their winning soccer kits cleaned and stored away to preserve the memory of their win but soccer continues. It seems as though the close season break gets shorter and shorter and with the summer of 2010 being a World Cup summer, there is an obvious desire to get the new season underway to allow proper preparation time for the biggest show on earth.

At half-time in the Confederations Cup final, it looked as though USA were going to pull off the shock of the season, if not the millennium as they roared into a two goal lead over Brazil. This may have been the result that finally kick-started life into soccer in America but you know when you are playing that famous golden soccer kit, nothing can be taken for granted. A goal seconds into the second half brought Brazil back into the game and the rest of the half was one way traffic as the samba loving soccer stars swamped all over their opponents. It was a tough way to lose for the Americans but no one can deny that Brazil were worthy champions. Hopefully the US public will be able to take comfort in what their team achieved in the tournament and wear their own US soccer jersey with pride over the next few months.

The final game of the season was the Under 21 European Championships final between Germany and England and many were predicting a close tie. Many were wrong though as Germany, wearing their unfamiliar change soccer top of red, humiliated England by a score line of 4-0. This result means that the Germans are now European Champions at Under 17, Under 19 and Under 21 level which is some record and possibly indicates a strong future for the German national side. The English team may have looked smart in their tailored Umbro soccer shirts but their performance and blunders made them look amateur at best.

So with the past season behind us, its time to look forward to the new season and this is always an exciting time for soccer fans. Your team is yet to lose a game and there is always the hope of new signings and the launch of a new soccer kit and equipment to raise your spirits. Mind you, if you support any team but Real Madrid, and maybe Manchester City, it is likely that you will be casting envious glances at the money that is being spent. Real Madrid may have a world famous all white soccer kit but the real stars next season will be Kaka and Ronaldo and you just know millions of children all over the world will be wearing replica jerseys with they names emblazoned on the back.

It also seems as though Manchester City mean business and are seriously courting Samuel Eto’o from Barcelona. Barcelona have just had the best season a Spanish club has ever achieved but a busload of money may be enough to convince Eto’o to swap the blue and red stripes of Barcelona for the sky blue soccer jersey of Manchester City and the English Premier League.

Soccer Superstitions!

2009-06-30T11:58:00.001-07:00

Our soccer heroes gave us the most exhilarating matches with their deft dribbling and breathtaking goals. These professionals worked hard at their game, trained to perfection and when all the work was done, they left the rest to superstition to get the job done! Some players and coaches followed the most bizarre pre-match rituals on and off the pitch and swore by their efficacy. Idiosyncrasies that worked for them once and became rituals, to be followed without question or logic. Here are some superstitions our soccer greats took recourse to in the hope that lady luck would smile their way…

Les Bleus were superstitious about goalkeeper Fabien Barthez’s bald pate! During the 1998 World Cup, captain Laurent Blanc kissed the keeper on the head and France went on the win! And with that a ritual was born, with Barthez offering up his head for the habitual kiss before each match, often to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’, which was blasted in the locker room to get them into winning mode! And then, there’s coach Raymond Domenech’s controversial reliance on astrology. He is said to have chosen players and put his team together based on their sun signs! This won Domenech his fair share of criticism from the players’ who’d been left out simply because they were born on the ‘wrong’ date or time of the month!

A rather common practice among soccer players is to wear the same underwear for games! Colombian Rene Higuita admits that his underwear had to be blue during match days. It all started in the 80s, when his team couldn’t beat their rival team, no matter what they did. So, a fortune teller was consulted, who announced a curse had been placed on them and could be remedied if all players wore blue underpants while playing! They did and it worked, winning them the Copa Libertadores! Since then, blue undergarments became a must for Higuita!

Brazilian player and coach Mario Zagallo is known for his unshakable faith in the number 13. Since Saint Anthony’s Day is celebrated on the 13th of June, all things 13 were preferred by Zagallo. He married on his patron saint’s day, lived on the 13th floor, saw Brazil through 13 World Cup victories and aided his post-op recovery from stomach cancer by visiting the saint’s shrine all of 13 times!

Personal preferences are one thing, but on-pitch peculiarities sometimes bordered on vulgarity! Argentinean goalkeeper Sergio Goycochea is a case in point. While defending penalty shots, he was known to urinate on the pitch! Now that could easily qualify as a ‘pe(t)e peeve’!

Moving on to England’s squad, striker Gary Lineker refused to shoot at the goal while warming up. He was convinced that he was saving up goals for the match! And if he failed to score in the first half of the game, he would promptly trot to the dressing room at halftime and wear a fresh soccer shirt. If goals evaded him for a lengthy period of time, it meant a trip to the hairdresser! Another legend, Paul Ince, always made sure he was the last player to leave the dressing room and only wore his soccer shirt while running onto the pitch!

These are some superstitions and there are plenty more… Some extremely funny, others seriously unbelievable!

When Soccer Came to Brazil

2009-06-30T11:57:00.001-07:00

Brazil and Futebol are ‘hand in glove’ (pardon the pun)! But it’s the British who invented this much loved game. The history of Brazilian soccer is a disorganized one and it comes as no surprise that its origins has many a version! This British sport is said to have arrived in Brazil during the end of the nineteenth century.

One version of the advent of soccer in Brazil claims it all started with the arrival of British and Dutch sailors to the country. The locals learned the ropes of the game from these sailors on the beaches of the north eastern coastline. Another version gives credit to a certain Mr. Hugh as the ‘father of Brazilian soccer’. It seems Mr. Hugh was the first person to teach the game to the workers of the São Paulo Railway back in 1882. Yet another version prefers a Mr. John as the first coach of soccer, who taught the skills to a team of Leopoldina Railway workers sometime in 1875.

Now, if that’s not confusing, what is?! Well, there’s one more version that most people espouse as the ‘true story’. According to this popular version, Brazilian soccer owes Charles William Miller for bringing the game to the country. Born in Brazil in the year 1874, Charles left for England for his studies at the age of 10. It was there that he was first came in contact with the sport. Charlie was a natural and soon became a deft dribbler and a free kick and header specialist. An accomplished striker, he won school honors that gave him entry into Southampton Club, and later, the Hampshire County team.

On his return to Brazil in 1894, he brought with him some soccer gear, a rule book and his skill. He formed the first Brazilian football club, the Sao Paolo Athletic Club (SPAC), and even came up with a few new rules! SPAC went on to win the first three championships with Mr. Miller at the helm. His football skills were far superior than his team mates and the ‘Chaleira’ - a football move invented by him saw him flick the ball with his heel - was named in honor of him. This move is still used by the legends of Brazilian football! The greatest names of the game, Pele, Socrates and Rivelino owe a lot to this pioneer of Brazilian football…

The first official match in Brazil was played in São Paulo back in 1894. Charles Miller had invited the English football teams from Southampton and the Corinthians Club to play against SPAC and other local teams. Charles had so much respect for the Corinthians sense of fair play, he even named a local team after them! And with that, one of Brazil’s most popular club was born… It went on to become Brazilian Champion in the year 2005 and had some of the best players Brazil has seen on its roster.

In 1988, SPAC commemorated its centenary with a match against the English Corinthians! The final match had legends like Socrates and Rivelino on the local Corinthian side playing against their English counterpart. The local team was leading 1:0, when Socrates, in the spirit of Corinthian fairness, agreed to change his soccer jersey to play for the English team!

Well, those were the early years of Brazil’s love affair with football. It went on to make history as five time World Cup champion and is the only country to have qualified for all 17 World Cups in the tournament’s history! Until 2002, Brazil had lost only one World Cup qualifier in 70 years of playing! With its elegant dribbling, lightening speed passes and precision scoring, Brazilian Futebol has been likened to ballet dancing, and more recently, to the rhythmic samba!

The Many Colors of the Soccer Uniforms

2009-06-30T11:55:00.001-07:00

A team’s soccer gear defines its character. It is a symbol of unity that etches out a national or club identity. And its serious business with specialists designing custom fit, durable, comfortable, easy to breath fabrics and cuts. As you can imagine, colors play a huge role in the scheme of things. After all, each color has a distinct effect on the players behavior and emotions. Let’s take a quick peek at the various shades that bring soccer to life. Soothing, flashy, subtle, pristine, modern, classic, they all make their presence felt on the green of the pitch…

Color me up!
Soccer uniforms come in a variety of designs and color combinations, but the colors usually aren’t coincidental to the teams. They are deliberate, usually well thought out selections meant to make the team stand out. At times, the color choice is decided through a consensus of the players. Though often, team colors originate from a particular association with the country or city that the team represents. Soccer team uniforms first made an appearance in the 1870s, and even then, the team’s colors were often linked to a sports club, university or school. Since the early days of the game, team colors had an emotional connotation.

Dressed for Success
The color and design of a team’s soccer shirt has to match with the shorts and socks. It should all come together seamlessly as an ensemble assembled for success! Since referees need to stand apart from the players, their uniforms are traditionally black. As a color, black is usually associated with power, mystery, sophistication, formality and conventionality, not to forget, its inherent quality of making people look slim!

Fire Brand
If the color red is associated with passion, intensity, energy, ambition, masculinity, strength, courage and excitement, it is also intrinsically linked with the club Manchester United. The team adopted its red and white team colors as far back as 1902! It’s latest home kit is again a red soccer shirt with white shorts that have red stripes on the sides. Other teams inspired by the color and identified with it, are the Reds of Liverpool and the Rojas of Chile.
Blue By Design
Think blue and peace, loyalty, constancy, reliability, confidence, unity, harmony, trust, coolness and wisdom come to mind. The legendary teams behind the ‘bluing’ of the pitch are Argentina in its famous sky blue and white stripes, France’s Les Bleus and Italy’s Azzurri. Looks like the club FC Barcelona has ensured it gets the best of both worlds with a return to vertical stripes of red and blue on its soccer jersey! And it sure has worked for them!

It’s White, Yellow and Blue!
Representing purity and radiance, the color white has always been associated with the clubs Leeds and Real Madrid. On a national level, the English and German squads usually mark their presence in pristine white soccer uniforms. Yellow stands for warmth and joy, while green recalls the hues of Nature in terms of freshness, calmness, rejuvenation, energy, growth and balance. No wonder the national team of Brazil took inspiration from their national flag and embraced these colors as their own!

Orange Works!
But it’s the Dutch Oranje who contrast the green pitch the most in their striking orange soccer shirts! This color represents energy, enthusiasm, flamboyance, playfulness and a ‘let’s-do-it’ attitude, which the team seems to have assimilated!

As you can see, team colors are related to team identity, as much as football is related to dribbling!

Famous Soccer Players and their Nicknames!

2009-06-30T11:54:00.001-07:00

Football players are usually known by their nicknames. Whether, christened by doting fans, team mates or coaches, these short forms encapsulate some of the biggest football giants in a few words! Dipping into the animal world, dabbling with titles of royalty, or simply dripping with emotion, these players are here to stay and be remembered by these names even though they span across generations…

Perhaps the most popular of all football monikers is Pele or the Black Pearl, as the greatest footballer of all times, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is known. Winner of three FIFA World Cups, he was latter dubbed O Rei (The King) for this outstanding achievements. Pele was a name the legend picked up in school, though even he wasn’t too clear as to how he got the name! Whatever you call him, he will always be remembered as the ultimate when it comes to football.

If Pele was The King, Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer was The Emperor (Der Kaiser). He dominated world football wearing the number 5 soccer shirt in 1974 and later went on to become the national team’s coach. His teammate was another legend, Gerd Muller, who gained a formidable reputation as The Bomber for his goal scoring capacity - 365 in 427 Bundesliga matches and 68 in 62 international matches!

Carrying on with titles both royal and military, Hungarian Ferenc Puskas, was referred to as The Galloping Major! It was the player’s actual rank as well as his nickname in the Hungarian army team. This three time UEFA Cup winner with Real Madrid was also dubbed the Cañoncito (Little Cannon) by adoring fans. And then, of course, there was Eric ‘The King’ Cantona and ‘Guv’nor’ Paul Ince, who became the first black player to captain England’s national team. Brazilian Adriano Leite Ribeiro, was fondly called L’Imperatore (The Emperor) and even ‘The Bulldozer’ at different points of his prolific career!

Moving on to names more ‘beastly’, who can forget Brazil’s Edmundo, who came to be known as ‘O Animal’ after his exploits on the pitch! Years before him, the dazzling dribbler Garrincha was dubbed Little Bird, and ended his career as The Joy of the People or Alegria do Povo.
Argentinean legend, Maradona, who made the number 10 soccer shirt a much sought after inheritance, began with the nickname Fluffy due to his untidy mop! Thankfully, he didn’t get stuck with the sobriquet, and moved on to an extremely flattering one – The Golden Child or El Pibe de Oro. But when it comes to Diego Maradona can that be enough! He became the only player in the world whose body part has been given a nickname – The Hand of God – after his infamous goal during the 1986 FIFA World Cup!

One of the most interesting pet names by far has to be The Baby Faced Assassin! Norwegian footballer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, spent his best years at Manchester United, where he scored 126 goals, earning him a reputation as The Baby Faced Assassin for his lethal goal scoring skills, matched with his misleading ‘babe in the woods’ look!

These diminutives have become so popular, that most fans don’t even know their favorite players actual names! Actually, their real names are nothing short of confusing. As a diehard football fan would you know Ricardo Leite is our very own Kaka? Didn’t think so! Guess that’s why these nicknames have stuck on the players soccer team shirts… Thank God for that!

Football and the Name Game

2009-06-30T11:50:00.001-07:00

There’s many a story behind a football team’s name. As years go by, the name becomes synonymous with the team and evokes high emotions among fans! Some names represent the area of origin, others take inspiration from Nature, yet others are based on colors… Let’s take a look at some names with interesting backgrounds.

England is where the game of football began and the practice of naming teams after factories, since many prestigious clubs started out as in-house factory squads. Arsenal had a humble birth in an arms factory at Woolwich that went by the name Royal Arsenal. That’s why the pet name Gunners and the cannon on their crest! Likewise, four time African champions, the Ghanian Black Stars, get their name from the stars on the national flag, which is a reminder of the Black Star Line shipping corporation that brought Africans back home.

Tint Hint
When it comes to the Whites of Leeds and the Reds of Liverpool, the colors of the football jerseys were the defining factor behind the sobriquets. Real Madrid has always been linked with the color white. The ‘Merengues’ boast of football giants like Ronaldo, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldinho, Figo and Beckham who have proudly worn the club’s white soccer shirt. The national team of Brazil is sometimes referred to as the Auriverdes or the Green and Gold, after the national flag and the soccer gear colors. Legends such as Pele, Zico, Eder, Didi, Garrincha, Tostão, Cafu, Socrates, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have worn the green and yellow Brazilian soccer shirts with national pride. After all, they’re not called ‘the selected ones’ or Seleçao for nothing! And then, of course, vibrant colors hold a prominent place in Latin American football. There are the El Tricolor of Mexico and the Rojas or Reds of Chile.

True Blue
If red is sprinkled all over the soccer landscape, blue dominates in all its hues! You’ve got the famous sky blue and whites, the Albicelestes of Argentina, the Blue Samurais of Japan, the Celeste from Uruguay, Les Bleus of France and the Italian Azzurri. Though the first Azzurri team played in white soccer shirts, they later adopted a blue strip representing the royal House of Savoy in 1911.
The Dutch team, nicknamed the Oranje, also took up the color orange in honor of the noble House of Orange. In the 1970s when the team became known for its ‘precision passing’, it earned the name Clockwork Orange. It is also referred to as the Dutch Eleven by some.

Straight jacketed!
German’s, known for their straightforward approach, have assimilated it in their name – die Nationalmannschaft or the national team. It really doesn’t get more specific than this! But fans prefer to cheer them on as Deutschland or Germany. England’s national team are the Three Lions, named after their crest. Not very creative these names, but let’s move on to the cool, whacky and goofy!

It’s Different!
Greece’s team, the Pirate Ship, is by far the most creative name! Referring to the floating ship used during the Euro 2004 Championship’s opening ceremony, sportscasters started calling them by that name during their opening match against Portugal. Australia’s national team, the Socceroos, couldn’t be more representative of the country – marrying soccer with kangaroos! But when it comes to sheer sweetness, fans of the local Everton club win hands down. They call their players ‘the Toffees’ after two toffee shops that were once there!

So, that’s the weird and colored, literal and creative, local and national, world of football team names!

USA pull off a major shock!

2009-06-23T16:51:00.001-07:00

The United States soccer team may have a limited number of famous moments throughout their history with the Ladies team outshining them but you can bet the US fans wore their soccer jerseys with pride on Monday. Going into the final group game on Sunday night, America sat bottom of the table and requiring a six goal swing to leapfrog the Italians and Egypt to gain second place in Confederations Cup Group B. Brazil were guaranteed their place at the top of the table but the final qualification place was up for grabs between all three sides but most people believed the tussle to be between the Italians and Egypt.

Italy, wearing a one off soccer uniforms for the tournament which commemorated the 1930s Italian side which triumphed at World Cups (and forgetting anything else which is associated Italy and the 1930s), looked strongly out of date and were swiftly swept aside by a rampant Brazil side. The magic of the Brazilian soccer outfit still catches the breath and as they raced into a 3-0 half-time lead, news started to filter through to the US team. The Americans were already one goal up and knew that if the Brazil Italy game remained as it was, they needed to add two more goals to take second place. Egypt’s goalkeeper may have performed miracles in shutting out Italy in his previous match but he was floundering here as the Americans got their two goals and sealed an amazing comeback that very few would have predicted beforehand.

Hopefully the US fans will savour their triumph because the semi-final match they have secured is going to be very tough. Spain are looking to be the form team at the moment and are currently ranked as the top international side in the world. The Spanish are another unit wearing a new soccer kit for this tournament and if they continue to play they way they have been doing, they are likely to sell a lot of shirts as fans everywhere rush to get names like Villa, Torres, Puyol, Xavi and Piquet on the back of their kit. In all likelihood, Spain will triumph against their American opponents to book a final spot but its already shown how dangerous it is to write off this American team. They will be the underdogs but if the Spaniards attitude isn’t right, they may just find themselves on the wrong side of another upset.

The other semi-final also provides a match up where one team begins as heavy favourite but host nation South Africa, and their noisy fans, will be delighted to have made it through the group stages. The players may be more focussed on swapping their soccer uniforms with the famous Brazilian players at the end of the match but hopefully they will be able to give a good account of themselves and maybe give their fans something else to cheer.
It’s looking like a Brazil versus Spain final, allowing the iconic red and gold soccer jerseys to take their place in the final but the Confederations Cup has already pulled out a number of shocks so far and they may not have finished yet.

Guts & Glory - The 2009 Confederations Cup Has It All!

2009-06-22T14:43:00.002-07:00

The excitement has begun with the FIFA Confederations Cup halfway through in South Africa. Call it a dress rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup or a recce for national teams, either way it sure has thrown up some dazzling soccer, and its fair share of upsets! Into its eighth edition, the Confederations Cup is sometimes not clearly understood? What exactly is it? How and when did it start? And what are the stakes? Let’s find out…

It began as the King Fahd Cup in 1992, with the four continental cup winning teams of Saudi Arabia, Argentina, USA and Ivory Coast playing each other. When FIFA took over in 1997, it was renamed the Confederations Cup and was held every two years. But in 2005, FIFA declared that it would now take place once in four years, that too, a year before the final of the World Cup in the host country. And so, with less than 365 days to go for the 2010 World Cup, this year’s eight team Confederations Cup is well underway in South Africa.

Though its roots are rather humble, it has grown in importance over the years. Now, countries send their national teams at almost full strength making for an impressive line up! This year the only biggies missing are Ronaldinho (Brazil), who was dropped by coach Dunga, and Andres Iniesta (Spain), who has been kept out due to an injury. South Africa gains an automatic entry as hosts of the 2010 World Cup along with Italy as the 2006 World Cup winners. The other participating teams are Brazil, Spain, Egypt, USA, Iraq and New Zealand.

So what makes the Confederations Cup so special? Well, for starters it gives host South Africa a chance to test its operational readiness in terms of stadia, infrastructure and transportation prior to the 2010 World Cup. It is also an opportunity for the players to make their mark and teams to go through the drill on the pitch in this precursor to the World Cup. The opening match held on the 14th of June saw host team South Africa, proudly wearing its national team uniforms, draw against Iraq in front of an almost packed to capacity stadium. Out of the total 640,000 tournament tickets, 453,218 have already been sold. FIFA is likely to dedicate one of the Confederations Cup matches in honor of Marc-Vivien Foe, the Cameroon midfielder who tragically died of cardiac arrest on the pitch during the 2003 Confederations Cup in France…

After much controversy surrounding the choice of South Africa as host to the World Cup, the success of the Confederations Cup is a shot in the arm for the nation. As FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, assured the world during the opening ceremony at Ellis Park, “FIFA is committed to Africa… The world of football trusts you, and the confidence is in you. It is in Africa, it is in South Africa today.” Yes! This is where the action is, so get your old faithful soccer jersey out of your cupboard and wear it even if your favorite team is not playing! There’s no better way to get into the spirit of the game!

Football is Fashion, Fashion is Football

2009-06-22T14:42:00.002-07:00

Fashion and football are so intrinsically linked, one can’t imagine one without the other. Some football icons create their own trends, others are simply très chic, following fashion’s dictates to a tee! As a result, football is being passionately followed by fans as much for the game as their favorite players style statements on and off the pitch. Let’s take a quick peek at some fashionable footballers and some bizarre trendsetters!

How do fans connect with their favorite teams and players? Well, for starters there are loads of soccer merchandise they can pick up from a soccer store or website. Football jerseys, scarves, hair bands, jackets and lots more are available for the asking. One can even get custom soccer jerseys with one’s favorite players name and number on them.

That’s one way of connecting. Another way is to fashion oneself after ones heroes, which is what millions of young people are doing. The first footballer that comes to mind when one thinks of fashion has to be David Beckham. This idol gave his fans a field day with countless hairstyles to copy – plaits, pony tails, fringes, Mohican, hair bands, streaks. The man’s tried just about every look there is!

It was Becks who popularized the trend of footballers becoming fashion models as cosmetic, apparel and accessory companies lined up to sign him for their campaigns. Soon, other players were being wooed by advertisers and the fashion industry. After all, these footballers had it all – the looks, money, success, youth, fitness and fame. Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Kaka, amongst others, became regulars at photo shoots and fashion shows. Some stars even began their own designer collections! These are the pretty boys of fashion.

On the other side of the spectrum are the unusual and sometimes weird trendsetters! Carlos Valderrama with his ‘perm gone wild’ look is the first player that comes to mind! And who can forget Fredrik Ljungberg with that red stripe running across his head? The year 2002 saw the shaven-headed Ronaldo sport a clump of hair right on top of his forehead that looked straight out of Mars! Rumor has it that he did this because his infant son kept mistaking him for Roberto Carlos!
Footballers have permed, crimped and pony tailed their hair since the 1970s. There was Kevin Keegan with his famous perm and, years later, Gabriel Batistuta who started the trend of hair bands to keep his long hair in place. And then, of course, there’s the Japanese midfielder Kazuyuki Toda with his red hair; Abel Xavier with his bleached hairdo that can be spotted anywhere on the pitch and Nigerian defender Taribo West’s strange double tufts! It doesn’t get more bizarre than this, does it?!

Edgar Davids is remembered for his don’t mess with me look - dreadlocks and dark glasses. Though in his case the glasses weren’t driven by fashion dictates but by the medical condition glaucoma. Goalkeeper Petr Cech’s black rugby helmet that makes him stand out is again a practical consideration. He actually suffered a skull injury and now wears the helmet as protection.

There’s lots of unique styles on and off the pitch as footballers simply do their own thing or join the league of models! As you know, endorsements mean more fame, more money and more exposure…

2010 FIFA World Cup Scramble of Soccer Uniforms

2009-06-22T14:41:00.002-07:00

With less than a year to go for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, football fans around the world are restless and can’t wait to hear the first whistle blow! After all, it’s a four year wait before one gets to see world class football that’s pure magic! And the countdown has begun. This World Cup will be the 19th tournament and it’s all set to take place in South Africa. So, keep the 11th of June to the 11th of July aside for some adrenalin pumping action!

It will be the first time that the World Cup is being hosted by South Africa. Nine cities across the country are being readied in terms of infrastructure and operations. Thousands of fans and tourists are expected to descend on South Africa to watch their favorite teams take centre stage in their national team uniforms. Overall, an estimated six billion people will watch the matches worldwide.

The CEO of the World Cup Organizing Committee, Dr Danny Jordaan admits that it’s been a tough road at times, but he finds inspiration in the men and women who have worked tirelessly to ensure they go from the planning to the playing stage. “When you look at them and you look in their eyes you get a sense they’ve all decided, ‘we won’t let you down, we won’t let the country down’, and that they’re going to make this work,” says Jordaan. He hopes that when the final whistle has blown, Nelson Mandela and the many other freedom fighters will be smiling in the realization that the World Cup was delivered by both black and white coming together, that all their efforts and sacrifices were not in vain…

This World Cup’s mascot is Zakumi, a cute leopard with green hair! He was born on the 16th of June 1994, the year that apartheid ended. The ‘Za’ in Zakumi is the international abbreviation for South Africa and ‘kumi’ means ten in many African languages. It also means ‘come here’ in some southern African languages. The green and yellow colors of the mascot stand for the host nation’s flag and playing strip. Zakumi’s designer, Andries Odendaal, explains that the animal’s green hair was designed to provide camouflage on the football pitch.

With the qualifiers taking place, the heat is already on! There’s been a global rush to apply for tickets to the 2010 World Cup. Bets are on as to who’ll make it and who’ll be left out. Some traditional favorites are already facing a tough challenge to qualify!

Putting aside relocation rumors, resettling controversies and preparation deadlines, the first FIFA World Cup in the African continent is all set to take your breath away! So, get your custom soccer jerseys out and get into the spirit of things! If you don’t you’re your favorite teams soccer jersey, it’s high time you picked one up or you might not get any later! After all, we’re talking about the World Cup here and fans are seriously loyal when it comes to supporting their favorite team!

2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa Calling!

2009-06-22T14:40:00.001-07:00

With the World Cup Qualifiers on, there’s no turning back! Forget about any talk of a Plan B. South Africa is ready to welcome the world with open arms, modern infrastructure, breathtaking venues and efficient security. More than 630,000 tickets have already been picked up by fans form 188 countries and they can’t wait to put on their football jerseys and cheer their favorite teams!

With an expected fan base of 430,000 arriving at South Africa next June, the country is abuzz with activity. Ten world class stadia are being readied for the tournament, of which five are spanking new. Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, located in an area of immaculate beaches, has been declared opened. The stunning Moses Mabhida in Durban with its towering arch that resembles Wembley Stadium even has a cable car that takes you right to the beach front!

Polkwane, the land of the upside down baobab tree and the cradle of ancient civilisations, is to be ready with its stadium by October. As will Nelspruit, South Africa’s very own Garden of Eden. The fifth stadium, Green Point, in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town is being prepared for a February opening. Green Point is the only stadium in the world with a roof made of glass!

Soccer City, the showpiece venue on the outskirts of Soweto in Johannesburg, has been upgraded with a design that’s takes inspiration from African pottery. With so much of renovation gone into it, it can be called a brand new stadium for all purposes! The 2010 FIFA World Cup opening match is scheduled to be played at this 94,000 capacity stadium. The four other venues of Ellis Park, Free State, Loftus Versfeld and Royal Bafokeng have been upgraded to host the Confederations Cup matches this month.

Jozi, as locals affectionately call Johannesburg, is the financial hub of the African continent. It’s got energy, culture, excitement, as well as, peace and tranquility with 2328 parks forming a large and much appreciated greenbelt. Joberg is also the birthplace of South Africa’s rich football heritage. Professional football began right here in the offices of the old Rand Daily Mail newspaper back in 1958!
It is home to champions Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos. When Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates play each other, it is one of the most fiercely contested matches in the world! Johannesburg has also produced famous players like Jomo Sono and Kaizer Motaung, founders of the above clubs. Sono has even had the honor of playing with legends like Pele and Franz Beckenbauer! Ace or Patrick Ntsoelengoe holds pride of place as one of South Africa’s greatest football players ever.

Besides setting the stage for a brilliant 2010 World Cup, great hopes ride on the tournament. With so much spent on infrastructure, roads, airports, security, hotels and soccer merchandise, South Africans want the World Cup to showcase the best their country has to offer in a bid to rebrand it, increase its prestige, benefit its people and act as a catalyst for economic growth. As of now, let the vuvuzelas blow as soccer greats arrive proudly wearing their World Cup soccer jerseys for the Confederation Cup, a precursor to the biggest festival of football in the world!

Change of Soccer Uniforms for 2 of the top players

2009-06-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

It’s finally official. Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazilian Kaka are to don the Real Madrid jersey for a whopping 200 million dollars! With the return of Florentino Perez as Real Madrid’s president it was just a matter of time before big monies exchanged hands to sign up the world's most marketable soccer stars. This is all with a view to bring back Real’s glory days by becoming champions in Spain and Europe once again…

Perez hopes to repeat his earlier success of building a formidable Real team comprising of soccer greats such as Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham. The beginning of 2000 saw this man go on a shopping spree that ended with these four stars in Madrid’s bag for a cost of £132 million.

It seems Real paid AC Milan $94.90 million for Kaka, while Ronaldo was bought from Manchester United for $131.2 million, finally bringing to an end to months of speculation. Kaka seemed to be a ‘reluctant hero’ though, with his heart still set on his club AC Milan. But with the reality of global recession and the realization that at the end of the day clubs are businesses, he agreed to the move. It’s his way of helping Milan get over its financial crisis. The 27 year old Brazilian went through a medical check up at the Brazilian national team's training camp in Recife and with that transfer was complete. Speaking at a press conference, Kaka clarified: "I can officially say I'm a Real Madrid player. My professional link with AC Milan finishes now, but my sentimental link will never end."

But you’ll have to wait until the end of June to see Kaka in the famous Real Madrid soccer uniform since he has to fulfill his duty towards national team Brazil, who are all set to play in South Africa for the Confederations Cup. Whether he wears the famous number five soccer jersey is not clear. Though Perez would like him to wear the soccer shirt, Kaka has expressed his reservations. The Brazilian star felt: "Wearing the number five would be a great responsibility. Zidane was a great player, both for Real Madrid and for France, and I wouldn't like to wear the same number as he did."

Another record breaking deal saw Man U forward Ronaldo move to Real for a whopping $131.2million! In this case, it seems Ronaldo was keen to join Real since he had always dreamt of playing for the club as a young boy. After much denial, Manchester United released an official statement saying that they have received an offer to sell Ronaldo to Real for a price of £80 million. This makes it the highest price ever paid for a player in the history of football!

Ronaldo’s leaving Man U means the celebrated number 7 soccer jersey, worn by soccer greats like George Best, Eric Cantona David Beckham, will now become available. And coach Sir Alex Ferguson will be left with the formidable to find a player worthy of its ancestry…

Now that Ronaldo and Kaka have been won over, rumors are flying thick that Franck Ribéry is next on Perez's much talked about shopping list…

Spain are superb at the Confederations Cup

2009-06-16T14:46:00.001-07:00

The first round of matches in the Confederations Cup have been played and the favourites have already shown that they mean business if not exsaclyt showing a gulf in class between themselves and the smaller nations. Okay, in saying that, it would be wise to exempt Spain from that who looked as though they hardly broke a sweat in their new soccer kit as they demloished a poor New Zealand side 5-0.

The game was less than 18 minutes old by the time Fernando Torres had nothced three goals which gave further proof that he is a clinical finisher and that he is a player Liverpool need to keep a hold of. The summer transfer window usually leads to some crazy stories being made public but surely there cant be any truth in the rumour that Manchester United are seriously thinking of launching a bid for the Spanish hit-man. Liverpool may be in debt but they would see their fans rioting and Rafa Benitez moaning (more than usual) if Torres swapped the red soccer top of Liverpool for the same shade of kit of Manchester United.

That may be a concern for Liverpool fans but the Spanish fans would have been delighted at how quic kly their team got the3 game sewn up but the same couldnt be said for Brazil who needed an injury time penalty to overcome the powerful Egyptian side. There is something special about the Brazil side and anyone who loves soccer usually feels emotion when they see the famous yellow tops and blue shorts and their 3-1 half time lead was no surprise. However, teh Egyptians showed why they are highky regarded in Africa and levelled the match at 3-3 with both sides pushing for a winner.

There was controversy over the late penalty award, not because it wasnt a penalty, there was a definite handball on the line but because the catastrophic English referee Howard Webb initially gave a corner kick. The man in the black kit has made a habit of getting big decisions wrong recently and one got this one right when he was informed in his ear piece that it was a penalty. Kaka stepped up to secure the three points for Brazil and the Egyptians were rightfully aggrieved about who actually awarded the poenalty. If the assistant referee spotted it, fair enough but if teh shout came from the forurth official watching on a monitor, then the spirit of the game was not applied.

The spirit of the game was also not applied by the US team who seemed intent on beating the Italians at their own game. Already reduced to ten men, the US won a soft penalty on the stroke of half-time to grab a 1-0 lead but the Italians, in an unfamiliar sky blue soccer unif orms, came roaring back in the second half, firing three goals past Tim Howard to give the game a realistic scoreline near the end, even if the third and final strike was deep into injury time.

If the big teams carry their winning form into their next set of matches, there is every chance the semi-finals are going to feature all the teams that soccer fans all over the world dream about seeing.

The History of Soccer Uniforms.

2009-06-15T14:25:00.001-07:00

The origin of soccer is a hotly contested topic but the game took a professionalshape in the United Kingdom in the late 18th century but a team uniform was not of the early innovations of the new sport. A similar colored shirt or cap or scarf was worn to differentiate teams but around the 1870s, steps were taken to move soccer uniforms to what they are commonly known as today.

Even then, matching shorts and socks were not considered part of the team uniform until the early 1900s. Long trousers or pantaloons were common features of early soccer games and the earliest version of shin guards made an appearance before shorts and socks were properly introduced.

However, as soon as the traditional top, shorts and socks uniform was established, its popularity spread like wildfire and soccer teams around the world were noted by their particular uniform. As soccer spread around the world with travellers and former UK citizens introducing the game to new countries, a similarity in kits grew.

This has led to the familiarity between strips of teams around the world. One example would be Juventus from Italy wearing the sae strip as Notts County, black and white stripes. As time has moved on, Juventus have become far more famous around the world but at the start of the 20th century, Notts County were one of the biggest clubs in English soccer and therefore the world of soccer at the time.

With two world wars spanning the next few decades, any developments in soccer fashion was mainly cosmetic with the few changes focusing on moving away from a proper shirt to the style of top that is more commonly associated with the modern era of the game.

As the advent of European Cup and the rise of television, soccer fans around the world became more aware of teams from other nations and the different styles of kit started to create new influences. One of the most important influences came from Real Madrid, European Cup winners for the first five years.

Real Madrid wore a striking all white kit, most notably copied by Leeds United who changed their blue and yellow kit, and sported a smaller pair of shorts than the baggy efforts that were common in Britain. The 1960s not only brought about a revolution in the world of music, there was a fashion change in the world of soccer as button collars and long shorts went out of style and circle and v-neck collars with smaller shorts.

The 1970s saw even further fashionable changes but the next revolution in soccer uniforms came with the selling of replica shirts and then the addition of sponsors’ logos on the kit. Soccer clubs realised they could make money by selling copies of their strips to fans and as televised soccer grew more popular, companies were eager to have their name positioned on the team kit.

original soccer uniform Although the 1980s were memorable as the era when soccer shorts were at their smallest and tightest, the most important changes in soccer uniforms since then have revolved around the technology. Sportswear technology has allowed kit manufacturers to make uniforms that are lighter, cooler and draw sweat

away from players’ bodies.

All of these innovations are designed to give an edge to the top players in a sport where the slightest advantage can make all the difference.
Fashion trends and styles come and go but the demand for soccer uniforms has never been higher than it is today. With new technologies making the kit even lighter and more suitable to the quickening pace of the game, soccer uniforms will continue to keep evolving and fascinating fans the world over.

Fifa World Cup The Goalscorers

2009-06-15T14:23:00.002-07:00

here are many things about soccer that make fans all over the world go crazy supporting it but the most important thing for most soccer fans is goals. Goals win matches and winning matches is what the Fifa World Cup is all about. There have been many great goals scored at World Cups throughout the years but the importance of being the top goal scorer in a tournament is an extremely prestigious award and Fifa recognises this by offering the Golden Boot to the tournaments highest goal grabber. No footballer has won this award twice but some of the most famous in world soccer have walked away from the tournament as the top marksmen. It is also interesting to note that the top goal scorer usually doesn’t play for the nation that wins the World Cup. Mario Kempes in 1978 and Ronaldo in 2002 bucked this trend but personal glory is obviously no guarantee of team success at the World Cup.

The top goal scorer at any individual World Cup is Just Fontaine from France, who in 1958 at the World Cup in Sweden scored 13 goals in six games. It is easy to work out the mathematics that this is an average of more than two goals per game and Fontaine scored 3 in his first match against Paraguay and then four in his last match, the third and fourth play off against Germany. Scoring in every match that France played at the tournament, Fontaine and his French team mates were unfortunate to come up against Brazil in the semi finals that were coming to the peak of their powers. Fontaine scored in the 9th minute to level the game at 1-1 but Brazil triumphed 5-2 with an emerging starlet scoring a hat-trick in 23 second half minutes. Fontaine was outshone by a player who would go onto eclipse virtually every other football who ever lived, Pele. The 1958 World Cup is probably most remembered for the debut of Pele on the world soccer scene but the 13 goals sees Fontaine standing third in the list of all time World Cup goal scorers, no mean feat for just one tournament.

Second top goal scorer was the West German goal grabber supreme Gerd Muller, who bagged 14 goals in two tournaments. Muller, otherwise known as ‘Der Bomber’ was the top scorer in Mexico 1970 when 10 goals, including two hat tricks saw Germany take third place after an agonising extra time Semi-final defeat to Italy. Muller bounced back in 1974 when West Germany hosted the tournament and won the trophy for the second time. Football had changed in the four years and goals were notably tighter to come by at the 1974 World Cup. Muller had to settle for four strikes this time around but given that the fourth strike was the one which gave West Germany a 2-1 victory over Netherlands, Muller would not have been upset about not being top goal scorer.

The only soccer player who has scored more goals at World Cups that Gerd Muller is Ronaldo from Brazil, who was top scorer when Brazil triumphed in 2002. Ronaldo has scored fifteen goals in a total of four World Cups but his tally of 8 in Japan and South Korea, with a goal in every game apart from the quarter final has been most impressive. There were major doubts about Ronaldo’s fitness and health amidst the controversy over his appearance at the France 1998 World Cup final but the two goals that defeated Germany 2-0 gave Ronaldo his place at the forefront of world soccer once again.

The road to the 2010 World Cup is well underway and you can guarantee that many players around the world will be carrying dreams of finishing the top goal scorer at South Africa. Winning the Golden Boot for World Cup goals is a tremendous achievement but most players would swap it all for their nation to life the World Cup.

Great Soccer Players who never won the World Cup

2009-06-15T14:21:00.001-07:00

If you are a winner the World Cup is a beautiful tournament but if you are a loser, sometimes you can be airbrushed out of history and this is a shame as some of the world’s greatest soccer players have never won a World Cup. Some, like George Best or Ryan Giggs, have never even made it to the World Cup finals with their nation but others have managed to light up the stage without ever walking away with the big prize. So whilst the winners celebrate with the golden trophy knowing the next time they play, their international soccer jerseys will be adorned with an extra star, the losers have to trudge away thinking of what might have been.

One such great player is Michel Platini of France, who in 1982 and 1986 came so close to achieving something really memorable at the World Cup. In between these tournaments, Platini led France to success in the 1984 European Champions where the classic attacking play was as iconic as the soccer kit and small soccer shorts that France wore whilst impressing the world. In 1982 in Spain, France were defeated in the semi-final stage on penalties, in a match overshadowed by the brutal challenge by West German goalkeeper Harold Schumacher which left Battiston needing serious medical attention. The sight of the German keeper launching himself and the red goalkeeping jersey flying at the French player has lived long n the memory of those who witnessed it and France were knocked off their stride after that moment.

In 1986, Platini was on fire in Mexico helping his nation defeat Italy and Brazil in the knock-out stages and again, wowing the crowd with an exciting attacking style. Sadly, West Germany once again stood in the way of France and again, the French and Platini lost out at the semi-final stages leaving Platini with not even a World Cup final appearance at the end of his career.

Another world class player who lit up a World Cup was Johann Cruyff who was part of the 1974 Holland team who lost to West Germany. Cruyff stood out because of his modified soccer kit , where he had removed one stripe from the Dutch national kit due to a personal sportswear deal he had but he was soon to be noticed for pure footballing reasons. One of the most iconic pieces of footage you will see about Cruyff is the Cruyff turn and he executed this at the World Cup, leaving a defender for dead and a world of children and adults imitating his move whenever they could. Cruyff appeared in the 1974 World Cup final and within a minute had earned his team a penalty. Holland took a very early lead in the final but West Germany bounced back and triumphed 2-1 leaving Cruyff and Holland disappointed.

Holland again made it to the final of the 1978 World Cup, giving soccer fans all over the world further reason to fall in love with the iconic national soccer strips of the country but did so without Cruyff. The star had played a major part in the qualifying campaign but a number of reasons caused him to pull out of the squad and the world was denied the pleasure of seeing Cruyff torment defences in Argentina.

Some of the other great names without a World Cup winners medal include Eusebio, Dalglish, Socrates, Raul and Larsson but all of these players are still adored by their fans for what they did. Soccer fans the world over will proudly wear their soccer kits with these names emblazoned on the back but none of them knew the joy of winning the World Cup.

Fifa World Cup – Brazil

2009-06-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Its hard to think of the soccer world cup without thinking of Brazil and the samba soccer they have brought to the world. With five victories, Brazil are the nation with the most triumphs in the tournament but for Brazilians of a certain vintage, the World Cup they remember the most ended in heartbreak.

In 1950, Brazil hosted the World Cup and the soccer loving nation were fully behind their heroes, who at the time played in a white shirt with blue collar. Going into the final match, which was decided by a league format as opposed to a stand-alone match, Brazil only needed a draw to clinch the trophy whilst rivals Uruguay had to win. As so often happen in football, the team that needs to win invariably finds that extra level of desire and hunger as Uruguay shocked the Maracana stadium by snatching a 2-1 victory. It is said that some part of the Brazilian psyche has never recovered from this crushing defeat and even though they have tasted glory on the world stage five times since, there are still more Brazil soccer books about this tournament than any of the tournaments they won.

In an attempt to put this tragedy behind them, Brazil set about finding a new soccer uniform and it was then they took to wearing the world famous strip they wear today. Brazil burst back onto the world stage in 1958 when inspired by the 18 year old Pele, Brazil lifted the World Cup in Sweden. Four years later, they triumphed again but their biggest triumph was to come in 1970.

There are very few soccer historians who will argue with quality and strength of the Brazil 1970 World Cup squad. Perhapses it is helped by the color television footage of the tournament but some of the goals they scored on their way to winning the final 4-1 against Italy were phenomenal. Pele had his third World Cup winners medal and all of the world fell in love with Brazilian soccer.

The following decades were a low point for the national team at the World Cup although the 1982 team could have won the trophy if they knew how to defend. The 1982 team took the style of attacking football to the extreme and although they were eventually outdone by Italy and Paulo Rossi, many soccer fans fell in love with Brazil once again.

The 1994 World Cup wasn’t too exciting and the final was largely forgettable but for the Brazilian fans who witnessed the team clinch their fourth world title in a penalty shoot-out couldn’t have cared less. Brazil also made it to the final in 1998 but were limp and insipid against France as the host nation ran out 3-0 victors and there were serious doubts placed over whether Ronaldo would return to his best.

These doubts were blown away four years later when the striker was the top scorer in the 2002 World Cup, scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory over Germany which saw the South American nation take their fifth World Cup. There obviously has to be a number of teams at the World Cup to make it worth watching but for many people, it wouldn’t be a World Cup without Brazil.

Road to World Cup 2010

2009-06-15T14:18:00.001-07:00

It is not too often when a weekend of international football is overshadowed by a soccer uniform but that is exactly what happened at Wembley on Saturday. England were lining up for the national anthems when the player unzipped their training gear to unveil their new soccer kit, which was making its debut on that day. This guaranteed the launch of the new soccer jersey got the most publicity possible but England manager Fabio Capello will be counting the cost of the on-field action. England won 4-0 but three forwards limped off and Heskey, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch may all be forced out of action for England’s World Cup qualifier against Slovakia. England are looking good to make it to the World Cup in South Africa where no doubt their high tec soccer kit will be vital in giving their team the edge in warm conditions.

The other major European forces look like making up the usual numbers with Spain, Germany and Holland all striding towards the event with a great sense of purpose. France followed up their terrible Euro 2008 campaign with a poor start but look to be getting back on the tracks and Italy received a boost in their qualification hopes when Republic of Ireland dropped two points at home against Bulgaria. The big names in soccer are what help makes the World Cup and the star players, as well as the well known soccer kits, are certain to be involved when the next world cup rolls around.

Elsewhere, even though there is over a year until the next big World Cup, many teams are drawing close to booking their place at the world’s biggest soccer event. By the end of the week, Australia could have booked their spot in South Africa, a turn-around from the 2006 event where the Socceroos were the last team to qualify for the event. They may have a soccer top that is reminiscent of the famous soccer uniform of Brazil but for once, Australia appear to be the team in form between they two.

As much as the Brazilian gold soccer kit is legendary, the way that the team struggles at high altitude is equally well known and this was again the case away to Ecuador. The Brazilian football federation have long been critics of the medical effect of playing at such an altitude but yet again, Brazil dropped points and slipped further behind in the South American qualification campaign. The blue change soccer strip worn by Brazil may have saw the team look slightly unfamiliar but a home tie against bottom nation Peru should see the 5 times World Cup winners return to winning ways.

Brazil may be struggling but Argentina bounced back in Diego Maradona’s first competitive game in charge but the game was the latest example of the brilliance of Lionel Messi. Maradona knows a thing or two about scintillating soccer and how to wow a crowd and he was fulsome in his praise for the performance of the Barcelona superstar. The number 10 Argentina soccer jersey has had some star players in it but Lionel Messi is definitely up there with the best of them. You want to see the best players at the World Cup and Lionel Messi may be one of the greatest on show in South Africa.

World Cup – Stars and strips

2009-06-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

When people think of great World Cups, some of the things that spring to mind are the goals, the star players and the soccer uniforms. Yes, the soccer kits help to make the World Cup a memorable event as so many people cannot imagine soccer’s premier tournament taking place without the iconic yellow, green and blue soccer kit of Brazil. Brazil only turned to these soccer shirts after their disastrous 1950 campaign but since then, it has been glory nearly all the way and there will be some opponents who are mesmerised by the famous soccer kit facing them.

Of course, Brazil are not the only nation with a famous range of soccer clothing. One of the most iconic soccer team uniforms is used by Argentina, and their light blue and white stripe top bringing to mind triumph in Argentina in 1978 and in Mexico in 1986. These tops are not only worn by the highest level of international players but the youth soccer uniforms soccer merchandise are also based around the style of the top teams soccer uniform.

England may commonly wear white in international matches but due to a clash of strips with their opponents West Germany, their only triumph came whilst wearing a red kit which remains the nations favourite choice of away kit. Of course, Germany have had a great deal of success in their traditional white shirt and black shorts kit, with players such as Muller, Beckenbauer, Rummenigge, Mattheus and Kilnsmann all helping to make the German custom soccer jerseys one of the most recognisable on the planet.

One of the more famous player styled soccer kits relates to Johan Cruyff of Holland, who refused to wear the national team kit in its intended form because he had a boot deal with another firm. This led to Cruyff removing a stripe from the sleeves of his Holland kit to ensure his soccer uniform did not cause him any concerns with his contractual duties.

Goalkeepers may have traditionally worn basic kits with Sepp Maier large gloves being one of the major talking points about the goalkeepers’ soccer equipment, but that all changed when Mexican goalkeeper, Jorge Campos, came to the world stage in 1994. It is said that Campos helped design his own kit and it was certainly one of the most memorable goalkeeping soccer gear of all time.

Some of the more memorable kits at World Cup have included the United States of America with their stars and stripes kits of the 1994 World Cup, Peru with their iconic diagonal red stripe kit of 1978 or even the Cameroon kit with no sleeves. With soccer kits being big business, it is no surprise that so many have captured the mood of soccer fans all around the world with most nations releasing a new kit to coincide with the tournament.

There is still over a year to go to South Africa with so many places up for grabs in the 2010 World Cup but the designers and producers of soccer kits at the major manufacturers will all be compiling designs to ensure their World Cup soccer jerseys is amongst the most talked about at next summers big event. Any soccer store may sell the soccer apparel that makes you look like your heroes and the worlds top players but if you want to see the real soccer tea, jerseys that capture the worlds imagination, the World cup is the place to be.

World cup winners medals

2009-06-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

The size of a squad at the 2010 World Cup is likely to feature at least 23 players, which means an awful lot of soccer jerseys to wash but it is also more than the amount of players who have won more than one World Cup. At the current count, 21 players have been part of more than one world cup winning squad which only goes to show how difficult it is to achieve. Unsurprisingly, Pele leads the way with three world cup winners medals, although his role in Brazil’s 1962 triumph is massively over-stated. Injury robbed Pele from gracing that tournament but history records his performance in Mexico in 1970 as one of the best. There is no doubt that the Brazil 1970 squad, in their iconic soccer tops and free flowing spirit is one of the most memorable teams of all time and Brazil make up the majority of players who have won the cup more than once.

Aside from Pele, special mention must go to Mario Zagallo, who was part of the Brazil squad that won in 1958 and 1962. Many players from that era did not make it along to the 1970 World Cup but Zagallo can claim to have a key role in that team seeing as he was the manager. Yes, a mere 8 years after lifting his second world cup winners medal, Zagallo returned to the biggest stage in world soccer and led Brazil to their third triumph. Zagallo wasn’t done there as he returned in 1994 when he was assistant manager as Brazil triumphed in the United States of America. Being part of four world cup winning teams is an achievement that will take some beating and Mario Zagallo is rightly afforded a high level of respect.

Whilst most of the Brazil players with more than one winners medal date back to the late 50s and early 60s triumphs, two players of the modern era have been a winner on two occasions as well. Cafu and Ronaldo were both involved in the 1994 and 2002 winning teams but Ronaldo never got his soccer kit dirty at the 1994 event being an unused squad player. He changed all that at the 2002 world cup when his goals, including two in the final were a key inspiration behind Brazil winning the trophy. Cafu therefore had a lot more game time that Ronaldo in achieving this feat but both definitely played their part in ensuring the modern era of Brazilian soccer players had their own tales of glory to match the stories from history.

Four Italian players from their 1934 and 1938 triumphs played in both squads with one name standing out from the rest. You may not know much about the classic Italian sides but if you know about modern Italian soccer, you should recognise the name of Giuseppe Meazza. As a star for both Inter and AC Milan, gracing the world famous soccer tops for both teams, he was the perfect choice for the official name of the San Siro stadium and the name of the stadium will depend on who you are talking to. Meazza is more fondly remembered by the Inter fans who are happy to refer to the ground as the Giuseppe Meazza but if you come across an AC Milan fan, do not be surprised to see them refer to the ground as the San Siro.

The last player to have two world cup medals is Daniel Passarella who played for Argentina in their 1978 and 1986 triumph, meaning he has more international glory than even the great Maradona.

World Cup history – The early years

2009-06-15T14:10:00.001-07:00

Every four years the World Cup takes place and each passing World Cup seems to be bigger and better than the one before but they are far removed from the early World Cups. The first event took place in 1930 in an attempt to bring the soccer world closer together but few would have predicted what a success the event would become.

The honour of hosting the first ever World Cup was bestowed upon Uruguay, in recognition of the fact that they were Olympic soccer champions. They showed that their Olympic glory was no fluke and added the feat of being first ever World Cup champions to their gold medals. Italy then took the next two World Cups before the tournament was halted by the Second World War.

The landscape in Europe and relationships between rival nations had changed dramatically since the War but the World Cup was an opportunity to put national problems aside and concentrate on other matters. The 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil but the host nation and the footballing world was shocked when Uruguay triumphed 2-1 in the Maracana Stadium to top the group and win the World Cup.

This tournament was notable for being the only one which did not feature a one-off match as the final but coincidentally the four team group stage was decided by a clash between the top two. If the game ended in a tie, Brazil would have won the World Cup for the first time and the final score was a major shock for Brazil and their fanatical fans. Ever since 1950, Brazil have been attempting to right the wrongs of letting their home fans down but those present at the time still recall the sadness and anger that was felt in Brazil at the time.

This was the last time Uruguay made a large impression on the world soccer stage but their position was being filled by emerging soccer strength. Although the favourites for the 1954 World Cup were Hungary, a team of immense skill and talent, Germany provided a classic underdog performance to snatch a victory which sounded the death knell for one of the worlds most highly respected teams although controversy reigns about the final to this date. In Germany, the match has been christened The Miracle of Bern but doping rumours and extremely poor officiating benefiting the Germans played a strong influence on the outcome of the match and the Hungarians finished heartbroken. Germany were soon to become a regular fixture in the finals of the World Cup and in all the tournaments since 1954, one two have taken place which did not feature Brazil or Germany. The 1978 final between Argentina and Holland and the 2006 final between Italy and France being the occasions when either of the two powerhouses in World soccer failed to make the showpiece occasion.

With improved television coverage and players like Pele, Eusebio and Beckenbaur the stories of the World Cups since 1958 are widely known and most people are aware of what took place. The original World Cup tournaments may not have been captured in cinematic quality like the current tournaments but without these landmark triumphs and the emergence and disappearance of some major names in World soccer, the greatest sporting event in the world would be a vastly different place.

FA Cup final preview

2009-06-15T14:03:00.001-07:00

This Saturday sees the FA Cup final, one of the most traditional games of the soccer season. Last season the final was a rather tame and damp affair featuring Portsmouth and Cardiff but this year promises to be a much more exciting proposition with Chelsea taking on Everton. In the stands, there will be a sea of blue everywhere but as both clubs have a similar color of kit, there will be a need for one team to wear a change of soccer jersey. A coin toss was taken to decide which team would be wearing their change soccer kit and Chelsea lost which means that the Londoners will take the field in a yellow top. This allows Everton to wear their renowned soccer colors and the blue top was what they wore when they last triumphed in the FA Cup final against Manchester United. The color of the jerseys shouldn’t have any impact on the match but the managers might.

The FA Cup final is scheduled to be Guus Hiddink’s last match in charge of Chelsea as he returns to manage Russia and the rumours suggest his place in the Stamford Bridge hotseat will be taken by Carlos Ancellotti. Ancellotti has been in charge of AC Milan for a number of year but with local rivals Inter firmly ruling the roost in Italy, it may well be time for the ex cultured midfielder to move on and see if he can help Roman Abramovich to achieve his dream of European glory. This is the main aim for next season but the Dutchman in current charge of the club will be hoping to bow out with some silverware and leave the Chelsea fans wanting more.

In the other dugout will be Davie Moyes, a man who would greatly benefit from winning a trophy. Outside of the top 4 clubs, Everton have been the most consistent team and have been the only club to split the top four with regards to Champions League qualification. Therefore, Moyes is deserving of adding a trophy to his CV and if he does, it may give him a great opportunity of moving onto the next level. It would also allow the long suffering Everton fans to have some time in the spotlight away from Liverpool and would probably look back on the season with great pride.

The FA Cup final is usually the place where the big name players shine and there is ample opportunity for someone to steal the headlines after this weekends match. There is a lot of speculation where Didier Drogba will be playing his football next season and the winning goal in the Cup final could well be the perfect way to sign off and leave Chelsea fans remembering him with a happy time. Equally, Anelka finished the season as England’s top goal-scorer and this would be a fitting way to end his season.

Everton may not have the strikers with such hot form at the moment but their season has been shaped by the strength and skill of two midfielders. Tim Cahill has already played in an FA Cup final for Millwall and he will be assisted by Marouane Fellaini, a big game player with big hair. There will be no hiding place for the midfielder and if he can win the battle between himself and Frank Lampard then Everton may just be able to steal the glory in the FA Cup final.

It's not holiday time yet

2009-06-15T14:02:00.004-07:00

The majority of English soccerers are probably on holiday, chasing the girls and keeping the barmen busy in Ibiza or Aya Napa but some still have work to do. The domestic season may be over but there are still international fixtures to be concluded before all the players can take a well earned rest.

However, with World Cup places up for grabs, don’t expect there to be any lack of motivation for the players pulling on their international soccer jerseys this weekend. Some countries may find that they can all but virtually guarantee their spot in South Africa next summer whereas some big names may be looking at an embarrassing exit unless they record some victories.

It’s already been said that many soccer stars have jetted off to warmer climes but England’s top players will be flying into the unknown when they play Kazakhstan. In England, Kazakhstan is probably best known for being the home of Borat, the comedy character created by Sasha Baron Cohen but it will be no laughing matter for Fabio Capello if anything but a handsome away win occurs.

Striker Peter Crouch has been quoted as saying that England cannot take three points for granted but it would be the shock result of the season if the lowly minnows can derail the Capello express. England follow this with a home tie against Andorra, which should bring the English season to a close on a satisfactory manner.

Victory in these games should see England all but qualified for the World Cup in South Africa and no doubt the English media can start the hype about winning the cup again. A solitary star on the famous soccer kit is all England have to show for a history of great players but they are always tipped to do strongly.

English fans may be happy to know that the nation who halted their progress in the last World Cup are struggling to qualify this time around which could be good news for some fans. Portugal are facing two crunch ties to keep their World Cup dream alive and if they fail to win both, it could be looking grim for some of the worlds biggest stars. Cristiano Ronaldo may have other things on his mind with the Real Madrid saga coming to life again but he will need to perform at his very best to keep his country in the hunt for glory.

The Manchester United star barely got his soccer kit dirty in Rome when United meekly surrendered their Champions League crown to Barcelona and the jury is currently out on the players ability when it is needed the most. Ronaldo’s presence has definitely dipped in the past year but he should not be relied upon for everything and the rest of his team mates will need to perform to a higher standard to keep their campaign on track.

The current set of international fixtures may ensures that holidays are delayed for some players but a failure to win these games could see some players having the whole of summer in 2010 to have a holiday.

2010 Fifa World Cup Fashion Kick-Off!

2009-06-15T14:02:00.003-07:00

Soccer is not just a game that is watched and played around the world! Soccer is a passion. Soccer is a religion. It is also a strong fashion statement with its own set of rules, accessories and memorabilia. An entire industry has sprung up catering to the ever growing demand for soccer merchandise.

Blow your own trumpet!

Get ready for some unique fashion statement at the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa for the first time. It won’t just be your favorite players in their World Cup soccer jerseys vying for your attention! Soccer World Cup fans are all set to up the temperature with their traditional vuvuzelas – those trumpets that sound like busy bumbling bees every time the ball enters the net!

A hat for every head

You can expect vuvuzelas to mingle with makarabas making for a complete riot of sound and color! Makaraba hats were first worn in South Africa in the 70s as protection against bottles or other flying objects! Later, all kinds of designs and add-ons were fixed onto these hard builder hats making them a must have fashion statement. They’ve become so popular that no hard core football fan can be seen without one! Makarabas representing the participating teams in the 2010 World Cup are being designed on a war footing. Each hat is painstakingly prepared by hand and cut into a unique shape and design, so it takes anywhere between 8 to 14 hours to make one! These colorful works of art make for great souvenirs of the much awaited World Cup.

Soccer Sells!

Besides this, there are all kinds of merchandise you can pick up to declare your loyalty for your team from custom-made soccer apparel to watches, mugs, scarves, wallets, bedspreads and DVDs. And you can find something to suit your pocket. Replica team jerseys are probably the most common and popular choice with fans. After all, nothing beats wearing your team colors during a match while you’re at the stadium in front of the TV! It’s a heady experience of loyalty, pride and togetherness.

Sports Collection

Puma made sure it wasn’t left behind in this football frenzy! It joined hands with fashion expert Neil Barrett to launch an athletic lifestyle collection that covers everything from hooded sweatshirts to tees, cargoes to blouson jackets. The focus is on functional fibers, distressed washes and embellished applications giving it a fashionable yet comfortable look. Barrett, a giant in the fashion industry with names like Prada and Gucci under his belt, was inspired by the protective armor worn by Roman gladiators! He added his own layered signature to it. And voila!

Beckham Mayhem

Britain’s star player David Beckham has made soccer super fashionable! It’s no longer just about the game; it’s about cash rich sponsorships, global sports brands and celebrity endorsements. LA Galaxy roped in Beckham to wear their new soccer shirt making it the fastest selling shirt ever! More than a quarter million were ordered even before the design was revealed thanks to Becks! The home shirt is similar to Real Madrid’s, while the away shirt comes in a three dimensional design in navy blue with hints of yellow. The good thing is this soccer shirt has been designed to be worn outside the stadium as well.

With so much going on in the world of soccer fashion, the choices are plenty and increasing by the day. So, take your pick and make your own style statement!

Soccer: A Number’s Game

2009-06-15T14:01:00.004-07:00

When it comes to soccer, shirt numbers give away a player’s stature and importance in the team. Everything is determined by the number, even mindset and performance! After all, there’s a legacy, an inheritance attached to shirt numbers that cannot be denied. This tradition is so deeply etched in every soccer fan and player’s mind that wearing a number associated with past legends comes with its own set of expectations.

Soccer shirt numbers were once closely associated with the position one played. To the extent that positions were actually referred to by shirt number! This meant that a player’s number changed with each match, depending on which position was assigned to him on that particular day. The numbers 1 and 12 were usually kept for goalkeepers, 5 for a center midfielder, 9 for a striker, 11 for a left winger and number 10 for an attacking midfielder.

Things changed during the 1954 World Cup when FIFA laid down the rule that teams had to use a numbering system. A specific shirt number was to be given to each player for the entire tournament. But that was then and this is now…

With the numbering system of 1 to 11 relegated to the past, on the world stage, teams usually stick to the numbers 1 to 23, though there are a few exceptions. And at the club level, any number from 1 to 99 can be worn. So, you have random numbers at play - numbers that players consider lucky or their favorite player’s numbers worn as a mark of respect.

Players now lay claim to certain numbers and jealously guard them. Only players that seem worthy of continuing a legacy are allocated the much coveted numbers 7, 9 and 10. They have history to back them up and have become synonymous with soccer legends. But the biggest honor goes to the number 10, given to the most creative playmaker on the field who scores the maximum goals. The number 10 soccer jersey has graced the shoulders of Pele, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Zico, Lothar Matthäus, Gary Lineker, Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane, Michael Owen, Juan Román Riquelme, Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Van der Vaart, Wayne Rooney, Kaka and Lionel Messi.
Bobby Charlton, Ian Rush, Fornando Torres and Alan Shearer are famous number 9’s. More recently, the lethal Brazilian forward Ronaldo did full justice to the number 9. Iconic number 7’s are David Villa, Raul Gonzalez, Franck Ribery, Luis Figo, George Best, Eric Cantona, Juanito, Amaro, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Andriy Schevchenko.

And then, of course, you’ve got certain players who adopted their own unique numbers and made them their trademark. The legend Johan Cruyff took a liking to number 14 and wore it instead of the number 1 that should’ve been assigned to him. David Beckham chose 23 and made it the most sought out for number on the field! Recently, Ronaldinho selected number 80 based on the year of his birth.

There’s no doubt that generations to come will associate these numbers with soccer greats. They’ll be worn with a sense of pride, driving each player to deliver an inspired performance that does the number on his back proud…

Soccer Jerseys: It’s Love All!

2009-06-15T14:01:00.003-07:00

Soccer matches are all about team spirit and energy whether you’re a player on the field or a spectator on the stands. And what better way to show your support and loyalty than to wear your soccer team jerseys. It’s a much sought after fashion statement and a stamp of patriotism - prerequisites for any fan worthy of his/her team…

Come one, come all!

The FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions Cup have made soccer one of the most popularly followed sports today. And this craze cuts across all demographics. It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, young or old, rich or poor, employed or unemployed. Soccer is a great leveler. And a fan is a fan is a fan… That’s your only identity. A direct result of this mania is a huge demand for soccer jerseys – replicas, originals, retro, home and away kits.

Wear your heart on your sleeve

Fashion and sport brands have jumped in to meet this demand. The soccer jersey has evolved over the years and today the choices are endless, the styles are modern as personal preferences are catered to. Fans don their local club colors as well as their national team’s soccer gear. They’re available both online and offline, but when confronted with so many options it can get a little confusing to decide on a specific soccer jersey that also suits your budget. After all, a soccer jersey reflects your personality; it unites you with your team and other fans and it’s your identity that can be spotted from a distance!

United we stand

Some fans collect retro soccer jerseys that are usually vintage designs worn by soccer greats like Pele or Maradona. Plus, they also have the added advantage of being a cut above the rest, making you standout in a swarm of fans. You can either wear a player or team jersey as a mark of loyalty. But original soccer jerseys are expensive. If you can’t afford $100, you can opt for replicas that’ are available at much lower prices. When it comes to players, Ronaldo, Beckham, Zidane and Ronaldinho are favorites. In terms of World Cup soccer jerseys, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France, Germany and England rule. And let’s not forget local soccer club wear such as FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, AC Milan, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea!

Custom fit

To please one and all, customization is the name of the game. Ask and you shall get. A name here, a logo there, a number elsewhere and a splash of color everywhere! Custom soccer jerseys as well as youth soccer jerseys are also gaining in popularity. But nothing sells or gets more attention than World Cup gear! After all, it’s a symbol of national pride and a team’s rich heritage made up of soccer greats and historic moments.

Optimal innovations

Well known brands like Adidas, Nike, Puma, Diadora and Lotto constantly manufacture and market new soccer apparel with special limited edition jerseys and moisture control innovations like Dri-Fit or Clima Cool. These days, genuine soccer uniforms are made of polyester. Cotton or nylon blends are not considered optimal for playing the game. With more and more pro’s specializing in soccer gear, the intention is to keep improving on design and technology so the players can achieve optimal performance. And you can pick up your favorite’s jersey to cheer them on in style!

Kaka will steal the spotlight at the Confederations Cup

2009-06-15T13:59:00.001-07:00

We may be a year away from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but the soccer fans there don’t need to wait too long to get some exciting action. The Confederations Cup is now the preclude to World Cups with FIFA keen for the host nation to get a proper dress rehearsal. Having some of the worlds biggest stars and the crowds that flock to see the will be a great way to start planning for next summer and with no other soccer action on the horizon, its a tremendous chance for fans to pass the time whilst watching some of their heroes.

With eight of the biggest teams in the world on show, there’s no shortage of top stars in South Africa but the most talked about star on the planet at the moment is Kaka, and he will be on show. The Brazilian star has already grabbed most of the attention without even kicking a ball by having his Real Madrid medical whilst on Brazil duty in preparation for their World Cup qualifier. Kaka will be swapping the famous red and black striped soccer jersey of AC Milan for the all white soccer kit of Real Madrid which means millions of fans the world over will be upgrading their replica kits to show their support for the player. Back in January, the focus was on Kaka and would he go to Manchester City but he pledged his support to Milan and their supporters. Obviously, something changed but the fact that Real Madrid have paid a lot less money than City were prepared to play indicates the allure of playing for La Liga’s runner ups.

It won’t be easy in Group B for Brazil where they have been paired with World Cup holders Italy and Egypt and America. Group A features host nation South Africa, European Championship winners Spain alongside Iraq and New Zealand. The opening game takes place on June 14th with South Africa welcoming Iraq to the Confederations Cup which means that Spain will be commencing their campaign against New Zealand. There is a very famous sports kit for the New Zealand rugby team who are known as the All Blacks but in a neat twist, the New Zealand soccer team plays in a white soccer kit which stands them out from their rugby friends but maybe loses some marketing possibilities.

Brazil, with Kaka no doubt counting his money and dreaming of who else will be playing alongside him in the new wave of the Galacticos, take to the stage on the 15th with a tie against Egypt in the Vodacom Stadium in Blomfontein. It will be interesting to see if FIFA allow such blatant sponsorship during the World Cup where they usually limit the sponsors to the main backers either. With Kaka on show, there is further proof that money is driving everything in the soccer world these days but when the top class players take to the field, all the complaints about the commercialism of soccer fades away.

The Confederations Cup may not be the most exciting international tournament but as a way of whetting the appetite for the World Cup, it’s a great tournament to take notice of.