Soccer Sorcery

Mexico beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 in a very wet Chicago friendly on Thursday night, with the added-time winner coming from Chicharito. The Manchester United striker had a bit of help from Bosnia's Stojan Vranjes. With the score at 1-1 in injury time, Vranjes' misfortune began when his attempt to head the ball out of Bosnia's box failed. When the ball came back to him, he volleyed the ball straight up into the air, which he decided was a good setup for a bicycle kick. Well, he appeared to completely botched that attempt, allowing the ball to bounce to Chicharito right in front of goal for the winning poke-in. In fairness to Vranjes, the rain-slicked ball and pitch probably had something to with his difficulties. But even if they didn't, at least it was just a friendly.

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award-winning Dirty Tackle... Don't slap Mario Balotelli on the back of the neck on picture day. He will mess up your tie and it will never be the same. [ 101gg ] Big Important Announcement: Fundraising has begun for a new quarterly football magazine that will really be something special and is long overdue. It's called Howler and I will be a regular contributor with original stories that you won't find on DT. A lot of excellent writers, editors and designers have been hard at work for months now on this and we need your help to raise the money necessary to make it as fantastic as it should be. Please check out the Kickstarter page and contribute what you can. There are some pretty awesome rewards available to those who pledge. [ Kickstarter ] German football isn't s***. [ The FCF ] Why not Leon Britton for England? [ TFB ] Viggo Mortensen detained by airport security by celebrating a San Lorenzo goal.

Ronaldinho has gotten his contract with Flamengo terminated by a Brazilian labor court over almost $20 million in unpaid wages. He is now free to sign with another club after scoring 29 goals in 72 matches for Flamengo since singing in January 2011. From Sambafoot : The reasons for the termination were four months of unpaid wages, a justification accepted by the judge. The player's advisors will now pursue the unpaid wages through other means, whilst Ronaldinho has officially left the club. Ronaldinho' termination follows an escalation in the arguments between the player and the club over a lack of professionalism, and for the club's part, unpaid wages. Flamengo, who tried to suspend Ronaldinho for failing to attend training on Wednesday and missing a team flight, will appeal the court's ruling, according to Globo . In January, Ronaldinho's agent/brother claimed five months of unpaid wages amounting to just $2 million and blamed Traffic, the marketing group that w

England's attempt to replace injuredmidfielderFrank Lampard with disappointing Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson was blocked by UEFA on the grounds that it would bring the Euro 12 tournament into disrepute. Lampard was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a thigh injury during training and of all the players available to England from the professional ranks down to the amateur, they settled on Henderson. And UEFA will not stand for it. "This is simply unacceptable," said UEFA president Michel Platini of Henderson's selection. "When they included Stewart Downing, we bit our tongues. But this is too far. We haven't figured out which rule these inclusions violate yet, but there has to be something in there against these kinds of shenanigans. Including Jordan Henderson is like match-fixing, but somehow worse." The 21-year-old Henderson endured a poor season after joining Liverpool in a highly-touted 20-million deal last summer. Still, his two goals

Every single tournament, EA Sports launches simulation series to determine the winner ahead of time. They nailed Spains World Cup 2010 win, but then so did an octopus. Was it really all that impressive? Theyve run out Euro 2012 for us, letting everyone know that Germanys going to come home with the title by beating the Dutch conquerors of the Spanish in the final. Robin van Persie ends the tournament with the golden boot, too, so basically this whole thing is just a continuation of form. Which is precisely how its supposed to work. The full knockouts (whole tournament in the link): The most disappointing portion of it all is that its so plausible, so likely. Who wants reality in their video games? Hell, who wants reality in their reality? The stuff dreams are made of does not come from the standard stock. It comes from psychedelic drugs, which is how we want our major tournaments to play out. ( Photo wallpaper link )

FEMENs remaining high profile with their protests, but the mainstream coverage indicates they might be getting a bit more creative with said protests. Which can only benefit everybody, if it might detract from the statement slightly. A couple of young ladies found the landscaped mascots in Kiev this morning. Comedy might not be their intention, but it was damn sure achieved. Very NSFW documentation after the jump topless woman in a hilarious penis suit. (Serious.)

Manchester United have confirmed a five-year partnership with US car giant Chevrolet to become the club's official automotive partner. Club officials flew into Shanghai yesterday and will unveil the deal later today. Although no figure is being placed on the partnership it is believed United have secured a significant increase on their previous deal with Audi, which has now expired. Despite losing their status as Premier League champions Manchester City and missing out on the signing of Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard, United believe they remain at the forefront of the world game. And, after announcing earlier this week that they had 659 million fans worldwide, they are keen to maintain their commercial power, especially as media revenues will be affected in the Champions League. This season United were knocked out in the group stages for only the second time, whilst next season, their percentage of the English 'pot' will be reduced d

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney Wayne Rooney may not be able to play in Englands opening two games in Euro 2012, but he is training as if he will be. The United striker is suspended for the Group D matches against France and Sweden following his sending off in the final qualifying game against Montenegro, but is desperate to play a part in the competition, which starts in Poland and Ukraine next week. He said: I feel good and Ive got a few weeks before I can play. I will be ready if needed. Its important I do my training right. Ive had a long time to think about missing these games and obviously its disappointing. But its something Ive dealt with really. With missing the first two games, you never know with the new manager if hes got you in his plans or wants to have (the same) players involved in all the games. But I will get myself ready and as fit as I can be. Its a tough group with some good teams. We have to make sure were focused

Paul Scholes will continue his stellar Old Trafford career, while (inset) Shinji Kagawa is poised to join him United have been given a double midfield boost with Paul Scholes signing a new 12-month deal and the imminent arrival of Borussia Dortmunds Shinji Kagawa. Veteran Scholes lifted the Reds in mid-season when he made his retirement U-turn. And after Sir Alex Ferguson announced at the end of the campaign the 37-year-old was staying on for another season, the club have now confirmed he has signed the contract. The United manager has admitted the 2012-13 campaign will be Scholes last. But the re-signing of the highly-decorated playmaker will also give Ferguson insurance as he seeks to import Scholes ultimate successor. He has fit-again 22-year-old Tom Cleverley raring to go but Kagawa is also in line to beef up the engine room after the Reds missed out to Chelsea for the signing of Lilles Eden Hazard. Arrangement Dortmund

Following confidence-building wins against Italy and Scotland, the U.S. lost their first match of 2012 on Wednesday. Though the final score was 4-1, it was a friendly and against Brazil, so if U.S. fans repeat those two facts over and over for several minutes it should be easy to resume feelingoptimistic. If there was one moment worth remembering for the home supporters, it was, of course, the U.S.'s only goal of the match. Scored just before halftime after Brazil took an early 2-0 lead with a Neymar penalty given on a questionable handball call and an all too easy Thiago Silva header off a corner, the U.S. struck back when Michael Bradley put a perfect pass into the box for Fabian Johnson, who set up (with the help of a deflection from a Brazil defender) Herculez Gomes for a header from point-blank range.It was a lovely combination from the trio that was most impressive for the U.S. throughout the game and reason to he hopeful for the Bradley/Johnson glory days to come. In the sec

Newly crowned European champions Chelsea will return to the United States for their preseason tour this summer and to promote it, the club put together the above video of various players trying out American sports. And it's fantastic. You've got David Luiz jamming his Sideshow Bob hair into a Yankees cap, Petr Cech trading his scrum cap for a Seattle Seahawks helmet and Branislav Ivanovic trying to murder a baseball to promote the four-match tour that will include the 2012 MLS All-Star game in Philadelphia. Now we can only hope that the halftime show for each of those matches includes much more of what was shown in this video.

Manchester Utd have reportedly agreed a 12m deal with Borussia Dortmund to bring Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa to Old Trafford. With the potential departure of Park Ji-Sung over the summer, some have suggested the signing is motivated by a need to boost brand recognition in Asia. United's commercial director Richard Arnold, however, insists that their new recruit has nothing to do with selling shirts, as they have plenty of worldwide box office talent to sell their garments already. Reports ESPN Soccernet : "We don't sign players to sell shirts." Arnold said. "We are reliant on 25 players and they are all massive stars. We have 25 George Clooneys." Wayne Rooney has been described as many things in his career (a phenomenal talent; a balding thug; a romancer of the elderly) but there's very little of his appearance or character that can be compared to Clooney. And as much as Tom Cleverly's mother tells him he's handsome, it's hard to imagi

Someone with more Photoshop skills needs be on the task right about now. With the concerns of racism in Polkraine during the Euros running long in the media, a number of players have come out with their thoughts on the situation. As ever, Mario Balotellis are worth several photos, a graphic novel and a legal consultation. Hes never boring, thats for damn sure. Mario. Rambo. Same thing. Balotelli, who is preparing with the Italian team for their Group C fixtures, said: I will not accept racism at all. Its unacceptable. If someone throws a banana at me in the street, I will go to jail, because I will kill them. The 21-year-old is not a stranger to racism and was once pelted with bananas in a Rome bar before the European Under-21 Championships in June 2009. It was lucky that the police arrived quickly because, I swear, I would have beaten them. I would have really destroyed them. I hope it never happens again. He has been the victim of racist abuse on several occasions most recently in F

Wayne Rooney and Vincent Kompany The rise in player wages has reached record levels in the Premier League - a worrying trend with clubs now subject to UEFA's financial fair play rules. The latest annual review of football finance by analyst Deloitte show the increase in wages outstripped the growth in revenues. It has resulted in a wages/revenue ratio of 70% in the Premier League - a record figure having crept up from the low-to-mid 60s five years ago. Wages went up by 201million in 2010-11 to almost 1.6billion, a 14% rise, and overall revenues rose by 12% to 2.27billion. This was mostly driven by a rise in income from the new TV deals, especially from overseas rights. Alan Switzer, director in the sports business group at Deloitte, said wage control was paramount for good business. He said: "If the wages to revenue ratio is 70% or higher it's very difficult to make an operating profit. "In our view it is too high as a league

Paul Scholes has signed a one-year contract extension that keeps the midfielder at Manchester United until the end of the 2012/13 season, the club have confirmed. Goalkeeper Ben Amos has also signed a three-year extension until 2015. Tweet

Laurent Blanc Sir Alex Ferguson was an admirer of him as a player and is just as impressed with Lauren Blanc as manager of a resurgent France. The former centre-half, who Fergie brought to Old Trafford as a veteran in 2001, has fostered a new team spirit ahead of Euro 2012 as Les Bleus seek to turn the tide after their dismal recent showings in major tournaments starting in their first game against England. Sir Alex said: Laurent is very intelligent and obviously has qualities as a coach because he has made Les Bleus a winning team again. But Blanc believes fans might not see the best from the star players due to long domestic seasons and perceived bigger priorities. Winning a title with your national team is unique, he said. It shapes your life as a footballer but also your life as a man, and the players do not realise that. The France team was the principal aspect of my career, central to all of my choices. Today, the international aspect does not come in

Everton's Leighton Baines Sir Alex Ferguson is to step up his bid to sign Leighton Baines after missing out on Eden Hazard. The United manager has identified key areas he wants to strengthen this summer, with a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra part of his plans. Everton defender Baines, who is training with England ahead of Euro 2012, said: The United link is flattering. There is no harm in people talking about it because it is a great club. Would it be hard to turn United down? Im not letting my focus shift to that while I am in (the England) camp. Ferguson is pressing forward with the rebuilding he knows is required to regain the Premier League title from City. As well as targeting at least one midfielder and a striker, he has concerns about both full-back positions. Manchester United double global support over five years with 659 million fans worldwide Snubbed: 35m Eden Hazard rejects Manchester United AND City to j

Losing the Champions League final at home to Chelsea on penalties was surely a difficult experience for Franck Ribery, but as he turns his attention from club to country, he now has a ridiculous watch. Ribery wore the large custom watch that Bild calls a " monster glitter clock " during a press conference as France prepares for Euro 12 and it proved to be an attention grabber. The diamond encrusted wrist weight features a large No. 7 (Ribery's shirt number) beside the actual timepiece, which features the initials of his wife Wahiba, his daughters Hizya and Shahinez and, of course, his own at the 12 o'clock position. Here's a close-up of the bedazzled sundial... The Champions League trophy won't tell you what time it is and it also won't remind you what your family's initials are. So clearly Franck Ribery is the real winner.

Belgian international Eden Hazard made himself a very rich 21-year-old when he announced his decision to move from Lille to Chelsea in a 32 million transfer through Twitter on Monday. It was a decision he teased out over months and turned into a spectacle of self-importance and modern player power, which was apparently so tiring for Hazard that he ended up missing Belgium's team bus from their hotel to the training ground on Tuesday -- an offense that will cost him exactly one bottle of champagne as selected by Belgium captain Vincent Kompany. From the Guardian : Hazard must now find a window in his preparations for the Wembley friendly against England on Saturday to purchase the present his team-mates decided will be his forfeit. Appropriately for the midfielder, it is a bottle of champagne. "Vincent Kompany will choose the label," the Belgium manager, Marc Wilmots, said. The suggestion was that the captain would select a very expensive one. Hazard can afford it. His fi

France Football published an interview with Mario Balotelli in their latest issue and the result was predictably wonderful. Touching on everything from his uniqueness to his zero tolerance policy for racial abuse to confirming that he definitely does have the overpowering self-confidence of a striker, Mario once against shows why he's so much fun. From the Telegraph : [Balotelli] said that at 21-years-old he feels like a child, an adolescent and an adult: "at the same time". "I'm happy to be that way, and I hope I'll always be like that," he said. He added: "I am different ... If you find another guy like me, I'll buy you dinner!" But knowing Mario, he'll probably buy you dinner even if you don't find another guy like him. On a more serious note, Balotelli also spoke of the 2009 incident when Juventus fans racially abused him while he was still with Inter before he scored a late equalizer to shut them up. And with mounting evidence

The following is a copy of the letter that Eden Hazard ( the budding egomaniac ) sent to Chelsea upon tweeting his decision to join the Champions League winners ... What's up Chelsea, I'd like to congratulate you on winning the most prestigious title in all of European football. And how exciting that this comes just weeks after you won the Champions League for the first time! Yes, I am awarding you the honor of flying the Chelsea flag under the banner of Eden Hazard's new mega football club. I remain incredibly impressed by the number of concessions you are making to allow for my ungodly combination of youth and skill to take over your London based operation. I promise you, I will not let myself down. Upon receiving this letter, after the initial wave of ridiculous excitement subsides, I am sure your club's handlers will be running through the gamut of promotional money-making opportunities that have just been bestowed upon them. These include but are certainly not limi

Manchester United have doubled their global support over the last five years and now have 659 million fans worldwide, the club have announced. Research carried out for United last year showed they are the best supported club in the most popular sport in the world. United had twice as many fans as nearest rivals Barcelona in Asia, according to the research. Tweet

Italian football is no stranger to match fixing scandals, so it was no surprise this week when police arrested fourteen players in dawn raids in relation to soccer fraud, bringing the arrest tally to over fifty in the past year. Lazio captain Stefano Mauri was among the latest arrests , and although there is no immediate assumption of guilt, Zenit St. Petersburg defender Domenico Criscito has lost his place in Cesare Prandelli's Euro 2012 squad. It's a sad state of affairs, and the FIFA corruption hotline is probably ringing off the hook, but Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has come up with a practical solution to the match-fixing epidemic: stop playing football. That's right, just stop the game for a few years until everyone decides they can play without deliberately cheating for money. Fox Soccer reports: Monti said Tuesday he thinks it would be a good idea if Italian soccer was stopped for ''two to three years'' although he adds that ''it is

Michael (left) and Will Keane have both been earmarked for loans in the coming season United's Keane twins will be back in the shop window again tomorrow night for the England Under-19s as clubs gather to run the rule over potential loanees from Old Trafford. Stockport Reds Will and Michael Keane are expected to be in the Young England line-up at Prestons Deepdale as the teenagers look to qualifier for the European Championships in Estonia this summer. Uniteds reserve pair have already been scouted by Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean as he looks to recruit players on loan for next season in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League. Striker Will scored twice at Deepdale last Friday in a 5-0 win against Slovenia in the qualifiers. And Reds Reserve Player of the Year Michael was in defence alongside his United colleague Tom Thorpe, who also scored, and keeper Sam Johnstone was behind them in an Old Trafford defensive triumvirate. England

Eden Hazard has turned his back on the Capital of Football to join Chelsea. The 21-year-old Lille star looked set to be heading for Manchester next season with both United and City locked in a battle to sign the 35mmidfielder. But the Belgian international has shocked both Sir AlexFerguson and Roberto Mancini by choosing the recently crowned Champions League winners Chelsea, who still dont have a permanent manager. Belgian international Hazard last night ended weeks of specualtion over his future by Tweeting: Im signing for the Champions League winner. It looked like City and United would extend their Premier League title battle into thesummer transfer window in the chase for Hazard. Both Fergie and Mancini had been over to France towards to watch him in action for Lille. Though both clubs have remained tight-lipped on the progress they were making to sign the coveted goalscoring engine-room player, it was widely reported hed agreed terms with both

Nick Powell celebrates Crewes play-off win after his wonder goal. Twelve months ago yesterday United were overwhelmed by the Lionel Messi show at Wembley in the Champions League final. On Sunday, on the eve of the anniversary of the Argentinian geniuss goal and his dominant role for Barcelona in the 3-1 win, a Reds target captivated the same stadium. This time it was the League Two play-off final between Crewe Alexandra and Cheltenham and the player providing the Messi moment was 18-year-old Nick Powell. The Reds are favourites to land the Gresty Road Academys latest top-flight bound home-produced star, whos rated at around 4m. Powell lit up Crewes successful promotion clincher with a 15th-minute opener where he controlled and swivelled before slamming in a left-foot screamer into the Wembley net. Precocious The platform will have alerted any stragglers who have not already twigged to the teenagers precocious talent. But Sir A

Serbia lost 2-0 in a friendly against Spain on Saturday, but 20-year-old Serbian midfielder Adem Ljajic committed an offense before the match even began that would get him kicked off the team. According to the Football Association of Serbia, Ljajic breached their code of conduct by not singing the national anthem with his teammates prior to kick off due to "personal reasons." Said the FAS in an official statement(via the Independent ): "Coach Mihajlovic yesterday held a meeting with Ljajic. After hearing Ljajic did not sing the anthem due to personal reasons and that that stance would not change, Sinisa Mihajlovic told the player to return home. "The door has not been closed forever on the national team but he needs to change his attitude and officially notify Mihajlovic that he has done so. "Then when his form merits it, he can return." As the statement implies, this move probably has more to do with his general attitude than just his willingness to sing

Lille midfielder Eden Hazard today hinted he has reached a decision on which club to join this summer. The 21-year-old Belgian has been pursued by several clubs and has previously revealed interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. With his future looking likely to be in the Barclays Premier League, an announcement from Hazard on his future could be imminent. Today he wrote on Twitter: "good afternoon guys. i made up my mind. see you later. thanks" Hazard enjoyed a stellar season as Lille finished third in Ligue 1 and struck a hat-trick in what was almost certainly his final game for the French outfit. He confirmed his preferred destination is England, recently telling Belgian news website HLN: "It will anyway be Manchester City, Manchester United or Chelsea. "The decision will depend on the amount of play I would see and the position where I would play. "Not everyone c

Uniteds Champions League clashes with Real Madrid in 2000 and 2003 were so entertaining theyre replaying them but this time for charity. United were beaten by Madrid twice in the Champions League knock-out stages, 3-2 on aggregate in 2000 and 6-5 on aggregate three years later. United were defending the trophy they had won in Barcelona when they were paired with Real in the quarter-final in 2000. But Sir Alex Fergusons team drew 0-0 in the Bernabeu before Raul and Fernando Redondo inspired Real to a 3-2 win at Old Trafford. In 2003, United lost 3-1 in the first leg in Madrid with Ruud van Nistelrooy getting the consolation. And in the second leg, Ronaldo was given a standing ovation after scoring a stunning hat-trick before David Beckham came off the bench to help United win 4-3 on the night. Now, legends from the two clubs have been lined up to play in the Corazon Classic Match, set to be held at the Bernabeu on Sunday, June 3. Andy Col

Former Barca coach Pep Guardiola Anyone remember Klaus Toppmoller? Well, if Sir Alex Ferguson had retired as planned in 2002, he was the man being touted as his successor at Old Trafford. The German had made a big impression at Bayer Leverkusen and was the front runner to follow Fergie, who had announced on the eve of the 2001 season that he was going to call it a day at the end of the campaign. And by the time Fergie had made his U-turn, Leverkusen were making a charge in the Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup. In the end, Toppmoller missed out on claiming the biggest prize in European football, losing that years final at Hampden Park to a Zinedine Zidane winner for Real Madrid. But Toppmoller was named German coach of the year for winning the German Cup, finishing second in the Bundesliga and being runner-up in the Champions League. Nine months later he was sacked. Predicting Fergies successor is a minefield as Toppmollers fall from grace proves.

The biennial Soccer Aid match benefiting UNICEF was once again held at Old Trafford on Sunday pitted, pitting England against the Rest of the World. As usual, both teams were comprised of a mix of celebrities and football legends, but this year one of those celebrities probably regretted stepping on the pitch with one of those legends. Playing for the Rest of the World team along with the likes of Will Ferrell, Gerard Butler, Mike Myers, Ed Norton and Woody Harrelson ( who scored the winning penalty two years ago ) under recently sacked Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish ( see full rosters here ), chef and profanityconnoisseurGordon Ramsay was taken off on a stretcher an hour into the game after former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham smashed into him. Ramsay, who was a trialist with Rangers in his younger days before a knee injury ended his hopes of a career as a footballer, didn't get much sympathy from Sheringham after the hit. Instead, the England striker gave him a pa

The hoop-tastic USMNT were in fine form during their 5-1 demolition of Scotland , but one American at Jacksonville's Everbank Field was notable for a disappointing performance. Singer Victoria Zarlenga is no stranger to vocal patriotism , but she made Carl Lewis sound like a euphonious chorus of angels with her unique take on The Star-Spangled Banner before kick-off. It may have been nerves, it may have been that her monitor wasn't working properly, but the singer who has now locked up her Twitter account and is presumably hiding under a pile of coats until this all blows over clearly didn't have a good day at the office.

Skipper Steven Gerrard believes Ashley Young can be England's lethal weapon during the Euro 2012 finals. Young helped new England head coach Roy Hodgson get off to a winning start with the only goal against Norway in last night's friendly international in Oslo. The Manchester United player has now scored four goals in his last four appearances for his country and linked up well with main striker Andy Carroll. The Norwegians struggled to contain Young, particularly during the first half, as he found plenty of space to exploit in between the midfield and defence. Gerrard said: "Ashley is a good player and when he plays that withdrawn role off the front man and gets in between the lines, he is very dangerous and skilful. "Opposing defenders and midfielders don't know how to pick him up because he finds the space so well. "He is in good form for England and is scoring a lot of goals at the right time with the Euros

Besides looking like a bunch of Where's Waldos (Wally for our British brothers) for 90+ minutes in their new hooped kits, the USMNT managed to put up a five spot down in Jacksonville, three of those coming from Landon " Less is more for me " Donovan in a 5-1 win over Scotland. The USA scoring was rounded out with a header from Jermaine Jones and a Rooney-esque bomb of a half volley (video above) from Michael Bradley adding to Donovan's three tallies. Upon his return to the squad after a lengthy national team hiatus Donovan strongly answered any questions he incited earlier in the week about his ability to perform while currently struggling with his hunger for the game. His all-time USMNT goal mark now sits at 49. In addition to the goals, Donovan also put Jones' 59th minute header on a silver platter and sprung the layoff for Bradley's 10th minute blast. Basically that broski straight killed it out there. After a run of four straight W's, including a 1-0 r

Eden Hazard has been urged to snub City and join rivals United to win silverware. Reds captain Patrice Evra has told the coveted 30m Belgian international that Old Trafford is the place to be for success, despite the Blues deposing United as champions. Im not his father but, if he comes to Manchester, I assure him that he will win titles, said Evra. Thats if he joins my Manchester, not the Blue side. Though Chelseas Champions League win has seen them gatecrash the Manchester battle for the 21-year-olds signature, it is still either Sir Alex Ferguson or Roberto Mancini who is expected to win the transfer tussle. Hazard has been Ligue 1 Player of the Year for the last two seasons and his new attacking midfield role has made for even better stats this term for Lille. He has scored 20 league goals in France and clocked 15 assists after previously operating mainly as a winger. And that is a role he wants to continue with United seem

In what will be remembered as Pep Guardiola's final match with Barcelona (for now) Lionel Messi sandwiched his astounding 73 goal of the season inbetween two Pedro strikes, all within the first 25 minutes, to lead Barcelona to the Copa del Rey title over Athletic Bilbao. Messi's right-footed roof job (full highlights above) rounded his out of league goal total up to 23 for the year, which would be considered a spectacular haul for anyone over the course of an entire league season, let alone just in tournaments outside of league play. Add those cup goals to the nice round 50 he dropped over the course of La Liga and you have yourself a guy that without a doubt lead all humans, aliens, and video game characters in goals over the course of the 2011/12 campaign. Pedro, who was pipped out of his starting spot during the back stretch of Barcelona's Champions League run, ended the season on a solid note with goals in the 3rd and 25th minute to send the Blaugrana on its way. The en

In what will be remembered as Pep Guardiola's final match with Barcelona (for now) Lionel Messi sandwiched his astounding 73 goal of the season inbetween two Pedro strikes, all within the first 25 minutes, to lead Barcelona to the Copa del Rey title over Athletic Bilbao. Messi's right-footed roof job (full highlights above) rounded his out of league goal total up to 23 for the year, which would be considered a spectacular haul for anyone over the course of the entire league season. Add those cup goals to the nice round 50 he dropped over the course of La Liga and you have yourself a guy that without a doubt lead all humans, aliens, and video game characters in goals over the course of the 2011/12 campaign. Pedro, who was pipped out of his starting spot during the back stretch of Barcelona's Champions League run, ended the season on a solid note with goals in the 3rd and 25th minute to send the Blaugrana on its way. The ending of the Copa del Rey presented some odd scenes fo

Bigger is better at least when it comes to psychic animals. And ugliness remains a constant across the spectrum, it seems. Octopus, pig and now an elephant? Cuddly and prescient arent compatible attributes. With this being the first major tournament on the continent after the World Cup 2010: Pauls World, the psychic gimmick scene was bound to get hot. A pig was announced last week, and an elephant has been brought into the arc, leaving us to speculate the psychic call sheet will put Noahs beastly tally to shame by the time Qatar rolls around. Luckily for us, this big girl comes sporting qualifications : she correctly picked the Champions League Final between Chelsea and Bayern, by choosing the most delicious apple of two. It happened to be Chelseas. (But did she correctly predict penalties by removing the stem? No one knows.) Also, more news of the pig which should come piggybacking some psychotropics. Polands answer to Paul the Octopus the tentacled tipster who gained worldwide fame

Paul Pogba has been the subject of a tug-of-war between United and Juventus Eden Hazard has confirmed he is heading to England and the role he is offered will be a key factor when he chooses between the Manchester giants and Champions League winners Chelsea. Belgian forward Hazard, 21, is poised to leave French club Lille for an expensive transfer to the Premier League, where he has been coveted by several clubs. He claims three of the biggest teams in the country are now waiting to hear if he will accept their approaches. Hazard told Belgian news website HLN: I do not know when Ill make a decision about my future club. It will anyway be Manchester City, Manchester United or Chelsea. The decision will depend on the amount of play I would see and the position where I would play. Not everyone can say that he can make a choice between the three top clubs. Disillusioned Hazards agent John Bico said this week that agreement o

In anticipation of Euro 12, Dutch supermarket chain C1000 produced a music video featuring stars of the Netherlands team and hundreds of the little birdie toys they're offering fans/potential shoppers. During the video, you'll see Nigel De Jong's teammates sticking the orange toys to his head, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar almost eating one (but it wasn't made of grass , so he didn't), someone putting three on a kebab stick and grilling them, plus Arjen Robben sticking them to his backside and bending over. In other words, it's...strange. And now we must wait and see if these things horrify the world by bursting out of Robin van Persie's chest during a group stage match. Video via 101gg

Ring the bells and wake the children -- the King of Old Trafford, Portuguese sensation Bebe, is returning to Manchester United after his almost not completely terrible loan spell in Turkey. The 21-year-old Sir Alex Ferguson bought sight unseen for 7.4 million in August of 2010 has yet to be unloaded and never spoken of again, so he will now rejoin Man United until that inevitably happens. And how did his year-long loan with Besiktas go? Well, you can't improve on perfection. From the Telegraph : However, an early season cruciate ligament injury halted Bebe's early progress at Besiktas and he fell foul of coach Tayfur Havutcu last month when he was fined and banished to train away from the first-team after allegedly breaking a curfew in the build-up to a derby game against Galatasaray. United are understood to be prepared to sell Bebe should they receive a suitable offer for the Portugal U-21 winger, but with the player just two years into a five-year contract, he is likely to r

Manchester United's medal-laden Class of 92 can replicate their playing successes and become the next generation of top coaches. Thats the verdict of the Reds former youth coach Eric Harrison, who nurtured Old Traffords famous home-grown products and helped turn them into the most successful crop of youngsters in the clubs history. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt became the spine of the 1999 Treble winners having come through the Reds ranks together and winning the Youth Cup in 92. Neville has become the first to break through into top-level coaching with his appointment as an assistant to new England boss Roy Hodgson on a four-year contract. He will combine his time as part of Hodgsons backroom team with the Sky TV work for which he has gained widespread praise. Neville has taken up his role as England prepare for Euro 2012 in June with a friendly on Saturday evening against Norway in Oslo. And Harrison