The Big Football

Random Match of the Week, Feyenoord Rotterdam - PSV Eindhoven [4 December 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:26:00 +0000

After watching this match I can see why dutch football is not where it was in the past. Although both teams tried to play and open game most of the time the ball was played around in the midfield and only on a few occasions, mostly on the counter, the ball reached a penalty box.

Feyenoord won the game with two goals to zero, both scored in counterattack situations and one of them with a lot of help from a naive and very young PSV central defender.

It seemed that the whole match lacked in maturity and that is understandable if you know that both teams had a lot of 18-20 year old players on the pitch. It's not a bad thing to encourage very young players in the first eleven, but I think the dutch are pushing it to an extreme and that might be one of the reasons they don't get consistent results in Europe anymore.

The goals where scored by Cissé (41st minute) and Schaken (50th minute).

Random Match of the Week, Preview Feyenoord Rotterdam - PSV Eindhoven [4 December 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:00:00 +0000

One to watch - Georginio Wijnaldum (now playing for PSV after coming from Feyenoord)

I always thought of the Eredivisie as a league with very attractive football, always straightforward and with lots and lots of goals. Today I'm going to watch the match between Feyenoord and PSV, two of the giants in dutch football.

Although these teams have lost some of their former glory (both having won the Champions League once) they keep producing a lot of quality players, and I'm sure some are going to shine today.

Random Match of the Week, CFR Cluj - Dinamo Bucuresti [5 November 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:48:00 +0000

I saw a very nice match last night, a match that had almost everything in it, penalties, a very late goal and great comebacks.

CFR seemed the team that had the better players and controlled the first half, but in spite of their dominance the first goal was scored by Dinamo. 0-1 but nothing was even close to being decided.

After a penalty in the 38th minute for Cluj, everything was back to square one at half time. Continuing to dominate they also scored in the beginning of the second half and now it seemed that they could not lose this game as they held the possession for most of the remaining time.

In the final ten minutes everything changed again. A penalty that came out of nowhere brought an equalizer for Dinamo and they seemed pleased with getting a point and staying in the first place of the League, but that changed again in extra time when Marius Niculae scored another great goal and brought all the 3 point back to Bucharest.

This is one of the reasons I love football, a team that wants the points more can win against a team that has slightly better players.

Random Match of the Week, Preview CFR Cluj - Dinamo Bucuresti [5 November 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:50:00 +0000

Today I'm going to watch the match between the teams in second and first place in the Romanian League.

CFR Cluj is a team that has enjoyed a good spell in the last four years with two qualifications in the UEFA Champions League which is pretty big for Romanian standards. They had a new approach for a Romanian team which was to heavily import foreign players and so far it seems to work for them with seven trophies won in the last 4 years. That is pretty impressive for a team that came to the first league in 2004. After a modest year they try to push for another title this season and a win today will lead them in first place with a good chance of winning the title.

Dinamo Bucuresti on the other hand are a team with a long history of trophies but with a dry spell from 2007 onward. Having a good start with a new and young manager (Liviu Ciobotariu), they are currently ahead of CFR by only one point and if they want to regain past glory they should push for a win on the ground of their main competitors this year.

Random Match of the Week, Hamburger SV - VfL Wolfsburg [22 October 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:43:00 +0000

Although the game ended 1-1 it was a very disputed match. After a quickfire goal by Wolfsburg in the 65th second through Mandzukic, the wolves retreated and Hamburg pushed forward in a good fashion and the goal could not be very far. Petric equalized in the 56 minute and Hamburg seemed ready to push even harder and get the win, but that didn't happen as they seemed out of fuel.

The last 20 minutes saw an equilibrium and the game ended in a draw.

I usually don't follow the Bundesliga but this game was more than I expected for two teams from the second half of the table. Actually it was a lot more entartaining than last week's Liverpool - Manchester United, and in the future I might be holding a closer eye on German football.

Volksparkstadion stadium photographed by sandro.s

Random Match of the Week, Preview Hamburger SV - VfL Wolfsburg [22 October 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:42:00 +0000

Heiko Westermann - Hamburgs captain

Today I'm going to see a match from the Bundesliga between Hamburger SV and Wolfsburg.

Hamburg is the only team that always played in the Bundesliga from its foundation in 1963, thus earning the nickname "The Dinosaurs". Unfortunately for them, they currently are in the last place. A team that is usually in the first half of the league, now, after 9 fixtures Hamburg managed to bring home only 7 points, but they seem to have gained some momentum with 2 wins in the last 3 matches and I'm sure they will try to continue this good run.

The wolves on the other hand, stand a little better in the league in 12th place, but they still have to win points if they want to be at a comfortable distance from the following pack, and what better chance to do that than to beat the team in last place.

Photo from soccer.ru

Random Match of the Week, Liverpool - Manchester United [15 October 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:54:00 +0000

Liverpool 1-1 Manchester United

I just saw a good match, maybe not as good as I was hoping, but all in all a good watch. United started with a team that was almost unrecognizable, with Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck. It seems that after last year's Champions League final, Ferguson is trying to bring some fresh blood to his first eleven, and today was a perfect example for that if you look at the substitutes bench where he left Rooney, Nani, Anderson and Hernandez between others.

Liverpool was the team that seemed to want the win more, but that didn't help with anything until the second half when Gerrard scored from a free kick. Soon after, Sir Alex Ferguson moved and brought Rooney and Nani on, and also Hernandez a few minutes later. Although after these three changes United equalized from a corner through Hernandez, Liverpool was still the team having the good chances but not the second goal.

The plus: Luis Suarez is an incredible player. In a match with two managers focused on tactics and strong players, his technique and speed in controlling the ball recommend him as one of the best players in the world at the moment.

The minus: I have to say that I'm a little disappointed with the fans, from what I can remember, Liverpool supporters used to be incredible. Today they were nothing special.

Anfield photographed by El Ronzo.

Random Match of the Week, Preview Liverpool - Manchester United [15 October 2011]

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 11:03:00 +0000

There will be a new category of posts here. Every week we will write about a random match, and I will start today with Liverpool - Manchester United (which starts in less then an hour), but as the weeks go by, you might find all kinds of unheard teams being commented, from Argentina to Moldova.

A lot of opportunities arise from such an experiment: discovering talented young players from all over the world, learning about the football in different countries (especially in leagues that are not really talked about at international level), and overall expanding our football culture.

Random Match of the Week: Liverpool - Manchester United

Playing at Anfield, Liverpool has to win if they want to have a title bid this year, while Manchester United seems concerned of staying in the top place of the Premier League.

See you at the final whistle.

Dice photographed by matsuyuki.

Another FC Barcelona - Real Madrid?

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:15:00 +0000

After a 2-2 on Sunday, we will have another El Clasico on Wednesday, at Nou Camp. The season has barely started and we are offered a double portion of the most expected game in the world. Some might say that the SuperCopa is not a really sought after trophy, and I agree with that, but the rivalry will surely make it another disputed match. Let's not forget that the density of super players these teams have bought or grown in recent years and the competition between them, on and off the pitch, has added to the passion.

Another factor that will make this match a lot more disputed than the average Super Cup, a competition often seen as just a friendly, is the sheer presence of Jose Mourinho, a man that knows how to add pressure to any fixture.

Barcelona - Real Madrid

Wednesday 17-08-2011

Camp Nou

Photo by peacecup.

The Best Romanian Football Player of All Time!

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:08:00 +0000

It's time for a little history as we talk about the best Romanian football player of all time.

The Romanian national football team had the most success in the '90, when they only missed one final tournament, the Euro 92. One more notable period for the team is the participation in the first 3 World Cups (1930, 1934 and 1938), although without much to brag about. Other than that they had sporadic appearances in the euro tournament and the world cup, despite having talented players. Here is the top 3:

3. Ilie Balaci - born in 1956, "the Blonde Wonder" or "the Prince", played most of his career for Universitatea Craiova and is to this day the youngest player to have played for the national team at 17 years 6 months and 10 days. Known for his creativity behind the strikers his style on the pitch was changed in 1984 when a horrible injury almost ended his playing days at just 27 years. After that he was never the same.

2 times Romanian player of the year - 1981 and 1982
2 times Romanian League champion - 1974, 1980 and 1981
4 times Romanian Cup winner - 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1983

Ilie Balaci

2. Nicolae Dobrin - born in 1947, known as "the Gander" for his walking style and his elegance in the grass , he was perhaps the most talented Romanian football player of all time. He was a midfielder that had the ability to win matches by himself. FC Arges, one of the smaller teams in the league, managed to win 2 titles with Dobrin as the leader. An offer of 2 million dollars from Real Madrid (double the price of the most expensive player of that time) was refused by the Romanian communist authorities and has thus denied him the chance to become one of the best players not only in Romania but in the world. He died in 2007 after a long battle with lung cancer.

3 times Romanian player of the year - 1966, 1967 and 1971

2 times Romanian League champion - 1972 and 1979

Nicolae Dobrin

1. Gheorghe Hagi - born in 1965, "the Maradona of the Carpathians" or "the King" is the best Romanian football player of all time and is regarded as a national hero in his home country. The playmaker had the chance of playing in the best team Romania had, at the 1994 World Cup, an opportunity that helped him outshine Ilie Balaci or Nicolae Dobrin. He is one of the few notable players that was part of the giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Later in his career Hagi signed for Galatasaray and is regarded as one of the most important persons in developing the football quality in Turkey. In 2000, at the age of 35, he won the UEFA Cup (in a final against Arsenal) and the European SuperCup against Real Madrid, an unmatched performance for a Turkish club.

6 times Romanian player of the year - 1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2000
3 times Romanian League champion - 1987, 1988 and 1989
4 times Turkish League champion - 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000
3 times Romanian Cup winner - 1987, 1988 and 1989
2 times Turkish Cup winner - 1999 and 2000
1 time UEFA Cup winner - 2000

1 time European SuperCup - 1986
1994 FIFA World Cup All Star Team

Gheorghe Hagi

EU Anti-Smoking

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:47:00 +0000

This is a blog about football, and living a healthy life is a part of football.

Here is a clip for a contest you could win if you are quitting smoking or if you already have done it.

Good luck!

Champions League

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 11:28:00 +0000

The European Cup is the most prestigious club tournament in world football and in the last few years, since its expansion into its current Champions League format, the tournament has become even more honoured (if that's even possible!) with teams battling away every season to become part of the rich history of the European Cup.

It is this history which makes the tournament so alluring to players and fans alike, with some of the world's greatest ever teams and players taking part over the years with certain clubs, through shear consistency, becoming synonymous with the tournament. Here are the most successful teams in the history of this great tournament...

Real Madrid

Madrid have won more European Cups than any other club and, with 9 trophies, will forever be inextricably linked to “the cup with the big ears”. The Spanish Giants won the first five European Cup titles with a team that included such giants as Alferdo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, and their win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 1960 final, a match that finished 7-3, is thought of as one off the greatest finals in history. Real's history in the last 20 years isn't so bad also, with the side winning the 1998, 2000 and 2002 tournaments as well, led by the mercurial talents of Pedrag Mijatovic, Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane respectively.

Milan

AC Milan are truly giants of the European game and with seven European Cups, they have a trophy cabinet to back this assertion up. Milan, with players such as Gianni Rivera in their side and legendary manager Nereo Rocco in control, won two trophies in the 1960s and Legendary skipper Paolo Maldini guided the Rossoneri to 5 more titles between 1989 and 2007.

Liverpool

England's most successful club are next on the list having won 5 titles. Bob Paisley wrapped up the first three of these titles in the late 1970s and early 80s in a period of English dominance in the competition, before Joe Fagan defeated Roma in the 1984 final. Their most famous victory probably came against Milan in the 2005 final when they came back from 3-0 down at half time to win on penalties.

Although there are many new faces in the Champions League this season, the same old faces are favourites for the title with teams like Madrid, Barcelona, Milan and Inter highly fancied to win the tournament. If you need to find out all the latest news and football betting tips once the Champions League kicks off again this season, try be win football betting, a one-stop football portal for all your footballing needs!

Picture by El Ronzo.

Doping in Football

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:45:00 +0000

This article is based on a talk I had with my girlfriend the other day about the routine of her job. Being a pharmacist, she always feels the need to inform me on the lastest medical products that appear on the pharmaceutical market, although my lack of interest regarding this subject is more than obvious. But this time she actually made me think about the use of performance enhancers among the football players. She asked me if I knew some cases in which the players used drugs in order to improve their physical condition and whether I could tell her some exemples of these doping substances.

Surely, the first player that popped in my mind was Diego Maradona. It is well known that during the 1994 World Cup, after Argentina’s second match against Nigeria, Diego had tested positive for the banned substance: ephedrine. Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, recommended to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia. No wonder Maradona shoked the world with his fantastic shape at the begging of the World Cup. As a result, he was banned for 18 months and never played international football again.

Jaap Stam is another football player involved in a doping scandal while he was playing for Lazio in Serie A (2001). Apparently, he had been taking nandrolone, a steroid also known as Deca-Durabolin, although he never admitted it was a self-concious act. Nandrolone decanoate is indicated for the management of the anemia of renal insufficiency and has been shown to increase hemoglobin and red cell mass.

Abel Xavier was the first Premiership player to test positive for dianabol, a steroid known for building muscle mass (Middlesbrough, 2005). He was banned for 18 months, which later reduced to 12 months. Xavier claims he was innocent and has never taken this performance enhancer.

Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United, 2003) forgot to go to a drug test, although most institutions refer to this as a failed test. Apparently, the player was too busy moving out and offered to take the test later in the day. Well, his excuse turned out to be totally useless, knowing the fact that these tests are taken by surprise in order to prevent players from ingesting antidotes or other substances that might alter the results. He was banned for 8 months and fined 50.000 £, but made a huge comeback.

Now, after reading all these facts about doping among players, I’ve come across some more interesting facts. Apparently, English football players are tested mostly after matches. But while athletics, weightlifting, swimming, rugby allow out-of-competition testing, football does not. This implies the fact that football players aren’t tested when they’re away from their clubs. So a player might just as well take some cocaine during the weekend and be tested on Monday morning without a trace of his action (it is known that cocaine leaves the body within 24 hours). Now I wonder how Romanian Adrian Mutu was caught using cocaine while he was playing for Chelsea. Maybe he had the feeling time was dilating.

Moreover, some Sport's Independent Sampling Officers sustain that the clubs know in advance when they are coming and thus keep the suspect players off training so their names don’t appear on the list they are given. I can't help but wonder if this is the reason why football is considered one of the cleanest sport and whether it has something to do with this anti-doping policy.

Picture by epsos.

The new FHM is out now!

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 21:38:00 +0000

I am not only a football fan but I also enjoy reading a good magazine and looking at beautiful women. You can do that also in this month's edition of FHM, featuring Nicole Scherzinger. Yeah, I'm sure you know her, but you can also find a lot of other great articles. Find out more about that here: http://www.fhm.com/nicole

Bonus! If you buy it online from www.greatmagazines.co.uk/fhmsingleissue you get £1 off, meaning that you can get it for £2.90.

And that's not all! With this month's copy you will also get another magazine FREE, and that is FHM Bionic with a lot of advice from professionals in the sports world about the easy way to get in shape. One of these stars is of particular interest to me and to the football followers around the world. His name is Lionel Messi. Here is the cover:

Messi talks in an exclusive interview with FHM about the training it takes to be one of the best attackers in the world, not only in present times but in the history of football. The winner of FIFA's Ballon d'Or (twice in a row, 2009 and 2010) will tell us what a typical FC Barcelona training looks like and how it keeps him in top notch form.

I don't know about you but I am always interested in getting to know what the players think about the training routine they do at the big clubs in Europe, especially Leo Messi, who has been with FC Barcelona since 2000. He surely has to know all about the training school of Barca, and the way they constantly grow young and talented players to the height of international success.

In conclusion, if you want to know all the tricks of Lionel Messi and his trainer, Pep Guardiola make sure you get this month's FHM.

Sponsored Post

Can Manchester United be Stopped?

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:43:00 +0000

In one of the best starts in history Manchester United is leading the pack in the English Premier League in a stylish manner.

What brought them there? Probably the efficiency of the team. Eleven wins and eight draws brought them 41 points. They showed consistent strength for a long period of time, as opposed to Chelsea who only managed to bring home 7 point in the last 8 fixtures. Liverpool isn't doing very good either, with 25 points they are far from the top spots in the league.

At the time the only real contenders for the Red Devils seem to be Manchester City and Arsenal, but the season still has a lot to go and everything is possible. Let's hope they can produce some good quality football to make the Premier League a little more interesting.

Messi’s Magic Overcome Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:04:00 +0000

International friendly matches have been played throughout this Wednesday but the one every football fan from all over the globe was expecting to see was the Classic Brazil Vs Argentina. It’s an eternal rivalry between these 2 giants and after 7 encounters Argentina was finally able to defeat the Brazilians with a last minute goal from the Superstar Lionel Messi.

From the start of the match it was Brazil going upfront and making dangerous plays inside the Argentineans side, but despite having the talent of Ronaldino, Robinho and Neymar they weren’t able to score. Over and over again in the first half the Brazilians insisted and played with their Joga Bonito style and Ronaldinho almost managed to score with a back heel but Sergio Romero luckily was in the right place at the right time to deny the scoring. While the Argentineans’ were mostly defending they had some glimpses of light with Messi striking here and there but it was noticeable that Brazil was overcoming them and the first half ended goalless for both sides.

The second half started off much slower than the start of the match with less magic from Brazil and Argentina was slowly gaining momentum on the field, but as this half was going by so was the tension. Some players started off tackling harder and harder. It didn’t look like a friendly at all. Minutes later Higuain was benched and replaced by Ezequiel Lavezzi who made a impact almost instant with his fast pace dribbling and was able to get past Brazil’s defense every time he went upfront but still no goal was scored and the final minutes of the match were nearing.

With the last few minutes of the match it was Lionel Messi that stepped it up and scored after playing a one-two with Lavezzi and later rushing past Brazil’s backline and placing a ball that Victor couldn’t reach. Argentina finally defeated Brazil after 7 matches thanks to the magic of Lionel Messi.

Is Becks a Hex?

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:51:00 +0000

Okay, the entire sporting world was tired of hearing about David Beckham before he was sold to the United States’ MLS Galaxy squad in 2007. Since then, the aging star has basically faded into football oblivion everywhere outside of tabloid land.

Beckham was attempting to make huge headlines by becoming the only footballer Englishman in history to appear in four World Cups. The 35-year-old Beckster isn’t a spring chicken, but America’s football (soccer) isn’t exactly as competitive as the rest of the world’s football.

This is why Beckham went on loan to AC Milan in January of both 2009 and 2010. He wanted to prove to English Three Lions coach Fabio Capello that he could keep pace with the faster, younger and skillful stars. However, that dream was crushed when Becks tore his Achilles’ tendon in a Serie A match against Chievo Verona.

Still injured and out for the entire World Cup, even if England makes the final, Beckham is still currently in South Africa, planning on attending his country’s game via the sidelines and even “helping out” with scouting and coaching decisions.

Forget what you think about Beckham and ask yourself if this is the right move for the English team. It’s great of Beckham to make the trek, but he’s still not playing – he’s not technically on the team. How many of you would like to sit on the sidelines but won’t get the opportunity?

Has David earned the right to mix it up with the players out there and actually act as a coach?

Beckham means well. He really does. And although he’s never been the best footballer out there, he has consistently tried to be. But everywhere he goes it ends up being a side show.

England and the United States have played a historic match (1-1). These two countries rarely meet but are bitter rivals when out on the field. Beckham’s presence could have very well been conflicting. And it could have been quite helpful, as he has intimate knowledge of a few players on America’s side having played with them.

Maybe Beckham would better serve his team if the dimming star stayed indoors and played casino games online while the footballers balled, but that’s certainly not his style.

It will be interesting to see what’s made of Beckham’s looming presence, win or lose. Will he be given credit, much like a double agent, if England wins? Will he bear some of blame’s brunt if the US wins? Is Posh Spice in the locker room?

These important questions will be answered in time.

FIFA Street Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:12:00 +0000

I don't know if there are any special effects in this clip, but if there are none then these guys are something special.

Are you a fan of Capoeira and Football? If you are then you are going to enjoy this commercial:

Free Jerseys for Life

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:56:00 +0000

For all the football fans out there I got great news. Because this year we have the World Cup in South Africa, many people around the world are already very excited, and so are the guys over at SoccerPro.com

They are having a great contest in which you can win, as the title says: Free Jerseys for Life!

Not only that, but by entering the contest you also get a 10$ coupon.

Don't waste your time and check this out right now, here is the link: http://www.soccerpro.com/World-Cup-2010-c549/

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:07:00 +0000

Prepare yourself for some superb World Cup betting action - log on to William Hill and start betting.

Juventus Torino - Bayern Munchen

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:13:00 +0000

The most interesting match of tomorrows round of the Champions League has to be the clash between Juventus Torino and Bayern Munchen. Why is it so important? First of all these two teams have great history in the competition, Juve have won the competition 2 times, 1985 and 1996, and Bayern won it no less than 4 times: 1974, 1975, 1976 and 2001.

They are the most loved teams from Italy respectively Germany and that will surely cause some great audiences on TV, but most importantly, this match will cause a lot of sparks because one of them will leave the competition after the game. Juventus only need a draw and Italian teams usually have great performances on home ground, Juve in particular are unbeaten for 16 matches at the Delle Alpi in this competition.

Here are the standings of the group:

1. Bordeaux 13 points
2. Juventus 8 points
3. Bayern 7 points
4. Maccabi 0 points

The financial side of the game is also very important as being eliminated from the first round can only affect the loosing team. Millions of dollars are in play and the bosses will surely reanalyze the team in case of flying out of the Champions League.

Juventus come after a victory over Internazionale Milano with 2-1 this weekend and if they want to show that Mourinhos team are not the supreme team from the Serie A then winning the Champions League might be a solution, and of course loosing against Bayern will not help with that.

Bayern on the other hand have lost the titlle last year in the Bundesliga and now they are also not looking very good, they are only in forth position after 15 fixtures and that is far less than what is expected from the german legend team.

We all know about the Italian catenaccio, and with Juventus needing only one point from this match I hope these match will not be only a continuous attack from Bayern with the bianconeri hitting on the counter, but Ciro Ferrara still has to prove a lot at Juventus and I hope we will have an open and spectacular match.

I hope some of these arguments have made up your mind about which game you should follow tomorrow night.

Time for big changes in top football?

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

I know we are still in the first part of the football season but it seems to me that some changes might occur at the top of the football chain. Some teams that always have made a good impression are getting worse.

Some examples are Bayern Munchen and AC Milan. Both teams played in the UEFA Cup in recent years and this year they are having weak runs in the domestic leagues with Bayern in 6th position and Milan in 8th. The Germans are also having trouble in the Champions League with 3 points in 3 matches, a competition where Milan shoved they are still breathing after beating the high investors from Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.

Another team that has problems and all the football blogs around the world are talking about is FC Liverpool. Rafa Benitez is a great manager, winning the UEFA Champions League in 2005 and reaching the final again in 2007, but now everyone is talking about him being sacked. I would not do it, maybe because I'm a fan of continuity. I know he bought most of the players the club has and who else could then know them better and get them out of the mess sooner than him?

Valencia, another team that always was between the big shoot is nowhere in sight now, and the money problems they have are still hurting them.

I guess the teams that will replace them are the ones bought by big investors like Manchester City, Chealsea and teams from the Eastern block like Shaktar and Dynamo Kiev from Ukraine and the Russian teams, who make transfer that could be envied by anyone.

Tevez goes to Manchester City

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:06:00 +0000

This is a pretty funny picture, and no, it is not fake, found via Just-Football.com . The Manchester City officials have bought advertisement around the city to ~~make fun~~ brag about the signing of one of the most important players Manchester United had last season.

The 25 year old striker, bought for 29 million euros, might make a big difference at the City of Manchester Stadium, and after the signing of Robinho last season from Real Madrid, Manchester City, probably the richest club in the world after they were bought by Abu Dhabi United Group 12 months ago, will be a threat for United from the ongoing season.

Football Legends. France - Portugal 1984

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:38:00 +0000

Remember Michel Platini? Here he is at his prime. EURO 1984 in France.

via Box Office Football

Platini scored 9 goals in 5 matches in this tournament. I guess counting him as one of the best players in the history of football should be pretty obvious. I really see something similar in the way Frank Ribery plays today and Michel Platini played back in the '80. First international title for France and the next one to come was in 1998 when they also were hosts and they had another incredible playmaker: Zinedine Zidane.

5 Tips on How to Buy the Best Player in the World

noreply@blogger.com (The Big Football) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Here is a short guide to help you buy the best and most expensive player in the world. I know some of the steps here will be a little hard to achieve for smaller clubs but hey, let's keep it on the funny side.

1. Be a big football club. I'm sure Manchester City or that club from Uzbekistan that wanted Eto'o and also have Rivaldo would have paid even more to have C. Ronaldo but the fame and the history also help. Maybe the player is a fan of your club, that would also greatly help.

2. Have Florentino Perez in your board. He made the most expensive transfer in the world back in the beginning of the decade, buying Figo and Zidane, and now he has done the same with Kaka and Ronaldo. I really can't think of another player he could spend more on at this time.

3. You should have major plans for the future. And Real Madrid really has, building a new Galacticos team, playing the best football around and winning everything there is to win, but most importantly the UEFA Champions League.

4. Pay the release clause for Ronaldo. I guess this is the first step and the sum is not really that big if you consider how many shirt you will sell with his name. Only £170.

5. Buy him from a club at which he lost his interest. I guess Madrid is more appealing to the Portuguese player than Manchester. Maybe he wants a new challenge, or just more sun.