There are two ingredients that go into a perfect recipe for betting on football, the first is finding a great site to bet on, the second is finding the best payment method to use on that site!
Now you may think that the second ingredient isn’t that important, after all, there are tens if not hundreds of ways of funding an account so why does it matter?
I too had that mindset in the past but a really bad instance in my life changed my thinking on this and dear reader if you give me five minutes of your time, I will explain why in the hope you avoid the stress and hassle that I encountered.
Life is fast, we all know this! Time is precious and anything that can help to make our day to day lives simpler and easier has to be applauded. Like many of you guys do, I had accounts at everything from Argos to Zara (well the Mrs did…) and with each of these companies I gave them my debit card details which made shopping a breeze…. Until….
It was about 4am in the morning and I received a text alert on my mobile, half asleep and probably trying to recover from my latest hangover I ignored it! A couple of minutes passed and I received another alert, quickly followed by another and another and another and another.
In the space of 20 minutes I received messages telling me that over ten thousand pounds had been spent in America on flat screen TV’s, games consoles and a lay-z-boy reclining chair that Joey from Friends would have died for… The trouble was, this wasn’t confirmation of my middle aged bucket list, this was fraud and on a (ten) grand scale.
As my debit card was linked of course to my bank account, these unwanted messages were telling me that my account had been emptied. Long story short, I was lucky and eventually got the money back but not until I had spent weeks changing cards, account information and hours on the phone.
It was after all this hassle that I started to use PayPal for funding my online sports book and I have not looked back since.
I mentioned in the beginning of this page that two ingredients are needed, the first was to find betting sites that accept PayPal and if you are struggling with that aspect then check out the excellent www.realmoney.co.uk/sports-betting/paypal/ who compare all the best online sports betting sites that accept PayPal and give unbiased views and reviews.
But back onto the subject of PayPal, when using this payment method, you are not disclosing your financial information to the sports site, only to PayPal and this significantly reduces the risk to you. This makes using PayPal not only a secure choice but a sensible one. Once you have your account set up and funded then you can use PayPal at lots of different sites but you only give your payment details once.
One of the biggest selling points for PayPal is that there are no charges at all if you fund your PayPal account with a debit card and you will find that most online sports betting sites will not charge anything to either deposit or withdraw money in your sportsbook account.
If you have never used PayPal for sports betting then give it a go, it’s fast, simple, secure and in most cases free to use. It only takes five minutes to set up an account and you could soon be joining over 179 million customers and benefitting from the protection that the world’s most famous online payment service provides.

Optimist or simply a realist, Leicester City’s manager Claudio Ranieri has no illusions that his team will be able to become the Premier League champion in the upcoming campaign in England. The new campaign is about to start, as The Foxes are going to visit the newly promoted side Hull City. Ranieri is very excited about the beginning of the new season, but he knows how difficult it would be, Leicester City to retain the trophy.

“I’m very, very curious what will happen during the season. All these great teams are ready to fight for the title and, of course, we are ready to defend it. A year ago, we were the total underdogs, as the bookies offered odds of 5000 / 1. I think that now the odds must be even higher – 6000 / 1. I think it is more likely aliens to land on “Piccadilly Circus” in London. But I think now the pressure on us is less. Now everything is different,” the manager of Leicester City – Claudio Ranieri said in an interview.

As it was 12 months ago, now the Italian specialist thinks primarily for avoiding relegation. And this will be the main objective for Leicester City during the next campaign. “Our goal is to win back 40 points and then we will see what is going to happen. We also want to earn some experience in the Champions League,” Claudio Ranieri added.

At both ends, I still haven’t seen aliens, but I have already seen Leicester City winning the Premier League title. So, everything is possible in football. Moreover, The Foxes kept almost all their key player, except N’Golo Kante, who joined Chelsea. In addition, the champions signed several very talented players, including Ahmed Musa and the Polish talent Kapustka. For sure, the next campaign will be the most competitive and interesting edition of The Premier League ever!

I have already spoken about the betting arbitrage and now we will find out how to make bigger profits. As you know, arbitrage betting is a risk free betting, which covers all the outcomes of the sports event. Your profit is the difference between 100% and the percentage you receive from the highest odds on the market.

Now, after I reminded you what is arbitrage betting, we can look at two good strategies. But, be careful, because they are not absolutely risk free. However, if you want to make a higher profit for less time, you need to take risks. If you struggle to convert the odds into percentages, you can use this tool.

Tactics №1: We will bet on the correct score. Firstly, we have to carefully pick a match. For example, I am going to choose the Champions League 3rd round’s match between Astana and Celtic. The experts expect not many goals in the game, so we can say the home team is going to score no more than 2 goals and the visitors are going to find the net no more than once.

0-0 – 7.50 (13.33%); 0-1 – 7.50 (13.33%); 1-0 – 7.00 (14.29%); 1-1– 6.00 (16.67%); 2-0 – 11.00 (9.09%); 2-1 – 10.00 (10%). When we sum the percentages we receive 67.73%. This means that if the final outcome of the game is one of these correct scores we are going to make a profit of 32.27% of the amount we decide to bet.

As there is a risk in such type of betting, you should use this tactic with several matches, in order to reduce losses if you are unlucky! The advantage of this betting type is that you don’t need to make account in other bookie, you can use only 1 bookmaker, which saves a lot of actions.

If you are brave enough, you can combine your matches! This can earn you much more profit, because you can sum the percentages! In such case, you should be aware of not missing any of the combinations!

At both ends, it all depends on you! You decide whether to be brave and place such bets! You can expect more betting tactics in the next articles! I can now only wish you “Good luck”!

1. Rui Patricio
The goalkeeper had a great tournament. He was one of the key reasons for Portugal’s success. Patricio was the first choice for Portugal in all the 7 games in the competition and equalized Schmeichel’s record from 1992 for most saves in the Euro final match (7).

2. Bruno Alves
The brave defender Bruno Alves was among the starting eleven on only one occasion, but his performance against Wales in the semi-final match was very good and he paid his tribute to the Portugal’s title.

3. Pepe
The defender of Real Madrid became the Man of The Match in the final against France. He was one of the most important players for his country. With the defensive approach to the games by Portugal, they desperately needed such a player like Pepe. With his classy performance, he proved he is one of the best defenders in the world!

4. Jose Fonte
Fonte of Southampton appeared for the first time on the pitch at the European championship in the Round of 16 against Croatia. He took part in 4 games in total and with him on the pitch, the Portuguese conceded only 2 goals in 4 games.

5. Raphael Guerreiro
The fullback became the highest rated player by the stats site whoscored.com. He played in 5 matches at the Euro 2016. He was very close to score a goal in the final against France, but his shot from a free kick hit the bar. However, Guerreiro was very disciplined and was perfect in defence.

6. Ricardo Carvalho
The most experienced player in Portugal’s squad (38 years old), Ricardo Carvalho surprisingly, was in the starting eleven for Portugal’s first 3 games of the group stage. Carvalho wasn’t very persuasive against Hungary in the third game of the competition, when his team conceded 3 goals and that’s why Santos left him on the bench for the next matches. But, Carvalho was also helpful from the bench, giving his teammates precious advices.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo was the best player for his team. A player, who is the leader, the goal-scorer and the motivator. He scored 3 goals and made 2 assists. Ronaldo showed prowess, staying 20 minutes on the pitch against France, after receiving a knee injury. Then he returned on the bench and was even more emotional than the head coach Fernando Santos. Cristiano Ronaldo encouraged his teammate Moutinho to take a penalty against Poland and the midfielder scored the goal. So, Ronaldo was the key reason for Portugal’s success!

8. Joao Moutinho
29-year-old midfielder was mostly used as a substitute player. He came from the bench in the final match and provided an assist to Eder. Moutinho scored the third penalty against Poland.

9. Eder
The person, who decided the final was exactly Eder. He had a great influence on the game after he came on in the 79th minute. Eder scored the only goal of the final game in the 109th minute with a powerful shot! That was just his 4th international goal, but maybe the most important of his career!

10. Joao Mario
The midfielder was very important player in Portugal’s title run. He took part in all 7 matches at the Euro 2016. Mario was tireless! He gave everything for his team and played well until the very last second of every game at the European championship. At his age of 23, he has a bright future in the Portugal national team.

11. Vieirinha
Several years ago, he was described as one of the biggest talents of the Portuguese football. The 30-year-old Vieirinha is a part of Wolfsburg’s squad. The left fullback, as Ricardo Carvalho, took part in the first 3 matches of the Euro 2016, before Santos changed the tactics and the players. Vieirinha couldn’t impress with his performance, but was useful to his team during the group stage of the competition.

12. Anthony Lopes (reserve goalkeeper)

13. Danilo Pereira
Pereira recorded 225 minutes at the Euro 2016, but was very helpful. Pereira was used when Portugal needed to be stronger in defence. He was very disciplined, which was the main quality for Portugal’s success.

14. William Carvalho
In the Round of 16, against Croatia, Fernando Santos put Carvalho as a defensive midfielder and that was one of the most successful moves. The midfielder became the player with the most passes per game – 70. He made 2,6 tackles per game (2nd place) and 1,4 interceptions per match! Carvalho has made 13 successful tackles in total and has let players to dribble past him just twice.

15. Andre Gomes
The midfielder of Valencia made a great start of his participation at the Euro 2016. He assisted for the first Portugal’s goal in the competition. His brilliant pass found Nani in the box, who scored against Iceland. The midfielder took part in 5 matches and deservedly got his golden medal.

16. Renato Sanches
He became the best young player at the Euro 2016! There were lots of speculations about his real age, but it’s true that he is just 18 years old. Sanches is considered as the biggest young talent of the Portuguese football nowadays. Renato scored the very important equalizer against Poland and sent the match into the penalties.

17. Luis Nani
The former Manchester United player was the hero in shadow for Portugal. He also scored 3 goals and made 1 assist. Ronaldo ceded to Luis Nani the Silver boot for the second best goal-scorer. Luis Nani was the captain against France after Ronaldo left the pitch injured. That’s enough to be seen how important Nani was for Portugal.

18. Rafa Silva (played for only a couple of minutes against Austria)

19. Eliseu
The left fullback played in only 2 matches – against Hungary and Poland. He was left out of the starting eleven after weak performance against Hungary, but had the chance to improve against Poland and it was obvious that he has learned from his mistakes.

20. Ricardo Quaresma
For sure, without Quaresma there wouldn’t have been a title for Portugal. The winger was coming from the bench and was giving 100% of his skills and tactical discipline to help his teammates. Quaresma scored the priceless goal against Croatia in the 117th minute! Then, in the quarterfinals, he scored the winning penalty against Poland and sent his team to the semi-finals.

21. Cedric Soares
Alongside with Fonte, Cedric Soares has been one of the key players for Portugal in defence since the knockout stage of the competition. He also recorded 4 matches, just like his teammate in Southampton.

22. Eduardo (reserve goalkeeper)

23. Adrien Silva
He was a part of the interesting nostrum, Santos used. With the change of the scheme, Silva found his place in the starting eleven for the last 4 games of the competition.

Head coach: Fernando Santos

To begin with, the choice of the players for the squad was very precisely made – Santos used 21 players in the Euro 2016 (without the 2 reserve goalkeepers). We can say a lot of the change of the tactics after the group stage – he changed the scheme to 4-4-2 Diamond. Santos relied on the more defensive approach. He wanted his players to be disciplined and to wait patiently for the goal-scoring chances – something which is not typical for the Portuguese football! Portugal played on counter attacks and with long balls – which again was unexpected for the experts.

At both ends, we can only guess, whether Santos has intensively made his team finish with a draw against Hungary – to find a place in the weaker part of the knockout stage… However, he proved he is a world class manager and deservedly lifted the European championship title!

Everyone knows who is Mario Balotelli! He is the bad boy of the Italian football. The forward had a bright start of his career. He was explosive and had clinical finishing skills. However, now he has slowed down and his career isn’t developing well. It looks like he has lost his goal-scoring touch.

To continue, except his irregular style of playing, Balotelli is also known with his wild character. He likes to violate his curfew and go to a strip club. The forward was fined by $400,000 when he was in Manchester City. He has also his car impounded 27 times in total!

But, that’s not all! He was fined by $300,000 for throwing darts at the youngsters in the locker room. He was stopped by a policeman, when driving his Maserati, but Balotelli had £25,000 on the passenger seat. When asked why, he answered “cause I’m rich”.

And do you remember when he almost set his house on fire with fireworks? Since then he has become the face of the fireworks safety campaigns.

On the other hand, Mario Balotelli acts like this, because he is just a different person. He has suffered things, that the most people haven’t imagined. He has survived a usually fatal disease at his birth. He has always suffered from the racist attacks from the fans and he has to live with that – it’s not easy! And the truth is that behind the face of varmint – there is a good human.

Today’s story is about Mario Balotelli’s “hidden” things in his house. The forward loves the animals a lot! He just came back to Liverpool to join the pre-season trainings and posted on his profile in a social network pictures of him and his ducks. This is not the first time the forward is showing his love to the animals. Mario tried to take his pig, named Super, in England, but he wasn’t allowed.

At both ends, don’t strike off Balotelli’s name from football! The striker must prove again, he is worth! And I am sure Jurgen Klopp is going to give him a chance. Mario Balotelli is a very strong character and will be back to his best form very soon! If not in Liverpool, there are lots of good teams to take the striker.

The Portuguese national football team beat 2-0 Wales in the semi-final match and made it to the final of the Euro 2016. Fernando Santos’ players have recorded 5 draws and only 1 victory so far in the tournament, but who cares about it, after they qualified for the final game of the European championship.

That was maybe the best performance, which was shown by Portugal in the tournament. The Welshmen were more active during the first half and took several shots towards Rui Patricio, but the goalkeeper managed to keep his sheet clean. However, Portugal outplayed their opponents in the second half and deservedly won 2-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 3rd goal of the tournament in the 50th minute. It’s interesting that he jumped 2,61 metres high and his header shot was 71,3 km/h fast. Then, the Real Madrid’s forward provided a great assist to his teammate Nani, who acted instinctively and found the net for 2-0 just 3 minutes later. No matter how hard Gareth Bale tried to score a goal, he was denied by the perfect performance of Rui Patricio.

Now, the question is can Ronaldo win his first major international tournament. I am sure he still remembers the final against Greece in 2004, when Portugal lost 0-1 and became the runners-up in the European championship. Furthermore, they were the host nation in 2004.

Many people say that Portugal are incredibly lucky to get so far in the tournament and that they don’t deserve it. But, have you asked yourself the question how France reached the semi-finals? Firstly, they didn’t take part in the qualifiers, because they are the host nation. Then, their group was the easiest in the tournament – Albania, Switzerland and Romania! A victory against Ireland sent them into the quarter finals, where they played against the scared team of Iceland.

So, don’t underestimate Portugal’s record, because the Portuguese team totally outplayed Austria and Iceland, but were unlucky to finish with draws against them. Then, two deflections confused Rui Patricio against Hungary, which meant they had to finish with a draw again. But, Santos changed the tactics in the knockout stage of the tournament and here is the result! Portugal deservedly reached the final and now have the chance to change the history of their national football team, by winning their first major international tournament!

The Swedish national team has good traditions at international level. But, they have always had really good football players. Now, after Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from international football, Sweden don’t have any star players in their squad! So, The Blue-Yellow urgently need a new hero!

The Scandinavian team has a great record at major tournaments. Sweden have finished in 2nd place in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. The Blue-Yellow have won the Bronze medals from the World Cups in 1950 and 1994. They have reached the semi-finals on 1 another occasion. In addition, Sweden have qualified to the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 1992. Their only 1st place at a major international tournament is in 1948, when Sweden have won the Olympic games in the UK.

To continue with, let’s see who were the key players for Sweden in the modern history of football. Patrik Andersson is a legendary defender. He was a participant in the Euro 1992, 2000 and in the FIFA World Cup 2002. Andersson is a former player of Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. He won 96 caps for Sweden and scored 4 goals for his country.

Thomas Ravelli is another emblematic figure for Sweden. The goalkeeper started his international career in 1981 and retired 16 years later. He played in 2 World Cups (including the third place in 1994) and the Euro 1992. During his long career, Ravelli won 143 caps for Sweden, becoming a legend for his country.

The attackers Tomas Brolin and Martin Dahlin were personifications for a classy goal-scorers. They both were in the squad, when Sweden won the third place in 1994 World Cup in USA. Both had clinical finishing skills and had also very good club careers. All the Englishmen remember Brolin’s magnificent finish against England in 1992…

Sweden have had even more explosive players in attack since the millennium. The trio Henrik Larsson, Fredrik Ljungberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were unstoppable! Larsson is one of the most successful Swedish football players. He began his international career in 1993, before retiring in 2009. Larsson scored 37 goals in 106 matches for Sweden. Ljungberg was a part of the great Arsenal’s team, which went unbeaten during the season 2003/04. Ibrahimovic has become the Sweden’s top goal-scorer ever with 62 goals in 116 participations for his country.

However, now there is no magic left in Sweden’s squad… The world is waiting for the next Sweden’s football generation!

1. The doctor of the German team is wearing the official underwear of Cristiano Ronaldo.
2. Joe Ledley postponed his wedding, because Wales went through to the semi-finals of the Euro 2016. The midfielder hasn’t even imagined that his team can go so far in the tournament, that’s why he has arranged the event for 9th July 2016. But if Wales win the semi-final Ledley must take part in the most important game of his entire career.
3. Simone Zaza taught us how to take a penalty. The forward made a really funny step up before taking the penalty, and eventually sent the ball in the stands.
4. The German head coach Joachim Low ignored the thousand cameras during the matches. He dabbled in his pants and then sniffed his fingers. Did he know that everyone is watching him?
5. “Carpenters beat us…” Thibaut Courtois said after the defeat to Wales. So, we have to ask the goalkeeper didn’t he deserve the same definition after the game.
6. The shirts of the Swiss players were teared like newspapers in their matches at the Euro 2016. A player from the team made a funny comment, in which he said that it’s better Puma not to start producing condoms.
7. Harry Kane was taking all the set-pieces for England, including the corners in the first match, which goes to show how awful coach Roy Hodgson is… If you have time search for a compilation with Kane’s free kicks – you will have a lot of fun!
8. Only about 650 people of the 332,000 population of Iceland haven’t watched the match between Iceland and England, which means that about 99,8% of the Icelandic people have been either in the stadium or in front of their TVs.
9. Will Grigg, who didn’t take part in any of the Northern Ireland’s matches at the Euro 2016 has a song for him. The fans are singing “Will Grigg’s on fire”, which seems to be a little bit strange as the forward hasn’t been on the pitch for a minute. “It’s a huge disappointment for me that I didn’t play in the Euro 2016,” the striker said.

The former head coach of Spain – Vicente del Bosque admitted for the first time about the lack of communication with one of his key players in the squad. This is exactly Iker Casillas, who has been friendly with his teammates, but not with the coaches of the team. The Iker’s attitude has changed since the moment he has been told that he will be the second choice for the goalkeeper’s position.

In addition, after Spain were eliminated from the Euro 2016, Vicente del Bosque has sent messages to all his players, except Iker Casillas. That is so sad, because del Bosque and Iker were at the base of Spain’s biggest successes at international level. The former Real Madrid goalkeeper was the captain of the team when Spain won the European championship twice and the World Cup in 2010.

However, Casillas had the chance to take part in the Spain’s last game from the group stage – against Croatia. The conditioning coach Javier Minano has asked Casillas if he is feeling okay and is he ready to play. Casillas, disappointed by the lack of playing time, was angry at that question and only wavered his hand…

To continue with, Vicente del Bosque is not Spain’s coach anymore, so Iker Casillas may have another chance to play for his country. The goalkeeper is the most capped player of Spain – 167 matches for La Furia Roja.

Iker Casillas has won everything in football. He has become a champion in Spain with Real Madrid on 5 occasions. He has won the Champions League 3 times. The goalkeeper has also won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup. Furthermore, he has lifted the European Championship title twice and FIFA World Cup once in 2010.

It’s true that Casillas is not in the form of his life, but he is a very experienced player and could have helped his team perform better at the Euro 2016. Now, the goalkeeper is about to leave his club team Porto, because of his fluctuating performances at the end of the season (Porto left without a trophy this season).

In conclusion, we can say that Iker Casillas has proven he is a world class goalkeeper and doesn’t deserve such attitude he received from del Bosque in Spain and from Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid a few years ago. But, exactly because his character is strong, Casillas will return stronger and better than ever!

Portugal are very close to the final of the Euro 2016, as the team has been extremely lucky so far. The Portuguese players managed to find their place in the Round of 16 after 3 draws in the group stage and qualified as the third team in their group. The performance of the team has been very unpersuasive and it seems that they had lots of problems in defence, having conceded 4 goals in the first 3 games.

Then, Portugal played against the strong team of Croatia in the last 16’s round in a match, which was considered as one of the most boring at the tournament. Ricardo Quaresma scored the only goal of the game after a mistake in Croatia’s defence in the 117th minute.

However, Fernando Santos’ players were also lucky in the quarterfinals, when they beat Poland on penalties, after finishing with a 1-1 draw in the regular time of the game. So, they are now waiting for the winner of the match between Wales and Belgium, who will be their next opponent at the European championship semi-finals. To summarize, Portugal reached the semi-finals after 5 draws (1 victory after the extra time and 1 after penalties). So, Portugal’s next opponent should be scared of the huge luck of the Portuguese!

To continue with, Rui Patricio has made some silly mistakes in Portugal’s goal, but he saved the decisive penalty against Poland and helped his team go through to the semi-finals. Ricardo Carvalho lost his place in the starting eleven after a very poor performance in defence. Nani is playing well, while Cristiano Ronaldo can’t show his real potential. The forward of Real Madrid missed several 100% goal-scoring chances, which is not typical for him. He scored only 2 goals in 5 matches (both against Hungary in the 3rd match of the group stage). Ronaldo could decide the last match against Poland in the regular time, but he missed 3 really good chances. So, he hasn’t still showed his real face and the fans can expect much more from him!

This is one of the last chances for the 31-year-old world class forward to win a major tournament with his country and that’s why you can feel the tension Ronaldo is feeling on the pitch. He has already played in the European championship final in 2004, but his team lost 0-1 to Greece and there is an opportunity something similar to happen again (if Iceland proceed to the final).
But why Portugal got so far in the tournament. They were quite lucky to finish in 3rd position in their group and this let them go to the weaker half of the tournament’s scheme. If they had finished in 2nd position, they would have been in Iceland’s place, facing England, France and so on.

You will be amazed how many superstitions there are among the players and the coaches at the Euro 2016.

To begin with the head coach of Wales, Chris Coleman, who can’t afford to leave his jacket off during a match. But why? Because, right at the beginning of his career in the national team he recorded a disastrous 1-6 defeat to Serbia in the World Cup qualifying campaign.

“I remember that day was terrible heat, and I took off my jacket. From that moment on, no matter what the temperature outside is, I don’t take it off. I just do not want that match to be repeated,” Chris Coleman explained.

The Italians also have their strange rituals. One of them is the fact that before every game a different player gives a speech. This will continue until the end of the tournament. Obviously, the result of these speeches is very good – the Italians beat Spain in the Round of 16.

“This time it was my turn. I told the guys that we have to win the match with a heart,” Emanuele Giaccherini said after the 2-0 victory against La Furia Roja.

It’s not a secret that the talisman and the best player of the Portugal national team – Cristiano Ronaldo complies with several rituals before every single match. No matter whether the game is for the national or the club team. If the team travels by plane, he must be the first to get off the machine at the airport. If the vehicle is a bus, Ronaldo has to be the last. In addition, the striker of Real Madrid has always stepped with his right foot on the grass in the stadium.

The German forward Mario Gomez did something really strange in the past – he used only the left urinal in the toilet! Fortunately, he’s outgrown it.

“Now, I use this urinal if only it is free. But if there is someone out there, I go to the right one,” Mario Gomez said with a smile on his face.

Some teams proved that the rituals are completely unnecessary. For example, the Englishmen were surprisingly attached to a small stuffed lion, called Leo that it even “watched” the match of the Round of 16 against Iceland from the Three Lions’ bench. As a part of the team, Leo also left the tournament after the scoop of the century.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar are the most popular football stars around the world and it’s normal all the companies to want them to take part in the commercials. Here is the list of the most interesting, funny and embarrassing commercials these players have shot.

To begin with, I can remember the best commercial Ronaldo have taken part in – it is about popular football boots. He arrived at a tennis court, where Nadal was practicing. Ronaldo played tennis with his feet against one of the best tennis players in the world and when he scored a point with a bicycle kick, Nadal decided to put the boots and play with his feet either. Then, Nadal made a great bicycle kick and took the boots for himself. Now, that’s what I call a very nice commercial! In the most recent commercial of Ronaldo, he was a robot and he spoke in Turkish. The advertisement was about a telecommunication company.

Lionel Messi’s most interesting advertisement is about one of the most popular airlines. He took part in the commercial, alongside with the basketball player Kobe Bryant. They were competing who will take the best selfie from the most exotic place. However, Lionel just took his last selfie, but when he looked at his phone, he realized Kobe was already there, because he was also in the picture.

But, Messi also took part in a commercial for a crisp. I don’t like it, because he personally does not eat junk food! How can you tell people to buy such food, when you don’t actually eat it? Neymar also starred in a similar advertisement in his country. But, don’t wonder why are they lying people – because of money!

The Brazilian star Neymar has also starred in very nice commercials. The story of one of them was as follows. The opponents coach brought in a defender, who was told to keep Neymar quiet. This defender continued with his task even outside the pitch. He followed Neymar to the press conference, to the airport, to his home, to the night club, but when the Brazilian got in his car, the defender couldn’t start his… How original that was!

The common thing is that all of these players have taken part in a commercial for a shampoo.

In conclusion, can you imagine what amount of money these players have picked for this small part of the commercials they have taken part in? I can’t! They are like money machines. They take salaries, they sell kits, they star in commercials. They are amazing and that’s why they receive such amounts in their bank accounts!

The beginning of the brightest era of the Icelandic football was set in 2012, when the team made a terrific performance in the qualifications for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. Iceland finished in second position of their preliminary group and took part in the playoffs against Croatia, but lost 0-2 on aggregate. However, The Vikings recorded some amazing results, including a 4-4 draw against Switzerland away from home. They were losing 4-1, but managed to equalize in the end of the game.

To continue with, Iceland were in a very tough qualifying group for the Euro 2016, alongside with the teams of Turkey, Czech Republic, Holland, Kazakhstan and Latvia. They achieved 6 victories and 2 draws of their 10 matches (including 2 wins against Holland, and victories against Czech Rep. and Turkey) and qualified for a major international tournament for the first time in their history. Eidur Gudjohnsen, who retired from international football in 2013, decided to return to the team in 2015, which boosted further the confidence of the team.

The success of the national team is particularly because of the “football houses”, which have been built in the country. Because of the harsh weather is almost impossible the players to practice outdoors and this led to the idea of the indoors stadiums. The first “football house” has been built in 2000 in Keflavik. Nowadays, there are 11 “football houses” in Iceland, but 4 of them are still under construction.

There are lots of interesting individuals in the squad, such as the goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson, who is one of the best directors of advertisement in his country. He is currently playing for the Norwegian side Bodo / Glimt, but he proved he is a world class goalkeeper! The coach of the team – Heimir Hallgrimsson is the most popular dentist in Iceland. But, he proved he has also a great understanding of football!

About 10 % of the population of Iceland (which is near 330 k. people) are in France at the moment and hope the team can repeat Greece’s performance from 2004. But, the thing I can say for Iceland is that the team looks even stronger than Greek team from 2004.

The most impressive in Iceland performance is that the team creates goal-scoring chances from nothing! Every throw-in, which is near to the opposite goal is even more dangerous than a corner kick. Sigthorsson has won the biggest number of aerial duels at the Euro 2016!

Iceland have played 26 competitive games since 2012. They have won 13 of them and have only lost on 6 occasions. The team has kept a clean sheet 9 times in these games, showing a really good performance in defence. But, the most important thing is that Iceland can take advantage of their goal-scoring chances. They are good when playing on counter attacks and know how to use the set-pieces. Gylfi Sigurdsson is one of the leaders in the team. He is technically gifted and easily converts the free-kicks into goals!

The way Iceland score goals:

Long throw-ins (5) – 2012 – 1 vs. Norway, 1 vs. Albania; 2014 – 1 vs. Czech Rep.; 2016 – 1 vs. Austria, 1 vs. England;

Free kicks (5) – 2012 – 1 vs. Albania, 1 vs. Slovenia; 2014 – 1 vs. Latvia; 2015 – 1 vs. Kazakhstan, 1 vs. Latvia;

Penalties (4) – 2013 – 1 vs. Slovenia; 2014 – 1 vs. Holland; 2015 – 1 vs. Holland; 2016 – 1 vs. Hungary;

Corners (3) – 2014 – 1 vs. Turkey, 1 vs. Holland; 2015 – 1 vs. Czech Rep.

Open play (23) – 2012 – 1 vs. Norway; 2013 – 2 vs. Slovenia (in 2 matches), 4 vs. Switzerland (in one match), 2 vs. Albania (in one match), 2 vs. Cyprus (in one match); 1 vs. Norway; 2014 – 2 vs. Turkey, 2 vs. Latvia; 2015 – 2 vs. Kazakhstan, 1 vs. Czech Rep., 1 vs. Latvia; 2016 – 1 vs. Portugal, 1 vs. Austria, 1 vs. England;

The fans can enjoy the great football at the Euro 2016, but they can also have fun with the funniest coaches’ and footballers’ comments. I don’t know why they are saying such things, maybe because of the extremely hot weather… So, here is my ranking of the funniest comments:

№13 – “Joachim Low has some world-class players in his squad – a forward like Muller, a goalkeeper like Neuer and there is Ozil, who is great, but when he wants to play,” Noel Gallagher, who is an English musician, said.

№12 – “None!” – Gareth Bale answered the question “How many English players have the qualities to wear the Dragons’ shirt?”

№11 – “I feel that Paris already misses me. It’s been raining since I left. Now I’m back and there is a sunshine again,” Zlatan Ibrahimovic said in an interview before Sweden’s first game of the group stage.

№10 – “They don’t give us chips and coke! They give us only sausages and cheese, but without fats!” That was Andre Schurrle’s comment about the diet German players keep.

№9 – “I thought my hair was going to fall off! I was very constrained before the first game,” Adil Rami said.

№8 – “We would recommend Ronaldo to look in the mirror… Oh wait, he already spends a few hours a day in front of it…” – The Guardian about Ronaldo’s arrogant behaviour.

№7 – “I feel I am younger than ever, until I go near a mirror,” the oldest coach at the Euro 2016 – Roy Hodgson said.

№6 – “I feel the lack of the Dutchmen! The reason is that we always beat them!” – Oliver Bierhoff’s comment about the Holland national team’s failure in the qualifiers.

№5 – “We share the household chores. She does everything – I do the rest,” Vladimir Petkovic said about his beloved wife Lilyana.

№4 – “If there had been something between us – he would have already been hospitalized,” Zlatan said about Chiellini for the match between Sweden and Italy.

№3 – “They were playing with 20 men in defence! It’s normal to be laboured against such team,” Mesut Ozil said after the match between Germany and Poland.

№2 – “I am scratching my balls and I am sure that 80% of you are scratching your balls!” – Lukas Podolski defended his head coach Joachim Low.

And here is our big winner: №1 – “I hope ‘Puma’ won’t start producing condoms,” the Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri commented the 7 torn shirts against France.

England:

The Three Lions aren’t meeting the expectations, even though they proceeded to the Round of 16 (being quite lucky). They failed to top their group, winning only one of 3 matches. England struggle to score its chances and logically found the net on only 3 occasions in the first 3 games of the Euro 2016.

Roy Hodgson made everything possible to knock his team out of the tournament, not picking Vardy, letting Kane to take the corners, using defensive tactics against weaker opponents and so on. However, somehow England found their place in the knockout stage of the competition. The Three Lions will play against Iceland, but if England underestimate the Icelanders, Hodgson’s players will fly early for home.

Wales:

The Dragons were one of the most impressive performers from the beginning of the competition. Gareth Bale scored in every single game of the group stage, helping his teammates win their tough group. But, the most important thing is that Wales showed a team spirit, proving they don’t rely only on their world class forward Bale. The Dragons showed their best performance against Russia in the third match of the group stage and won 3-0. They gave the Russians no chance, creating lots of goal-scoring chances and defending on world class level. Wales are now lucky to be in the flow with the weaker teams. The Dragons managed to avoid all the strong teams like Germany, France, Italy and Spain, so they can even dream of something bigger!

Northern Ireland:

Surprisingly, Northern Ireland found their place in the Round of 16. The Norn Iron won 3 points, recording a magnificent 2-0 victory against Ukraine. In addition, Northern Ireland played very well against the world champions Germany and lost 0-1, but the team showed its qualities and deservedly qualified for the knockout stage. So, we can say Northern Ireland fans can be happy with the performance, even if the team doesn’t reach the quarter finals of the tournament. It seems

Rep. of Ireland:

A late Robbie Brady’s goal against Italy qualified The Green Army to the Round of 16. The game against The Azzurri was very impressive for Martin O’Neill’s players. They played perfectly in defence and outsmarted the Italians. The Green Army looked very disciplined on the pitch and deserved their place in the knockout round. Now, they will have very difficult task in the Round of 16 against the host nation France. However, The Green Army will be looking for a revenge for Henry’s handball in the playoffs for the World Cup 2010.

Round of 16:

England vs. Iceland

France vs. Rep. of Ireland

Wales vs. Northern Ireland

There are lots of strange personalities among the players and the coaches at the Euro 2016. And their fates are increasingly exciting for the audience, which is bored by the goalless games so far.

To begin with, the Icelanders – 9% of their 323 K. population are now in France with the team. Their goalkeeper and hero from the first two matches Hannes Halldorsson works as a director, who has shot the best commercials in Iceland over the last 3 years. The coach Heimir Hallgrimsson is a well-known dentist in his small homeland. But, obviously he also knows how to stop Cristiano Ronaldo!

The Welsh goalkeeper Owain Williams doesn’t only paint, but his paintings cost money. His works coincidentally went on exhibition right on the opening day of UEFA Euro 2016. Of course, not all players are lofty types. For example, the Northern Irish Josh Magennis had been moving between heaven and hell, as well as from the living room into the kitchen at home. 9 years ago, he was a promising goalkeeper in the amateur league. He caught the eyes of many clubs, one of which was Cardiff City. After signing a good contract, the talent suddenly began to drink and refused to live a normal life. And one day, just as suddenly decided to return, but he changed his position on the pitch, becoming a striker. He plays now alongside with his teammate Conor Washington, who used to be a postman.

The Polish player Kamil Grosicki admits that he was a heavy drinker and a problem gambler. He often got drunk and was late for training, despite he lived on the territory of the stadium… But, what are you going to say about his performance now?

Wesley Hoolahan (Rep. of Ireland) was also against the regime. He just loved eating hamburgers. During his early years, he played with talent and overweight. But, once he has given his word to his beloved wife and has changed his lifestyle… And look at him now – he scored a goal in the Euro 2016.

Another interesting story is Gaziano Pelle’s life. The Italian striker decided to retire from professional football 5 years ago, becoming a woodworker. However, his friends stopped him and see what happened. He is now key Italian player at the European championship.

Turkey’s new talent – Emre Mor, who is now 18 years old, has grown up in deprivation in the immigrant community in Denmark. Now, he has already signed a contract with Borussia Dortmund and is playing for his country at the Euro 2016.

And finally, Ashley “The Iron Man” Williams of Swansea City and Wales is our last hero of the day. He was expelled from two football academies, which called him completely incompetent. However, he started a normal life and worked as a waiter and a handyman at a gas station. But at his new working place, he was even more unreliable. “I was the worst waiter in the world,” Williams said. The defender didn’t stop playing football, and look at him now – he is a legend of Swansea City and a captain of his country at the European championship!

Croatia showed a superb performance against the defending European champions Spain. Ante Cacic’s players deservedly won the match and finished at the top of their Group D, sending the Spaniards in the most difficult flow of the tournament. So, Spain will have to play against Italy in the Round of 16 and if La Furia Roja proceed to the quarter finals they will probably face Germany. Then, Del Bosque’s players can meet either England or France.

However, the game in Bordeaux started very well for Spain. David Silva found Cesc Fabregas in the box, who passed to Morata and the forward had no troubles to find the net from about 1 metre in the 7th minute. A few minutes later the winger Nolito had a chance to double the score, but his shot went wide. The Croatians created their first goal-scoring situation in the 12th minute, when the striker Kalinic took a shot from a distance, but De Gea tipped the ball away. Then, Perisic also had a chance to score, but he couldn’t find the target with his header.

Croatia gained more confidence and started playing better than their opponents. David De Gea made a terrible mistake and gave the chance Ivan Rakitic to shoot at an empty goal. The midfielder didn’t hesitate much, but he hit the bar and the post at the same time.

Just seconds before the whistle for the end of the first half, Ivan Perisic (the best player on the pitch) crossed the ball perfectly and Kalinic touched it with his back heel to equalize the score – 1-1.

During the second half of the game, Ramos had the biggest goal-scoring chances, but his header shot went inches wide. Then, his shot from the penalty spot was saved by the Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subasic in the 72nd minute of the match.

There were 2 minutes left of the regular time, when Croatia made a great counter attack. Rakitic passed to Kalinic in the centre of the field, he dribbled with the ball and passed it to Perisic on the left. Inter’s winger took a powerful low shot and found the net. 2-1 for Croatia!

This result means that Croatia are going to play against B3 (Slovakia)/E3 (Sweden, Belgium or Rep. of Ireland)/F3 (all the teams still have chances for this place). And if the Croatians record a victory against one of these teams, they will meet the winner of the game between Poland and Switzerland in the quarter finals, which sounds much better than playing against Italy, Germany, France and England. So, no wonder if Croatia achieve something big at the Euro 2016!

What do you think the football players are doing in the locker room after a match? Well, it depends, which team they are playing for. For example, the Germans are parsimonious from an emotional point of view. The Mannschaft’s locker room was completely clean after the victory against Ukraine. There were no signs of any celebrations after the win. The only indication, that there has been humans in the locker room is the pack of ice, which has been left in the corner of the room.

However, this is the German team. They are known for their discipline. But, there are other teams, in which the players are left to do whatever they want. A journalist, has found several empty bottles of cheap wine, beer cans and 41 cigarette butts in the locker room of the Ukrainian team after the defeat to Germany.

But, this is not the most interesting case. The Romanian player Denis Alibec has been claimed that he had smoked a cigarette in the locker room during the match against France on the opening day of the Euro 2016. Of course, Romania coach denied that his player has smoked during the match and said that it is very difficult to be said what exactly was Alibec doing in the locker room… For sure, there is a man in Romania squad who can always give you a cigarette. Cosmin Moti is a heavy smoker and he may have given his teammate a cigarette. However, no one expects Moti to take part in the competition, so he can enjoy himself from the bench with a ken of beer and a cigarette in his other hand.

In conclusion, we have to say that the football players are also humans and they shouldn’t be judged that strictly. But I can’t explain to myself the behaviour of Joachim Low, who put his hand in his pants and then smelled it… I expected him only to eat his snots, but this time he surprised me a lot. However, this reminds me another one occasion with German player incurred himself. Do you remember when Jens Lehmann pissed during a match? I am waiting for more ridiculous situations, which I am definitely going to tell you.

Republic of Ireland showed a solid performance against Sweden in their first match of UEFA Euro 2016, but Martin O’Neill’s players recorded a 1-1 draw against The Blue-Yellow team. The Green Army were more active during the first half of the match. The experienced centre back John O’Shea was very close to get to the ball after a great cross in the box, but he couldn’t reach it. Jeff Hendrick made two good attempts towards Andreas Isaksson’s goal. Brady also tried his luck but his shot went over the bar. The midfielder, Hendrick, even was denied by the crossbar. So, the Swedes were happy that the score at the half time was 0-0.

Just 3 minutes after the break, Seamus Coleman showed great skills, going through the Swedish midfielder Forsberg on the right and crossed the ball perfectly. 34-year-old midfielder Wesley Hoolahan was totally unmarked in the box and sent the ball in the net with a very nice shot. 1-0!

Sweden needed about 50 minutes to show they can threaten Darren Randolph. But the Swedes won only several corners before the 70th minute. It seemed that they will have serious problem to find Randolph’s net. Ciaran Clark of Aston Villa was the only man to threaten the Republic of Ireland’s goal. His panic clearance led to a corner in the 49th minute. Then, after the cross Clark again hit the ball towards his own goal, but Randolph showed a great reflex, tipping the ball away to Forsberg, who shot wide. Ibrahimovic also tried his luck from a difficult position in the 60th minute, but his shot again couldn’t find the net. And guess who left Ibrahimovic to take the shot – Ciaran Clark…

The minute was 71st. Ibrahimovic passed back to Kallstrom. The midfielder found Forsberg. He passed to Guidetti in the box. Guidetti made a back heel pass to Ibrahimovic. The forward crossed the ball with power… And, it’s a goal! Ciaran Clark scored an own goal, becoming the man of the match for Sweden. The defender made the only two shots on target for Sweden during the game, and scored one of them.

If I were O’Neill, I would think if I am going to play Clark against Italy or Belgium… Or if he plays him, he must tell him to play in attack, or show him which he must attack… However, The Green Army showed a very good performance against Sweden and they have now gained confidence before the key battles against Italy and Belgium.

Jose Mourinho is the new manager of Manchester United! The negotiations between the two sides have successfully completed yesterday and the 53-year-old Portuguese coach has signed his contract in a hotel in central London, “Sky Sports” said.

About 20 minutes after the meeting between Mourinho and the executive director of Manchester United Ed Woodward in the London hotel, the Portuguese manager was filmed to come home with papers and a bottle of wine in his hand. It has double cause for celebration because the date of 26th May 2016 marks 12 years since his first Champions League title with Porto.

Shortly afterwards Jose Mourinho was greeted by the former captain of the Red Devils Rio Ferdinand for Mourinho’s appointment as the manager of the biggest football club in the world.
“I can only say to Man United fans – they already have a real winner in all aspects. His CV speaks for itself. I can assure you that after his failure with Chelsea in the last year, Jose will be as a wounded animal,” Rio Ferdinand wrote on Facebook.

The official confirmation from the club came today, when Jose Mourinho posed with United’s kit in front of the journalists.

Jose Mourinho and Manchester United officially started negotiations after the dismissal of Louis van Gaal, who walked away from “Old Trafford” after two years at the club.

On Wednesday, “Sky Sports” announced that both parties have their contracts. Subsequently, it was announced that the signing of the contract was delayed because of several potential conflicts related to the image rights of the coach. However, now everything is done and Man United sign Mourinho!

“Becoming the manager of Manchester United is a special honour in this game. This is a club, which is known and revered throughout the world. It has a mystique and romance with which no other club can boast. I’ve always had an affinity for “Old Trafford”. This stadium has hosted some very important memories in my career so far. Between me and the United fans have always been understanding and I enjoyed this. I am looking forward to be their manager and I am sure I will enjoy their excellent support in the coming years,” Jose Mourinho said at the official website of the Reds Devils.

In my opinion, Chelsea made their biggest mistake when they sacked the Special One. Because everyone has his own failures. And you must be patient with people, who have proven their abilities and have shown what they can do in football.

Jonathan Woodgate had been one of the strongest defenders in English football for the last two decades. He was very good in the air and was making great tackles. Woodgate was born to be the team’s leader with his passion and good skills on the pitch.

The English defender started his career at Leeds United in 1998. He was part of the team, which reached the semi-finals in The UEFA Cup (1999/2000). Then, he took part in 5 games in Leeds United’s campaign in the Champions League, when The Peacocks lost in the semi-final matches to Valencia.

Woodgate proved his qualities at Leeds United and deserved his first appearance for The Three Lions in 1999. He made his debut for England in the European Championship qualifier against Bulgaria (1-1), but couldn’t secure his place in the squad for the Euro 2000.

After Leeds United relegated in 2003, Woodgate continued his professional career in Newcastle United. But, his period there was short due to injuries. Woodgate impressed in The UEFA Cup’s semi-final against Marseille, keeping Didier Drogba quiet, but shortly after his brilliant performance he received an injury and finished the season sidelined.

The defender spent two seasons at St. James’ Park, when he received an offer from the Spanish giant Real Madrid. You have to be insane to refuse such an offer. So, Jonathan head to Madrid.

However, he took part in only 14 matches for Los Blancos and scored once in The Champions League.

Then, Woodgate returned to The Premier League. Middlesbrough paid € 8.4 m. for the defender. Jonathan played two seasons at The Riverside Stadium, before leaving for Tottenham Hotspur.
At White Hart Lane, the defender won his only trophy – The Capital One cup (season 2007-2008). Jonathan Woodgate scored 3 goals in 63 games for Spurs in all competitions.

During his period at Tottenham, Woodgate reached the number of 8 caps for England, but he couldn’t maintain his place in the squad of The Three Lions.

In 2011, he left for Stoke City, but managed to play in only 21 matches for The Potters, without scoring a single goal for Stoke. Just a season later, Woodgate returned to his favourite Middlesbrough in The Championship. He is still part of the team, but at his age of 36 is a backup member of the team. Will we see Woodgate playing in The Premier League again? We will have to wait for the next season.

I decided to choose the perfect starting eleven, for me, in a 4-4-2 tactics. Sometimes, you don’t need the players with the best individual skills, in order to win a trophy, but a combination of players with concrete tasks on the pitch, who lead you to the victory. That’s exactly the way, Ranieri led Leicester City to The Premiership title. Of course, without quality figures you won’t be able to win anything, but the point is that everybody should help his teammates and work as a part of a machine.

So, the goalkeeper I decided to pick is Gianluigi Buffon. I think I don’t have to tell you the arguments… He is maybe the best goalkeeper in the world!

Right fullback – Gary Neville. The Englishman was very good at crossing the ball in the box. He had a great discipline and his tackling was world class. He was also very fast. So, Neville had all the needed qualities for right fullback.

Left fullback – Paolo Maldini. The Italian defender was AC Milan’s leader for over 24 years. He had great positioning on the pitch and had incredible tackling skills. Maldini also had good goal-scoring skills – he has found the net on about 40 occasions in his long career.

Centre backs – Fabio Cannavaro and Lucio. The Brazilian defender has won everything in football. He has recorded over 100 appearances for Brazil and was in the squad when his nation won The World Cup. Cannavaro was really good when getting ‘first balls’. Both were great at tackling and heading. Both could also score lots of goals.

Centre midfielders – Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. I need Keane in my squad, because he is the man, who will have to take the ball from the opponents. His tackling was incredible. Of course, sometimes you need to foul the opponent and Keane knew exactly when to do it. He made football look like a very simple game with his playing style. While Keane is going to take the ball, Scholes will have the task to pass the ball and organize the attacks. To me, he is the best midfielder in the world. Nobody has his accuracy in the long passing. He has also a powerful shoot. Scholes is full of energy and is also good in the air. He has a great vision.

We need two players who are really fast – to put them on both flanks. It will be really trivial if I pick Cristiano Ronaldo, so I won’t. Let’s make it more interesting… I will put Damien Duff on the left. But, the young version of Duff – from the time he was playing at Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea. He was very, very fast, which we can combine with Scholes’ great long passing.

Of course, I am not going to take Neymar in the squad – for the same reason I didn’t pick Ronaldo. The other reason is that we are going to show you old-fashioned football. This time I will make an exception and will take a man, who isn’t that fast, but has a great technique. This man is Luis Figo. He can make great deliveries, he can score goals from long distance. He can score from free-kicks and so on.

Okay then, we need two forwards. I prefer one of them to be fast and the other one being physically strong. So, no doubt my first choice will be Michael Owen and my last trump should be Alan Shearer. I think you all know what these two players are capable of…

This is my dream team and what’s yours?

Middlesbrough had a squad full of very good players during 2005/2006 season. The manager Steve McClaren could rely on players like the goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, the Dutch international Reizieger, English international defender Gareth Southgate, the veteran midfielder Ray Parlour, the Spanish playmaker Gaizka Mendieta, the Australian forward Mark Viduka, the Dutch striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, the ‘golden’ substitute Massimo Maccarone and many other good players.

So, The Boro started their participation in The UEFA Cup from the qualification round in September. They beat Greek side Xanthi 2-0 at The Riverside Stadium and held a 0-0 draw in their visit to Greece in the second leg. The victory won them a place in the group stage of the competition.

Middlesbrough met Grasshoppers Zurich in the first match of the group stage. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored the only goal of the game in the 10th minute and secured the three points for his team. Then, Boro recorded a 3-0 victory over Dnipro at home and almost secured their place in the direct eliminations of The UEFA Cup.

After a 0-0 draw against the Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, Boro had to play against the Bulgarian team of Litex Lovech. Massimo Maccarone put on display his first really good performance of the competition. The Italian forward scored twice within the last 10 minutes and secured the first place in the group for his team.

The long cup run for Middlesbrough continued with very difficult matches against Stuttgart. Steve McClaren’s players recorded an amazing 2-1 away victory over the German team and despite they lost 0-1 at home, Boro proceeded to the next round.

Roma waited for the English team in the 1/8-finals. Yakubu converted a penalty into a goal in the 12th minute of the first leg at The Riverside stadium. Then, Boro lost 2-1 in Italy, but because of Hasselbaink’s away goal the team reached the quarterfinals.

But what is the special thing in Boro’s cup run? In the quarterfinals. Middlesbrough lost 2-0 to Basel in Switzerland. Then, Boro conceded an early goal… So, Steve McClaren’s players had to score 4 goals to qualify… And they did it! Maccarone scored in the very last minute to send Boro into the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, Middlesbrough lost 0-1 to Steaua in the first leg. And, this time, conceded 2 early goals at The Riverside Stadium… Again 4 goals needed. Guess what happened. Maccarone scored the fourth goal again in the last minute, with a great header.

But in the final match Boro were so unlucky and lost 0-4 to Sevilla. However, the cup run was very incredible for Middlesbrough. Now, the team is in The Championship, but The Boro are very close to their return to The Premier League and we are waiting to see whether they can achieve something like this!

The Former captain of Bulgaria and Aston Villa Stilian Petrov announced his decision to resume his career for The Villains. He was diagnosed with leukaemia and was forced to retire four years ago. However, Stan managed to recover from the insidious disease and is now keen to win back his place in professional football.

Although on 5 July will turn 37 years, Stan believes he can regain his best form. He has been training with the youth team of Aston Villa for several months. When Petrov just recovered from his illness, he was 120 kg. Now, he is 90 kg. – just 4 more than in 2012.

“People may have doubts in me. They might be asking a lot of questions. But I’ve always believed that if you work hard, you will find your best shape again. My present physical condition is close to this from the moment I gave up. We’ll see what is going to happen,” Stiliyan Petrov said.

Aston Villa have already lost their place in The Premier League and the club will play in The Championship for the next season. But, this is not important for the former Aston Villa’s captain Petrov, who loves Aston Villa and hopes he can help his favourite team. He was a centre midfielder and scored 12 goals in 218 appearances for The Lions in all competitions (2006 – 2012).

“I am very happy for Stiliyan. I wish him all the best. I don’t know if you know, but we know each other from the youth national team and we have kept in touch for 20 years. I’m really happy for him. After all, he has been through, it is very inspiring news. Cool! I wish him to return to the national team. You can be sure that the doors are wide open for him. I can only be happy with such news. I congratulate him and his family and wish him good luck with Aston Villa,” Ivaylo Petev, the head coach of Bulgaria, said in an interview.

The Aston Villa’s fans will organize a new initiative in support of the former Villains’ captain Stiliyan Petrov. The idea is that in the remaining matches in the Premier League until the end of the season the fans will cheer their favourite player. This will happen in the 19th minute of the games against Watford, Newcastle United and Arsenal.

“I’m shocked that no representative of the club hasn’t welcomed the news of Petrov. Stan do not even have to ask if he could play again for us. Come on, Villa, give a response to Petrov! We all want him back in the game! I’ll cry like a little baby if I see again Stiliyan wearing the Aston Villa’s shirt,” one of the fans said.

Marcus Rashford made a really great impact on Manchester United’s season. The youngster can’t stop scoring goals. He is very fast and has excellent placement on the pitch. It’s clear that he has a bright future in front of him.

18-year-old forward scored twice on his debut for The Red Devils against the Danish side Midtjylland, helping Manchester United eliminate The Wolves from The Europa League. Then, Rashford found the net on 2 occasions against Arsenal at old Trafford in The Premier League. He also scored against Manchester City and Aston Villa (both matches finished with a 1-0 victory for Man United). The youngster has also recorded one assist in The Premiership.

Rashford showed his goal-scoring abilities against West Ham United in the replay of the quarterfinal in The FA Cup. He scored the opening goal of the game in the 56th minute and helped his team reach the semi-finals.

Many people are comparing Rashford to Wayne Rooney. The English international forward made his debut for The Three Lions at the age of 18 and now he is the top goal-scorer in English national team’s history. But, is Rashford ready to take such responsibility and play for England, when there are players like Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck in the squad? It will be extremely difficult for Rashford to find his place in England’s squad for the Euro 2016, but it’s not impossible…

“I think it would be a brave decision to take Rashford on the board. This would mean leaving someone off the squad. But who knows? It would be foolish to say that he is not ready and will not cope with the situation. I’m sure he can handle the pressure. If there were enough vacancies and if we could get 30 players in France, surely, we would have him in mind. But we can select only 23 players, which will cause me a headache – which offensive players to pick. However, I’m impressed with Rashford. He wouldn’t have kept his place in the team of Manchester United if Louis van Gaal did not believe that he deserves his place. But with the current players at my disposal and all the competition in attack, it seems unlikely Rashford to be called-up,” Roy Hodgson said in an interview.

So, Marcus Rashford will be very lucky if he sees his name in the English national team for the Euro 2016. But if he shows something extraordinary until the end of the season, the youngster can dream of being selected for The European Championship.

To be the manager of Barcelona is nothing more than watching team’s matches from the best position in the stadium and take crucial amount of money weekly! Yes, I think these are the exact actions of the latest Barcelona’s managers. It’s very easy when you have unlimited amount to spend on transfers and you have in your squad figures like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

You should only pray that no one gets injured and you will record victory after victory! The real work in the club is done by the coaches of the youth squads. They teach the youngsters how to pass the ball perfectly, how to stop it, how to move on the pitch and so on.

So, my question is: “Why the managers of the richest clubs take so much money?” I think Messi can also pick the starting line-up by himself! And this can save the team one huge salary…

Okay, you will say that the manager is the decision-maker. But with the best players in the world, who are experienced enough and had already won everything in football, do you think it’s necessary someone to tell them what to do? It’s the same like Mozart to tell Beethoven what to compose.

But football, at all, is an inflated balloon. It’s not realistic football players and managers to take more money than the doctors, for example. What are the football players doing, for God sake?! They are kicking the ball and running after it! And how would you explain Ibrahimovic’s desire to take €600K. per week? Is it normal? Why the professional players are so greedy?

To continue; most of the professional football players’ relations to their clubs are pretty similar to the behaviour of an easy woman. Man, you have earned millions, why you need to take €20K. more per week? You will say, because the bigger the better…

That’s why there are not so many players like Francesco Totti, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard, for example. The difference between Totti and the new generation of football players is just one word – “loyalty”.

Oh, I almost forgot about Barcelona’s bonuses problem. How is that possible? If the team wins everything – the club is going to bankrupt. That’s the brightest example of this so called “inflated balloon”! But, now Barcelona have no problems after they lost several games in a row… That’s why I think they lost on purpose.

However, I digressed from the main topic… The real causers of the current situation are the rich bosses of the clubs, who artificially raise the price of the football players and their salaries. Because a regulation is needed not only in the transfer amount, but also in the salaries the football players receive. It’s not normal a football player to receive for a week the same amount normal person will have to work for it all his life! Even if the player is the best in the world! As regards to the managers of the richest clubs – the owners should do an experiment, picking a random man, who knows enough about football.

2005-2006

On 12th January 2006 Diaby signed for Arsenal for a sum of around 2 million pounds. This puts an end to speculation that he will move to Chelsea. He took number 2. Diaby was seen as a replacement of Patrick Vieira, who was the ‘heart’ of Arsenal’s midfield. Abou Diaby made his debut for Arsenal in the 1-0 defeat to Everton on 21st January 2006. 5 months later he scored his first goal for The Gunners in a match against Aston Villa, coming on as a substitute. Just a month later, Diaby sprained his ankle in the match against Sunderland. The injury made him be out of the pitch for eight months.

2006-2007

But this injury didn’t make Diaby give up and on 9th January 2007 he returned as a substitute in the quarterfinal match in the Carling Cup against Liverpool, which finished 3-6 in favour of Arsenal. In the final match in Cardiff Diaby injured John Terry by kicking him in the jaw. Chelsea captain went unconscious for several minutes.

2007-2008

He started the season among the starting eleven. Wenger put Diaby on the left flank in order to train his left foot. And the midfielder left a good impression in the match against Derby County, replacing the injured Tomas Rosicky. On 12th December 2007 Diaby scored his first goal in the Champions League in a match against Steaua, which finished with a 2-1 for The Gunners. On 29th March 2008, Diaby received his first red card for Arsenal in a match against Bolton after his late tackle on Gretar Steinsson.

2008-2009

After Mathieu Flamini left for Milan, Abou Diaby had to fight with Denilson and Alex Song for the starting position as a Fabregas’ partner in midfield, but the Frenchman received an injury and missed several games. He returned to the pitch against Everton and just 6 minutes after entering the field Diaby made an assist to Walcott, who scored for 3-1.

2009-2010

This season was the best for Diaby in Arsenal! He became a key player! Abou Diaby managed to score 7 goals in all competitions for The Gunners.

But then the midfielder started suffering from different injuries, which affected negatively his further career. From 2010 to 2015 Diaby managed to appear on only 32 occasions in The Premier League for Arsenal. The midfielder first had an ankle injury. Then he was suffering from a calf muscle strain. But his most crucial injury was in 2013 when he had an ACL knee ligament injury, which made him be out of the pitch for more than a year.

Now, Abou Diaby is in Marseille, but his old injuries are still following him. He took part in just 2 matches in The Ligue One this season.

France’s Kevin Gameiro celebrates scoring during his team’s friendly international soccer match against Ukraine in Donetsk June 6, 2011. REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin[/caption]Kevin Gameiro started his professional career in Strasbourg. At the end of the 2005/06 season, Strasbourg relegated to the Ligue 2. Gameiro scored just 1 goal in his first season, but in the next campaign the striker scored 3 goals in 16 matches, helping his team return to the top division of French football.

After these two seasons, Kevin Gameiro developed as a forward and found the net on 6 occasions in the 2007/08 season, but despite his good performance Strasbourg relegated again. The team took 19th place in the championship. However, Gameiro had already been too good for Le Racing.

Then, Lorient paid €3m. for the French striker. In his first season at Lorient, Gameiro scored 11 goals in The Ligue 1 and helped his new team achieve its best result at that time in its history – 10th place in the standings.

The next season was even more successful for Lorient, as they finished in 7th. Kevin Gameiro scored 17 goals and finished as the second best scorer in The Ligue 1, only 1 goal from behind Niang of Marseille. Gameiro scored a goal against Lyon in the Coupe de la Liga quarterfinals and helped his team knock out the Kids out of the competition. Another memorable moment of Gameiro’s career at Lorient was the 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes.

The next chapter of Gameiro’s career was exactly in Paris Saint-Germain. The Parisians paid about €11m. for the goal-scoring machine. Paris Saint-Germain finished in 2nd position in The Ligue 1 in Gameiro’s debut season in Paris. But, just a year later he lifted the most prestigious trophy in France.
To continue; the French attacker was sold to Sevilla, which was great for his development as a player. This is the third season for the forward at the club and he has already won The Europa League on two occasions. His team qualified again for the semi-finals of the competition. Kevin Gameiro has already scored over 60 goals for Sevilla in all competitions.

Gameiro’s great skills won him 8 caps for the French national team in the period between 2010 and 2012. He has also scored a goal for France in the friendly game against Ukraine in 2011. However, the forward is in very good shape and should be considered to be included in the squad for Euro 2016 by the manager Didier Deschamps.

To conclude; Kevin Gameiro has great finishing skills. His main quality is his speed and fast pace. He also has great positioning on the pitch and that’s why he is so effective.

French team Rennes has always been one of the clubs known as full of talented young players. Although in recent years the reputation of their football academy has lost some of its lustre.

This season the 18-year-old Ousmane Dembele has shown his real talent. Some of the biggest clubs in the world have shown great interest in the forward. After three goals against Nantes, he scored in the derby match against Olympique Marseille. In the last round he scored against Reims.

The young Frenchman resembles the style of Neymar in Barcelona. In this campaign Dembele has scored 12 goals and has made 5 assists in 20 games. Another important statistic shows one of the highest rates of successful dribbling per game in the French Ligue 1 – 4.5 per game on average.

Ousmane Dembele was born in 1997. The attacker made his debut in the Ligue 1 in November. He showed amazing confidence and faith in his own qualities.

“I always try to please the fans, but now must focus on my team work,” the forward said. “It’s amazing what I’ve done so far, but it is not enough to become a legendary player,” concluded the young man.

Dembele feels comfortable when dribbling. He has good pace and is very fast. The Frenchman is compared with the Brazilian Neymar.

“Give him space and he will punish you. The only way to stop is if Dembele is to give him no free spaces,” commented French specialists.

“He can win the Ballon d’Or. I saw Cristiano Ronaldo at the same age at Manchester United. Ousmane has similar characteristics, that reminds me of a young Ronaldo,” said the former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.

The youngster has recorded 2 appearances for French national team U21. He has scored 4 goals in 8 games for France U17.

After the great victory against Nantes (4-1), Rennes have recorded two consecutive victories over Marseille and Reims, and The Red and Blacks are now lying in the 4th place in the standings. Ousmane Dembele scored his first hat-trick exactly against Nantes and showed his great skills and pace.

In conclusion, the young forward is also very smart. “I mustn’t do redundant things on the pitch. I must be very effective. Because when I lose the ball, all the pressure is on my teammates. I hope I can improve my performance in the near future,” the forward said in an interview. For sure, the youngster can become one of the greatest players if he keeps developing his skills on the pitch.

Dave Whelan started his professional football career at Blackburn Rovers in 1956. His position was a fullback. Whelan took part in the FA Cup final in 1960 when his team lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-3, but he had his leg broken and a couple of months later was sold to Crewe Alexandra, where he spent several seasons before retiring from the professional football.
However, then Dave Whelan bought a grocery, which he later sold for more than £1,5 m. But he made his highest profit from the sports equipment business he ran (£190 m.).
The Englishman had his plan to develop a low-division club. So, he bought Wigan Athletic in 1995, when the team was in The Third Division. Whelan promised that he will take the club in The Premier League. Just a season later Wigan won a promotion, winning The Third Division title. In season 2002/2003 The Latics made another big step, promoting to The Championship. And 10 years after Whelan promised that Wigan will reach The Premier League, he managed to fulfil it. In the last round of season 2003/2004 The Latics beat Reading 3-1 and finished 2nd, promoting in The Premier League for the first time in their 73-year history.
The biggest success of Wigan Athletic was winning The FA Cup in 2013. The Latics showed great spirit, beating Everton in the quarterfinals and Millwall in the semi-finals. Ben Watson’s goal in the very last minute of the final match against Manchester City was enough for Wigan to lift the trophy for the first time in their history. Dave Whelan’s dream came true – after he lost the final in 1960.
Even though The Latics relegated at the end of the season, they reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive season in 2014. In addition, they took part in The Europa League group stage, where they achieved their first victory in the European tournaments (3-1 vs. Maribor).
However, Wigan Athletic are now lying in 2nd position in The League One and are close to their return in The Championship. And no matter they relegated to the third level of the English football, Dave Whelan proved he had the right strategy for running a football club. He showed that he is not just a successful businessman, but he has also a great understanding about the game.
At the age of 79, Dave Whelan is still the president of Wigan Athletic and has promised that the team will return to the attractive football. And the history has shown that when Whelan promises something, he fulfils it! At both ends, every single Wigan’s supporter should be proud of his favourite team, because it’s almost impossible nowadays to achieve such things in such a short period. Wigan Athletic will, for sure, return to The Premier League sooner or later. The only question is: ‘When?’.

David Seaman is one of the best English goalkeepers ever. He started his career in Leeds United (1981), but couldn’t find his way in the first team. That’s why he moved to Peterborough United, where he played for two seasons in English fourth division. As a young goalkeeper he needed a playing time and his good performance for Peterborough won him a move to a bigger team.
Birmingham City paid £100 k. for young Seaman, and the goalkeeper won a Promotion with The Blues in the same season. But his major successes came with Arsenal’s colours. After a 4-year stay at Queens Park Rangers, The Gunners paid £1.3 m. for the new English national goalkeeper. At Arsenal Seaman became 3-times Premier League champion and won The FA Cup on 4 occasions.
The goalkeeper ended his professional football career in 2004, after his last Premier League season at Manchester City. He won 75 caps for the English national team. The goalkeeper made his debut for The Three Lions in 1988. Seaman appeared in two European Championships (1996 and 2000) and two World Cups (1998 and 2002) for England.
David Seaman made more than a thousand appearances in his career. His thousand match will be remembered with a world class save against Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final game in 2003 at Old Trafford. Arsenal were 1-0 in front after Freddie Ljungberg’s goal, but Sheffield created a very dangerous situation in front of Arsenal’s goal in the 83rd minute. David Seaman made a dive and saved a header shot from less than two meters.
On the other hand, David Seaman has made some silly errors. He has been trolled for Niyam’s goal for Zaragoza in The UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup 1995. As a result of his error a song, called ‘The loneliness of the goalkeeper’ was included in the radio programme. He is also remembered with the error he made against Brazil in The FIFA World Cup 2002 quarter-final, when Ronaldinho scored from a free-kick from about 40 meters.
However, you just can’t play more than a thousand matches and never make a mistake! Despite, he has made such errors, David Seaman will remain one of the best English goalkeepers ever.

Of course you remember Paul Gascoigne playing… Who doesn’t. He was the midfield maestro. He was creative and hard-working player. He had a great technique and powerful shot. He could turn things around in every single game. And Gascoigne could have even a better career if he was more… maybe ‘pattern’ is the correct word.
Let’s take a look in the past and see what he has achieved. He scored 110 goals in 468 club matches, including the cup games. He has also won 57 caps for The Three Lions and has scored 10 goals for the English national team. Paul Gascoigne won the 4th place in FIFA World Cup 1990 with England and reached the semi-finals of the European Championship in 1996.
His biggest success at club stage is winning The FA Cup with Tottenham in 1991 and The Scottish Premier League (2) with Rangers. But how is possible, such a technically-gifted player like Gazza to win just a few major trophies? He revealed in his autobiographies that he has had a bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder and something well known (alcoholism). Gazza is also a very addictive person. He has several addictions, but I, personally, can’t decide which one is the worst…
With such a lifestyle, his days had become very difficult. He had a divorce with his wife Sheryl, after being married from 1996 to 1998.
On the other hand, his glory on the pitch made him the second most liked person in England in 1990. He signed an exclusive deal with ‘The Sun’ and established Paul Gascoigne Promotions, hiring a big number of staff to handle the requests.
It’s interesting that, he played last for Boston United in The League Two (2004), but he left the team because Boston’s chiefs didn’t allow him participate in the TV show ‘I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here!’
And finally, he decided to become a manager. The team he took was Kettering Town in 2005. The bookies were taking bets if he can stay till Christmas. And can you guess how long he stayed? 39 days! However, he wasn’t paid for his work, because, according to the boss, he was drunk all the time he worked.
Gazza had told that killer Raoul Moat was his brother in 2010. But, he did it after snorting 14 lines of cocaine. Can you imagine? 14 lines! And he is still alive!
So, what is the lesson? Play like Gazza, learn from him about football. But, please, don’t act like him outside the football pitch!

Denmark finished in the 2nd place in their qualifications group for Euro 1992 in Sweden, but Yugoslavia, which team won the first position (just 1 point in front of Denmark) and had to take part in the UEFA Euro 1992, was disqualified due to breakup and warfare and The Red Dynamite were invited for the tournament.
And Denmark started very well! The Red Dynamite drew 0-0 against England. They could even win the game, but the post denied Denmark’s forwards. Then, they lost their second match of group “A” against the host nation Sweden. The Blue-Yellow team won 1-0 and ensured their participation in the semi-finals. Brolin scored the only goal of the match in the 58th minute.
The third match of the Group “A” was the decisive for Denmark. The Red Dynamite had to play against France. Denmark needed a victory, in order to qualify and their eventual participation in the semi-finals was also possible if England loses against Sweden.
The Three Lions were defeated 1-2 by the hosts and Denmark recorded a great victory over France. So, the impossible scenario happened! Henrik Larsen and Lars Elstrup scored for Denmark, while Papin found the net for France.
Because of the less number of participants in the tournament (8 teams), the next phase was the semi-finals. Denmark had to play against Holland. The Dutch team was defending its European title from the 1988 European championship. But, The Red Dynamite surprised their opponent. Henrik Larsen scored twice in the first half and his team led 2-1 at the break. By the way, he has scored 5 goals in his international career, 3 of which were at Euro 1992. Rijkaard equalized late in the match and the game went on penalties. Larsen scored again from the spot, but Marko van Basten missed and Denmark were through!
No one has expected this, but the final was between Denmark and Germany. The Red Dynamite had nothing to lose and surprised the German side. The defensive midfielder John Jensen took a powerful shot and found the net in the 18th minute of the game. 1-0 for Denmark! Germany tried to equalize, but Klinsmann’s and Ridle’s efforts weren’t enough. Kim Vilfort’s shot reflected off the post and went into the net for 2-0, about 10 minutes before the final whistle. So, that’s the way Denmark reached their only major trophy. It sounds like a romantic fairytale, but it’s true. Sometimes everything is possible!.

The year was 1996 and the football team of Nigeria headed for The Olympics in Atlanta. The expectations were that Brazil or Argentina will win the tournament. And that was normal, because players like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Bebeto, Crespo, Ortega and so on were among the participants in the prestigious tournament.
The Nigerian footballers started well and beat 1-0 Hungary in their first group game. Nwankwo Kanu scored beautiful goal after one-two passing just before the half time and that remained the only goal of the game. Two days later, on 23rd July 1996, The Super Eagles met Japan, which team was their main concurrent for taking a place in the quarter finals. Nigeria eventually won 2-0 after late goals, scored by Babangida and Okocha.
After already being qualified for the next round, Nigeria lost 1-0 to Brazil, after Ronaldo’s goal in the 30th minute of the match. In the quarter finals, the Nigerians recorded a confident 2-0 victory over Mexico and had to play again against Brazil, this time in the semi-finals.
And that was the Super Eagles’ first real test. They were 1-3 down, when 12 minutes before the final whistle Ikpeba found the net. Then, in the very last second of the match Kanu equalized 3-3! The ex Arsenal’s forward was lucky to score a golden goal in the 94th minute and sent Nigeria in the final.
The final game was even more dramatic. Nigeria was 2-1 down to Argentina. The minute was 74th. Amokachi scored! 2-2! Could you believe it? Then, in the 90th minute Argentinian defence tried to put Nigerian forwards in the offside trap, but the linesman didn’t mark the offside and Amuneke scored the winning goal. Nigeria became the new Olympic champion!
4 years later, in 2000, Cameroon were among the participants in the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The Indomitable Lions had the same difficult task. After proceeding from their group, they beat 2-1 Brazil in the quarter finals with golden goal, scored by M’Bami in the 114th minute. Then, Cameroon were lucky to win against Chile in the semi-finals. Ivan Zamorano and his teammates missed tons of clear goal-scoring chances and eventually were punished by Mboma and Lauren, who turned things around and secured the victory for The Lions.
In the final, Cameroon were 2-0 down to Spain, but in the second half the referee sent off two of the Spanish players and The Lions were back in the match after Amaya’s own goal and Etoó’s equalizer. The match went to penalties and it was definitely not Amaya’s day, who hit the woodwork and sent the trophy to Cameroon.
So, these two tournaments are the example that everything is possible in football. Even if the weakest team is meeting the strongest…

Alessandria are currently playing at Lega Pro A, which is a part of the third level of the Italian football. The Greys are playing well in the third division, having collected 35 points of 19 matches. But the most impressive thing about the club is that Alessandria went to the semi-finals of The Coppa Italia, and are still not eliminated! The third-division club still has its chances to qualify for the final, even though Alessandria lost the first leg of the semi-final 0-1 to Milan.
But how did Alessandria progress to the semi-finals in the tournament? The Greys started from the very first round of The Coppa Italia. They had to play against the Seria D side – Alto Vicentino (fifth division). Alessandria had no troubles, beating 2-0 the team from a lower division. 24-year-old Manuel Fischnaller opened the scoresheet in the 3rd minute of the game. Then in the 7th minute, Loviso doubled their lead.
Just a week later, Alessandria had to visit Pro Vercelli (Seria B) in the second round of the tournament. That was the first real test for the Angelo Gregucci’s lads. And again Fischnaller found the net for The Greys in the first half of the game. Pro Vercelli equalized by Ardizzone in the 36th minute, but Mezavilla bagged a goal for Alessandria 30 minutes before the final whistle.
Then, Alessandria beat 1-0 Juve Stabia at home. Loviso scored the only goal of the game. And that was the easiest part of the task for The Greys. In the fourth round they had to visit the Seria A side Palermo. Everybody believed that Alessandria can’t win the match, but the coach Gregucci didn’t think so. Loviso scored from the penalty spot early in the game to give Alessandria lead. Then Marconi and Nicco scored and surprised Palermo at Stadio Renzo Barbera.
The Greys visited Genoa in the 8th finals of the Cup. And the Seria A side were lucky to reach the extra time of the game, after equalizing in the last seconds of the match. But, in the 114th minute the substitute Bocalon, who is ex Inter Player, found the net after sensational one-two passing. If you think that’s a dramatic match, you will have to hear about the quarter final against Spezia (away). The host team took the lead in the 20th minute and Bocalon had to come from the bench again to help his teammates. He stepped on the field in the 70th minute and 13 minutes later he scored! Then he did it again in the very last seconds of the match.
In the first leg of the semi-finals Alessandria lost 0-1 to Milan at home, but The Greys should have lost by more goals, so they still have their chances to go through the final match. If Milan underestimate them, Alessandria will surely knock out The Rossoneri.

Liverpool are the most successful club in the history of The English League Cup. The Reds have won the trophy on 8 occasions and have become runners-up three times. Now, they will have the chance to take part in The Capital One Cup’s final for 12th time.
The Merseysiders became the first finalist in The Capital One Cup. Jurgen Klopp’s players won the first leg 1-0 against Stoke at Britannia Stadium, but lost with the same score at Anfield and had to beat The Potters on penalties, in order to qualify for the final match at Wembley. The Reds were lucky to win 6-5 against Stoke on penalties. The hero for Liverpool became the Belgian goalkeeper Mignolet, who saved two shots from the spot. Peter Crouch and Marc Muniesa missed for Stoke.
The only goal in the match at Anfield was scored by Marko Arnautovic in the last minute of the first half. The goal had to be disallowed, because the Austrian forward was in offside position, but the linesman couldn’t see this and Stoke opened in the 45th minute.
Liverpool pressured Stoke in the beginning of the second half. Roberto Firmino had a great chance to score, but his shot deflected off the post. Marko Arnautovic missed a great opportunity for Stoke. He was unlucky to see his shot from a long distance went just wide.
Mamadou Sakho missed with a header later in the match, while Benteke hindered his teammate Flanagan to score in the 75th minute of the game.
Stoke were very close to achieve the victory in the extra time, but Marko van Ginkel was denied by the post. This led to the penalty shootout. Peter Crouch missed first for Stoke City. Then, Emre Can of Liverpool did the same thing. The seventh penalty for Stoke was hit by Marc Muniesa and Mignolet showed a great reflex, saving his shot. The decisive penalty was taken by Joe Allen, who sent Jack Butland in the wrong way and qualified Liverpool for the final.
The Reds will play against Manchester City or Everton in the final. Both City and The Toffees will play tonight at the other semi-final match. The score from the first leg was 2-1 in favour of Everton. So, The Citizens will have to give their best in order to qualify for the final. Neither Manchester City, nor Everton have met Liverpool in a Capital One Cup final so far, so it will be a very interesting match no matter which team qualifies.

Alan Shearer was a complete footballer. He wasn’t just a striker he was the team inspirer and the team leader! He had an eye for the goal and excellent positioning on the pitch, solid physics, powerful shot and great technical skills.
He started his career at Southampton FC in 1988. He made his debut at age of 17 in the home game against Arsenal at The St. Mary’s Stadium and bagged a hat-trick, becoming the youngest striker to score three goals in an English First Division game. He played in 118 games and scored 23 goals for The Saints until 1992 when he was bought by Blackburn.
Shearer scored 112 league goals in 138 games for Rovers. His biggest success at Blackburn was the Premier League title in season 1994/95. Shearer found the net on 34 occasions of 42 games. That was his best period in The English Premiership. He scored more than 30 goals in three season in a row. Then, in 1996 he moved to Newcastle United, where he played until the end of his career in 2006. The attacker appeared in 303 league matches and found the net on 148 occasions. He helped The Magpies pass their first group in The Champions League (season 2002/03), but the club was eventually eliminated in the second group stage.
He became Premier League runner-up with The Magpies in season 1996/97 and reached The FA Cup final twice, but couldn’t win the trophy.
For the English national team, he debuted in 1992 against France (even scored a goal) and played until 2000. Alan Shearer scored 30 goals in 63 games for The Three Lions. The striker holds the record for the biggest number of goals scored in the Premier League (260). He took part in three major international competitions (Euro 1996 and 2000 and FIFA World Cup 1998). Shearer helped England to reach the semi-finals of The Euro 1996 and became the tournament’s top goal-scorer with 5 goals.
The legendary striker has many individual prizes. He won The UEFA Euro Golden Boot in 1996, Premier League Player of the season (1995) and many other.
He retired from the professional football in 2006 at the age of 36. In 2009 Shearer was a temporary manager of his ex club Newcastle, but The Magpies relegated at the end of the season. Now, Alan Shearer is working for BBC.

Liverpool and Arsenal showed a great performance, finishing with a 3-3 draw at Anfield in the big derby match of the 21st round of The Premier League. The hosts played very well in the first half in which they took the lead twice after goals scored by Roberto Firmino (10′ and 19′), but serious mistakes in their defence gave a chance to Arsenal to equalize. Aaron Ramsey (14′) and Olivier Giroud (25′) were the goal-scorers for The Gunners. The Frenchman made a complete turnaround in the 55th minute, but the Liverpool’s pressure brought them an equalizing goal in the 90th minute of the match. Its author was the substitute Joe Allen.
Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho started in the centre of the Liverpool defence, while Reds’ new signing Steven Caulker, who was bought yesterday, sat on the bench. Roberto Firmino started in the centre of Liverpool’s attack and was supported by Jordan Ibe and Adam Lallana who were the wingers. Only one change was made in the squad was made by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger – Joel Campbell started instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The home side went into the match on a very high speed and attacked their opponent from the very first minute. In the tenth minute Emre Can’s shot was tipped by Cech, but the ball came to Firmino, whose shot passed through the legs of Kosielny found the net. Cech had no time for reaction – 1-0. But Arsenal equalized in their next attack. Giroud headed off to Campbell, who passed through to Ramsey. The Welshman shot in the right corner, taking an advantage of poor placement of Mignolet – 1-1. Five minutes later, again Firmino put Liverpool in front after a superb strike from about 22 meters.
The match continued in the same furious pace and in the 25th minute Sakho cleared off the goal-line. Arsenal took a corner, after which Giroud equalized again.
In the first minutes of the second part Moreno missed a good opportunity for Liverpool. Walcott’s shot went just wide as a response from Arsenal. In the 55th minute the visitors came to a complete turnaround. Campbell again found Giroud in the box, and the Frenchman turned with the ball and scored his second of the match – 2-3. Liverpool looked for the equalizer until the end of the game. Ibe and Lallana tried their luck, but in both cases Mertesacker blocked them.
In the 90th minute of the match Liverpool scored a goal. Benteke headed off a cross from Henderson and Joe Allen’s shot from a volley sent the ball in the net for the final 3-3.
Arsenal remains on the first position in the standings, but the Gunners have collected the same number of points as Leicester – 43. Liverpool are lying in the ninth place with 31 points.

Diego Costa showed again what he is capable of (in a negative way again). We all know that the Spaniard is a man who doesn’t hesitate to show what he thinks and feels. Diego Costa has always let his nerves interfere his great skills.
This time, his teammate Oscar wasn’t at the right place and Costa showed him how to make a cruel tackle in the opponent’s leg. And it was just a training game between Chelsea’s players – can you imagine what would have happened if it was a competitive match? That’s the perfect way to start a training session, isn’t it?
In fact, Oscar made the first tackle in Diego’s legs, but it wasn’t so crucial to harm Spaniard’s legs. But Costa was so angry with the Brazilian that he felt a necessity to kick the midfielder.
That’s another serious scandal which is marking Chelsea’s poor season. After the tackles, the players were so angry that they started to offend each other. I remind you that this was a training match at The Blues’ base in Cobham before their next match against Scunthorpe on Sunday in the third round of The FA Cup. Oscar was slightly injured after Diego Costa’s tackle.
At both ends, Diego Costa and Oscar talked calmly after the training session and left the pitch together. But don’t wonder if you don’t see them playing together against Scunthorpe on Sunday.
This is not the first time the Spaniard does such things. We all know that he is very violent on the pitch, as he is often shown yellow cards by the referees and is also frequently banned for his unacceptable behaviour.
Diego Costa was removed from the Blues’ starting eleven by the former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, but the striker was backed by Guus Hiddink and the Spaniard scored two goals in the last three games of the team. The reason for this improvement is because Hiddink uses Costa as a centre forward, while Mourinho made him play much time on the left flank and far away from the box.
The Spanish striker is now Chelsea’s top Premier League goal-scorer with 6 goals in 16 appearances. He has also scored once in The Champions League this season. He finished the last season with 20 goals, becoming the third best scorer in the league. So, except for his occasional violent behaviour, the attacker has an eye of a goal-scoring machine.

№3 Frank Lampard

Frankie Lampard is one of the best English football players ever. He made his name as a Chelsea’s midfielder and his most important success is winning The Champions League in 2011/12 season. Lampard started his career at West Ham and played for The Hammers until 2001 when was bought by The Blues for £11 m. The midfielder spent 13 years in Chelsea and won The Premier League (3), The FA Cup (4) and The Capital One Cup (twice). Then he moved to Manchester City, where he played for a season. At the moment, Lampard is at New York City. For the English national team Frankie appeared on 106 occasions and scored the amazing number of 29 goals. He recorded that in the period between 1999 and 2014. Lampard took part in 3 World Cups and 2 European Championships.

№2 Steven Gerrard

The former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is one of the most passionate English midfielders in the history of football. He has scored 188 goals in 719 appearances at club level. Gerrard has also won 114 caps for England and he has scored 21 goals for The Three Lions. The midfielder won a treble with Liverpool in 2001 when The Merseysiders won The UEFA Cup, The UEFA Super Cup and The Football League Cup. His best record is winning the Champions League title in 2005 when Liverpool won on penalties against AC Milan. The only thing he can feel sorry about in his career is the missed opportunity of becoming a Premier League champion with Liverpool. The Reds finished in second place on 3 occasions with Gerrard in their squad. Currently the midfielder is a part of Los Angeles Galaxy.

№1 Paul Scholes

It is difficult to define which was the best part of Paul Scholes playing style. His has a trademark in long passing. Most of his goals were with powerful shots outside the box. Scholes was also very brave in defence and he didn’t hesitate to jump into a tackle. The midfielder scored over 100 Premiership goals for Manchester United, the only club he played for! The Englishman won absolutely everything with The Red Devils. He has won The Premier League eleven times! He has also won The FA Cup (3), The Capital One Cup (2), The Community Shield (5), The Champions League (2), The Intercontinental Cup (1) and The FIFA Club World Cup (1). Scholes made his international debut in 1997 in a friendly match against South Africa. Then he took part in World Cup 1998 and 2002. He has also played in Euro 2000 and 2004, when he suddenly decided to end his international career.

The Ivorian clinical striker Didier Drogba decided to retire from the professional football. He took this difficult decision, because he wants to return in his favourite club Chelsea as a coach. Drogba has already informed Montreal’s bosses of his intentions. He won’t start the new season in The MLS, but the Canadian club will receive a compensation from Chelsea for the termination of his contract, which is up to 2017.
37-year-old Drogba has achieved great things since his first match for the French team Le Mans in 1998. The striker is described as a late bloomer, because he started to play professionally at the age of 21. This is because of his complicated family life. He has never attended a football academy and that’s why he has found it difficult to cope with the training sessions of his team in the very beginning of his career.
After being bought by Guingamp in 2002, the young striker made 11 appearances and scored 3 goals, helping his new team avoid relegation. He wasn’t that impressive as a player, but received another chance from Guingamp’s bosses and in season 2002/2003 scored 17 goals in 34 appearances, providing his team 7th position in the standings (a record for the club).
He was spotted by Marseille and Les Phoceens bought him for £3.3 m. Didier Drogba found the net on 19 occasions in The French League 1 and played his first big final – in The Uefa Cup, but Marseille lost 2-0 to Valencia and became a runner-up.
Shortly after Drogba’s phenomenal performance, the Ivorian was bought by Chelsea. The Londoners paid £24 m. for the services of the goal-scoring machine. He played for The Blues until 2012. Then, Drogba returned to Chelsea in 2014. The striker scored 164 goals in 381 matches for The Londoners and became one of the team’s legends. While he was at Stamford Bridge, he managed to win The Premier League (4 times), The FA Cup (4), The Capital One Cup (3), Community Shield (2) and The Champions League (1).
Drogba has also won The Turkish Super League, Cup and Super Cup when he was at Galatasaray. The Ivorian has scored 275 goals in 636 professional games at club level. For the national team of Cote D’Ivoire Didier Drogba has found the net on 65 occasions in 104 matches. He couldn’t help his nation to win The African Nations Cup, becoming a runner-up twice.
Now, 37-year-old Drogba is going to return to his real home Stamford Bridge. But this time he won’t wear his favourite shirt with number 11 at his back, but will be on the bench next to the manager Guus Hiddink.

It was simply inevitable. Jose Mourinho was dismissed as manager of Chelsea after a run of unsatisfying results and the statement of the Portuguese at the beginning of the week, in which he said he felt betrayed by some of his star players. The way, Mourinho was sacked is very interesting. According to a British media, The Special One was fired shortly after the team’s Christmas lunch, which the coaching staff and the players of the club have organized traditional base in Cobham. The mood among the players was very good, but, however, the situation with the manager wasn’t the same, who after the defeat to Leicester on Monday night has been pretty grim.

Shortly after the lunch, when the players have already begun to leave the base, there arrived the owner – Roman Abramovich and the board members. This has been noticed by one of the players, who hasn’t left yet. The player has immediately sent a message to the rest of his teammates. So, at that moment, all have been waiting for the big news. The meeting between the bosses, which was the third this week, ended only for about five minutes. Then, Mourinho was invited to a conversation with Abramovich, the president Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum. This meeting lasted 10 minutes and the bosses informed Mourinho of their final decision. Of course, that the Portuguese was already aware of his fate, since for several weeks, lawyers and Chelsea Manager agent – Jorge Mendes, have held discussions regarding the termination of the contract and the amount of compensation. However, The Special One hoped to get another chance, because of the easy program, according to which in the next two rounds of The Premier League Chelsea will host Sunderland and Watford and two victories would have improved his chances to stay.

The board, however, was not on this opinion, as evidenced by the statement of the Technical director of the club – Michael Emenalo: “Although we have huge admiration to the man, who has done so much for the club, we must acknowledge the fact that Chelsea is in trouble. The results are not good, and it looks there are tangible differences between the players and the manager, so it’s time for action. The owner was forced to take this difficult decision for the good of the club.”

It is expected that in the near future, Chelsea will officially announce that Guus Hiddink will lead the team until the end of the season. The strange thing is that this news has been confirmed by a surprising source – the official “Twitter” account of the Australian Football Federation, where Hiddink works. The “Kangaroos” rushed to greet the Dutchman for his new post and wish him all the best, although his appointment is not confirmed by Chelsea.

Southampton and West Ham have already been knocked out of The Europa League. The Saints lost 1-0 to Midtjylland which defeat costed them elimination from the tournament. The Hammers were defeated 3-4 on aggregate by Romanian Astra in the third preliminary round and finished with their participation.

Another two English teams (Liverpool and Tottenham) are competing in second best European club tournament – The Europa League. Both teams have won the Cup before. Actually, Tottenham is the first team to win this tournament in 1972 when The Spurs won 3-2 on aggregate the final against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Except this trophy, Tottenham have won The UEFA Cup in 1984. Another significant campaign for The Spurs was 1974 when they lost the final 2-4 to Feyenoord.

Liverpool are one title away from Sevilla’s record of 4 Europa League trophies. The Reds have won the Cup three times in their history. The last time they did it was in 2001 when in a memory match Liverpool beat 5-4 Spanish Alaves after extra time.

If this tournament has been underestimated by the bigger clubs so far; now the things have dramatically changed. The Europa League holder is given the right to take part in the group stage of The Champions League; so this is an extra reason for the clubs to fight for the trophy.

Spurs’ manager, Pochettino knows that it is almost impossible to finish in top 4 in the standings of The Premier League and this cup seems to be his chance to qualify for The Champions League. Tottenham started well, beating Qarabag by 3-1 at White Hart Lane. Even though they will have to play against Monaco and Anderlecht, in my opinion, they won’t have difficulties in qualifying for the next stage of the tournament and if they are lucky enough not to play against Borussia Dortmund, a team in a great form, they will have big chances to win the trophy.

On the other hand, Liverpool will also struggle in qualifying for The Champions League. The Reds will hardly reach the fourth place in the standings of The Premier League, because they will get ahead of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City; and it looks like the fifth place is most appropriate to Liverpool.

Liverpool won a point from the first match of the group stage, drawing 1-1 against Bordeaux. The other two Reds’ opponents in the group are Sion and Rubin Kazan. It doesn’t seem impossible, does it?

In conclusion, it looks like both English participants in The Europa League have serious chances in achieving the trophy. Now, there is no more underestimating; so surely Liverpool and Tottenham will give their best in the competition. Of course, a little piece of luck is needed when the lots is going to be drawn but this is not the most important thing. The most important fact is that both clubs have enough quality players in their squads and will be interesting to be seen how far they can reach in the cup.