Posts Tagged ‘Europe’

Novelty T-Shirts: Bobby Charlton Signed Manchester United 1968 European Cup Final Shirt

This fantastic Manchester United replica 1968 European Cup final shirt was personally signed by Sir Bobby Charlton in a private signing session.It commemorates the famous night that United swept aside Benfica 4-1 at Wembley to become the first English side to conquer Europe. Charlton scored twice as United completed their amazing resurrection from the Munich air disaster ten years before.This shirt is a superb collectors' item for any fan of Manchester United. We recommend framing the shirt to enhance and protect its value.The shirt comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Price: GBP 149.99

Please click here to order Bobby Charlton Signed Manchester United 1968 European Cup Final Shirt Now

That Valencia striker David Villa is a sought after player comes as a surprise to no-one. Barcelona seems to be the obvious choice for the 27 year old and the club has admitted to having had negotiations with Valencia and even placing a bid for him. Valencia on the other hand, would of course hate to loose a player as important as Villa but it is worth keeping in mind that the club battled serious financial problems during the last season and there were rumors about the club selling a large amount of players just to cover up for their debts. It’s probably safe to say that Valencia was hoping that Villa would be one of the hottest players on the transfer market this summer and that several clubs all over Europe would be trying to outbid each other in order to get him. Unfortunately for Valencia, this is not exactly what happened. Only Real Madrid were interested up until a while ago and made two offers that were to be taken seriously, out of which Valencia ended up turning both down. Interest in Villa outside of Spain has been almost non existent and several sales seem to have been put on hold after the record breaking transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, so if Villa is to be sold anywhere, it is likely that it will be within Spain. Real Madrid is still said to be interested in Villa but after the huge sums that Real has already spent on the likes of Cristiano Ronald and Kaka it appears as though Valencia is not content on settling for much less. Therefore, a Villa move to Real Madrid seems quite unlikely at this point, particularly as Real has only recently signed the Frenchman from Lyon, Karim Benzema, who plays in the same position as Villa. Villa as one of the F.C. Barcelona signings could be highly beneficial to both parties: for Villa because of the opportunity to play alongside the finest in the world and the chance to win domestic and international titles – an unlikely reality for the now financially challenged Valencia, but also just as important for Barca, which with the potential signing of Villa will gain a top form striker at the peak of his career. In fact, such transfer could ultimately prove to be crucial for Barca in the rather likely event that Samuel Eto’o does end up leaving the club (rumors have already linked the striker with almost half of the Premier League sides) and/or that Thierry Henry suffers from injuries or a drop in form, as a result of his age. Therefore it should not surprise anyone if in the next few days we should learn that David Villa has become the newest of the F.C. Barcelona signings.

Buying a pair of football/soccer boots or cleats is not as simple as it used to be. With the advances of technology within the game as a whole, football boots or cleats as some may call them are a huge part of the game, and having the best pair on your feet is paramount to playing well through confidence.

Now one of the leading contenders within the football boot market is of course NIKE, and with their power comes the Nike Vapors, but is their leading range of Nike Vapor Football Boots the best on the market?

If you are a keen footballer then you know all about the Nike vapors. Either by previous football boot shopping or from seeing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba light up the blades of grass all over Europe with them. So as they are popular amongst the stars, they must be the best, right?

Well, Nike do hold the title of actually producing the lightest football boot ever to date, with the Nike Vapor Superfly but they have come under scrutiny recently with one of them tearing up on the foot of Didier Drogba in game. So, although the vapor boots hold the title of being the lightest, they do have their down points!

They are of course built with the leading eye on SPEED but there are other boots on the market that can rival Nike vapor football boots, so too say they are the best would be something of a blind statement. They do hold their own technology advances and having one of the best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo leading the charge with them, they are worth taking a second look at when football boot shopping for yourself!

This week Champions League semifinal matches ended with the outcome as what I have expected but the games were far from boring and predictable. Man Utd and Barcelona will meet in Rome later this month to decide who will be crown with the title of Champion of Europe this season. Both semifinal games were full of drama, suspense and magnificent goals.Here are some of the highlighted of both games.Arsenal lost at home to Man Utd 1-3, Man Utd qualify for final 4-1 on aggregate.After Park Ji Sung scored the first goal, Arsenal found themselves in a more difficult situation. They need to score twice and prevent United from scoring further goal for them to go through to the final. Man Utd have the game firmly in control, taking on Arsenal on the break. By the time Cristiano Ronaldo scored United second goal from a stunning 40-yard free-kick, it was not in any doubt that which team will qualify for the final.Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second goals in the 61st-minute to make it 3-0 for United. The only setback for Man Utd was the sending off of Daren Fletcher after a foul on Ces Frabregas in the penalty box. The referee awarded Arsenal a penalty and send off Fletcher in the process. Robin Van Persi restores some pride to the home team by scoring the penalty. But it proves too little to late for an Arsenal comeback.Chelsea draw with Barcelona 1-1, Barcelona qualify for final on away goals rule (1-1 on aggregate)The second semifinal was full of twist and drama. Chelse was on the brink to qualify for the final for the second successive season. But a strike from Andrea Inesta deep into the injury time knocked Chelsea out of the final in the cruellest of fashions.Chelsea was denied 4-penalty by Norwegian referee, Tom Henning Ovrebro. Chelsea player confronted Tom Ovrebro furiously after the game and look likely to be punished by UEFA for the manner of the confrontation.Michael Essien has given Chelsea the lead on the 9th-minute with a stunning volley. After the sending off of Eric Abidal in the 66 minutes, Chelsea look set to set up a repeat of last year Champions League Final with Man Utd. However, ten-men Barcelona managed to snatch a goal on the 93rd-minute to knock Chelsea out in the cruellest fashions.Barcelona should be given credit for their performance over the two-leg semifinal. In the second game, ten-men Bracelona actually maintained a 71% ball possession compare to Chelsea 29%. Even though Barcelona was fortunate from some of the referee’s decisions, we have to praised their never say die attitude. Chelsea failure to score the all important second goal cost them dearly. Barcelona and Manchester United will meet on May 27 in a much anticipated game of the season. Everyone is looking forward for the battle of supremacy for the best player in the world between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Premiership is the richest league in the world at the moment and for a few years it was where the top players in the world were being attracted to. However with the return or the Galacticos mentality at Real Madrid we appear to be witnessing a shift in power once again, with Spain being the attractive league for most of the top names in world football at the moment. The Premiership teams have dominated the Champions League in recent years with Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal all reaching the later stages of the competition on a regular basis, but it was Barcelona who triumphed over Man Utd this year to take the title and with both Real Madrid and Barcelona continuing to strengthen Spain could be set to restart their domination. The top teams in Europe are always big shirt sellers but as a result of the quality of players moving to the Premiership we had seen a rise in the number of Premiership shirts sold in comparison to other leagues, however his is expected to change due to the number of top names signing for Real Madrid in particular. The signing’s of Benzema, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo alone are huge shirt sellers with Cristiano Ronaldo selling 3000 shirts in the club store in the first two hours. La Liga shirts have already taken a good lead as the Premiership trail behind in the signing of top quality players. There are a number of top players linked with moves to England so there is still a possibility that the Premiership shirts will make a resurgence but at the moment La Liga shirt sales are way out in front. The loss of the Cristiano Ronaldo from the Premiership will in itself make the sales of shirts go down and because of his world record price tag he immediately becomes a fans favorite. His signing has completely overshadowed the signing of Kaka who in comparison to Ronaldo only sold 800 shirts in his first day whilst Ronaldo sold 3000 in the first two hours and the club shop sold out by the end of the day. With more big names expected to arrive in Spain from the Premiership and beyond the number of La Liga shirts that are expected to sell is considerable with supply likely to struggle with the considerable increase in demand. This will be intensified further can follow up their big spending with trophies this season. The most popular La Liga football shirts, other than Real Madrid and Barcelona, depends on which teams qualify for the either the Champions League or the Europa League. Teams that are regular big sellers are the likes Atletico Madrid, Villareal and Valencia . Another aspect of these teams is that they all have top players playing the club, so often the sale of their shirts is not because of their on pitch performance but their star player. As the start of the season fast approaches it is certain that lots of transfer activity has still to come, especially from the Premiership where everything has been quiet so far. At the moment the Spanish La Liga football shirts are far out selling their Premiership rivals but with top names such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Franck Ribery, Luis Fabiano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all being linked with possible moves to the Premiership then there is a long way to go to see whish countries shirts will be the biggest sellers for this year, but with Real Madrid looking far from finished in their spending then La Liga shirts are certainly the ones leading the way at the moment.

The Premiership is the richest league in the world at the moment and for a few years it was where the top players in the world were being attracted to. However with the return or the Galacticos mentality at Real Madrid we appear to be witnessing a shift in power once again, with Spain being the attractive league for most of the top names in world football at the moment.  The Premiership teams have dominated the Champions League in recent years with Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal all reaching the later stages of the competition on a regular basis, but it was Barcelona who triumphed over Man utd this year to take the title and with both Real Madrid and Barcelona continuing to strengthen Spain could be set to restart their domination.  The top teams in Europe are always big shirt sellers but as a result of the quality of players moving to the Premiership we had seen a rise in the number of Premiership shirts sold in comparison to other leagues, however his is expected to change due to the number of top names signing for Real Madrid in particular. The signing’s of Benzema  Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo alone are huge shirt sellers with Cristiano Ronaldo selling 3000 shirts in the club store in the first two hours.  La Liga football shirts have already taken a good lead as the Premiership trail behind in the signing of top quality players. There are a number of top players linked with moves to England so there is still a possibility that the Premiership shirts will make a resurgence but at the moment La Liga shirt sales are way out in front.  The loss of the Cristiano Ronaldo from the Premiership will in itself make the sales of shirts go down and because of his world record price tag he immediately becomes a fans favorite. His signing has completely overshadowed the signing of Kaka who in comparison to Ronaldo only sold 800 shirts in his first day whilst Ronaldo sold 3000 in the first two hours and the club shop sold out by the end of the day.  With more big names expected to arrive in Spain from the Premiership and beyond the number of La Liga shirts that are expected to sell is considerable with supply likely to struggle with the considerable increase in demand. This will be intensified further can follow up their big spending with trophies this season.  The most popular La Liga football shirts, other than Real Madrid and Barcelona, depends on which teams qualify for the either the Champions League or the Europa League. Teams that are regular big sellers are the likes Atletico Madrid, Villareal and Valencia . Another aspect of these teams is that they all have top players playing the club, so often the sale of their shirts is not because of their on pitch performance but their star player.  As the start of the season fast approaches it is certain that lots of transfer activity has still to come, especially from the Premiership where everything has been quiet so far. At the moment the Spanish La Liga football shirts are far out selling their Premiership rivals but with top names such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Franck Ribery, Luis Fabiano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all being linked with possible moves to the Premiership then there is a long way to go to see whish countries shirts will be the biggest sellers for this year, but with Real Madrid looking far from finished in their spending then La Liga shirts are certainly the ones leading the way at the moment.

You can get all the great names printed in the excat font on football shirts from www.premiershirtsdirect.co.uk at a great prices with uk delivery

There are many ways in which men can get away with playing with their balls, much to the chagrin of wives and girlfriends, and one of them is when they’re playing football. Football, more commonly known as soccer in the United States, has taken most of the world by storm – from being one of Europe’s, South America’s, and Africa’s favorite pastime to being the latest craze in far east Asia and the United States.Win Big, Lose Small
Like every popular sport, football comes with its own gambling opportunities. It’s a way for fans to show their support, while adding to the already big thrill of the game.
Unlike the risk of high stakes gambling in casinos, however, football betting is relatively harmless enough – if done right. Indeed, if you are aiming for a big payout if your team wins or a painless defeat, you should get the best football betting tips.Leave No Rock Unturned
Football betting tips are easy enough to find. If you regularly a football league, you must already have an idea about the season’s odds, such as which team is doing well or performing poorly, which players are promising enough and have the potential to lead their team to victory, etc.
It also helps to read up on all the footballs write-ups you can get a hold of. By reading between the lines, you’ll inadvertently uncover some very important football betting tips.
Discuss the sport with enthusiasts like you. Because you all share the same passion for football, there are many things you can learn from each other. Before you know it, you’ll be picking up football betting tips by the buckets.
Lastly, go online. The Internet is a minefield of information, and football betting tips are just some of the many things you can find. You can search for websites dedicated to football and find the season’s statistics, which will help you determine the odds and probabilities of which team will emerge victorious from the field. You can read weblogs, or blogs, of individuals so well-versed in football speak that they’re giving out football betting tips. Also, don’t forget to visit forums where you can swap information and football betting tips with other football fans.
Indeed, there’s always a place to find football betting tips. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look.Bet Right
It’s one thing to don your favorite Manchester United, Liverpool, or Arsenal colors. It’s another to put your money on them when you have no idea if it will pay off or not.
Remember – don’t make any rash decisions about your money. Before you bet on a team, study the odds and learn from the football betting tips you’ve picked up. Betting right is always in your best interests, and once you’ve picked up that big, fat payout, you’ll know it was worth the effort in finding football betting tips. Just remember that the best tip you can always give yourself is to enjoy the game – win or lose.

Being a football fan is all about showing moral support, shouting at the telly, showing pride and wearing your teams colour.  Now fans are offered the chance to go on to the next level and not just support their club with pride but also help their much-loved football club financiall (without costing a penny) and build loyalty between you the fan and the football club.

This new incentive is the official football club credit card.  Many professional footballers, along with thousands of fans around the UK already own their own super cool football credit card and you can too – absolutely free!!  When you first apply for your football credit card, the credit card issuer, (most cards issued by MBNA Europe Bank Limited), makes an initial contribution to the football club for each account opened and used for the first time.  After that, every time you use your football club credit card to make a card purchase the football club recieves more valuable contribution based on the amount you spend.  Your club will continue to recieve financial contributions from the card issuer based on how often you use your football club credit card.  As you can imagine, this means a lot to the football clubs, and it won’t cost you a penny extra. These valuable contributions will go towards the football clubs Youth Development Academies, Schemes and Programmes.  This will help bring in young talented home grown players through the clubs youth teams into professional level.  You are in effect, helping to build the long term future of your favourite football club.

You can apply online and there is a wide range of football credit card from top UK football clubs. The Official Football Credit Cards are themed with each team’s colours and logo, there is now a football credit card available for almost every single Premiership Team, with more being introduced all the time.

All of these football credit cards feature introductory interest FREE offers on balance transfers and purchases and have APRs that rival those available on standard credit cards, making supporting your team in this way even more beneficial.  One of the major bonuses associated with football credit cards is the fantastic reward schemes that many football clubs offer their credit card holders as a means of thanking their fans for their support. The reward schemes available vary greatly between teams with some offering the opportunity to earn reward points each time you spend, while others offer discounts or cashback on season ticket purchases, interest bonuses based on your teams performance or run special ‘money can’t buy’ prize drawers for their card holders.

Take your support to the next level with the your football clubs credit card.  Apply now, don’t miss out.

The 24-year old Brazilian forward known as Robihno who plays for the Spaniard giant Real Madrid since mid 2005 has recently stated that he would like to consider the proposal made by the English Premier League team Chelsea before the start of this year’s new season.  Nevertheless, Robihno’s time to negotiate with his current team and the English one is about to expire as a decision has to be reached by the end of the weekend.

Robihno’s professional career began early in 2002 when he played for three consecutive years for the Brazilian team Santos totalling 44 goals in the 104 game participations. As of 2005 Robihno was transferred to the Real Madrid where he became an important part of the team’s success especially during the 2007-08 Liga Season when Real Madrid won the championship. 

In order for the footballer to be able to be part of Chelsea’s roster he will need to come to an agreement in terms of money with the Real Madrid as his contract is valid until 2010; the amount in question could be around 150m Euros  or 119m British Pounds.  It is well known the Brazilian has repeatedly stated his wish to play in England and leave the Spanish club as soon as possible. 

On the other hand, the Liga club has announced that “the Real Madrid would never want to retain a player against his wishes and as a result they have no alternative but to accept his unilateral decision to rescind his contract – if that is what the player wants.”

Two of the major reasons for Robihno’s discomfort and deep wish to leave the Real Madrid are the facts that he recently became aware the club was negotiating his sell to another club in order to gather all the required funds to buy Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract before the starting of the season and that he could not participate as part of his Brazilian National Squad neither help them as his request to participate in the Olympic Games was refused.

Chelsea’s coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was the first to contact Robihno during the first days of the month of August and to his surprise he received very positive feedback from the Brazilian forward and from that point on the transfer saga has become the daily news in the football world. It is very clear Robihno does not want to be part of the Real Madrid anymore and he should be able to freely move to another club where he feels his game and efforts are more appreciated.

There have been reports that Chelsea’s bid could be around 19m to 30m British Pounds to get Real Madrid’s permission release signed.  But now another issue has awaken which is to whether the Spaniard club should let go of the player or not, as the player is known for his exception skills and capability on the football field. The acquirement of Robihno would certainly be a gain for Chelsea as he will make an excellent pair with Deco who is already part of the Chelsea’s players list while for the Real Madrid will be an open spot – a very difficult to be replaced within only a few days time.

Earlier this week, an interesting precedent was set in soccer. And it didn’t happen in the big money spinning leagues of Europe, it look place in Australia’s A-League.
On the weekend, Brazilian player Fabiano, who plays for Melbourne Victory was sent off in disgrace for spitting at another player. And rightly so. Such action is not tolerable in society, let alone on the soccer pitch.
However, it’s what happened in the days following the game which set a new precedent. Following his sending off, Fabiano was made to face the league tribunal and at the end of the hearing, he was suspended for a total of 9 weeks. 8 weeks for spitting plus the mandatory 1 week for the red card.
9 weeks for spitting! And given the shortness of the A-League, it basically means that he misses nearly half the season. Not to mention, he’d just arrived in Australia to ply his trade here.
But it was justified. It was also time to take a stance on such despicable acts of dissent. There is no justification possible for spitting at someone else in a tolerant, well-educated society. Unless, we’re living in the stone ages or in warfare (which we are not), such acts cannot be tolerated.
This ruling serves as a lesson to not just Fabiano, but to other young players, especially those from Generation Y who have big egos and think they can dominate the world overnight. I wrote about this in a previous article in relation to Cristiano Ronaldo (”Cristiano Ronaldo: Victim or culprit?”)
However, some soccer critics do not agree with the harshness of the ban handed down to Fabiano. One of them, Jesse Fink, from the The World Game, thinks that it is harshly excessive in comparison with the bans handed down for tackles in rugby league.
But he shouldn’t be making comparisons with a completely different sport whose problems with dangerous tackles is a constant presence and whose levels of tolerance for such offences are very high. What he fails to understand is that the level of respect and conduct required by a soccer player is different from other sports, hence rendering any comparison meaningless and misguided.
Soccer must be played in the right spirit with the right attitude. It is imperative that authorities are able to control the actions of players that could bring the game into disrepute and damage the image of the game worldwide. For this reason, the A-League tribunal and Australian soccer bosses should be congratulated for being brave enough to stand up to such acts and punishing them accordingly.