Michel Platini was born 21st June 1955 in the tiny commune of Jœuf in north-east France. With a population of less than 8,000 today, it is hard to believe this little village, just an hours drive from Luxembourg, is the birthplace of one of the finest players ever to play the beautiful game. The 56 year-old has often been a controversial figure since his appointment head of UEFA in 2007, but the.

We reach the end of the road in our Serie A club previews for 2011-2012 with Udinese Calcio. Not as flash as big brother Juventus, our northerners from the Friuli–Venezia Giulia region do have an eye for young talent. But as Serie A Weekly writer Lorenzo Vicini points out, shame they couldn't keep at least one of their major transfers out this summer for Champions League competition,.

2010-2011 Team Napoli Recap Whether they were known as the "comeback kids", the "miracle men", or any other name, Napoli enjoyed a fantastic season thanks to a myriad of factors, chief of which was a never-say-die attitude. Mazzarri's men had the habit of leaving it late which made for some pretty dramatic finishes.

Transfer market season is always chock-full of speculation and surprises. Often, the overwhelming majority of rumors that find their way into mainstream media outlets never come to fruition. With a number of prized assets on the Palermo roster and the team's policy of steady turnover each year, the transfer window is always seen with a skeptical eye especially for the most astute Palermo.

The Rosanero had been waiting for this week ever since the result procured by Palermo on April 20th against Milan in the Coppa Italia. With success in Serie A hard to come by, Delio Rossi and his men knew that the season would be defined by what they did in the Coppa. Prior to playing the second leg of the semifinal, Palermo had to play a largely meaningless game against the already relegated.

Despite being briefly reopened by a slew of positive results, Palermo proved to be solely committed to only one competition left in the season: the Coppa Italia. Facing a resurgent albeit not yet saved Parma side away from home, Delio Rossi's boys knew that the competition would be fierce. Furthermore, the Rosanero were without Cesare Bovo and Fabrizio Miccoli due to.