Links to click after you vote for one of TVGolo's goals of the week... (my vote went to Didier Drogba and that Chelsea keepy-uppy goal) This can't possibly be true. (Unprofessional Foul) Katy Perry in a West Ham basque, plus other Friday photos (The Beautiful Game) Click this one just for the philosophical question in the comments (Pies) Handbag-gate! Click to continue reading...

One of the historical Clubs of Spanish Football is REAL SOCIEDADwho is currently in 2º Division - & has been for a few years (since2007/08) - who are attempting to get back to the elite Division.SFS would like to remind its readers of their 1980-81 & 1981-82back to back titles & only Spanish 1º Division Championships. Click to continue reading...

Stuff to read while Massimo Bussaca shows a one-finger salute to the fans.... Though the inevitable headline is here. (Avoiding The Drop) A little weekend roundup for the...weekend. (Futfanatico) Craig Bellamy's career lineage rap sheet. (Unprofessional Foul) The Pro Evo 2010 demo released. (Football Fashion) The Basque Wayne Rooney takes the plaudits. Click to continue reading...

Pictures of famous Athletic Bilbao players at San Mamés. Photo courtesy of Nicholas McGowan.

Athletic Bilbao would have no problems with the proposed UEFA plan of mandating eight homegrown players in the squad of eighteen for every match or the theoretical 6 + 5 rule, where six players of the starting eleven would have to be eligible for the national team of their club's country.

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Liverpool officials expect Xabi Alonso to complete a deal to Real Madrid within hours and Rafa Benitez has already found a replacement for the Basque player. Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani is thought to have already agreed a deal with Reds, and now the two clubs need to agree on the transfer fee.

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With the news that Xabi Alonso has handed in a transfer request in order to set in stone his move to Real Madrid Liverpool fans are in despair. For 5 years the Basque midfielder effortlessly pinged the ball around the Anfield pitch; whether it be 5 yards or 50 yards its precision was guaranteed. Alonso [. Click to continue reading...

Reports from the UK indicate that Real Madrid are nearer than ever to realising their ambition of signing Xabi Alonso from Liverpool, who in turn have already singled out the midfielder's potential replacement.
The Reds and the Blancos have refused to budge from their respective valuations of the Basque star all summer, but it is thought that a middle-ground figure of around €34 million could be agreed by the weekend. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool are in negotiations with Roma concerning the potential switch of Alberto Aquilani to Anfield, adding further fuel to the speculation that Xabi Alonso is set to depart the club soon.
Reds manager Rafa Bentiez has reportedly told Alonso, who continues to be linked with Real Madrid, that he must get his future sorted out by the end of the week, but it seems a possible replacement for the Basque has already been lined up. Click to continue reading...

Xabi Alonso seems certain to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid this summer, which comes as no surprise given his demoralizing treatment at the hands of Rafa Benitez over the last 2 years..
The latest in this summer's most predictable (and regrettable) transfer saga is that Alonso has allegedly told Benitez that he wants to leave Anfield. Click to continue reading...

Real Madrid are still holding out hope of snapping up Xabi Alonso from Liverpool this summer.
The Merseysiders seemed resigned to losing the midfielder, who is reportedly eager to join the Spanish titans, and at the moment, the extravagant price tag is the only thing keeping the 27-year-old at Anfield.

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Real Madrid will finally be granted a fair opportunity to negotiate with Liverpool for the transfer of Xabi Alonso.
According to AS, the Anfield outfit's new managing director, Christian Purslow, has told his counterpart in the Spanish capital, Jorge Valdano, to give him a few days before opening formal discussions as he first wants to undertake an extensive revision of the club's accounts to determine their economic situation and set an appropriate asking price for the midfielder. Click to continue reading...

With all the gossip about a transfer to Real making me queasy, I've been trying to think of a way to quantify Alonso's importance to the team. Stats are a frequent fallback, and are usually better at elucidating what I struggle to put into words.
But, as I'm quick to remind, stats don't often tell the whole story, and that's the case with Xabi. Click to continue reading...

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was hoping that one of his favourite players, Xabi Alonso, would also be one of his easier transfer acquisitions this summer, but the player's current bosses at Liverpool appear to have other ideas.
The deep-lying playmaker was on the verge of leaving Anfield this time last year as his manager, Rafael Benitez, had hoped to cash in on his departure to fund a move for Gareth Barry. Click to continue reading...

Liverpool will not sell Xabi Alonso this summer, manager Rafa Benitez has assured supporters today, as rumours about the classy midfielder's future refuse to dissipate.
The Basque has been one of Liverpool's outstanding performers this campaign, but continues to be linked with a move away from Merseyside, with Juventus touted as a likely destination. Click to continue reading...

Here are some words and phrases you can hear on languagecaster's Full Podcast's Good, Bad and Ugly section - a review of the footballing news. For more English practice check out our worksheets, football glossary and English for football phrases as well as the Learners' Podcast. Back heel: A shot or pass using the back part [. Click to continue reading...

Barcelona are back, Ibrahimovic has his cake, Joe Kinnear breaks the press conference swearing record and Tottenham sink to the bottom of the Premier League. All of these stories feature in this week's the good, the bad and the ugly. Click on the links for more information about them below. Good Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored an amazing goal [. Click to continue reading...

For anyone with a passing interest in Spanish football, Phil Ball's articles are a must. He is knowledgable about the game there without coming over as being too pretentious or having insider information.
Yet, admiration of Ball as a writer have nothing to do with this post: a piece in the latest edition of the magazine When Saturday Comes' weekly e-mail roundup is the source of inspiration. Click to continue reading...

Juventus have reportedly pulled the plug on their pursuit of Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, a decision which could have vast repercussions for both clubs' transfer plans.
The Sun claims Juve have scrapped their plans to bring Alonso to Turin, despite the move appearing all but done after several weeks of negotiations. Click to continue reading...

This is also another short item I wrote in the week for somewhere else. A Welsh club getting to the final of an English competition may have abruptly woken those at UEFA who had never previously considered it, however it is far from a new phenomenon. Cardiff previously won the trophy back in 1927 when Hughie Ferguson [. Click to continue reading...

The game of football is known as fútbol in Spain, pronounced something like fuut-bowl and is occasionally referred to as balompie, which literally translates to foot ball. Although Athletic Bilbao were a major team in the first part of the 20th century, Spanish football has come to be relentlessly dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid.

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The best footy links you can check out while pondering why the British are so damn funny... 1) Barcelona takes to the field against the Scottish wall that is Rangers...(Barcelona Offside) 2) Another Sevilla blog, actually in English. Rafa is the head of starting up the Sevilla Peña in America...(Brigada Americana) 3)  Beach Soccer anyone? Spain beats [. Click to continue reading...