Just over a week ago I was in Berlin. There chiefly to witness a moment of history, namely the celebrations to commemorate 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, I also made my way to the... Click to continue reading...

I'll be frank. The main reason you're reading this column is that it's due. And yes, I did think about taking this week off and not sending anything. Obviously, nearly everybody who makes a living covering German football has talked or written about Robert Enke's death these past days. I intend to remain an exception, and you'll know why. Click to continue reading...

Post-war Germany is traditionally reluctant to dwell on the past. But, as the country mourns the loss of a great footballer, for once the show cannot go on.
Robert Enke's death has cast a long shadow over German football. Click to continue reading...

We're sure you've heard the terrible news by now: Robert Enke, the German National Team goalkeeper and Hannover captain has committed suicide and died.

His wife Teresa spoke at a press conference today, saying that Robert had been suffering from depression for some time and hid it from the public for fear of how it would affect his family and career.

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We're sure you've heard the terrible news by now: Robert Enke, the German National Team goalkeeper and Hannover captain has committed suicide and died.

His wife Teresa spoke at a press conference today, saying that Robert had been suffering from depression for some time and hid it from the public for fear of how it would affect his family and career.

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Guido Erhard, who also struggled with depression

Big Story
The suicide of Robert Enke has shocked German football, with the country cancelling its friendly with Chile this Saturday and tributes pouring in.

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Every German football-fan mourn national team keeper Robert Enke, who committed suicide yesterday evening on a railroad near Hannover.

Hours after his suicide, fans put candles and team-scarfs as a sign of mourning at the place where Enke spend his last minutes of his life.

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Germany's number one goalie Robert Enke, who played for Hannover 96 was found dead at a level crossing in the town of Neustadt am Ruebenberge. As per police, indications are that Enke took his life by throwing himself in front of a train. Enke was 32 years of age.

Enke had missed his last four international games because of a bacterial infection and had just gotten back to the game, playing in Hannover's fixture against Hamburg.

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A few years ago Toni Kroos was hailed as the next big thing in German football. He won the best player award at the 2007 U17 World Cup, joined Bayern Munich and was promised the #10 jersey. Far from claiming the shirt he instead commuted between Bayern's bench and the reserves. Meanwhile other next big things popped up, won youth tournaments, first team starting spots and call ups to the German national team.

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Landon Donovan continues to impress. (Getty Images)

While I realize that the news of Landon Donovan winning his latest US Soccer's Honda Player Of The Year award isn't exactly new, I thought it was important to discuss the progress of the USA's number 10. I myself will be the first to admit was one of his fiercest critics not because of his three stints in the Bundesliga, but because at one time his attitude was all wrong.

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Here's something that does not happen every day in Argentine football, to say the least.

German football legend Lothar Matthäus has reached an agreement with Racing Club to become the club's new manager.

I haven't done the research but I do not believe that a German or a European has ever managed an Argentine club.

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At 28 years old Conor Casey was a relatively unknown player until a few years ago although the forward did turn some heads as a collegiate player. Casey was named Sport America's Freshman of the Year during his career at Portland and he also lead the NCAA in goals scored during his Sophomore year with 23.

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The last match day contained the most electrifying derby in the Bundesliga – the so called "Revier-Derby". It's the matchup between Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund. The repulsion between these two teams is so strong, that the fans even use synonyms, when they talk about the opposing team.

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"Es müllert wieder!" This famous slogan is only known by older german football fans, especially for those in Western Germany. It´s a tribute to the best German striker ever named Gerd Müller. Müller played fifteen years for the Bavarian top-club FC Bayern Munich and is holding several scoring records.

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This week languagecaster.com takes a look at the Bundesliga with Hans our German football correspondent.

• Read our football news review in the good, the bad and the ugly
• Check out a new football expression in English for Football
• Follow the weekly predictions battle between Damon and Damian in the Predictions competition
• For learners of English check out our Football Language Resources page with:
• Football glossary (a huge collection of football vocabulary, football cliches and football phrases)
• Worksheets and transcripts from previous podcasts
  

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Kawasaki Frontale were left kicking themselves after they went down 2-0 to Urawa Reds in front of a capacity crowd at Todoroki Stadium in the J. League last weekend.
That defeat was a further blow to the Kanagawa side's chances of winning a first ever J. League title, but for now coach Takashi Sekizuka will turn his attentions to the Asian Champions League. Click to continue reading...

Raphael Honigstein makes his living as a football interpreter. Best known in the English speaking world for his columns on German football in the Guardian and participation in that newspaper's well-known football podcast, he plays the reverse role in his home country, acting as English football correspondent for the Suddetsche Zeitung.

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Now that the transfer window has closed in the footballing world, I can not think of any move in German football that has gotten me more excited than the transfer of Arjen Robben from Real Madrid to FC Bayern München. Other than being the "biggest" club in Germany, I never really had a good reason to [. Click to continue reading...

Werder had the luck to find Diego's heir in their own home, young international Mesut Ozil. If you have ever seen him play, you must agree that this Turkish-born player took the best from both schools, fantastic in the midfield, he is also disciplined and devoted.

Ozil was crucial in winning the title on U21 European championship this summer.

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Football bloggers are busy today. We have a wide array of topics on the plate, including last night's win of Arsenal over Celtic, bitter journalists, the Champions League draw, and the obsession with younger players in the football community. Take your pick!

Bird scorned
Ageing, battle scarred, chippy, inarticulate.

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I would have thought that Franck Ribery and Franz Beckenbauer now finally agree on something. The French sensation should have been sold. Der Kaiser has watched new manager Louis van Gaal take a measly 2 points from his first 3 matches, and, following this weekend, the kings of German football are sat in a rather peasant-like 14th in the Bundesliga.

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FC Bayern Munchen-1 v Werder Bremen-1 FC Bayern walked into the pitch seeking revenge for their 5-2 drubbing under Werder Bremen from last season's encounter. 69,000 Munich supporters packed the Allianz Arena to witness this early season clash between two German football heavyweights. FC Bayern were clearly dominating possesion and produced more chances until the [. Click to continue reading...

F.C. Hansa Rostock is a German football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from the former East Germany and made several appearances in the 1. Bundesliga. Hansa Rostock is currently campaigning in the German 2. Bundesliga. They finished in 13th position in the league [. Click to continue reading...

The German football season actually kicked off two Saturdays ago as the Third Division (3-Liga) got underway. In fact two rounds had already been played before last weekend when the first round of the DFB Pokal (that's the German Cup to you and me) was played. In this round the minnows from the 2 Bundesliga, 3-Liga and the three Regionaliga try to catch the big boys off guard as they prepare themselves for the big kick off this weekend. Click to continue reading...

Book Review: Tor
For some reason this book – which is a history of German football - had stood, unread, on my bookshelf for a couple of years. I had bought it in one of my usual spending sprees and then felt little inclination to read it. Well, that's not completely true as I had actually started to read it, not really liked what I saw and dropped it soon after. Click to continue reading...

Bayern München is considering filing a complaint at the FIFA for Real Madrid's courting of Bayern star Franck Ribery. According to chairman Rummenigge, Real Madrid has had talks with Ribery and his management without the consent of the German football club. "This has to stop now, otherwise we'll slap them with Click to continue reading...

FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 or FC Schalke 04, is a German football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major successes have been rare since the club's heyday in the 1930s and early 1940s. Click to continue reading...

1. FC Nuremberg (German: 1. FC Nürnberg) is a German football club in Nuremberg, Bavaria. They will play in the German Bundesliga for the 2009/10 season after winning the relegation play-offs in at the end of the 2008/09 season. Earlier today,  FC Nürnberg appeared in their 2009/10 Adidas home kit for the first time for their [. Click to continue reading...

Hamburger Sport-Verein (also known as Hamburger SV, Hamburg SV or Hamburg) is one of the Germany's oldest, most well known and best performing football clubs, with the unique distinction of having played continuously in top-flight German football since the end of World War I. Last season, Hamburg made a strong run for the German Bundesliga [. Click to continue reading...

VfL Bochum is a German football club based in Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia. They currently campaign in the German Bundesliga. Last season, Bochum finished in a very respectable 14th position in the league. VfL Bochum currently uses growing German sportswear company Do You Football as their kit provider. Click to continue reading...

BV Borussia Dortmund is a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia and is best known as one of the most successful clubs in German football. In addition to six German football championships and two DFB Pokal victories, Dortmund won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1966 (becoming the first German team to win [. Click to continue reading...

Spanish Football loses a class player while German Football gains agreat talent. Spanish Team MALLORCA Captain & VenezuelanInternational 29 year old JUAN ARANGO goes to German ClubBORRUSIA MONCHENGLADBACH for 3.6M€. The transfer operationhas been agreed by both Clubs & the player will do his obligatorymedical examinations next week before signing. Click to continue reading...

Derek Rae of ESPN was kind enough to speak to me at length about Germany and German football. If you have access to ESPN/ESPN International, you may be accustomed to Rae's commentary for the Champions League, La Liga or even Eredivisie; therefore, you might find that an interview of a football announcer who doesn't announce Bundesliga games a bit odd.

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German international attacking midfielder Marko Marin is finally heading to Werder Bremen after striking an agreement to meet Borussia Monchengladback's 10million euro asking price, an initial figure that has caused the transfer to develop into a hard-fought saga.
The Bosnian-born 20-year-old, praised by Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf as "One of the biggest talents in German football,"could have walked away on a free transfer in twelve months but Monchengladback were relentless in ensuring they received an adequate fee for their highly-rated creative midfielder. Click to continue reading...

Red Bull has rebranded yet another club in its attempt to establish itself as a global football power. Red Bull are the backers behind the rebranding of SSV Markranstädt as RB Leipzig, who will begin play under that name next season in the fifth tier of the German league.

Markranstädt is located a few miles from Leipzig, the largest city in the Saxony state in eastern Germany, and home to a World Cup venue (Central Stadium) in need of a top tier tenant though Leipzig is a region rich in football history, it has no team above the fourth tier of the German league.

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