Lot of stars and familiar names in this batch:

• Portsmouth's transfer ban to be lifted?
  
• Kaka doesn't regret snubbing City for Madrid.
  
• Barca rejected Inter's summer bid for Messi.
  
• Nedved returning to Juve?
  
• Third div. Brazilian club and Vieri?

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It was Tim Vickery who said that of all the unimportant things in the world, football is the most important. So while Germany comes to terms with the death of Robert Enke, let us take a few moments to reflect on trivial yet happier matters, namely last weekend's Bundesliga action. Click to continue reading...

Natürlich. Und ich bin überzeugt davon, dass er irgendwann auch Kapitän des FC Bayern sein wird.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Vorstandsvorsitzender der FC Bayern München AG, ist trotz des Streits mit Phillip Lahm von ihm überzeugt und antwortet auf die Frage, ob er Vize-Kapitän der Bayern bleiben wird.

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Wenn es beim FC Bayern München mal nicht läuft, dann ist das gleich wie ein Weltuntergang. Spieler kritisieren sich und die Mannschaft vor laufender Kamera, Trainer sind ratlos und der ein oder andere Spieler ergreift schlichtweg die Flucht. Wenn man dann aber als Spieler auch noch die große Tabulinie übertritt und die eigenen Vereinsbosse öffentlich [. Click to continue reading...

Das Prinzip Effenberg würde heute nicht mehr funktionieren. Grundsätzlich ist es im Fußball leiser geworden, die Schreihälse haben ausgedient.

Phillip Lahm, Verteidiger des FC Bayern München, erzählt im Playboy-Interview, wie es heutzutage funktioniert.

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There is a good reason why I'm a mere football blogger and Louis Van Gaal is a successful football manager and here's it is. When the news broke that Arjen Robben was signing for Bayern Munich I scoffed. "Pah!" I said "What do Bayern need another winger for. They need an attacking central midfielder, not competition for Franck Ribery. Click to continue reading...

Werder took a point from Alianz Arena (1:1) and if we are to judge from the play, the visitors deserved to take three points. 69 000 people at the sold-out stadium in Munich saw German international, Turkish-born Mehmet Ozil open the score minutes before the break. Mario Gomez was the one to level the score 73 minutes into the game with the assistance of Phillip Lahm.

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With Real Madrid stealing all of the headlines lately due to their high profile dealings in the transfer market, there has to be a little part of Barcelona that is irritated. After all, people should still be talking about their historic treble and the style in which they accomplished this.

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Bayern Munich: Jorg Butt, Phillip Lahm,Lucio, Martín De Michelis, Christian Lell; Andreas Ottl, Zé Roberto, Mark Van Bommel, José Sosa; Franck Ribéry, Luca Toni

Barcelona: Víctor Valdés, Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Dani Alves, Andrés Iniesta, Touré Yaya, Xavi, Seydou Keita, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o

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Chelsea FC: Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic, Alex, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Michael Ballack, Solomon Kalou, Didier Drogba

Liverpool FC: Pepe Reina, Álvaro Arbeloa, Martin Skrtel, Jamie Carragher,� Fabio Aurélio, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso,� Yossi Benayoun, Kuyt, Fernando Torres

Posted in Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Champions League, chelsea, Liverpool Tagged: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Champions League, chelsea, Liverpool Click to continue reading...

The Wolfsburg v Bayern game was always going to be a classic. However, none who sat down to watch the game could have anticipated what was to follow. The home sides 5-1 victory was an act of deconstruction topped off by a moment of sporting genius.
Christian Geltner got things kicked off before Luca Toni equalised. Click to continue reading...

Historians have argued for centuries the exact date Miroslav Klose last scored a goal. It's been that long. The big man himself was starting to feel the pressure during the game against Berlin last Sunday. After missing another chance, he lost his cool and took a swing at the goal post. Fortunately for Klose he missed. Click to continue reading...

The deserving team won. Spain played a very good tournament, got lucky in the right moments, and ultimately outclassed each team that came in their way. It was nice to see a team based mostly upon purely skillful players win the cup. They also had the star forward in Fernando Torres, and although he didn't have a great tournament, he still came through in the key moment and got the goal that so many that have come before him couldn't get. Click to continue reading...

Goals:
Torres 33'
The first thing I voiced after starting these Spain reviews was the worry that my support for the Spanish squad would jinx their chances. After the conclusion of the tournament, I'm happy to say the opposite turned out to be true.
As I'm sure you've read multiple times by now, this is Spain's first major trophy in 44 years. Click to continue reading...

In a match that had everything, Germany won their place in the Euro 2008 final on Sunday, beating Turkey 3-2 with a last minute goal from Phillip Lahm after being 1-0 down, 2-1 up and pulled back to 2-2 with a few minutes to go.
Bang goes my sweepstake entry - cos I had Turkey. Click to continue reading...

I rate that one a solid 8/10. Rattling crossbars. Bloody heads. A meaty geopolitical backstory. Sweaty coaches: Joachim "Es ist nicht ein Fashionmullet!" Loew, guiding the Mannschaft home, if you know what I mean; and that Turkish fella. That Turkish fella! Can we get him in MLS like yesterday, please? Click to continue reading...

Austria Vs Germany Live Online : Euro 2008 Live UEFA EURO 2008 GROUP B Date: Mon 16 June Kick-off: 1945 BST Venue: Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna Germany will be boosted with the news that both Lukas Podolski & Phillip Lahm are fit, although they will be without Bastian Schweinsteiger who was suspended after he got a late red card in [. Click to continue reading...

The fans and media in Germany will quite rightly lavish praise on a handful of heroes after their team's efficient but hardly earth-shattering win over Poland on Sunday night.
Two-goal hitman Lukas Podolski can expect plaudits for his well taken double, his ability to adapt to the left-sided midfield role he is now being deployed in and the fact that he didn't ram his success down the throat of the country which bore him. Click to continue reading...

Barcelona full-back Gianluca Zambrotta may be set for a return to Italy. The Italian international has today been linked with European Champions AC Milan after is was revealed that Zambrotta's wife, Valentina has become increasingly home sick. Zambrotta joined Barca last summer after leaving Juventus due to the whole match fixing scandal.
The World Cup winner has never really performed amazingly well whilst at the Camp Nou and AC are said to be keen on offering him a route back to Italy. Click to continue reading...

Shalrie Joseph, New England's midfield enforcer, will be out "indefinitely" after injuring his hand in a nightclub brawl. As Grant Wahl tells it, Joseph wasn't to blame for the fracas, but he will nonetheless be sidelined with tendon and nerve damage to his right hand.
Or will he?
Franz Beckenbauer played a long stretch of West Germany's 1970 World Cup semi-final in Mexico City with a broken collarbone, and Germany's Phillip Lahm played this summer with a soft cast over a broken elbow (and there are plenty of other examples of players being taped together for the occasion, but I have purposely chosen to highlight only great feats of Teutonic endurance), so might Joseph return to the pitch, one hand bundled in gauze? Click to continue reading...