Hay un partido memorable en la historia de las Eurocopas que nos permite recordar a una gran selección, que pese a perder aquel día, permanece en el recuerdo de los aficionados al fútbol y por supuesto tiene su lugar en la historia del fútbol portugués.

La selección portuguesa, que dirigía Fernando Cabrita en la Eurocopa de Francia 84, merece un reconocimiento y en Retrofootball queremos hacerlo a través de la semifinal que disputó ante Francia en el "Velodrome" de Marsella, concretamente el 23 de junio de 1984.

It's hard to take Pele seriously these days with the quality of stories he's been sharing with the children at your local playground. The Brazilian legend who hates Maradona and would never give him a "lift on a rainy day" (thankfully Kun's got that problem sorted) has attempted to go back on the "Cuando Messi" saga.

PALMARÉS DEL PREMIO BALÓN DE OROAÑOGANADORSEGUNDOTERCERO2011Lionel Messi (Barcelona)CristianoXavi2010Lionel Messi (Barcelona)IniestaXavi2009Lionel Messi (Barcelona)CristianoXavi2008Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)MessiTorres2007Kaká (AC Milan)Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi (FIFA)Messi
Cristiano (FIFA)2006Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus / Real Madrid)Buffon
Zidane (FIFA)Henry
Ronaldinho (FIFA)2005Ronaldinho (Barcelona)LampardGerrard
Etoo (FIFA)2004Andrei Shevchenko (Ac Milan)
Ronaldinho (FIFA World Player)Deco
Henry (FIFA)Ronaldinho
Shevchenko (FIFA)2003Pavel Nedved (Juventus)
Zinedine Zidane (FIFA World Player)HenryMaldini
Ronaldo (FIFA)2002Ronaldo (Inter / Real Madrid)Roberto Carlos
Kahn (FIFA)Kahn
Zidane (FIFA)2001Michael Owen (Liverpool)
Luis Figo (FIFA World Player)Raúl
Beckham (FIFA)Kahn
Raúl (FIFA)2000Luis Figo (Barcelona / Real Madrid)
Zinedine Zidane (FIFA World Player)Zidane
Figo (FIFA)Shevchenko
Rivaldo (FIFA)1999Rivaldo (Barcelona)BeckhamShevchenko
Batistuta (FIFA)1998Zinedine Zidane (Juventus)Suker
Ronaldo (FIFA)Ronaldo
Suker (FIFA)1997Ronaldo (Barcelona / Inter)Mijatovic
Roberto Carlos (FIFA)Zidane
Beckham / Zidane (FIFA)1996Mathias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund)
Ronaldo (FIFA World Player)Ronaldo
Weah (FIFA)Shearer
Sammer (FIFA)1995George Weah (PSG / AC Milan)Klinsmann
Maldini (FIFA)Sammer
Klinsmann (FIFA)1994Hristo Stoitchkov (Barcelona)
Romario (FIFA World Player)Baggio
StoitchkovMaldini
Baggio1993Roberto Baggio (Juventus)Bergkamp
Romario (FIFA)Cantona
Bergkamp (FIFA)1992Marco Van Basten (AC Milan)StoitchkovBergkamp
Hässler (FIFA)1991Jean Pierre Papin (Olympique Marsella)
Lothar Matthaus (FIFA World Player)Matthaus/Pancev/Savicevic
Papin (FIFA)Matthaus/Pancev/Savicevic
Lineker (FIFA)1990Lothar Matthaus (Inter)SquillachiBrehme1989Marco Van Basten (AC Milan)BaresiRijkaard1988Marco Van Basten (AC MilaI)GüllitRijkaard1987Ruud Gullit (PSV / AC Milan)FutreButragueño1986Igor Belanov (Dinamo de Kiev)LinekerButragueño1985Michel Platini (Juventus)Elkjaer-LarssenSchuster1984Michel Platini (Juventus)TiganaElkjaer-Larssen1983Michel Platini (Juventus)DalglishSimonsen1982Paolo Rossi (Juventus)GiresseBoniek1981Karl Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich)BreitnerSchuster1980Karl Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich)SchusterPlatini1979Kevin Keagan (Hamburgo)RummeniggeKrol1978Kevin Keagan (Hamburgo)KranklRensembrink1977Alan Simonsen (Borussia Monchengladbach)KeaganPlatini1976Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich)RensembrinkVíktor1975Oleg Blokhin (Dinamo de Kiev)BeckenbauerCruyff1974Johan Cruyff (Barcelona)BeckenbauerDeyna1973Johan Cruyff (Ajax / Barcelona)ZoffMüller1972Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich)MüllerNetzer1971Johan Cruyff (Ajax)MazzolaBest1970Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich)MooreRiva1969Gianni Rivera (AC Milan)RivaMüller1968George Best (Manchester United)CharltonDzajic1967Florian Albert (Ferencvaros)CharltonJohnstone1966Bobby Charlton (Manchester United)EusebioBeckenbauer1965Eusebio (Benfica)FacchettiLuis Suárez1964Dennis Law (Manchester United)Luis SuárezAmancio1963Lev Yashin (Dinamo Moscú)RiveraGreaves1962Josef Masopust (Dukla Praga)EusebioSchnellinger1961Omar Sívori (Juventus)Luis SuárezHeynes1960Luis Suárez (Barcelona)PuskasSeeler1959Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid)KopaCharles1958Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid)RahnFontaine1957Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid)WrightKopa1956Stanley Matthews (Blackpool)Di StéfanoKopa Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

Lionel Messi has been named by FIFA as the best player of 2011 for the third straight year. Messi equals Platini, Cruyff and Van Basten, the only players to ever win three Ballon d'Or titles.

Messi took almost 48% of the vote, with Ronaldo second with less than 22% and Xavi was a distant third with just over 9%.

Lionel Messi has been named by FIFA as the best player of 2011 for the third straight year. Messi equals Platini, Cruyff and Van Basten, the only players to ever win three Ballon d'Or titles.

Messi took almost 48% of the vote, with Ronaldo second with less than 22% and Xavi was a distant third with just over 9%.

If this is the apocalypse, gimme some It's been almost five months since I've posted something fresh to my blog. That's downright apocalyptic, which is apropos given it's after all 2012. Kinda sad for footie fans if the Mayans are right. After all, we're stuck with 2010 as the last World Cup--aside from Spain establishing itself as the best national team in a generation, the Mundial didn't give us much more.

Another week, another blatant act of deliberate, cynical cheating. This time the unapologetic offender was the Czech Republic's Jan Rezek, who robbed Scotland of a Euro 2012 qualification game victory after diving to win a penalty in the 88th minute.
Diving is always wrong but what makes some worse than others is when the perpetrator admits it afterwards and shows absolutely no remorse, which is precisely what Rezek did in this situation.

Salón de la Fama del Fútbol en Pachuca
Estructura de 37 metros de alto, en forma de balon de fútbol. Sede del Salón de la Fama del Fútbol. Alado de la sede del Mundo Futbol, en el Parque David Ben Gurion en Pachuca de Soto, Hidalgo, México. Foto por ruber2011 Ruben Hernandez.

El fútbol belga ha dado jugadores de muchísimo talento. Quizá la época más conocida de su conjunto nacional fue del 80 al 86, su "Edad de Oro", con los Vercauteren, el espigado Ceulemans, Pfaff, Gerets, Scifo y compañía.

If there was not enough controversy about Real Madrid amongst players. Platini has come out and said that he respects the current Real Madrid coach (Jose Mourinho) but thinks that Mourinho talked non sense after the game against Barcelona last season in the semi finals of the Champions League.

Finalmente, el Barça también podrá pasear sus dos nuevos emblemas (universalidad y solidaridad) por Europa, después de que la UEFA le autorizara a llevar los dos logos durante la Champions. Algo que, hasta el momento, tenían terminantemente prohibido.
La UEFA ha sentado un precedente y ha autorizado al Barça a lucir en su camiseta tanto los logos de Qatar Foundation (patrocinador a partir de la próxima temporada) como de Unicef en la Champions 2011/2012, algo que hasta la fecha tenía terminantemente prohibido.

Bosnian graphic designer Zoran Lucić realized "Sucker for Soccer", a series of portraits of football icons in a vintage and childish style

Politics and Personality in Sport: In the Commercial Era, Does Tradition Matter? is a post from: Just Football

by Chris Woolfrey

In the last piece I wrote for Just Football I retold the story of Matthias Sindelar, the Austrian footballer who symbolised, in part, a nation's defiance of their Nazi occupiers; an archetype of Austria's considered and poetic passing game.

So we move reluctantly into the deepest recesses of the interlull; our hands tied, blindfolded we are frog marched into its lair with Platini's pointy rifle prodding at the napes of our necks. Hacks and headline writers are awash with panic and confusion, Arsenal.com forlornly fetches the scraper, rolls its sleeves up and dives into the barrel in search of some filler material for the official website.

Just the worst teammate.

[Dirty Tackle]

• Sepp's FIFA twilight is in his hands. (The DA)
• Platini for prez (FIFA prez). (AP)
• The problem with Galatasaray. (Scouting Romania)
• A Polish derby. (EFW)
• Like a foreign language or something. (Studs Up)
• Looming June football.

By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 21, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Leave it tot he FIFA presidential election to already turn away from any issues within a week. Both sitting president Sepp Blatter and candidate Mohamed bin Hammam are openly courting UEFA president Michel Platini. The thought is with Platini's support, the road gets a lot easier for that candidate.

Por Halftown
Gourcuff padre
Antiguo centrocampista del estilo tiqui-taquero que estilaban hace treinta años los Tigana, Platini y compañía, Christian Gourcuff decidió pronto que lo suyo era el banquillo.
Profesor de matemáticas, papá Gourcuff fue de los primeros en utilizar los ordenadores para programar sus entrenamientos.

After France's embarrassing exit from last summer's World Cup, their Football Federation has replaced the manager, much of the roster and now their kits. After many years of Adidas' wildly-striped designs, new supplier Nike has introduced a severely sparse shirt. The just-bleu shirt follows a trend toward yesteryear led by Umbro, itself a Nike subsidiary.