All eyes will be on Wembley this weekend, where Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will clash in the Champions League final.
The stage has been set for the German rivals to square off on Saturday, and while Dortmund may be relishing being the underdogs, surely Bayern remember what happened when they were favorites in last season's final.
Pop band One Direction appear to be making plans for careers in football when the bubble bursts on their music careers. After recently training with Newcastle, the group have now taken part in a Real Madrid training session. Jose Mourinho handed out personalised shirts to the lads, before they lined up in a wall to [.
Chelsea star Juan Mata says Jose Mourinho would be welcome at the club because he is one of the best managers. Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and is widely expected to return to Stamford Bridge. Mata said: "Well, obviously Jose is one of the best. He won everything in [...]
Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain (Flickr Commons)
Arsene Wenger is making a list, and checking it twice and Gonzalo Higuain seems to be a top the Frenchman's summer transfer window list. According to Pro Soccer Talk, Arsenal are currently working on tabulating a bid for the current Real Madrid striker who could bring additional attacking firepower to a Champions League bound North London side for next season.
José Mourinho's exit from Real Madrid has been confirmed by the club president Florentino Perez after the club officials scheduled an emergency meeting on Monday. PSG manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has been tipped by many to replace Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu, asked for his club to accept his transfer request.
The worst kept secret in football has been officially confirmed: Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season. The Special One has been dropping hints for weeks and he is known to be short of allies at the Bernabeu, so the news that he's leaving by mutual consent comes as no [...]
An equally divided Santiago Bernabéu saw Los Rojiblancos celebrating at the end of a 125-minute match. A header at the 98th mark from Miranda allowed Atletico Madrid to come back to lift their tenth Copa Del Rey title.
Jose Mourinho's side was favored as Real Madrid had beaten Atletico twice this season in La Liga and manager Diego Pablo said in a press conference before facing Real that Los Blancos, "are better than us," but he also said that "in a game its different.
Jose Mourinho has labeled this season with Real Madrid as the worst of his career.
Falling short in La Liga and being ousted with ease from the Champions League was further compounded with a tumultuous 2-1 loss in the Copa del Rey Final yesterday.
Speaking to the BBC, Mourinho was blunt with his analysis of the game and the season as a whole.
Jose Mourinho's reputation precedes him. Known as one of the best managers in this era, if not all time, Mourinho no doubt has been extremely successful. His relationship with legend Sir Alex Ferguson is well documented, and the Scotsman has not been short of praise for the Portuguese manager.
The 2013 Copa del Rey Final has an all-Madrid flavor to it this year as Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will square off at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.
Both clubs have nothing left to play for with their league finishes set in stone with Real in second and Atletico in third in La Liga this season behind champions Barcelona.
As the end of domestic seasons loom all around Europe, the summer transfer window and all of its wonderful rumors and tidbits of news swarm and pellet every surface of social media outlets. One of the freshest chunks of news links two heavyweights of Europe: Real Madrid and Arsenal.
Spain v Ireland in New York a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Barcelona and Real Madrid stars - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Football fans in New York are set to be spoiled this summer, with two high-profile games to be played at the Yankee Stadium in the European off-season. Chelsea and Manchester City are set to do battle on May 25th, and the first international fixture at the historic stadium is set to be played between world champions Spain and Ireland on June 11th.
The managerial merry-go round has commenced as some of Europe's top clubs have already started window shopping ahead of the 2013-2014 season. Jose Mourinho has been linked with Chelsea again, Sir Alex Ferguson has retired, David Moyes has left Everton, and now, Real Madrid appear to be courting Paris St-Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti.
There was hilarity on the Real Madrid bench at the weekend when left-back Fabio Coentrao kitted out in his sub's gear took his seat. Everyone on the bench apart from Coentrao seemed to know that he hadn't been named as a sub. Those who were legitimately warming the bench, including Iker Casillas and [.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated another Real Madrid victory this past weekend scoring his 200th goal for Los Blancos. The former Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon attacker has enjoyed an incredible return since joining Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2009. Since arriving, he's scored 146 goals in 134 La Liga matches.
With the news of Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement still being digested by many, as well as rampant speculation regarding the future of Jose Mourinho in Spain, it's safe to say that it's been a pretty eventful week in football so far. And with the weekend on the horizon, we can now look ahead to the range of on-the-field matters that look set to be settled in the coming days.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep Manchester United out of the headlines in the last few days. Even before the dust has settled after Ferguson's retirement, United are already in the headlines in trying to bring one of their former stars back to Old Trafford. It has been four years since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, but it is fair to say that the club has not forgotten the Portuguese.
Jose Mourinho has made headlines this week with some of the more interesting quotes of his career. Not only has he responded to quotes from Barcelona rival Andres Iniesta, he's also gone as far as calling his own players out. After Portuguese defender Pepe hit back at Mourinho essentially calling his comments about Casillas disrespectful, Mourinho lashed back at the veteran defender.
Jose Mourinho hasn't done anything recently to suggest that he'll be staying in Madrid for much longer. His comments right after Real Madrid's exit to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League were cut short but left many imagining that the Portuguese tactician should be on his way soon. He's started verbally sparring with rivals recently and has now taken to speaking out against his own players.
Diego Lopez or Iker Casillas? Under pressure at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho comes out swinging... is a post from: Just Football
The temperature continues to rise for Jose Mourinho in Madrid. After elimination in the semi finals of the Champions League courtesy of a brilliant Borussia Dortmund side, and with the league title all but conceded back to Barcelona, the pressure on Mourinho is building as speculation increases that this will be his final few weeks as head coach at Real Madrid.
Jose Mourinho's future at Real Madrid has been discussed throughout the season and has only heated up as the summer nears. The manager of Los Blancos has been looked upon under a microscope throughout his career but has never been afraid to speak his mind. Just last week, the Portuguese tactician revealed that his decision to hold off on signing Diego Lopez was certainly regrettable.
Champions League: The most successful countries and cities - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
This year's Champions League will obviously go to Germany and it will be the seventh time a German club will be crowned the champions of Europe. Which makes one wonder, how many Champions League trophies have gone to the other top European football nations.
It's pretty obvious that Jose Mourinho is in end-of-term mode at Real Madrid. Not only is he bulk-buying boxes and packaging material ahead of a possible move away from the Bernabeu, he's also indulging in some childish pranks. The Special One threw a piece of paper at Real's head of security during the victory over [.
The future of Santos starlet Neymar will certainly be all over the headlines this summer as the Brazilian's impending move to Europe looks set to become a reality. Marca reported yesterday that Neymar and Barcelona had agreed terms and the Brazilian attacker was set to join the Catalan giants in July.
You can't fail to laugh at this. In the sort of cringe-laughter way that made you enjoy The Office so much. Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song thought that his scintillating performances for Barcelona this season had been noted by his colleagues and that he was to be given the honour of being the first to [.
When we think about modern football, we think of the advanced formations from the ever-present 4-4-2, to the introduction of the inside forward, and to the extremely popular 4-3-3 variants. Football is an ever-changing scenario and with the likes of Guardiola / Mourinho / Laudrup – all young, aspiring, technical managers, new formations and systems will arise as quickly as others are dropped.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Juventus: 4 Champions, 4 Different Styles is a post from: Just Football
by Tim Palmer
Real Madrid's dropped points at Espanyol last weekend helped seal the title for Barcelona, confirming the four winners of Europe's four major leagues in England, Germany, Spain and Italy.
After 11 years and 19 titles with Barcelona, Victor Valdes has announced that he is ready to move on. In an interview with FourFourTwo Magazine, Valdes revealed that he has thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Catalan Giants, but is more than ready for a change.
"It's hard to imagine wearing another shirt, but I've been doing this for 11 years.
It is easy to say now that Lionel Messi is one of the best players the world has ever seen. The Argentinean magician has waltzed through far too many defenses now for us mortals to even consider him to be anything less. His ability seems to only improve yearly, and for football fans everywhere, it is no wonder why he's now won four separate Balon D'Ors.
They may have lost the Champions League trophy this season to a better German team, but you can't say that Barcelona weren't worthy of being this season's La Liga Champions. After all, it was hardly the definition of "shoo-in" there was always the threat of Real Madrid behind them, and given their ambition this season, it wasn't a simple task.
The rumor mill has been churning out blockbuster moves of late, linking some of world football's biggest stars to some of Europe's biggest clubs. The most recent outlandish transfer rumor involves Spain international Cesc Fabregas in a proposed move to the Serie A, with AC Milan and Inter Milan rumored to be suitors, according to Football-Italia (via Corriere dello Sport).
FA disciplinary panels can expect plenty of overtime next season if Manuel Pellegrini succeeds in bringing Pepe to the Premier League. The Malaga boss is widely expected to become Manchester City's new manager and reports in the Spanish media suggest that he wants to make the Real Madrid defender his first signing.
Jose Mourinho has been spotted buying €200 worth of boxes at furniture store Ikea amid rumours he is packing ahead of a return to Chelsea. The Real Madrid manager bought boxes, masking tape and other packaging at Ikea's Alcorcon store, south-west of Madrid. Spanish TV news reporters are certain that this can only mean one [.
Adios, San Mames, Adios A Homage to Athletic Bilbao is a post from: Just Football
Athletic Bilbao are a unique club. Incomparable to any other in world football, perhaps. An emblem of regional pride, the foremost symbol of the Basque Country, history will be made in Spain this weekend when Athletic play their last ever league match at the iconic San Mamés stadium, their home for 100 years.
Against the wishes of Spain, Gibraltar today have been confirmed as the 54th member nation of UEFA.
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the tip of Spain. The population of 30,000 residents have twice rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty, and remain closely tied with Great Britain.
Want to briefly regain your childhood? If you're about my age and answered 'yes', this is probably the match for you. Manchester United Legends are taking on Real Madrid Legends in a charity match for the MU Foundation. The teamsheets read like a who's who of mid-1990s sticker albums. Dwight Yorke, Andrew Cole, Denis Irwin, [.
Bill Shankly once claimed that football was more important than a matter of life or death, but we reckon that if he had seen this chilling sight before him, he may just have thought twice about his comment. It isn't long since Xerez were in La Liga, but after a horrible season they were relegated [..
Real Madrid were surprise losers to their neighbours Atletico in the Copa Del Rey final last night, surely meaning that Jose Mourinho will leave the Bernabeu without winning a trophy during his last season. The final was as eventful as you would expect, with Atletico winning the game 2-1 in extra time after a 90 [.
Radamel Falcao of Atletico Madrid (Wikipedia Commons)
A television station in Spain, La Sexta, has reported that Colombian superstar Falcao, the man widely considered as the world's best true striker, will move to French club AS Monaco for a staggering fee of €60 million. Falcao has been linked with a move away from Atletico Madrid for what seems like an eternity with Chelsea or Manchester City the seemingly probable destinations but if reports are true, the South American hitman has preferred a move to nouveau rich Monaco who are set to be promoted to Ligue 1.
Fifa's World Rankings for May 2013 were published today at FIFA HQ in Zurich, Switzerland. The Fifa World Rankings are now published on Thursday and not Wednesday as before.
Euro 2012 winners Spain are once again on top of the FIFA rankings followed by Germany, Argentina, Croatia, Portugal, Colombia, England, Italy, Netherlands and Ecuador.
