Just last summer, David Silva signed a 7-year-contract with Valencia, as a player who came from their youth system. Silva, who was lucky to stay on the field during Spain's Euro 2008 semi-final versus Germany, after an exchange with Lukas Podolski, has been in talks over a new contract, which have stalled. Click to continue reading...

It's true. 23 years ago I was born. Maybe this will be the one I get a full-time job.

Anyways, I'm calling it a half-day today. Time for a barbecue and some beer.

• German team training on nudist beach. [The Spoiler]
  
  
• The best of the TOR pictures. [The Offside Rules]
  
  
• De Rosario linked to FC Copenhagen.

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I was reading this article on ESPN's website and it got me to thinking, how does Bayern Munich expect to measure success during Jurgen Klinsmann's time as manager. Are they expecting to go on a run of Champions League victories? What exactly is the measure of success? They won the Champions League Cup back in 2001. Click to continue reading...

Florent Malouda, Julio Baptista e Hernan Crespo: i colpi di mercato della Roma possono diventare tre. Priorità all'esterno, poi altri due rinforzi. 14 milioni di euro al Chelsea per il francese ma a Londra deve prima arrivare Robinho, per questo non si perdono di vista Podolski e Cissé.

Da Tuttomercatoweb. Click to continue reading...

La priorità della Roma, al momento, è la punta esterna. I nomi che sono stati fatti nel pre Mutu sono ancora tutti d'attualità, ma non v'è dubbio che conoscendo il metodo di lavoro di Pradè alla fine possa spuntare un nome finora poco pubblicizzato, tipo il francese Djibril Cissè del Marsiglia, 15 reti nel'ultima Ligue 1, o Dmitri Sychev, russo del Lokomotiv Mosca. Click to continue reading...

Podolski è il sogno, Viola su Drenthe

Il tedesco parte solo se il Bayern prende un'altra punta.
L'olandese è "fattibile", ma lo vuole anche la Fiorentina

Baptista obiettivo numero uno, ok. E
poi? Poi c'è un mese e mezzo per andare
a scovare un altro giocatore (magari
due) di grande livello per completare la
rosa. Click to continue reading...

SFUMATO MUTU,NON C'È SOLTANTO JULIO BAPTISTA NEL MIRINO. SENZA FRETTA,LA SOCIETÀ STUDIA LA "COPPIA"

Podolski o Klose,perché no?

Se il Bayern prende Gomez, uno dei due parte. Possibilità anche per Drenthe

Di PIETRO TRIA
punta una nuova pista nel mercato giallorosso e questa volta porta
in Germania. Click to continue reading...

By now most clubs have started their pre-season preparations, most Spaniards have recovered from their Euro party hangover and I had time to sit back and inspect the Euros from Germany's perspective for one final Euro 2008 blog post, before leaving the tournament to the history books and moving on to the World Cup qualifiers.

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Lukas Podolski has dropped hints that he might want out of Bayern Munich - and that could gain the attention of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City. The 23-year-old striker has also been linked with a move back to Cologne FC... Click to continue reading...

I always think that international competitions like Euro or the World Cup provide much needed correctives.

Fernando Torres muscled his way past Philip Lahm in one of the more indelible images of Euro 2008 to provide Spain's winner. The Liverpool striker was one of the heroes in his country's win against Germany.

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If would have told you one year ago that a member of the Houston Dynamo would be on trial with German juggernauts Bayern Munich you would have told me I was high, high, high. And even if you thought I wasn't under the influence you would have thought it was DeRo or Chingy that was getting the eye from abroad. Click to continue reading...

Yesterday, Euro 2008 concluded with Spain's deserved win over Germany. The match was very technical and tactical and I really enjoyed it. Any soccer player would have loved how precise and skillful the game was, and any sports fan could have appreciated the action.

The opening five matches of the tournament were boring, including some snoozers with Austria, Switzerland, and France vs.

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I have tears of joy. Watching Spain get over their mental block against their more heralded European rivals, doing it their way, playing beautiful, attacking soccer and finally winning what was rightfully theirs. There is a God occasionally and he chose the right time to be munificent.

There was Ballack his face streaked with congealed blood and the nonplussed Metzelder and Mertesacker, their faces frozen in disbelief and dismay, as they contemplated another championship without a title.

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The final! Will Spain throw off the mantle of underachiever? Will Germany triumph, sending the momentum of its fans gained during the World Cup into a frenzy?
Funny how Foudy talks about how goalkeepers need games to be sharp in reference to Jens Lehmann. Foudy didn't say anything like that when saying she wouldn't want to play in front of Hope Solo after Solo protested getting replaced at the Women's World Cup by Scurry, who had hardly played. Click to continue reading...

Expect David Villa not to be in the line up, the Valencia striker has a muscle tear in his thigh and has been ruled out.

Expect Cesc Fabregas to start. Arsenal's maestro has been having quite a tournament

Expect Michael Ballack to be a gametime decision.

Expect a foul filled initial 20 minutes as the Germans try and break the rhythm of the free flowing Spanish midfield.

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The German strikeforce of Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose have scored 10 goals in five games and that has taken their tally to 69 international goals between the pair of them.That's just one more than Gerd Muller scored all by himself.Ballack is looking doubtful for the final.

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EURO 2008 FINAL, VIENNA

The destination of the Henri Delaunay trophy could hinge on the fitness of Germany captain Michael Ballack, who has a calf strain and missed Saturday training.

Tournament hot-shot David Villa is of course also missing for Spain, but the absence of the Chelsea midfielder for Germany looks the more crucial. Click to continue reading...

With Rafa Benitez reportedly on the look out for a foil to play alongside Fernando Torres next season, and names such as David Villa being bandied about by the press, one striker who could be available for the right price has confirmed he is thinking about a move from his present club.

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The German strikeforce of Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose have scored 10 goals in five games and that has taken their tally to 69 international goals between the pair of them.That's just one more than Gerd Muller scored all by himself.Ballack is looking doubtful for the final.

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Vienna tomorrow night, hopefully without a storm cutting out the power. At last the Final is here and I'm gutted about it. I want this tournament to go on forever but on Monday morning, I'm going to be down in the doldrums on the way to work as if I've just been dumped by Cheryl Cole for a womanizing Chelsea defender. Click to continue reading...

Gelobt sei das digitale Fernsehen - oder doch verflucht? Hin- und hergezappt habe ich gestern zuhause, zwischen der Bild-Störung des ZDF und der Übertragung von SF2. Bis ich mich schließlich für das ZDF mit SF2-Bild und Bela Rethy-Ton entschied und dadurch das Tor schon hörte, bevor ich es sehen konnte. Click to continue reading...

It is obvious as daylight that Germany's Lukas Podolksi and Philip Lahm operate with a right brained attitude which is at polar opposites to the rest of the team. Germany's creative zest arises from the left flank. Four goals and a hand in three more. But the intuitive right brain is also prone to blunders.

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Lukas Podolski could be available this summer after spending most of last season on the bench at Bayern Munich. If this is the case, Tottenham and Juventus could be the two clubs chasing him. He won't come cheap though, with... Click to continue reading...

On paper, this matchup should be a blowout.

Shouldn't even be close.

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Today is the first semi final match of Euro 2008. And it pits the Cinderella story, Turkey, against powerful Germany.

Germany analysis: The Germans have been on a bit of a roller coaster in this tournament. They barely made it out of the group stages, only to dispatch with authority their quarterfinal opponent, Portugal. Click to continue reading...