No help from the Lord today, Sergio. 2-0 Juve. (AFP) Click to continue reading...

How to take out your competition for that national team spot Behold, the champions of Europe. The Spanish national team's euphoria at winning Euro 2008 seems to have regressed their players to school age. Under the tutelage of Señor Del Boque, training sessions are just like playtime! Spotted on ONTD Football via The Spoiler. Click to continue reading...

Real Madrid beat UEFA Cup and Supercup holders Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 to win their first away game in Europe in two years. It was also their second successive win in Russia after beating Lokomotiv Moscow in 2003. The game was played at breakneck pace, especially in the first half, resulting in a very open attacking encounter with a large number of chances from both sides. Click to continue reading...

This might well be a hoax transfer rumour but it is worth a read. Sergio Ramos is seemingly not happy at Real Madrid - for a reason that the writer of this post cannot figure out at all - and is hinted to be looking for a new club to ... Click to continue reading...

Real Madrid have not lost the killer instinct they demonstrated to devastating effect in the first half of last season and which effectively gave them their second successive league title. Playing one man down for most of the second half they saw Betis equalise their early goal and then lay siege to Iker Casillas's goal. Click to continue reading...

Welcome back!

Though Cristiano Ronaldo's return to the pitch was the only thing worth mentioning in the Group E match with Villareal.

The Portuguese winger's influence was obvious as United looked much stronger with him on the field.

But yeah, 0-0. Lame. On to the other matches. Click to continue reading...

The 60,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabéu, expecting a sackful of goals last night, went home disappointed after Real Madrid only managed to put two goals past their opponents. BATE Borisov, making their debut in the Champions League, are Real's first Belarussian opposition and showed why they're likely to be the whipping boys of Group H. Click to continue reading...

Real Madrid kicked off their league championship at home with a victory, but failed to convince the local fans that they have reinforced the squad sufficiently over the summer. They left the pitch to a mixture of boos and applause barely having managed to subdue a rival that has only just been promoted to the top division. Click to continue reading...

Real Madrid'in önümüzdeki hafta Sergio Ramos ile 10 senelik sözleşme yenileyeceği yazılmış As gazetesinde. Öncelikle mevzuat izin veriyor mu bilmiyorum bu denli uzun bir sözleşmeye. Laf, vermese adamlar neden önersinler. Takıldığım nokta da bu değil aslında. Yahu 10 sene içinde kim öle kim kala. Click to continue reading...

Valencia's David Silva scored first but a nine-man Real Madrid rallied to beat Valencia 4-2 and lift the Spanish Supercup 6-5 on aggregate on Sunday.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Sergio Ramos, Ruben De La Red and Gonzalo Higuain scored for Madrid, Rafael van der Vaart found himself on the sidelines in the 39th minute and Ruud van Nistelrooy joined him there in the 73rd.

Click to continue reading...

Bu maç İnter-Roma maçına kurban gitti. Arada zapladığımda 2 gol 1 kırmızı kart yakalayabildim. İlk maç Mestella'da 1-0 Valencia'nın olmuştu. İkinci maçta da ilk gol Davidlerin Silva olanından geldi, 7 dakika sonra da yeni transfer VanderVaart atıldı. Penaltıdan beraberliği getiren Van Nistelrooy ikinci yarıda atılınca Real 9 kişi kalmış. Click to continue reading...

Ezequiel Garay, difensore centrale acquistato dal Real Madrid resterà ancora un anno in prestito al Racing Santander. Il club merengues ha infatti deciso che il giovane difensore sarebbe stato di troppo vista la presenza di Cannavaro, Pepe, Metzelder, Sergio Ramos e Heinze.

Da Calciomercato. Click to continue reading...

I like publishing crazy Google searches that bring people here (this inspiration comes from this blog). I doubt they'll take offense, they were probably looking for something else anyways and won't be back...

1. boys gone wild video
Simple, to the point. I don't think my post with a video on ball boys interfering with play was as satisfying. Click to continue reading...

(First, if you haven't done our "Eyes of Euro 2008″ quiz, stop by here and make your best guesses. Then come back to this post for the answers.) Finally, the answers we've all been waiting for. Who did The Eyes belong to? You guys are amazingly good. All of the right answers [...] Click to continue reading...

By now, you've probably figured mCalcio.com (i.e. me) likes pictures. Needless to say, I am a strong believer that "a powerful image can speak louder than a thousand words". So presenting to you, a selection of 20 images giving tribute to Spain's Euro 2008 triumph in Sunday's final. Enjoy. And once again, ¡Viva España! Click to continue reading...

I wanted to get this post up sooner, but I've been blog-less for the past few days as a result of a beer-filled long weekend out of town. I did watch the final on Sunday, though, and although I was cheering for Germany, I can't say I'm disappointed that Spain won -- they were the best team both over the course of the tournament and in the final itself. Click to continue reading...

A couple post-Euro 2008 thoughts before a little July 4 break... * Cesc Fabregas is 21. Sergio Ramos is 22. They both were major contributors on Spain's Euro triumph. As an American this sort of irks me, considering how timid the U.S. soccer program can be at times. There is an age discrepancy, but there is no reason to baby Jozy Atlidore and Freddy Adu. Click to continue reading...

After 44 years in the wilderness a jubilant Spanish side celebrate their EURO 2008 triumph after beating Germany 1-0 in the final. With the eyes of the world on the festivities in Vienna, Sergio Ramos removes his Spain shirt to reveal a tribute to his dear friend and former Sevilla teammate Antonio Puerta, who died tragically while playing for Sevilla early in the 2007/2008 season. Click to continue reading...

Photo by ISIphotos.com

With the European Champions now over, it is time to look back at the players who made the tournament one to remember.

From the daring Turks to the high-flying Russians to the dynamic Dutch, there were plenty of standout players in the tournament, but only 11 can make the Euro 2008 Best XI.

Click to continue reading...

The AD readers - and maybe you too - have chosen their definitive team. Edwin van der Sar was the no-brainer on goal. As right full back they wised up and picked champion Sergio Ramos Portugal's Pepe and Spain's Puyol guard the center while Russian Zhirkov beat Gio by a few Click to continue reading...

Players of the Tournament: There are four of them:

Carles Puyol
Carlos Marchena
Sergio Ramos
Joan Capdevila

Knockout stages: 0 goals conceded

Iker gets some credit as well, but the most attack-gifted team in the tournament was riding the coattails of the Fearsome Foursome.

Click to continue reading...

First, congratulations to Sixes and Sevens who won the Wicked Deflection Euro 2008 Fantasy League.

Consider some of these fantasy points totals in choosing your Tournament 11.

Strikers
Lukas Podolski, Germany - 28
Miroslav Klose, Germany - 24
David Villa, Spain - 23
Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russia - 22
Fernando Torres, Spain - 19
Nihat Kahveci, Turkey - 18
Semih Senturk, Turkey - 18
Dirk Kuyt, Netherlands - 15
Andrei Arshavin, Russia - 15
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden - 14
Robin van Persie, Netherlands - 14
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Netherlands - 14
Daniel Guiza, Spain - 14
Ivica Olic, Croatia - 12
Nuno Gomes, Portugal - 12
Libor Sionko, Czech Republic - 12


Midfielders
Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands - 25
Michael Ballack, Germany - 24
Hakan Yakin, Switzerland - 23
Cesc Fabregas, Spain - 22
Xavi, Spain - 22
David Silva, Spain - 21
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany - 20
Konstantin Zyrianov, Russia - 18
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal - 17
Andres Iniesta, Spain - 17
Arda Turan, Turkey - 16
Hamit Altintop, Turkey - 16
Deco, Portugal - 15
Jaroslav Plasil, Czech Republic - 15
Sergei Semak, Russia - 15
Danijel Pranjić, Croatia - 14
Luka Modric, Croatia - 14
Orlando Engelaar, Netherlands - 14
Marcos Senna, Spain - 13
Daniele de Rossi, Italy - 13
Darijo Srna, Croatia - 12
Igor Semshov, Russia - 12
Yuri Zhirkov, Russia - 12
Arjen Robben, Netherlands - 12


Defenders
Philipp Lahm, Germany - 20
Joan Capdevila, Spain - 19
Carles Puyol, Spain - 18
Christian Panucci, Italy - 18
Sergio Ramos, Spain - 17
Carlos Marchena, Spain - 16
Petter Hansson, Sweden - 13
Gio van Bronkhorst, Netherlands - 13
Pepe, Portugal - 12
Aleksandr Anyukov, Russia - 12
Giorgio Chiellini, Italy - 12

Goalkeepers
Iker Casillas, Spain - 19
Gianluigi Buffon, Italy - 12
Jens Lehmann, Germany - 12

I'd want to see Sneijder, Robben, Iniesta, Cesc, and Senna in my midfield. Click to continue reading...

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.

Click to continue reading...

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...

Marcos Senna is being celebrated as a find, a player finally giving teeth to the much maligned Spanish defence, a noteworthy ally in its potent attack. But he is in a minority because this Euro shone a spotlight on the number of flatfooted defenses which became red meat for swift counter attacks.

Click to continue reading...

My two favourite teams in the tournament are also the last ones standing, which makes this simultaneously my dream final and a nightmare. I'll be cheering for Germany tomorrow -- I'm half German, and my ancestors would probably rise up to beat me about the head with a beer stein if I didn't -- but I'm sure that Spain will do their best to test my loyalties with their pretty pretty football. Click to continue reading...

David Pleat always manages to rise to the occasion, as the above warning to any Spaniards risking a premature exaltation clearly demonstrates.
He surpassed himself during the Semi Final between Spain and Russia.
My personal favourite was when he questioned himself on the (in)validity of his own description of Sergio Ramos as either a "cultivated bull" or a "cultured bull". Click to continue reading...

These two teams met in their opening match of the tournament, with Spain convincing 4-1 winners. Since then, Russia had surprised everybody by not just recovering but improving enough to demolish the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, while Spain had been winning withut exactly bowling people over.
And yet this game finished with an almost identical three-goal victory for Spain. Click to continue reading...

The best

Sebbene manchi la finale, anticipo quella che secondo me è la migliore formazione di questo europeo. I criteri di scelta non possono essere estranei al rendimento delle rispettive squadre e dal loro cammino.

CASILLAS

Difesa a quattro, terzini

SERGIO RAMOS

LAHM

centrali

PUYOL

CHIELLINI

Centrocampo,

SENNA

BALLACK

SNEJDER

in attacco dietro le punte

ARSHAVIN

punte

PAVLYUCHENKO

VILLA

COMMISSARIO TECNICO

LUIS ARAGONES

CITAZIONE PER

VANDERSAR, PEPE, GROSSO, FABREGAS, YAKIN, TUNKAY, ZIRKOV, PODOLSKY E SCHWENSTEIGER

Click to continue reading...

A por ellos!

Dov'è finita la Russia stellare di Hiddink ammirata contro l'Olanda? Scomparsa, ma i colpi iberici sono stati anche pesanti. Ad una Russia smarrita, fa da contraltare una Spagna che contiene molte assonanze col gruppo azzurro che a Berlino ha vinto il titolo mondiale. Click to continue reading...

With the Euro group stages ended, here is a look at the team of the group stages:

Goalie: Giggi Buffon, Italy
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Spain
Defenders: Pepe, Portugal
Defenders: Vedran Corluka, Croatia
Defenders: Gio Van Bronkhorst, Dutch
Midfielders: Wesley Sneijder (right), Dutch
Midfielders: Arda Turan, Turkey
Midfielders: Luka Modric, Croatia
Midfielders: Deco, Portugal
Strikers:: David Silva, Spain
Striker: Nihat Kahveci, Turkey

Subs:
Ronaldo, Portugal
Rafeel van der Vaart, Dutch
Orlando Engelaar, Dutch
Lukas Podolski, Germany
Marco Senna, Spain
Roman Pavlyuenko, Russia Click to continue reading...

A "close friend" of Cristiano Ronaldo told the Daily Mirror that Ronaldo will be leaving for Real Madrid after Euro 08. But really would Ronaldo reveal this life altering and earth rattling secret to a friend? I don't think so but this is what the friend had to say "Ronaldo has made his mind up now [. Click to continue reading...

Spain 2-1 Sweden
I expected this to be a tougher game for Spain, because Sweden are more disciplined team and weren't likely to push forward and leave space for them the way Russia did in the opening match. Although Spain had the vast majority of both the possession and shots on goal, it was more difficult for them to get in behind the defenders and create clear chances (plus, all the Swedish players were about a foot taller than the Spanish ones). Click to continue reading...

EURO 2008: Spain 2:1 Sweden Stadion Tivoli NEU, Innsbruck. Att: 30,772
Torres 15', Ibrahimovic 34', Villa 90'

David Villa, the hat-trick hero for Spain against Russia, roused himself to net an injury time winner send Spain through to the quarter final in Vienna on the 22nd of June. Click to continue reading...

If this rumour has any basis in fact then Liverpool fans should be very excited indeed! Man Utd have decided to fight back against Real Madrid by going after their players including Ramos and Robinho, however Man Utd will not have a free run at Sergio Ramos, Liverpool will also bid if it is confirmed that [. Click to continue reading...