Categoría: Todas las equipaciones de fútbol

According to Argentine team doctor Donato Villani, sex forms part of everyone’s social life and in itself is not a problem. The good doctor spoke these words in defence of Maradona’s decision to allow girl friends and wives to accompany the Argentine players to the World Cup.

However, the doctor clarified that it had to be with a stable partner, and that the players should avoid «additives» like champagne or Viagra.

Brazil President Lula Da Silva was critical of the lax atmosphere in the Argentine camp, noting that Maradona was allowing his players access to their wives and girl friends.Lula went on record as saying that he wanted to see the Argentines arrive staggering and exhausted to their games.

In news about England’s team preparations ahead of the event in South Africa, Joe Cole expects to feature in England’s opening match against the United States.

Cole, 28, recently came back in a friendly against Japan, from a knee injury that kept him out of the game for nearly two years.

The Chelsea midfielder is yet to get a regular place in the club side. Following his come back. Cole never considered his injury as career threatening, though he did not expect to recover in time for the World Cup.

Meanwhile, Portugal’s prospects have suffered a blow;Nani is out of the World Cup following a collar bone injury suffered in training in Lisbon.

Nani, 23, played brilliantly for Manchester United in the 2009/10 season, and was a likely star for Portugal in this year’s World Cup. Benfica midfielder Ruben Amorim will replace Nani in the Portugal squad.

Ivory Coast are arguably the strongest African contingent at the forthcoming event in South Africa. But their performance could suffer in the absence of their star striker Didier Drogba.

Drogba is undergoing surgery at the Lindenhof hospital in Berne, and everyone is hopeful of his speedy recovery, after an injury resulting from a collision with Japan’s Tanaka, in a match in Sion, Switzerland.

African Player of the Year, Drogba helped Chelsea to the Premier League and FA Cup Double with his 37 goals, last season.

Ivory Coast’s showing in the world Cup is completely dependent on Drogba’s recovery. Ivory Coast is in the ‘group of death’ with Brazil, Portugal and North Korea. Ivory Coast is the strongest of the five African teams at the World Cup, and quite capable of causing an upset in group G.

In news relating to another African team’s lead up to the Cup, Ghana right-back John Pantsil is optimistic of his team entering the World Cup semi-final. Pantsil who plays for Fulham in the EPL feels an Arican team could become the champion, this year.

Ghana had a brilliant run at the last edition, in 2006, where they beat the USA and Czech Republic, to enter the knock-out round, where they lost to Brazil.

The Black Stars are in Group D a tricky group that has Germany, Australia and Serbia. Ghana will take on Serbia, in their first game, on 13 June in Pretoria.

Finally the big day is almost near and long waiting has come to an end because the most awaited moment is here: FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia. Undoubtedly, it is one of the biggest extravaganzas on the earth, and now it’s time to gear up ourselves for the summer’s tournament because FIFA is round the corner. As the globe eagerly waits to have a glimpse of the action-packed with around 736 players from over 32 teams in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the billions of soccer fans are going around mad with excitement and curiosity.

The winner team will be qualifying itself for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup. The most awaited moment where many outstanding footballers are going to showcase their skills & talents in the highly-anticipated moment of the summer’s 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia in addition to the big names such as Argentina’s Lionel Messi,
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Neymar is almost near.

The curious fans are eagerly waiting for a glance of the first opening match of this extravagant moment and their excitement is just palpable. Only hours are left when Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar are going to be the main course items in the plates of fans during this spectacular event which is going to take place this summer from 14 June – 15 July 2018. Thanks to the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, that is offering an opportunity for billions of soccer fans to stay updated of this thrilled moment in real-time.

Robbie Williams, England’s pop-icon is all set to host the opening ceremony for around 80,000 football fans in the stadium and for billions of others all around the world. Portugal is again landing back into this tournament off to back of their Euro 2016 dominating victory of 3-0 against Algeria and thus all the football lovers are really very overwhelmed. 14 June 2018 is the day when a group is going to stage up for the real Christmas that arrives once in every four years and this is going to be a moment of intense excitement for all the soccer lovers.

Out of the 32 nations that have been successfully qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia, around 20 countries earlier competed with the previous version of this spectacular tournament in 2014. Iceland and Panama are the ones who have backed their positions in the World Cup for the first time.
Each team in the World Cup has a preliminary squad of 35 players and out of it a final squad of 23 players has been finalized. This spectacular event is going to be hosted in over 12 cities that are in and around the European Russia. The Luzhniki stadium and the Saint Petersburg stadium are going to be the most frequently used stadiums for this astonishing event.

Russia is going to host the opening match against Saudi Arabia on 14 June 2018 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow with both teams hoping for a colorful victory to end up the barren run in the global finals. The 2018 World Cup in Russia is going to put a start to its opening ceremony with official match ball named as «Telstar 18» and the official tournament song is «Live it Up».

The tournament mascot is the wolf «Zabivaka». So, let’s see who is going to make a deep run in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and which nation is going to lift up the trophy. Once in every four years this great event takes place and the whole world eagerly waits for this most astonishing moment. For all the soccer fans across the globe, it is the real Christmas time for them when they can see their favourite stars rocking the ground.

The main icons such as Ronaldo, Messi are going to explicit their extravagant moves. The World Cup 2018 is going to be the pinnacle in the careers of Portugal captain Ronaldo and Argentina skipper Messi. The Real Madrid Ronaldo and Barcelona forward Messi have been the two best players on the planet for the last decade. Their fans are very curiously awaiting the most sought after moment after four long years when their super stars are going to break the ground.

Russia has bagged the chance to host this astonishing event for this time. This is going to be breath taking moment when everyone is going to gear up their seats and watch their favourite teams playing. And it’s time when they are going to witness their star icons on the ground trying with their amazing moves and just are going to break the silence that lasted for 4 long years. All have so the game begins now…

Swimming

Did you know- By March 1939, against all odds,Ecuador,with only four swimmers(the smallest delegation), won the Swimming South American Championships in Lima, Peru, outpacing Brazil and Argentina. The heroes were Carlos Luis Gilbert, Ricardo Planas, Luis Alcivar Elizalde y Abel Gilbert. Because of the World War Second, they could not compete to the Summer Olympics in the 40s.

Pan American Games

Did you know- At the 2007 Pan American Games, a pre-Olympic event, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Olympic team of Ecuador finished 11th in the count medal, with 19 medals, outpacing Jamaica (13th), Peru (20th) and Uruguay (22nd). The nation’s medal tally for Rio 2007 included five gold medals. In that event, for the first time in the history of the Pan American Games, the team from Ecuador won the soccer tournament, ahead of Jamaica, Mexico and Bolivia. In the gold-medal game, they beat Jamaica 2-1.

Baseball

Did you know- The team from Ecuador -made of mostly Ecuadorian of Panamanian descent– won the Baseball South American Tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1963. The national team won all its matches, and defeated Argentina (20-1), Chile (20-2), Brazil (10-0) and Peru (6-0).

1976 Montreal Olympics

Did you know- The National Olympic Committee sent five athletes to the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). Curiously the delegation of Ecuador to Montreal was one of the smallest sent by a country in the world.

Women’s Basketball

Did you know- The national team finished in 12th place in the women’s Basketball World Championship in Brazil in the early 70s.

Ecuador Vs U.S.A

Did you know- On October 18, 1960, Ecuador’s player César Muñoz Vicuña made international headlines when he defeated Bobby Fisher (America), one of the greatest players of all time. Like Jefferson Perez (track & field), Galo Legarda (cue sports), Rolando Vera (athletics), Alberto Spencer (soccer) and Jorge Delgado Panchana (aquatics), Mr Muñoz was one of the most respected athletes in Ecuador, an oil-rich nation in South America.

Host Country

Did you know- By the mid-1990s, the Under-17 World Championship, backed by the nation’s then-President Sixto Durán Ballén (1992-96), was held in Guayaquil and Quito (Ecuador). The African team of Ghana was the champion, followed in order by Brazil (runner-up), Argentina (third place) and Oman. Also competed Australia, Nigeria, Portugal, Germany, Canada, Costa Rica, Spain, USA, Guinea, Japan, Qatar, and the host country.

Shooting

Did you know- On October 9, 1934, Ecuador’s shooter Juan Orús Madinya set a new world record.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world and there is no bigger event than the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. With the qualifying stages drawing to a close, here are some of the biggest names who are in danger of missing out.

1) Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero

Argentina is one of the biggest names in world soccer, winning the World Cup in 1978 and 1986. However, the appointment of their greatest ever player, Diego Maradona, as team manager has been an absolute disaster with the team currently stuck in 5th position in the South American Zone qualification round. With only the top 4 teams qualifying automatically and the 5th place team entering into the playoffs, Argentina’s hopes are hanging by a thread. Only 1 point separates them from Uruguay and Venezuela, and with 3 matches remaining, Argentina could finish as low as 7th.

2) Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 80 million pounds made him the most expensive player in the world. But even his prodigious talent isn’t enough for Portugal, as the Portuguese are currently languishing in 3rd place in Group 1 of the UEFA World Cup qualifying rounds. With only the top team making it through and the 2nd place team heading to the playoffs, Portugal has only 2 games left to play and might be eliminated if they do not win their next game.

3) David Beckham

The 2 games England played against Croatia might have decided Beckham’s fate. In the earlier game, England beat Croatia 4-1 with Theo Walcott, starting at the right midfield position, scoring a hat trick. Walcott had to sit out the return match at Wembley due to an injury and Aaron Lennon took his place. Lennon promptly turned in a man of the match performance, helping create 2 goals in England’s devastating 5-1 victory against the team that knocked them out of Euro 2008. Beckham had time to come on for a 10 min cameo, but will Capello take 3 right midfielders to South Africa? I think not.

There you have it. 3 of the biggest names in world soccer in danger of missing out of the next World Cup. Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo, the most expensive player in the world, and David Beckham, the most well known player in the world.

The World Cup has had no shortage of action this year. The tournament started off a little slow and goal scoring was few and far between, as were phantom calls by the referees, but all that has changed. At least the goal scoring part.

Portugal and Argentina have been the most impressive teams in my mind so far, but here are some assessments of the tournament.

The Vuvuzelas have grown on me. In the beginning of the tournament, it was the general consensus of Americans that the Vuvuzelas had to go. At this point, however, I have embraced the annoying horns as part of the game, and it is almost white noise to me.

The countries of Africa have more heart than the rest of the pack. Even though Cameroon and Ivory Coast have been eliminated, both teams played like their lives were on the line. The Ivory Coast truly deserves to be one of the 16 teams remaining, however with Portugal and Brazil in their group, it couldn’t have been tougher to advance.

Tying is not the same as winning. A lot of fans seem to forget this and will celebrate when their team has a draw with an opponent. New Zealand technically did not lose a game (tied all three) and were eliminated.

When it comes to most impressive continent in this world cup, the winner is without a doubt South America. At this point in the tournament, Brazil is the favorite to win it all, but every South American team has been on cruise control to the second round. Yesterday, Argentina put on a dominant performance against Mexico.

You don’t always need a superstar. While Kaka and his Brazilians, and Mesi and his fellow Argentinians march on, there are several teams that remain that do not have a superstar on their team (at least not to the average spectator). As far as I’m concerned the biggest names in this tournament are Kaka, Mesi, Christiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, and Wayne Rooney. Only two of the aforementioned players’ teams still remain in this World Cup, while teams like Paraguay and Uruguay without marquee players march on.

Finally, a note must be mentioned about how terrible France’s performance was. Since Henry’s handball in the qualifier, it had been nothing but turmoil for this team. They could not get it together at any point, and eventually threw in the towel, refusing to even practice prior to their last game. What happened to good sportsmanship?

Football, the beautiful game is without a doubt the most viewed sport in the world, and is quite popular amongst all generations of people. One of the best reasons for its enormous popularity is the interesting stories of the greatest football rivalries between various clubs and countries that come with this sport.

Biggest Club Rivalries in Football

Real Madrid Vs FC Barcelona

Real Madrid FC was established in 1902, while FC Barcelona was founded in 1899. Commonly called ‘El Clasico’ rivalry, Real Madrid and Barcelona have battled against with each other for about 270 times, with Real Madrid winning around 37% wins in compare to Barcelona’s 41%, and about 22% of the games finishing in a draw. This rivalry started from the 1902 when they met each other for the first time.

Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC

The football grounds have been dominated by this famous rivalry since 1894. These rival clubs have played with each for more than 190 times, with Manchester United winning 40% and Liverpool wining 33% of the games. About 27% of the matches have ended in draw. Manchester was founded in the year 1878, and Liverpool was established in the year 1892.

Arsenal Vs Chelsea

Most of the Arsenal fans dislike Chelsea, and the rivalry between these clubs is already a hundred years old. Since 1907 they have been competing with each other. They have played almost 200 games with each other, with Arsenal winning 38% and Chelsea winning 32% of the matches. Around 30% of the games have ended in draw. Arsenal was established in 1886, and Chelsea was found in the year 1905.

River Plate Vs Boca Juniors

These two football rivals have played around 210 games with each other, and the ferocious rivalry started since 1913, with River Plate winning around 33%, and Boca Juniors winning 37% of the matches. About 30% of the matches have ended in a draw. River Plate was established in the year 1901, while Boca Juniors was found in the year 1905.

Biggest Country Rivalries in Football

Argentina Vs Brazil

The rivalry between these neighboring countries is commonly known as the ‘Battle of the South Americans’. The first match between these two took place in the year 1914, and more than 100 matches have already been played against each other. Both the countries have won equal number of times, and about 25% of the matches have ended in a draw. In 1901, Argentina played its first international match, while Brazil played its first in 1914.

Portugal Vs Spain

Since 1921, Portugal and Spain have played against each other for around 140 times. Portugal has won about 17% of the matches, while Spain won around 50% of the matches. About 34% of the matches have ended in a draw. Portugal played its first international match in the year 1921, whereas the first international match of Spain was in the year 1920.

Mexico Vs USA

Mexico and USA have been playing against each other since 1934. In about 70 matches, Mexico has won 21% of the matches and USA has won 52% of the matches. Mexico debuted in the international arena in 1923, while the USA played its first international match in 1885.

Germany Vs England

The two countries met with each other in the football ground in the year 1899. Until now, they have played against each other more than 30 times, with both nations winning equal number of times, and 17% of the matches have ended in a draw. Germany played its first international match in 1908, while England played its first in the year 1870.

Japan Vs South Korea

Since 1954 these Asian nations have played against other for more than 800 times. Japan has won 18% of the matches, while South Korea has won about 52% of the games. About 30% of the matches have ended in a draw. First international match of Japan was in the year 1936, whereas South Korea played its first international match in the year 1948.

The British Home Championships were contested between, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, for 100 years starting in the years 1893-94, the games took place at the end of every domestic football season (apart from the war years when the championship wasn’t played) with each team playing the other team once, giving a total of 3 matches for each team. The championship continued until the 1983-84 season, when they were finally stopped.

Despite never achieving great success in the Championships, for the Welsh players there was always a great pride and passion in playing for their country, and there was always an intense rivalry when Wales played England.

In 1977 the Wales National Football Team beat England at Wembley Stadium for the first time in their history.

In an unprecedented incident prior to the game only the English national anthem was played and not the Welsh anthem, it is usually standard to play the national anthem of both teams prior to the game. In protest the Welsh players remained standing in a row in the centre of the pitch in silence, as if the anthem were to be played, they waited a few minutes and then proceeded to start the match.

Leighton James scored the penalty to give Wales a 1-0 victory, which remains Wales only victory over England at Wembley Stadium.

Another landmark Welsh victory was beating England 4-1 at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground in 1980, this came just a few days after England had beaten the then World Champions, Argentina.

The run of form against England continued into the mid-80s. In 1984 a talented youngster by the name of Mark Hughes secured a victory over England, scoring the only goal of the game on his international debut. Hughes went on to become a great player both for Wales and his club, Manchester United.

In 1950 The Home Championship determined which British teams would go through o the World Cup but Wales failed to qualify, losing to England and Scotland and being held to a 0-0 draw by Northern Ireland.

The 1950’s however were seen by many to be the golden age in Welsh football. Wales players Ivor Allchurch, Alf Sherwood and John Charles became household names and later helped their team qualify for their one and only World Cup in 1958

Wales were to win the Home Championship 12 times in total, 5 of which were shared with other teams, goal difference wasn’t included, so if the teams finished level on points the championship was shared.

David Beckham is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic footballers the world has ever produced. A former captain of the English senior national team- The three lions, he has remained a focal point in world football, as exemplified by his recent appointment by England towards her unsuccessful bid for the FIFA 2018 and 2022 World Cup respectively.

One of the things that gives the 35 years old Beckham the cutting edge over other footballers, is the wonderful technique he usually deploys when taking free-kicks. He can curve the ball from outside the penalty area into the net with ease. He has scored crucial goals for both club and country via his trademark free-kicks. The accuracy with which he passes the ball and deliver crosses has also endeared him to the heart of football fans world-wide.

His club career has seen him playing for the biggest club in England- Manchester United, before moving over on loan to Preston North end in 1995. David Beckham was eventually signed by Spanish giant-Real Madrid for a whopping £25 million record transfer fee in 2003. This move made him one of the highest paid athletes in the world and created a lot of media buzz around the player.

His stay at Real Madrid were not the most memorable, as he never got to his full potential either through suspension or injury. It wasn’t long before Beckham soon parted way with the Club and pitched his tent with Major League soccer club- Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 for a record transfer fee of US$32.5 million for a 5-year contract deal.

He got married to entertainment icon- Victoria Adams in a lavish ceremony on July 4th 1999 held in Ireland. His marital life has been blessed with three sons- Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. His marriage to Victoria has seen him gaining more global popularity in both the British and world press on a daily basis.

A hugely talented footballer, Beckham has created some enviable records for both club and country in his career which has spanned more than 20 years. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he became the only English player to score in three World cups. He also became the fifth player to score from a direct free kick when he scored against Ecuador in 2006 and Colombia in 1998 via free-kicks. He was also the first British footballer to play one hundred Champions League matches.

He is presently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador with special emphasis on promoting sports development especially in developing countries. His humanitarian gestures have seen him supporting the less privilege children in Africa and beyond.

Nicknamed «The Cat», Vincent Enyeama is one of the most favorite players in the Nigerian National Squad by both fans in his country and coaches. For several years he had been the undisputed first choice by Nigeria’s coaches in goal for the squad. Born on August 29, 1982, he had been the top goalkeeper for the Super Eagles since he took over from Ike Shorunmu in his country’s final match at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Beginning his soccer career at an early age of 16 with the semi-professional club Ibom Stars, he continued to improve his skills until he was signed by the major club Enyimba Aba where he played for three seasons from 2001-2004. During his stint at that club, he won the CAF Champions League twice. However, he was always substituted before penalty shootouts by his coach. Not knowing the real reason behind this, but accepting the fact that he probably was not good enough for penalty kick stoppages, he work doubly hard and mentally trained himself to prepare for such events and not falter. He moved to FC Heartland for the 2005 season before transferring to Israel.

In Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, a minor league club in Israel, he had a very productive first season showing his feline-like physical abilities and athletic skills. In his first season there, his contributions on the pitch helped his team qualify for the Israel State Cup and achieve fourth place in the Israeli Premier League which, in turn, qualified the team to the 2006 UEFA Cup. He stayed with the club for two seasons and in 2007 moved to Hapoel Tel Aviv where he is currently connected.

Although his team did not have a good 2007-08 season, Vincent Enyeama continued to grow and improve not only his goalkeeping skills but also his leadership skills as well. At one time when his club wasn’t performing well, he wrote his team a letter asking them to work together and fight for each other and the club. He had not only continued to improve as a player but also a leader which helped his team not only avoid relegation and but also contend for the state cup final. His consistent improvements are results of a superb training system that include not only physical conditioning but mental training as well to keep his focus intact every second of a match.

His consistent performance for his commercial clubs earned him a substitute spot for the 2002 World Cup where he played for only one match which was against England. During that last group game, he steadied is nerves and kept his composure to keep a clean sheet and salvage a draw against the powerhouse English squad. Since then he became his coaches’ top choice for goalkeeper when Ike Shorunmu retired from international soccer.

He had consistently contained his country’s goal during the 2004 and 2006 African Cup of Nations. He had a very memorable 2010 sequel of the tournament when he stopped three penalties in the quarterfinals against Tunisia but unfortunately lost to Cote d’Ivore in the semi-final.

The goalkeeper who had been substituted before penalty shootouts early in his career became the hero for many of Nigeria’s international games.

In the first group stage match against Argentina in the 2010 World Cup, had a superb performance by stopping and saving a variety of shots from some the top goal-scorers in the world such as Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain but could not save the game-winning header from Gabriel Heinze. Still, with that loss, he was named Man of the Match for his spectacular performance.

Even in the face of defeat, an athlete who had shown great resilience and desire against a mightier opponent is always given due recognition. Enyeama, who chose to be better than who he was before by consistently learning, is one goalkeeper who has etched his name as one of the best in the world of soccer.

There is a new heavyweight force in European football, they are being bankrolled seemingly by the Russian economy, they mean business, and their name is Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club have always been a decent club in the second strata of English clubs. In London alone Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have invariably been ahead of the Chelsea Blues, even West Ham have often put Chelsea in the shade. But no longer, for in the season 2004-2005, Chelsea won the English Premier League title for the first time in fifty years, their only previous winning season.

But they haven’t stopped there, in the new season 2005-2006 they are already well clear in the title race leaving all their rivals gasping, and now they have set their sights on the pinnacle of all the club trophys, the European Champions League. Chelsea have never won the Champions League, indeed no London club ever has. And it is clear that their charismatic manager Jose Mourinho is intent on winning the Champions League again, he did so with his previous club Porto, of Portugal.

So what of the traditional English giants? Manchester United, often described as the world’s richest football club, have fallen into the hands of the Glazer family of Tampa Bay fame, but they reportedly needed to borrow half a billion pounds to buy United, a debt the club now shoulders. Spending on new players has so far been thin on the ground and United’s brusque Glaswegian manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has admitted that United, for so long England’s most successful club, cannot compete with Chelsea when it comes to buying players. The hordes of United fans are not amused, the natives are growing restless.

Arsenal, London’s biggest and most successful club, lost their skipper and driving force Patrick Vieira last summer, he moved to Juventus in Italy for £12 million pounds and with their star striker Thierry Henry suffering fitness problems, they picked up some uncharacteristic defeats at unfashionable clubs like West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough. This is their last season at their famous old Highbury Stadium before they move to their new purpose built Emirates stadium almost next door. The increased capacity of 60,000 will undoubtedly give their French manager Arsene Wenger more money to spend next year, but of course they have to pay for that new ground too. Far from challenging Chelsea again, it would seem that Arsenal are more likely to fall further behind.

That leaves Liverpool and Newcastle. News comes through just today that the American Kraft Company and family are interested in investing in Liverpool F.C., perhaps even buying the club outright just like Manchester United fifty miles up the road, but that is some way down the line. And they too are seeking to build a brand new stadium on Stanley Park and of course that all costs big money. Despite last year’s freakish win in the Champion’s League, Liverpool’s league form this season has again been patchy, and that included a 4-1 walloping by Chelsea on their own Anfield pitch. The idea that Liverpool might challenge Chelsea for the title remains a far-fetched one. Newcastle, England’s second best supported club are gradually improving, and they have signed England’s centre forward Michael Owen, but they still remain unconvincing at the top level. They haven’t won the title since Noah was seen building his ark, or so it seems, and they aren’t going to do so this season either.

So though it is very popular for foreign investors to snap up the leading English (and Scottish) football clubs, it appears that only Roman Abramovich at Chelsea has the financial muscle to buy the best players around. He is the only one to put unlimited funds on the table. Top class players now command a transfer fee of £40 million each and whereas Manchester United might afford one of them a season, Chelsea’s purse seems bottomless. They have already spent £220+ million and are still in the market to buy again when the transfer window re-opens in January.

They have already achieved success by winning at home, now the European Champion’s League is the Holy Grail for them, a trophy they are now the outright favourites to win with the odds layers. And astonishingly they have achieved their success to date with an array of strikers who haven’t really cut the mustard. Mutu the Romanian, was promptly sacked for drug taking, Crespo the Argentinian, was sent out to Milan on loan last season, and though he is back now he is hardly setting the world afire,or even playing that often, Gudjohnson an Icelander, plays more often than not, the muscular Drogba from the Ivory Coast, seems to have finally claimed the number nine shirt as his own, yet many blues followers still remain unconvinced about him, so it would seem likely that Chelsea may yet be looking for another proven goal scorer come January, especially after a recent rare defeat at Manchester United.

It would take a brave man to back against Chelsea in any competition at the moment. But if you’d like to, you can still have a free $30 dollar bet at Betfair.com by entering the code 6CHE3VPWJ when prompted. But one thing is for sure; no one would be surprised if this time next year the Premier League trophy AND the Champions League trophy were both on display in the Chelsea boardroom. It seems that only the Italian giants Milan and Juventus, and the Spanish top two, Real Madrid, and most especially Barcelona with their Brazilian superstar, surely soon to be the world player of the year, Ronaldinho, might stop the London blues. It really does seem as if we have entered a new era in European and world football, or if you prefer the ridiculous name that no one ever uses, Soccer. Chelsea fans have never had it so good while everyone else is left gasping in their wake, for it is a fact that Chelsea Football Club have raised the bar for everyone else to follow. Time will tell if anyone can.