European Football Thread

[EddieG]

So Dutch football magazine Voetbal International and Italian Gazette Dello Sport are both saying Seedorf is set to be pointed Manager effective immediately, and taking Jaap Stam from Ajax, and Hernan Crespo as his assistants.

[Crybaby Bunting]

In Zyagi never even got a look in

[Lineker]

Clarence Seedorf says he is to become the new AC Milan coach after announcing his retirement from playing.

[Lineker]

Lionel Messi has been omitted from Uefa's 2013 team of the year, in the same week he lost the Ballon d'Or to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Barcelona forward, 26, was 13th in the voting, which saw over 6.3m votes cast by users of the European governing body's website and social media sites.

Ronaldo was named in the team for an unprecedented seventh time in a row.

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil was the sole Premier League player selected after last year's side contained none.

Ozil was one of eight players currently playing in the Premier League to be nominated, while former Tottenham winger Gareth Bale did make the side, which is picked by fans.

European champions Bayern Munich were best represented with four players, with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defensive duo Philipp Lahm and David Alaba and winger Franck Ribery selected from last season's German treble winners.

Messi scored 42 goals in 45 appearances during the calendar year for Argentina and Barcelona but did not make the cut, and none of his Barca team-mates made the side either, despite the Catalan giants regaining their La Liga title in 2013.

Real Madrid, by comparison, had three players in the team with Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Bale all selected.

Messi, who was not selected in the side for the first time since 2007, was named in the Fifpro World XI on Monday.

Uefa team of the year 2013: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (Paris St-Germain), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), David Alaba (Bayern Munich); Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) Mesut Ozil (Arsenal); Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St-Germain)

[Lineker]

Levante were leading Barca in the Copa del Rey until the most hilarious of own goals just now...

[Lineker]

...and Barca end up trouncing them 4-1.

The treble is off for PSG - they rested Ibra in the cup and Montpellier knocked them out, winning 2-1 in Paris.

[METALMAN]

Treble isn't off. They could win the Champions League. :/

[Matt]

I think there is only one cup in France

[METALMAN]

Then you are wrong and should apologise to everyone.

[Baddar]

Monaco's Radamel Falcao could miss the World Cup after a potentially serious knee injury in a game last night. It's his ACL, but Monaco haven't set a timeframe for recovery yet.

[Adam]

I think there is only one cup in France

PSG are into the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Awful news about Falcao. If he misses the World Cup it's a big shame and probably kaputs Colombia's hopes of being a good bet for a long run through the tournament.

[Szumi]

ESPN says he tore his ACL and is set to miss the World Cup.

[METALMAN]

Oh yeah if he misses the World Cup it will be so rubbish. Colombia seem to be a really good team right now and I wanted them to do well. I'm sure they have good players aside from him but I haven't heard of any of them. >_>

[Lineker]

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has resigned following a Spanish court's decision to investigate last summer's signing of Brazil forward Neymar.

[Colly]

Oh yeah if he misses the World Cup it will be so rubbish. Colombia seem to be a really good team right now and I wanted them to do well. I'm sure they have good players aside from him but I haven't heard of any of them. >_>

I think Valderrama is their second best player.

[brenchill]

Speaking of Columbia, I read this earlier:

The Andres Escobar murder was widely believed to be a "punishment" for the infamous own goal.^[15] It is not clear whether the murderer was connected to one of the gambling syndicates who had bet large amounts of money on Colombia to qualify for the second round. In the UK, the BBC issued a public apology after its football pundit Alan Hansen commented during the match between Argentina and Romania that "the Argentine defender warrants shooting for a mistake like that", on 3 July, a day after the murder of Escobar.

Fucking hell, Hansen, you cock.

[Lineker]

Yet he's still there!

[Matt]

Oh yeah if he misses the World Cup it will be so rubbish. Colombia seem to be a really good team right now and I wanted them to do well. I'm sure they have good players aside from him but I haven't heard of any of them. >_>

I think Valderrama is their second best player.

Guarin? Zapata?

[Gazz]

Oh yeah if he misses the World Cup it will be so rubbish. Colombia seem to be a really good team right now and I wanted them to do well. I'm sure they have good players aside from him but I haven't heard of any of them. >_>

I think Valderrama is their second best player.

Guarin? Zapata?

Asprilla?

[METALMAN]

I've heard of Asprilla. He does porn.