The world's most famous footballer, David Beckham, finally won his much prized 100th cap for England in their 1-0 loss against France at the Stade de France in Paris on Wednesday.
It was England manager Fabio Capello's second game in charge and Beckham's first under his former mentor at Real Madrid but a disjointed performance from the English meant that Beckham's special night was soured by a 1-0 defeat courtesy of a Franck Ribery penalty after England goalkeeper David James had upended France striker Nicolas Anelka just before half-time.
Becks wore these special gold boots to mark his 100th cap
Although Beckham was able to prove his fitness to the new manager he was unable to inspire his teammates with a display that was described by the BBC as "clear his most athletic days are now gone" despite Fabio Capello's positive reaction by his performance.
The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder insisted that he will not retire from international football having won his 100th cap - the fifth English player to do so - and he now joins an elite band of England players who have earned 100 caps: Bobby Moore, Peter Shilton, Billy Wright and Sir Bobby Charlton.
LA Galaxy midfielder and global footballing icon, David Beckham, recently took part in his first training session with English giants Arsenal after accepting an offer from Gunners boss Arsene Wenger to train with the London club during the MLS off-season.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player is working with the Premier League leaders in a bid to reach peak physical condition before the start of MLS pre-season and more importantly, to win his 100th cap in England's friendly against Switzerland on 6 February.
A delighted Fabregas is joined by Becks in training
Arsenal's training ground is based conveniently in Colney, just minutes from Beckham's Hertfordshire mansion.
It has been reported that Beckham will mainly train with Arsenal's reserves and will only join up with the first team occasionally when they are short of players.
Judging by how delighted Arsenal's midfield sensation Cesc Fabregas looks in some of these snaps, it appears Becks has settled in well with the lads.
Italian Fabio Capello is all set to become the next manager of the England national football team after the English Football Association board approved his appointment subject to the successful conclusion of contract negotiations.
The contract 'negotiations' includes the small matter of Capello accepting a four-and-a-half year deal worth £6.5m PER year - or £4 a year AFTER tax.
I can't see any problem there!
The 61-year-old football manager is keen to bring his own backroom staff of three or four fellow Italians with him, including his trusted aide Franco Baldini as an assistant. The English FA, however, is keen to include an Englishman in the setup with former defender Stuart Pearce and goal-scoring legend Alan Shearer at the top of the list of candidates.
Fabio Capello is a former AC Milan, Juventus, Roma and Real Madrid coach with one of the most impressive CV's in world football today. He has won 9 league titles in 16 years as a coach, picking up silverware with all four clubs he has been in charge of.
He won the Champions League with Milan in 1994 by a 4-0 margin over Barcelona in one of the most destructive performances in the Champions League's history.
He will be charged with restoring pride in the Three Lions after the country failed to qualify for next year's Euro 2008 Championship finals under the reign of Steve McLaren and to qualify (and win) the 2010 World Cup.
Steve McLaren's 15-month tenure as England head coach - the briefest of any full-time England coach - came to an abrupt end on Thursday morning (GMT) after England's disastrous exit from the Euro 2008 Championship.
In the aftermath of England's 3-2 defeat by Croatia, the Football Association held an emergency board meeting the morning after and made an unanimous decision to terminate the contract of McClaren and his assistant Terry Venables with immediate effect.
The FA's chief executive Brian Barwick admitted McClaren's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 cost him his job.
'It was a board decision - it was unanimous." he said.
"I spoke to Steve this morning - we get on very well with him. I've had many grown-up conversations and had another one with him this morning - and I can only wish him well.
But in the end, not qualifying for Euro 2008 comes up short. Qualification for a major tournament is probably a minimum requirement." he added.
McLaren took over as manager of England after the departure of Sven Goran Eriksson on August 1st 2006 to very little public backing. He had been involved with the England setup for many years as assistant coach prior to his appointment as head coach and many felt that he had been hastily appointed due to the lack of candidates available to the FA at the time.
Despite being given two chances to qualify for the finals in Austria and Switzerland, McLaren and his men wasted both opportunities with completely inept performances to miss out on qualification for a major tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup.
It took years for the last manager that failed to lead the country to a major tournament, Graham Taylor, years to rebuild his reputation and there is no doubt that it would take even longer for Steve McLaren, who now has the unenviable record of the highest percentage of games lost as manager at 28%.
Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to announce his retirement from football today at the age of 34.
The UK's The Sun newspaper has reported that the Norwegian has finally given in to the persistent knee problems he has suffered since 2003.
Affectionately named the "Baby-faced assassin" by the press and United fans alike, the striker epitomised the role of "super-sub" - by coming off the bench to rescue his beloved United side many times.
None more so than in the Champions League final of 1999 when he scored the winner with effectively the last kick of the game thus writing himself in Manchester United history.
Playing in an era when footballers collected super big pay cheques, Solskjaer avoided the big ego that came almost hand-in-hand with the money and adulation by keeping his private life exactly that - private.
He was also the consummate professional and never moaned nor complained about his place in the United team and squad, despite starting many games on the bench. When called upon, he never failed to deliver and that is the reason why he has been a mainstay in Ferguson's team for over 10 years.
Making a total of 235 appearances for the Red Devils and scoring 92 goals, these statistics would have been even more impressive had he not experienced persistent knee problems since 2003.
His injury nightmare first arose in 2003 when a recurring knee problem restricted his first-team appearances but worse was to come in season 2004-05.
Solksjaer celebrates after scoring THAT goal
After undergoing intensive knee operations, he was forced to sit out the entire season which coincided with Chelsea's dominance in the Premier League that saw United endure a barren spell when it came to trophies.
Solskjaer finally recovered well enough for regular football last season and helped the club win the Premiership with 30 appearances and 11 goals - making him the club's third highest scorer for the season.
His injury nightmare returned in June 2007 when he began to feel discomfort in the same problematic knee whilst in Norway. After undergoing another knee operation, Solskjaer failed to recover well enough to cope with the demands of top-flight football.
He is scheduled to officially announce his retirement later today.
Liverpool vice-captain and defender Jamie Carragher is set to announce his retirement from international football with immediate effect.
The main reason for the the lion-hearted centre-back's decision is due to his status in the national team's pecking order where he has failed to cement a place in the first-team despite making his debut for the national side back in 1999.
Despite playing a starring role for Liverpool in the club's 2005 Champions League triumph and helping the club to its third Champions League final appearance in three years last season, the 29 year-old has continually been over-looked for a starting berth for England.
Having played second fiddle to the likes of Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry over the years, he has also been bumped down the pecking order by the likes of Jonathan Woodgate and young gun Ledley King in recent times.
The final straw came in the recent Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia when he was overlooked for a starting position at centreback despite an injury to Rio Ferdinand.
Instead, King was given the chance to partner Terry in the middle of the back four despite an injury-ravaged season.
"I thought I'd had a good season for Liverpool, especially helping Liverpool get to the Champions League final.
"Like any player I thought I deserved to play but not doing so made the situation crystal clear to me." he said.
Despite the loyal service he gave to his country including the high number of times he was asked to play out of position, his decision did not escape the wrath of Talksport radio presenter Adrian Durham who suggested he was a 'bottler'.
Incensed by the stupidity of Durham's remarks, Carragher telephoned the show to let rip at the moron: “Don’t ever call me a bottler on radio with thousands of people listening. I’ve had the stomach to fight for my place for the last eight years.
It’d be interesting to see if you’ve got any bottle and come down to Anfield or Melwood and say it to me and we’ll see what happens.
“I’ve never really played centre-half for England and, to be honest, I’ve never really played that well for England because I’ve played a lot of the time at full-back.
“At centre-half, I don’t think I’ve played as much as maybe I deserved. But that’s the manager’s choice.
“If Steve McClaren’s chosen people ahead of me then I don’t think anyone can really complain if I would rather concentrate and save myself for Liverpool games.
“He played Ledley King, who is a top player. But he’s been injured all season, so how would you feel in my situation?
“And when John Terry was out, Jonathan Woodgate played.
“I’m 29, I’ve been doing it for eight years and obviously I haven’t proved it enough, so it’s not going to change now, is it?
Needless to say, Durham was put in his place and quite rightly so.
Thierry Henry proudly displays his new Barcelona shirt
France striker Thierry Henry completed his move to Spanish giants FC Barcelona for a fee of £16.1m from English Premier League side Arsenal over-night.
Henry, who turns 30 in August, passed a medical on Monday afternoon (GMT) before being unveiled in front of 30,000 fans at the Nou Camp after signing a four-year deal with the Catalan outfit.
Henry won't be wearing this away kit now!
The mega-bucks four-year deal which includes a staggering £84million buy-out clause in the Frenchman’s contract should see the pacy forward end his career in Spain.
Henry leaves Arsenal as the top scorer in the club's history with 226 goals in 364 appearances.
The following video is of Henry's presentation at the Camp Nou:
In the following two video clips, Henry says goodbye to his beloved Gunners fans:
Arsenal's talismanic captain and France striker Thierry Henry is set to leave his beloved Gunners for Spanish giants Barcelona in a reported fee of around £16 million.
At the time of this post, Henry is in Barcelona to undergo a medical and is set to be officially unveiled as a Barcelona FC player on Monday afternoon (GMT).
The move will come as a huge blow to Arsenal - the club will be losing their talismanic captain, a hugely talented striker and a club icon who epitomises the beautiful flowing football under Arsene Wenger's reign.
Click here for more details as Henry seals his move to Barcelona.
According to the Sun newspaper in the UK, Ryan Giggs is set to announce his shock retirement from international football just three days out from a crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against the Czech Republic.
The Wales skipper is said to be retiring in a bid to prolong his career at Manchester United, the club he made his debut for in 1991 as a fresh-faced 17 year old.
The Welsh wizard recently won a record-breaking ninth League title with Manchester United this season and played a major part in their triumph as one of the veterans in the side.
His conversion from an all-out pacy winger to midfield maestro/support striker is a testament to the all-round ability of this truly wonderful player who never ceases to amaze his manager, team-mates and fans alike.
Ryan Giggs stars for Manchester United
Former team-mate and current Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce, formerly Pallister's partner in central defence, once said: "When Ryan ran, he ran like the wind. You couldn't hear him he was that light on his feet.
"He had that natural body swerve, that way with a ball only the great players have got."
Despite achieving great success at club level with the Red Devils, Giggs' biggest regret is being unable to grace the world stage at major international finals - Wales can be said to be footballing minnows in that respect.
He readibly admits he finds it tough listening to his United team-mates talk about World Cups and European Championships.
He once said: “Playing for Wales is completely different from club football. At United you are used to winning things and to be favourites. Then you come away with Wales and you are the underdogs.”
Giggs was due to win his 64th cap for Wales against the Czech Republic on Saturday.
David Beckham has earned a recall to the England squad for a friendly at the new Wembley against Brazil on June 2nd and the crucial Euro 2008 trip to Estonia on June 6th.
The former England captain has been in exile from the England squad ever since current coach Steve McLaren took over the team after last year's World Cup quarter-final loss against Portugal.
Despite McLaren publicly saying that the door would not be closed for a Beckham return, many doubted he would appear in a Three Lions shirt again as England looked towards the future in the post-Sven Goran Eriksson era. Others have said that Beckham's axing had to do with McLaren's intention of stamping his authority on the team.
However, with England suffering a huge set-back on the back of a poor run of results, McLaren has had to recall the Real Madrid superstar for the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia.
Becks has been in sensational form for Real Madrid since making a return to the side after boss Fabio Capello had previously vowed he would never pick the Englishman again after the transfer saga which saw the player sign on for MLS side LA Galaxy for the next five seasons.
He has played a huge part in a resurgent Real side who are on course for triumph in La Liga - they currently top the League standings with 72 points.
I have always maintained that Beckham has been made a scapegoat for England's underperformance at the last World Cup. No, his play has never been about pace but precise and accurate passing, long or short, which he is continuing to do on a consistent basis for Real Madrid.
And more importantly, the fact is he is still clearly one of the best English players going around. His return maybe short-lived though given his impending move to US soccer, but as he has proven once again, write him off at your own peril.
Or just ask the two managers with egg on their faces!
The Sun newspaper in the UK has reported that England captain John Terry would love to see his predecessor David Beckham back wearing a Three Lions shirt.
The Chelsea defender, who took over as skipper when Beckham was axed by boss Steve McClaren after World Cup '06, said that 'Becks' still has the quality to play for the national side and was "too good to ignore".
“Yes, of course. He’s a fantastic player. That’s Steve McClaren’s decision to pick and drop players, but he’s still a world-class player." said Terry.
“Taking over from such an iconic captain as David Beckham was a tough act to follow. He changed the role of England captain in many ways.
But first and foremost he was a fantastic player and still is." he added.
The pressure is on England boss Steve McLaren to recall the former skipper for the must win game against Estonia on June 6.
Despite only just returning from injury, Beckham looked in great form against Athletic Bilbao and helped setup the first goal with a pin-point free-kick in his side's 4 - 1 win over the weekend.
A strong 74,343 crowd - the highest recorded crowd for a non-competitive match - packed the Old Trafford stadium to watch Manchester United play a European "All-Stars" team in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the European Union and of Manchester United becoming the first English side to play in UEFA's European club competition.
In a match of celebration, an emotional 'thank you' from David Beckham and mass substitutions, the Red Devils beat the Europe XI 4-3 courtesy of goals from Wayne Rooney (2), Wes Brown and a stunning 35-yard free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo.
The European select-side answered with three goals of their own from El-Hadji Diouf (2) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
An Emotional 'Thank You' from David Beckham
Former Manchester United star David Beckham returned to his former stomping ground as a guest following a knee ligament injury that forced him to pull out of the Europe XI side.
Making his first return to a Manchester United match since leaving for Real Madrid in 2003, 'Golden-balls' was afforded a hero's welcome during his emotional speech at half-time.
"I just want to say that the time I spent at this club is the best time of my football career.
"I've waited four years to actually come back and say thank you to the fans and the people at this club." he said.
A star-studded 22-man European squad will face English Premier League leaders Manchester United in a charity match on Tuesday evening (GMT) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the European Union and of Manchester United becoming the first English side to play in UEFA's European club competition.
Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol and many of the Italian World Cup-winning squad will take part in the match as well as three Brazilian stars - Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Juninho - taking part as 'guests'.
Former Manchester United player David Beckham has had to withdraw from the European select-side due to injury, but will return to his old stomping ground to watch the game from the stands.
Retired France legend Zinedine Zidane has turned down the opportunity to take to the pitch for the select-side - whether or not Italian Marco Materazzi's presence in the squad had anything to do with his decision, we do not know.
'Zizou' ended his career with a red card after thrusting his head into Materazzi's chest in the World Cup final of 2006.
The full Europe XI squad are as follows:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn, Grégory Coupet, Iker Casillas. Defenders: Paolo Maldini, Jamie Carragher, Eric Abidal, Lilan Thuram, Carles Puyol, Marco Materazzi, Fabio Grosso. Midfielders: Gianluca Zambrotta, Steven Gerrard, Juninho Pernambucano, Florent Malouda, Luis Miguel, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo. Strikers: Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Alessandro Mancini, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson.
David Beckham's return to the Real Madrid first-team has been cut short by a knee ligament injury that will rule him out for 4-6 weeks.
The former England captain has been in fine form since his return to the Madrid line-up and was on the verge of an England recall for the upcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.
The 31-year-old midfielder was hurt playing for Real Madrid against Getafe in the Spanish League on Sunday. Beckham hurt his right knee after mis-hitting a cross and running into advertising hoardings behind the goal.
Not only will he miss the chance of a recall to the national team, he will also miss Wednesday's Champions League game against Bayern Munich, a crucial match against Barcelona next weekend and possibly a further three league games.
He will also miss an emotional return to Old Trafford on 13 March when he was set to play for a European All-Star XI against the current Manchester United side.
Beckham has said many times in the past that one of his biggest regrets was not being able to say goodbye to the United fans at Old Trafford after being sold to Real Madrid in the summer of 2003.
Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba has been voted Africa's number one footballer of the past year by the continent's national coaches.
It's the first time a Chelsea player has landed the African honour and the first Ivorian to win this award.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) committee members chooses a shortlist of three which is then voted upon by the 53 national coaches.
Drogba came out on top with 79 points followed closely by Barcelona's three-time winner Samuel Eto'o with 74 and Michael Essien, also of Chelsea FC with a distant 36 points.
The award capped off a year in which Drogba captained his country to the African Nations Cup final where they were beaten on penalties by hosts Egypt.
In the second half of 2006 and the current season of the English Premier League in particular, Drogba has been on top form and scoring goals at ease with a tally of 17 goals in the Premiership alone.
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