Messi stamps his mark on the global game

 

Barcelona may have breezed through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League thanks to a resounding 10-2 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 on Wednesday night, but there can be no denying the impact of Lionel Messi, who acted as the catalyst by putting on an inspirational display against the Germans in Camp Nou.

The Argentine contributed to the 7-1 scoreline with five goals of his own, earning him the distinction of becoming the first player in the competition's history to reach that tally in a single game, and also a place in Goal.com folklore after being awarded a perfect 10 for his, well, perfect display.
 

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Podolski for sale

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Wenger's side give AC Milan an almighty scare

 

AC Milan survived a major scare against a spirited Arsenal side on Tuesday night, despite conceding three goals in the first half of their Champions League round-of-16, second-leg clash at the Emirates.

The Rossoneri had a hefty four-goal advantage from the game in Italy three weeks ago, but had their backs against the wall after first-half goals from Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and Robin van Persie. AC Milan managed to wake up from their nightmare to emerge winners in the tie - but the likes of Massimiliano Allegri, Adriano Galliani and Silvio Berlusconi were given one hell of a fright along the way.

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Wenger of the Middle East

 

On Monday Diego Maradona revealed that he would like to leave a legacy at Al Wasl akin to that of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Maradona told DPA: "I would love to fulfil and go on to renew [my contract]; to become a sort of Arsene Wenger at Al Wasl."

The Argentine legend rejected claims that he took the job in Dubai for solely monetary reasons and went on to reveal his desire to lead the club to glory. Maradona's side currently sit fifth in the UAE Pro League, five points adrift of an AFC Champions League qualifying spot.

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Big baby Abramovich throws away another toy

 

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is on the hunt for his eighth permanent manager at Stamford Bridge after sacking Andre Villas-Boas on Sunday. 

The dismissal came as little surprise following the Blues' 1-0 defeat to West Brom which further extended a miserable run of form for the west London club. 

The 34-year-old is the latest in a long line of coaches to have been shown the door by the Russian billionaire, with the likes of Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti having already been dumped at the club after relatively short tenures. 

The only question that remains is who would dare take the role on next?

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Amman Streets and The Snow

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Van Persie is Arsenal's one-man team

 

Arsenal boosted their prospects of qualifying for the Champions League again next season with a somewhat fortuitous 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Saturday afternoon. 

After spending nearly the entire game under the cosh, they stole three crucial points in injury time. The reason? Robin van Persie, who clinically finished the only two chances which came his way during the 90 minutes. 

The Dutchman has now scored 31 goals in all competitions this season, seemingly single-handedly keeping his colleagues in with a shout of the top four ...

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Benitez on the hunt for a new job

 

With two La Liga titles, one Uefa Cup, a Champions League triumph and an FA Cup medal in his trophy cabinet, Rafa Benitez comes with a sparkling track record of success.

However, the Spanish coach has been out of a job since he was dismissed by Inter back in December 2010, and may be getting desperate to get back to work - perhaps talk of two unsettled Portuguese will have got him interested ...

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Sahin desperate to catch Mourinho's eye

 

Nuri Sahin played 90 minutes for Turkey in midweek and despite a lack of match sharpness, he still showed some good passing range, leading his national team coach Abdullah Avci to voice his confidence that the midfielder will still be a success with Real Madrid.  

However, after nine months and only a handful of appearances to his name under Jose Mourinho, the 23-year-old must be wondering what he must do to get a start in the Spanish capital.

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Messi king of the hill

 

Lionel Messi went some way to banishing his Argentina demons on Wednesday night after putting on a virtuoso display to inspire his country to a 3-1 victory against Switzerland in Bern. His well-taken hat-trick also took his international goal tally to 22, surpassing legendary striker Mario Kempes and capping off a memorable night for the 24-year-old.

The fleet-footed attacker has been continually criticised by many for failing to replicate his form with Barcelona on the international stage, but his latest performance should see Portuguese counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo look on in envy following the Seleccao's latest disappointing result - a 0-0 draw in Poland.

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Pick on someone your own size!

 

Goalkeeper Joe Hart might be England's last man standing by the time Wednesday night's international friendly against Netherlands at Wembley kicks off, given the rate of withdrawals from the Three Lions' squad.  

Glen Johnson became the fifth player to pull out, joining Darren Bent, Wayne Rooney, Tom Cleverley and Kyle Walker on the injured list..... 

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Could 'The Tinkerman' soon be out in the cold at Inter?

 

Inter president Massimo Moratti has admitted that he is considering the future of current coach Claudio Ranieri but insisted there is a chance the 60-year-old could remain at San Siro. 

With the Nerazzurri on a run of five straight defeats in all competitions, Ranieri's position has come under intense scrutiny of late. 

Moratti will evaluate the current state of affairs at Inter before making a decision as to whether Ranieri will suffer a similar fate to previous trainers Rafael Benitez, Leonardo and Gian Piero Gasperini.

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Adam and Liverpool reach for the sky

 

Despite Charlie Adam and Steven Gerrard's best efforts, Liverpool finally ended six years of hurt on Sunday as Kenny Dalglish's side lifted the League Cup with a 3-2 penalty shoot-out win over Cardiff City. A goal from Martin Skrtel in normal time and another from Dirk Kuyt in extra time earned the Reds the chance to contest the shoot-out, and luckily for Adam, Gerrard and Co. Cardiff's penalties were even shoddier

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Conte and Allegri in linesman tug-of-war

 

Controversial decisions from the officials in the clash between Serie A's top two, AC Milan and Juventus, contributed to the game ending in a 1-1 draw, as Sulley Muntari's header and an incorrect offside decision against Alessandro Matri saw the spoils shared.

The officiating was much to the dislike of both Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri, who were ready to do all in their power to influence the linesmen's decisions  

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SmackDown 2012 - starring Badstuber & Muller

 

Jupp Heynckes was hoping for a 'Backlash' from his Bayern Munich players in Basel on Wednesday night following his side's tame 0-0 draw with Freiburg the previous weekend. The veteran coach was unhappy with their 'Attitude' and wanted to see a little more fight from his 'superstars'.

Unfortunately, Holger Badstuber and Thomas Muller took that instruction a little too literally and ended up having to be pulled apart by their boss after clashing over who was to blame for Basel's winner at St. Jakob Park. The hope now is that there will be no 'Bad Blood' between the pair after the WWE-style 'Bust-up in Basel'. 

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'Psycho' stands guard at the home of football

 

Stuart Pearce, the interim England manager, announced his squad for next week's friendly with the Netherlands on Thursday. As well as surprisingly calling up Sunderland forward Fraizer Campbell, Pearce also offered to lead England at Euro 2012, citing his disastrous Under-21 European Championship campaign last summer as 'big-tournament experience'.

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Reja's Rome departure plan left in ruins

 

News broke on Wednesday that Lazio coach Edy Reja had handed in his resignation at the Rome-based outfit, despite his side sitting in fourth spot in Serie A, only for president Claudio Lotito to reject his offer - the second time the club's supremo has done so already this season. Surely the experienced trainer will be asking himself if he will ever be allowed to leave the Italian capital ...

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AVB's facing the chop

 

Andre Villas-Boas is walking the proverbial tightrope after goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani condemned his error-prone Chelsea side to a damaging defeat at Napoli that leaves their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance. The former Porto coach, whose tactics and team selection in Naples have come under intense criticism, now looks to have exactly 90 minutes of the return leg at Stamford Bridge to salvage his "project" and avoid getting the sack from notoriously impatient owner Roman Abramovich.

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Managing to infinity and beyond

 

Sir Alex Ferguson continues to be unrelenting over his stewardship at Manchester United as he targets another 'two or three more years' at the helm. The fans will be delighted to hear that his legendary stint at Old Trafford, stretching more than 25 years already, is set to continue. To ease himself out of the club, Ferguson targets an ambassadorial role when he eventually steps down. After one false retirement date in 2002, however, one cannot help but wonder, will he ever call it a day ...?

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yearn for a return of Mourinho

 

Jose Mourinho was the subject of boos from the Santiago Bernabeu faithful earlier this season, but for two of his former clubs, Chelsea and Inter, the Portuguese's reign is remembered fondly. Chants for the 49-year-old rang out at both San Siro and Stamford Bridge at the weekend, and with Real Madrid enjoying a 10-point cushion at the top of La Liga, Los Blancos president Florentino Perez must be anxious that Mourinho doesn't yearn for pastures old ...

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La Liga Status

 

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Fernando Torres' love story

 

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has admitted what everyone already knew - that he "cannot score" goals any longer. With only five strikes in nearly 50 games for the Blues since his £50 million transfer from Liverpool a year ago - and in the week of Valentine's Day - the once-prolific forward must be feeling like a spurned lover as he ponders how to rekindle his romance with the back of the net ...

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If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh

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Hiddink has money to burn at Anzhi

 

Russian financial heavyweights Anzhi Makhachkala have long been in the market for a big-name coach to help them become a European superpower and finally got their man this week as Guus Hiddink agreed to join the Dagestan outfit. The Dutch master may be about to brave the severe cold for his new club, but his considerable pay packet should keep him warm

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Dino Brain

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Hazard to earn his Spurs in England

 

It seems to change with every passing moment. One minute, Eden Hazard looks set to join Thomas Vermaelen at Arsenal, the next he looks close to joining Romelu Lukaku at Chelsea, and now a move to Tottenham Hotspur could be on the horizon. And who can blame him? With Arsenal incapable of winning two games in a row, Chelsea looking ever more unlikely to make the top four and Spurs going from strength to strength, the talented Belgian schemer could very well be plying his trade at White Hart Lane next season after all. 

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Will it be Paris, Milan or Madrid for Arsene ...?

 

Fresh from enduring a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of AC Milan in the Champions League second round on Wednesday night, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may now not be around for much longer at the Emirates, with Paris, Milan or even Madrid all possible destinations for the Frenchman.

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Maradona and Chavez (Still the best of friends)

 

The friendship between Al Wasl coach Diego Maradona and Venezuela president Hugo Chavez has seemingly survived Boca Juniors' Copa Libertadores opener with Zamora, a club which is directed by Chavez's brother Adelis. The Argentine heavyweights were held to a goalless draw by the Barinas-based club, who played in their first ever game in the continental competition. But with both sides sharing the spoils, it looks like Diego and Hugo will remain 'BFF' for a while yet.

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It must be love as Tevez returns

 

Carlos Tevez is poised to return to Manchester City, at least for of the rest of the season, after his fallout with the Premier League club as a result of his refusal to warm up in September's Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.

After having one foot out of the club on two separate occasions since the end of the 2010-11 campaign, one has to wonder whether Tevez is involved in a love–hate relationship with City and his manager Roberto Mancini.

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Naughty Cupid

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the reveal

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Zambia dedicate victory to their fallen

 

On Sunday evening, after 120 goalless minutes and a mamoth round of penalties, Zambia defied the odds to lift the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabonese capital Libreville. It was a fitting end to the tournament for Herve Renard's men, who dedicated the victory to their compatriots who perished in a plane crash there some 19 years previously.

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كاريكاتير باسم يوسف Bassem Youssef Cartoon

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Why Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand

 

Liverpool's Luis Suarez sparked controversy when he refused to shake hands with Manchester United defender Patrice Evra ahead of Saturday's clash between their respective sides at Old Trafford. The Uruguayan was castigated by Red devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson and defender Rio Ferdinand after the game for not only sullying his own reputation but also that of his club. However, maybe there was more to Suarez's shocking decision than initially thought ...

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Philip Seymour Hoffman

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Maradona ready to throw his toys out of the pram

 

Diego Maradona has a well-earned reputation for impetuousness, with his latest rant aimed against Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini over the treatment of wantaway striker Carlos Tevez. 

The Argentine legend called the Italian coach a 'spoilt brat', but he seems to be holding all the toys ...

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Capello's managerial merry-go-round

 

Following Fabio Capello's shock departure as England manager on Wednesday, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has immediately been installed as the favourite to take over from the Italian. And consequently, a managerial merry-go-round may well be set in motion, with Jose Mourinho now being linked with replacing Redknapp at White Hart Lane, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger being courted by Real Madrid and Capello rumoured to be whetting Inter's appetite. Football aye ...

And here are a few of your suggestions for #merrygoroundmanagers...

@amarjourno... "Redknapp to England, Moyes to Tottenham, Kean to Everton, Capello to Blackburn... #merrygoroundmanagers"

@aahmadaqib... "Avram Grant to England, Pulis to Afc, Guardiola to Stoke, Pope to mcfc."

@MVWXIV... "Redknapp to England. Mourinho to Spurs. Hiddink to Madrid. Steve Kean still at Blackburn."

@bunzez... "Redknapp to England, Wenger to Madrid, Mourinho to Spurs, Guardiola to Arsenal, Capello to Juventus, AVB will stay."

@Dami_0620... "Fergie to stay, AVB to leave, Mourinho back to Chelsea, Guardiola to AFC, Wenger jobless for a year, Redknapp to stay at THFC."
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Yummy!!!

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Harry Redknapp innocent

 

Despite Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp being found not guilty on tax-evasion charges on Wednesday, Fabio Capello's sudden departure as England head coach later that day has now opened the door to the possibility that the one-time West Ham United, Southampton and Portsmouth coach may in fact have to spend the next four years as boss of the Three Lions instead.

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Why always him?

 

The outspoken and controversial figure that is Mario Balotelli has been talking up his footballing talents again, stating that he believes he has the ability to be crowned a future winner of the Ballon d'Or award. However, the Manchester City striker has admitted that three-time World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi, is a better player and the Argentine's form will need to drop if he is to ever get his hands on the prestigious trophy.

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كاريكاتيراضراب المعلمين في الأردن

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Some are looking at the Stars

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Galliani slaps down a red-faced Ibrahimovic

 

For all of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's genius on the pitch, a moment of madness always seems to be around the corner. Sunday's goalless draw with Napoli saw the Swede slap Salvatore Aronica, gaining not only a red card for his antics, but also a three-match ban in the process, which will rule him out of the pivotal league encounter against Juventus later in February. It's an incident AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani is understandably furious with, as the striker prepares to occupy a place in the stands for the title decider.

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... Wherever you are

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Chelsea 3-0 Manchester United - this looks like a job for Howard Webb!

 

Manchester United had a familiar saviour on Sunday afternoon when they slipped to a three-goal deficit at the hands of Chelsea. But it was not Wayne Rooney nor Javier Hernandez who rescued a point for the champions, it was Howard Webb who performed his (now perfected) deus ex machina act and awarded two soft penalties against the hosts to allow Sir Alex Ferguson's side to eventually complete a Superman-like recovery.

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