Planet Soccer 4-2-4

Last Donkey Kick Goal

2010-01-30T02:11:00.000-08:00

WILLIE CARR will forever be remembered for his amazing donkey flick on Match Of The Day. He is most famous for the amazing goal he set up when playing for Coventry against Everton in 1970.

Willie took a free kick by gripping the ball between his ankles and flicked it up for Ernie Hunt to volley home. The move was later banned bythe FA (on grounds of 'double-touch'). Aside from changing the laws of the game, the goal also won the Match of the Day 'Goal of the Season' competition.

Roberto Carlos Impossible Goal

2010-01-22T02:25:00.000-08:00

You gotta agree with the presenter on this one.

Whack It Like Beckham

2010-01-15T02:31:00.000-08:00

Frank Worthington's Super Goal

2009-12-15T03:48:00.000-08:00

Rene Higuita of Colombia

2009-11-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

There has been some colorful charactersiguita and a certain Rene Higuita of Colombia must surely be remembered as one of the best! Remember his "scorpion kick" against England? He was one crazy goalkeeper who stopped goals and scored goals too!

Roberto Carlos Free-Kick

2009-09-09T00:54:00.000-07:00

Roberto Carlos scored from 35 meters (110 ft) with a wicked curve that left Fabian Barthez rooted!

The Greatest Footballer Of All Time

2009-09-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

Probably the best footballer of all time! For me and many others he was the BEST! Born 23 October 1940 as Edison Arantes do Nascimento, the world would come to know him simply as Pele.

Pele retired on October 1, 1977 n an exhibition match between the New York Cosmos and Santos in which he played the first half for Cosmos and the second for Santos. In total Pele played 1120 games where he scored a staggering 1087 goals. Beat that!

Eddie Gray Takes on Burnley

2009-08-31T23:18:00.000-07:00

How about this for a solo goal! Complete with flicks and back-heels too. Eddie made 577 appearances for Leeds scoring 68 goals.

This is arguably the Best Leeds Goal Ever!

1981 F.A. Cup Final: What a Game!

2009-08-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

Magical 100th cup final with a superb solo winning goal by Ricky Villa!

World Cup 1978 Third Place Match; Brazil 2 Italy 1

2009-07-01T23:09:00.000-07:00

It was not a memorable World Cup for team Brazil but I remember watching this Nelinho goal on tv very vividly in 1978. What a goal!

Dutch Delight 1988 European Championship Winners

2009-06-25T23:12:00.000-07:00

June 25, 2009 Twenty-one years ago to this day Holland are champions at last! The 1988 triumph remains Holland's only honor to date. Marco Van Basten (he was the tournament top scorer with 5 goals) and Ruud Gullit were vital players. In the Final Holland defeated USSR 2-0 with Gullit scoring the first and Van Basten the second, a spectacular goal!

Alan Sunderland - FA Cup Final 1979

2009-04-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

With seconds to extra time Alan Sunderland slots home the winner at the far post for Arsenal in a incredible cup final to flatten Man. Utd.

Wonder Goal: Archie Gemmill vs Holland 1978

2009-03-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

On June 11, 1978, Scotland needed to win the game by three goals to advance. With his team leading 2-1 in the 68th minute, Gemmill ran around three Dutch defenders and scored a wonder goal to give his countrymen hope.

2008-10-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

Topless Women's Soccer Team - A Unique Game of Soccer

By John Escribar

Topless women's soccer team is one of the most awaited events in the sport. Many years ago, the sport was dominated by men but as the game emerged as one of the most famous sport in the world, it slowly provided opportunities for women to participate in the game. Women players have proved that they can be as competitive as men in the field.

This event attracts many crowds especially men, not only because of the sport but the excitement of watching beautiful sexy topless women make it more interesting. The players usually wear panties and bra but some were nothing but thongs in which their skins are painted with the color of their team. The event is participated by many women's team from different countries.

In the recently held Euro 2008 match, the team of Australia made its first win when they were able to beat Germany's team with a score 10-0 with the delight of the crowd. The event was organized by one of the chat room websites in the country.

The Australian team was very happy with their victory and hope that this would provide moral boosting for their male soccer teams. After the defeat of the Germans, showing great sportsmanship, they joined their opponent having some fun and danced at the beach nearby Danube.

Though it the game was not as serious as the men's professional events, the crowd was satisfied and enjoyed a unique game of the topless women's soccer team the most loved sport of all time.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Escribar
http://EzineArticles.com/?Topless-Womens-Soccer-Team---A-Unique-Game-of-Soccer&id=1542369

2008-10-16T04:49:00.000-07:00

Modern Football, Merchandise Deals And The Acquisition Of David Beckham

Author: Thomas Pretty

Football, also known as soccer in the uneducated parts of the world, is now a multi billion pound business that generates huge incomes through television deals, merchandise and shirt sales. Nowhere is this truer than in the English Premier League, some of the world's richest individuals now own clubs in England, whether it is Manchester United's Malcolm Glazer, Chelsea's Roman Abromovich or Manchester City's Abu Dhabi Group. These investors are willing to spend gargantuan figures on top flight players in the knowledge that the incomes generated by shirt and merchandise sales will recoup the expenditure. This was especially true in the sale of former Manchester United player David Beckham.

Beckham, a worldwide phenomenon in his own right was sold to American club LA Galaxy for a huge figure; especially when the conjecture surrounding his athletic ability is considered. Critics have stated that the acquisition of Beckham was a business rather than tactical move. Part of the evidence surrounding this argument is that when Beckham moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid, the top flight Spanish club doubled their merchandise sales, earning around six hundred million dollars over a four year period. In the last year of playing at Real Madrid it is estimated that Beckham earned around twenty seven million dollars through playing fees and lucrative endorsement deals.

When the thirty two year old star moved to LA Galaxy it was clear that the team's executives wanted to cash in on Beckham's profile rather than his skills or ability. It was also a concerted move by the chiefs of Major League Soccer to give the sport a larger appeal within the United States. Once the news was announce a furore ensued, with fans hotly anticipating the arrival of such a global star. Beckham himself is set to make a vast fortune over his five year contract period; around 32.5 million dollars in playing fees and a further two hundred million in product endorsements, merchandise deals and marketing earnings.

Seemingly Beckham immediately settled into his new LA home, becoming a regular attendee at parties hosted by film and music stars such as Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Snoop Dog. This in turn added to his already high celebrity profile in the States, meaning that he was now a household name amongst those not in the football fraternity. Today his face is splashed all over America, in numerous television adverts, posters advertising merchandise and roadside billboards. The result was that even before Beckham had played a game for LA Galaxy, more than three hundred thousand football jerseys had been sold, bringing a total income to the club of around twenty four million dollars.

Whatever can be said about Beckham's off pitch antics, fans have flocked to see him in action. Both home and away ticket sales have risen since his joining. LA Galaxy sold more than two thousand season tickets in the hours following his signing. In terms of away fixtures, despite the mediocre popularity of football in the USA, the remaining eleven games on the list after Beckham was signed were all sell outs. It is hoped that in the five years that Beckham is playing for LA Galaxy that television deals will be secured and the profile of soccer in the United States will be raised considerably.

While some may criticise the form of this global superstar his acquisition is indicative of the growing trend in world football. It is now a business rather than a sport, and instead of managers making the tactical decisions over which players to buy, chairmen and executives are involving themselves in the process attempting to find stars that will sell the largest amount of shirts and merchandise. This may be a sad state of affairs but is simply how the modern world of football works.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/soccer-articles/modern-football-merchandise-deals-and-the-acquisition-of-david-beckham-581130.html

About the Author:

Cultural expert Thomas Pretty looks at how football merchandise sales are now a major part of the sport.

Great Goal

2008-10-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

Top 5 Weird Soccer Goals

2008-10-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

The Best Attacking Midfielders To Ever Play Soccer

2008-10-10T02:16:00.000-07:00

Author: Patrick Omari

Attacking midfielders can exude elegance, guile and craft, making the game of soccer a joy to watch. Usually providing cutting passes and linking the attack with the rest of the team, the attacking midfielder must possess skills and intelligence as well as an eye for goal.

Providing the telling through balls, clever touches and ability on the ball to carve open opposition defences, the attacking midfielder is often the most gifted footballer on the pitch. Traditionally, attacking midfielders will also possess a great shot and can often rival the forwards in the goalscoring charts.

Attacking midfielders can be many types of different players, with some being primarily skilful like Darren Fletcher, while others rely on speed of thought like Barry Venison. The attacking midfielder is difficult to mark as he makes dynamic runs and floats around the pitch like a carrier bag in the canal.

The best attacking midfielders of the last thirty years have all excelled on the biggest stage of all - the FIFA World Cup. Paul 'Gazza' Gascoigne rose to international fame with some exhilarating performances for England at Italia '90.

Gazza's skill, dribbling and goal-creation took his country to the brink of the final, before a booking would have ruled him out. As the realisation hit him, Gascoigne cried as the world watched. His tears and his abilities made him a star, as England sadly lost in a penalty shoot-out to West Germany.

Gascoigne showed so much promise, and with England's expectations came bitter disappointment. He suffered horrific injuries and his career suffered in much the same way. He rekindled some of the flame at Euro '96 with one of the best goals of the tournament against Scotland, before another semi-final shoot out defeat at the hands of Germany.

Although Gascoigne possessed skill of such a high standard, his ability is dwarfed by the Frenchman Zinedine Zidane. A genius with a football, Zidane would win every trophy in the game and amazingly become an international hero with his last soccer action - headbutting the annoying Marco Materazzi.

Zidane played at the very highest level, and always looked a different class to everybody else. He possessed every skill needed to be a great footballer, although his temperament was somewhat questionable as shown in the FIFA World Cup Final 2006.

Zidane's honours include three UEFA Champions League finals (with a solitary victory), two Serie A titles, one La Liga title, various cups in France, Italy and Spain as well as the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship. Zidane has also won FIFA World Player of the Year on three occasions and been transferred for a world-record 76 million euros.

The heir to Zidane's throne, and with the possibility of being even better, is the AC Milan and Brazil player Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, known as Kaka. At the age of 26, Kaka has already won the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and various other cups and league titles.

Kaka is very similar to Zidane in his ability to pick out a defence-splitting pass, as well beat players with speed and trickery. Kaka has currently played 58 times for Brazil scoring an impressive 22 goals. His club football has seen him play for Sao Paulo and AC Milan, while a host of clubs have attempted to tempt him away with multi-million pound offers.

Attacking midfielders of the likes of Gascoigne, Zidane and Kaka make the game of soccer what it is. Their skill and passion for the game are paramount to their teams' ability to score goals and win games. As part of the midfield unit they help make the ball move fluently from defence to attack and make the game a feast for the supporters' eyes.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/soccer-articles/the-best-attacking-midfielders-to-ever-play-soccer-596501.html

About the Author:

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in airport parking, Stansted parking and Pink Elephant Stansted.