Liverpool Seals Pennant Deal
Liverpool have signed Jermaine Pennant from Birmingham in a £6.7m deal.
The price for the 23-year-old winger, who has joined on a four-year contract, could rise to £8m with add-ons.
The Blues initially turned down a £3.5m offer and negotiated a higher fee as they have to give Pennant's old club Arsenal 25% of the cash received.
Pennant, who joined City last summer after a successful four-month loan spell, is expected to immediately join his new team-mates in Switzerland.
And he could make his debut for the club he supported as a child on Saturday against Kaiserslautern in Liechtenstein.
"If I'm needed, I'm fit to play," Pennant said.
"I've dreamt about this since I was a little boy so to actually be here and to be able to wear a Liverpool shirt and play at Anfield is a dream come true. I'm over the moon.
"My best will come at this club because I am playing alongside top quality players who will only help me develop my game.
"This is the best club in the country and the best club to be at so if I can't do it here then I won't be able to do it anywhere.
"I've still got a long career ahead of me because I'm still young, but hopefully I'll enjoy all my good times here.
"I've come here to be successful and it'd be a great feeling if I can win trophies as a Liverpool player."
Pennant added: "I had a great time in my 18 months at Birmingham City, and everybody, including the fans were absolutely fantastic to me.
"Hopefully I will have the opportunity to play against them in the Premiership sooner rather than later, because that is where they deserve to be.

Torres to stay at Athletico Madrid
Spanish striker Fernando Torres has ruled out a move away from Atletico Madrid. The 22-year-old international, Atletico's top scorer in each of the last four seasons, had remained quiet over his future since returning from the World Cup finals despite links with a move to either Manchester United or Inter Milan.
However on Tuesday Torres insisted that has no intention of leaving The 22-year-old striker had been linked with a £20m-plus move to Old Trafford as replacement for Ruud van Nistelrooy.
But he held a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday to say: "I want to stay. If I had wanted to leave Atletico Madrid I would have done it years ago.
"I feel fine here. There has been a lot of discussion about my possible exit but I am here for another year."
Torres, Athletico madrid,Man utd,

WORLD TOP 20 FOOTBALLERS EVER
It's far from easy to quantify the accomplishments of great players in any given sport. As a sport, soccer is more widespread than any game on the planet. There are so many national teams, and along with these teams come world-class players. These national sides participate in a variety of competitions such as the European Championship (Euro Cup), the Copa Sudamerica (South American Championship), and of course, the World Cup, which spans the entire globe. How does one compare a player's contribution to a given competition? And then face the difficult task of judging a player's impact in terms of club play; is a top-scoring title in one league worth more than another? With all of these different aspects to consider, selecting the 20 greatest soccer players of all time is a daunting task. English fans will be partial to players such as Bobby Charlton, Stanley Matthews, George Best, or even David Beckham. An Italian fan might include Giacinto Facchetti, Dino Zoff, and Paolo Rossi. Turn toSouth America and you would see names like Garrincha, Vava, and of course Pele and Maradona. There's no doubt that all of the players mentioned are great in their own respect, but to be one of the greatest of all time, a player must have added something more to the game itself. It is not simply a matter of goals and saves. Based on the following criteria, here are the top 20 greatest soccer players of all time:
· Contribution to the success of their nation;
· Contribution to the success of their clubs;· If a forward player, the quantity and quality of their goal tallies for club and country; · If a midfield player, the command with which they controlled matches, along with their goal tallies; · If a defender, the ability to foil high-quality attacks and take charge of their half of the field; · If a goaltender, the impact of keeping their team in contention during big matches; · He might be currently playing or retired; · He might have gone on to successfully coach a club or a country; · And most importantly, the type of legacy the player left in the wake of his career.
to be continued
Footballer, Pele,FIFA,

Zinedine Zidane has been banned for three games and fined £3,260 for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi during the World Cup final.
Following an investigation by world governing body Fifa, Materazzi was suspended for two games and fined £2,170 for provoking Zidane.
A Fifa statement said: "Both players stressed Materazzi's comments had been defamatory but not of a racist nature."
Zidane's ban is academic as he retired from football after the finals.
However the 34-year-old will instead work with football's world governing body Fifa for three days.
Fifa added: "Zinedine Zidane has agreed to do community service work with children and youngsters.
"During the course of their hearings both players also apologised to Fifa for their inappropriate behaviour and expressed their regret at the incident."
Zidane spent 90 minutes at a private hearing on Thursday, while Materazzi appeared before the Fifa panel on 14 July. Playing in the last game of his career, Zidane snapped during extra time of the World Cup final.
The Frenchman later claimed Materazzi had insulted his mother and his sister.
However, Materazzi maintained his comments were not "racist, religious, or political" and he added: "I also said nothing about his mother."
Zidane, Materrazzi,FIFA,

Woods Settles scores with Faldo
Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo appeared to put an end to their feud prior to playing together in the first two rounds of the Open at Hoylake.
Faldo came over to shake the hand of the American and they exchanged words during a practice session on Wednesday.
The feud began after Faldo was critical of the world number one's swing at the Buick Invitational last year.
Woods, who won the Open by five shots in 2005, will tee off at 1439 BST alongside Faldo and Shingo Katayama.
Tiger, Golf,Faldo ,
via bbc

Real to Sign Juventus Duo
Real Madrid on Wednesday night announced they had agreed a fee with Juventus to take Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson to the Bernabeu.
The duo are currently on holiday but it is believed they have negotiated two-year deals with further one-year options.
Local radio reported that the fee for the pair would be in the region of 20 million euros (£13.7million).
A statement on the Madrid website read: 'Real Madrid can confirm it has reached an agreement with Juventus over the signing of Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson.
'The agreement was finalised this Wednesday evening in Turin by sporting director Predrag Mijatovic.
'The players are currently on holiday and will be presented at the Bernabeu after signing their respective contracts.'
The arrivals of Cannavaro, 32, and Emerson, 30, represent a significant coup for Madrid as the pair were coveted by several other high-profile European teams.
They are the first acquisitions under new president Ramon Calderon, who came to power earlier this month, and means they link up once more with coach Fabio Capello who left Juve for Madrid on July 5.
Italy captain Cannavaro, who led the Azzurri to the World Cup title in Germany this summer, and Emerson, who played for Brazil at the tournament, leave a club in turmoil.
Juve are having to sell some of their big-name players after being heavily punished for their role in the Italian match-fixing scandal.
The Bianconeri will start next season in Serie B and with a 30-point deficit, effectively meaning they will spend at least two seasons outside the top flight.
Juve's loss is Madrid's gain as they have snared two players who will boost their notoriously fragile back-line.
Cannavaro was the outstanding defender at the World Cup while Emerson's best position is patrolling in front of the back four.
Madrid have not won a trophy in three years and have watched arch-rivals Barcelona claim the last two Primera Liga titles.
Cannavaro, Juventus,Madrid ,

Where does he truly belong ?
Wayne Mark Rooney was born 24 October 1985 in Liverpool he's a English footballer, widely considered to be one of the leading young talent in world football this talented youngster seems to find it difficult getting out of trouble.
At age 20 his. Career has been tainted with moments of ill-discipline. In September 2005, against Northern Ireland, Rooney launched an on-field outburst at England captain David Beckham
During the UEFA champions league His ill-discipline lead to his dismissal in the 0-0 draw with Villarreal during United Champions League encounter in Spain. Rooney was sent off for dissent following his sarcastic applauding of the referee, Kim Milton Nielsen after he was initially booked for what he felt was an unfair booking.
During the FIFA World Cup 2006 match between England and Sweden, Rooney was substituted in the 70th minute, Rooney, on his way to the bench, punched one of the boxes very aggressively, and then he took off his shoes angrily, throwing them off. While being offered a glass of water, Rooney straight away rejected it.
During which he stamped on Carvalho's groin. The incident occurred right in front of Argentinian referee Horacio Elizond. As play was stopped, Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney's Manchester United team-mate, remonstrated with the referee to take action against Rooney. Rooney then pushed Ronaldo and was shown the red card for what was initially thought to be a combination of the incidents involving Carvalho and Ronaldo.
Where does he belong? Where does his talent lie? Judging from his psyche and behaviour I think a boxing ring would be the ideal spot to express him, and it will take him less time in becoming the heavy weight champion of the world than becoming the world footballer of the year or what do you think?
Rooney, England,Manchester United ,

Zidane Calls it Quit
There was no fairytale ending to Zinedine Zidane’s storybook career on Sunday. The 34-year-old Frenchman will be remembered as the greatest player of his generation, having tasted success at World Cup, European Championship and Champions League level. However, alongside his three World Player of the Year awards and his La Liga and Serie A titles, Zidane’s career will be forever remembered for a moment of madness on the world’s biggest stage. It was a night when his reputation was tainted forever - when he showed he could not control his temper like he can a football. An ugly departure for someone whose artistry so often lit up the beautiful game.
Sunday, July 9th 2006, was still a reminder of the human frailty of a player who so often looked like he was from another planet. Midfielder, Zinedine Zidane, went with vérité rather than opting for a Hollywood ending to his soccer career. After a run of brilliant play in the knockout stages that brought about fond remembrance of his former glory, “Zizou” was all set to retire after a triumph in Sunday’s World Cup final. And then he turned a seemingly innocuous extra-time encounter with Italian defender Marco Materazzi into a scene from a French gangster flick. Zidane powered a header into the Italian’s chest, earning an immediate red card. The man who had been celebrated as a venerable footballing god all tournament had transformed into Cardinal Richelieu.
Despite Zidane’s red card, he was handed the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. It’s a testament to his both his brilliance against Spain and Brazil, and also to his personality. Despite the various allegations being levelled at this Football maestro, In my own opinion, he is one of the best players to ever grace the beautiful game of Football. What do you think?
Zidane, world cup,France ,

Italy Are World Champions
Italy are world champions for the fourth time after beating ten-man France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Sunday, 9 July 2006. Twelve years after losing to Brazil in the first shoot-out in a FIFA World Cup Final, Italy made up for that heartbreak as all five men in blue converted their kicks to claim world football’s greatest prize for the first time since 1982. For France the pain of defeat was compounded by the sight of Zinedine Zidane, on his last appearance as a professional, leaving the field having been sent off in extra time for butting Marco Materazzi off the ball. It was Italy’s first successful shoot-out in a FIFA World Cup after previous failures in 1990, 1994 and 1998 and ironically it was a miss from France’s David Trezeguet – whose golden goal had defeated the Azzurri in the final of UEFA EURO 2000 – that opened the door for Fabio Grosso to fire the winning spot-kick past Fabien Barthez and spark celebrations all over Italy. Eight years after scoring twice in the FIFA World Cup Final in Paris, Zidane opened the scoring with a seventh-minute penalty after Materazzi’s trip on Florent Malouda. By the 19th minute, however, Materazzi had made amends, the big defender heading the equaliser from Andrea Pirlo’s corner. Italy are deserved world champions after this narrowest of triumphs over France. In doing so, they buried the ghosts of USA 94 and climbed above Germany as the most successful European team in FIFA World Cup history with four wins. For France and Zidane there was no fairy-tale ending and instead they are left to reflect on a bitter ending to an unexpectedly long adventure.
Italy, world cup,France ,

MAURESMO ENDS WIMBLEDON DROUGHT
World number one Amelie Mauresmo laid to rest some Wimbledon demons as she reached her first final with a brave 6-3 3-6 6-2 win over Maria Sharapova.
Mauresmo led by a set and a break in the 2004 and 2005 semi-finals and history looked set to repeat itself.
The top seed lost the second set despite having points for a 4-1 lead.
But Mauresmo established a 4-0 advantage in a gripping decider and withstood Sharapova's increasingly ferocious efforts to recover.
Mauresmo, who had lost in three straight Wimbledon semi-finals, said It was so tight in the second set and I was just thinking about getting to the final
"I was relieved at the end I was able to come back strongly and change the momentum that was in her favour.
"I am very happy. Finally I have got the chance to play for the trophy."
The top seed will face Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne in Saturday's final, a repeat of the Australian Open final which Mauresmo won after her opponent retired.
That gave Mauresmo a maiden Grand Slam trophy and many hoped the breakthrough would help her shed the nerves which had blighted her career.

The Frenchwoman, who turned 27 on Wednesday, out-thought and outclassed her 19-year-old opponent in the first set of Thursday's semi-final.

Europe on top of the world
This year's FIFA World Cup™ has taken on a distinctly European flavour. For the fourth time in 18 editions of the global showpiece, the final quartet all hail from the old continent, with three former world champions among them.
Previous winners Germany and Italy are no strangers to the business end of the tournament, but one of them will fall by the wayside when they in Dortmund. The 1998 champions France will also be dreaming of glory after yet again ending Brazilian hopes, but must get past a Portugl side who are in the semi-finals for the first time since 1966.
Heading home, on the other hand, are three other teams that have conquered the world stage. Argentina and England will both be reflecting on their failures from the penalty spot, while Brazil must be wondering if France are not their bête noire. Brazil lost their crown to Les Bleus in 1998, and now the same fate has befallen them. Their run of 11 straight wins comes to a sorry end.
One explanation has to be that the Europeans love playing on their own continent. Looking back through the annals of FIFA World Cup history, European sides have found themselves among friends at this stage of the competition three times before: at Italy 1934 (Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria and winners Italy), at England 1966 (Germany, Portugal, USSR and winners England) and at Spain 1982 (Germany, France, Poland and winners Italy).
France, world cup,Portugal ,



fifa.com

Portugal sents England packing.
England's World Cup adventure ended in gallant failure yet again as they crashed out on penalties to Portugal after their quarter final ended goalless after 120minutes.
The 3 lions of Britian lost their World Cup quarter-final with Portugal 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out after hanging on from the 62 minute after Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho.
Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Jamie Carragher missed spot-kicks for England
The match therefore became the second 2006 FIFA World Cup™ quarter-final to be settled on penalty kicks and, just as Jens Lehmann was Germany’s hero yesterday, so Ricardo was Portugal’s today, saving from Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher to leave Cristiano Ronaldo to stroke home the decisive kick.
England, world cup,Portugal ,