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How video games are changing the face of soccer

…The men met as fraternity brothers at the University of Alabama, but the image of innate Southerness they convey is shattered the instant the immense television glows with the home screen of EA Sports FIFA 2012 video game. With a flurry of dexterous controller-clicking, the two men assemble their teams with the cold, calculated eyes […]

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Is it time for Pato to move on?

The end is near. After years of promise, disappointment and then frustration tinted with sadness in failing to live up to expectation, Alexandre Pato’s journey with Milan looks to be drawing to a close. On Wednesday, La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed that a 15-million euro deal was all but agreed to, with Milan CEO Adriano […]

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The 100 Best Footballers in the World

The Guardian’s 11-strong international panel of experts set about ranking the best footballers in the world, and end up with their top 100. #99 Diego Forlan Age: 33   Nationality: Uruguayan Team: Internacional The striker became the most capped Uruguayan of all time at the 2011 Copa América and is also the country’s record scorer. That seemed implausible when […]

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Champions League Draw Results

TKTG brings all the best reports on the Champions League draw for the Knockout phase.  The draws are: Galatasaray vs FC Schalke Celtic vs Juventus Arsenal vs Bayern Munich AC Milan vs Barcelona Real Madrid vs Manchester United Valencia vs Paris St Germain FC Porto vs Malaga Shakthar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund ESPNFC:  Ronaldo Returns […]

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Pirlo doesn’t need the Ballon d’Or to prove his greatness

There can be no doubt that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have stolen the show in 2012 and, as a result, both of them are Ballon d’Or finalists, along with Spain & Barcelona’s highly successful Andres Iniesta. Nevertheless, there are a couple of veterans who have also lit up this year and deserve to receive […]

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Lone Udinese football fan wins hearts in Italy

A football fan has stolen media attention in Italy after being the only supporter to show up to watch his club play an away game in the top league.  Udinese fan Arrigo Brovedani was the club’s sole supporter in Genoa for a Serie A match against local team Sampdoria. The 30-something wine merchant found himself […]

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Pretty football and the Nash equilibrium

Ignore Barcelona. Ignore Spain. Ignore 1982 Brazil, Total Football Holland, and the Invincibles. What if the real footballing lesson about aspiration and beauty lies not in art, but in economics? This I have learned from John Forbes Nash, the Nobel Laureate depicted by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. In the movie version, Crowe/Nash advises […]

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Ballon d’Or – The case for Casillas

If one is to believe the headlines, only one of either Messi or Ronaldo deserve to win this year’s award for the best footballer in the world, the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Although other contenders such as Xavi, Iniesta and Falcao have also been mentioned, there is one highly successful player that should be considered – […]

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Disproportionate – The gap between Europe’s elite and the rest

Celtic’s 2-1 upset win over Barcelona on Wednesday prompted some to describe it as the “second greatest night in the history of the club” after — presumably — that night in 1967 when 11 men born within a few miles of Parkhead went out and became champions of Europe.  That generated some interesting discussion, as you would […]

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How Milan Became The First Victims Of Financial Fair Play

There is no such thing as a quiet summer in Italy. Whether its corruption scandals, managerial merry-go-rounds or sensational transfers, there is never a dull moment in Calcio, and the constant drama, often resembling the most ridiculous of soap operas plots, is just one of the things that makes football on the Peninsula so utterly […]

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