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Adriano goal against Sampdoria:


Adriano Vs Sampdoria - The best video clips are right here

Kaka goal against Bologna:



Messi goal against Numancia:

In the past week history was made on and off the football pitch.

Barack Obama became America's first African American president last Tuesday and ushered in a new era in U.S. politics.

Meanwhile across the pond history was made on two fronts on the pitch.

Manchester United wrote their names on the record books once again. In their 5-0 rout of West Bromwich Albion they surpassed Chelsea by having the most clean sheets in a row. Eleven in the lucky number and the way Man United are playing I don't see them letting up, even with their injuries in the back.

38 year old Van der Saar has beaten Petr Cech's record back in 2004-2005 with 925 minutes without conceding a goal.

In Spain Barcelona were not to be outdone by their English rivals. The Catalan side got their own piece of history when they reached the half-way point of the season with 50 points. This is unprecedented and Barcelona are set to end up with 100 points at season's end. In their first 19 games they scored a staggering 63 goals while only conceding 14 to their opposition.

This will all make for an intriguing second half of the season.

It was a relatively easy decision for us this "week". There were very few players who stood out in their repective games. Having said that, Dani Alves' performances were brilliant. He had three assists in the three games Barcelona played in the span of nine games and he was arguably their most influential player.

At first glance, Alves is the typical Brazillian right back. His rocket freekicks and rampaging runs reminding me of Roberto Carlos. What Carlos lacked in the defensive part of his game, Alves doesn't. He is just as reliable on both ends of the field, providing important tackles and seeing eye crosses like his ball to Henry in the Depor game.

In a week filled with controversy about Manchester City's offer of an obscene €107 million bid for AC Milan star Kaka, Bayern Munich has given the price that would pry Ribery away from their squad.

Munich have slapped a €150 million price tag on Ribery who is on contract with Bayern until 2011 but has stated his interest in playing with other top European clubs. Munich's manager, Uli Hoeness, said in a interview with Eurosport television that: "If Kaka is meant to be worth 120 million, then Franck Ribery is worth 150 million. We would only perhaps start to consider selling him at a sum like this."

Is the manager being facetious or is his brain truly addled? This is a ludicrous statement as it can be argued that Ribery is not even Munich's top player with Luca Toni leading the squad in goals. This seems like a slap in the face for Kaka although I'm sure he won't mind.

This comment comes in a week where Real Madrid's new boss, Vicente Boluda claimed that Robben was better than Messi. The comments by each of these bosses shows an appalling lack of respect for two of the games top stars both on and off the pitch. These could be just mind games but I believe they have no place in professional sport.

Gerrard's goal against Everton:



Lampard's goal against Stoke City:



Rooney's goal against Wigan Athletic:



Henry's goal against Deportivo La Coruna:



Messi's goal against Deportivo La Coruna:



Pato's goal against Fiorentina:

The future of the awesome success story that is Hoffenheim was dealt a massive blow this week. Vedad Ibisevic, the 18 goal scorer suffered knee ligament damage in a midweek friendly against Hamburg and following surgery will miss the rest of the season. Below is a video compilation of the striker's goals this season.



This is a devastating injury to the team from the small village of Sinsheim as they bid to stay top of the Bundesliga when play starts up again in two weeks.

Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp is going to have to reach into his considerably deep pockets in order to buy a replacement. It will be difficult to find a replacement for Ibisevic who had a peerless scoring record in the first half of the campaign but there are a number of players who could do the job.

Lucas Podolski (Bayern Munich):

The out of favour striker is reportedly close to a move to former team Cologne. However Hoffenheim could jump in and lure the skilled forward to their squad as they are set to be playing Champions League football next season.

Javier Saviola (Real Madrid):

The lithe Argentine is not getting played at the Spanish giants and it is reported a fee of €5 million could see him leave the Bernabeu. With little game experience in the last few years he is a little bit of a risk but he has proved that he can still score.

Benjani (Manchester City):

The 30 year old Zimbabwean striker might be on his way out of the Eastlands with the arrival of some major names this January. €10 million might be enough to lure him to Hoffenheim. But is he worth it after less then impressive performances in the Premier League?

Ivan Klasnic (Nantes):

Croatian Klasnic is experienced in the Bundesliga with 49 goals in 150 games for Werder Bremen during his spell at the Weser Stadion. He has had a less than convincing stint at Nantes following a kidney transplant and he could be tempted to return to Germany.

Blaise N'Kufo (Twente Enschede):

The 33 year old Swiss forward has proved year after year in the Dutch Eredivisie that he is a top class scorer. He has scored 14 plus goals in each of his last six seasons and it might just be time for a change of scenery.

We welcome any opinions you may have of who Hoffenheim will sign so please feel free to comment.

I am going to join the countless players, coaches, and journalists in creating the best lineup of 2008 from Europe.


Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)


The classy, Spanish international had an outstanding year (even by his standards). Leading Real Madrid to back-to-back titles is impressive enough but add the fact that he captained Spain to their first Euro victory in many decades is his greatest feat this past year. He was the most shot at keeper in La Liga but he also conceded the least and for these reasons there is no other keeper to consider.


Left Back: Patrice Evra (Manchester United)

Evra has cemented a starting role on United after a season of consistent performances. The French international is solid in the back and makes run after run down the flank, often playing one-twos with Cristiano Ronaldo.


Center Back: Vidic (Manchester United)

An outstanding year for the Serbian hit man. He doesn't make many mistakes and when he does, well the fans song says it best; "He comes from Serbia, he'll f**king murder yer". He was key to their Champions League final game versus Chelsea and it looks like he will have a long, successful career.


Center Back: John Terry (Chelsea)

Though the first half of 2008 ended poorly with his Champions League penalty miss, it did not do John Terry justice after a virtually flawless Champions League competition. He lead the Premier Leagues second meanest defense almost single handed.


Right Back: Daniel Alves (Sevilla/Barcelona)

Danny Alves has stayed true to his Brazilian heritage and is one of the top fullbacks in the world. He scores, creates, takes scintillating free kicks, and never seems to tire. His runs down the flank rip defenses apart and his newly formed partnership with Messi gives fans of Joga Bonito something to look forward to for seasons to come. Add this to his leadership qualities (captaining Sevilla for a number of years) as well as his hard-nosed defensive play and you have a very complete player.


Center Mid: Xavi (Barcelona)

Xavi has been hard to ignore this season. The relatively unsung midfielder finally got the plaudits he deserved when he won the best player of Euro 2008. His play for Barcelona has been nothing short of spectacular and while much is made of Messi, Henry, and Eto'o it could be argued that Xavi is their most important player.


Center Mid: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Stevie G scored 21 goals for Liverpool last campaign and seemed to thrive in his partnership with Torres. The first half of this campaign has started strong as he has lead the charge for Liverpool to be top of the table before Christmas.


Right Wing: Leo Messi (Barcelona)

Barcelona's mercurial attacker cannot be overlooked. When he is healthy he gives Ronaldo a run for the best player in the world. Messi won gold with Argentina in the Summer Olympics and won player of the tournament. Still only 21 years old Messi is an integral part of Barcelona and Argentina's attack. In 15 games this season he has 11 goals and 7 assists.


Left Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

You would have to be crazy to leave Ronaldo out of 2008's top team. While he has been a shadow of last season's Ronaldo he is still key to United's success and with over 20 goals between January and June in 2008 he is the undisputed best player in the world. Hopefully he can regain his form and focus more on being a footballer rather than a celebrity.


Striker: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

According to his home country's supporters, Fernando Torres is the Spanish Thierry Henry. In 2008 he showed that he was capable of living up to that claim. He was a prolific scorer in his first year in England and in Euro 2008 he and Villa had a dangerous partnership.


Striker: David Villa (Valencia)

David Villa was top scorer in Euro 2008 and has been a consistent scorer in La Liga for the past several years. His combination of speed, positioning, and unrivaled finishing makes him one of the world's most dangerous strikers.

Pato goal versus AS Roma:



Messi goal versus Osasuna:



Berbatov goal versus Chelsea:

Last week I had 6 correct results, including one exact score (West Ham 2-1 Stoke)

Aston Villa 2 - 0 West Brom

Villa are on the make at the moment, and while bottom-of-the-table West Brom will be up for this local derby, I see Villa being too good, even though they will possibly miss the influencial Garath Barry through injury.

Arsenal 1 - 1 Bolton

Arsenal are missing several key players for this clash with Bolton, who have fallen back a bit after a good run. The boys from Wanderers always make life hard for Arsenal though, and I can see them getting a point at the captain-less Gooners.

Everton 1 - 0 Hull City

Everton are an odd team at the moment. Ever since all their strikers got injured, they can't stop winning. Hull had a poor end to 2008 and will be looking to start the new year in positive fashion, but Everton haven't conceded in four games, and will edge this one, I suspect.

Fulham 2 - 0 Blackburn

Fulham are the form team in the premiership at the moment, and while Blackburn have found a new lease of life under Big Sam, transfer speculation dogs the club, both in and out, and you get the feeling that they won't have their minds quite on the job, as well as doubting themselves after losing a clear two-goal lead in the last five minutes to Man City last time out in the league.

Middlesbro 1 - 1 Sunderland

Both teams have been inconsistant lately, and if this game were at sunderland were at home, I would pick them to edge it. Stewart Downing is a consumate professional, but we shall see with this game what the real situation is regarding his possible move to Tottenham. Boro might be denying anyone will leave, but player power is huge these days.

Newcastle 2 - 1 West Ham

After a wobble under Zola, West Ham have had a good run of results lately, but Newcastle are also building slowly under Joe Kinnear, and expect brawn to win out over style this time around. And of course I also expect to see streams of geordies leaving after about 65 minutes because their team isn't winning 8-0...

Portsmouth 1 - 1 Man City

Pompey haven't done well in the transfer market so far, losing Lassana Diarra and Jermaine Defoe, but Peter Crouch is their star forward at the moment, and their other targeted player, Glen Johnson, has just signed a new 4 and a half year contract committing himself to the club. Man City will be smarting from defeat against Forrest in the Cup, but they're missing Steven Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips, meaning disgruntled Elano and Petrov may play - not a great sign for the sky-blues, who have been poor away from home all season.

Stoke City 0 - 2 Liverpool

Stoke may throw up a suprise against the league leaders, but I don't really expect it. Liverpool appear to have gotten over their mental block of 0-0 draws, and have the chance to go 6 points clear of second placed Chelsea with a win at the Potters, and with a returning Fernando Torres being gifted a goal by captain Gerrard in the FA Cup, he'll be hungry for more.

Wigan 2 - 1 Tottenham

Brand-new strike partnership of Defoe and Pavlyuchenko has the potential to be excellent for Spurs, but they've only had a few days training together, and any partnership takes time to click. Expect Bentley to be nowhere to be seen this time out, but Wigan, through the occasionally magnificent Antonio Valencia may well be able to exploit Spurs' left-back weakness. Also, I never predict Spurs to win, because it tends to curse them.

Man Utd 1 - 0 Chelsea

A huge match, this. If Chelsea win, you feel United will have a very difficult job on their hands to make up ground. It's a match that can really only end with one winner though - Liverpool. Scolari's team are showing a few cracks at the moment, and ignoring his players pleas, along with the bizarre assertion that in his entire squad, only the injured Florent Malouda can play on the left wing despite including one of the best left wingers England has seen in a long time in Joe Cole, you get the feeling that United will edge this, though it could still go either way.

Man Utd 2 - 0 Wigan

Technically not "week", since it's been longer than a week since the last one, but this time, player of the week goes to Tottenham's Russian striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Much maligned since his move to English football in the summer after excellent performances at Euro2008, Pavlyunchenko has struggled to fit into the Premiership. But in cup competitions he's doing much better, with 7 goals in five games, and he continued his excellent cup form this week, with a man-of-the-match winning performance against Wigan in the FA Cup, including two goals, and lead the way with another goal and two assists against Giant-killing Burnley in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final.

Considering Jermaine Defoe was introduced back to the White Hart Lane faithful at that very same match, Pavlyuchenko's run of form couldn't have come at a better time, with Harry Redknapp hoping to form a very promising partnership between the two.

One of the most unexpected stories in Europe thus far this season. No one could have predicted a team from a German village with a population of just 3000 would be top of the Bundesliga near the half-way point of the season.

First, the back story. TSG Hoffenheim (1899 Hoffenheim) is a German football club based in Hoffenheim, a suburb of Sinsheim, Baden-Württemberg.Five years ago Hoffenheim were in Germany's fifth division and they have climbed the tables at a rapid pace.

They have played a lovely brand of football this campaign and have shown the football world that you do not need money to create a good team (Man City take note). They are currently top of the Bundesliga (due to their one more win than Bayern Munich) and have scored a staggering 42 goals in 17 matches.

So, is fairy tale story a fluke or do TSG belong at the top of one of Europe's most prestigious leagues? I believe they can remain top three through this season and I think they will only improve in the coming years. They also have an experienced manager in Ralph Rangnick who previously was the manager at Schalke 04 and Stuttgart and knows what it takes to stay at the top. Through a great scouting program and youth system along with great coaching, the very young squad has the potential to not only be one of the top in the Bundesliga this season but remain their for years to come.

Looking back on 2008, there have been some real stand-out performances by many players. But to get into a team of the year requires a consistant level of quality throughout the majority of the year, or failing that, truly brilliant play for a reasonable portion of it. Consistancy is generally the key. I also have a soft spot for players from clubs other than the "big four". With that in mind, here is my Premiership team of 2008:

Goalkeeper: Shay Given (Newcastle)
While the likes of Pepe Reina, Edwin Van der Sar and Petr Cech are probably obvious candidates for this role, the fact that Given plays behind an awful defence works strongly in his favour. His consistently outstanding performances are the only thing that keep Newcastle afloat sometimes, and he fully deserves this accolade in my opinion, although many would not consider him for the role.

Left Back: Joleon Lescott (Everton)
The premiership is not blessed with an abundance of talented left-backs. Titans of the calibur of Benoit Assou-Ecoutto, Danny Collins and Jonas Olsson hardly give the free-scoring Evertonian a run for his money. Lescott is well worth a run in the England team in my view, though this may be jeopardised by Wayne Bridge’s move to first-team football with Man City, after playing understudy to Ashley Cole for so long.

Center Back: Martin Laursen (Aston Villa)
A controversial choice probably, but Villa’s revival in 2008 has been based on a very solid defence. Laursen has been the rock of the whole team, and deserves enormous credit, especially after the departure of Olof Mellberg to Juventus in the summer.

Center Back: Nemanja Vidic (Man United)
A more regular choice, United’s Serbian colossus was overshadowed by Rio Ferdinand for the first part of the year, but this season has been a more consistant performer, and even started to score a few goals. Once he cuts the occasional catastrophic errors out of his game, Vidic could be one of the best in the world.

Right Back: Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea)
Bosingwa’s arrival at Chelsea in the summer was regarded in some minds (including mine, I will admit) as just another cash-splash by Abramovic in order to get some familiar faces for Big Phil Scolari. But his consistant performances and overall skills both defensive and attacking have been extremely impressive, and he fully deserves this spot as the only summer signing in the team, with few other contenders really pushing him.

Center Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
What can be said about Stevie G that hasn’t been said countless times before. The word “talismanic” is used far too often, but it’s certainly applicable to Liverpool’s captain. Countless excellent performances and vital goals make Gerrard stand above many brilliant candidates for this role, including Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Jimmy Bullard.

Center Midfield: Garath Barry (Aston Villa)
Barry has been another of Villa’s key players this year, and hanging on to him is vital for Martin O’Neill’s side, despite very heavy interest from Liverpool, where he would link up with England team-mate Gerrard in a scarily good partnership. Barry has cemented his place in England’s team this year, and though he has benefitted from injuries to Carrick, Hargreaves, Lampard and Gerrard, it will take a lot to displace him from Fabio Capello’s team sheet now.

Left Wing: Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
One on the best revelations of the year. Many frowned when Ashley Young was poached from Watford in January 2007 for almost £10million, and for a while it seemed like they might be right, but teaming particularly with Gabriel Agbonlahor has given the Villa winger a new lease of life, and I only see 2009 being an even better year for the youthful maestro.

Right Wing: Christiano Ronaldo (Man United)
Let’s get things straight from the very beginning – I can’t stand Ronaldo. He’s arrogant, irritating and really far too good for anyone else to stomach. But you can’t deny the facts – he recently won the prestigious Ballon D’Or, and looks very likely to win Fifa’s player of the year also. 40 goals in a season for United is seriously impressive, and though he could certainly do with an attitude readjustment, no one would manage a decent argument to chose any other player here.

Striker: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Again no arguments here, I suspect. Torres would pretty much walk into any team in the world, his pace, finishing, instinct and skill are second to none on his day. Injury has crippled his season so far, but once those problems are behind him, he will be back to his deadly best, and should be the little bit extra needed for Liverpool if they are to secure their first league title in almost 20 years.

Striker: Dimitar Berbatov (Spurs/Man United)
Since moving to United, Berbatov has had a tough time settling in, and, if rumours are to be believed, was almost single-handedly responsible for Spurs’ slide into collective apathy in August, but the first half of his year was explosive enough to persuade United to pay a whopping £30million for him. Along with his former strike partner Robbie Keane, he has failed to impress so far at such a big club, but it won’t be long, I suspect, before he regains his confidence, and confidence is absolutely key to his game.


Bench: Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Rio Ferdinand (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Mikel Arteta (Everton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Nicholas Anelka (Chelsea)
Any of these players could well have made the first team, but there are only 11 spaces, and that inevitably means excellent players have to give way to other, even better ones.

Manager: Phil Brown (Hull)
It’s been a great year for some managers, and an awful one for others. Sir Alex lead his team to Champion’s League victory, Fabio Capello has turned England from a laughable excuse for a team into a... slightly less laughable excuse for a team, but Hull’s Phil Brown has shone above the rest. 1st of January 2008 saw Hull in mid-table in the Championship, but a superb year has seen them complete a meteoric rise to 8th in the Premiership, and for quite a while they were in 3rd!

Robben's goal against Villareal:



Toure Yaya's goal against Mallorca



Henry's goal versus Mallorca


Find more videos like this on MySoccerPlace.net - The Real Football Social Network

In 2008 there were notable performances such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, Emmanuel Adebayor, and David Villa (among others). So at the beginning of 2009 I wanted to pick 10 players who I thought would be top performers in the coming year. I tried to stay away from established players like Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka etc. so here they are:

Andrei Arshavin (Zenit Saint Petersburg)

The versatile Russian lead Zenit Saint Petersburg to a Uefa Cup win and stared in Russia's Euro tournament in 2008. Look for Arshavin to join a top team early in 2009 and then showcase his skills. His favored position is as a second striker but he can play in an attacking midfield or wing role.

Abou Diaby (Arsenal)

The 22 year old french player has been compared to Patrick Viera for the better part of his career. With Fabregas out for most of the remainder of the season, it opens up a opportunity for Diaby who has undeniable skill.

Rafael (Manchester United)

Having already impressed in previous performances this season, the 18 year old Brazilian is sure to play an important role for Man United in the coming year. His attacking runs down the flanks are dangerous and he has shown a level head in his defensive game.

Robinho (Manchester City)

Moments of brilliance have given city fans goosebumps but the Brazilian ace is still getting used to the English game and I think he has much more to give. With potential signings coming to bolster his backup he is sure to impress.

Sergio Leonel Aguero (Athletico Madrid)

With three years experience in La Liga now, Aguero has improved every year and this one will be no different. The 20 year old Argentine is key to Athletico's La Liga and Champions League title hopes.

Klass Jan Huntelaar (Real Madrid)

The former Ajax striker couldn't stop scoring in the Dutch league but now that he is in La Liga, he definitely has something to prove. The 25 year old has speed, strength, and dynamism and has been frequently compared to Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow)

The "Russian Ronaldinho" is what he has been called. You might remember him for his tearing runs up the wing for Russia in Euro. Zhirkov is rumored to be Scolari's target for Chelsea's next signing and I for one will look forward to seeing him in the Premier league.

Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)

The English International has pace in abundance and has put it to use for Aston Villa. He is the striker to watch this season in the Premier League and I believe he can end the season with over twenty goals.

David Silva (Valencia)

With David Villa rumored to be leaving for a different club it falls to Silva to take up the mantel. He is just back from a long injury and has to prove that his impressive Euro performance wasn't a fluke.

Karim Benzema (Lyon)

Yet another striker rumored to be moving in January, Benzema has accomplished all he can in Ligue 1. A disappointing Euro put doubts in his supporter's minds so he will have to perform well in whatever team he ends up in.