World Cup Preview: Players to watch out for

Above: Diego Milito (Argentina/Inter Milan)

Above: Wesley Sneijder (Holland/Inter Milan)

Above: Antonio Di Natale (Italy/Udinese)

Above: Nadir Belhadj (Algeria/Portsmouth)

What I have been reading lately #45

Left Foot Forward: A Year in the Life of a Journeyman Footballer by Garry Nelson and Anthony Fowles

Garry Nelson played football in England for many, many years without ever reaching the Premiership (or, before that, the First Division). He played for a number of clubs, such as Southend United, Plymouth Argyle, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Charlton Athletic. He wrote this book during one of the very last years of his career, when he played for Charlton.

Below: Nelson is the player in red.

Happy birthday to Rino Gattuso

Karim Benzema's Lamborghini

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema was out celebrating his birthday earlier this month on the island of La Reunion. At some point during the night, his car wound up crashed. Benzema may have been driving, or it may have been that his friend was driving while Benzema drove another car. There are suggestions that the two men may have been racing. For more information, click here. For a map to help you find La Reunion, see below.

For yet another video of people speaking French, watch the one below. Benzema is the guy in the tank top.

Twelve members of the Eritrean national football team are missing

Twelve members of the Eritrean national team (the starting squad is pictured above) have disappeared while in Kenya for a regional tournament. They are presumed to have gone into hiding to escape from the oppressive regime of President Isaias Afewerki.

What I have been reading lately #37

Steak...Diana Ross: Diary of a Football Nobody by David McVay

David McVay played for Notts County as a young man in the mid-1970s. For much of the time, he kept a diary of what happened to him (mostly practicing football, playing football, and drinking with his teammates). After his football career ended, he became a reporter. In the early part of this decade, he decided to publish his journals. The result was this book, which I found to be quite enjoyable. One of my favorite parts was when he went to see The Exorcist and then was too scared to sleep for several nights.

For an interview with McVay about his book and his career, click here.

(Un)happy birthday, Thiago Silva

AC Milan defender Thiago Silva (above right) celebrates his 25th birthday today. Unfortunately, during practice at Milanello, he suffered what is being described as a "muscular strain to his right leg," and may miss the next three games (tomorrow, Sunday, and next Wednesday).

Below: Ronaldinho, Pato, and Thiago Silva

I have a Franklin Gutierrez bobblehead doll

Last night my wife, daughter, and I went to see the Seattle Mariners lose 9-0 to the Cleveland Indians. It was also Franklin Gutierrez Bobblehead Night (see picture, above). Earlier this week, Manny Ramirez hit a pinch-hit grand slam for the Dodgers at Manny Ramirez Bobblehead Night, and we were hoping for something similar from Franklin Gutierrez. It didn't happen, though-- he went 0-for-2 with a walk (see picture, below).

Gutierrez also tried, but failed, to catch a home run hit by Travis Haffner in the 7th inning. (see picture, below).

Also at the game were such celebrities as Flo Rida and members of the Everton FC squad, including Tim Cahill (below, holding the baseball), who has the same birthday as I do.

Kaka is gone - can anyone replace Kaka?

With Kaka leaving for Real Madrid, the question now is who will replace him. Among the names being mentioned is 23 year-old Bosnian Edin Dzeko who currently plays for Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg. See him in action in the video below:

Happy Birthday Wishes!

Happy birthday wishes to Vujadin Boskov - born on May 16, 1931. Boskov played professionally in Yugoslavia, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as for the Yugoslav national team. He is more famous as a coach - he has coached in many European countries, including Italy, the Netherlands, Spain (at Real Madrid), and as the manager of the Yugoslav national team. His greatest success came during the 1990-1991 season when he led Sampdoria to their only Scudetto.

Boskov is famous for his many quotations, including:

• "The game ends when the referee blows his whistle."
• "The team that wins the championship is the one with the most points."
• "It is better to lose 3-0 once than 1-0 three times."

Once again, from all of us here at Ape Canyon News Service, happy birthday, Vujadin!

Pato's new haircut

Pato answers questions about his new haircut.

"WAGs" Quiz: Now Complete with answers!

As we all know, athletes are practically  celebrities. They have a hard time going out in public just like any singer or actor would.  And just like other celebrities, there is an obsession with their personal lives. The WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends) of footballers (soccer players) are a great fascination of some fans and the media. So, how'd you like to test your knowledge of some well known (and some less well known) WAGs? 

How to Play: This quiz is quite simple. See if you can match the pictures of these women to their names! The answers will be posted in a couple days.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7


8

A) Caroline Celico- Wife of Ricky Kaka'

B) Melanie Slade- Girlfriend of Theo Walcott

C) Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice)- Wife of David Beckhan

D) Cheryl Cole- Wife of Ashley Cole

E) Sthefany Brito- Fiancee of Alexandre Pato

F) Alex Gerrard- Wife of Steven Gerrard

G) Carly Zucker- Finacee of Joe Cole

H)Kristen Pazik- Wife of Andriy Shevchenko

1. F- Alex Gerrard

2. C- Victoria Beckham

3. A- Caroline Celico

4. G- Carly Zucker

5.E-Sthefany Brito

6. H- Kristen Pazik

7. D- Cheryl Cole

8. B- Melanie Slade

Sources/ Additional Reading-

WAGs (Wikipedia)

Kickette

Footballer's Wives

Maradona Guarana

Separated at Birth #1

A young Ricky Kaka

The young Che Guevara

Random: My Favorite Soccer Players

I have decided to, once and for all, make a list of my top favorite soccer players. I have made an even harder decision, by putting this list IN ORDER. Don't ask me how I made these tough decisions... I don't know myself...

1. Alexandre Pato- This is an easy one. Maybe the only easy one.
2. Kaka'- Maybe this one was easy too.
3. Theo Walcott- the only native English speaker. Unfortunately, I hate his team. (Arsenal)
4. Bastian Schweinsteiger- love his name!
5. Andriy Schevchenko- I liked him more before... when he wasn't Pato's competition.
6. Roman Pavlyuchenko- I like him more when he DIDN'T play for Tottenham!
7. Paolo Maldini- what's not to like?
8. Gennaro Gattuso- His eyes are like.... CRAZY!
9. Iker Casillas- he's just so GOOD!
10. Fernando Torres- What's not to like? (But this time I know there are things to dislike).
11. Marco Boriello- I like him A LOT more, now that he plays for Milan (because before I kind of DESPISED him).

That will do for now.