Portugal will arrive at the World Cup with the weighty expectations of demanding coach Carlos Queiroz on their shoulders.

The only major star in Brazil’s current national team, Kaka wants to have “his” World Cup in South Africa.

Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi arrived here on Saturday with the Argentina squad to prepare for a World Cup they are among the favourites to win.

Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar is horrified by the ball which will be used at the World Cup, likening it to a cheap one bought from the supermarket.
“It’s terrible, horrible,” said the Inter Milan player, widely considered to be the world’s top goalkeeper. “It’s like one of those balls you buy in the supermarket.”

In football, the No.10 jersey is revered. The number has an aura that has eluded others in the same family. Okay, No.10 is the basic part of the decimal system and it offers a sense of completeness, alone or in multiples.

Much-criticised France coach Raymond Domenech will equal Euro 1984 winning handler Michel Hidalgo’s record of being in charge of the national side when they play Tunisia in a friendly here on Sunday.

When you walk through the streets of Lisbon, there is very little to remind you that football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Portugal.
The Fifa Footballer of the Year 2008 is no prophet in his own land. Many love him, of course, but many others ignore him, and quite a few hate the glamorous winger.

The World Cup is a showcase of the best football on the planet. It has often also been a platform for the launch of many an eye-catching hair-do. From Guiseppe Meazza, who burst goalwards without a single brylcreemed hair out of place, to the man with the craziest mane in Germany 2006 — the unfortunately named Manuel Loco of

Mumbai FC registered a 2-0 win over Mohun Bagan to avoid relegation in the I-League match at the Cooperage here on Friday.
Skipper Abhishek Yadav scored a brace and was awarded the man-of-the-match award.

The Azzurri have had a long line of diminutive inside-forwards with a knack for scoring outlandish goals from Gianni Rivera to Roberto Baggio down to Alessandro Del Piero.