Sir Alex Ferguson: Unpredictable and unforgettable
For those of you who watched Sir Alex Ferguson’s farewell speech at Old Trafford, I think it would be fair to say that it was an emotional experience. For those of you that didn’t, well, ‘Google it’ – it’s worth your time. He begins his speech by saying that he has “got no script in mind” and he is “going to ramble.” I guess what he didn’t realise was that it was this so-called rant that made his speech so poignant. He states, “The players… I wish the players every success in the future. You know how good you are, you know ...
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Champions League 2013: Madrid in search for their Decima
After a short break the UEFA Champions League returns with some nail biting ties for the semi finals. The draws in Nyon, Switzerland, resulted in a Germany versus Spain for the last knock out round of the competition. It all kicks off at Allianz Arena when the German giants host Barcelona. Both the teams have dominated their leagues where Bayern Munich has already won theirs becoming the fastest team to have won the league in the four biggest leagues (Italy, Germany, Spain and England) while Barcelona is closing in on theirs. Both the clubs have a lot in common, starting ...
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UEFA Champions League: Will we witness another El Clásico?
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League semi-final on Friday may have brought a feel of fear in the hearts of Blaugrana fans, after they drew against the mighty,title-hungry German side, Bayern Munich. Having a star-studded side, Bayern Munich has a great chance of getting through to the final of Europe’s most elite competition. On the other hand, FC Barcelona, which is pretty much injury struck, will not let go of this pulsating tie that easily. FC Barcelona has sent their message directly to all the teams in competition after they overturned the two-goal deficit against AC Milan at Camp Nou ...
Read Full PostBarcelona versus Paris Saint Germain: Are we in for something special?
As the season comes to a close and league winners become apparent, Europe’s illustrious competition, the Champions League still hangs in the balance. After the first leg of the quarter finals, some have already progressed to the next round, but little has happened that was of the unexpected. The first leg clash between Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) resulted in a 2-2 draw in Paris. PSG was lucky to grab an equaliser at a crucial point in time. However, the French still have to travel to the port city for the return leg and have gotten themselves trapped in an uphill task. At this ...
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Who do you prefer, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?
Fate wasn’t so kind to the two of the most talented and exciting footballers in history when it decided to send them together to set the world of football on fire. I can foresee regular space for them in the leading newspapers around the world for decades to come. Comparisons have been drawn between the two of them ever since they started playing and will continue to be drawn long after they hang up their boots. I am sure we all know who I am talking about, its Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Their names are synonymous with their clubs ...
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Manchester United versus Real Madrid left red mist rising
Manchester United 1 – 2 Real Madrid (2-3 on aggregate) Prologue: The script was written for another magical night of European football at the “Theater Of Dreams.” The Red Devils lay in wait as the Spanish armada sailed into Manchester bearing their prodigal son, more commonly known as Ronaldo, for the return leg of their clash. However, neither the magic of the night nor the mania of Ronaldo’s return was to take centre stage. A hasty revision had been made; the story line altered the plot thrown asunder. A rollercoaster game that began with the sheer disbelief at Wayne Rooney’s omission from the ...
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English Premier League: Predicting the final league table
Like every year, we are in for a great end to the English Premier League saga. With clubs competing at several avenues this year, it will be a rather stressful, nail-biting finish to see which of these secure elite positions at the league table. The big spender Manchester City is trying to shift in top gear after securing a win over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. This is being done in an attempt to bridge the gap between them and their namesake, leading Manchester United. The table leaders, Manchester United, have only lost one league home game (against Tottenham Hotspur) this season and are in ...
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English Premier League: Manchester City or Manchester United?
I’m sure all the avid lovers of the English Premier League (especially Manchester United) think that they have already won the crown of the English Premier league for 2012-2013. However, there are still 12 matches to be played by 18 teams and anything can happen. Manchester United seems to be in a very strong position; 12 points above the second place team (Manchester City), and 16 points over third place (Chelsea). Sir Alex Ferguson’s team has the best lead since the 2000-2001 season and their next five matches are against Queens Park Rangers (QPR), Norwich City, West Ham, Reading and Sunderland. They look ...
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Tired of cricket? Try gulli danda, pitthu or baander killa!
Growing up in the streets of Punjab, we enjoyed playing popular sports such as cricket, hockey and football, but the real flavour of street games was in our local folk games. This piece is dedicated to all those who have played any of these games in their childhood and I hope it serves as a pleasant trip down memory lane. Baander killa: The name might sound funny and the game actually looks so too, but it isn’t funny for one person – the baander (we’ll get to that in a bit). Every participant of the game takes his shoes off and places them ...
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Messi wins Ballon d’Or four times in a row
2013 couldn’t have started better for Messi. He successfully managed to win the Ballon d’Or award for the fourth time in a row; an achievement which hasn’t been accomplished before. On January 7, the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony was held in Zurich, Switzerland. Messi won this prestigious award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Andreas Iniesta. 2012 itself was a record breaking year for the 25-year-old Argentinean maestro Lionel Messi. Prior to the match against Real Betis on Dec 9, 2012, he had scored 84 goals (in the year) and this meant that he needed two more goals to surpass the previous record ...
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