Soccerati.net - The World Cup

Diego Maradona was taken to Sanatorio Guemes hospital in Buenos Aires after falling sick. He has a history of heart failure and breathing problems which is believed to be due to his cocaine addiction.

However, statements released said that Diego was admitted due to general sickness and was not related to any drug addiction.

Whatever the cause of Diego Maradona’s sickness, we hope you get well soon!

David Beckham is having a terrible season with Real Madrid because he is spending more time on the bench than on the pitch. Fabio Capello, Real Madrid manager, has blamed Beckham’s drop in performance because of getting sacked from the England squad. Beckham resigned right after he failed to lead England to the World Cup 2006 Finals but little did he know that he was no longer needed by the team. Probably he felt he was going to be kicked out as a captain and a resignation would save his morale and reputation.

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Beckham is no longer part of England national squad and there are no indications that McLaren is putting him back. Now Beckham is not even part of Real Madrid’s first team and is spending more and more time on bench as time goes by.

Where is he going right now? First, Beckham insists he wants to stay at Real Madrid and he is re-negotiating his contract with the club which ends this summer. This makes sense because his family should have enjoyed their stay at Real Madrid and it would be best if they don’t move anywhere. Who wouldn’t want to earn money without the risk of injury because of sitting the season out on the bench?

In any case, I don’t think Real Madrid should sign Beckham to an extension and would be best to put their money elsewhere. Arsenal who is reported to have interest in Beckham has denied they would sign the player. I think Arsenal should get Beckham since he would be able to teach a lot of their young players. MLS should be the last option of Beckham at this stage, but who knows?

Neil Lennon is had a rough go for the last six years because he is a catholic and plays as captain for Celtic who is deeply associated with Irish Catholicism and is great conflict to Lennon’s religion.

In Lennon’s autobiography, Man and Bhoy, he set records straight because media has blown him out of proportions, though he admits he portrays himself as a tough man on and off the pitch. He contends: The public perception of Neil Lennon is not a fair one. I think people see me as some kind of hard man who goes out looking for an argument, but nothing could be further from the truth. I hardly ever got into trouble with referees on the pitch and anything that has happened away from football has not been caused by me.

The media up here in Glasgow have not helped my cause. They have created this image that I’m a thug who likes to throw my weight around, but that’s just irresponsible journalism in my opinion. People who know me will tell you that I have never been like that. I hope people read my book and see I have never tried to portray myself as a thug or a hard man. In fact, I’ve gone out of my way to do the opposite.

Neil is already 35 years old and believes he only has a maximum of two years left in his playing career, and as such, he wants to coach and follow Roy Keane’s footsteps. Neil said he already received UEFA B license and is looking forward to get his “A” license.

Jens Lehmann will live his dream one last time for both Arsenal and Germany by playing his last year as a professional footballer on Arsenal and helping Germany in Euro 2008.

He had a spectacular and memorable experience in World Cup Germany 2006 being chosen as their number 1 goalie and painfully seeing Oliver sit on the bench while he helped his team almost reach the Finals. Some of his highlights include stopping Argentina during penalty shots and making great and difficult saves against Italy even though they were defeated on a shot by Fabio Grosso. If it wasn’t for Jens spectacular play Italy could have won with two more goals.

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(Updated. He has proven everyone wrong by winning the Golden Ball award) Hi guys! I owe you a lot these last few days. For some reason I felt very tired and exhausted. Anyways, I have a lot of catching up to do so here goes…

In our company community emails bounce back and forth as we approach the world cup competition and its surprising how people believe so much in their country of having an above average chance in winning the competition.

France for instance is hot in our community especially when Zidane is believed to retire with a bang. Do you agree? For what it’s worth his brand will stand all time as the great player who performs exceptionally well in competitions but judging by his performance on his 100th game match for France proves otherwise.

Giving the ball seven times while playing in the central midfield behind two strikers is not something to celebrate for France. His season with Real Madrid may be catching up on his body and age which explains why he looked sluggish and off pace against Mexico’s defenders.

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This video shows some of the most memorable goals from the greatest players of all time. It includes: Pele, Maradona, Zidane and my all time favorite Ronaldo. (This is an advance posting.)

Alan Shearer’s force was felt for the last 18 years; with 379 goals in 733 club appearances and New Castle’s leading all time scorer, he is walking away from the game with head up high. It’s quite disappointing to see him go with everything that he has done. Though scheduled to end his career in 2006; he was forced to retire because of the injury suffered in the Magpies’ 4-1 derby win at Sunderland on Easter Monday. His torn medial knee ligament denies him of the last three games as well as finishing the season.

What strucks me is how he is going out in style. He says his disappointed for not having finished the season but nevertheless he has no regrets and acknowledged the kind of career he has had. He may not have a Michael Jordan ending but the way he accepted and walked out of the Light stadium is so classy that you feel he has won everything in life.

With all smiles and head up high, he knows in his heart how masterfully he has crafted his place in the football world.

Almost two years ago, I still remember the reaction on NBA legend Karl Malone’s face when they were defeated by the Detroit Pistons. The frustration, disbelief and failure he had shown had never found its way on Alan’s face.

Alan Shearer, thanks for ending your career on such a high note!