A True Soccer Legend - David Beckham

David Beckham - What's it all about?

When you watch David Beckham with a ball you watch someone at the very pinnacle of their profession. The master craftsman, perhaps even a great artist! Europe is in mourning as he leaves for America and yet many in his new homeland aren't sure what it's all about.

Soccer is growing in The States, no question about that and its about to get a whole lot bigger. Many in The States cannot get excited about soccer but even they wonder what's so special about David Beckham playing soccer?

To understand the phenomena that is David Beckham you need to understand the player. The reason he first won the England fans over and then the Real Madrid fans was not because he was the best player in the team, he wasn't. Nor was it his speed, or his ball juggling skills, his witty after match comments etc.

The reason his fans love him and even supporters of rival teams admire him so much is because the guy just never gives up. His team can be 2 goals down with a few minutes left on the clock but Beckham will be running and chasing to win the ball. It is this will to win and belief in himself that will win over America's arm chair sports fans. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and always has done.

He is of course the worlds greatest crosser of a soccer ball which helps win the fans over and his free kicks still rank him along side the worlds best dead ball specialists. But even these skills are acredited to his never give in spirit and his will to succeed. David was never a great natural player, someone born with a gift like a George Best or a Maradona. His skills were learnt as a necessity because as a young player trying to break into the first team at the great Manchester United the young David Beckham had a problem - He could not get past a defender!

He soon realized if he was to progress under the ever watchful eye of the great coach Sir Alex Ferguson he needed a solution. So instead of trying to beat the defender and losing the ball he simply learnt to cross the ball into the danger area for others, learning how to make it swerve around the defense and thereby completely removing the need to worry about a little thing like defenders!

All this practising with a moving ball meant his dead ball skills went through the roof and he soon established himself as Manchester United's and then England's free kick specialist. His peers regard him the finest free kick taker in the world.

As David Beckham sets off on a new adventure both the L.A. Galaxy and arm chair fans will soon come to understand why we loved him so much and why we miss him already.

Ronldo career in Jeopardy

Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has urged international striker Ronaldo to keep his head up and work hard to overcome his latest career-threatening knee injury.

The 31-year-old AC Milan player underwent surgery on his left knee in Paris on Thursday after collapsing in pain during a game against Livorno in Italy, fuelling speculation the Brazilian's storied career may be over.

Lula, a self-described sports fanatic who peppers his speeches with soccer metaphors, said on Friday he and "millions of Brazilians" were saddened by Ronaldo's latest injury but also confident the three-times World Player of the Year would make another triumphant comeback.

"Young man, keep moving forward, be strong, don't give up," Lula said in an open letter to Ronaldo. "I have faith, just as the Brazilian people do, that you will return to the playing field and once again you'll be an example of perseverance and courage."

Ronaldo, suffered a similar injury on his right knee while playing for Inter Milan in 2000 but recovered to help Brazil to win a fifth World Cup in 2002.

In 2006, Ronaldo became the all-time leading scorer in World Cups with 15 goals in three tournaments. Since then, he has been plagued by injuries and has played sparingly.

Kevin Keegan conquers Newcastle United For the Third Time

Kevin Keegan will outline his future plans for Newcastle United when he is officially presented at a media conference at St James' Park on Friday (1400 GMT).

The 56-year-old began work on Thursday when he took his first training session and spent time with club chairman Chris Mort ahead of his first match in charge against Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday.

Keegan's third coming at Newcastle after his previous incarnations as player (1982-84) and manager (1992-97) has galvanised the soccer-mad city, but Friday's media conference will be a relatively low key affair.

Keegan has asked that the ground should not be open to fans while he meets the media. The fans, though, will give him a rapturous welcome on Saturday.

He will quickly need to turn his attention to the transfer market, with the window closing in two weeks, if he is to strengthen his side, currently in mid-table.

He is also yet to announce who his assistant will be with former right-hand man Terry McDermott a possible choice.

Chris Coleman, who resigned as manager as Real Sociedad on Wednesday and was Keegan's captain when he was manager at Fulham, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate for the job.

Keegan has confessed to not seeing a match live since he left his last job as Manchester City manager in 2005, but he saw Newcastle beat Stoke City 4-1 in an FA Cup third round replay on Wednesday.

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Kaka, Iraq Emerge winners

LONDON - AC Milan star Kaka looks set to collect a sweep of player of the year awards after scooping more than 50 per cent of the votes in the annual poll conducted by the respected magazine World Soccer, whose readers also gave Iraq the team prize. Kaka, who is the hot favourite to pick up the FIFA player of the year award on Monday and already won European soccer's Golden Ball, finished way ahead of his rivals in a poll of the magazine's readers.

The Brazilian received 52.8 per cent of the votes ahead of Barcelona's Lionel Messi (17.6) and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo (16.0). Messi won the young player award ahead of Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas.

The biggest surprise in the poll was Iraq winning the vote for world team of the year.

Winner of the Asian Cup in July, the Iraqi team not only overcame stronger teams but also achieved the triumph against a background of chaos and tragedy back home in its war-torn country.

Iraq edged Milan, which won the Champions League for its seventh triumph in European soccer's most prestigious competition, with two-time UEFA Cup winner Sevilla a distant third.

Manchester United's Alex Ferguson captured the coach of the year award after leading the Red Devils to their ninth Champions League title in 15 years. Ferguson edged Juande Ramos, who won back-to-back UEFA Cup titles with Sevilla before moving on to Tottenham.

Ronaldo double lifts Man U

Cristiano Ronaldo made up for missing out in the European Footballer of the Year award by scoring both the goals as Manchester United moved to within three points of leaders Arsenal with a 2-0 win against Fulham at Old Trafford on Monday.

Ronaldo who was overlooked in favor of Ac Milan’s Brazilian forward Kaka for the Ballon d’Or award that was announced on Sunday, proved too good for Fulham, who saw their woeful Premiership away record stretch to 24 games without victory as Sir Alex Ferguson’s team cruised to the win.

United had allowed themselves to fall off the Premiership pace by losing 1-0 at Boltan in their last league outing and nothing but three points against Fulham would do for the champions with Arsenal stretching their lead to six points with a weekend victory at Aston Villa.

Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez should have hit a hatrick during that period as three golden chances fell into his path, but the former West Ham forward failed to take any of them.

Where Tevez was wasteful, however, Ronaldo was lethal and Portugal International gave United the lead on ten minutes with a thunderous volley that left Neimi completely helpless.

On the occasion, poor defending by Fulham unlocked the door for United. Lawrie Sanchez’s team failed to properly clear Ryan Giggs’s corner and the ball ultimately fell to Ronaldo on the edge of the six yard box after the flick-on from defender Nemanja Vidic.

Unmarked, Ronaldo simply lashed a right-foot volley into the roof of the net to put United ahead and claim his twelfth goal of the season.

Sanchez’s team could not hold out until the end of the game, though, and Ronaldo doubled United’s lead when he headed In John O’Shea’s cross from close range on 58 minutes.

MaClaren sacked

Steve MaClaren was sacked as England head coach today following their failure to qualify for Euro 2008, the football Association confirmed.

“The FA board unanimously decided to terminate MaClaren’s contract with immediate effect,” FA chairman Geoff Thompson told a news conference. The FA said it has also terminated the contract of assistant coach Terry Venables.

England miss Euro ’08 bus

England hopes of a place in Euro 2008 finals disappeared at Wembley yesterday when they lost 2-3 to Croatia after fighting back from conceding two early goals to pull level. Subsequently, head coach Steve MaClaren was sacked.
Instead of hanging to the point that would have secured their place in the tournament co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, they conceded a third goal 13 minutes from time, allowing Russia to steal into second place in Group E and qualify with Croatia.
It was the first time since 1984 that England missed out on the European Championship finals and the first time since the 1994 World Cup that they failed to qualify for a major tournament.
Former England captain David Beckham, a second-half substitute said, “This is a big setback, not just for the players but the nation… We have to show the English way which is to fight back.”
The home crowd was stunned after eight minutes when Scott Carson, controversially chosen in goal after making his debut in a friendly only last week, allowed a speculative shot by Niko Kranjcar to skid off him and into the net, and it looked all over when Ivica Olic doubled the lead six minutes later.
England pulled level with a 56th-minute Frank Lampard penalty followd by a great goal by striker Peter Crouch, who expertly controlled a cross from half-time substitute Beckham before volleying the equalizer.
Croatia, though, continued to look dangerous and won it in the 77th-minute when substitute Mladen Petric lashed in a shot from the edge of the box.
The Croatians will be among the second seeds when the draw for the finals is made in Lucerne, Switzerland on December 2.