On June 28, 2012, Mario Balotelli peaked. His thunderous second goal in the first 40 minutes of Italy’s Euro 2012 semi-final clash with Germany highlighted a stupendous tournament for the mercurial striker. Named in the Euro 2012 Team of the Tournament and finishing the joint top scorer, Balotelli’s summer exploits concluded a maniacal season for the Italian.
It was the 74th minute and Suarez had struck again. This time it was a bullet header from the penalty spot. On camera it seemed as if he had hit the ball harder with his head than Dani Alves had with his cross. Whether or not that was true, the result was stunning: Luis Suarez had scored another golazo, and the whole world hated him for it.
Well that didn’t last very long.
Real Madrid were supposed to have turned their season around after winning el Clasico, or at least, that’s what they would have hoped. Hopes, it seems, don’t count for much in the Champions League.
Real Madrid lost to VfB Wolfsburg 2-0, and it was exactly the kind of frustrating loss that Real Madrid needed least. They looked lost on defense, something made all the more apparent by Wolfsburg’s counterattacks.
Abby Wambach has been in the news for the wrong reasons lately. On Sunday, she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants, and at her initial court appearance, court documents revealed that the retired USWNT player had tried cocaine and marijuana ten years ago, per the BBC. Her lawyer has entered in a plea of not guilty on her behalf.
On March 9, Clint Dempsey turned 33. George Best, Eric Cantona and Michel Platini all retired before reaching that milestone. Zinedine Zidane, Pele and Jurgen Klinsmann all retired at 34. With that in mind, you could forgive Dempsey for slowing down as he reaches the later stages of his playing career.
But Clint Dempsey would never forgive himself.
The BBC has reported that Aston Villa have suspended Gabi Agbonlahor indefinitely. The veteran forward was pictured smoking a shisha pipe while on holiday in Dubai, and the club has suspended him from playing, pending an internal investigation. Here's the thing about that though: Does it really matter?
The NCAA Tournament will reach it’s climax this coming Saturday and Monday as the four teams who made progressed so far (North Carolina, Syracuse, Oklahoma, Villanova) square off to see who is this year’s king of hoops. Even if your bracket has been or is completely ruined, chances are you might be tuning in to see who will prevail, as this year’s field promises to bring some compelling drama.
So, here's the deal: supposedly, there is actually a Jamie Vardy movie in the works. No, seriously. The English striker's rise from factory worker playing non-league soccer to Premier League record-breaker has apparently perked up the ears of executives in Hollywood. The man behind the movie, Adrian Butchart, is the man behind the "Goal!" trilogy and he has reportedly started the conversation on getting a Vardy movie made.
Where the hell is Zlatan Ibrahimovic playing next season? What the hell do all these Zlatan transfer rumors mean?
One thing is for certain, he is leaving PSG. The Parisian municipal government won’t pony up the dough for a larger than life size statue of Zlatan, you know the one that’s gonna replace the Eiffel Tower. So just where is he set to go?
In two of the greatest developments to come out of Nike since some corporate honcho inadvertently created their slogan and logo after screaming “Just do it!” at some poor design team crafting a simple swoosh, Nike has finally solved the riddle of muddy cleats while simultaneously dropping the new Croatia home kit.