soccer Page 229 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Cristiano Ronaldo Thinks He Knows Why You're Heckling Him, May Be Right
"I think that because I am rich, handsome and a great player people are envious of me. I don't have any other explanation." [Guardian]...

This Evening: Let's Have A Look At Soccer's Latest Dive Of The Year Candidate
Your p.m. roundup for Sept. 14, the day we learned more than we ever wanted to know about Michael Chabon. H/T to Sportpost for the video from the Japanese K League. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors....

Alexandre Pato And Leo Messi Create Some Great Goals As AC Milan And Barcelona Kick Off The Champions League Season
Cracker of a match yesterday between AC Milan and Barcelona. Alexandre Pato turned on some otherworldly speed to score for MIlan just 24 seconds after kickoff (above). Then it was Leo Messi's turn (below, with other highlights). How Messi gets in that centering pass to Pedro for the Barcelona equa...

The Russian Backwater Samuel Eto'o Now Plays Soccer In Is Too Dangerous For Samuel Eto'o To Live In
Last month, Samuel Eto'o did something very curious and very venal and signed with Anzhi, an obscure team in Russia owned by a rich oil man. Eto'o became the highest paid soccer player in the world ($30 million over three years). But he also has to lace up his boots for Anzhi, which plays in a city ...

When The Flag Is Up, You May As Well Shoot For YouTube
Heerenveen midfielder Oussama Assaidi was offside, and he knew he was offside, so why not flick it home with a little flair? No goal, but a mess of style points....

We've Found The Unluckiest Soccer Team In The World: Off The Woodwork 3 Times In 3 Seconds
"Unlucky" being one of the more generous adjectives to describe Real Betis's repeated failure to find twine late in the first half of their La Liga match against Mallorca yesterday. Don't blame Rubén Castro, who got things rolling with a shot off the far post; blame Jorge Molina, whose successive ...

Even The Great Lionel Messi Dives Sometimes
Barcelona's Lionel Messi got a yellow card during yesterday's draw with Real Sociedad. He started the game on the bench, having just returned from India, where he'd been serving international duty for Argentina....

Denard Robinson Took Just 21 Seconds To Lead Michigan's 80-Yard Game-Winning Drive Over Notre Dame
Your morning roundup for Sept. 11, a day to remember those we lost. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors....

Watch A Chelsea Player Take Cleats To His Back And Decide For Yourself Whether It Was Intentional
In today's EPL match between Chelsea and Sunderland, Juan Mata of the former felt some cleats drive into his back from the foot of opponent Phil Bardsley....

At Least Four Arizona State Fans Went To Last Night's Game In Blackface
Your morning roundup for Sept. 10, a day when it's apparently illegal for wannabe vampires to bite homeless men outside the neighborhood Hooters. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors....

Soccer Player Disgraces Self, Team, Descendants Forever With Awful Penalty Kick
Here's Amir Sayoud, playing for Egyptian side Al-Ahly in the Egypt Cup, doing his absolute best to make a mockery of the game with a penalty kick that never really got going. Sayoud even got a yellow card for his troubles. [BusinessInsider]...

Watch Leo Messi Dribble Past Half The Nigerian Team To Set Up This Goal
Argentina beat Nigeria 3-1 today in a friendly in Bangladesh. As usual, Lionel Messi was the engine for Los Albicelestes. He fed Gonzalo Higuain with a beautiful one-touch chip for the first goal. But the real peach was the second goal, created by Messi's blistering midfield run (0:45 in the video...

Adidas Recognized The New Libyan Goverment Before China Or Russia Did
Looks pretty sharp. The Libyan team won their first post-Gaddafi match, beating Mozambique 1-0 in Egypt, and they did it in their new kits with the new flag. Wonder if they'll invite Al-Saadi Gaddafi back for a testimonial....

Soccer Player Carlos Tevez Checked Himself Into A Clinic Because He Got Depressed And "Ate And Ate"
Today, in totally unexpected ledes, comes this one from the Daily Mail:...

Spain And Chile Decided To End FIFA's Fair-Play Day With A Scuffle
When Spain and Chile faced off yesterday in an international friendly, the Chileans found it unfair that an apparent dive led to the game-winning goal. As such, injury time involved some pushing and shoving and whatnot....

Wonder If This TCU Fan Still Wanted Some Loving After His Team Blew A Gigantic Comeback
Your morning roundup for Sept. 3, the day that Dragon Con's Comic Book Babes Costume Contest becomes an Elvira-hosted reality in Atlanta. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors....

This Tip About Scantily Clad German Soccer Ladies Totally Buried The Lede
Anybody with a set of eyes would surely agree that that picture of "Mona of BV Sturm Wissel" is a compelling image. In and of itself, it justifies tipster Tomuban's signal to check out a "Women footballers heat up the pitch for [sexy 2012 pin-up] calendar" link....

Ronaldinho Ignores Teammates And Physics, Scores On A Corner Kick
In Brazil, they call a goal scored directly off of a corner kick an "Olimpico." And here at Deadspin, we call 31-year-old strikers who have scored nine goals in 10 games and are getting a second chance at the national team a "Ronaldinhos."...

The Remarkable Things This Guy Does With A Soccer Ball Include Spinning It On A Pen While Climbing A Lamp Post
This guy Iya Traore's really good at manipulating a soccer ball with his feet and various other body parts. Shame a Whitney Houston ballad's playing in the background, though. Bobby, I could see, but not Whitney. There's no justification for that....

Is Wayne Rooney's $50,000 Hair Transplant Responsible For His Goal-Scoring Binge? (No.)
Wayne Rooney was stressed. He'd had a rotten World Cup. The tabloids were accusing him of cheating on his pregnant wife with a prostitute. And his hair was falling out. So he did something about the hair. Now the sports magi can speculate about whatever tonic explains Rooney's bristling performance ...