The most memorable soccer moments of 2006 (1 Viewer)

May 25, 2006
514
#1
LONDON (AP) - The most memorable soccer moment of 2006 came in the sport's biggest game - and nowhere near the ball.

When Zinedine Zidane head-butted Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the chest, it not only brought down the career of one of the game's greatest players, it sullied the image of the game when it needed a lift and should have been celebrating its biggest occasion.

The incident even eclipsed the Frenchman's audacious penalty kick that lobbed gently into the net and gave his team an early lead in the World Cup final in Berlin. Long after Materazzi's header had leveled the game, Zidane flattened the Italian defender in extra time.

It was Zidane's final act in soccer and was a sad way to go out. After being red-carded, he walked past the World Cup trophy and, when Italy triumphed in a penalty shootout to capture its fourth world title after a 1-1 draw, he finished his career.

It was typical of a World Cup that promised much but delivered little.

The most talented players around - from Brazil's Ronaldinho to England's Wayne Rooney - flopped on the biggest stage. Instead, the cheats and the referees made their marks, one official sending off a World Cup-record four players in the Portugal-Netherlands game and another, England's Graham Poll, showing three yellow cards to Croatia's Josip Simunic before realizing he should have sent him off after two.

There were high spots - notably Esteban Cambiasso finishing off a 24-pass move with a standout shot for one of Argentina's goals in a 6-0 win over Serbia-Montenegro.

Germany did a great job of organizing the event, which had less than expected crowd trouble and security problems, and coach Juergen Klinsmann took the team to the semifinals on a wave of euphoria and skillful, attacking soccer.

Against the backdrop of a match-fixing scandal that led to relegation for Serie A champion Juventus and points deductions for four other clubs, the Italians went to the World Cup determined to prove themselves. They were well-organized without being spectacular.

Italy's best performance was a 2-0 victory over host Germany in the semifinals. But when the fireworks went off at Berlin's Olympic Stadium to mark Italy's triumph over France in the final, there was a sense of anticlimax.

Fabio Cannavaro was chosen FIFA's player of the year and received the Golden Ball award for the top player in Europe.

Cannavaro moved from Juventus to Real Madrid after the Italian club was stripped of both of the two most recent Serie A championship titles and was relegated.

AC Milan, initially banned from playing in the Champions League, was eventually allowed to play in the qualifying round and has since made it to the knockout round. It was also docked points in the Serie A and similar punishments were handed out to Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina.

Crowd violence continued to mar games in Argentina, while racism became the new threat in Europe both on and off the field.

The best team in Europe won the Champions League. FC Barcelona came from behind to beat Arsenal at Stade de France after the Gunners had goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sent off in the 18th minute for a professional foul.

Although Brazil flopped at the World Cup, two of its clubs made it to the final of the Copa Libertadores, with Internacional beating Sao Paulo 4-3 on aggregate. Egypt's Al Ahly won the African title, South Korean side Chonbuk became Asian champion, and Mexico's America won the CONCACAF championship.

Internacional then beat Barcelona in the Club World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan.

Like the World Cup, the African Cup of Nations was decided on penalties. Egypt won the title after a 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast in the final in Cairo.

At the World Cup, only Ghana made it to the last 16 from Africa, leaving a question mark over whether the continent has the organizational skills to make an impact on world soccer four years before it stages the World Cup in South Africa.

The tournament in Germany created major movement among national team coaches. World Cup winner Marcello Lippi and Klinsmann decided not to stay. The United States invited Klinsmann to replace Bruce Arena but he declined.

In other major player transfers, AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko and Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack both moved to already powerful Chelsea, which won its second England Premier League in a row. Neither made an immediate impact in English soccer, however, and got cool receptions from the Blues fans.

There was as much action off the field as on it, from the boardroom to the courtroom.

The arrival of Randy Lerner at Aston Villa and Eggert Magnusson at West Ham means that foreign owners are in control of six clubs in the English Premier League. Another consortium led by the ruler of Dubai, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has made a takeover bid for Liverpool.

Soccer lost one of its all-time greats when Ferenc Puskas, who led Hungary's "Golden Team" of the 1950s and won three European Cup titles with Real Madrid, died in November at age 79.:moan:

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metalhead

Junior Member
Sep 23, 2005
154
#6
I guess its always a bad world cup if England dont win it :cool: And remind me, why did football need a boost as the article says? I thought it was the number one sport in the world.

The headbutt was the most memorable this year IMO, it will keep Zizou in our minds forever.
 
OP
Miss Dangerous*
May 25, 2006
514
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #11
    The Round Football Column 2006 Year End Awards:

    Let the abuse begin………..

    Premiership Players

    10. Jussi Jaaskelinan (Bolton)
    09. Joey Barton (Man City)
    08. Claude Makalele (Chelsea)
    07. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
    06. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
    05. John Terry (Chelsea)
    04. Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
    03. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
    02. Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
    01. Michael Essien (Chelsea)

    Obviously in 2006 there has been the business end of last season and the start of the current one, so it's hard to mix up the players. In terms of Premiership performance, there has been three players playing the football of their lives this season, and two of them were champions in May too.

    La Liga Players

    10. Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)
    09. Diego Milito (Real Zaragoza)
    08. Fredi Kanoute (Seville)
    07. Antonio Puerta (Seville)
    06. Deco (Barcelona)
    05. Jesus Nevas (Seville)
    04. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
    03. David Villa (Valencia)
    02. Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona)
    01. Ronaldinho (Barcelona)

    Despite mediocrity in the World Cup, Ronaldinho was still a pivotal part of Barca's La Liga triumph last term. Plus, his goals tally from an attacking midfield role is incredible. Elsewhere, Sevilla have been a revelation since their UEFA Cup win, and deservedly go into the new year as league leaders, and David Villa rejuvenated the role of the classic, world class centre forward.

    Serie A Players

    10. David Di Michele (Palermo)
    09. Gionatha Spinesi (Catania)
    08. Fabio Simplicio (Palermo)
    07. Andrea Pirlo (Milan)
    06. Dejan Stankovic (Inter)
    05. Esteban Cambiasso (Inter)
    04. Luca Toni (Fiorentina)
    03. Andrea Barzagli (Palermo)
    02. Francesco Totti (Roma)
    01. Kaka (Milan)

    Milan may have oozed mediocrity in 2006, but Kaka has still been a king. Totti didn't use to warrant world-class status, but now he's not receiving it he really does. He has been incredible this season, especially. Luca Toni was the first player to score thirty goals in a Serie A season for 723 years (I think that's right) so he deserves a nod, and Palermo, like Sevilla, have been a revelation in 2006, with centre half, Barzagli, in particular turning into perhaps the best non-English defender in Europe.:doh:

    Holland / France / Germany

    10. Afonso Alves (Heerenveen)
    09. Jefferson Farfan (PSV)
    08. Florent Malouda (Lyon)
    07. Marko Pantelic (Hertha Berlin)
    06. Cris (Lyon)
    05. Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax)
    04. Fred (Lyon)
    03. Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen)
    02. Juninho (Lyon)
    01. Diego (Werder Bremen)

    I was just going to put ten Lyon players down, but I thought better of it. There is a wealth of talent in these three leagues, and Diego sums up the attacking threat possessed across the lesser hyped European leagues.:boxing:

    Breakthrough Stars

    10. Micah Richards (Man City)
    09. Youri Gourcuff (Milan)
    08. Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)
    07. Karim Benzema (Lyon)
    06. Daniel Carvalho (CSKA Moscow)
    05. Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Ajax)
    04. Antonio Puerta (Sevilla)
    03. Franck Ribery (Marseille)
    02. Diego (Werder Bremen)
    01. Andrea Barzagli (Palermo)

    I don't want to overkill the chap's potential, but everytime I see Barzagli he's a class act. He reads the game superbly, and is set to be a star.

    Games

    10. Arsenal 6 Blackburn 2 (Premiership)
    09. Argentina 2 Mexico 1, A.E.T. (World Cup 2nd Round)
    08. Man Utd 3 Celtic 2 (Champions League Group F)
    07. Croatia 2 Australia 2 (World Cup Group F)
    06. Middlesbrough 4 Basle 1 (UEFA Cup Quarter Final, 2nd Leg)
    05. Barcelona 2 Chelsea 2 (Champions League Group A)
    04. Middlesbrough 4 Steaua Bucharest 2 (UEFA Cup Semi Final, 2nd Leg)
    03. Arsenal 0 Real Madrid 0 (Champions League 2nd Round, 2nd Leg)
    02. Germany 0 Italy 2, A.E.T (World Cup Semi Final)
    01. Liverpool 3 West Ham 3 (F.A Cup Final)

    Tough to call, but that cup final may end up being revolutionary for the future of the competition. Previous finals were lame, and big teams were playing weakened sides. This 120 minutes, plus penalties may have saved the best domestic cup competition in the world.:dielaugh:

    Goals

    10. Thierry Henry (Real Madrid vs. Arsenal)
    09. Robin Van Persie (Charlton vs. Arsenal)
    08. Ronaldinho (Barcelona vs. Villarreal)
    07. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool vs. West Ham)
    06. Craig Bellamy (Portsmouth vs. Blackburn)
    05. Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina vs. Serbia)
    04. Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina vs. Mexico)
    03. Michael Essien (Chelsea vs. Arsenal)
    02. Francesco Totti (Sampdoria vs. Roma)
    01. Matthew Taylor (Portsmouth vs. Everton)

    What a year for goals. Damn! I don't want to be back-pedalling for the sake of acceptance, but this would have been a different list on a different day. At the moment, I just love the audacity of Taylor's strike. If you asked me in mid-June I would have said Cambiasso's goal was one of the best EVER, and now he's #5 in 2006…..apparently. You scrutinise goals so much, it starts becoming a case of finding faults, even in genius.

    Moments

    10. Ronaldinho shooting under the wall against Bremen
    09. Claude Makalele scoring a goal…..and a good one at that….at White Hart Lane
    08. Kahn and Lehmann during the World Cup quarter
    07. Ronaldo breaking Gurd Muller's World Cup scoring record
    06. Taylor and Alonso having the brass to shoot from miles out
    05. Mourinho's celebration after Drogba equalised late at the Nou Camp on Halloween
    04. Graham Poll dishing out three yellow cards
    03. Lehmann's last minute penalty save in the Champions League semi
    02. Gerrard's last minute screamer in the cup final
    01. Zidane's final moments in football

    Teams

    10. Liverpool
    09. Arsenal
    08. Sevilla
    07. Reading
    06. Gretna
    05. Lyon
    04. France
    03. Chelsea
    02. Italy
    01. Barcelona

    Champions League and La Liga double, as well as showcasing some of the world's finest players week in, week out.:mad:

    Managers

    10. Roberto Mancini
    09. Alan Pardew
    08. Gordon Strachan
    07. Gerard Houllier
    06. Frank Rijkaard
    05. Jose Mourinho
    04. Guus Hiddink
    03. Jurgen Klinsmann
    02. Marcelo Lippi
    01. Steve Coppell

    Destroyed all comers in the Championship, before pushing Reading to a possible top ten finish in their first stint amongst the elite. Legend.:strong:

    Disappointments

    10. Alan Pardew getting sacked.
    09. All the top managers turning into five star assholes
    08. England not fulfilling their potential at the World Cup
    07. Sheva @ Chelsea
    06. Most of the knockout matches stopping the World Cup becoming the best ever.
    05. Thierry Henry not scoring in either of the two major finals, and subsequently making the two major individual awards become a farce.
    04. The chances of the UEFA Champions League final being one of the best in history being hindered by Lehmann's early sending off
    03. The Zidane incident
    02. Brazil / Ronaldinho at the World Cup
    01. The knowledge that Serie A has had no legitimacy for a while, and :yuck: Inter being given the most hollow title victory in history

    The top five honestly wind me up every time I think about it. Maybe I should calm down.:rolleyes2

    TV Personalities

    10. Martin Tyler (SKY commentator)
    09. Paul Merson (Soccer Saturday)
    08. Tim Lovejoy (Soccer AM)
    07. Alan Hansen (BBC pundit)
    06. Andy Gray (SKY pundit / co-commentator)
    05. James Richardson (BRAVO's Serie A coverage)
    04. Guillem Ballaque (SKY's La Liga coverage)
    03. Mark Lawrenson (BBC pundit / co-commentator)
    02. Jeff Stelling (Soccer Saturday)
    01. Adrian Chiles (Match of the Day 2)

    They all rock……and roll. There are some good people talking about football at the moment. Oh, and Chiles owns Lineker.:biggrin:

    Best Ten Players in the World for 2006

    10. Miroslav Klose (Werder Bremen and Germany)
    09. Francesco Totti (Roma and Italy)
    08. Kaka (Milan and Brazil)
    07. Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus, Real Madrid and Italy)
    06. Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
    05. Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd and Portugal)
    04. Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana)
    03. Ronaldinho (Barcelona and Brazil)
    02. Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona and Cameroon)
    01. Thierry Henry (Arsenal and France)

    Adding together domestic and European performances for their respective clubs throughout 2006, in addition to the World Cup, means this is a tough one to call. Thierry edges it.:flirt:

    By Tim O'Sullivan
    411mania.com
     
    OP
    Miss Dangerous*
    May 25, 2006
    514
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #12
    Midway through extra-time in the soccer World Cup final, Zinedine Zidane rose majestically to head the goal designed to claim the trophy for France.


    Italy's Marco Materazzi falls on the pitch after being head-butted by France's Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final

    Instead, the consistently excellent Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon arched high to tip the ball one-handed over the bar and preserve the 1-1 scoreline.:wth:

    What subsequently passed through Zidane's mind in the dying moments of a career that had taken him from the backstreets of Marseille to the glamorous European club giants Juventus and Real Madrid?:lick:

    Confounding the pessimists, he had gradually recaptured the form which propelled France to their 1998 World Cup triumph. But after Buffon's save he must have known his final chance of glory on the game's ultimate stage had all but vanished.

    Certainly something snapped 10 minutes before the final whistle at the Berlin Olympic Stadium. After a brief altercation, the French captain suddenly head-butted Marco Materazzi in the chest and was sent from the field. His demoralised team then succumbed 5-3 in the penalty shootout.

    Zidane's abrupt fall from grace mirrored the light and shade of a troubled sporting year.

    Italy's path to their fourth World Cup took place against the backdrop of a match-fixing scandal unfolding in the Italian courts.

    When the Italian season opened two weeks late, :crybaby: Juventus had been relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history on minus 17 points - a penalty later reduced to minus nine.

    Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina were permitted to stay in the top division with heavy points penalties while AC Milan were docked eight points but allowed to remain in the Champions League.:confused2

    Jamaica Gleaner
     
    OP
    Miss Dangerous*
    May 25, 2006
    514
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread Starter #16
    Ten soccer events that shaped 2006:

    1) The headbutt that was heard around the world: It cost France the World Cup

    Zinedine Zidane in his swansong match of his stellar career and on the brink of taking France to a second title in this year's World Cup decided that his pride was more important than Les Bleus. He reacted to Marco Materazzi baiting his mother and sister, and leveled him with a headbutt. It proved costly with Zidane sent off and a visibly rusty Trezeguet shooting the ball over in the penalty kicks that gave the Italians their fourth title. The consolation, if ever there was a player who deserved to be leveled, it would be Materazzi. The headbutt becomes a defining point in Zizou's career and his worth as a player will never be complete without this discussion. There are very few that believe that the Azzurris would have won with Zidane in the line up.:)

    2) The Azzurris win the 2006 World Cup: Amidst scandal and suicide

    The Azzurris showed what wins teams the World Cup: Teamwork. With their discipline, opportunism, and their faith in their defense, the Azzurris marched to their fourth title. All this in the maelstrom of the worst scandal in soccer history with four clubs implicated in the Serie match fixing. The scandal shook Italian soccer with even the Vatican expressing their dismay. Worse was to follow as disgraced Juventus sports director Gianluca Pessotto attempted suicide during the World Cup, which necessitated Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluca Zambrotta leaving squad duty, to visit their friend in the Turin hospital where he lay recuperating from massive internal injuries.:confused:

    3) Germany finds itself in the 2006 World Cup: Klinsmann and his merry men

    Germany did not win this World Cup losing to their arch rivals Italy in the semifinals, 0-2 in one of the most entertaining matches in the tournament. However, by the end of the World Cup, Germany as a country discovered a new found exuberance shaking of ages old stodginess and stoicism. A change wrought by Juergen Klinsmann and his merry men who did not hold back their enthusiasm and animation on the field. The new Germany showed it did not care too much for Donald Rumsfeld's characterization of it as Old Europe. Klinsmann made it cool to watch German soccer. No mean feat for someone who had been dismissed as a California bimbo by the German soccer establishment.:lol:

    4) The Serie scandal: Jogo Feio, Fiat, and Juventus

    The Serie scandal exploded when tapped phone conversations revealed that Juventus's general director, Luciano Moggi, nicknamed Lucky Luciano by his critics, discussing the assignment of referees for league games with Pierluigi Pairetto, the refereeing official for Italy's soccer federation -- a clear violation of league rules. But that was only the tip of it. Other parts of the transcripts, culled by investigators and reported by the Italian news media, show much more: players and managers being threatened and blackmailed; numerous discussions over refereeing assignments before games; allegations of collusion among coaches, federation officials and a popular soccer talk-show host; the blacklisting of those who challenged the corruption; and, of course, the lavish greasing of palms. In the end :star: Juventus was relegated to the Serie B and AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Lazio took point deductions and the faith of a country in its sporting heroes took a beating. The scandal prompted Cardinal Camillo Ruini, a close aide to Pope Benedict XVI to say ''From a good Italian and from an old fan, I am sad and disappointed. I would have always liked that sporting events were genuine.''

    5) The sun sets on the British Empire: The club buyouts

    This year continued where the following few years left off. After oil as an investment, foreign consortiums found British soccer clubs ripe for the picking. Portsmouth, Aston Villa, West Ham, and most recently Liverpool, the most storied English club succumbing to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's, Dubai's billionaire ruler. A third of the Premiership clubs are now owned by a motley crew that includes a Russian oligarch, a reclusive NFL owner, a fugitive Israeli gun runner's son, an American credit card baron, an ex FIFA vice president, and of course, Al Maktoum, a horse and camel racing addict. But does the average Premiership fan care that these people have no clue as to Lou Macari's fish and chips shop? Nah. As long as it gets them a title even as the player's paycheck is being cut in Jumeirah.:redface:

    6) Internacional beats Barcelona: South America still hangs tough

    Internacional beat Barcelona in the 45th edition of world club supremacy, in the FIFA World Club Championships (aka Intercontinental Cup) between a South American vs a European club. South American clubs have shown that they continue to hold their own even in this age with most of their star players leaving for the more lucrative European leagues. Indeed, Barca has its share of South Americans led by Ronaldinho, Messi, Edmilson, Sylvinho, Saviola, Belletti, and Thiago. Yet, all of Barca's firepower came to nought, as Adriano Vieira slotted a goal for Internacional in the 72nd minute. The exodus of players from South America continues unabated but when it comes to the greatest club, South Americans edge Europeans out 24 to 21. Last year, Sao Paolo beat Liverpool, 1-0.:lazy:

    7) Boca Juniors self destruct: The Argentinian Apertura is won by Estudiantes

    All Boca Juniors needed to do was to win one game in the Apertura to win this year's Argentina title. In a stunning collapse, they lost their final two games to Belgrano and Lanus. In the final standings both Boca Juniors and Estudiante were level, necessitating a playoff game to decide the Apertura title. Before the Estudiantes game, Boca coach Ricardo La Volpe had vowed to resign his job if his team did not win. The threat seemed to work as workhorse Martin Palermo scored the first goal for Boca sending their fans into ecstasy. However, goals by Mariano Pavone and Jose Sosa pulled Estudiantes through. La Volpe was expressly brought on by Boca honcho Mauricio Macri on August 22nd to take Boca to the title after Alfio Basile was selected to lead the Albiceleste.:eyepatch:

    8) The year of the new kids on the block: Africa is the powerhouse

    Four out of the eight new teams in this World Cup were from Africa. Angola, Cote D'Ivoire, Togo, and Ghana. And France's squad that nearly won them a second title were mostly composed of players from former French colonies in Africa from Algeria to Senegal. Africa's competitiveness is reflected in the fact that soccer big hitters like Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroun, and Senegal could not find a spot in the World Cup. All though no African player made it to the FIFA top 23 squad, players like Didier Drogba, Aruna Dindane, Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari, Bakari Kone, Haminu Dramani, Emmanuel Adebayor, Hatem Trabalsi, Ziad Jaziri, Mohamed Kader, made their mark this World Cup. African players lead the Premiership. La Liga, and Ligue in most goals scored. El Ahly won the third spot in the Club World Championships and Mohamed Aboutreika showed that he is Africa's best player. However Africa was not the only big winner, as Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors showed that they had come to play in their matches against Sweden and England. Although they lost, they quickly earned the love and respect of fans everywhere. The Socceroos were pipped at the post by a heartbreaking Fabio Grosso acting job but the Guus Hiddink coached team showed that they were genuine and gritty with tons of talent in Timmy Cahill, Brett Emerson, Lucas Neill, and Harry Kewell.

    9) Ferenc Puskas passes away: The incandescent days of Hungarian soccer

    The soccer world mourned a legend when Ferenc Puskas died on 17 November, 2006. He was the star in a team that boasted legendary players like Sandor Koscis, Nándor Hidegkuti, Zoltan Czibor, and Joszef Boszik, that made Hungary virtually indestructible in the 50's. He scored 84 goals in 85 games for Hungary and led them to an Olympic title in 1952. Puskas also captained a Magyar team, the first foreign team to beat England in English soil in 1951. The Magyars pulverized the English, 6-3. In the 1954 World Cup, Puskas almost led the Magyars to their first World Cup title but in the final he was injured and the Magyars lost to the Germans, 2-4 in a match known as the Miracle at Berne. With Alfredo Di Stefano, Raymond Kopa, Francisco Gento, and Jose Santamaria he was part of the :kiss: legendary Real Madrid teams that won 5 Spanish championships, 3 European Cups, and 1 Intercontinental Cup. He scored 155 goals in 179 apperances. When he died, an emotional Alfredo Di Stefano said "He was a better person than a player. And as a player he was extraordinary." Puskas returned home to Hungary, virtually penniless, a victim of his unbounded generosity as a human being.

    10) Juergen Klinsmann rebuffs US soccer: Is Jose Pekerman next?

    The search for a big name coach for resurrecting the fortunes of the US World Cup team took a nosedive so fast that it became a nosebleed when Klinsmann on December 7, 2006 rejected US Soccer's offer to make him the new coach of the US team. Virtually every soccer fan in the USA had rationalized reasons for his acceptance. California home, married with an American wife, loves the fitness and conditioning skills of American sports, highly telegenic, and so on and so forth. In the end, Klinsmann probably did not find the US job challenging enough. After his rejection, it is the turn of Jose Pekerman's name being bandied about. The problem is that he understands only Spanish. But wait a minute, there is hope. Pekerman is related to Gregory Peck and due to this proximity should understand English very quickly, consequently taking up the US coaching job. Not.:excited:

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