Real offer 20 mln euros for van der Vaart - report
July 11, 2008
MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid have offered 20 million euros (31.4 million dollars) to sign Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart for five seasons, Spanish sports daily Marca said Thursday.
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Euro 2008 - Best of Euro 2008
June 24, 2008
With only one game of Euro 2008 remaining, Eurosport takes a look at the games, goals, gaffes and girls that have caught the eye.
Player of the tournament - To be decided
At this stage of proceedings, no player has yet grabbed the competition by the scruff of its neck and bent it to his will.
Wesley Sneijder was the undisputed star of the group stage, conducting the Netherlands to sensational victories over Italy and France, while Andrei Arshavin sparkled brilliantly before fading completely in Russia’s semi-final defeat to Spain.
The tournament’s top strikers - David Villa, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Lukas Podolski - have impressed only fleetingly, while Spain’s super substitute Cesc Fabregas is yet to start a meaningful game.
Michael Ballack has led the German charge to the final, ably assisted by goalscoring winger Bastian Schweinsteiger, but any one of about six or seven players could land the player of the tournament gong with a match-winning performance in the final.
Goal of the tournament - Wesley Sneijder v Italy
There has been a dearth of quality long-range goals in the tournament, with players struggling to get to grips with a ball that’s displayed the flyaway qualities of one of those 50p balls you find in motorway service stations.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s thunderbolt against Greece, Ballack’s net-busting free-kick against Austria and Sneijder’s stunning coup de grace for the Netherlands in the 4-1 trouncing of France are the obvious exceptions, but there have also been some sublime team goals.
Arshavin’s goal in Russia’s 2-0 win over Sweden was a fine thing to behold, but it’s the Dutch who mastered the art of the counter-attack most effortlessly, and Sneijder’s beautifully struck half-volley after a flowing team move in the 3-0 win over Italy was the best of the lot.
Miss of the tournament - Mario Gomez v Austria
19:49 BST, Monday 16 June, Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna. Germany are playing Austria and need a win to progress to the next round.
With just four minutes on the clock, out-of-form striker Mario Gomez is presented with an open goal by team-mate Miroslav Klose, but from barely four yards out and with the goal at his mercy he spoons the ball into the air and Austrian defender Gyorgy Garics is able to head it off the line.
Hakan Yakin was guilty of a similarly glaring miss in Switzerland’s 2-1 defeat to Turkey, but for the glimpse into a very private hell that Gomez’s miss provided, the Stuttgart striker gets the nod.
Game of the tournament - Turkey 3-2 Czech Republic
There have been some tremendous games in the tournament, with the Netherlands’ thumping victories over Italy and France catching the eye before they were eliminated in stunning fashion at the quarter-final stage by Russia.
Germany edged a thrilling quarter-final against Portugal 3-2 thanks to some appallingly slack defending from Luis Felipe Scolari’s men, but for pure edge-of-the-seat excitement, it has to be Turkey’s incredible comeback victory over the Czech Republic in Group A.
Needing to win to go through, Turkey trailed 2-0 with just 15 minutes to play, but after Arda Turan had halved the deficit Nihat Kahveci took advantage of a howler from Petr Cech to level before curling a superb injury-time winner in off the crossbar to send the Turks into the last eight.
Save of the tournament - Gianluigi Buffon v Romania
With nine minutes remaining of the Group C match between Italy and Romania, Christian Panucci conceded a penalty that could have knocked the world champions out of the tournament.
Romania captain Adrian Mutu stepped up and drilled the ball firmly down the centre of the goal but, despite having already dived down to his left, Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon shot out his right hand to claw the ball away and keep his side in the competition.
Gaffe of the tournament - Petr Cech v Turkey
Turkey goalkeeper Rustu Recber produced a horrendous flap which enabled Klose to head Germany into a 2-1 lead in the semi-final between the sides, but Cech’s error against the Turks - when he let a high right-wing cross squirm out of his grasp and into the path of Nihat - was probably the worst of the tournament, even more so because it was so completely out of character.
Coach of the tournament - Fetih Terim, Turkey
Dutchmen Marco van Basten and Guus Hiddink oversaw some fine performances from the Netherlands and Russia, but both sides choked when it mattered most.
Croatia coach Slaven Bilic had his side playing some similarly eye-catching stuff, and somehow managed to ally breathless touchline enthusiasm with effortless cool, but for taking a decidedly unfancied Turkey side to the brink of the final - whilst all the while throwing his arms around like an epileptic orangutang - Fatih Terim is our top boss.
Biggest disappointment - France
How a squad containing the attacking talents of Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Nicolas Anelka could exit the tournament with just a single goal to their name is something of a mystery, but in the end they were undone by too many ageing legs and a collective loss of form.
Insipid against Romania, they were then trounced by the Dutch and didn’t even look like scoring in the 2-0 defeat to Italy.
Still, every cloud has a silver lining, and in Ribery, Benzema, Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa - not to mention the likely departure of coach Raymond Domenech - there is hope for the future.
Worst match - France v Romania
Sweden’s 2-0 win over Greece in Group D was an absolute stinker, but it did at least boast some goals.
France’s goalless draw with Romania, on the other hand, had no redeeming features whatsoever, with the sides registering just one shot on target between them in the whole game, and that a side-footed pea-roller from Benzema that might not have made it into the net even if Romanian goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont hadn’t been there to get in the way.
Best WAG - Sarah Brandner
A difficult category to judge, seeing as none of the WAGs have actually done anything, but a top three of Noemie Lenoir (Claude Makelele), Sarah Brandner (Bastian Schweinsteiger) and Sylvie Meis (Rafael van der Vaart) provides plenty of food for thought.
Lenoir and Meis both score highly in the glamour stakes, but for sheer commitment (she turned up to every Germany match, quaffed pints of lager and she’s dating a footballer who looks like a pimply adolescent), it has to be Fraulein Brandner (pictured).
Best fans - Netherlands
It’s a massive cliche, but once again the Dutch fans illuminated the tournament with their crazy orange-clad antics and unstinting commitment to wacky fancy-dress.
So impressed was the mayor of Berne with the behaviour of the Oranje fans during their group-stage sojourn in the city that he presented the squad with turf from the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf where they had played.
As useless gifts go it’s right up there with ornamental animals, but at least they made an impression.
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The Euro 2008 Hottest WAG
June 24, 2008
The ultimate European Championships dream team
Now with the Euro 2008 competition fast approaching the centre stage for many a sports fan is turning to see which player has the hottest, sexiest girlfriend or wife. Otherwise known as WAGS!!!!
Here are some of our favorites to get you guys ready for the tournament…
Sylvie van der Vaart - Married to Rafael van der Vaart
Anine Bing - Girlfriend to Andres Svensson
Alena Seredova - Girlfriend of Gianluigi Buffon
Radka Kocurova - Girlfriend of Tomas Rosicky
Eva Gonzalez - Wife of Iker Casillas
Well there are some of the top talent at this years Euro 2008, from Dailyjunk we’d love to say thanks to all the WAG’s who’ll be making an appearance at this years tournament, and here’s to sunny weather with bikini’s….
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Chelsea targets Dutch midfielder Van Der Vaart
May 29, 2008
Interesting transfer news are coming out of the Premier League and it has been reported that Chelsea FC are making a move for Hamburg and Dutch International midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.
Local British newspapers have reported that sacked Chelsea boss Avram Grant is believed to have had Van der Vaart on his radar before being sacked at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
It is now believed that the Blues will press ahead with signing the players the Israeli had earmarked for this summer.
It is alos reported that the £15million-rated Hamburg captain has so far refused all offers to sign an extension to his current deal, which runs out in 2010.
BIO
Full name: Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart
Date of birth: February 11, 1983
Place of birth: Heemskerk, Netherlands
Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position: Attacking Midfielder,Forward
Current club: Hamburger SV
Number: 23
Previous Clubs
2000–2005: Ajax
2005– Hamburger SV
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Chelsea FC chase Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart
March 17, 2008
Sensational transfer news are out and it is reported that Chelsea FC are ready to make a bid for Hamburg attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart if current midfield maestro Frank Lampard decides leave the club in the summer.
The media reported that if Lampard decides to leave, 25-year-old international Van der Vaart, currently at Bundesliga club Hamburg, is the favourite to replace him. The Holland international moved to Germany three years ago for a bargain £3.5million from Ajax.
Van der Vaart will still have two years left on his contract in June and the Hamburg’s asking price will be about £7.5m, modest by Chelsea’s standards and at least as much as they would get for Lampard.
Van Der Vaart’s performances this season for Hamburg have drawn the attention of several giants including Internazionale, Juventus and Valencia. However, van der Vaart has stated that he will stay at Hamburg until the end of this season at least, but has decided not to sign a new contract extension while he had earlier not ruled out a contract extension with HSV.
BIO
Full name: Rafael Ferdinand van der Vaart
Date of birth: February 11, 1983
Place of birth: Heemskerk, Netherlands
Height: 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1?2 in)
Playing position: Midfielder
Current club: Hamburger SV
Number: 23
Previous Clubs
2000–2005: Ajax
2005 Hamburger SV
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