Lionel Messi left the field in tears during Barcelona's 1-0 win over Celtic in the Champions League last week. His latest injury -- a torn thigh muscle -- was
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Bend but don't break
Almost without exception, former players have lined up to express sympathy for Martin Taylor, the Birmingham City defender whose crude challenge resulted in the
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Open and shut
Only in England, where Premier League clubs have again spent a record $200 million and counting, compared to $126 million last year and $174 million in 2006,
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Victim of expectations
At the halfway point of the Spanish league, the country's two leading clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, again find themselves caught in the crossfire of an
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Club & country, greed & glory
Twelve months is a long time in soccer. In 2006, Italy demonstrated the international game's ability to triumph in adversity. A year later, the club game
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The man for the job
Fabio Capello is out to prove that the post of England national-team manager is not the impossible job so many people claim it to be. The Italian made an
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The job no one wants
The divide between club and country is the defining fault line of the modern game. In England in 2007, the divide is more pronounced than ever. England's
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Outside looking in
It's that time of the year when attention turns to the annual individual player awards. Kaká, AC Milan's brilliant Brazilian forward, is the overwhelming
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