AC Milan player, David Beckham, has said that his former club, Manchester United, can go all the way in the Champions League this season.

Beckham was talking after United beat AC Milan comfortably after the second leg at Old Trafford. Beckham got the come back to his boy hood club, which he said he had been dreaming of ever since he left.

United now look to be in a very strong position and with some other high calibre clubs going out of Europe, there job may have just got slightly easier.

Beckham said: “When you get knocked out of a competition you kind of hope that the team that knocks you out goes all the way. It is always disappointing when you lose games, especially when they are as important as this, but we’ve come up against a great United side tonight.”

“The thing that I will take is the reception I got from the fans, it was unbelievable. It meant a lot [coming back here]. It’s definitely up there as one of my best nights, obviously without the result. The atmosphere, the occasion and everything that the fans gave to me tonight was unbelievable. I hope they go all the way again. They deserve to, it is a great club, a great fan base and a great manager.”

“I’m a Manchester United fan and when I saw the scarf I wanted to put it round my neck. It’s the old colours of United but, it’s not my business. I’m a United fan and I support the club. I always will, but it’s got nothing to do with me how it’s run. That’s all to do with other people. I will always support the team.”

“He is one of the best in the world at the moment, if not the best. Wayne will continue to play like that because he is a passionate player, he is a young player, he wants to learn. With [Lionel] Messi and Ronaldo he is up there with the best, if not at the top. He has always scared defenders, whoever he has played for. Let’s hope he continues that.”

Milan were no match for a clearly in form United side that probably could not have played any better. However, it is important for Ferguson’s side not to get carried away ahead of some important matches.

There are still some big sides in the Champions League who will be wanting to make good on European promises they may have made at the start of the season.

United will be praying that Rooney does not get injured any time soon because it is clear he is one of the most influential players playing football at this current time. If they lose him it will be a huge blow to the club and for England ahead of a big summer.

Next up for United is Fulham at Old Trafford in a match that United will be hoping to use a chance to push on their Premier League ambitions for the season.

AC Milan midfielder, David Beckham, has said that Sir Alex Ferguson will always be the best manager that he has ever worked for.

Many have suggested that Beckham is looking to settle a score with Ferguson, over the way Beckham was forced to leave the club for Real Madrid over seven years ago. We all remember the stitched eye and stories of a boot being kicked across the dressing room in Beckham’s direction.

However, Beckham insists that there is no bad blood and he has only love and admiration for arguably the longest serving and best manager in the whole of football. There can be no questions at all that Beckham would not be half the player if he had not had the guidance of Ferguson.

Beckham said: “Sir Alex Ferguson was always a father figure to me, always has been, always will be, whether we’ve had good times or bad times and no matter what people have said in the past about our relationship.”

“He gave me the chance to play for a club I’d always dreamt of playing for. I definitely don’t hold anything against the manager — he’s really an incredible man. There are only good memories from Manchester United, nothing else. There’s definitely no score to be settled.”

“It’s the first time I’m going to want Manchester United to lose. But if I scored, I wouldn’t celebrate. I want to score and if I did it would be amazing, but out of my respect for United and the fans, I wouldn’t celebrate.”

Ferguson added: “David left seven years ago, you move on in life. It’s a different team and different players. That’s what happens. I hope he’s not celebrating anyway. David has experience, 100-odd caps for England and has played for Milan, Real Madrid and United. It’s the same experience as the likes of Nesta, Inzaghi and Seedorf. They all have that experience Milan bring.”

“We are peculiar like that at this club because the players, like Beckham, who come through the ranks are always viewed as being better than those you buy. Rooney has been fantastic and he has developed that aura. His form has brought him to the high point of his career, without a doubt. World class is a misused term, but with Rooney, you have to say he is getting to the point where he is now one of the best players in the world.”

It is very clear that Beckham still has a deep love for the club that made him the star he is today. Ferguson played a massive role in making him such a key and important player. However, there will be some hearts in mouths if United concede a free kick on the edge of their own area.

United fans may have mixed emotions when Beckham trots out onto the pitch but he moved for his own reasons and he was a model professional during his time at the club. Hopefully his departure will not come back to haunt them.

David Beckham’s lasting top-flight career at AC Milan proves that he still has what it takes to compete at the very top level.

This is according to Ryan Giggs, a dominant figure in the Manchester United team, while Beckham played the game in England. Giggs is now United’s most experienced player and is wary of the threat David Beckham will have when the two teams meet this week.

Beckham made the big money move over to the Los Angeles Galaxy a couple of years ago and has been playing on loan in Italy in order to maintain his levels of fitness.

Beckham is arguably the greatest dead ball player of his time and this is something that his former club will need to keep a close eye on if they are to progress to the last eight of the Champions League.

Ryan Giggs said: “We are different in the sense he has been in the limelight, front page and back, while I prefer to keep myself to myself. But I still speak to him. He has not changed as a person.”

“He has always loved football. He has always been dedicated and that is still the same now. Like myself, Becks looks after himself. He is naturally fit and is a natural athlete, so I am not surprised he is still going at all. In fact I reckon he will keep going for another three or four years.”

“We had a couple of chances to meet when he was at Real Madrid but it is great that it will finally happen and great for Becks to come back. It will be fantastic for the fans to see him again because he was a great player for United and still is a great player for England and Milan and in America as well. I hope he doesn’t do anything nasty to us. He is a quality player and has always risen to the occasion. Hopefully he will enjoy it – but not that much.”

AC Milan are one of the more under rated sides in the Champions League this season. They have a lot of quality and experience on the field but the over all age of the side is something that many pundits are saying will hold them back.

Beckham will probably want to make a big impression on his return to Manchester as the circumstances surrounding him leaving the three time European champions were less than perfect.

United need to be careful that they do not run around the pitch and give away a lot of silly free kicks. Beckham only needs once chance and he would love to stick it to United despite his admiration and love for the club that raised him.

Many people write Beckham off but his passing is the best in the game. The only thing he lacks is the pace to play at the real top of football for much longer. If United can keep the tempo of the tie up then it could all be too much for him.

England strolled to a 3-0 victory over Belarus thanks to goals from Peter Crouch and Shaun Wright-Phillips. However, it was David Beckham who stole the show as he came on for the last half an hour and produced a vintage display.

Beckham was in fine form and played many precise passes and crosses and set up the goal for Wright-Phillips. Although it is debateable whether he will make it into the World Cup starting line up he has shown that on his night he is as good as anyone else playing in the right midfield position.

Fabio Capello said: “Yes, I was a bit surprised. I just thought it was like Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize after eight months as President. Beckham gets the man of the match after 30 minutes here.”

“When he’s played the last 20 minutes, 50 minutes, half an hour, from half-time, he’s always played well and been focused. Sometimes players when they’re substitutes have problems playing normally. Beckham always plays well.”

Beckham himself added: “I’ve always said I want to go back there if they want me [AC Milan] Milan are still saying they do. It’s 95 per cent done, very close, so I can’t see it not happening now.”

Steve Bruce, who made Beckham man of the match, said: “He had, for me, the biggest impact on the game even though he was only on for 35 minutes. He’s desperate to get on that plane to South Africa. He lifted the whole occasion. His passing is second to none. He is a difference-maker. At this level of the game that is what you need.”

Beckham will still have a lot of work to do if he wants to entertain any thoughts of nailing down a spot in the world cup squad. Sooner rather than later the eyes of many players are going to be opened up and they will realise that there is a possible slot up for grabs.

At the moment David Beckham holds it but the point is that someone could just as easily come in and snatch it away from him. He has to be very careful about his next few steps and if he does get another move to AC Milan sorted out then it will be the best possible thing for him.

Beckham is still a fantastic passer of the football and very few can get close to him. He is experienced and looks as hungry as ever.

Since the start of the Premier League in 1992 when the country’s leading sides broke away from the Football League, the lucrative television rights that feed the game have given today’s players a Millionaire lifestyle that’s the envy of those who pay to watch them ply their trade.

At the big clubs in particular, like Manchester United and Chelsea, players can expect to earn in excess of £100,000 per week and the glory they enjoy on the field of play is reflected in the trappings of success that they enjoy off of it.

Mansion-style homes, designer clothing, the fanciest restaurants and expensive cars have become the trademark of the modern football player. But for many of these well-rewarded young men the icing on the cake remains the beautiful girlfriend, and in a world where celebrity status seems to come so much easier than it did before, many of their chosen partners have famous lifestyles of their own.

Wifes of Football Players

Such is the status of these young ladies, the British media have even given them their own name – WAGS, an acronym of Wives and Girlfriends – and many are almost as recognisable as their famous sporting partners.

Although the WAG is a fairly new ingredient in the life of the modern footballer, the joining of celebrity footballer and celebrity partner has been around for years. Perhaps the earliest of note was the marriage of former England captain Billy Wright, who married Joy Beverley in 1958 at the height of her fame with ‘The Beverley Sisters’ – The ‘girl-band’ of their day.

Almost a whole half-century later, and the most famous celebrity couple in football just happen to be a former England captain and the wife he met while she was playing in a girl band of her own!

Victoria Beckham, wife of International footballing icon David Beckham, first met her husband after attending a match at Manchester United whilst at the height of her fame with The Spice Girls. Affectionately known as Posh Spice, Victoria has enjoyed much success in her own right including a solo pop career, modelling, her own fashion range and even her own range of perfumes and sunglasses. David continues to play football at the highest level, and his recent move to Milan has seen the couple become very-much part of the Italian social scene.

Most recently, Victoria has become the face of Armani lingerie and has modelled the range herself in a series of darkly seductive pictures with David by her side. The couple have three children. Brooklyn (10), Romeo (7) and Cruz (4) and are estimated to have a personal fortune of £112 million.

While England International Wayne Rooney was breaking records for become the youngest player to score for his club side, Everton, Coleen McLoughlin still at secondary school where her mother worked as a part-time cleaner. Since then, Coleen has become a major celebrity in her own right. She is a columnist for the world-renowned OK magazine, has presented several of her own television shows and is currently the face for LG electronics in a deal worth £500,000 a year.

Coleen caused a major controversy when she appeared in British ‘Vogue’ magazine with many in the fashion industry viewing her as unworthy of such an accolade. The magazine defended its decision with editor Alexandra Shulman labelling Coleen as ‘beautiful’ and having her own ‘brilliant sense of style.

Wayne and Coleen married in Portofino in 2008, and are expecting their first child in October.

Controversial starlet Abi Clancy continues to make headlines, and not just because of her long-term romance with the Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch. The former singer made the news for all the wrong reasons after being sent home in disgrace from the WAG group that followed their parters to the 2006 World Cup amidst allegations of cocaine use and cheating on Crouch.

The couple split for a short time, with Abi dating actor Jason Statham during 2007. The relationship was short-lived, and the former finalist in ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ was soon back with Peter. This year, Abi beat off competition from a host of beauties to win the title of ‘Sexiest Wag’ in Zoo magazine. The couple are frequently photographed on the London nightclub circuit and appear to be going from strength to strength as a couple.

For many, however, the new Queen of the WAGS is the immensely likeable Cheryl Cole who found fame as a winning finalist in ‘Popstars – The Rivals’. Cheryl went on to form the hit pop group Girls Aloud and reached the summit of celebrity when she entered a relationship with Ashley Cole of Chelsea and England fame.

The couple have faced a host of personal problems since they married in 2006, particularly in the wake of revelations that Ashley was having affairs with three other women. The couple split for several months, but appear to have put their differences behind them. Cheryl now works as a judge on the British version of The X-Factor’ alongside Simon Cowell, and was voted as Heat magazine’s ‘Sexiest Female’ in 2008.

This year may see a new couple come to the fore as WAG culture continues to dominate the British headlines. Carly Zucker currently works as a fitness trainer in London, and has also carried out modelling work for an assortment of fitness and fashion magazines. She was also a contestant in British reality TV show ‘I’m a Celebrity – Get Me out of Here’ in 2008 where she the third contestant to be voted off the show.

Carly is married to Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole, and is the face of the new ‘Lynx’ campaign where she has appeared in TV commercials as a scantily-clad cavewoman. When the couple wed in June 2009, Carly appeared in the newspapers wearing a £10,000 wedding dress designed by Oscar de la Renta.

Perhaps the last word on WAG culture can be left with the late, great George Best who was as famous for his off-field antics with various young ladies as he was for his on-field heroics for Manchester United. In an interview about his fast-living lifestyle, George quipped “I spent a lot of money on booze, women and fast cars. I just squandered the rest!”.

England have been given a World Cup boost following comments made by German legend, Franz Beckenbauer. Beckenbauer sits on the committee that decides where each World Cup tournament should be played and he has said that England would be capable of hosting the event ‘tomorrow.’

The news will give inspiration to a lot of people who have been working away on an English World Cup bid and it will also make a lot of fans happy who won’t have to put up with confusing ticket routines and systems in order to get to a match. By 2018 England fans could be booking their holidays in places such as Newcastle and not Durban.

Never the less the tournament will be coming back to Europe after a good time away. This is likely to generate a lot of bids from other European countries and although the English seem to already have a favourite, it could be a lot more difficult than we all first realise. Germany will also have a strong shout to host the event. The Bundesliga is the best supported league in European football and it could turn out the organisers of the World Cup go for atmosphere and excitement as opposed to ground size and ease.

The thing that is not working in England’s favour is the fact that hooliganism in this country is massive and has generated so much bad publicity for the country in the past. Firms of fans travel around the country looking to express their dominance through fighting and sometimes don’t even actual attend the matches of the teams they supposedly support. The point is that it is this aspect of English football that can put a lot of people off and the organisers will not want this when they make their decision.

However, hooliganism is now a large part of football and it is not just in England where it takes places. There are many other European nations, especially the Eastern states, where hooliganism may be slightly smaller but more extreme. For example in parts of Croatia fans have been seen forming swastikas in the stands during matches, something that would not be tolerated at all in this country.

Every country will have its problems and hence each must have a solid team to back up any bid. It is unknown at this point who will front the England bid but the likes of David Beckham and Sir Bobby Charlton have both already been mentioned. These sort of players are real England legends and if they blend in with the correct administrative staff then England could put together an interesting little package.

The country also has a fantastic stadium that could host the final. Wembley is amazing on the eye and can seat 90,000 people, a staggering number of fans in the modern day. Furthermore England is decorated with some of the finest examples of sporting architecture that the world has to offer. There are big and historic stadiums all over the country that could do a terrific job of hosting any world event.

Each section of English football will be closely scrutinised because of the bad publicity that has been linked with sport in this country before. For any bid to be successful then a lot of areas will have to come together to eradicate the doubt of the organisers.

They will be worried for the safety of travelling fans and the fact is that at international level football the hostility between rivals can often become so much greater. The police and other authorities would have to be working in complete sync to be able to make sure that there are no unnecessary tragedies generated by such a small group.

There shouldn’t be any at all and if the England bid can prove that the chances of these sorts of things happening are minimal then we have a very good chance of the World Cup coming back to this country. There will be a lot of names in the hat but there is no reason at all why England cannot emerge as front runners to host a World Cup in future years.

The fact that the Olympics is being held here in 2012 proves that London and the rest of the country is capable of hosting a high profile event with high calibre competition. This should be used to our advantage in the respect that it demonstrates that England can coordinate and efficiently run a big event that involves an immense number of people.

Obviously there is a long time to go before the Olympic Games actually start and a lot can happen between this point and then. The point is that when the Olympics starts, the whole world will be watching the country and waiting to see how we react to the immense challenges that the games will bring with it. No doubt there will be some people who want to see the infrastructure of the event in London suffer as it will make bids for other countries in other events stronger in the near future.

If we can manage to get that right then it could be a matter of time before we get a World Cup back in England. Football was born in this country and the biggest event in the world in this sport has been off of these shores for far too long. Everyone needs to start working and get behind a bid now if we are to stand any chances of fighting off the crusades from other nations that at this point have just as good a chance.

Beckenbauer already thinks we have a very good chance so it is up to every Englishman to do what he can to reflect his country in glory. This will stop the doubts from creeping into minds and will allow us to move forward to a better time. Hopefully this time will see England smashing one of our rivals in a final at Wembley within the next few years. Hopefully this majestic view will not be marred by the stupidity of a small group of fans.

I watched a tape of the England vs Germany 1966 World Cup Final the other day and the thing that struck me the most was how many of today’s players can’t make a solid tackle without leaving their feet. And some players, such as Paul Scholes and perhaps David Beckham, are actually pretty brutal when it comes to tackling. In fact, there is way too much tackling from behind going on in today’s game and it’s no wonder half of the teams’ best players are out game after game with injuries.

A well placed, and timed tackle can often be the difference between winning and losing a game of football. Tackling is a very important part of the game in all areas of the pitch. It’s essential for good defense and good offence as it stops the opposition’s attack and enables you to gain possession of the ball to launch a counter attack.

The most important factor of tackling is the timing. If your timing’s off, you risk fouling the opponent Just ask Scholes about this. This could be disastrous if you do it in your own 18 yard box as the inevitable penalty kick is bound to be called. In some cases, you may not have to tackle the opponent if you’re skilled enough to slow the ball carrier down or contain him/her and limit their options by guiding them away from the goal.

You shouldn’t really attempt a tackle in the box unless you’re sure you can win the ball. If you’re not positive, you should try to jockey the ball carrier by staying between them and the goal. You need to bend your knees and lean forward slightly to lower your center of gravity. You should always face the attacker at an angle so they can’t slide the ball between your legs, nutmeg you, and run by you. This will also force the opponent toward the sideline.

You should remain on your feet when tackling if possible. This way, you’re in position to counter attack after winning the ball. To do this, make sure your feet are firmly planted and use the foot closest to the ball to tackle with. You can also try to stab or poke the ball away from an oncoming attacker if enough of the ball is visible and reachable. So many players make a tackle and end up on their ass, therefore giving possession right back to the opposition.

When slide tackling, you’re actually leaving your feet and lunging at the ball carrier with your foot. You should never slide tackle with both feet as it’s very dangerous and of course against the rules. You must always tackle with the studs of your football boots down or you could easily break a player’s leg. While slide tackles may look good to the fans, they should really only be used as a last resort, especially close to your own goal. Slide tackles are however, generally the most effective type of tackle to use against opponents attacking down the sideline.

When you make any type of tackle in football, there’s no reason at all to place your hands on the opponent. This is another aspect of the game that is getting way out of hand. You’re supposed to tackle with your feet, not your hands.