Messi Was Wasted

Usually when you hear about a soccer player partying at a nightclub, you don't get to see a video of them acting in a drunken state. 

However, this video which has been going all around the soccer community, is of Lionel Messi wasted out of his mind following the Champions League Final in Rome. 

Messi was stumbling all around, and his teammates had to try and keep him from falling over.

Since we all know that Europeans can't drink as much as Americans, (and Messi is pretty much European by now) I'm assuming Messi had about 3 beers.

Your View: Maldini's Last Game

This past weekend was AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini's final game. 

Maldini spent his entire 20+ year career with Milan and was the consummate professional, and a mentor to many of the Milan players. 

In the past game Maldini has allowed to be the "4th" substitute during the game, to allow the fans to cheer Maldini for a final time. 

Even if you are not an AC Milan fan, it is impossible not to appreciate a player like Maldini, and the impact he made on the game of soccer in general. 

Only time will tell if Maldini becomes involved with the team again in some way, but for now I say thank you to a true legend for the many years of great service.

Here is a nice video of Maldini's final moments as a Milan player:

What do you think about Maldini's career and final game?

Poll Result

To the question, "Is Racism a Problem in Serie A?"

79% said Yes

20% said No

Therefore the readers of Il Mondo di Calcio believe that racism is in fact a problem in Serie A.

This poll was conducted as a response to the situation involving Juventus and Inter Milan when Inter's Mario Balotelli was racially abused by Juventus fans.

Thank you for voting on the poll, and keep voting!

Ancelotti To Chelsea? Mass Migration on the Way?

Despite the months of denying that he was interested in leaving Italy for the rainy shores of England, AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has left the Italian giants to become the new coach of Chelsea. 

While Avram Grant and Guus Hiddink have had good years as manager of Chelsea in the past, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic believes that Ancelotti is the right man to bring Chelsea to European glory.

Chelesa players such as John Terry seem very happy with the move, and have immediately urged Ancelotti to try and sign players like Carlos Tevez and Franck Ribery. 

Further bad news for AC Milan fans was also present as Milan owner Adriano Galliani said it would be difficult to resist another large offer for Kaka and Pato from large European clubs. He said that many of the players have taken Ancelotti's exit to heart, and some were crying after learning that he had left.

As an AC Milan fan, this is a terrible situation for the club. The team has already had 1 emotional exit, as longtime captain Paolo Maldini retired, and now this. 

I am also very disappointed that Ancelotti wound up leaving after saying he had no interest in the job only a few weeks ago.

Best EPL Blog

Hey everyone, the other website that I write for, Premiership Talk, has been nominated for the best English Premier League Blog award by EPL Talk.

I would really appreciate it if everyone could follow the link below, and vote for Premiership Talk.

http://www.epltalk.com/best-epl-blog/

-Thanks

Mike

Have You Seen This Goal?

In this edition of Have You Seen This Goal, another Manchester United player makes his presence known.

Carlos Tevez has made it perfectly clear that he is not happy with the way Man United has been treating him, and is very mad that the team has not offered to extend his contract that ends at the end of this season...

Putting all the controversy off the field behind him, Tevez scored a fantastic back heel goal against Wigan, which sparked a 2-1 comeback for United.

United now only need 1 point in their next 2 games to clinch the Premier League title, and Tevez is once again making a case (which didn't need to be made) for why he should be re signed.

Diego is Coming to Serie A

A new superstar is well on his way to joining the Serie A.

Brazilian and current Werder Bremen star Diego has reportedly signed an agreement that will bring him to Juventus for the next 5 years. 

Diego's agent said that since Juventus is a company traded on the stock exchange, they cannot announce the transfer until May 31st.

For those of you unfamiliar with Diego, he won the Bundesliga Player of the Year award in 2006-2007, and currently has his squad in the UEFA Cup finals. 

I'm excited for this move to happen as a Serie A fan, but I'm not happy as an AC Milan fan. 

If you remember back to when AC Milan was in the UEFA Cup, it was Diego and Werder Bremen that knocked Milan out. Diego looked fantastic the entire game, and he seems to play really well against Serie A competition. 

What are your thoughts on the move?

Will Anyone Go to City?

Since the takeover of Manchester City by the Abu Dhabi based lads in September, it seems like every superstar in the world has been linked to the team. 

However, while every superstar has been linked to the team, seemingly every superstar has made it clear that they are not going to play for Man City, no matter the salary that is offered them.

Of course many people will remember how Kaka turned down the largest transfer in the history of the game earlier this year, and recently Gianluigi Buffon and Raul have both turned down City. 

This begs the question, will anyone actually go to Man City?

By going to Man City this summer, a player is essentially saying that they are in it for the money, and aren't concerned with winning a championship any time soon. Robinho certainly doesn't mind being in it for the money, but players such as Raul and Buffon that have played at 1 club their whole careers don't need the money, and are simply looking to win a championship. 

I asked my pal Martin Rodgers from yahoo sports for his opinion on the matter. 

He said, "City aren't going to change their policy - for the owners, running the club is a status symbol as much as anything and they want the best of the best. Some UK experts though they might change tack after missing out on kaka in order to avoid that kind of embarrassment again. But every sign is that they will steam ahead.

Hard to say who they will get - they will simply put themselves in the running for every big name on the market, plus a few who aren't. However, the real key to the future success of the club is to strengthen the depth of the squad with good utility players. That is the first, relatively simple step they can take to give themselves a big advantages over everyone outside the Big Four. Look at how Villa dropped off this season, a lot of that was due to limited options."

I certainly agree with what Martin said regarding strengthening the depth of the squad. While City might not get Kaka or Raul, getting names such as Yaya Toure or Miguel Veloso would certainly be a step in the right direction.

What do you think? Will any big name go to Man City? 

Replay in Soccer?

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has made his opinion of referee Tom Ovrebo well known since his teams 1-1 draw with Barcelona that saw the Spaniards advance to the Champions League final.

Frustrated with repeated no calls by Ovrebo, Hiddink has now taken up the call to introduce video technology to soccer. 

Hiddink said, "In other sports like rugby and American football, they have the ability to use technology at vital moments...It's a fact that if technology had been in use we would be in the Champions League final now."

This is a very interesting idea to ponder, but ultimately I do not think this is going to happen. A lot of the people in charge of leagues are old school guys, and wouldn't want to change the game. I think if you did introduce replay into soccer, you would have to clearly define what a "vital moment" is, and determine who actually calls for a replay.

What do you think? Is replay in soccer a good idea?