France is not so forgiving as it initially seems. The press crucifies Zizou for his gesture of hitting Materazzi in the final of the World Cup.

“Les Bleus’ broken dream,” headlined the Figaro daily in a merciless editorial, saying Zidane’s “final and odious headbutt” had tarnished the final match of a “magical” player.
“We were left speechless […]

This is the question that clouds the German party. Will the coach that made Germany fall back in love with their football team leave or not?

The increasingly desperate calls for Jurgen Klinsmann to stay show just how real the fear is that Germany’s run to the semi-finals was down to the coach’s sheer force […]

The World Cup trophy comes back to Italy with a triumphant return.

Marcello Lippi’s team are sure to receive a tumultuous welcome when they parade their prize at Rome’s Circus Maximus, even with the verdicts due at any moment in a match-fixing case which could see four leading clubs demoted from the top league.
The Italians […]

Well. Buffon is without question, the best goalkeeper in the World. He was thought to be before, but now it is official: he is the best goalkeeper that was present at the World Cup.

Buffon has been singled out as a potential all-time great ever since making his Serie A debut at the tender age […]

Hm, I think I have seen a totally different World Cup, since I think Portugal was the team that played the least football in this World Cup.

It took just four minutes for Portugal’s star-studded attack to stamp their presence on the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. Luis Figo, the country’s most-capped player of all time, […]

Germany’s Miroslav Klose won the adidas Golden Shoe for the goalgetter of the World Cup with 5 goals.

Klose’s five-goal tally is the lowest winning total since the 1962 FIFA World Cup Chile™, not that it makes his achievement any less worthy. With two goals against Costa Rica, a further brace against Ecuador and a fine […]

Italy and France played a very tactical game, that was decided by penalty shots, eventually.

TSG analysis by Jozef VENGLOS (SVK)
The Final was a very tight game between two excellent teams. It was a real tactical contest and the key to the match was without doubt the duel between Andrea Pirlo and Zinedine Zidane.
When one attacked […]

Though he received an infamous red card for hitting Materazzi, French fans still consider him a hero.

“It’s a very sad exit for Zidane,” said Vincent Schneider, 24, after watching the game in Paris’s Latin Quarter. “He was the major actor in the World Cup. He was under too much pressure.”
Zidane’s dismissal in extra-time for […]

Of course they are happy, they finally won the World Cup. And at what moment: the corruption scandal in the Italian football and everything.

“I don’t believe it. It’s a fairytale, it’s just great to win after suffering so much. It’s magnifico!” bayed 29-year-old Chiara.
“It’s the most beautiful emotion of my whole life, we’re the world […]

Marcello Lippi and Raymond Domenech had, of course, different reactions, but they accepted the result.

Marcello LIPPI (ITA)
The further we progressed in this tournament, the more realised we could win it. Our confidence grew from match to match, especially when we beat Germany in a stadium that couldn’t have been more perfect for them.
It was […]