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Every Interesting Football Updates From Around The World
United played at West Ham yesterday, and Park played just four minutes late in the game that his team won 1-0.
This could be good news for the Korean soccer team, however, ahead of the qualifier.
Park left London immediately after the game for Heathrow Airport, and arrived in Teheran via Dubai. It took him 12 hours to get there, including almost seven hours in flight.
Had Park played for 90 minutes as usual, he would have been exhausted given the time difference of three and a half hours between Britain and Iran.
Park is considered Korea’s best player and the playmaker to lead younger players. To inject energy into the team, Korea coach Huh Jung-moo has designated Park captain since the second match of the qualifying round against the United Arab Emirates in Oct. 15 last year.
As captain, Park led Korea to two consecutive victories, including a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia, the team’s first in 19 years against the Arab country.
Huh says he is glad Park joined the team without being exhausted.
Iran plans to make full use of its home-field advantage. If Park overcomes the time difference quickly and regains his condition, he could raise confidence among his teammates.
“The match against Iran in the qualifying round will be the most challenging and most important game. We always need three points, but no team can easily beat Iran in Iran. But I don’t want to lose,” he said.
Bulgarian football star Dimitar Berbatov will be one of the faces of Adidas for 2009.
His agent Emil Danchev reported that the Manchester United striker will also a shoot photo session for Adidas.
Berbatov will be joined by some of the world’s best football players - Leo Messi, Kaka, Stephen Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Dimitar Berbatov will shoot the ad on February
GLASGOW, Scotland – David Beckham wants to leave the Los Angeles Galaxy and stay with AC Milan after his loan to the Italian club is scheduled to end next month.
The 33-year-old English midfielder announced his intentions Wednesday after playing in Milan's 2-2 exhibition tie at Glasgow Rangers. Beckham has scored twice for Milan and been included in the team's 25-man roster for UEFA Cup games against Werder Bremen on Feb. 18 and 26.
His three-month loan is due to end March 8.
"At the moment my lawyers are not talking to the Galaxy," Beckham said. "But I have expressed my desire to stay at AC Milan now, and it's just down to Milan and Galaxy to come to an agreement."
"I have enjoyed my time here," he added. "I knew I would enjoy it but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I have and do as well as I have."
Beckham is about two years into a $32.5 million, five-year contract with Major League Soccer. The Galaxy had no immediate comment.
"At this point it's out of my hands," the 33-year-old star said. "I've said what my feelings are to both clubs."
Since coming to Italy, Beckham has scored twice and helped to lift Milan to second place in the Serie A standings.
"At the moment I'm still a Galaxy player," he said. "I respect the Galaxy and everything they have done for me. They have always been great to me."
Beckham needs one appearance to tie defender Bobby Moore at 108 for the second-most international games in English history, trailing only goalkeeper Peter Shilton's 125, and wants to play for England at next year's World Cup in South Africa.
"To be given the chance again to play at this level at my age is pretty incredible and I've enjoyed it so much I would like to continue it," he said. "I think people have seen the way I've been since playing at this level again."
"It's nothing against the MLS and the football over there because it's a game that will grow, but it will take quite a few years," he added. "I'm still confident that will happen eventually, but I want to have a chance of being involved in 2010 and I believe my best chance of doing so is to remain here."
MILAN – David Beckham's impressive play for AC Milan has been rewarded with him being included on the team's 25-man roster for the UEFA Cup, with coach Carlo Ancelotti calling the player "indispensable" to his team.
With Beckham set to return to the Los Angeles Galaxy when his loan period finishes on March 8, he will only be eligible for two games against Werder Bremen on Feb. 18 and Feb. 26.
"We have included Beckham in the UEFA Cup list because he is doing very well. We want to take advantage of his form for the two games against Werder Bremen," Ancelotti said.
"Beckham is becoming an indispensable player for this team and he has earned it through his talent," Ancelotti added.
Since joining Milan, Beckham has scored two goals and set up two of Milan's scores in their 3-1 win over Lazio on Sunday night.
He has started all five matches since his arrival.
A special poll in Manchester United club magazine Inside United, has named Sir Alex Ferguson as the greatest of the club's icons in the period since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.
Ferguson topped a list, voted for by United fans, that included the likes of French striking great Eric Cantona and midfield dynamo Roy Keane.
Ferguson has a winning record at Old Trafford that is difficult to match in the British game, with the the Scotsman having collected ten Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies, amongst numerous other cups, during his 22 year tenure in England.
Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford in 1987, after making his name in Scottish football with unfancied Aberdeen, who broke the duopoly that Glasgow giants Rangers and Celtic maintained on Scottish honours in the early 1980s.
He arrived at a club in a some state of dishevelment, with United having survived on a fairly meagre diet of a one or two FA Cups since their glory days ended in the early 1970s.
Ferguson changed that round, despite some teething problems that actually saw fans demonstrating for him to be sacked in the late 1980s, and helped turn the club into the global powerhouse it is today.
Celebrity Manchester United fan, television presenter Eamonn Holmes, spoke for all United fans when talking to The Manchester Evening News about Ferguson topping the poll earlier.
"Sir Alex is the master when it come to responding to adversity," said Holmes.
"He has always talked about the importance of bouncing back positively to either a shock defeat or elimination from a competition.
"And not only is he a great tactician and motivator, he is one of the game's great characters.
"You can say what you want about him but he is certainly not dull."
Zack Wilson, Goal.comMADRID (AFP) – French midfielder Julien Faubert said Monday he will contribute speed to Real Madrid as he was officially presented as the spanish club's new player after he completed his six-month loan from West Ham.
"I think I can bring something extra to the team, my speed, my versatility, if I did not believe it I would not be here," the 25-year-old, who scored on his only appearance for France, told a news conference.
Faubert, who saw a move to AS Rome fall apart in 2007 when he played for Bordeaux, added the move was a giant leap forward as he received his new number 18 jersey from Real legend Alfredo di Stefano at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
"At Bordeaux I was supposed to sign for Rome but it didn't happen. It is a good comeback for me to be at Real Madrid. I am very happy to be here and it is an honour to receive the jersey from Stefano," he said.
Faubert, who is under contract with West Ham through 2012, will stay at Real until June. The defending Spanish champions will then have the option to sign him for a further three years.
He played for Cannes and then Bordeaux before heading to East London in 2007 - but an Achilles tendon rupture kept him sidelined shortly afterwards and he has not featured this season.
ROME (AFP) – AC Milan admitted that they're desperate to keep David Beckham at the San Siro, giving the former England skipper a resounding endorsement by adding him to their UEFA Cup squad.
Beckham played another starring role for Milan by setting up two of the three goals in a 3-0 victory over Lazio at the Olympic Stadium.
The win meant Milan remain unbeaten in the five matches since the 33-year-old joined on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder has also scored twice and such has been his influence that he has been included in the 25-man squad for the UEFA Cup knockout stages, even though he will only be able to play in the next round if he does return to the USA on March 9 as anticipated.
"We've put him on the UEFA list because we have a contract and he's doing very well," said Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti.
"I want to pick him for the two matches against Werder Bremen."
Vice-president Adriano Galliani has also been singing Beckham's praises.
"We're desperate to sign him and I will keep hoping until the last possible moment," said Galliani.
"When he first came to us I thought he would do well but I never thought to such a degree.
"It would be terrible to lose him so we'll make little overtures to try to keep hold of him and then our fans can have a great party when Beckham stays."
It's not just the club hierarchy who have been impressed with the former England captain's contribution, his team-mates have too.
Midfield playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who has had to give up much of the deadball duties to the new arrival, has only positive things to say about Beckham.
"He's an intelligent guy, he plays football on instinct, has fitted in well and is helping us out," said Pirlo.
Beckham has refused to discuss his long-term future, preferring to concentrate on helping his new team cut Inter Milan's six-point lead at the top.
"I love coming to Rome," said Beckham about his man-of-the-match performance in the capital.
"We needed to win this match so I'm very happy with that. It's important to keep the pressure on Inter because they're the leaders and they're playing good football."
With the Milan derby only two weeks away, that match could take on even greater significance if Milan can keep close to their city rivals, although Beckham said he and his team won't get ahead of themselves.
"It's important not to worry too much about other teams. If we win our games then we have a chance of catching the leaders," he added.
"It (the derby) is a big game and I'm looking forward to it but the most important game is next week's and when we've played that game we'll think about the derby."
Manchester City have signed goalkeeper Shay Given from Newcastle on a four-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, the club have confirmed.
The departure of the Ireland goalkeeper, one of most highly-rated in the Barclays Premier League, had been expected when Newcastle gave him permission to talk to the Eastlands club on Friday.
The news will be a blow to Joe Kinnear, the Newcastle manager, who made no secret of the fact that he was bitterly disappointed to lose Given with what appears to be a relegation battle looming.
"I've bent over backwards to keep Shay, and I have told the powers-that-be that he has got to stay," he had said. "But I understand it from Shay's point of view.
"He's done 11 years here at Newcastle, and I think he wants a new challenge. I would be heartbroken to see him go, because he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”
City had two bids of £3m and £5m rejected, it is likely their ultimately successful third bid was in the region of £7m.
Steve Harper, Given’s deputy for many years, played in goal against Sunderland in Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby which finished 1-1.