Teaching him young! Pregnant Coleen Rooney supports husband Wayne at the football... and takes two-year-old Kai with her

He's not even three yet, but Coleen Rooney is making sure her young son Kai is already being taught the art of

Soccer legend, Peter Rufai, regains consciousness, family calls for prayers

Former Super Eagles goal keeper Peter Rufai has finally regained consciousnesses after he suddenly slumped and was rushed to a Lagos hospital.

While doctors at the Toki Hospital, where the

EA SPORTS PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Santi Cazorla... September Player of the Month

Cazorla is EA SPORTS Player of the Month

Santi Cazorla is the EA SPORTS Player of the Month.
The Spain international made it two wins out of two after

Keshi promises Nigerians sweet victory as team arrives in Calabar

The national team handler touched down in the Canaan City on Monday morning ahead of their crucial game against Liberia on Saturday

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has

BATTLE OF CALABAR KESHI SEEKS TO DROP NWANKWO

•Plots plan B over Mikel

SUPER EAGLES chief coach, Stephen Keshi, is looking at

SHORUNMU Absolves ENYEAMA Of Any Wrongdoing

SHORUNMU Absolves ENYEAMA Of Any Wrongdoing

Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer Ike Shorunmu has absolved Vincent Enyeama of any wrongdoing in last weekend's 2-2 draw with The Lone Stars in Monrovia.

Nigeria led 2-1 until the 66th minute when Enyeama misjudged a shot which led to Liberia's equalizer scored by CSKA Moscow's Sekou Oliseh.

Speaking to the online edition of The Punch, Shorunmu opined: ''It is not fair if we continue to say Enyeama was the cause of the goal. It was a team game so everybody will take part of the blame.

''Any player can have good days and bad days, it was Enyeama’s bad day but that doesn’t make him a bad goalkeeper. His quality is not in doubt.''

Prior to Saturday's game, Enyeama, 30, enjoyed rave reviews in the Israeli Press after he kept a clean-slate in Maccabi Tel Aviv's 1- 0 away victory over Maccabi Netanya in the second round of matches in the Ligat ha'Al.

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Queen of queens Serena

Queen of queens Serena captures 15th major title  

American edges Azarenka in dramatic US Open final

NEW YORK Sept 10, (RTRS): Serena Williams, through sheer force of will as much as her skill with the racket, beat world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-2 2-6 7-5 in a dramatic US Open final on Sunday to capture her 15th singles grand slam title.
On her best behaviour but struggling to subdue an opponent seven years her junior, Williams provided an everlasting reminder of her incredible fighting qualities as she became the tournament’s oldest women’s champion in nearly four decades.
Already one of the greatest players to grace the game, the American’s longevity adds new credence to her place in the sport’s pantheon with Sunday’s victory coming almost 13 years to the day she won her first US Open as a teenager in 1999.
“I don’t consider myself the greatest,” she said.
“I just consider myself a tennis player who’s trying to do the best I can.”
Her clash, against the top player in the world this year, lived up to all expectations and more as the pair traded blows for almost two and a half hours at Flushing Meadows.
Azarenka, who won her maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, led 5-3 in the deciding final set and was within two points of victory when Williams lifted and reeled off the last four games to capture her fourth US Open crown.
“I have no regrets. I felt like I gave it all there,” said Azarenka.
“Could it have gone my way? Probably, yes. But it didn’t and it really, really hurts.”
Signs of nerves
The opening exchanges gave few clues of what was to come as Williams romped through the opening set in 35 minutes with two service breaks and 16 stunning winners.
But the Belarusian returned to the court with renewed determination and found a way to penetrate her opponent’s serve. As Williams started to show the first signs of nerves, Azarenka seized her opportunity, breaking her serve twice, and for the first time since 1995, the women’s final at Flushing Meadows was forced into a winner-takes-all third set.
The capacity crowd at the bear-pit that is the Arthur Ashe Stadium centre court roared with excitement as the two combatants ran themselves to the point of exhaustion, producing some breathtaking shots as the stakes rose.
Williams kept her cool, even when she was called for a foot fault, avoiding a repeat of her petulant behaviour at Flushing Meadows in the 2009 semifinal against Kim Clijsters and last year’s final with Sam Stosur.
After facing serious health issues, including the discovery of a life-threatening blood-clot on her lung, in the past 18 months Williams has developed a new perspective about her actions on court.
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall,” she said.
“I have fallen several times. Each time I just get up and I dust myself off and I pray and I’m able to do better or I’m able to get back to the level that I want to be on.”
The ‘greatest’
In the third set, it was the American who blinked first and her golden summer, which included winning a fifth Wimbledon title and two gold medals at the London Olympics, looked like coming to an end.
She was two points away from losing but regained her composure when it mattered most by winning the last four games then collapsing on the court at the realisation she had won again, with little more than two weeks before her 31st birthday.
“For me, she’s the greatest player of all time. She took the game to the next level,” Azarenka said.
“I congratulated her with all my heart because I felt like she absolutely deserved the win. She was the best player out there today.”
Only Australia’s Margaret Court, who had already turned 31 when she won her last US Open crown in 1973, won the title at an older age than Williams but the American is not finished yet.
“My motivation is so up there,” she said. “I just feel like I’m ready for the next tournament.
“I really want to be focused and do well there and just keep the dream alive.”

US Open Women’s Champions
US Open Women’s Champions:
2012 — Serena Williams; 2012 — Serena Williams; 2011 — Sam Stosur; 2010 — Kim Clijsters; 2009 — Kim Clijsters; 2008 — Serena Williams; 2007 — Justine Henin; 2006 — Maria Sharapova; 2005 — Kim Clijsters; 2004 — Svetlana Kuznetsova; 2003 — Justine Henin-Hardenne; 2002 — Serena Williams; 2001 — Venus Williams; 2000 — Venus Williams.
1999 — Serena Williams; 1998 — Lindsay Davenport; 1997 — Martina Hingis; 1996 — Steffi Graf; 1995 — Steffi Graf; 1994 — Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario; 1993 — Steffi Graf; 1992 — Monica Seles; 1991 — Monica Seles; 1990 — Gabriela Sabatini.
1989 — Steffi Graf; 1988 — Steffi Graf; 1987 — Martina Navratilova; 1986 — Martina Navratilova; 1985 — Hana Mandlikova; 1984 — Martina Navratilova; 1983 — Martina Navratilova; 1982 — Chris Evert Lloyd; 1981 — Tracy Austin; 1980 — Chris Evert Lloyd.
1979 — Tracy Austin; 1978 — Chris Evert; 1977 — Chris Evert; 1976 — Chris Evert; 1975 — Chris Evert; 1974 — Billie Jean King; 1973 — Margaret Smith Court; 1972 — Billie Jean King; 1971 — Billie Jean King; 1970 — Margaret Smith Court.
1969 — Margaret Smith Court; 1968 — Virginia Wade; 1967 — Billie Jean King; 1966 — Maria Bueno; 1965 — Margaret Smith; 1964 — Maria Bueno; 1963 — Maria Bueno; 1962 — Margaret Smith; 1961 — Darlene Hard; 1960 — Darlene Hard
1959 — Maria Bueno; 1958 — Althea Gibson; 1957 — Althea Gibson; 1956 — Shirley Fry; 1955 — Doris Hart; 1954 — Doris Hart; 1953 — Maureen Connolly; 1952 — Maureen Connolly; 1951 — Maureen Connolly; 1950 — Margaret Osbourne DuPont.
1949 — Margaret Osbourne DuPont; 1948 — Margaret Osbourne DuPont; 1947 — Louise Brough; 1946 — Pauline Betz; 1945 — Sarah Palfrey Cooke; 1944 — Pauline Betz; 1943 — Pauline Betz; 1942 — Pauline Betz; 1941 — Sarah Palfrey Cooke; 1940 — Alice Marble.
1939 — Alice Marble; 1938 — Alice Marble; 1937 — Anita Lizana; 1936 — Alice Marble; 1935 — Helen Jacobs; 1934 — Helen Jacobs; 1933 — Helen Jacobs; 1932 — Helen Jacobs; 1931 — Hellen Wills Moody; 1930 — Betty Nuthall.
1929 — Helen Wills; 1928 — Helen Wills; 1927 — Helen Wills; 1926 — Molla Bjurstedt Mallory; 1925 — Helen Wills; 1924 — Helen Wills; 1923 — Helen Wills; 1922 — Molla Bjurstedt Mallory; 1921 — Molla Bjurstedt Mallory; 1920 — Molla Bjurstedt Mallory.
1919 — Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman; 1918 — Molla Bjurstedt; 1917 — Molla Bjurstedt; 1916 — Molla Bjurstedt; 1915 — Molla Bjurstedt; 1914 — Mary K. Browne; 1913 — Mary K. Browne; 1912 — Mary K. Browne; 1911 — Hazel Hotchkiss; 1910 — Hazel Hotchkiss
1909 — Hazel Hotchkiss; 1908 — Maud Barger Wallach; 1907 — Evelyn Sears; 1906 — Helen Homans; 1905 — Elizabeth Moore; 1904 — May Sutton; 1903 — Elizabeth Moore; 1902 — Marion Jones; 1901 — Elizabeth Moore; 1900 — Myrtle McAteer.
1899 — Marion Jones; 1898 — Juliette Atkinson; 1897 — Juliette Atkinson; 1896 — Elizabeth Moore; 1895 — Juliette Atkinson; 1894 — Helen Hellwig; 1893 — Aline Terry; 1892 — Mabel Cahill; 1891 — Mabel Cahill; 1890 — Ellen Roosevelt. 1889 — Bertha Townsend; 1888 — Bertha Townsend; 1887 — Ellen Hansell.
Prior to 1968, the United States National Championships was an amateur event. It became the US Open in 1968 when the tournament was open to professionals.

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Is Iker Casillas the Best Keeper In The World?

There are two hot topics for debate right now in Spain.  The first, The Marcha Real (Spanish National Anthem) now has lyrics.  Some politicians say they ‘stink’.  Others like the new words.  The choice is yours.
The second and more important item for discussion is simply this:
Is Iker Casillas the best keeper in the world???
Normally these types of ‘Who’s Best?’ questions and lists turn me off for the simple fact that you can constantly argue that one player is better than another for a majority of reasons such as what league the player is in, what time frame, what position, etc.
However, I’ve watched the last couple Real Madrid matches (Thank you TVU Player and GOLTV) and I must say that Iker Casillas is simply spectacular in goal.
(I apologize for the horrendous Techno/Euro-pop music, really I do)

Casillas is currently holding a shutout for the last 468 minutes, through the last 5 matchdays in La Liga.  He has surpassed his personal best by about 100 minutes and currently is closing in on the Real Madrid record 468 minutes set by Alonzo in the 1958/59 season.  He is still shy of the La Liga record 710 minutes set in 1997/1998 by the recently benched Santiago Cañizares.  In order to break that record he will need clean sheets against Atlético, Villarreal and Almería.
Iker Casillas is a keeper that can change a game.  In a ever changing game that focuses more and more on strikers like Pato and Kaka, some new fans to the game don’t realize how important it is to have a keeper in net. Casillas epitimizes what a great keeper should be.  He takes charge in the back, holding his back four accountable for their mistakes.  He is extremely quick and agile and has a knack for getting to balls at the last minute.  He controls rebounds and also parries balls to the side or over the bar, not leaving and garbage goals for defenders.
He also dates 2003 Miss Spain winner Eva Gonzalez.

At 26 years old, the young Spainiard will be around for years to come.  Rumors had him leaving Madrid and going all over the world, but today on MARCA headlines proclaim ‘I want to play until I’m 38′.  He also expressed in the same interview his desire to become President of Real Madrid and to coach the youth program when he is done.
He also is a stand up guy.  In a past interview on Spanish TV station ‘La Sexta’ Casillas talked about his shy nature and his first purchase as a professional footballer.  (See Below)
So what do you think?  Is Casillas the best keeper in the world?  If not, who is?  Czec? Buffon?
My vote is with the Spaniard.
“Real Madrid has taught me many values”
Iker Casillas was the special guest on Spanish television station La Sexta’s new program, ‘Habitación 623,’ hosted by Olga Viza. The Real Madrid goalkeeper was asked a series of questions by various people that included Iker’s brother Unai Casillas, Arantxa de Benito, Pipi Estrada, Enrique Cerezo, Manuel Amieiro and Trinidad Jiménez.
Are you shy?
Very! I have difficulty opening up to people. Once I’ve gained some confidence, I let myself go.
How does a football player become a star?
Of course a star has to be great on the pitch, but you also get to know players other ways: the press, television, commercials, etc. Someone who plays great football is a star, but he also has to have everything else. Beckham is a great example.
Does your personal life affect the way you play football?
Of course. We’re all human and we have our weaknesses.
How do you celebrate when you win?
I make a fool out of myself and I don’t worry about.
What did you think about when you went to training sessions with the first team in your Renault 19?
I was fine with it, but it clashed with all the nice cars. I was too happy to even care.
What do you do after losing?
I go home and don’t want anything to do with anyone. I lose myself.
What do you do with your gloves after matches?
I save them for the next match until they tear.
What’s your relationship with the press like? Have you learned anything from them?
They can tell you a lot. It’s hard for a football player to be friends with a journalist, but I don’t have anything to hide from anyone. I’ve been friends with journalists since I started in the Under-16 NT.
What was the first thing you bought when you had enough money?
I bought a house for my parents and a car for myself.
What Atlético de Madrid player would you like to act in a movie with?
I get along with the whole team. Fernando Torres, Pablo, Antonio López, any of them.
What do you think about Atlético de Madrid fans?
We have the best fans so why would I want other ones? That said, Atleti has great fans.
Is your character based on the values you have learned since starting with Real Madrid when you were small?
Absolutely! It’s been the philosophy that I’ve been taught since I first began. I’ve learned many values. I’ve learned that many people depend on my performance, for example. I feel sorry for the thousands of fans when we lose.
What are your thoughts on all the years of hard work and dedication?
I have to be thankful because I’m here today thanks to that hard work.
You’re very committed to your city.
That’s correct. I like to remember my roots. It’s about helping those kids from my town so they know that hard work pays off and they can do anything they set their minds to.
You do realize you’re many people’s idol, don’t you?
I know there are lots of kids that look up to me and it makes me really proud. When they have their pictures taken with me, I put my hand on their heart and it’s beating so fast.
Are you embarrassed when you get scored against?
I get mad, not embarrassed.

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Sports

Eagles Land In Monrovia, Train For Liberia Battle...... The Super Eagles have landed safely in Monrovia ahead of the final roundof next year’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against the Lone Star of Liberia on Saturday evening. Ben Alaiya, Media Officer of the Eagles said the team’s delegation, led by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari departed the NnamdiAzikiwe International Airport in Abuja at about 5:55am Nigerian time aboard an IRS Chartered flight, and arrived at the Robert International Airport in the Monrovia at about 8:30am Nigerian time on Friday. “The delegation included 22 players;the technical crew and backroom staff led by Head Coach Stephen Keshi, and were warmly welcomed by the Nigerian Ambassador to Liberia, Chi Nnadozie, who was on her way to Kaduna for the Nigeria Defence Academy graduation ceremony,” Alaiya said. NFF Technical Committee Chairman, Barrister Christopher Green and head international department Bola Oyeyode, were part of the advance team. Alaiya stated further: “The airport formalities were quite smooth, as Liberians troop our en mass to catcha glimpse of the star-studded Nigerian side, as the team drove for nearly two hours from the airport totheir abode at Golden Gate Hotel in the Liberian capital, where the teamwill stay for Saturday’s encounter.” According to the media officer, the team’s hotel is just a strolling distance from the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, where the game will be played. “The players and officials were quitepleased with the accommodation arrangement and after settling down in their rooms, Keshi led the team to the Nigerian Embassy for their breakfast, they returned to the hotel and had lunch at 2:30pm Nigerian time, which is 1:30pm in Liberia.” Alaiya said the teamare scheduled to train at the match venue at 6pm local time in Monrovia on Friday, which is the same time (5pm in Nigeria) that the game will be played tomorrow. “Indications also emerged that the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will lead the supporters of the Lone Star during the game. “The Nigerians here in Monrovia have also mobilised their compatriots to support the Eagles. They will join forces with a delegation of supporters club who are already on ground,” Alaiya concluded in a press release. Hear, See, and Say it