May 2, 2009. The Santiago Bernabu stadium, Barcelona against Real Madrid. The scene was set for Pep Guardiola to unleash his secret weapon.

Roy Keane feared that he would not find another job in football if he did not address the "lies" about him, he has revealed in a new autobiography entitled The Second Half.

As unlikely as it seems, Auckland City FC are becoming "world famous" in Morocco.

Leicester City's supporters were chanting "we want six" long before the final whistle of this remarkable afternoon.

Louis van Gaal has admitted publicly that Manchester United are interested in signing Cristiano Ronaldo, saying a deal "is possible".

Premier League defenders are finding Diego Costa unstoppable and so is the striker's manager, Jose Mourinho.

A Parnell housing development, a World Cup-winning captain and Middle Eastern ambition has led to the All Whites training in "space-age" facilities this week.

Former Auckland City striker Manel Exposito has had a first-hand view of the imposing scale of Qatar's football ambition.

West Ham might have finished 13th in last season's English Premier League but manager Sam Allardyce and co-chairman David Gold delivered a volley of top-flight goodwill to assembled media as the club build their brand in New Zealand this week.

Now we know why the rest of the world glories whenever the All Blacks crash out of the Rugby World Cup at the hands of France.

If you think the All Blacks are consistent - take a look at the German football team. Just like their cars and appliances, German sides are uber reliable, in a much more global game.

The party is over. The carnival that has gripped Brazil over the past month has come to a shuddering, embarrassing halt.

Little things have every chance of winning or losing the World Cup final. But first, let's address the big things.

Goodbye Qatar, hello Australia. That's my message to Fifa, which needs to swallow its pride and switch the venue for the 2022 World Cup.

Poor, old Luis Suarez. The more you see the biting incident in this otherwise terrific World Cup, the more you fear for the guy's mental health.

Always appearing older than he is, 30-year-old Arjen Robben seems to have been around, fully formed, for years. But what we are seeing at this World Cup is a player at last coming of age.

A former England captain, an ex-Premier League manager and the architect of one of the most famous FA Cup upsets in history have all been linked with the vacant All Whites coaching role.

Underdog status is not one that sits well with American sport but this US side are battling through a World Cup that sparkles with far more gifted teams.

It's taken 64 years for the World Cup to return to Brazil but, in just over a week, it feels like football has regained some of its true essence.

Mario Balotelli is already an international football star and could become one of Italy's greatest ever strikers.

Steven Gerrard has challenged Harry Redknapp to "name and embarrass" the Tottenham Hotspur players who he claims did not want to represent England.

When the team-sheets were delivered, England will have quickly scanned them for the inevitable confirmation: of course Luis Suarez was playing.