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Germany captain Michael Ballack has been ruled out of the World Cup after sustaining an ankle injury in Chelsea’s FA Cup final victory over Portsmouth on Saturday.
Ballack was the victim of a heavy tackle by Portsmouth’s Kevin-Prince Boateng at Wembley, and while X-rays showed that no bones were broken, the extent of the damage is such that the German Football Federation has confirmed the midfielder will miss the World Cup.

“National team captain Michael Ballack is out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. This is the result of an MRI on Monday morning in Munich,” read a statement from the DFB.
“A tear of the medial collateral ligament of the right ankle was found. The right ankle is immobilised in a plaster. He will have to wear a special shoe for two weeks.

“After the diagnosis of national team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt today, a complete healing of the injury is expected. Ballack’s return to training is possible at the earliest in eight weeks.”

The news will come as a considerable blow to Germany coach Joachim Low, who was critical of Boateng’s tackle on Ballack.

“He had no chance of getting the ball and a foul like that can seriously injure a player,” Low said.

FC Barcelona have won the fourth trophy of an incredible season, and by beating Valladolid have set an all-time Liga record of 99 points.

This team was born to win. Guardiola has continued weaving his magic and 368 days after winning the cup in Mestalla, the celebrations continue. Barça won an unprecedented six titles in 2010, and it was exactly a year ago today on May 16 that their second League title was confirmed. They have now retained the title, while in the meantime, the Clubs World Cup, the Champions League and both Super Cups have also been conquered.

This team just can’t stop winning. It is often noted that after a very successful season, it is hard for a team to reproduce the same form the following year. Not so with Barça, who have continued to stun the world with their gourmet football, in which every pass, and every shot, is a delight to behold. The hallmark style of maintaining possession of the ball, wearing down the opposition and always playing to attack has always been present, even when the side was beaten in the two knockout competitions it has played in this year. In the League, the statistics speak for themselves, 99 points including the double over nearest rivals Real Madrid.

Guardiola’s side has been truly remarkable, and this League title is particularly valued considering how difficult the campaign has been this year. Barça have been astounding, but Real Madrid have been putting together a similarly brilliant record, and it all came down to the very last day. FC Barcelona have had to break records to get here. Nobody has ever gained 99 points in one of the major European leagues, and they have once again had to win no fewer than 13 games on the road, and just draw five games and lose one. With top scorer Messi and top goalkeeper Valdés on the park, they have gone unbeaten at the Camp Nou – it’s been a season to remember for so many wonderful reasons.
It is also especially pleasing to know that all of this has been achieved with so much homemade talent.

The team that has had the most overall possession and shot the most times at goal has done so with 10 of 21 players that have appeared being products of the club’s own youth system based at La Masia. Guardiola, the incomparable leader of the team, has managed to blend the talent of imported stars with local players in stunning fashion, with everybody learning to combine and respect the club’s philosophy that does so much to reflect what is so good about football. We can now salute a champion in every sense of the word.

Inter Milan  beat Siena 1-0 Sunday to seal its fifth consecutive Serie A title and earn a shot at becoming the first Italian club to achieve a title trifecta.

Diego Milito took a pass from Inter captain Javier Zanetti and scored his 22nd goal of the season to break the deadlock in the 57th minute at Siena’s Artemio Franchi stadium.

Inter finished with 82 points, two more than AS Roma, which won 2-0 at Chievo Verona.

Roma scored both of its goals in the first half and had its hands on the title before Milito saved Inter.

Inter beat Roma in the Italian Cup final, and Jose Mourinho’s side will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League final Saturday in an attempt to become the first Italian club to win the three titles.
On his 65th birthday, Massimo Moratti watched from the stands in Siena as his team wrapped up the club’s 18th Scudetto. Read more…

José Mourinho has named a squad of 24 players (3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders and 5 strikers) for Sunday afternoon’s Serie A Week 38 match away to Siena (Stadio Artemio Franchi - Montepaschi Arena, kick-off 15:00).

Goalkeepers: 1 Francesco Toldo, 12 Julio Cesar, 21 Paolo Orlandoni.

Defenders: 2 Ivan Cordoba, 4 Javier Zanetti, 6 Lucio, 13 Maicon, 23 Marco Materazzi, 25 Walter Samuel, 26 Cristian Chivu, 39 Davide Santon.

Midfielders: 5 Dejan Stankovic, 7 Ricardo Quaresma, 8 Thiago Motta, 10 Wesley Sneijder, 11 Sulley Muntari, 15 Rene Krhin, 17 Mariga, 19 Esteban Cambiasso.

Strikers: 9 Samuel Eto’o, 22 Diego Milito, 27 Goran Pandev, 45 Mario Balotelli, 89 Marko Arnautovic.

In the first of their two finals in eight days, Bayern swept aside the challenge of Werder Bremen to win the DFB Cup for a record 15th time, clinch their eighth championship-cup double (and the sixth since 2000) and complete the perfect preparation for next Saturday’s European Champions League final against Internazionale in Madrid.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben was a constant thorn in the side of the northerners and he gave the newly-crowned champions a deserved first-half lead from the penalty spot. After the interval the floodgates opened with Ivica Olic, Franck Ribéry and finally Bastian Schweinsteiger scoring further goals. Bremen had no answer, a flurry of yellow cards and Torsten Frings’ sending off a quarter hour from time testifying to their frustration as the game wore on toward its inexorable conclusion.
As promised, Bayern coach Louis van Gaal sent out his strongest side rather than resting key players ahead of next weekend’s Champions League final. Thomas Schaaf surprisingly left Marko Marin on the Werder bench as he sought to achieve what would be a record fourth DFB Cup victory as a manager. The Bremen side contained three former Bayern players – Claudio Pizarro, Torsten Frings and Tim Borowski – while Bayern had one-time Werder striker Miroslav Klose on the bench.

Bayern immediately took the initiative and Robben had the first shot of the match turned aside for a corner by Werder goalkeeper Tim Wiese after three minutes; Martin Demichelis headed over from the subsequent corner. But in the eighth minute Jörg Butt was called into action, saving first Pizarro’s close-range drive after the former Bayern man had evaded Daniel van Buyten and then a follow-up strike from Frings, before Holger Badstuber blocked Aaron Hunt’s effort.

It was to prove the only serious chance of the first half as the newly-crowned champions pressed their opponents back, although captain Mark van Bommel and Olic both found their way into the notebook of referee Thorsten Kinhöfer for fouls within the first 20 minutes. In the 23rd minute Wiese had to be alert to save from Robben after Philipp Lahm’s cross was deflected to his feet, and in the 30th minute the Dutch winger shot just wide from 16 metres after receiving a return pass from Thomas Müller. Read more…

Nicolas Anelka has launched a scathing attack on his former Chelsea boss Avram Grant.

Blues striker Anelka is out to sink the Pompey chief in today’s FA Cup final.

And his determination will be fired by the six unhappy months he spent under Grant in 2007-08.

In a new book published tomorrow, he even claims he missed the seventh and decisive penalty in the 2008 Champions League final as his confidence was so low.

Anelka writes: ‘I set great store by emotions and Grant did not show great confidence in me.

‘In the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United, Grant threw me on as a sub without giving me any warning.

‘In the end I messed up the very last penalty in the shootout, which Edwin van der Sar pushed away. It is sad to say but I knew I was going to miss my kick.’

Grant has previously claimed Anelka, a £15m buy from Bolton, was brought in against his wishes in January 2008.

Anelka, played mostly out wide or as a sub by Grant, adds: ‘Grant used to look down on me.

‘It was as though he felt I should be grateful and not ask for anything. The pretext for this was I had been brought in from Bolton.’

CARLO ANCELOTTI has admitted for the first time he would like to see Fernando Torres at Chelsea.

SunSport revealed yesterday Blues striker Didier Drogba is keen to link up with Liverpool’s Spanish ace.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich is also willing to splash the £50million needed and Ancelotti said: “It’s not only Drogba - I would like to play with Torres. He’s a very good player.

“But this is not an issue for now. He is a Liverpool player and is a good striker but we have two fantastic strikers and this is not for this moment.”

Ancelotti is on the brink of winning a second trophy in his maiden season.

But the Italian has praised the work of his Pompey counterpart, Avram Grant, while admitting Chelsea’s victory at Fratton Park two months ago was the turning point of their season.

He added: “That game was an important game for us because it was a difficult moment.

“At the time they didn’t have much motivation but, on Saturday, they have a lot of motivation in the final.

“Avram is a very good coach. He was here in Chelsea for one year and did a very good job.

“And also this year, Portsmouth have had a difficult year but he did well to take them to the final and get his players to go out with strong, strong motivation.”

Jose Mourinho has fuelled speculation he will move to Real Madrid this summer
by admitting he will coach the Spanish giants ’sooner or later’.

Former Chelsea boss Mourinho is currently preparing his Inter Milan side for this weekend’s Serie A climax where they go into the final round of fixtures two points clear of Roma.

Then comes the Champions League final, in Madrid, against Bayern Munich on May 22.

Recent reports have suggested the Bayern clash will be Mourinho’s last on the Inter bench before he switches to Madrid and he was doing little to quell the rumours in an interview with Panorama magazine published on Friday.

He said: ‘What they write about me having one foot in Madrid and one in Milan is false.

‘(But) Sooner or later I will coach Real Madrid. I coached a big team in England, I am coaching a big team in Italy, and then I will coach a big team in Spain.’

Mourinho has already led Inter to the Coppa Italia this season and is closing in on a treble. Read more…

Chelsea  and Manchester City are being offered the chance to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a deal that would create a new British transfer record.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is keen to offload the Sweden striker and has reportedly recruited agent and close friend Pini Zahavi to find a buyer willing to pay in excess of £40million.
Chelsea and City have been targeted as the likeliest takers in England and are about to be sounded out, following a clear signal both clubs are looking to strengthen up front.

Chelsea are still concentrating their efforts on trying to prise £70m-rated Fernando Torres away from Liverpool and will wait to discover their prospects of landing the World Cup-bound Spain striker before considering the merits of Ibrahimovic.

City have the funds to meet Barcelona’s asking price but will carefully weigh up whether the 28-year old’s occasionally sullen demeanour and fitful flair meets their requirements.

The £32.5m City paid Real Madrid for Robinho remains the record fee by a British club, but Barcelona will hold out for significantly more than that for a player they signed from Inter Milan for £40m plus Samuel Eto’o.

New Juventus president Andrea Agnelli wants to take Ibrahimovic back to Turin but is reluctant to pay more than £35m, prompting Laporta to try and guage interest levels elsewhere in Europe. Read more…