Amongst all the exotic names of strikers linked with Manchester City over the past few months, one of Mark Hughes’ most astute pieces of transfer business might actually turn out to be Gareth Barry - a player some fans still mistakenly think of as a ‘journeyman’ footballer In fact, Gareth Barry could well fall into that category of players that supporters don’t fully appreciate until he suddenly isn’t playing; someone who simply gets on with the important business in midfield and chips in with the occasional goal or two

Few people who have won 76 caps for England, scoring 20 goals in the process, have divided the nation’s football fans as much as Frank Lampard Lamps, if you’re a fan; Fat Frank, if you’re not

It’s not often that Arsene Wenger pays out big money on transfer fees It’s even less frequent that the shrewd Frenchman pays it out on a player nearing his 28th birthday

It does look as if, at last, Nicholas Anelka is getting the sort of recognition his undoubted talent deserves and he is, finally, able to shake off the ‘Le Sulk’ image that has dominated his career At 30 years of age, Anelka can now throw away that wild child tag once and for all

Following in the footsteps of Dennis Bergkamp as Arsenal’s Dutch striker is an unenviable task But, at the moment, Robin van Persie is making a good job of it

As if going to a match at the Bernabéu Stadium to watch Real Madrid wasn't a big enough attraction anyway, the club has now gone and smashed the world transfer record to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to La Liga A staggering £80 million has gone to Manchester United to acquire the World Player of the Year – a sum that the Madrid club consider to be great value for money, considering the skill that the player possesses on the pitch

It's not that long ago, really, that the only football matches played at Wembley were England internationals and FA Cup Finals Then the League Cup Final, in 1967, between QPR and WBA was played at the stadium instead of being a two-legged tie

The simple answer to the above question, of course, is 'No, obviously not' After all, buying the title of Champions of the English Premier League would entail bribing a large number of referees, opposing players and, almost certainly, League officials

Anyone who went to the Olympic Stadium to watch RCD Espanyol in action will be really pleased that the new Cornellà-El Prat stadium is ready for the upcoming season If ever a place lacked atmosphere, it was the famous and beautifully located home of Espanyol, since 1997

Whether you are new to the sport of football, or you have been a fan for years, odds are you have heard some mention of the team Real Madrid Now known as one of the most successful professional football clubs that is based in Madrid, Spain, Real Madrid, like other teams of its time, started from humble beginnings