Rickie Lambert has heaped praise on England manager Roy Hodgson for instilling confidence in him ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Lambert edged out West Ham striker Andy Carroll for a spot in England s 23-man squad after netting 13 Premier League goals for Southampton this season.
The 32-year-old s selection caps a remarkable rise as, this time four years ago, just prior to the 2010 World Cup, Lambert had just completed his first season with the Southampton, who were still playing in the third tier of English football.
Lambert is now set to compete at his first World Cup, where England will face Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica, and he lauded the impact of the man that introduced him to international football against Scotland last year.
He has been brilliant f…
Former Lyon midfielder Juninho Pernambucano has agreed to join his former club Vasco da Gama when his contract with Al Gharafa expires next summer.
The 36-year-old was visibly delighted to have returned to the club where he had spent six very successful years before moving to Lyon.
“Coming back to Vasco is fantastic for because of its two institutions – the magnificent supporters and its president, a simple and good man,” Juninho was quoted as saying.
“I needed to come back and I only needed initiative. In 2009, Rodrigo Caetano sent me an e-mail and we talked. It didn’t work. It lacked a project.
”And this year, even with the help of Rodrigo and Fuentes, Roberto came to Recife and sealed my return here. I am very happy.”
The interes…
Pep Guardiola s last match as Bayern Munich boss ended in a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday.
A 0-0 draw after extra-time ensured the contest was decided by spot-kicks, Bayern winning 4-3 as Manuel Neuer s save from Sven Bender and Sokratis strike against the post proved decisive, meaning Joshua Kimmich s miss went unpunished.
The victory ensures Bayern win a record 18th Pokal trophy as Guardiola finishes his three years in charge with an impressive double prior to joining Manchester City.
Dortmund are now without a major trophy for four seasons. They have lost three consecutive Pokal finals, the 2013 Champions League final and finished runners-up in the Bundesliga three times in the last four years.
Barcelona will be expected to put their first setback of the 2014-15 season behind them when they face Granada on Saturday.
Luis Enrique s side won their opening five matches of the season in all competitions but were toothless at Malaga on Wednesday, failing to register a shot on target in a goalless draw.
The result which did at least yield a sixth consecutive clean sheet left Barcelona level with nearest rivals Sevilla on 13 points apiece, with Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid two and four points off the pace respectively.
The Barca coach paid tribute to Malaga for keeping Messi quiet but also took the positives from the start that he has made to his Camp Nou tenure.
It s to Malaga s credit that Messi wasn t so involved, he said. But we re still unbeat…