Real Madrid’s recent spending spree has thrown money all around Europe. Regardless of where you are, look up and you’ll see Florentino Perez’s millions rain down. This may leave Manchester United and AC Milan sitting on a wad of cash, but we all know who the eventual winners will be: Lyon and Bayern Munich.

These two clubs have built a stingy reputation, demanding exorbitant fees for their most prized assets - and almost always getting them. Lyon’s firm stance with Chelsea when it came time to sell Michael Essien proved their business…

Tuesday May 26th

11am – After failing in my quest to get a good night’s rest the night before, I spent the morning zombified thanks mainly to the hypnotic waffling of Paddy Crerand on MUTV. After a wash and an egg (though maybe not in that order) I got in the cab and headed for Heathrow Terminal 5. It was my first time there and it’s an odd place. Like a sort of high end gym/swimming pool complex. Or maybe a Scientology brainwashing facility. The plane was mostly full of Cockney Reds…

While us Premier League fans - and particular us United fans - are feeling a bit blue about yesterday’s Champions League final, as a football fan I can’t help but feel as if the match settled things quite nicely. Barcelona, with all their ebb and flow, cruised to a 2-0 victory over the English champions, and after the match even the most staunch United supporters had to sing the praise of Pep Guardiola and his side.

This fixture was one of the first finals in recent memory that truly pit the world’s…

Burnley may have stolen quite a few headlines yesterday after securing a long-awaited promotion to the Barclays Premier League. However, Burnley’s promotion really shouldn’t be a newsflash to anyone, as the former Championship outfit already impressed big time during a dream run in the Carling Cup, which saw them eliminate Chelsea and Arsenal en route to a thrilling semifinal against Tottenham. Besides, starting now, we can expect all the newscasters to turn their attention to the Eternal City, where two of Europe’s biggest clubs compete for the continent’s greatest prize in a matter of hours.

Holders Manchester…

After all was said and done at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday afternoon, one thing was certain: the game was as entertaining as it was hyped up to be.

The game was dominated in possession by Barcelona, but in opportunities by Chelsea. Michael Essien set the pace for Chelsea, with a majestic strike in the 9th minute. A cross from Frank Lampard was deflected directly into the path of Essien. He struck the ball directly out of the air, a perfect full volley, and it went directly into the upper left corner of…

Ten things I noticed from this week’s Champions League semifinals:

1. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth

Results lie. Sometimes. If not, then in the last 5 years I’ve been privileged enough to watch the great Greek team of 2004 justly claim their prize as the greatest international team in Europe. I was blessed but a year later to witness the mighty Liverpool team of 2005 rightfully claim their place as the best club team in European football. Just last year, in fact, I was lucky enough to catch the…