Expert Blogs

Douala, Cameroon - In my last blog posting, I met up with Roger Milla, Africa's soccer legend, for a Q&A.

I then took a look into Milla's career as an African playing in France in the 1980s - which clearly wasn't easy.

Milla is often described as frustrated by the fact that he never made money by playing soccer, whereas the new generation of players, often less talented than he was in his prime, have reaped the benefits of his groundwork.

Statistics are designed to be massaged. Numbers can be made to look just about as good or compelling as the subject demands. It all depends on how good a salesman you are.

The final American roster for the FIFA World Cup is a perfect example. Is it proof positive Major League Soccer has come of age? Or merely confirmation MLS is a convenient stepping-stone to fatter foreign contracts? 

Bob Bradley's 23-man squad features only four men currently plying their trade in MLS. America's most influential player, Landon Donovan, is one of them. The LA star will be joined in South Africa by his Galaxy teammate Edson Buddle, Jonathan Bornstein of Chivas USA, and Salt Lake speedster Robbie Findley.

Canadian journalist Anjali Nayar met up with Roger Milla a couple days after he played a friendly between former players from Cameroon's World Cup teams, in celebration of the country's 50th anniversary of Independence.

Yaounde, Cameroon - I became giddy when I first heard I might be able to interview Roger Milla.

For those of you not obsessed with African soccer, Milla is a legend here, just like Pele in Brazil or Maradona in Argentina. He was one of the first African players to reach international recognition.

U.S. president Franklin D Roosevelt famously insisted that the only thing to fear was fear itself.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque would say exactly the opposite. The only thing Spain has to fear as it prepares for this summer's World Cup in South Africa is the complete lack of fear.

As Del Bosque strolled away from the press conference at the national team's Las Rozas headquarters this week, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and so were the fans. Even the journalists could not disguise their excitement. Fifty yards ahead of him was Fernando Torres, who had just told reporters that this time there was no doubt: Spain were favourites for the World Cup. The 'unlike every other time' went without saying.

If managing to annoy the hell out of just about everybody is the first step towards sporting success, then Marcello Lippi's Italy have started their final World Cup preparations in the perfect manner.

We all long ago realized that there is nothing that quite so brilliantly bonds a group as much as the sense that everybody is "out to get us". To no small extent, one of the keys to the all-conquering Inter Milan season was the manner in which coach Jose Mourinho managed to work up a whole sense of paranoia amongst his talented squad, attempting (but not really succeeding) to convince us that everybody - referees, linesmen, the Italian Football Federation, rivals such as AC Milan, Juventus and Roma - was out to get them, by means fair or foul.

The importance of an international friendly game is always very much dependant on the state of the teams involved.

A settled, confident side comfortable with the manager's tactics and with a fixed, regular starting eleven will never read too much into the outcome of a test game on the eve of a major tournament. The players' and manager's first (and sometimes sole) priority will be to get everyone through the ninety minutes unscathed.

Germany, on the other hand, have a huge game on their hands on Saturday night, when they play Hungary in Budapest (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 2 pm ET).

Football fever is now palpably in the air across South Africa with the teams starting to arrive and the final preparations in full swing.

A near capacity crowd at the South African Cup final between AmaZulu and Bidvest Wits

American soccer fans were given daily updates on the injury status of striker Charlie Davies leading up to May 11th, the day that American coach Bob Bradley named his preliminary roster for the World Cup in South Africa. 

Used to Hollywood storylines, most U.S. supporters had hope that Davies could pull off a miraculous recovery in time to make the squad. Unfortunately in real life, injuries can and do get in the way of fairytale endings. Davies never made the squad, and his impact on the tournament will be that of a distant memory. 

Argentina coach Diego Maradona wasn't keen on the friendly against Canada that formed part of the celebrations of his country's bicentenary.

He was worried that it might put an unnecessary strain on his players. The injury picked up by Maxi Rodriguez justified his concerns. But in all other aspects his team came away with plenty of positives from the comfortable 5-0 win.

The optimism that swept through Takeshi Okada at the outset of his reign as Japan coach evaporated long ago.

When he walked through the door of the Japan Football Association's headquarters in Tokyo's Ochanomizu district in the wake of Ivica Osim's health-related departure back in late 2007, Okada dared to dream.

The future for Japan was great, he believed, and he took no time in conveying his hopes to his team at their very first training session under the new regime.

Douala, Cameroon - This week I met up with the Cameroonian national team's mascot, a pot-bellied, larger-than-life character named Ngando Pickett.

He's hard to miss during a game. It might have something to do with the fact that he's often painted from head to toe in green, red and yellow stripes, like the national flag. Or that he strips to a g-string and shakes it when Cameroon scores. Check out my photo essay. 

But Ngando's back-story is equally attention grabbing. Like many young men at the time, he celebrated Cameroon's wins at the Africa Cup of Nations in 1984 and 1988. But it wasn't until 1998 that Ngando's true calling came. He was sleeping outside in the Sahara Desert between Morocco and Mauritania when had a vision of himself painted in the Cameroonian colours.

David Beckham and Michael Ballack have been there, done that. Charlie Davies is young enough to be a lynchpin in four years time.

Carlos Costly may have missed his only chance of playing at the World Cup.

A month ago, the 27-year-old striker was bound for South Africa as part of the first Honduran team to reach the tournament in almost 30 years. Now he is coming to terms with the reality of being nothing more than a spectator.

Jose Mourinho is right as usual, of course: Saturday's Champions League final IS bigger than the World Cup final - at least from the perspective of those who are involved in it. Inter Milan and Bayern Munich are going for so much more than "the cup with the big ears."

To begin with, both teams are only won win away from a historic treble, the rarest of achievements. The final is also an emotionally-charged meeting of master (Louis van Gaal) and former apprentice (Mourinho). The Portuguese coach worked as a translator at FC Barcelona when the Dutchman was in charge just over a decade ago. It was van Gaal who promoted him to scout and one of the assistant managers - a decision the 58-year-old might yet come to regret.

Last Tuesday morning, along with a positive herd of Italian and international reporters, I was standing outside La Pinetina, the plush Inter Milan training complex in the foothills of the Alps, some 80 kilometres from Milan. 

As we hacks stood there, waiting to be allowed in for a pre-final media day, a couple of not so young Inter fans approached me.

"Is (coach Jose) Mourinho going to stay or will he leave? I hope so much he will stay, he's the reason I came out here today", said one lady, in the clearly mistaken expectation that I might have the "inside track" on the weird and wonderful workings of the Special One's mind.

Guti was talking about the final Sunday of the season but he could have been commenting on the entire campaign.

He could have been talking about Real Madrid's dogged but ultimately doomed pursuit of FC Barcelona. An afternoon mostly spent on the substitutes' bench in Malaga - Guti's last game for Real Madrid after fourteen years at the club - said it all about the 2009-10 la liga campaign.

Certainly at the top of the Spanish league.

Madrid resisted. Heroically at times. They fought and they battled but they had been defeated. They died on their feet rather than lived on their knees. But they died nonetheless. The feeling was frustration and impotence. A realization of it having all been in vain.

In the space of four short years, Fabio Grosso has gone from hero to also-ran.

Grosso was cut Tuesday from Italy's 30-man preliminary World Cup squad in a move that caught a lot of folks off-guard, driving home the point how far the Juventus left-back has fallen in such a short period of time.

Grosso, 32, was a pivotal player for Italy four years ago, scoring the winning goal in extra time against Germany in an epic semifinal match, and then the decisive spot-kick in the penalty shootout against France in the final.

Douala, Cameroon - I should point out that every single person (Cameroonian, Nigerian, or otherwise) that I spoke to about this leg of the journey strongly suggested that I fly from Nigeria to Cameroon. 

By road, I would meet crooked policemen, armed gunmen and travel down terrible roads. By sea, there would be shady customs officials, pirates roaming the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea and boats that sink "all the time."

Ex-Germany manager Rudi Voller used to have a saying, one that he would roll out every time he was asked about his team's   prospects to win an international tournament.

"Everything can happen", the former AS Roma striker loved to claim, "but one thing can't happen any under any circumstances: Michael Ballack must not get injured."

Calabar, Nigeria - There's something very gratifying about just picking something off a menu at random in a new country.

I'd heard both great and terrible things about Nigerian food, so I figured I should indulge. Edikang Ikong and Semovita. That should do the trick, I thought.

The guessing games are over. Now, let the speculation begin!

FIFA now has 32 confirmed rosters from the 2010 World Cup participants but, for some, soccer's global party will be bitter sweet. We're talking about players named in the provisional squads who will be ultimately be cut from the final 23.

All the talk has been about those superstars left out by their national coaches. Ronaldinho, Totti and Vieira all know what it's like to win the World Cup. All are still active but none will be involved in the drama about to unfold in South Africa.

On May 11th, amidst great anticipation, FIFA announced the preliminary rosters for the 32 competing nations in the World Cup.  

At first glance, some of the selections and omissions left me scratching my head. 

Calabar, Nigeria - I met Suliat Yusuf on a small asphalt court in Lagos' Ikeja neighbourhood.

She was tall, strong and had an awareness of the ball that belied her 15 years. With each pass, I sensed her confidence, determination and control.

She was there as part of a group of young men and women training to represent Nigeria at the Football for Hope Festival this June in Johannesburg and at the Homeless World Cup in Rio in September. The competitions use street soccer to bring together young people from vulnerable backgrounds.

Fans and media pundits all across the world were shaking their heads in disbelief Monday when they found out that Ronaldinho wasn't included in Brazil's preliminary squad for next month's World Cup.

Yesterday was deadline day, as all 32 World Cup coaches had to submit a preliminary 30-man squad to FIFA. Teams must now trim down their rosters to 23 players by June 1, although substitutions can be made up until 24 hours before a team's first match of the tournament - and coaches, technically speaking, can pick someone who isn't on their provisional squad.

But the fact is that Brazilian coach Dunga stated his intentions Monday as to which players he was looking at, making in plainly clear that Ronaldinho won't be on the plane to South Africa by omitting him from his provisional roster.

Back in 1998, Takeshi Okada provoked one of the most talked about moments in the history of Japanese football.

His decision, in the lead-up to the World Cup in France, to leave legendary striker Kazuyoshi Miura at home for the country's first-ever appearance at the game's greatest tournament still haunts Okada.

Even today, the man with the professorial demeanour - and who again this year leads the Japanese team to the World Cup - is asked about the reasoning behind his decision to leave Japan's football pioneer at home.

When he wants to, Italian national team coach Marcello Lippi can "talk the talk". 

Never one to suffer media fools gladly, Lippi can sometimes be curt, if not to say monosyllabic in his replies to questions that he considers simply too banal or repetitive.

Yet, when he met with the media at the La Borghesiana training centre, near Rome earlier this week, Lippi was in a more expansive mood. Lippi, of course, was in Rome for a two-day World Cup training camp featuring 29 players, thus repeating the path that led to World Cup triumph in Germany four years ago.

Let the speculation begin. 

As more and more teams release their preliminary World Cup rosters, fans and media alike are weighing in with their thoughts on who should or shouldn't be included in the final 23-man rosters for the 32 teams who will compete for the World Cup in South Africa. 

There are so many storylines to follow that at times it can be difficult to keep track. There are inclusions and exclusions that raise eyebrows, as well as the unfortunate injuries that tend to occur at this time of year. For the players involved, a serious injury this close to the World Cup will ensure that their participation in the tournament is virtually impossible. 

Let me first be honest with you. I have been a passionate supporter of Tottenham Hotspur since the early 70s. Despite decades of isolated highs and rather too many lows, nothing will ever change my long-standing love affair with Spurs.

If you follow the English Premier League, you will understand why I have been walking around with a grin like the Cheshire Cat in recent days. For the first time in modern history, Spurs have qualified for the UEFA Champions League.

It is a remarkable achievement in a short space of time. In less than 18 months, Tottenham has hauled itself off the very bottom of the EPL to break the dominance of England's so-called "Big Four" of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal has publicly flirted with the idea of taking over the German national team for a while now.

"I dream of winning the World Cup with a team that can do it", the 58-year-old said back in March. "Germany is one of them."

A few weeks later, he jokingly suggested he would leave his position in case he won the treble with the Bavarians, and then try to succeed Bundestrainer Joachim "Jogi" Low after South Africa.

Vicente del Bosque said something that he probably shouldn't have this week.

Spain's national team coach admitted that he has one or two doubts about the composition of his squad for the World Cup. Worse still, he admitted that one of those doubts was in goal. And, he added: "Victor Valdes has been and is one of the best goalkeepers we have in Spain. He has proven himself to be a very safe and secure goalkeeper. No one in Barcelona doubts him now."

They certainly don't. But the 'now' wasn't necessary. They haven't doubted him for some time. Quite the opposite. Del Bosque's remarks were an open invitation, a red rag to a bull - even if Catalunya is the one part of Spain* where bullfighting is set to be banned.

Just about a month to go until the wildly anticipated FIFA World Cup kicks off in South Africa. 

For so many fans it promises deliverance from the ordinary, even gossipy progression, of professional soccer or football or whatever it is you want to call it.

Lagos, Nigeria - Every minute a million interactions, a million moments, blurred in my peripheral vision.

From the vast bustling port to the street markets, I can't help but think Lagos is alive - a heavy, heaving organism, bigger than the sum of its structures, interactions and moments.

Every day thousands of babies are born and I'm sure thousands more Okada (motorcycle taxi) drivers are maimed. Living here, you feel your insignificance - whether you breathe or die, the city will keep speeding along.

Watching last week's epic struggle between Barcelona and Inter Milan made me worried about the coming World Cup.

I'm not concerned about the group phase. In this first stage of the competition a draw is often a disappointing result. Teams are chasing three points to ensure their presence in the knockout rounds.

Ahn Jung-hwan's once slim hopes of rekindling the memories of 2002 are still alive with little over a month to go to the World Cup.

The man who made his name scoring the winner in extra-time in South Korea's victory over Italy in the second round four years ago has been included in Huh Jung-moo's provisional 30-man squad for June's finals.

Now well into the twilight of his career, Huh clearly believes the 34-year-old former Perugia and Yokohama F Marinos striker still has something to offer on the global stage, despite rarely featuring at international level over the last four years.

Brazilian midfielder Diego was tipped for superstardom after completing a 24-million euro move from Werder Bremen to Juventus last summer. 

Lagos, Nigeria - I spent most of my two days in Togo zipping around on motorcycle taxis in the rain.

The roads had turned into giant potholed puddles and water skirted out from the bike from both sides. Kids coming back from school walked calf-deep through the waterways, their clothes and backpacks dripping after a few wrong steps (as it turns out potholed puddles are difficult to navigate).

The whole city was gearing up to celebrate the country's 50th anniversary of independence from France. In the city's main square and along the beach, tarps were being erected where open-air parties would last into the night.

Call it a perk of the job, but over the years I have been fortunate to get up close and personal with some of soccer's most iconic trophies.

In 2001, for example, I literally got my hands on the oldest of the lot. Lifting the FA Cup (which had just been won by Liverpool) was a personal thrill I will always cherish.

At heart I am just another fan who happens to get paid for following a sport I have always loved. You can imagine how excited I felt being inches away from, and having my photograph taken with, the FIFA World Cup Trophy during its recent, brief stopover in Canada.

No matter what job you do, there are some days when you come home from work with a big smile on your face. 

During my playing career, those days usually coincided with a big win - a backs-to-the-wall, grind-it-out, smash-and-grab victory over a superior opponent. When sleep finally comes your way - usually not until the early hours of the next morning - you drift off knowing you've earned your keep.