European Soccer - Interesting Facts!

Hungary

Did you know- Ferec Puskas, one of the most brilliantly shining stars of the football history, participated twice at the World Cup. He competed for Hungary in 1954 and then played for Spain in 1962. Puskas also took part in the Games of the XV Olympiad in Finland in 1952, where the Hungarian squad won the gold medal. From 1945 to 1962, he scored more than 750 goals. On the other hand, Hungary is the most successful squad in the men's soccer event at the Summer Games, having won gold three times.

Portugal

Did you know- Portugal's athlete Eusebio was one of the top-ranked players at the VIII World Tournament in the mid-1960s. Eusebio hails from Mozambique, an African republic which has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

Switzerland

Did you know- Switzerland is the smallest nation ever to hold the FIFA World Tournament. Between June 16 and July 4, 1954, this European country, more than twice the size of Hawaii (USA), hosted the universal tournament. Sixteen teams participated in 1954: West Germany (winner), Hungary (runner-up), Austria, Uruguay, Switzerland (host nation), Brazil, England, Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia), France, Italy, Turkey, Belgium, Mexico, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia), Scotland and South Korea.

Turkey

Did you know- Surprisingly Turkey, traditionally a wrestling power, won the bronze medal at the FIFA World Championship in Germany in 2002 in South Korea and Japan, behind Brazil and Germany. This was Turkey's second World Cup appearance. Between June 16 and July 4, 1954, the country made its World Cup debut in Switzerland, where it finished 11th.

Ukraine

Did you know- Between 1956 and 1990, Ukraine competed in the global event under the Soviet flag.

USSR ( Now Russia)

Did you know- The FIFA Under-20 World Championship was held in Moscow -host of the 1980 Summer Olympics-- in the mid-1980s. Sixteen teams competed in Moscow, Soviet Union/USSR (today Russia). The champion was Brazil, followed by Spain (runner-up), Nigeria (third), Soviet Union (fourth). The People's Republic of China ranked fifth; Bulgaria, sixth; Mexico, seventh; Colombia, eighth; Saudi Arabia, ninth; Australia, tenth; Hungary, eleventh; England, twelfth; Paraguay, thirteenth; Ireland, fourteenth; Tunisia, fifteenth; Canada, sixteenth.

Yugoslavia (Now Serbia)

Did you know- At the FIFA World Tournament in Rome, between June 8 and July 8, 1990, Yugoslavia, present-day Serbia, was one of the six best teams on Earth, behind West Germany, Argentina, Italy (host country), England, and Czechoslovakia. The last time an Communist nation advanced to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup was in July 1982 when Poland won a bronze medal in the global event in Spain, at the expense of France and Brazil.

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European Championships 2008 - Group B

With the final sixteen teams decided and the Euro 2008 finals due to kick off soon, it's time to place your bets on this immensely popular football tournament. If you are trying to get the heads up on which team to bet on in Euro 2008, this article will help you by taking a look at the potential in Group B.

Qualifying for the European Championships as Group E winners, Croatia go into Euro 2008 lying thirteenth in the FIFA World Rankings, and have been drawn in Group B alongside hosts Austria, and tournament favourites Germany and Poland.

Not content with topping their qualifying group, Croatia also masterminded England's failure to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals, beating them twice including a 3-2 victory at Wembley in the final qualification game.

Coached by Slaven Bilic, Croatia, whose squad includes a number of current Premier League players in the form of Portsmouth's Niko Kranjcar and Vedren Corluka of Manchester City, is tipped to make an impact in this year's Euro finals. Another Premier League player, Arsenal's Eduardo, is due to miss the Euro 2008 tournament after suffering a broken leg and dislocated ankle in a Premier League match against Birmingham City in February.

There is the also the certainty of more Croatian talent moving to the Premier League after this year's European Championships, as Tottenham recently equalled their transfer fee record of £16.5 million to sign Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb. The creative midfield player will certainly be at the heart of any Croatian success this summer and also light up the Premier League next season.

However strong the potential for the current crop of Croatian representatives, tournament favourites Germany will be a tough challenge, and group qualification still remains a credible objective.

Holding fifth spot in the FIFA World Rankings and qualifying as runners-up in Group D, Germany came third in the 2006 World Cup and will certainly be looking to build on that with much of the same squad.

With seasoned professionals including Michael Ballack of Chelsea, Miroslav Klose of Werder Bremen and David Odonkor of Real Betis named in Joachim Loew's Euro 2008 squad, Germany boasts experience from some of Europe's top domestic leagues.

With three World Cups and three European Championships to its name, the German team is certainly a hot candidate to lift the winner's trophy this summer.

Hosts Austria gained automatic qualification in return for their hospitality. In recent history, they have struggled to qualify for major finals, their last being the World Cup Finals in 1998. The weaker of the host countries, Austria, are 102 in the FIFA World Rankings and so, with little expectation placed upon them, could be this summer's Cinderella story.

Although unable to boast the talent levels scattered across European leagues by group competitors Croatia and Germany, Austria does have some Premier League recognition in the form of Emanuel Pogatetz of Middlesbrough, who has won both league and cup titles in his native country.

Completing Group B are Poland, who qualified as runners-up in Group A. Ranked 28 in the FIFA World Rankings, they are likely to be contesting second spot and qualification to the knock-out stages and, as they proved with a 2-2 draw against Portugal to reach the finals this summer, they are more than capable of challenging the big names in the competition on their day.

Leo Beenhakker's squad for the Euro 2008 championships is likely to include the familiar name of Manchester United's reserve keeper Tomasz Kuszczak.

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