Houston wins the MLS Cup

The Houston Dynamo overcame remarkable odds to win the 2006 MLS Cup trophy in a thrilling penalty shootout on November 12, 2006 at Dallas’ Pizza Hut Park. After being relocated from San Jose to start the season, and dealing with the uproar of a tumultous name change from ‘Houston 1836′ to ‘Dynamo’ just prior to the start of the year, the team managed to focus on winning in the postseason and toppled New England in the final.

Chelsea signs Ballack and Shevchenko

Never afraid to splash the cash, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich spent well over $100 million for two of the world’s biggest superstars to join the Stamford Bridge outfit. Bayern Munich captain Michael Ballack and AC Milan’s Ukrainian forward Andriy Shevchenko joined the Blues during the summer transfer window to try their luck in the English Premiership.

Mass exodus at Juventus

With Serie A giants Juventus being relegated to Serie B in the wake of the widespread match-fixing scandal, a number of high-profile players left the club to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira went to Inter Milan, while Fabio Cannavaro, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta moved to Spain.

Young stars collide

In the aftermath of the World Cup quarterfinal match between Wayne Rooney’s England and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, speculation reached fever pitch that a heavy feud existed between the two Manchester United superstars after Ronaldo played his part in getting Rooney expelled from the match for stomping on Portugal teammate Ricardo Carvalho. But reports were quelled as the 2006-07 Premiership season started as both players publicly announced that it was a non-issue.

Beckham steps down as England captain

English midfielder David Beckham made an emotional announcement when he stepped down as England’s captain at a training camp in Buhlertal on July 2, 2006. England’s Coach Sven Goran Eriksson had also stepped down after England was defeated by Portugal in the quarter-final of the World Cup.

Italy celebrates a World Cup victory

Italian fans the world over went absolutely crazy after the Azzurri had secured their fourth World Cup trophy, but the team returned to a rousing celebration at the Circo Massimo in Rome, Italy on the day after the final. It was Italy’s first World Cup title since 1982.

Italy wins the World Cup

Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro lifts the World Cup trophy after Italy defeated France in a penalty kick shootout on July 9, 2006 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. For the azzurri, it was their fourth-ever World Cup title and first since 1982.

Trezeguet misses the shot

In the World Cup final penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of soccer and red card expulsion of French superstar Zinedine Zidane, Les Bleus’ David Trezeguet missed a crucial penalty kick against Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon which opened the door for Italy to win the shootout.

Defending champs Brazil sent packing

 

It was believed before the 2006 World Cup that Brazil’s talent would carry it to a second-straight World Cup trophy and its third in four tries overall, but with superstar Ronaldinho performing at less than his best, Ronaldo (pictured) and the Seleçao failed to get past France in the quarterfinals as Thierry Henry’s goal sent the Samba boys back home.

The head butt heard ’round the world

The 2006 FIFA World Cup will always be remembered most for Zinedine Zidane’s expulsion during the World Cup final against Italy. The legendary French midfielder lost his cool as the teams were headed 1-1 to extra time and head butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest. The world watched in stunned disbelief as the three-time World Player of the Year walked off the field for the last time in his career.

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