7 August 1999 - What's Black, White, And Red All Over?

On 7 August 1999, Alan Shearer marked his 100th appearance for Newcastle by receiving the first red card of his career.

The striker joined Newcastle, his hometown club, in 1996 after five seasons at Southampton and four at Blackburn Rovers (with whom he won the Premier League in 1995) and had made 99 appearances for the club prior to the start of the 1999-2000 season. He had acquired the nickname "Mary Poppins" for his squeaky-clean public image, due in large part to the fact that he had never been sent off.

That changed in 1999. Newcastle were hosting Aston Villa in the season opener and the match remained scoreless deep into the second half. In the 70th minute, Shearer, who was already on a yellow card, battled Villa's Colin Calderwood for the ball, leaving the defender on the ground. Referee Uriah Rennie ruled that Shearer was guilty of "excessive use of the elbows" and showed the striker a second yellow, ejecting him from the match. Villa went on to win 0-1 with a 75th-minute goal from Julian Joachim.

Just over two years later, Shearer received a second red in a match against Charlton, but it was later rescinded.

6 August 2003 - That's How You Make A First Impression

On 6 August 2003, Manchester United lost to Sporting in a friendly that introduced them to the Portuguese side's dynamic young winger, Cristiano Ronaldo.

United were in Lisbon to help Sporting inaugurate their new home, the Estádio José Alvalade. The Red Devils had just completed a four-game tour of the United States and seemed to be suffering from tired legs as the hosts romped to a 3-1 victory with goals from Luís Felipe (26') and João Pinto (62', 81'). Even United's consolation goal came courtesy of the Portuguese, as defender Hugo put the ball into his own net with two minutes remaining.

The day wasn't a total waste for United, though. Afterward, several players spoke to manager Alex Ferguson, raving about the performance of Sporting's 18-year old midfielder, Ronaldo, and urging their boss to sign him. Although Ronaldo had already attracted the interest of Arsenal and Liverpool, United swooped in and signed him that summer for a fee of £12.24M. 

Ronaldo remained at Old Trafford for six seasons, making a total of 292 appearances in which he scored 118 goals. Along the way, he helped the club to three consecutive Premier League titles from 2007 to 2009 and won the Champions League in 2008.

In the summer of 2009, Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid for the then world-record transfer fee of £80M, a profit of almost £68M for United.

5 August 2005 - There's No Place Like A New Home

On 5 August 2005, Bayern Munich hosted the first competitive match at the new Allianz Arena, beating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0.

Built with a capacity of 66,000 (and later expanded to 69,000) the Arena replaced the Olympic Stadium as home to both Bayern and 1860 Munich, and also serves the German national team. In recognition of its multiple tenants, it includes an exterior surface that changes color based on the team playing--red for Bayern, blue for 1860 Munich, and white for the national team.

Construction began in 2002 and the stadium officially opened on 30 May 2005 with an exhibition between 1860 Munich and Nuremberg. Bayern and the German national team faced each other there in a friendly the following day.

In that first competitive match, a Bundesliga contest, Bayern midfielder Owen Hargreaves scored the opening goal, curling a right-footed shot into the far top corner from just inside the box in the 28th minute. His teammate, striker Roy Makaay, doubled, then tripled, the lead with goals in the 86th and 89th minutes.

It was the start of an excellent year for the hosts, who went on to win the double that season, taking both the league title and the German Cup.

4 August 1952 - Football For The People

On 4 August 1952, the People's Republic of China played their first football match, losing 4-0 to hosts Finland.

China has had a national team since 1924, when the original Chinese Football Association formed, and they played a handful of matches over the next twenty years, including a couple of Olympic appearances in 1936 and 1948. But following the Chinese revolution, the government of the Republic of China was forced to Taiwan, taking the original association along with them.

Their departure left a gap on the mainland, where the new People's Republic of China created their own Chinese Football Association in 1949. As one of the few countries to recognize the new government, Finland  offered to host the new team and duly beat them 4-0.

Since then, China have slowly improved, qualifying for the 2002 World Cup and twice finishing as runners-up in the Asian Cup (1984, 2004).

3 August 1950 - Lyon Takes A Leap

On 3 August 1950, a group led by Dr. Albert Trillat founded Olympique Lyonnais, one of France's most successful clubs.

They were originally part of Lyon Olympique Universitaire, a multi-sports club who established a football section in 1899 and went on to win the French title in 1910. But by the late 1940s, rifts appeared in the club over the question of whether to allow professional players. Unable to come to a resolution, a group led by Dr. Trillat left LOU to form a separate club, which they named Olympique Lyonnais.

Starting in the French second division, Lyon played their first official match on 26 August 1950, beating CA Paris 3-0. They won promotion to the top flight in 1951, but dropped back down one year later.

They won their first major honor in 1964, beating Bordeaux in the Coupe de France final, then repeated as champions in 1967 and 1973. After a lengthy lull that included another spell in Ligue 2, they roared back in 2002, winning the first of seven consecutive league titles (and another Coupe de France in 2008).

Since that historic run, they have yet to win another league title, most recently finishing in fourth, but they added another Coupe de France in 2012.

2 August 1908 - The King Of All Clásicos

On 2 August 1908, Boca Juniors hosted River Plate in the first Superclásico between the two teams and won, 2-1.

River, the older of the two clubs, formed in Buenos Aires's La Boca district in 1901, while Boca Juniors arrived there two years later. Despite their proximity, they did not meet until 1908 in a friendly. Records from the day are sparse, but indicate that Boca won by the score of 2-1. Despite losing that first match, River got a measure of revenge by winning the first competitive meeting 2-1 in 1913.

Since then, the rivalry has grown to become one of the most passionate in football. The teams have played each other a total of 338 times, including friendlies, league matches, Copa Libertadores meetings, and other competitions. Of those, Boca have 132 wins, River have 119, and there have been 115 draws.

1 August 2010 - A Second Big Bang For The Cosmos

On 1 August 2010, Pelé announced the return of the New York Cosmos after a 25-year hiatus, with the former star serving as the club's honorary president.

The earlier incarnation of the Cosmos existed from 1971 to 1985, during which time they captured a global audience through the signings of such high-profile international players as Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, and Giorgio Chinaglia alongside homegrown players like Werner Roth and Shep Messing. But the five-time NASL champions went dormant in 1985 after the implosion of the league.

Former general manager Peppe Pinton acquired ownership of the Cosmos, including the rights to the name, logo, and all club records. With the introduction of MLS in 1996, several groups sought to acquire the rights from Pinton, but he refused to sell, citing a belief that the new league would not respect the club's history. But  he eventually relented and sold the rights in 2009 to a group led by former Tottenham vice-chairman Paul Kemsley.

The new owners moved quickly to link themselves with the club's legacy by appointing Pelé as the honorary president and expressed their intent to play in MLS. They soon added Chinaglia as the club's global ambassador and appointed former Manchester United star Eric Cantona as the team's director of soccer. They held their first match on 5 August 2011, playing against Manchester United in a friendly.

Despite the ambitious relaunch, the Cosmos were unable to secure an MLS spot. In July 2012, they announced that they would compete in the North American Soccer League starting in 2013.