23 July 2010 - "Allez Les Bleus" Indeed

On 23 July 2010, the French Football Federation suspended all 23 members of their World Cup squad at the request of new manager Laurent Blanc.

The sanction was a result of a player revolt during the tournament. The French campaign already looked doomed after losing their first two matches to Uruguay and Mexico, but the situation grew worse when manager Raymond Domenech sent striker Nicolas Anelka home after the player argued with him during halftime of the game against Mexico. In support of Anelka, other players in the French camp refused to train and Les Blues ended up losing to South Africa and finishing at the bottom of their group.

Following the tournament, FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned his post and Domenech was sacked. Blanc, who had recently led Bordeaux to the 2008-09 Ligue 1 title, stepped in as his replacement. he acknowledged that the federation could not condone the team's actions during the tournament and recommended a one-game ban for the entire squad.

For Frace's next match, a friendly against Norway, they used an entirely different squad and lost, 2-1.

14 March 1979 - Introducing The Incredible Sulk

On 14 March 1979, striker Nicolas Anelka was born in Le Chesnay, France. He went on to become the world's most expensive footballer, raising almost £85M in transfer fees over the course of his career.

That career started with Paris Saint-Germain in 1996, but he made only 12 appearances for them before moving to Arsenal for a fee of £500,000 in 1997. In London, he was part of the Double-winning side of 1997-98, then contributed 18 goals in the 1998-99 season and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. But he grew discontent with his role and his salary, earning the nickname "Le Sulk," and moved to Real Madrid that summer for £22.3M.

Additional moves followed in short order, with Anelka rarely staying long in one place. After winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2000, he returned to PSG later that year (transfer fee: £20M), then spent time with Manchester City (£12M), Fenerbahçe (£7M), Bolton (£8M), and Chelsea (£15M). His transfer fees to that point totaled £84.8M, which was a record until Cristiano Ronaldo's £80M move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 put his total over £92M.

Anelka won another Premier League title with Chelsea, along with two more FA Cups. He also won the league's Golden Boot after scoring 19 league goals for them in the 2008-09 season. But he fell out of favor in the ensuing seasons and moved to Shanghai Shenhua on a free transfer in January 2012. He then spent time with Juventus and West Brom before joining Mumbai City, his current club, in 2014.

12 January 2008 - Enough Clubs To Fill A Golf Bag

On 12 January 2008, Nicolas Anelka debuted for Chelsea, his eighth club in 14 years.

His appearance that day against Tottenham was a surprise, even to manager Avram Grant. The forward had signed for Chelsea just the day before and he had not even participated in a training session. But an injury to Claudio Pizarro forced Grant to bring Anelka on in the 58th minute with the Blues up 1-0. Although he didn't score, he quickly made an impact, hitting the bar once and forcing a difficult save from the Spurs keeper as Chelsea won 2-0.

Chelsea had paid £15 million to Bolton for the French forward. Combined with the fees paid for previous transfers, Anelka's various clubs had paid a total of £84.8 million for him, an amount that made him the world's most expensive footballer at the time. In addition to Bolton (2006-08), Anelka had played for PSG (1994-97, 2000-02), Arsenal (1997-99), Real Madrid (1999-2000), Liverpool (2002), Manchester City (2002-04), and Fenerbahçe (2004-06).

Anelka scored only 2 goals for Chelsea in that first season, but bagged a league-best 19 in his second season. He scored 59 across all competitions before leaving the club in 2012.

10 August 2003 - City Breaks New Ground

On 10 August 2003, Manchester City played their first match at the new City of Manchester Stadium, beating Barcelona 2-1.

Nicknamed "Eastlands," the stadium was originally built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and cost £110 million to build, plus another £30 million to convert it to a football-specific facility. With a capacity of 47,726, it is substantially larger than City's previous Maine Road ground, which was built in 1923 and seated only 35,150 (though it held a record crowd of 84,569 in 1934 when the terraces were still in use).

To celebrate the move, City brought Barcelona in for a high-profile friendly and took a first-half lead with a 38th-minute goal from striker Nicolas Anelka (pictured), starting his second season with the Blues. A strike from Barça's Javier Saviola leveled the teams in the 58th minute, but City's new signing Trevor Sinclair sent a header in off the post nine minutes later to retake the lead. Andrés Iniesta almost had a late equalizer, but his shot was cleared off the line by defender Richard Dunne.

22 July 2002 - His Name Is Rio And His Last Name's Ferdinand

On 22 July 2002, Leeds United center back Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United for a British record transfer fee of £30 million. It was the second record-setting transfer fee for Ferdinand, who had already become the world's most expensive defender.

Ferdinand got his start with West Ham, where he played from 1995 to 2000. In November 2000, he moved to fellow Premier League side Leeds United for a fee of £18 million - the highest fee ever paid to that point for a defender, as well as the most for a British footballer (only France's Nicolas Anelka and Argentina's Juan Sebastián Verón had been sold for more, though Veron also went to Manchester United).

Ferdinand played for two seasons at Elland Road and captained the side in 2001-02. But financial pressures forced the club to offload a number of star players and Ferdinand moved to Manchester United. The two teams initially agreed on a base transfer fee just under £30 million, with conditional performance clauses that could raise the payments, but Leeds' need for cash resulted in a lump-sum £30 million payment.

The move has been good for Ferdinand, who won six League titles and the Champions League with United before leaving the club for Queens Park Rangers in 2014.

26 March 2008 - Beckham Hits One Hundred

On 26 March 2008, 32-year old David Beckham reached his 100th cap when he started for England in a friendly against France.

It was milestone that Beckham looked unlikely to reach after England's elimination from the 2006 World Cup. Following their loss to Portugal in quarterfinals, Beckham's 94th international appearance, he resigned as England's captain. Although he expressed a desire to continue with the side in a subservient role, he was dropped altogether by new England boss Steve McClaren. A poor run of form changed McClaren's mind and he recalled Beckham to the national squad in May 2007.

Beckham performed well, but it was not enough to save McClaren's job - he was soon sacked in favor of Beckham's former Real Madrid boss, Fabio Capello. With Beckham sitting on 99 caps, he was not included in Capello's first match in charge, a friendly against Switzerland on 6 February 2008. The decision created speculation that Capello's English side had no place for Beckham, but Beckham was included for Capello's second match in charge - the friendly against France.

The match itself had mixed results for England. France controlled the pace and flow, creating far more scoring chances than the visitors. To their credit, though, the English defense was stout, repeatedly denying the French attack. The match's only goal came from the spot, as Nicolas Anelka drew a foul from his Chelsea teammate John Terry. Franck Ribéry buried the ensuing kick in the 32nd minute.

21 May 2008 - Chelsea's Trophy Slipped Away

On 21 May 2008, Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow before a crowd of over 67,000. The match was the first all-English European Cup/Champions League final as well as the first one held in Russia.

The two teams entered the Final having finished the English Premier League season in the top two spots. United won the league, only two points ahead of the Blues.

United winger Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a header in the 26th minute. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard then equalized in the 45th minute.

Chelsea carried the momentum into the second half, in which they continually pressured United. Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, and Didier Drogba all had good chances to put Chelsea ahead, but their shots just missed the goal. The teams ended the second half still tied at 1-1 and went into extra time, where Drogba received a red card in the 116th minute for hitting United defender Nemanja Vidić. The teams finished extra time still at 1-1 and advanced to penalty kicks.

United went first and, through nine kicks, the teams were tied at 4-4, with Chelsea keeper Petr Cech having made a diving save to keep Ronaldo's shot out. Chelsea defender and captain John Terry then stepped up to take what would have been the winning kick, but he slipped and sent his shot wide.

On the fourth kick of sudden death, United keeper Edwin Van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka's kick, giving United a 6-5 win on penalties and the club's third European Cup trophy.

13 September 2008 - He Really Wasn't That Type Of Player

On 13 September 2008, Chelsea beat Manchester City away, 1-3, despite losing captain John Terry to a red card in the second half.

The match marked the debut of City's new marquee signing Robinho, who had joined them from Real Madrid earlier that summer for a fee of €42.5 million. With all eyes on the Brazilian forward, he rose to the occasion by delivering the opening goal with a free kick from twenty yards out in just the 13th minute.

Unfortunately for the home supporters, the lead lasted only three minutes as a Chelsea corner kick led to an equalizer from Ricardo Carvalho, who blasted the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Frank Lampard then put the visitors ahead when he beat goalkeeper Jo Hart from the edge of the box in the 53rd minute, and Nicolas Anelka added a third Chelsea goal in the 69th minute.

Everything was going Chelsea's way until the 77th minute, when Terry received his red card. As City striker Jô raced past him with the ball, Terry brought him down with what appeared to be a deliberate arm around the waist. Although the foul happened near the center circle, referee Mark Halsey showed a red card, the first of Terry's career. Chelsea held on to their lead, winning 1-3.

A few days later, league officials overturned the red card, making Terry available for the next game against Manchester United, which they drew 1-1.

3 August 1999 - Remember When Wenger Used To Sign New Players?

On 3 August 1999, Arsenal signed 22-year old striker Thierry Henry from Juventus for a reported fee of £11M. He went on to become the club's all-time leading scorer.

The French international started his career at Monaco in 1994, when he was signed by manager Arsène Wenger. While there, he scored 28 goals and provided 37 assists in 141 appearances as Monaco won both the league title and the Trophée des Champions in 1997. That success led to a £10.5M transfer to Juventus in January 1999, but he failed to adapt to Serie A and left after only half a season.

Arsène Wenger, who had moved to Arsenal in 1996, brought Henry to London, using some of the £23.5M the club had just received from Real Madrid for the sale of Nicolas Anelka. At the time the signing was announced, Wenger said "He is a young international striker who will be a great asset to Arsenal Football Club. He has good experience of both club and international football and will considerably strengthen our firepower."

And Henry delivered, scoring a club-record total of 226 goals between 1999 and 2007 while leading the club to two Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He was the league's top scorer in four different seasons and was the French player of the year five times while at Arsenal.

He left the club in 2007 for Barcelona, and then the New York Red Bulls, but returned for a loan spell in 2012 and added another two goals to his club total.

9 May 2010 - Chelsea, Champions

On 9 May 2010, a record win over Wigan lifted Chelsea to their fourth league title and sent them on the way to their first Double.

It was the last day of the Premier League season and Chelsea were at the top of the table, but they had only a one-point lead over Manchester United, who had won the league for the last three seasons. Needing a win to secure the title, they were hosting Wigan at Stamford Bridge while United were playing Stoke City at Old Trafford.

Chelsea wasted little time in staking their claim to the trophy, going up 1-0 after only six minutes with a goal from Nicolas Anelka. Wigan regained their composure and managed to right their defensive ship for a time, but lost defender Gary Caldwell about ten minutes before the break when he fouled Frank Lampard in the box and received a straight red card. Lampard converted the ensuing penalty to put the Blues up 2-0.

With Wigan down to ten men and the hosts having one hand on the trophy, the second half was all Chelsea's.    They got a goal from Salomon Kalou (54'), another from Anelka (56'), and a hat-trick from Didier Drogba (63', 68' (p), 80'), before a final strike from Ashley Cole in the 80th minute sealed the 8-0 win. It was Chelsea's biggest margin of victory in a league game (later matched against Aston Villa in 2012) and also helped set the Premier League record for most goals in a season at 103, beating the previous record of 97 set by Manchester United in 1999-2000.

Chelsea went on to complete the Double that year, beating Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final on 15 May.

23 July 2010 - "Allez Les Bleus" Indeed

On 23 July 2010, the French Football Federation suspended all 23 members of their World Cup squad at the request of new manager Laurent Blanc.

The sanction was a result of a player revolt during the tournament. The French campaign already looked doomed after losing their first two matches to Uruguay and Mexico, but the situation grew worse when manager Raymond Domenech sent striker Nicolas Anelka home after the player argued with him during halftime of the game against Mexico. In support of Anelka, other players in the French camp refused to train and Les Blues ended up losing to South Africa and finishing at the bottom of their group.

Following the tournament, FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned his post and Domenech was sacked. Blanc, who had recently led Bordeaux to the 2008-09 Ligue 1 title, stepped in as his replacement. he acknowledged that the federation could not condone the team's actions during the tournament and recommended a one-game ban for the entire squad.

For Frace's next match, a friendly against Norway, they used an entirely different squad and lost, 2-1.

14 March 1979 - Introducing The Incredible Sulk

On 14 March 1979, striker Nicolas Anelka was born in Le Chesnay, France. He went on to become the world's most expensive footballer, raising almost £85M in transfer fees over the course of his career.

That career started with Paris Saint-Germain in 1996, but he made only 12 appearances for them before moving to Arsenal for a fee of £500,000 in 1997. In London, he was part of the Double-winning side of 1997-98, then contributed 18 goals in the 1998-99 season and won the PFA Young Player of the Year award. But he grew discontent with his role and his salary, earning the nickname "Le Sulk," and moved to Real Madrid that summer for £22.3M.

Additional moves followed in short order, with Anelka rarely staying long in one place. After winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2000, he returned to PSG later that year (transfer fee: £20M), then spent time with Manchester City (£12M), Fenerbahçe (£7M), Bolton (£8M), and Chelsea (£15M). His transfer fees to that point totaled £84.8M, which was a record until Cristiano Ronaldo's £80M move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 put his total over £92M.

Anelka won another Premier League title with Chelsea, along with two more FA Cups. He also won the league's Golden Boot after scoring 19 league goals for them in the 2008-09 season. But he fell out of favor in the ensuing seasons and moved to Shanghai Shenhua on a free transfer in January 2012.

12 January 2008 - Enough Clubs To Fill A Golf Bag

On 12 January 2008, Nicolas Anelka debuted for Chelsea, his eighth club in 14 years.

His appearance that day against Tottenham was a surprise, even to manager Avram Grant. The forward had signed for Chelsea just the day before and he had not even participated in a training session. But an injury to Claudio Pizarro forced Grant to bring Anelka on in the 58th minute with the Blues up 1-0. Although he didn't score, he quickly made an impact, hitting the bar once and forcing a difficult save from the Spurs keeper as Chelsea won 2-0.

Chelsea had paid £15 million to Bolton for the French forward. Combined with the fees paid for previous transfers, Anelka's various clubs had paid a total of £84.8 million for him, an amount that made him the world's most expensive footballer at the time. (He is currently in second, just behind Cristiano Ronaldo.) In addition to Bolton (2006-08), Anelka had played for PSG (1994-97, 2000-02), Arsenal (1997-99), Real Madrid (1999-2000), Liverpool (2002), Manchester City (2002-04), and Fenerbahçe (2004-06).

Anelka scored only 2 goals for Chelsea in that first season, but has since added over 50 more, including a league-best 19 in his second season.

10 August 2003 - City Breaks New Ground

On 10 August 2003, Manchester City played their first match at the new City of Manchester Stadium, beating Barcelona 2-1.

Nicknamed "Eastlands," the stadium was originally built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and cost £110 million to build, plus another £30 million to convert it to a football-specific facility. With a capacity of 47,726, it is substantially larger than City's previous Maine Road ground, which was built in 1923 and seated only 35,150 (though it held a record crowd of 84,569 in 1934 when the terraces were still in use).

To celebrate the move, City brought Barcelona in for a high-profile friendly and took a first-half lead with a 38th-minute goal from striker Nicolas Anelka (pictured), starting his second season with the Blues. A strike from Barça's Javier Saviola leveled the teams in the 58th minute, but City's new signing Trevor Sinclair sent a header in off the post nine minutes later to retake the lead. Andrés Iniesta almost had a late equalizer, but his shot was cleared off the line by defender Richard Dunne.

22 July 2002 - His Name Is Rio And His Last Name's Ferdinand

On 22 July 2002, Leeds United center back Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United for a British record transfer fee of £30 million. It was the second record-setting transfer fee for Ferdinand, who had already become the world's most expensive defender.

Ferdinand got his start with West Ham, where he played from 1995 to 2000. In November 2000, he moved to fellow Premier League side Leeds United for a fee of £18 million - the highest fee ever paid to that point for a defender, as well as the most for a British footballer (only France's Nicolas Anelka and Argentina's Juan Sebastián Verón had been sold for more, though Veron also went to Manchester United).

Ferdinand played for two seasons at Elland Road and captained the side in 2001-02. But financial pressures forced the club to offload a number of star players and Ferdinand moved to Manchester United. The two teams initially agreed on a base transfer fee just under £30 million, with conditional performance clauses that could raise the payments, but Leeds' need for cash resulted in a lump-sum £30 million payment.

The move has been good for Ferdinand, who has won four League titles and the Champions League with United.

26 March 2008 - England's Newest Centurion

On 26 March 2008, 32-year old David Beckham reached his 100th cap when he started for England in a friendly against France.

It was milestone that Beckham looked unlikely to reach after England's elimination from the 2006 World Cup. Following their loss to Portugal in quarterfinals, Beckham's 94th international appearance, he resigned as England's captain. Although he expressed a desire to continue with the side in a subservient role, he was dropped altogether by new England boss Steve McClaren. A poor run of form changed McClaren's mind and he recalled Beckham to the national squad in May 2007.

Beckham performed well, but it was not enough to save McClaren's job - he was soon sacked in favor of Beckham's former Real Madrid boss, Fabio Capello. With Beckham sitting on 99 caps, he was not included in Capello's first match in charge, a friendly against Switzerland on 6 February 2008. The decision created speculation that Capello's English side had no place for Beckham, but Beckham was included for Capello's second match in charge - the friendly against France.

The match itself had mixed results for England. France controlled the pace and flow, creating far more scoring chances than the visitors. To their credit, though, the English defense was stout, repeatedly denying the French attack. The match's only goal came from the spot, as Nicolas Anelka drew a foul from his Chelsea teammate John Terry. Franck Ribéry buried the ensuing kick in the 32nd minute.

21 May 2008 - Chelsea's Trophy Slipped Away

On 21 May 2008, Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow before a crowd of over 67,000. The match was the first all-English European Cup final as well as the first one held in Russia.

The two teams entered the Final having finished the English Premier League season in the top two spots. United won the league, only two points ahead of the Blues.

United winger Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a header in the 26th minute. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard then equalized in the 45th minute.

Chelsea carried the momentum into the second half, in which they continually pressured United. Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, and Didier Drogba all had good chances to put Chelsea ahead, but their shots just missed the goal. The teams ended the second half still tied at 1-1 and went into extra time, where Drogba received a red card in the 116th minute for hitting United defender Nemanja Vidić. The teams finished extra time still at 1-1 and advanced to penalty kicks.

United went first and, through nine kicks, the teams were tied at 4-4, with Chelsea keeper Petr Cech having made a diving save to keep Ronaldo's shot out. Chelsea defender and captain John Terry then stepped up to take what would have been the winning kick, but he slipped and sent his shot wide.

On the fourth kick of sudden death, United keeper Edwin Van der Sar saved Nicolas Anelka's kick, giving United a 6-5 win on penalties and the club's third European Cup trophy.