28 February 2010 - You Don't Mess With Mother Nature

On 28 February 2010, German amateur side TSV Wimsheim defeated Grunbach with a goal from an unlikely source--the wind.

In the 58th minute, with the match scoreless, Grunbach midfielder Oliver Wiedemann stepped up to take a goal kick in the place of keeper Alexander Sollner. As the ball rose into the air, a powerful gust of wind pushed it back toward the Grunbach goal. It came down in the box, bounced over Sollner, then past Wiedemann and into the net.

According to the German tabloid Bild, since no opponent touched the ball after the goal kick, the referee should have disallowed the goal and awarded a corner kick instead. But the referee allowed the goal to stand and it provided the margin of victory as Wimsheim went on to win 2-1.

Shortly after the match, a video of the goal became a minor internet sensation.

27 February 1999 - The Last Of The English Starting XIs

On 27 February 1999, Aston Villa fielded an all-English starting eleven--the last time that's happened in the Premier League.

At the time, Villa were in fourth place and took the pitch that day at home against Coventry City, who were sitting in the relegation zone at 18th. Coventry had not won at Villa Park in 23 attempts and Villa had won the season's earlier fixture at Highfield Road, 1-2, so would have been understandably confident if not for the fact that they had taken only a single point from their last four league matches.

The visitors struck first when their Australian striker, John Aloisi, found the back of the net after 25 minutes. The situation grew worse for the hosts when manager John Gregory had to make two substitutions before the break, replacing Ian Taylor and Steve Watson with Mark Draper and Gareth Barry (still keeping a full English side).

Dion Dublin eventually scored for Villa from the penalty spot, but another goal from Aloisi and two stunning strikes from Dutch midfielder George Boateng ended the day 1-4 to Coventry.

(Villa's starting XI that day were Michael Oakes, Alan Wright, Gareth Southgate, Steve Watson, Riccardo Scimeca, Ian Taylor, Paul Merson (pictured), Simon Grayson, Lee Hendrie, Dion Dublin, and Julian Joachim; with Gareth Barry, Stan Collymore, and Mark Draper as substitutes.)

26 February 1992 - Roberto Carlos Gets The Call-Up

On 26 February 1992, defender Roberto Carlos made his first appearance for Brazil in a 3-0 win over the United States in a friendly. He went on to play for them a total of 125 times to take second place on Brazil's list of most-capped players.

Only 18 years old at the time, he had just begun his professional career two years earlier with Brazilian Série B side União São João. They were still in Brazil's second tier when Roberto Carlos surprisingly received that first call-up to the national team. But new manager Carlos Alberto Parreira (in the second of his three spells in charge of Brazil) was looking for new blood to rejuvenate the team after a disappointing showing at the 1990 World Cup.

Playing before a home crowd in Fortaleza, the young left wingback proved his worth, helping to keep the visiting Americans scoreless. Meanwhile, his fellow defender Antônio Carlos added one goal to a brace from midfielder Raí as the hosts eased to a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Roberto Carlos missed out on Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning campaign, but was a voted to the FIFA World Cup All-Star team in 1998 and again in 2002, when Brazil lifted the trophy. He made his last appearance in the 2006 World Cup as Brazil were eliminated by France in the quarterfinals.

25 February 2005 - Apparently, Thomas Wolfe Was Right

On 25 February 2005, Valencia sacked manager Claudio Ranieri after only eight months into a three-year contract, proving the adage "you can't go home again."

It was Ranieri's second stint at the Estadio Mestalla. He had first joined the club in July 1997 and soon delivered their first major silverware in 18 years with the 1998 Intertoto Cup, followed by the 1999 Copa del Rey. In June 1999, he left to join Valencia's league rival Atlético Madrid.

His time in Madrid was less successful; Ranieri resigned in March 2000 amid rumors of his imminent sacking while Atlético ended the season with relegation. He landed at Chelsea in September 2000 and guided the Londoners to a second-place league finish in 2004, their best position in the final table in 49 years. But he was not around for long to enjoy their newfound success, as he was sacked in May 2004 by owner Roman Abramovich.

Ranieri then returned to Valencia in June 2004, but was unable to recapture his prior magic. A strong start soon gave way to a slump in October. Supporters criticized his tactics, claiming he failed to settle on an established rotation. By February 2005, Valencia had been eliminated from European competition and, even though they were in sixth place in La Liga, the club chose to part ways with their once-loved manager.

Since then, he has taken charge of Parma (2007), Juventus (2007-09), and Roma (2009-11). He resigned from Roma earlier this month after a string of three defeats dropped them from fourth place to eighth in Serie A.

24 February 1910 - Sweden's Once And Current Kings

On 24 February 1910, a group of nineteen footballers founded Malmö FF. They have since become Sweden's most decorated club, with a silverware cabinet that includes a record 19 Swedish top flight titles.

It took the club 34 years to win their first title, but it kick-started one of their most successful periods. For the next nine seasons, they finished in the league's top three, winning four more titles and five Swedish Cups. The '60s were relatively quiet, with only two league titles and one Swedish Cup, but they roared back to life in the '70s, winning the league in 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, and 1977 (as well as the Swedish Cup in 1976 and 1978). They also rose to international prominence, advancing to the 1979 European Cup Final (where they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest).

Over the years, Malmö have produced several outstanding players, including their appearance leader Krister Kristensson (626 matches between 1963 and 1979), their all-time leading goalscorer Hans Håkansson (341 between 1927 and 1938), two-time Swedish player of the year Bo Larsson (1965, 1973), and current Swedish national team captain Zlatan Ibrahimović, who began his professional career at Malmö from 1999 to 2001.

Their star dimmed in the 1990s, including relegation in 1999. But they have since returned to their former glory, winning their most recent title in 2010.

23 February 1930 - I Wish He Had Stuck To Football

On 23 February 1930, midfielder Alexandre Villaplane captained France for the first time. He would later lead them in the 1930 World Cup before his execution in 1944 for collaborating with the Nazis.

Born in French Algeria in 1905, Villaplane was the first player from North Africa to play for Les Bleus when he received his first cap in 1926, a 4-3 victory over Belgium. He played in eighteen more matches before captaining the national team for the first time in his twentieth appearance, a 2-0 friendly loss to Portugal. Both of Portugal's goals were scored by 22-year old José Manuel Soares, a dynamic young forward regarded by many as one of Portugal's best-ever players. Unfortunately, he died the following year from food poisoning.

Villaplane suffered a tragic end of his own. After the 1930 World Cup--he was the captain for all three of France's matches--he lasted only five more years in football as match-fixing scandals and poor training habits drove him out of the sport.

During World War II, Villaplane became an SS officer, becoming known for his opportunistic and brutal methods, including several alleged murders. After the liberation of France from Nazi occupation, Villaplane was caught, tried, and then shot on 26 December 1944.

22 February 1991 - The King Has Left The Building

On 22 February 1991, Kenny Dalglish resigned as Liverpool manager after guiding the club for five and a half seasons. During that period, they won three league titles and two FA Cups.

He got his start at Anfield in 1977 when then-manager Bob Paisley spent a British record £440,000 to bring him from Celtic as a replacement for recently-departed striker Kevin Keegan. He soon became a fan favorite and a key contributor, winning five league titles, four League Cups, and three European Cups under Paisley and Paisley's replacement, Joe Fagan and earning the nickname "King Kenny."

When Fagan retired in May 1985, Dalglish took over as player-manager only hours before the Heysel stadium disaster. But despite that tragedy marking his debut, he led Liverpool to the Double the following season. More success followed, including the 1988 and 1990 league titles and the 1989 FA Cup. But more tragedy followed, as well, in the form of the Hillsborough disaster which claimed the lives of 96 people, all of whom were Liverpool supporters.

Less than two years later, Dalglish resigned as manager, clearly suffering from the effects of both Heysel and Hillsborough in addition to the pressures of management. But he returned to the touchline eight months later for Blackburn and led them from the Second Division to the 1995 Premier League title--their first league title since 1914.

After further spells with Newcastle United (1997-98) and Celtic (1999-2000), he returned to Anfield in 2009 as club ambassador. He was a popular candidate to replace Rafa Benitez in June 2010, but the job went instead to Roy Hodgson. Hodgson lasted barely half a season, though, and Dalglish returned as manager in January 2011.