Walter the Wunderkind attracts Man United interest

This was the week in which Brazilian starlet Walter attracted the interest of Manchester United, David Beckham agreed a deal with AC Milan at long last and Andriy Voronin quashed talk of a triumphant return to Anfield.

Beckham transfer saga finally over - Friday, March 6

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Bend it like Beckham: Lost some fat since he joined the Rossoneri.

The talented Mr Beckham is so in demand that AC Milan and LA Galaxy had to come up with a 'timeshare' agreement to divide up the midfielder's exertions between themselves and extend his loan stay at the San Siro until the end of the Serie A season.

The long running will-he-stay-in-Milan will-he-go-back-to-LA transfer saga came to its long awaited end on Friday when details of the agreement leaked to the press and the world's media declared the deal to be done.

The former England captain, who is contracted to LA, was due to return to Major League Soccer on March 9 but after a permanent deal fell through last month, Milan have now agreed a contract to extended the original short-term loan deal until the end of June 30.

After that he will return to LA, with 17 games of the MLS season already gone, and the whole saga over his future will start again. Will he stay until the end of the MLS season and then rejoin Milan? Or will he buy out his contract immediately? And what about that MLS franchise? It never ends!

Save my ass, pleads blundering ref - Saturday, March 7

Following a match in the Belgian Jupiler League at Gent the Tubize goalkeeper claimed the referee had pleaded with the goalkeeper to save a penalty he had mistakenly awarded to the home team.

Referee Peter Vervecken was conned by a dive by Gent striker Mbaye Leye, but before the penalty was taken realised his mistake and allegedly asked goalkeeper Nicolas Ardouin to get him out of a hole.

He didn't save the penalty and following Tubize's 2-0 defeat L'Equipe quoted Ardouin as saying: "I confirm he [the ref] begged me to stop the penalty. It's the first time I've ever faced such a situation. After he blew the whistle, the referee told me: 'save me, stop it!'."

However, Vervecken denied the claims and said: "I only encouraged the keeper to set things right for himself. Nothing else. Maybe he misunderstood me."

You can watch the whole incident here.

Liverpool? I couldn't give a damn, says Voronin - Sunday, March 8

On loan striker Andriy Voronin scored a hat-trick in Hertha Berlin's 3-1 win against Energie Cottbus on Sunday and then reacted angrily when it was suggested his goalscoring form could lead to the revitalisation of his Liverpool career.

"I could not care less about the idea that Liverpool know what I am doing for Hertha. I am scoring goals for Hertha, not for them," the Bundesliga club's top-scorer told Bild.

"I really do not give a damn about the way they are thinking about me."

Voronin, obviously angry about being shipped out having struggled to make an impact under Rafa Benitez at Anfield, also confirmed he is looking for another club rather than return to the Reds.

At least he can console himself with in the knowledge that he is not the only internationally proven striker now firing in goals for another club that has been discarded by Benitez. At least David Ngog will be happy.

Walter the Wunderkind attracts Man United interest - Monday, March 9

Amongst the many transfer targets linked with Manchester United on Monday - Nicolas Bertolo, Douglas Costa, Alexis Sanchez, Neymar - one name really stood out, that of Internacional wonderkid Walter.

Not because the £5m-rated Brazilian striker lit up the South American Under 20 Championship with some stunning goals but because his name sounds, well, ordinary.

With compatriots Fred and Jo already having made the trip to Europe it makes you wonder what happened to all the dynamic Brazilian names of the past - Garrincha , Jarzinho, Zico, Tostão, Socrates - that instantly conjured up images of footballing genius.

Fred, Jo and Walter? They sound more like pigeon fanciers.

But to get back to the point, United's scouts were at the U20 Championships to run the rule over Gremio playmaker Douglas Costa (Douglas, that's another one) but Walter, whose full name of Walter Henrique Da Silva is slightly more evocative, was more impressive, finishing the tournament as joint top scorer with five as Brazil won the competition.

Rafa's worm turns -Tuesday, March 10

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Benitez: Wanted respect, got respect

Prior to Tuesday night's Champions League clash with Real Madrid Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez demanded that the media give his team the credit they deserve for their European exploits.

The Reds' Spanish boss pointed out that his team were ranked as the best team in Europe in UEFA's coefficient rankings and bemoaned the negative coverage his team received. But following Liverpool's swashbuckling 4-0 demolition of Madrid at Anfield he had them eating out of his hand.

The previously critical Spanish press quickly heaped praise of Rafa's Reds. A typical reaction came from El Pais: "Liverpool had everything that Real lacked: energy, purpose, aplomb, speed, shape and flair.

"They were facing a team reduced to rag dolls. It was an exercise in demolition, with an imperious Torres and Gerrard and Alonso and Mascherano running the show."

The English newspapers were equally gushing in praise of Liverpool's win with The Times declaring it "a result that will resonate through Europe and go down in the modern history of both clubs".

It's a beautiful world - Wednesday, March 11

Just when the antics of the Ashley Coles of this world make football fans want to turn their collective backs on a game seemingly full of rich, spoilt brats one of them does something to restore faith in humanity.

Former Heerenveen defender Erik Edman did just that when he returned money awarded to him as part of his move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2004 after admitting he made a mistake.

The 30-year-old Swede believed he was entitled to a portion of his transfer fee and was granted the money by a court after the Eredivisie club contested the claim.

Edman discovered two months ago the club had been right after all and has now given back the money.

"I was wrong. I was misguided," he said. "At that time I didn't know what kind of games are played in the football world. I have made a big mistake and I want to make up for that as much as possible."

Heerenveen director Yme Kuiper said: "Edman is very welcome at Heerenveen again."

UEFA missing the point - Thursday, March 12

Despite an Arsenal fan being stabbed by hooligans in Rome ahead of a Champions League match against AS Roma UEFA decided not to carry through with their empty threat of moving the final away from the Stadio Olimpico if the violence didn't stop.

In fact, UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said it would be more dangerous to move the May 9 showpiece to a different venue at such a late stage than to keep it in a city where football fans keep getting attacked.

"Moving to another place would probably put these arrangements in danger so it wouldn't be safer, it would be less safe," Gaillard babbled.

The UEFA suit added that European football's governing body was confident the final would be free from the violent instances that resulted in five Liverpool fans being stabbed in the city in 2001, three Middlesbrough fans stabbed in 2006, five Manchester United fans stabbed in 2007 and an Arsenal fan stabbed this week.

Given the well documented problems on European nights and the constant problems on a domestic level what the hell was UEFA thinking giving the final to Rome in the first place? What was wrong with Milan or Turin?