A diamond earring valued at $8,000 that belonged to Maradona was auctioned off by the Italian tax police in January and sold for $36,400 to an unnamed "lady in red." There was much speculation as to who the woman was and if she acted on behalf of someone else. Well, now we know. Says Palermo striker Fabrizio Miccoli:

"Maradona's earring is mine. I was the one behind 'the lady in red' at the auction."

Thankfully he said "the one behind" and not "I was the lady in red" or else there probably would have been a Fat Ronaldo angle to this story, as well.

Miccoli, who is such a big Maradona fan that he even named his son Diego, reportedly wore the earring during Palermo's 3-1 win over Lazio on Sunday, in which he scored from a penalty kick. No word on if Miccoli's developed a mysteriously itchy nose after wearing it, though. 

(And yes, you are looking at the worst photoshop job of all time. Drink it in.)

"Last season, [Manchester] United didn't win against any of the big four and they won the league, so it shows anything can happen."

That's what Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner told the London Evening Standard in an effort to prove that his side still has a chance at the title, despite being six points behind Chelsea and losing all four matches against the top two teams this season.

The only problem is that his statement isn't really true.

Although Man United did struggle against Big Four opponents, it managed a win over Chelsea and draws against both them and Arsenal. So, where Arsenal pulled exactly zero points against their "Big Three" opponents, Man United pulled five. 

And with that harsh reality revealed, I think we should stop. Because also telling him that Santa Claus doesn't exist all in the same post could be severely damaging to the young man. 

Photo: AP

A giant statue of Cristiano Ronaldo was erected in Madrid's historic Plaza de Ramales for a commercial shoot that just might be the most accurate physical manifestation of his ego to date. I mean, just look at the facial expression on that thing. You can see the overpowering self-confidence of it from space.

The only problem is that without the spray-tan it's hard to say that it's an entirely accurate representation of him. 

More photos at Marca

Well hello there.

I see you've caught me celebrating the goal I scored last weekend by holding this fine cigar and exposing my chest to you. Surely by seeing this, it's almost more of a celebration for your sparkling eyes. Ha-HA!

Anyway, I'm going to assume you witnessed my wonderful goal against Everton on Saturday. It's something I like to do sometimes. It was also the only goal scored for Manchester United, the team for which I star. Not even Rooney could score a goal against them, so clearly I am much more talented than Wayne. Ha-HA! ... Yes, I'm aware how many more goals he has than me this season, but I'm deeming that irrelevant. Also, his receding hairline isn't nearly as perfect as mine.

My tremendous ability and occasional effort aside, how about this exquisite painting of a pony on the wall behind me? It's really is quite nice, isn't it? ... Ha-HA! Finally, we agree on something. Now. Would you still find it just as lovely if I told you that my cousin Timitar Berbatov painted it with only his tongue and a few other body parts? ... Alright, then forget I said that and just let yourself melt under the seductive gaze I'm giving you. And don't mind Timitar as he videotapes us from inside the closet behind you...

Oh-OHHH! The ash from the cigar has burned a hole in my pants! Oh, I borrowed these from Nemanja Vidic without telling him, too. Oh, this is terrible. This is really, really terrible. Stop taping, Timitar. The mayonnaise-filled goal celebration party is canceled.

Join us again next time for another chapter in the life of...The Continental...

Photo: OK Magazine 

Swansea's Gorka Pintado fully earned a straight red for his atrocious tackle on Robbie Savage in his side's 1-0 win over Derby County on Saturday. After the match, Savage expressed just how bad it was:

"That was a career-ending tackle without a doubt - and I think he did it on purpose.

"I heard him coming, if I hadn't seen him and I was planted, I'd have broken my leg. I don't know what he was doing, probably looking to make a name for himself.

"It's a man's game, I expect tackles, but not as bad as that. It was a ridiculous, idiotic challenge, not just two-footed, it was a lunge. Now he gets a three-match ban - I hope he appeals and gets another one."

Of course, this is nothing new for Robbie. He's been abused by everyone from referees, to teammates, to errant balls in games he wasn't even playing in. And yet, his football karma tally may still be tipped against him. 

Video via Off The Post

After opening the scoring in Real Madrid's 6-2 win over Villarreal on Sunday with a beautiful free kick, Cristiano Ronaldo lifted his jersey to reveal a hand-written "Madeira" on his undershirt, a gesture in reference to the flash floods that have killed 42 on the Portuguese island where Ronaldo grew up. 

Recently, Ronaldo spoke about his childhood there, saying:

"I would leave school, drop my things off at home and then go play with older kids. They always called me a cry baby because I would cry if I lost."

And on his days at Sporting CP, where he got his start:

"When I arrived in Lisbon, where there were so many cars and people, I thought I was in another country.

"The ball got away from me in my first training session, but I kept my cool, but after three or four touches, the coaches saw that I was in a different class."

After saying that, he took a horn out of his pocket and squeezed it repeatedly. 

Source: Sky Sports