34 years old... happy birthday Claudio Pizarro

Today is a special day for Claudio because is his birthday.

Is rightly considered one of the greatest players in Peruvian history and his country's finest ambassador on the European stage. His major tournament experience may be limited to a trio of Copa America campaigns, but he has still managed to display his gifts on a regular basis, first making a name for himself while at German side Werder Bremen. From there, he joined Bayern Munich and helped the club claim three league crowns and three German Cups, in addition to two League Cup victories. 

Short stays with Chelsea and Bremen followed before he returned to Bayern, where he recently won the German Super Cup and set a new benchmark for Bundesliga appearances by a foreign player.

The Yellow Submarine currently lie third in La Liga, eight points clear of fifth placed Sevilla, and are confident of securing a top four finish that

The Yellow Submarine currently lie third in La Liga, eight points clear of fifth placed Sevilla, and are confident of securing a top four finish that would qualify them for the Champions League.

Club president Fernando Roig has already started looking for player to bolster their squad for next season, with the club linked with the likes of Ruben de la Red and Edu Dracena in the last couple of weeks.

The latest player to be linked with a move to El Madrigal is Claudio Pizarro, who looks to be on his way out of Chelsea after just one season in the English capital.

Pizarro turned down offers from Villarreal and Werder Bremen to join Chelsea last summer, but has struggled to impose himself at Stamford Bridge, with the likes of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou ahead of him in the pecking order.

Villarreal are now ready to rekindle their interest in the Peruvian international, but could face a potential stumbling block due to his wage demands. Pizarro currently earns around €4million a season at Chelsea and would have to take a substantial drop in order to fall into Villarreal's budget.

If they can overcome that hurdle, then the arrival of Pizarro would surely spell the end of Guillermo Franco's time at Villarreal, with the Mexican international the player that was rumoured to be leaving when the Pizarro deal looked in the offing last summer.

Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfan Suspended from Peru's National Soccer Selection

Peru's 2010 World Cup Commission announced this evening that Santiago Acasiete, Andrés Mendoza, Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfan would be suspended from playing on Peru's National Soccer team until further notice.

Acasiete, Mendoza, Pizarro and Farfan are suspended from playing on the national selection for having broken standard regulations after the Brazil - Peru match on November 18, said Peru's World Cup Commission.

It was announced that the players would be suspended until an appropriate punishment had been established.

According to a report released by the commission, the players took part in a party with alcohol and women after the Brazil match and just days before Ecuador routed Peru 5-1.

Peru's World Cup Commission decided to open an investigation after Peruvian journalist, Jaime Bayly stated the players had taken part in a party on his interview show El Francotirador.

The World Cup Commission announced that its decision is being made on evidence provided by the hotel where Acasiete, Mendoza, Pizarro and Farfan were lodged, Hotel Golf Los Incas.

Pizarro sex sweat

SunSport revealed the striker was one of several players under investigation after allegations of an orgy in the team hotel ahead of a qualifier with Ecuador.

Peru football chiefs will formally name and shame three players who took part — and ban them from playing for their country.

Federation director Lander Aleman said: “Playes enjoyed a night of pleasure with women and alcohol. We have looked at photos and interrogated people who worked at the hotel.

“We have agreed three players will not return to the national team.

“They have betrayed the expectations and the faith of their manager Chemo Del Solar who is hurt as are 28million Peruvians for the treason of those players to their shirt and our national flag.”

As Peru Prepares for Brazil, Fans Feel Insulted by Claudio Pizarro

Claudio Pizarro, captain of Peru's national soccer team has affirmed that he will not apologize to fans of the national team, Universitario de Deportes - also known as "La U". Fans of national soccer teams have been given several nicknames, nicknames for La U fans range from Trinchera Norte to gallinas (hens).

When forward Claudio Pizarro stated that fans who booed him while on the soccer field were gallinas, it created an uproar among La U fans to the point that Pizarro was strongly insulted and provoked to fight when he arrived to Peru's airport on Monday evening.

"I never said La U fans were gallinas. Those that are offended, it's their problem. I was referring to a group of people that bother, but not the Trinchera Norte," said Pizarro. "I don't have to apologize to anyone."

Pizarro explained that the experience he had at the airport was uncomfortable and added that those involved were people that wanted to appear on television. He affirmed that those who insulted him while playing were gallinas, whether they were La U fans or not.

When asked about his match against Brazil, Pizarro stated he felt good. "I'm not at my best, like I'd like to be but I want to play and win. I want to do things better and concentrate on that."

Peru's soccer team is to go up against former FIFA World Cup champ Brazil in its third World Cup qualifier on Sunday November 18. Peru has not won a 2010 World Cup qualifier yet. The soccer game has been scheduled to begin at 4:15 p.m. local time.

Pizarro Vows To Be Stamford Bridge Star

The 28-year-old Peruvian has arrived from Bayern Munich on a free transfer, but while his striker counterparts cost more than £55m between them he is adamant that he can become the number one at Stamford Bridge.

"I am not here to be substitute for Drogba," said Pizarro.

"My dream is to be the No.1 striker at Chelsea. I'm not scared about having rivals for my place.

"Drogba and Andrei Shevchenko are superstars but Claudio Pizarro is not lame and I will compete with them."

It has been deemed that Pizarro has been signed to take the place of Drogba while the Ivory Coast striker is away at the African Nations Cup during the forthcoming season.

Juve Ahead Of Rangers For Pizarro?

The Daily Record claims that a meeting between Rangers boss Walter Smith and the player’s agent went well but that Juve could now come in with a bigger contract offer than the £45,000 a week the Scots have put on the table.

The newly-promoted Bianconeri are reportedly ready to offer the Bayern Munich striker £60,000 a week.

The Peruvian is out of contract this summer and will leave the Allianz Arena.

Valencia and Inter Milan are also interested in Pizarro, meaning the chances of Rangers signing him appear remote.

With Dado Prso and Stefan Klos leaving this summer, wages would have been freed up for the arrival of the former Werder Bremen star.

Bayern's Pizarro Reveals Italy Ambition

The Peruvian has been in good form for Bayern, this bringing about some serious interest from Juventus.

Other Italians clubs are also said to be interested, and the striker threw them all a bone each by speaking of his desire of plying his trade in Italy.

"Italy, if you want me, I am ready," declared Pizarro.

"My grandfather was from Turin and I have an Italian passport. Italy has always been part of me," he continued, in what will definitely have pleased Juventus.

However, he was not done, and had something for Roma and Inter as well: "Since I was small, Inter have always appealed to me, but to play for Roma with Totti would be wonderful."

The striker has reportedly told Bayern that he wants a fresh challenge, but the Bavarians want to make him wait at least until the summer. Unless, of course, something mouth-watering turns up!

Bayern’s Magath sings praises of two-goal hero Pizarro

Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath heaped praise on Claudio Pizarro after the Peru striker headed their first goal and added a spectacular long-range strike in Wednesday's 2-2 Champions League draw at Spartak Moscow.

Although Bayern remain Group B leaders, Magath lamented having to settle for a draw after a late Radoslav Kovac equaliser allowed Inter Milan to close the gap at the top of the group to two points with a 1-0 home win over Sporting Lisbon.

However, Bayern, with 11 points, need only draw with Inter in their final group game in Munich on Dec 5 to top the group.

The German side went behind to a swerving 16th-minute free kick by Ukraine international Maksim Kalinichenko – he first time skipper Oliver Kahn has had to pick the ball out of his net in this season's European campaign.

Pizarro struck back six minutes later with a glancing header from a cross by left back Christian Lell with Spartak's third-choice goalkeeper Alexsei Zuev rooted to his line.

The highlight of the match came in the 39th minute when Pizarro, surrounded by six Spartak players, unleashed a fierce 25m drive into the top corner of Zuev's goal.

“Those goals showed his qualities –he is a tough man to mark,” Magath said. “A headed goal and a 25m shot – it just goes to show that Claudio Pizarro can look for goal from almost any position.”

“What I missed in the second half was that, leading 2-1, we didn't control the ball and tried to score a third goal too quickly,” Magath said.

Peru suspend Pizarro after he misses Chile match

Peru suspended striker Claudio Pizarro indefinitely on Thursday saying he had broken soccer federation rules by failing to play in a friendly against Chile this month.

Pizarro returned to Germany to train for Bayern Munich, missing a second friendly with Chile in southern Peru on Oct. 11 which Chile won 1-0. Peru lost their away match with Chile 3-2 on Oct 7.

The player had said he had the full agreement of Peruvian football federation directors. The federation denies that he was given permission.

"The player is suspended from the national Peruvian football team," the federation said in a statement. "He returned (to Germany) without the permission of the coaches."

Pizarro, who angered Peruvians by not playing the second friendly, courted controversy on Tuesday by saying he would not play for his country as long as coach Franco Navarro was in charge.

Navarro, a former Peruvian international forward, took over as coach earlier this year and has failed to win any of his five games in charge.

Peru, who last played at the World Cup in 1982, have drawn with Trinidad & Tobago and Ecuador and lost at home to Panama as well as suffering the two defeats by Chile.

Claudio Pizarro's exit making waves after 3:2 loss to Chile

Peruvian football star Claudio Pizarro left the national team early after a 3:2 loss to Chile in a friendly Saturday night at the Chilean beach resort of Vina del Mar.

The striker, who plays his club football for German champion Bayern Munich, caused a stir when announcing before his arrival from Germany that he would only be available for the first of two friendlies against Chile. The rematch will be played on Wednesday at the Jorge Basadre stadium in Tacna. Pizarro reasoned that playing on Wednesday wouldn't give hime enough time to prepare for Munich's league match against Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

First speculation was that his German club had requested Pizarro's early return, which was not the case. The "bomber of the Andes" made the decision himself, it was on his own initiative, fearing he may lose his starting spot with a late arrival in Germany on Friday.

As a result Peruvian team manager Franco Navarro decided to leave Pizarro out of the starting line-up, bringing him only during the second half for the last half hour of the match. Pizarro did score the last goal of the game in the 83. minute. However, at the time Peru was already down to nine men after two earlier red cards and another send-off shortly after Pizarro's goal left the team even more decimated, basically eliminating the chance for a late equalizer.

While his teammates traveled to Peru's southern city of Tacna yesterday to prepare for Wednesday's match, Pizarro arrived in Lima on Sunday morning.

Even more irritating was the fact that Pizarro was seen at the Monterrico horse race track in the afternoon before boarding his flight back to Germany later that night.

"We knew we had Pizarro for only one match and for that reason I wanted to try other options. Leaving him out of the starting eleven was my decision. That he went to the race track yesterday is unbelievable", manager Navarro said.

The president of Peru's Football Federation (FPF), Manuel Burga, detailed yesterday that he will wait for the internal reports and make a decision on this subject on Thursday. He didn't rule out filing a complaint with FIFA after Pizarro's abandonment. It is likely that Saturday's game may have been Pizarro's last as the team's captain. There's also the possibility that the twenty-eight year old may have played his last game for Peru's national selection.

Paolo Guerrero, fellow striker and teammate on the „Blanquirroja“ who plays for German rival Hamburger SV, stayed with the team even though his next Bundesliga game is also on Saturday at the exactly the same time.

Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro busted again for DUI

Peruvian soccer star Claudio Pizarro was caught while "driving under the influence" (DUI) of alcohol after an apparent visit to Munich's "Oktoberfest".
A breathalyzer test revealed a blood alcohol content of o.11 percent. The legal limit in Germany is 0.05 percent. His driver's license was suspended and he will face a hefty fine.

He will also be put under put under a series of psychological evaluations known in Germany as the "test for idiots", before he may get his license back.

Pizarro is a repeat offender; the last time he was charged with a DUI was only 10 months ago.

Before

The incident will also have financial consequences. His employer, German club Bayern Munich, annonced that they will impose an additional fine.

"We will handle this as usual", manager Uli Hoeness told members of the media before the team's departure to Milan, Italy, where they will face Inter for their second Champions League match on Wednesday.

Coach Felix Magath, on the other hand, said that he doesn't plan any sanctions on the playing field. "From my point of view, there won't be any consequences", he said.
"However, this is really an awkward situation since it happened for the second time. We will discuss this subject internally".

Life Without Ballack Begins

HISTORY. Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga title for the sixth title in the last eight years and 20th time overall. It also won the German Cup to capture its third double in the last four seasons.

CHAMPIONSHIP RUN. A fast start %97 six straight wins to open the season and 14 wins, two ties and only one loss at the halfway mark %97 put Bayern in the driver's seat.

Dutchman Roy Makaay and Peruvian Claudio Pizarro combined for 28 goals. In his last season at Bayern before joining Chelsea, Michael Ballack scored 14 goals.

Bayern's season wasn't all positive. Goalie Oliver Kahn made a series of errors that would result in Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann picking Arsenal's Jens Lehmann over Kahn to start at the World Cup. Young midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was wrongly accused by a German publication of being part of an illegal betting operation.

NEXT SEASON. Ballack left for Chelsea on a free transfer, but Bayern coach Felix Magath feels Ballack's departure could actually make Bayern less reliant on providing crosses to the middle.

Bayern quickly moved to tie its other players up to long-term contracts. Kahn will remain at Bayern through 2008, Brazilian star Lucio, Paraguayan Roque Santa Cruz and Argentine Martin Demichelis re-signed through 2009, Frenchman Willie Sagnol got an extension through 2010.

Bayern's major pre-World Cup transfer was that of Lukas Podolski. The 21-year-old striker left FC Cologne to be reunited with Schweinsteiger, his best friend on the Germany national team.

Makaay heads Bayern Munich roster vs. Red Bulls

Dutch striker Roy Makaay was among the 14 players Bayern Munich put on its roster for an exhibition game against the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer at Giants Stadium on Saturday.

Makaay scored 17 goals this past season as Bayern Munich won the German Bundesliga with a 22-3-9 record.

Peruvian forward Claudio Pizarro who had 14 goals this past season, two-time German World Cup defender Jens Jeremies and French World Cup defender Bixente Lizarazu also are expected to play in the game, scheduled for noon.

Lizarazu was a teammate of Red Bulls midfielder Youri Djorkaeff on the 1998 French World Cup championship squad.

Also on Bayern Munich's roster are goalkeeper Bernd Dreher, defenders Georg Niedermeier and Stephan Fuerstner, midfielders Sebastian Deisler, Andreas Ottl, Hasan Salihamidzic, Mehmet Scholl, Markus Steinhofer, Rainer Storhas and forward Paulo Guererro.

Bayern Munich wins 13th German Cup

Claudio Pizarro's header in the 59th minute gave Bayern Munich its 13th German Cup title Saturday with a 1-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern's target is to become the first German team to repeat the domestic double. In the Bundesliga, Bayern has a five-point lead with three games remaining.

The goal by Pizarro, who outjumped two defenders to Ze Roberto's corner, ended booing from 63,000 spectators. For much of the match, the favourites struggled against their relegation-threatened Bundesliga rival.

"Frankfurt had nothing to lose, but we didn't play well, I have to say that. But it's one more title," Bayern midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic said.

Bayern survived a scare in the 88th minute from Frankfurt's Greek forward, Ioannis Amanatidis. His shot off a corner through a crowd of players forced goalkeeper Oliver Kahn into a late one-handed save.

"I didn't see a thing, there were four or five players in front of me. It was instinct - I had that little luck that it came where it did," Kahn said.

Kahn became the first player to win the German Cup five times. Bayern, which also has 19 German league titles, has won all but two of its 15 appearances in the final.

Frankfurt, which claimed four German Cups between 1974 and 1988, earned a spot in the UEFA Cup despite the loss. Bayern will give up the berth which comes with its latest title to play the Champions League next season.

During a sluggish first half, Amanatidis wasted a good chance and Bayern forward Roy Makaay put a shot left of the open goal after 'keeper Oka Nikolov ran out and misjudged Willie Sagnol's cross.

Nikolov made amends in the 48th when he handed Makaay's powerful volley over the crossbar.

Makaay's attempt came in the midst of several chances by Bayern to start the half, but the Bundesliga leader had trouble moving the ball until Pizarro's fifth goal in the competition.

At times, it was hard to see any difference between Bayern and the 13th-placed side, one of the Bundesliga's youngest teams. Bayern is also having trouble scoring regular wins in the league.

"We just aren't playing well at the moment," said Bayern defender Valerien Ismael.

The German Cup is usually held after the season, but was moved forward because of the World Cup.

Bayern reaches German Cup final on Pizarro goals

Claudio Pizarro scored two late goals and Bayern Munich prevailed over stubborn third-division St. Pauli 3-0 on Wednesday, sending the Bundesliga leader into the German Cup final.

Owen Hargreaves drove the ball home with a curling, dipping shot from nearly 30 meters after 15 minutes, and Pizarro secured the victory with goals in the 83rd and 89th.

In the final in Berlin on April 29, Bayern will play Eintracht Frankfurt, which beat Arminia Bielefeld 1-0 on Tuesday.

Bayern is seeking to become the first German club to repeat the domestic double.

St. Pauli, a club from Hamburg's red-light district with a cult following, had more shots on goal in the first half, although Bayern had more possession.

Early in the second half, Oliver Kahn made a spectacular save on the line to turn away a powerful header by Felix Luz and protect Bayern's lead.

Bayern withstood a 10-minute barrage without conceding a goal against a club whose total annual budget equals the salary of an average Bayern player, about euro3.5 million (US$4.2 million).

The 19-time league and 12-time cup champion then replied with its own pressure, resulting in Philipp Lahm's effort, which struck the post from the edge of the box.

With 10 minutes remaining, striker Roy Makaay closed in alone on St. Pauli's goal only to shoot over the bar.

But the St. Pauli defense failed to clear a corner in the 83rd and Pizarro converted from close range. The striker added another six minutes later.

Bayern Munich advance to cup final

Bayern Munich join Eintracht Frankfurt in the final of the German DFB Pokal following a 0-3 win at Sankt Pauli.

St. Pauli, currently fifth in the north German regional league, could not compete with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.

Owen Hargreaves broke the deadlock for the Bavarians after fifteen minutes, and Claudio Pizarro added another two goals in the 84th and 89th.

Bayern are to meet with Eintracht Frankfurt, who defeated Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday.

Schalke's title hopes over

Hasan Salihamidzic, Claudio Pizarro and Roy Makaay led a concerted Bayern effort against the team with the league's best record since the winter break.

Bayern, which restored its six-point lead in the league, was fighting a three-match winless streak which had allowed Hamburger SV to close to three points Saturday.

After a dismal first half controlled by two of the league's top defences, Bayern charged out of the locker-room to hand third-place Schalke its first Bundesliga loss under coach Mirko Slomka, who is 9-2-1 since he took over.

"The last matches had hurt our self-confidence, you could see that. We were nervous at first," Bayern coach Felix Magath said. "But the 1-0 freed us up and I think we played a pretty good match after that."

Bayern, cheered on by 60,000 at its Allianz Arena, took advantage of its first scoring chance. In the 48th minute, an unmarked Salihamidzic headed in Willie Sagnol's free kick as Schalke defender Marcelo Bordon arrived a step late to cover for someone's mistake.

In the 56th minute, Pizarro went through on a pass by Makaay and coolly chipped past the goialkeeper. When Schalke defender Mladen Krstajic tried to dribble the ball in the 89th, Makaay stole it for an easy third goal.

Schalke, after a good first 15 minutes, faded three days after reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

"The longer the match went, the more we lost our way. Maybe we just weren't fresh," Schalke midfielder Fabian Ernst said.

Also Sunday, Hertha Berlin edged Bielefeld 1-0 to take sixth place.

On Saturday, it was: Hannover 96 1, FC Cologne 0; Eintracht Frankfurt 5, Duisburg 2; Wolfsburg 0, Hamburger SV 1; Borussia Dortmund 2, Kaiserslautern 1; FC Nuremberg 3, Werder Bremen 1; Borussia Moenchengladbach 1, Stuttgart 1; and Bayer Leverkusen 1, Mainz 0

Veru Good Claudio Pizarro

Claudio Pizarro completed the scoring as Bayern put the frustration of their midweek Champions League draw against AC Milan behind them.

Bayern lead the table with 58 points from 23 matches while Werder Bremen moved into second place, nine points adrift, after a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Third-placed Hamburg SV host VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.

Guerrero sent Bayern on their way with a 21st minute effort but Christoph Preuss equalized after 32 minutes.

Ballack restored Bayern's lead a minute later and Guerrero grabbed his second three minutes before the interval.

Ballack notched his second after 62 minutes and although Alexander Meier struck again for Frankfurt with six minutes left, Bayern again responded within a minute, through Pizarro.

Pizarro grabs extra-time cup glory

Peruvian strikers Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero staged a rescue mission to send Bayern Munich through to the German Cup semi-finals with a 3-2 extra-time win over Mainz on Tuesday.

Holders Bayern fell behind to a Mohamed Zidan penalty in the 21st minute and took a long time to get going in the first game back after Germany's long mid-season break.

Pizarro grabbed an equaliser with a close-range header nine minutes from time and Guerrero glanced in another header in the fourth minute of extra-time to put Bayern ahead.

Petr Ruman scored with a sweet volley to equalise for Mainz in the first minute after the re-start before Pizarro clinched victory for Bayern five minutes from time with a 25-metre shot that went in off a post.

Werder Bremen are away to third division St Pauli, TSV 1860 Munich host Eintracht Frankfurt and Arminia Bielefeld are at home to Kickers Offenbach in the three remaining ties on Wednesday.

Bayern, who hold a six-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga, return to league action with an away match against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.

Reds survive stern test in Tehran

Weary from a week's punishing mid-season training in Dubai, Bayern will be pleased enough with a 2-1 win against lively Iranian cracks Perspolis in capital city Tehran on Friday.

Twenty-two of the Munich stars gained useful mid-season match practice as coach Felix Magath sent out different line-ups for each half of the friendly meeting with the serial Iranian champions.

The local media swarmed around former Perspolis hero Ali Karimi at the Asadi stadium beforehand, and the first half witnessed a family duel on the pitch as Ali's brother Fahid took over in goal for the home side a short time into the game.

Home side in determined mood

Roared on by the fanatical crowd and inspired by the consistently excellent Javad Kazemian, Perspolis poured forward at the start, forcing Olli Kahn into a couple of sharp early saves.

Valerien Ismael volleyed just wide on the quarter hour, but it came as no surprise when Ali Ansarian put the home side ahead from the penalty spot after Ismael was adjudged to have fouled Kazemian on 26 minutes.

The opener served as a wake-up call for the visitors and Michael Ballack rose to glance Zé Roberto's flighted free-kick past Fahid Karimi and level on 35 minutes.

Paolo on target

Chances arrived at both ends in an increasingly entertaining phase before the interval. Ansarian hit the bar with Kahn stranded, but Bayern raced up the other end and Paolo Guerrero put his side in front with a shot on the turn from Philipp Lahm's weighted pass a minute from half-time.

Zé Roberto spurned a glorious opening created by Ali Karimi's clever flick, but that was that for the attacking duo as – literally – a totally different Munich side appeared for the second half.

The line-up after the interval produced Bayern's best spell of the game in the run-up to the hour in response to the promptings of Mehmet Scholl and Sebastian Deisler, but Claudio Pizarro and Roy Makaay missed good opportunities, before Scholl amazingly directed a shot from three yards directly at prone keeper Karimi with the goal gaping.

Scholl adds impulse

The netminder then thanked his lucky stars when Scholl's 63rd minute free-kick rebounded from the post and his back but failed to cross the line.

With the pitch cutting up and Red legs increasingly heavy, the defensive triangle of Owen Hargreaves and centre-halves Andreas Ottl and Martin Demichelis focused on keeping the home side at bay, with second half keeper Michael Rensing pulling off a couple of neat saves to preserve the victory.

WINNING START TO YEAR FOR BAYERN

Bayern Munich began 2006 as they ended 2005 with another win, this time a 4-1 success over third division side Rot-Weiss Erfurt in a friendly.

Over 18,000 fans turned up to see the defending Bundesliga champions in their first game of the new year before the Bavarians leave for a training camp in Dubai.

Claudio Pizarro continued his rich vein of form from the end of last year with two goals while Valerien Ismael and Paolo Guerrero were also on target.

New signing Julio dos Santos missed the game as he spent much of the day sorting out his application for a Spanish passport, but he will join the squad in Dubai.

The Paraguayan midfielder has been handed the number 19 shirt with Bayern and will train with the rest of the squad for the first time on Friday morning.

Good

Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday to strengthen their grip on the Bundesliga going into the six-week mid-season break.

Victory in the last round of matches in 2005 increased Bayern's lead to six points over Hamburg SV, who were held to a 1-1 draw at third-placed Werder Bremen on Sunday.

Iran midfielder Ali Karimi and Peru striker Claudio Pizarro struck for Bayern before Florian Kringe pulled one back for Dortmund with a header.

Dortmund had defender Kosi Saka sent off a minute from time for clipping the heels of Roy Makaay on a run towards goal.

Fourth-placed Schalke 04 lost further ground when they went down 2-0 at VfB Stuttgart in their first match since coach Ralf Rangnick was fired.

Karimi's Bayern Future In Doubt?

It has been suggested that Dos Santos may be groomed to step in for Captain Michael Ballack should he decide to leave. Dos Santos’ arrival, however, increases the club’s non-European contingent to five, one over the four permitted by UEFA. This raises questions about Iranian midfielder/striker Ali Karimi’s future in Bavaria.

Karimi’s contract with Bayern runs through June of 2006 with an option to extend. With midfielders Owen Hargreaves, Martin Demichelis, and Sebastian Deisler and strikers Roque Santa Cruz, Claudio Pizarro, Roy Makaay, and Jose Paolo Guerrero all signed to contracts running through 2006, it will be interesting to see if the club will exercise their option.

Earlier this week there were rumours that Karimi may me loaned to FC Koln. Karimi’s agent, however, was quick to dismiss the rumors.

Although Karimi has been very involved in Bayern’s Bundesliga and European success this year, some suggest that he may not have lived up to the club’s high expectations.

Club Brugge 1 Bayern Munich 1

Bayern Munich missed the opportunity to finish top of Champions League Group A as they were held to a draw by Club Brugge on Wednesday night.

With Juventus defeating Rapid Vienna 3-1, Bayern dropped to second in the group but could have few complaints as they failed to do enough to break down a resilient Brugge side.

Claudio Pizarro put Bayern ahead after 21 minutes, but that goal was cancelled out 10 minutes later by Javier Portillo's wonder-strike.

Although Bayern had the better of the chances, Brugge never looked in too much danger and they held on for a point with the side already assured of a place in the UEFA Cup.

Bayern's aim for the game was to at least equal the result of Juventus in Vienna, while Brugge were simply looking for a positive performance with their future in the Champions League already over.

The visitors began the game brighter and got the goal they were looking for after 21 minutes.

Sebastian Deisler has scored in Bayern's last three Champions League games, but he was the provider this time as Pizarro maintained his excellent recent form with the opener.

The Peruvian needed just a delicate back-header to deflect Deisler's in-swinging free-kick past Tomislav Butina and into the back of the net.

Another Deisler free-kick shortly afterwards almost yielded the same result, although Martin Demichelis was off-target with his header.

Brugge did not seem too concerned at being one down and not too intent either on searching for an equaliser, until Portillo grabbed a goal out of nothing.

The Spanish midfielder cut in from the left but appeared to be causing no danger with Deisler in close attendance.

But having shifted the ball to his right foot, Portillo curled the ball past Deisler and beyond the reach of Oliver Kahn into the far corner from almost 25 yards out.

Magath brought Ze Roberto and Paolo Guerrero into the fray at half-time to try and inject a bit of life into his side and the tactical change almost paid immediate dividends with the fresh legs combining well down the left.

A one-two between the two substitutes gave Guerrero room to move into the box, but having taken play to the goalline, there was nobody he could pull the ball back to.

An accidental elbow to the cheek from team-mate Demichelis forced Owen Hargreaves to leave the field next as Magath was forced to play his last card early with Bastian Schweinsteiger coming on with over 20 minutes remaining.

Pizarro struck the crossbar from 25 yards as Bayern began to raise the tempo in search of a winner.

Schweinsteiger fired over the bar from six yards out and Deisler tested Butina with a curling effort from just inside the area.

As the clock ticked down, Guerrero raced through and thought he had put Bayern ahead, but time had actually run out with referee Laurent Duhamel blowing for time mid-way through the Peruvian's sprint in on goal.

Duhamel stood by his decision despite the Bayern protests, although the goal would have only changed the result and not the fact the German champions will finish the group second behind Juventus.

BAYERN FIRE BLANKS

Stuttgart held Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to a goalless draw at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium on Saturday.

On the return of Michael Ballack to the Bayern first team after injury, it was another midfielder who made the headlines.

Sebastian Deisler was shown a red card three minutes before the interval for violent conduct after a clash with Ludovic Magnin in an ill-tempered game.

Neither side created many openings and 10-man Bayern held on for a draw which, with Hamburg beating Cologne, sees their lead at the Bundesliga cut to four points .

The 10th draw of the season for the home side means coach Giovanni Trapattoni will now fail to fulfil his latest ultimatum.

The Italian coach was set a target of 10 points from the final five Bundesliga fixtures of the year, but three consecutive draws means he can now only make eight.

But the performance of his side against the defending champions should have done enough to convince the Stuttgart board to stick with him.

Stuttgart strikers Jon Dahl Tomasson and Danijel Ljuboja both had chances in the first half, but a block from Valerien Ismael and save from Oliver Kahn ensured neither went in.

Michael Ballack almost marked his return after almost four weeks out injured with a goal in the 27th minute, but Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand was equal to his long-distance effort.

As the sides were preparing to go into the interval all-square, Deisler lost his temper and earned a head start on his team mates into the dressing room.

The Germany international became entangled with Magnin and reacted by lashing out with his leg at the Swiss midfielder, leaving referee Markus Merk no other choice but to brandish a red card.

Both sides created several small chances in the second half with Zvonimir Soldo coming close on two occasions for the home side and Hargreaves trying his luck from distance.

But the closest either team came to breaking the deadlock was in the very last minute, when Claudio Pizarro almost stole the points for Bayern.

The Peruvian striker, who earned Bayern a 2-1 win over Bielefeld on their last trip away with an injury-time strike, almost emulated that feat with a shot from distance.

Hildebrand was happy to see the shot miss his post by a matter of centimetres, however.

Newspaper has got it wrong

A Munich daily led on Wednesday with the news that Claudio Pizarro was stopped by police while driving home on Saturday night. The report went on to claim the Peruvian was found to have a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal maximum.

"The report is wrong, it was a much lower reading," Pizarro stated on Wednesday. The striker is likely to pay a fine, but will be handed nowhere near the nine-month ban mooted by the newspaper.

Bayern coach Felix Magath had been informed that the players planned to go out on the Saturday evening before a day off on Sunday, when Olli Kahn and company made their annual pre-Christmas visits to selected fan clubs

Peruvian late show keeps Bayern clear at top

Claudio Pizarro snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to keep Bayern Munich five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga after a 2-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld.

The Peruvian netted twice inside the last 10 minutes after Isaac Boakye had put Arminia Bielefeld on the way to what looked like being a famous victory.

Pizarro's 82nd-minute equaliser was classic Bayern, sweeping home from a clinical counter-attack, but his second owed everything to a stoppage-time blunder from Heiko Westermann.

The first half brought little clue of the drama to unfold as both sides failed to carve out a significant opening.

Pizarro sent a 30-yard blast over the bar in the second minute before Mathias Hain dealt easily with a Roy Makaay free-kick.

A low shot from Lucio also failed to threaten the Bielefeld keeper, who was barely tested in the opening period.

Bielefeld saw a penalty appeal waved away half-an-hour in when Sibusiso Zuma's spectacular run was ended by Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn - the referee indicating the South African had lost his footing.

Bayern introduced Sebastian Deisler for the disappointing Bastian Schweinsteiger at half-time but it was the hosts who broke the deadlock thanks to the dynamic duo of Zuma and Boakye, with the latter firing home Zuma's clever cut-back.

Kahn needed all his agility to stop Zuma bagging a goal for himself, a save that proved crucial as Bayern gained a foothold in the game - although Willy Sagnol almost put through his own net.

The champions' pressure eventually told, as Paolo Guerrero burst down the right flank before chipping a cross to Pizarro, whose low shot gave Hain no chance.

However, the keeper did himself proud with a brilliant reflex save from Pizarro's header but he was again helpless in the 92nd minute when Westermann gifted the ball to Guerrero whose deflected shot landed right at the feet of Pizarro, who couldn't miss.

Awarded by Fox Sports

Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro will be awarded as the best latin american player by the broadcaster FOX Sports, in a ceremony that will take place in Miami, on december 5th.

Fox based the election in a poll where public voted in the Internet. Pizarro's achievement is remarkable because he won over all the argentinian players that successfully perform in Europe. In the candidates list there were no brazilian included.

Pizarro arrived at Bayern in 2001 and has scored more than 74 goals already.

Congratulations Claudio.

Golden Pair

Former Bremen player Claudio Pizarro then stole the show with the Peruvian international putting Bayern ahead on 34 minutes and then showing great skill to set up strike partner Roy Makaay 10 minutes later.
Claudio Pizarro and Roy Makaay then both netted to give Bayern a 3-1 lead at half-time, an advantage they defended throughout the second half.

It Will Enter

Capello has decisions to make after the Milan debacle. Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati has a minor knee ailment but may not be preferred to Antonio Chimenti after his howler in Munich. Patrick Vieira will start and resume his midfield partnership with Emerson.

With Roque Santa Cruz out for the rest of the season with cruciate knee ligament damage, Bayern will turn to Peruvian Claudio Pizarro for goals. "We saw enough from Claudio in Köln on Saturday to be confident he’s heading in the right direction," said defender Wily Sagnol before the game. However, with doubts remaining about the current state of the Bayern frontline, the Germans will be hoping that midfielders such as Michael Ballack and Martin Demichelis can weigh in from deeper positions.


POSSIBLE LINE-UPS

Juventus: Chimenti; Blasi, Thuram, F. Cannavaro, Zambrotta; Camoranesi, Vieira, Emerson, Nedved; Ibrahimovic, Trezeguet.

Bayern: Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Ismael, Schweinsteiger; Demichelis; Deisler, Zé Roberto - Ballack; Makaay, Pizarro.

Pizzarro to play against Juventus

Peruvian Claudio Pizarro trained yesterday in the attack strategy of Bayern Múnich, to be prepared for his complicated encounter with italian Juventus in the Group B of the Champions League. Pizarro didn't score in the last Bundesliga match, but he had a good performance. Coach Felix Magath confirmed the Peruvian inclusion after tSanta Cruz's serious injury, who will be out for several months. In the practice of yesterday, previous to the trip to Italy, the German team also used Paolo Guerrero as an alternative in attack, although it's not sure that he could reappear in the first squad. The DT Magath has posposed it.

Biography

Claudio Miguel Pizarro Bossio, was born 03 an October of 1978 in Callao, Peru. More well-known as the "Bomber of the Andes", "The Commander", "The Inca God" and "Incakaiser". He weighs 79 kilograms and is 1,85 mts. tall. He made his professional debut on March 26, 1996 (Depertivo Pesquero 0 - AlianzaLima 2). Pizarro played in Deportivo Pesquero, Alianza Lima (Peru), Werder Bremen (Germany) and at the moment he's part of Bayern Munich (Germany) dressing the number 14 jersey.

Since he arrived to Germany, Pizarro has won the Titles of the Bundesliga and the Intercontinental Cup, with the Bayern. In Peru, he was champion of the Apertura Tournament in 1999 with Alianza Lima.