Should Cesc Fabregas (left), Mesut Ozil (center) and Mario Balotelli (right) have shown more respect?.

Am I the only one getting tired of all the stories involving unhappy, ungrateful, unappreciative footballers who whine and complain every time they want to change team?

“I wish I could play for this club. I wish I could play for that club. I am so unhappy where I am.”

The close season saw three transfer sagas filling the front pages of many of Europe’s sports newspapers, and I am honestly bored of them. No prizes for guessing what the first story is. It made the headlines for a solid month and it involved Cesc Fabregas' "dream" to return to Barcelona.

Now everyone has a right to want to go home, but let’s take a closer a look at the sequence of events involving the Spain midfielder.

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Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Pedro Pinto
Filed under: Football

Luke Donald plays his way out of a bunker at Whistling Straits at the PGA Championship on Friday. (Getty Images)

Kohler, Wisconsin (CNN) - I like Whistling Straits, home of this week's PGA Championship. It's not just that it looks spectacular either. Nestled along the rugged shores of Lake Michigan here in the beautiful state of Wisconsin, it's a privilege to say this is actually my second visit to this part of the world.

The course is about an hour's drive from Milwaukee where we're staying, and while it's quite a trek to get here it really is well worth it. It's not just that the people here are so warm and welcoming either. No, I think it's possibly something to do with the fact that, on seeing the course, I feel very much reminded of home.

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Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Patrick Snell
Filed under: Golf

Has Capello lost the plot?

London, England (CNN) - What has happened to soccer coach Fabio Capello? How could a man with the Italian's experience end the international career of an football icon such as David Beckham first, with an off-the-cuff remark to the world's press, and second, without having informed the player beforehand?

Beckham, love him or loathe him, surely has a record that deserved better treatment. The most capped outfield player in England's history (115 appearances), the midfielder, who was made captain in 2000, had played in three World Cups for his country.

In shirt sales alone, the 34-year-old must have contributed more to the Football Association's coffers than any other player, as Beckham's global fan base rivals the biggest superstars.

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Posted by: Ben Wyatt, CNN Digital Sport Producer
Filed under: Football

Fabio Capello needs more help from national football chiefs to produce a good England team.

Atlanta (CNN) - As the road to the 2012 European Championship begins with a ludicrously timed set of international friendlies that come too soon after the World Cup and too close to the start of the European club season, English football is in a quandary.

The English Premier League prides itself, rightly or wrongly, on being the best league in the world, yet the abject failure of the England team at the World Cup made it the laughing stock of the tournament. And it wasn’t just because Fabio Capello’s men underachieved, it was because so much of England’s failure was self-inflicted.

At club level, the physicality of the English game is unmatched. And, at the pace and intensity it demands, you just can’t play football for 11 months of the year and expect to stay fresh. But still, that’s what the England players are required to do, and will continue to do until the powerbrokers in the English game put aside their egos and mercenary mentalities.

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Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Terry Baddoo
Filed under: Football

Chelsea celebrated the Premier League-FA Cup double last season.

London, England (CNN) – As the start of the English Premier League season looms large, it is time to look at what we can expect to happen over the next nine months; to predict which side will vanquish all others to emerge victorious.

Well, I believe there are three main title contenders with two outsiders also harboring realistic hopes of glory. The leading contender for the crown this season is Manchester United.

They have the perfect balance of youth and experience and, after falling just short last season, I definitely think there is a new sense of purpose at Old Trafford.

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Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Pedro Pinto
Filed under: Football

Jose Mourinho is unlikely to tolerate a repeat of Real Madrid's recent failures in the Champions League. (AFP/Getty Images)

London, England (CNN) - Real Madrid last won a knockout tie in the Champions League in 2004. True story. The most successful club in the history of the European Cup, lifting the trophy nine times, has not even come close to winning the competition in the last six years. This despite the fact Los Blancos have spent hundreds of millions of dollars buying some of the best players on the planet under presidents Florentino Perez and Ramon Calderon.

That’s why Jose Mourinho has been hired. After season after season of galactico-caliber signings, Real realized that what they needed was a manager with a profile and an ego as large as the brightest stars shining at the Santiago Bernabeu.

As Real start their pre-season in the United States, I thought it was a good time to look at what we can expect from them this season.

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Posted by: CNN Sports Anchor, Pedro Pinto
Filed under: Football