Also appearing on a computer near you…

Cartoon exclusively for The Spoiler, courtesy of Chris at Studs Up

Rio Ferdinand has Gordon Brown on speed dial
[Guardian]

The January sales club-by-club guide
[BBC]

Why WERE Arsenal allowed to bust the transfer deadline for Arshavin? [Why HAVE they capitalised ‘WERE’?]
[Daily Mail]

The Tough Guy Challenge looks like fun
[WithLeather]

The US Olympic Committee is suing a strip club for holding the ‘Pole Olympics’
[SportsByBrooks]

David Moyes: “Refs favour Liverpool”
[Football365]

WAG Chantelle Houghton is there for Jermain Defoe
[MRWF]

Were you paying attention this year? Find out here!

John McCain, Jonathan Ross and anyone involved in the world banking system may not agree, but 2008 has been a fantastic year. We saw a brilliant European Championships tournament (unencumbered by the inevitable disappointment of seeing England crash out), a thrilling Champions League campaign, and we are currently witnessing one of the most exciting Premier League seasons since its inception.

Away from the field, we’ve seen countless incidents of players disgracing themselves in nightclubs, Cristiano Ronaldo has put away more WAGs than anyone thought possible, and a website that tells you everything you need to know about the beautiful game experienced its first year in business.

In celebration of all things football in 2008, we’ve lovingly compiled a quiz that should separate the Porfessor Wengers from the Alan Smiths out there. Have a crack at it, try not to cheat and please send it to a friend if you enjoy it…

1. Carlisle, Derby, Southampton, Sunderland, Stoke – whose career path is this?

2. Name the four Euro 2008 semi-finalists.

3. In January, Ashley Cole allegedly cheated on his ridiculously good looking wife with a ropey hairdresser – name her.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon D’or this year – who came second and third?

5. Which randy Italian said this in his autobiography?

“I was engaged four times in eleven years, and I experienced some adventures. I slept with between 600 and 700 girls, 20 of whom belong to the world of the show business.”

6. David Beckham played his second season at the LA Galaxy this year. Where do they play their home games?

7. Which three players missed penalties in the 2008 Champions League final?

8. Who did Manchester Utd beat at the Champions League semi-final stage to reach Moscow?

9. Who wears number 26 at Arsenal?

10. West Ham are now sponsored by SBOBET. Name their last two shirt sponsors.

11. Kaiserslautern, Bradford, Middlesbrough, Fulham – whose career path is this?

12. As of Christmas Day, who was Gareth Bale’s last league win against?

13. Who was the first Premier League managerial sacking of the calendar year?

14. Jimmy Bullard made the England squad for two World Cup qualifiers this year. Who were the opponents in these games?

15. Who is this Euro 2008 star?

16. Who said this in August?

‘I will never stay to live in England, that’s for sure.’

‘The climate here is something special! You get only a brief glimpse of sunlight before it’s all cloudy again. The winters are mild but in summer the temperatures seldom go higher than 20 degrees Celsius. And it rains, rains, rains!

‘In England they say that Manchester is the city of rain. Its main attraction is considered to be a timetable at the railway station where trains leave for other, less rainy cities!’

17. Who won the men’s football tournament at the Summer Olympic Games?

18. Which two WAGs appeared on this year’s I’m a Celebrity?

19. Against which side did Avram Grant play his final league game as Chelsea manager?

20. Bayern Munich, Newcastle, Liverpool, Bolton, Manchester City - whose career path is this?

21. Which Liverpool star proposed to his fiance in a graveyard?

22. The final day of the 2007/08 season saw an 8-1 scoreline, name the two teams involved.

23. An Arsenal player scored the first goal of the 2008/09 season. Name him.

24. Who won November’s Manager of the Month prize?

25. Who is West Brom’s kit manufacturer?

26. Who is this?

27. Who scored the only goal of the 2008 FA Cup final?

28. Which Brazilian said this?

“I couldn’t have got any fatter, I was running out of clothes.”

29. West Ham, Millwall (loan), Chelsea, Portsmouth - whose career path is this?

30. Cristiano Ronaldo finished the 2007/08 season as Premier League top scorer - exactly how many league goals did he get to earn him that honour?

See how you did by checking the answers after the jump…

Also appearing on a computer near you…

WithLeather discover the most fantastically useless invention ever: the Treadmobile

London 2012 bosses are desperately trying to stop the Olympics plunging us further into financial turmoil
[SportsByBrooks]

After wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds of Newcastle’s wage bill, Poor little lamb Joey Barton out injured for two months
[Football365]

Michael Ballack won’t face England this week, but is all set to play for Chelsea on Saturday. Hmmm…
[Bild]

Arsenal aren’t the only ones having doubts about their manager - Bernd Schuster’s Real madrid days are numbered
[Dirty Tackle]

Rant: Alan Hansen and co are horrible pundits
[Soccerlens]

Former Jermain Defoe lovers Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and Charlotte Mears flee violence at a London awards ceremony
[Daily Mail]

The ten best teenage footballers in the world
[Caught Offside]

The top 10 girls of the 2008 F1 season
[Grid Crasher]

Sexy bonus: photo coverage of last week’s “Most Beautiful Bottom in the World” contest
[The Aussie Daily Telegraph]

This is a legal move, apparently

Remmeber the summer? The nights were longer, everybody had an opinion on this woman and the Olympic Games were in full swing. Allow The Spoiler to jog those treasured memories in Beijing with a passionate display of sportsmanship from a few chaps in leotards.

Click here to see the full Sporno gallery

Beijing’s hot javelin thrower is back

Pollution, terrible food and Spanish racists may have stolen the headlines at the Olympic Games, but one lady certainly stole our hearts: Javelin star and Miss Paraguay contestant Leryn Franco.

Aside from the rumour that she was at it with Novak Djokovic, the sexiest thing to ever throw a spear has been notably absent from the radar since the summer. Machochip, however, have uncovered a video that conveys her ability to wear a bikini while having ice cold water poured all over her. Good work, amigos.

More newly discovered pics of Leryn after the jump…

Meet the sexy half of Germany’s latest sporting couple

If you thought Allison Stokke and Melanie Adams were the hottest things to ever participate in the pole vault, then you’d probably be right. Following closely behind, however, is German lovely Lisa Ryzih, who missed out on Olympic qualification by a mere ten centimetres. While her peers were jumping over really high things in Beijing, she was comforted by 19-year-old boyf Neven Subotić, currently plying his trade at Borussia Dortmund.

The hopelessly romantic Brazilian found love in Beijing

Tubby Brazilian star Ronaldinho had a relatively unspectacular Olympic tournament, but he made an effort to spice it up by asking 24-year-old Swedish footballer Johanna Almgren to marry him.

The thoroughly romantic AC Milan man popped the question using a translator, but not before attempting to seal the deal with his sexy moves. Spanish rag Marca reports:

“Ronaldinho came over to me, look me directly in the eyes, then took my hand and kissed it. Later on, his interpreter asked me to come up to his room.”

Soon after she declined his kind offer to see his room, Ronny’s translator broke the big news. To find out if blonde Göteborg FC winger Johanna accepted the proposal and to see some pictures of her, read on…

Manchester City striker helps South America recover some pride

With little help from tubby star Ronaldinho, Brazil have managed to overcome the unstoppable force of Belgium to earn a bronze medal in Beijing. Manchester City will feel slightly better about paying Jo’s wages, as he managed to slot away two goals in the 3-0 victory.

[Video courtesy of Machochip]