London, Nov. 25: He may be one of England’s best football players today, but Wayne Rooney recalls a time when police in his hometown of Croxethe, Liverpool, took away his football because he was playing on the street.

“When I was about 16, I got my ball taken off me by the police for playing in the street – which is pathetic really,” The Sun quotes Rooney, as saying.

Asked where he used to play as a youngster, he said: “I was fortunate because at the back of my mum’s house there was a five-a-side tarmac pitch.

London  - Substitute Henri Camara scored the only goal of the game as Wigan Athletic beat Everton 1-0 on Monday to clamber out of the English Premier League's relegation zone.

The Senegal forward took a superb pass from Antonio Valencia six minutes into the second half and beat Tim Howard in the Everton goal for what proved to be the winner.

Tim Cahill missed a good chance late on to give Everton a share of the points, but Wigan held on for only their second home win of the season.

The result lifts Steve Bruce's side up to 15th place, two points clear of the bottom three, while Everton remain seventh, albeit only three points better off.

London - Chelsea's Michael Ballack believes the Premier League title race will come down to a battle between his side and defending champions Manchester United, according to reports on Monday.

Liverpool and Chelsea are joint top of the table, but the Germany midfielder suggested they are a better side in European competition.

"It's always the big four that everyone speaks about but I think it's still about Chelsea and Man U, " Ballack was quoted as saying in The Sun.

"Arsenal are already behind which makes it very difficult for them.

Hamburg - European champions Manchester United and Italian title-holders Inter Milan are among some of the continent's leading teams hoping to ensure their passage to the Champions League knock-out stage in this week's penultimate group matches.

Nine-time European champions Real Madrid, meanwhile, badly need a win following two defeats to already-qualified Juventus, while England's remaining contingent of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are among other contenders looking to seal their progress.

Munich - Frustrated Germany forward Lukas Podolski has told his club Bayern Munich that he wants to leave the Bundesliga champions during the upcoming winter break, the Bild daily reported on Monday.

Bild said that Podolski, 23, made this move even though Munich manager Uli Hoeness on the weekend ruled out any departure during the January transfer window.

"I have told those responsible that I want to leave in winter," Podolski was quoted as telling Bild. "I have reached the decision that I want to leave the club in winter."

Frankfurt - SV Hamburg are under investigation by the German football federation DFB after a player from visiting Werder Bremen was hit by a battery thrown from the stands in the teams' Bundesliga match on Sunday.

The DFB said in a statement that Hamburg have been asked for a report, on which further action will be based.

Werder captain Frank Baumann needed treatment after being struck in the face by a mobile phone battery thrown from the crowd while joining team-mates to celebrate Bremen's goal in the 2-1 defeat near the corner flag.

"It hit me on just above the left eyebrow. It was a shock and painful. There was a little bit of blood but it didn't hinder me," Baumann said.