Sunday, September 9, 2012

Frozen out at Chelsea, Lyon open door for Malouda return

After being frozen out of the first-team and forced to train with the reserves, life looks bleak for Florent Malouda at Chelsea.

But the 32-year-old's former club Lyon have come to the rescue after their president Jean-Michel Aulas claimed the midfielder would be welcome back with open arms.

"Our door is always open to former players," Aulas said. "Malouda has been in contact with our coaching team very recently."

Blatter salutes 'general' Ronaldo & hails 'magician' Messi

Fifa president Sepp Blatter believes both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are "living legends" in the world of football.

The 76-year-old feels the two players are different on the pitch but thinks they possess rare quality, and he believes the Real Madrid man dominates the game while the Barcelona star lights up matches with moments of pure magic.

"Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Both! They are different but both fantastic for football," Blatter was quoted as saying by Marca.

"Cristiano wants to be the general on the pitch, lay down the law and scream here I stand. Messi, on the other hand, is like a conjurer, a magician. They are both living legends of football." 

Europe's finest begin long road to Brazil

The first round of qualifying fixtures for World Cup 2014 kick off this weekend and it's a chance for many of us to see the star names which made Euro 2012 such a memorable tournament.

With Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas leading the way, the Real Madrid captain will be hoping that Vicente Del Bosque's side will be able to become the first team to retain the trophy since Italy did so back in 1938.

Roy Hodgson's England side will be hoping to make an impact on the latter stages in Brazil, as well a few of the other familiar faces such as Italy, Portugal and Germany...

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Liverpool miss out as Juve's favourite son heads down under

Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero confirmed his move to Sydney FC on Wednesday, penning a two-year deal.
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However, the 37-year-old claimed that Liverpool showed a late interest in signing him ahead of his switch to the Australia A-League outfit.

"They were one of the clubs, amongst the non-Italian sides [interested], and I was surprised to be contacted by them," he said his first Sydney FC unveiling.

But Brendan Rodgers' supposed approach was, evidently, in vain and could only watch on as The Old Lady handed her favourite son to Australian football.

Messi avoids Ronaldo shaped elephant in the room

After Cristiano Ronaldo expressed his unhappiness at a "professional issue" at Real Madrid, La Liga rival Lionel Messi was quizzed on the situation at a press conference.

Some quarters have suggested that the former Manchester United man is upset because he did not win the Uefa award for the best player in Europe, with Messi's team-mate Andres Iniesta instead collecting the trophy, while others think he is jealous of the Argentine.

However, the Barcelona star refused to comment on the Portuguese's comments, instead stating: "There's no reason to ask me about what he says and vice-versa. It's nothing to do with me."