Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Top 10 Cartoons of 2013


Negredo Cartoon on Marca

Happy New Year from Goal!

It's the end of the calendar year and spirits are in the sky... footballers and managers across the world have much to reflect on - and look forward to - as we head into 2014.

It's been a great year for Pep Guardiola, who took over from Jupp Heynckes at the helm of treble winners Bayern Munich, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery fight it out for the Balon d'Or. Gareth Bale got his big-money move to Real Madrid, though it's time for Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham to leavethe party.

Jurgen Klopp is left to drown his sorrows after losing the Champions League final and dropping out of the Bundesliga title race, Jose Mourinho is back with Chelsea, Arsene Wenger is top of the pile and Luis Suarez is in and out of the dog house.

All that's left to say is Happy New Year to all our readers!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 11:30

Wind-up merchant Mourinho takes aim at Suarez

Despite watching his Chelsea side beat Liverpool 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday Jose Mourinho was still not a happy man.

The Blues boss took aim at Reds striker Luis Suarez after the game accusing him of “an acrobatic swimming pool jump” after going down in the area after a challenge from Samuel Eto’o.

While replays suggested Eto’o may have been lucky to escape conceding a penalty Mourinho insisted Suarez was the guilty party adding: “It looks like someone has shot him in the back and that is a clear yellow card.”
Monday, December 30, 2013 08:39

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Ronaldo: My favourite player? Me!

Hopefully for Cristiano Ronaldo’s sake, modesty is not one of the criteria that needs to be met in order to win the Ballon d’Or in January.

The forward may be frontrunner to win the prize after a barnstorming year at Real Madrid but when given the chance to voice his appreciation for another star in football, he spurned the opportunity.

When asked who his favourite player in the world was after receiving an award in Dubai, Ronaldo replied with a smile: "Me!"
Sunday, December 29, 2013 12:00

No winter break for Pellegrini and Manchester City

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he does want the Premier League to implement a winter break with his side currently on a superb run of form.

The Chilean’s men have beaten title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool in recent weeks to move to just a point from the top of the table.

City face Crystal Palace and Swansea in the coming days as part of a busy festive schedule but Pellegrini is happy with life in England saying it is the same for all teams.
Saturday, December 28, 2013 11:04

My interview with Kislany, nagy FOCI in Hungarian

My interview with the Hungarian blog "Kislany, nagy FOCI". Thank you Ágnes László

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Negredo the beast tames Liverpool and Suarez

Manchester City leapfrogged Liverpool in the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over the Reds at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day.

Brendan Rodgers’ men had spent Christmas as league leaders but drop down to fourth despite taking the lead in the game through Philippe Coutinho.

City, however, preserved their perfect home Premier League record with Vincent Kompany equalising before Alvaro Negredo netted the winner.

The Spaniard has now netted in each of his last nine appearances at the Etihad Stadium with City now just a single point behind Arsenal as the title race hots up.
Friday, December 27, 2013 11:37

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Bore draw leaves Liverpool top at Christmas

It was a match which left little Christmas cheer for football fans as Arsenal and Chelsea played out a goalless stalemate at the Emirates Stadium on Monday evening.

But that draw was good news for Liverpool as they can celebrate on December 25 knowing they are leading the Premier League with Luis Suarez in red-hot form heading into the New Year.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013 12:00

Jese 'living the dream' after saving Real Madrid

Jese Rodriguez claims he was "fulfilling a dream" after he scored a late winner in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Valencia on Sunday.

Carlo Ancelotti's side had taken the lead twice through Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo, only to be pegged back on each occasion by Pablo Piatti and Jeremy Mathieu.

But as the match at the Mestalla looked to be heading for a stalemate, Jese popped up with a goal which has kept Madrid five points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.

“I was looking for Zidane in the celebrations as his support is a big influence for me," Jese explained after the match. "He and the coach give me a lot of love and Zidane is a big reason why I stayed at the club.”
Monday, December 23, 2013 12:00

Bayern on top of the World

Bayern Munich brought their sensational 2013 to a spectacular end with victory at the Club World Cup on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's side, who won the Bundesliga and Champions League last season, beat Raja Casablanca 2-0 in the final of the competition in Marrakesh.

Bayern wasted no time in establishing a hold on the game, scoring in the seventh minute through defender Dante, before Thiago Alcantara found the back of the net shortly after.

The victory leaves Bayern boasting an impressive trophy haul as the New Year approaches, and having shot to the top of the table in Germany heading into the winter break, there could be plenty more to come for Guardiola and Co.
Sunday, December 22, 2013 12:00

Liverpool fend off Arsenal & Real Madrid with new Suarez deal

Luis Suarez is staying put for the time being after the striker signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool on Friday.

Brendan Rodgers was forced to fend off bids from Arsenal in the summer transfer window, while Real Madrid were preparing a move for the Uruguay international in January.

The Spanish club will now be inclined to rethink their approach for the striker, who has a buyout clause in his new deal which allows him to be sold to a non-British club for a set price.
Saturday, December 21, 2013 10:00

Friday, December 20, 2013

Dzeko ready to step into Aguero's shoes

You could have forgiven Manchester City fans for cursing their luck following the news that in-form attacking sensation Sergio Aguero would be out of action for at least a month.

But fear not... Edin Dzeko is here and he's ready to lead City's Premier League title charge.

The Bosnian said: "Sergio being out is very bad for the team because he has had an amazing season so far. He has been scoring a lot of goals and he is obviously a very important player for us.

"But that's life. Now we have to try to play games without him, and try to keep winning. I am a striker that has scored goals all my life and I love to do it.

"When I get a chance I try to do my best."

Stepping into Aguero's shoes, and shirt, might be a bit of a problem, though. The Argentine stands at just 5'8" while team-mate Dzeko towers in at 6'4".

Friday, December 20, 2013 12:00

Raja Casablanca beat Ronaldinho

Raja Casablanca made a historical achievment after beating Atletico Mineiro at the club world cup semi final with a 3-1 to face Bayern Munich in the final.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

What would you like for Christmas? Wenger's striker wishlist

Arsene Wenger has been a very busy man. The Arsenal manager has taken time out from his hectic schedule to draw up a shortlist of five strikers he'd like to pursue in the January transfer window. But will Santa deliver?

The Gunners boss will certainly be hoping that his Christmas wish comes true - as Sir Chips Keswick, Ivan Gazidis, Stan Kroenke and the rest of the board consider funding that mega January purchase that could tip the Premier League title in Arsenal's favour.

Robert Lewandowski, Diego Costa, Stephan El Shaarawy, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Fernando Llorente - all the big names are there but will Wenger get his Christmas wish? All will be revealed come January!
Thursday, December 19, 2013 11:00

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Footballers enjoy the boom after €1.2bn bonanza


This week at Goal we've been running through the 10 biggest transfer deals of the year, and giving you the inside track on how each was completed.

After massive transfer fees, bumpers wages, taxes and agent fees are totted up the sums are truly staggering: Gareth Bale's move will cost Real Madrid €198.8m!

With so much money flying around, no wonder the players have been enjoying themselves!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013 07:00

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Storylines aplenty after Champions League draw

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was completed on Monday, with some intriguing fixtures emerging to create a number of story-lines.

Didier Drogba will get his return to Chelsea and what is sure to be an emotional reunion with Jose Mourinho, after the Blues were drawn with Turkish side Galatasaray.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping to draw upon all his knowledge of La Liga for the clashes with Barcelona, while Arsene Wenger's Arsenal were arguably handed the toughest tie of them all after they were paired with holders Bayern Munich.
Tuesday, 17 December 2013 09:45

VIVA ZAPATA!

Cristián Eduardo Zapata Valencia is a Colombian professional footballer. He currently plays for Italian Serie A club Milan as a defender, usually as a centre back. Wikipedia

Lethal Suarez sinks Spurs

Luis Suarez was the star once again for Liverpool as the Reds destroyed Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

The Uruguay international scored twice as Brendan Rodgers' men thrashed Spurs 5-0 to close to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

Suarez, named captain for the day in the Steven Gerrard's absence, was the star of the show and the controversial striker has now scored 17 goals in 11 appearances this season, to prove he is one of the league's deadliest strikers.
Monday, 16 December 2013 13:14

Nightmare Before Christmas! Moyes loses Van Persie to injury


The festive season is upon us, but Manchester United boss David Moyes is hardly likely to be full of cheer as Christmas approaches.

The Scot confirmed that Robin van Persie will be out of action for a month after picking up a thigh strain whilst taking a corner against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Dutchman had only recently returned to training after struggling with toe and groin problems, and could now miss games against Aston Villa, Stoke, West Ham, Hull, Norwich, Tottenham and Swansea.

The injury leaves Moyes with selection issues in attack, with Wayne Rooney proving to be the club's only other consistent goal threat so far this season.
Saturday, 14 December 2013 08:30

Monday, December 16, 2013

Manchester City part the red sea to thrash Arsenal

OK, maybe it wasn't as much a sea as a gentle stream, but the Arsenal defence were breached time and time again by Manuel Pellegrini's vibrant charges on Saturday lunchtime.

The Gunners contributed to their own downfall on a couple of occasions, twice presenting Fernandinho with the ball to allow the Brazilian to score his first of two goals and set up a last-minute penalty.

Yaya Toure stroked the spot-kick home to add to goals from Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo, David Silva and that Fernandinho double to send City three points behind Arsenal in the table with a swashbuckling display. Who can stop them?
Sunday, 15 December 2013 10:00

Friday, December 13, 2013

Rosell warns rivals off Messi

Lionel Messi may be out of action with injury, but the Barcelona star is never far from the news.

The Argentina star - one of three players in the running for the Ballon d'Or alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery - is said to have asked for improved contract terms following the arrival of Neymar, despite having a deal which runs to 2018.

And while Sandro Rosell confirmed there are currently no plans to open new talks with Messi, the club president also indicated that the 26-year-old will not be leaving while he is in charge.

"While I am president, I think it would be extremely difficult for Messi to leave the club, if not impossible," Rosell said.
Friday, 13 December 2013 12:30

Higuain in tears as Napoli miss out on last 16

Napoli agonisingly missed out on a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Despite beating Arsenal 2-0 with goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon, the Italian side were eliminated after Borussia Dortmund defeated Marseille, meaning the Bundesliga outfit progressed top of Group F, with the Gunners finishing second by virtue of a superior goal difference.

And it was all too much for goal scorer Higuain, who could not hide is disappointment after the game.

"Not going through is incredible," he said. "It is an injustice, really.

"Going out with 12 points – winning four games in such an immensely difficult group with two sides as strong as Arsenal and Dortmund - when you see teams going through with only one or two wins, with six or seven points, it's disappointing.

"It cannot be anything else but bad luck because to win four games out of six and be eliminated is not something that happens often."
Thursday, December 12, 2013 12:00

Thursday, December 12, 2013

تقرير قناة الجزيرة عن عمر المومني


Dzeko, Drogba, Eto'o, Toure and my cartoons

I was extremely happy to see my Goal.com cartoon " Elephants and Lions join Super Eagles in Brazil"
been shared and tweeted by famous players especially when they are the recent winners of the African Player of the Year. Didier Drogba the Ivorian star and the (2006-2009) player of the year first shared it with his Instagram.

Later on the Cameroonian lion and Chelsea star Samuel Eto'o (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010 African Player of the year) tweeted and shared it with his Facebook.

Me and Eto'o had a brief reply on Twitter.

Yaya Toure the last winner of the African Player of the Year and also won it in 2011 retweeted it from Eto'o.

Manchester City Bosnian star Edin Dzeko months ago also shared one of my special cartoon on Bosnia's historical qualify to the World Cup.


Hell freezes over! Galatasaray - Juventus clash abandoned

Galatasaray fans are famous for giving opposition teams a fiery reception in Istanbul, displaying banners reading 'Welcome To Hell'.

But the atmosphere was anything but hot on Tuesday night as a severe snowstorm struck, causing their Champions League clash with Juventus to be canceled.

The match has plenty riding on it, with second spot in Group B and a place in the knockout stages up for grabs for both sides.

But with Galatasaray needing to win and a point enough for Juventus to advance, the Italians might attempt to make the most of the frosty conditions.

The match is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 10:45

Mirror image Moyes is Fergie 2.0

Sir Alex Ferguson may have given up the seat of power at Manchester United but his spirit lives on in the dugout through replacement David Moyes, according to Ryan Giggs.

The former Everton boss has endured an indifferent start to the Premier League season, though he has impressed in the Champions League group stages.

And when asked on Absolute Radio whether he had noticed big differences between the two Scots, Giggs replied: “No, not really. I think they're both quite similar.

“Of course the manager's come in to the champions, he doesn't want to change too much but he's going to want to put his own stamp on it.

“I think slowly over time, it will probably change a little, but at the moment, not a lot's changed.”

The rest of the Premier League will be left ruing Giggs' words if Moyes goes on to match Ferguson's astonishing record of success at Old Trafford.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013 12:21

Monday, December 2, 2013

You’re fired! Villas-Boas hits back at Lord Alan Sugar

Andre Villas-Boas has angrily hit back at former Tottenham chairman Lord Alan Sugar after the 66-year-old claimed to be “baffled” by the Portuguese’s tactics at Spurs.

Star of television show ‘The Apprentice’ Lord Sugar also said he would be happy to see Sir Alex Ferguson come out of retirement and take over at White Hart Lane.

However, speaking after Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United Villas-Boas responded to Lord Sugar claiming he has an “agenda” before also lashing out at the media, demanding more respect.
Monday, December 2, 2013 11:45

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Ramsey the dragon fires up Arsenal

Aaron Ramsey struck twice on his return to Cardiff City, the club where he began his career, as Arsenal increased their lead at the top of the Premier League table with a 3-0 win in the Welsh capital.

The 22-year-old joined the Bluebirds at the age of eight, rising up the club's ranks before earning a £5 million move to north London in 2008, and has since established himself as a regular for Wales, who are nicknamed 'the Dragons'.

Despite his ties to Cardiff, Ramsey did not let up as his hot streak in front of goal continued with a fine double. The first was a well executed header, the second a powerful finish to wrap up the victory.

Out of respect for the club that nurtured his development, Ramsey opted not to celebrate as he brought his tally for the season up to 13 goals, underlining his status as the Premier League's most in-form player.
Sunday, 1 December 2013 09:00

Stubborn mule Mourinho refuses to budge on failing forwards

Jose Mourinho has insisted Chelsea will not sign a striker when the transfer window reopens in January and says that he is happy with the club's current forward line.

Blues strikers Demba Ba, Samuel Eto'o and Fernando Torres are conspicuous by their absence in the Premier League's topscorer list with Oscar currently the club's top marksman in the league with six goals.

Rumours have linked the club with a big-money move for Jackson Martinez, but Mourinho has dismissed claims he could sign the Porto man and looks set to dig his heels over his misfiring forward line.
Saturday, November 30, 2013 10:03

AC Milan now and then

AC Milan in the era of Galliani and now with Barbara Berlusconi who wants to take control

One thousand eyes on Real Madrid’s attack

Real Madrid take on Valladolid on Saturday with coach Juan Ignacio Martinez claiming his side will need "1,000 eyes" to handle los Blancos star-studded attack.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have scored 40 league goals already this season and a staggering 20 in their last four Liga games and Martinez is wary ahead of the clash.

"Madrid leave you with very few options,” he was quoted as saying by Marca.

“It's clear they are superior and we know it will be difficult, but in football nothing is impossible, although we will have to go out there with a thousand eyes because in the game last Wednesday they scored four goals with one less player".
Friday, November 29, 2013 11:41

Friday, November 29, 2013

Guardiola & Rummenigge turn Sherlock & Watson to seek out the Bayern spy

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has revealed his frustration after discovering tactics and information have been leaked to the press.

German newspaper Bild revealed Guardiola's tactical plan for Borussia Dortmund prior to the game and have also been exact with their predicted line-ups in recent months.

Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned any player found to be responsible will be in “big trouble” with the duo set to turn into Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson mode in order to detect their mole.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 11:45

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Men in the mask: Real Madrid spook Gala with Ronaldo facade

Real Madrid were without Cristiano Ronaldo for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Galatasaray but the star man's presence was still felt as los Blancos romped to a 4-1 win over Roberto Mancini's men.

Approximately 45,000 supporters inside the Bernabeu wore masks of the man himself, to show support for Ronaldo's bid to win this year's Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo has scored a staggering 25 goals for Real already this season but his absence did not stop the goals flowing with Gareth Bale, Alvaro Arbeloa, Angel Di Maria and Isco all on target.
Thursday, November 28, 2013 11:56

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Klopp, Wenger & Benitez struggle with Group of Death permutations

The final round of group fixtures in Champions League Group F sees Arsenal, Napoli and Borussia Dortmund all still in with a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.

Arsene Wenger’s men lead the way with 12 points following their 2-0 defeat of Marseille and travel to Italy in their final game to take on Rafael Benitez’s Napoli.

Dortmund lie second on nine points, and face Marseille, yet to score a single point, in their fixture making them heavy favourites to progress.

Yet Napoli also have nine points and know that a three-goal victory over Arsenal will also send them through with a nerve-jangling night of action in prospect.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 09:29

Monday, November 25, 2013

Spurs sink under Man City's wave

Tottenham were the latest team to feel the full force of Manchester City's stunning home form as Andre Villas-Boas' charges collapsed to a 6-0 defeat.

Doubles from Jesus Navas and Sergio Aguero, along with a Sandro own goal and Alvaro Negredo's strike made it six wins out of six for Manuel Pellegrini's men at home in the Premier League this season, while defeat has left Spurs ninth in the table, but only two points behind fourth place.

Monday, November 25, 2013 12:00