De Rossi not afraid of 'monsters' Messi & Ronaldo

Daniele De Rossi is well known for his fearless leadership in the Roma and Italy midfields and insists not even the prospect of facing two "monsters" at the World Cup will keep him up at night.

The 30-year-old has never faced Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the tournament finals, but that could change this summer in Brazil. "Maybe I will have the chance to take on these monsters this year!" he told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Monday, 26 May 2014 12:00

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Zanetti calls time on career

Javier Zanetti has confirmed he will call time on his 22-year career at the end of the season.

The 40-year-old will bow out at Inter having won Serie A five times, the Coppa Italia on four occasions, and the Champions League once.

"I feel that now is the right time to do it," he told La Nacion.

"Football has given me so much, and I have enjoyed every moment. Because after the achilles injury last April, I wanted to demonstrate that I could return and be competitive, but I could not.

"I feel complete and have realized that to retire at 40 is a priceless feeling. For me it is something that has immense value and now is the right time. Do I fear life after this? No, there is no fear."

Wednesday, May 7, 2014 12:00

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Trick or treat? Maradona gives Aguero a scare

Diego Maradona had strong words for Sergio Aguero recently - labelling the Manchester City striker a "wimp" after alleged statements from the Argentina striker to attorneys.

Aguero and is his wife, Giannina Maradona, who is the daughter of the legendary former Napoli attacker, separated in January and Diego could not help but take a swipe at the 25-year-old City star.

"He told Giannina: 'I don't fear anyone'," Diego Maradona insisted to Metro Radio. "In the next meeting with the lawyers I want to be with my daughter to see if he has balls to say what he said to her [again].

"I'm really angry. He's a wimp. He knew that I was in Dubai, that's why he went to that meeting."

Let's hope Aguero kept all doors and windows locked on Halloween night!

Friday, 1 November 2013 10:00

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Ballon War! Ronaldo & Blatter do battle over Messi comments

Sepp Blatter caused a rumble in world football on Tuesday when his comments about Cristiano Ronaldo were put under the spotlight.

Speaking at the end of last week, the Fifa president admitted that he preferred Lionel Messi to the Real Madrid attacker, who he claimed "spent more time at the hairdresser's".

Ronaldo hit back with a Facebook status which hinted at institutional favouritism towards Messi and his club, Barcelona, while Madrid president Florentino Perez wrote an open letter which demonstrated his displeasure.

Blatter has since apologised for his remarks by replying to Perez's letter and also Tweeting Ronaldo's official account.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 09:00

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Race to Rio continues as stars face World Cup qualifiers

The race to qualify for World Cup 2014 continues in earnest this weekend with many top stars in action for their countries.

The world’s most expensive footballer, Gareth Bale, should feature for Wales although Real Madrid’s newest recruit is highly unlikely to make it to Rio.

Another big summer signing Mesut Ozil is in action for Germany, who are closing in on qualification, while Manchester United new-boy Marouane Fellaini will face Scotland with Belgium.

Elsewhere expect to see Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action as club football takes a back seat this weekend.

Friday, 6 September 2013 11:50

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Ronaldo might need helping hand to reach Brazil 2014

 

If Cristiano Ronaldo is not worried, he probably should be. Portugal are labouring in qualification for another major tournament - this time, Brazil 2014.

Friday's 3-3 draw away with Israel has left Paulo Bento's men third in Group F, four points behind Fabio Capello's Russia, who also have a game in hand.

If they win, the gap will extend to seven, in all likelihood condemning Portugal to a life-and-death scrap with Israel for second place and passage into a nail-biting qualifying playoff.

There also remains the distinct possibility that Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his or any generation, will not even make it to the World Cup next year.

Missing out could potentially deal a fatal blow to the Real Madrid superstar's hopes of adding a World Cup winner's medal to his heaving collection, and hand Lionel Messi a decisive advantage in their epic rivalry.

With this in mind, he needs all the help he can get. 
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Messi steals the limelight from Euro 2012

 

All the attention may be on events at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine but Lionel Messi still managed to hog the limelight after his hat-trick in Argentina's 4-3 friendly win over Brazil on Saturday.

The Barcelona star's superb treble in front of 82,000 fans at the Meadowlands Stadium in New York - home of American football teams the Giants and the Jets - took his season's tally to a remarkable 82 goals for club and country to single-handedly beat the combined number of times the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Portugal found the net on the same day.

And with his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo firing blanks, Messi proved once again why he is rated as the world's best player.

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Messi stamps his mark on the global game

 

Barcelona may have breezed through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League thanks to a resounding 10-2 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16 on Wednesday night, but there can be no denying the impact of Lionel Messi, who acted as the catalyst by putting on an inspirational display against the Germans in Camp Nou.

The Argentine contributed to the 7-1 scoreline with five goals of his own, earning him the distinction of becoming the first player in the competition's history to reach that tally in a single game, and also a place in Goal.com folklore after being awarded a perfect 10 for his, well, perfect display.
 

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Wenger of the Middle East

 

On Monday Diego Maradona revealed that he would like to leave a legacy at Al Wasl akin to that of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Maradona told DPA: "I would love to fulfil and go on to renew [my contract]; to become a sort of Arsene Wenger at Al Wasl."

The Argentine legend rejected claims that he took the job in Dubai for solely monetary reasons and went on to reveal his desire to lead the club to glory. Maradona's side currently sit fifth in the UAE Pro League, five points adrift of an AFC Champions League qualifying spot.

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Messi king of the hill

 

Lionel Messi went some way to banishing his Argentina demons on Wednesday night after putting on a virtuoso display to inspire his country to a 3-1 victory against Switzerland in Bern. His well-taken hat-trick also took his international goal tally to 22, surpassing legendary striker Mario Kempes and capping off a memorable night for the 24-year-old.

The fleet-footed attacker has been continually criticised by many for failing to replicate his form with Barcelona on the international stage, but his latest performance should see Portuguese counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo look on in envy following the Seleccao's latest disappointing result - a 0-0 draw in Poland.

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AVB's facing the chop

 

Andre Villas-Boas is walking the proverbial tightrope after goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani condemned his error-prone Chelsea side to a damaging defeat at Napoli that leaves their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance. The former Porto coach, whose tactics and team selection in Naples have come under intense criticism, now looks to have exactly 90 minutes of the return leg at Stamford Bridge to salvage his "project" and avoid getting the sack from notoriously impatient owner Roman Abramovich.

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La Liga Status

 

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Why always him?

 

The outspoken and controversial figure that is Mario Balotelli has been talking up his footballing talents again, stating that he believes he has the ability to be crowned a future winner of the Ballon d'Or award. However, the Manchester City striker has admitted that three-time World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi, is a better player and the Argentine's form will need to drop if he is to ever get his hands on the prestigious trophy.

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No end in sight to Tevez's Man City transfer struggles

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Maradona takes aim at his old rival Pele

 

The bitter feud between Diego Maradona and Pele only continues to escalate, and judging by the Argentine's latest comments, which include branding his arch rival a mere puppet to the Fifa family, before accusing him of being absent from civilisation for the past 20 years, it seems a reconciliation will never see the light of day.

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Guardiola's jar of players bordering on empty

 

There must be another attacker in there somewhere... somewhere... 

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola might have scooped up the Coach of the Year award at the 2011 Fifa Ballon d'Or Gala in Zurich last week, but the Catalan trainer has little reason for optimism at the moment.

After previous injuries to Ibrahim Afellay and David Villa, the Blaugrana also lost Pedro and Andreu Fontas due to various physical problems last week.

Additionally, Brazilian full-back Maxwell left the club for Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the week, while Seydou Keita has been included in Mali's 2012 Afcon squad.

This has left Guardiola with selection problems ahead of Sunday's away game against Betis and the 40-year-old has to dig deep to find 11 players... 

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Di Stefano leads Cristiano Ronaldo boo brigade

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A Messi vision of the future for Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo

        On Monday evening, Barcelona star Lionel Messi once again stole the show as he was voted the best player in the world for the third year in succession during the annual Fifa Ballon d'Or Gala in Zurich.

The Argentina international thus followed in the footsteps of former France star Michel Platini to become only the second player in history to win the award three years in a row.

Two of the main personalities of the football world who weren't present at the ceremony at the Kongresshaus were Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho and his compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo, nominated for the Coach of the Year and Player of the Year awards respectively.

The duo opted not to attend as they prepare for Tuesday's Copa del Rey away match against Malaga, and was possibly watching the event unfold on television.

Neither of the two won in their respective categories, but perhaps they will have better luck in the next few years ...

 

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Maxi Lopez story with AC Milan

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Happy 2012

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