Commander Cristiano shows Blatter who's boss

He may alledgedly spend more time in the hairdresser's, but boy does that Ronaldo know how to score goals!

After being satirised by Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who claimed Ronaldo was a commander on the pitch before doing a silly walk, the Portuguese made sure he had the last laugh by bagging a hat-trick on a crazy night in Madrid.

Gareth Bale scored twice, and set up another two, on a fine night for the Welshman (even if there was a comedy dive thrown in for good measure), while Karim Benzema hit two of his own.

Ronaldo, backed by the cheers of every home fan at the Santiago Bernabeu, marked his first goal of the night with the kind of salute fitting of a true field commander - over to you, Sepp!

Thursday, October 31, 2013 12:00

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the Jordanian national team and the idea thief

On the September 2011, I drew a cartoon on Jordan achievement in the World Cup qualifications first phase in Asia, which was a “Football” wears an Arabic “Keffiyeh” (a traditional headdress) and heading to Brazil with slogan يلا عالبرزيل (Let’s go to Brazil) and so that the illustration was later published through Goal.com the Arabic edition.

Later on it popped to my mind an idea to draw a mascot to Jordan with a business plan to establish a T Shirt and merchandising industry to supports the Jordanian national team. So I went the Jordan Football Association on the 15^th of May 2012 to meet the marketing manager Mohannad Mahadeen to work with the JFA on the idea. Mahadeen asked me to draw a mascot which I made him an eagle wears the Jordanian jersey.

Later he told me that the JFA can’t afford to spend on the project because they don’t have the cash. Later I was surprised to see the JFA is asking an advertising agency to design a mascot with using my slogan (Let’s go to Brazil) and recently they are printing T-Shirts with it to sell it to the markets before the important matches between Jordan and Uruguay.

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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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Platini and Blatter cram the World Cup full

With the European Championships soon to expand from 16 teams to 24, the World Cup could be set to receive similar treatment.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter is on record as wanting more Asian and African teams to be represented at the planet's biggest tournament and Uefa head honcho Michel Platini suggested on Monday that the finals could be stretched to 40 teams to make room.

There are more international teams around than there used to be but it could still be a tight fit if football's administrators get their way and push Russia 2018 to another level.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013 12:48

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Hart & Nastasic gift wrap Chelsea's winner

Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge appeared to be heading for a tie as Chelsea and Manchester City were both holding firm in the final stages.

But one hopeful long punt towards City's goal triggered Joe Hart to sprint out from his area, only for Matija Nastasic to head the ball past his own goalkeeper, which allowed Fernando Torres to tap in the winner and send Jose Mourinho crowd surfing.

Monday, October 28, 2013 12:00

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Bale at Neymar's mercy after Clasico clash

Neymar and Gareth Bale stepped onto the Camp Nou turf for their first taste of a Clasico encounter on Saturday evening, billed as the main supporting cast for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

It turned out to be a frustrating night for the Real Madrid star, however, with Bale slicing a couple of efforts high and wide before being hooked by Carlo Ancelotti on the hour mark.

For Neymar, it was a different story. The Brazilian sensation got his side well on the way to a 2-1 victory with the opening goal of the game, picking up on Andres Iniesta's ball through to slot into the corner of the net.

Sunday, October 27, 2013 11:00

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Messi and Ronaldo’s last chance to stop Ribery's Ballon d’Or pursuit

Saturday's El Clasico has extra significance for both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the duo look to halt Franck Ribery's pursuit of the Ballon d'Or.

The France international's scintillating form inspired Bayern Munich in their treble-winning campaign last season and so far this term the 30-year-old has picked up where he left off, which makes him a strong contender to scoop Fifa's highest individual accolade ahead of the Barcelona star and the Real Madrid ace.

Will Messi or Ronaldo be able to put in a Ballon d'Or-winning display at Camp Nou?

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Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic & Ribery leave trail of destruction

Wednesday marked another string of scintillating displays in the Champions League, the best of which came from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Sweden international notched four of Paris Saint-Germain's five goals in a comfortable win over Anderlecht, one of which, a 30-yard thunderbolt, will be a frontrunner for the best strike in the competition this season.

Elsewhere, Franck Ribery netted twice in Bayern Munich's 5-0 rout against Viktoria Plzen, while Cristiano Ronaldo's double fired Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory over Juventus.

Thursday, October 24, 2013 12:00

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Neymar & Co watch Pepe horror show

Neymar is set to make his El Clasico bow as Barcelona host Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Saturday and the Brazilian insists he is suitably prepared for the inevitable threat posed by Pepe.

The 30-year-old has been involved in his fair share of feisty encounters with Barcelona players, the most notable being when he stamped on Lionel Messi's hand in January 2012.

But Neymar claims he is up to speed with the defender's tricks after he received a video of Pepe's antics from the Brazil Football Confederation before his nation's friendly against Portugal in September.

Friday, October 25, 2013 12:00

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Ferguson’s pen mightier than the sword

Former Manchester United players, managers and referees were among those on the receiving end of stinging criticism in Sir Alex Ferguson's newly released autobiography.

The 71-year-old claimed relief swept the dressing room the day Roy Keane left Old Trafford, described Owen Hargreaves as one of the most disappointing signings of his career, and labelled Rafa Benitez a 'silly man' for his infamous 'facts' rant.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013 12:00

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