Friday, December 7, 2012

'Worth the Mona Lisa' - Raiola paints pretty Balotelli picture

He may have yet to reach his potential at Manchester City, but Mario Balotelli continues to be linked with Europe's top sides, with Milan firming up their interest in the 22-year-old.

Rossoneri boss Massimiliano Allegri hinted at a January move for the striker on Tuesday, hailing the Italy international's "extraordinary physical and technical qualities".

However, the player's agent, Mino Raiola, has reiterated that Balotelli will not be leaving the Etihad Stadium, before insisting his client would cost "as much as the Mona Lisa"...

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Manchester City's European hopes go up in smoke again

Having already crashed out of the Champions League, Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund capped another dismal campaign for Manchester City in Europe.

The loss at Signal Iduna Park resulted in Roberto Mancini's side finishing bottom of Group D, and in turn saw them miss out on the consolation prize of Europa League football.

Now, with only domestic matters to concern them for the remainder of the season, the Premier League champions can forget about a continental adventure for another year...

Mourinho ignores Manchester to stay at Madrid…for now

While relations have become strained between Real Madrid and manager Jose Mourinho in recent weeks, the Portuguese boss insisted on Monday that he has no intention of leaving Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season.

Despite Saturday's 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid, Los Blancos still trail their city rivals by five points, with Barcelona maintaing their 11 point lead at the top of La Liga.

However, with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson recently touting 'the Special One' to replace him at Old Trafford, and Manchester City long-term admirers of the 49-year-old, it may Mourinho who chooses to ditch Real next summer...

Monday, December 3, 2012

Sour grapes for Zlatan over Messi nomination

Paris Saint-Germain's outspoken centre-forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic courted controversy once more last week by stating that Barcelona striker Lionel Messi shouldn't pick up the Ballon d'Or award this year.

The 31-year-old Sweden international believes that after having already won it three times in a row, that the Blaugrana genius would be far from a deserving winner and that it should be shared around more.

With Fifa whittling it down to just a three-man shortlist, and Messi competing alongside team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic may have to wait a little while longer to get his wish, with the Argentine the current front-runner and overwhelming favourite.