..::Football II::..

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Santos confirms written offer for AC Milan's Robinho

Santos president Luis Alvaro Ribeiro has confirmed the Brazilian outfit is in talks with AC Milan over a January move for Robinho.

The 28-year-old is believed to be keen on a move back to his former club, with Peixe star Neymar also calling for the Rossoneri star to agree a deal to join him back in Brazil.

"Robinho wants to return to Brazil, and for him that means returning to Santos," Ribeiro told TV O Povo de Fortaleza. "We have presented a written offer, though there is a difference between what the player and the club are asking for."

Robinho made more than 100 appearances for Santos before moving to Real Madrid in 2005. Despite the player's love for the club, though, the president was quick to concede that negotiations are likely to be tough.

"It can be circumvented, but it is not a simple task. It is a battle that must have results by the end of this week."

 

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Neymar should go to Barcelona, says Santos coach

Santos coach Muricy Ramalho has revealed that he thinks Neymar should sign for Barcelona if and when he leaves Brazil due to the two teams sharing a similar playing style.


The 57-year-old said that he would like to see the Selecao star play alongside Lionel Messi in the future and not move to Barcelona's rival Real Madrid, which has been heavily linked with the playmaker.

"Neymar is now the fourth or fifth best player in the world, but after the 2014 World Cup he will be at a very good level. Seeing Neymar and Messi at Barcelona together would be the cutest thing in football," he told La Xarxa Radio. "Barcelona are a lot like us because they are a team who like to play football and I think for Neymar the best team to play for is Barcelona."

The 20-year-old has been tipped for a move to Europe since breaking onto the scene with some eye-catching displays at both club and international level, but Ramalho has warned the youngster not to leave South America until the World Cup in his home country in 2014.

"Neymar should move to Europe after the World Cup," he said. "Neymar should carefully choose the club he goes to and he is suited best for Barcelona."

 

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Cerezo: Atletico Madrid doesn't need Falcao money

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has revealed the club does not need the money that has been reported to be a possible transfer fee for attacker Radamel Falcao.

With Real Madrid and Chelsea reportedly interested in the forward, Cerezo has claimed the club does not need to sell its star player as the team's financial situation is stable.

"I have 60 million and the truth is that they are very well where they are. I do not know if Madrid have the money, but I know my accounts," he said at the Atletico Madrid rugby team presentation.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez joked that he had passed Falcao a napkin with an offer of moving to the Santiago Bernabeu at a recent awards ceremony in a similar style as to when he proposed Zinedine Zidane's move to the Spanish capital from Juventus in 2000. But Cerezo denied that the incident had taken place and was confused as to why Perez would make up such a story.

"I saw no napkin. Furthermore, there were not paper napkins, but cloth," he said. "I do not know what he is talking about. The napkins are worth what they are worth."

 

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Casillas: I'd finish 25 points behind Barcelona in La Liga to win the Champions League

Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has revealed that he would be happy to give Barcelona the Liga crown if it ensured Los Blancos would win their 10th Champions League.

A number of supporters and pundits have written off Jose Mourinho's side in the race for the Primera Liga title, after a poor start to the season has seen the club fall 11 points behind Barcelona.

But goalkeeper Casillas admitted that he would give the team's fierce rival a landslide victory in La Liga if Madrid was assured of the Champions League.

"I do not have to think about it. If you told me now that we would finish 25 points behind Barcelona in La Liga that is obviously not ideal as the domestic competition is very important, But if you tell me that we are going to win La Decima, I would sign for that right now," he told La Sexta.

Mourinho is currently preparing his side for its Copa del Rey round of 16 match against Celta Vigo on Wednesday, and assistant coach Aitor Karanka denied that the club has only one priority and that it will be doing all it can to win all the competitions they take part in.

"Is the priority the cup or the league? At this club, and for its coaching staff, the priorities are all titles and all matches," he told a press conference.

"The cup match has no less priority than any other match."

The former Athletic Bilbao defender also revealed that Los Blancos are doing all they can to close the gap at the top of the league as they aim to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2008.

"We do not think like Casillas," the assistant coach told reporters. "The coaching staff are already quite uncomfortable with the gap and we do not want to be further behind. Here you fight for every title, and so we will continue addressing it."

 

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Javi Martinez: I want to show I'm worth 40 million euros

Bayern Munich midfielder Javi Martinez is determined to prove his worth and justify his hefty 40 million euro price tag.

The Spain international joined the Bavarians from Athletic Bilbao in the summer transfer window for a record fee, but has so far been unable to live up to the high expectations at Bayern.

Nevertheless, Martinez has stressed that his 40 euro price tag is not holding him back as it only motivates him to showcase what he can do.

"Athletic paid a lot of money for me, too. People think that I feel pressure to live up to my price tag, but it can also serve as a motivation. I want to show that I'm worth the money. It won't be easy, but I'm motivated to do just that," Martinez told Blickpunkt.

"I'm starting to feel better game by game. I'm not at 100 percent yet, but things are heading in the right direction. Last season was very long and intensive."

The 24-year-old has made 20 official appearances for Bayern so far.

 

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Manchester City boss Mancini no longer interested in De Rossi or Sneijder

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has claimed the club is no longer interested in Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi.


The Italian has also ruled out a move for Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder, who looks set to leave Serie A side Inter.

As exclusively reported by Goal.com in August, City saw a move for De Rossi in the summer transfer window fall though, with the Roma captain eventually opting to stay at the Serie A club and Mancini has admitted that the episode has spelled the end for his pursuit of the Italian midfielder.

"We tried to get De Rossi last summer but didn't succeed and now we're not interested," Mancini told Sky Sport Italia. "At the moment we don't need De Rossi, I think he'll stay at Roma."

The City boss has also denied any interest in Inter midfielder Sneijder. The Dutch international, who helped the Nerazzurri to a historic treble in 2010, seems certain to leave the club following a contract dispute, but Mancini has quashed reports that he may be heading to Manchester City.

"Sneijder is a very good player but we have two players in [Samir] Nasri and [David] Silva who have the same skills as Sneijder," he explained. "So Sneijder can't be helpful for us."

 

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Ronaldo had a better year than Messi, says Mijatovic

Predrag Mijatovic believes that Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi as he feels the Real Madrid attacker has had a better year than his Barcelona rival.


The Argentina international took his tally for club and country to 86 on Sunday when he netted a double against Betis to break Gerd Muller's goalscoring record, yet Mijatovic feels that Cristiano Ronaldo has been even more impressive.

"I would like it if Cristiano Ronaldo wins it. He has done better than Messi this year in my opinion," Mijatovic told reporters.

The former Madrid attacker then went on to discuss the title race, and stressed that Barcelona has not won anything just yet.

"It's a significant gap, but we should not forget that May is still far away. There's plenty of football to be played and Barcelona will start spilling points at some point."

The Nou Camp side currently holds a six-point lead over second-placed Atletico, with Real Madrid trailing its archrival by 11 points.

 

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Zanetti: Inter aims to battle for the Scudetto right until the end

Javier Zanetti has insisted that Inter will fight for the title right until the end of the season, even though he admits that the Nerazzurri face stiff competition in the Scudetto race.

The Giuseppe Meazza side climbed to second spot in the league table following a 2-1 win over Napoli at the weekend, and Zanetti is determined to keep up the team's current form for the remainder of the 2012-13 campaign.

"Our aim is to battle for the Scudetto right down to the wire. We want to be in the running until the very end," Zanetti said at a charity event.

"This Inter team has always had its own identity, even when we lost. And after a defeat we've accepted it and moved on.

"The path ahead isn't easy but we'll fight to try and stay up there. The title race isn't just about us and Juventus though: Roma, Lazio and Fiorentina are all in with a shout."

Inter resumes Serie A action away against Lazio on Saturday.

 

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Rooney proud to overtake Sir Bobby Charlton's Manchester derby goalscoring record

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has expressed his pride at overtaking Sir Bobby Charlton's record of goals in the Manchester derby, after his double in the 3-2 victory over Manchester City on Sunday took him to 10 goals against the Red Devils' top rival.

The 27-year-old scored twice to put Sir Alex Ferguson's men ahead 2-0, before goals from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta put the three points in doubt, with Robin van Persie winning the game with a free kick in the dying moments of the match.

The prolific forward leapfrogged the Red Devils' club legend to gain the derby record and is now level with Manchester City's Francis Lee and Joe Hayes with the overall record of 10.

The striker also became the sixth player to reach the 150 Premier League goals barrier, following in the footsteps of Alan Shearer, Andy Cole, Robbie Fowler, Thierry Henry and Frank Lampard in achieving the career landmark.

"I didn't know I was the top United derby scorer but I am proud of that," Rooney told reporters. "It is a great feeling to score against City. There is a lot of passion and pride in Manchester in these games and it has been great for me to score so many."

The former Everton forward was also glad to see the his strike partner's late effort hit the back of net, and he didn't begrudge Van Persie taking the free kick ahead of himself.

"I practice free kicks most days with Robin, Ryan Giggs and Ashley Young," Rooney said. "He is a fantastic striker of the ball. Before he took it I went over and asked him was he crossing or shooting, so I knew whether to get across my man or leave him space to shoot. He told me was shooting and thankfully it went into the bottom corner."

 

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Eto'o: I have never met anyone like Mourinho

Samuel Eto'o says that he has never met a character more "larger than life" than Jose Mourinho.

The duo worked alongside one another at Inter and the Cameroon international revealed how he found Mourinho's departure difficult to take when the Portuguese left the club to take control of Real Madrid in 2010.

"He was a great person and a great coach," he told RT.

"Of the few people I have met in my life I have never met such a character that is larger than life. That year we won almost everything and then we parted. It was tough to take."

Eto'o also talked about his time under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona and though he admits his own exit from Camp Nou was a tough one, he says the two of them now enjoy a good relationship.

"I spent a year with him in which I won everything, but the end was hard. Yet, I can say for all the good years I spent at Barcelona that only a small proportion was difficult," he explained.

"Anything can happen in life, but you have to be a man and sometimes say certain things. Nowadays I'm happy because when we see each other we talk because we are all in the same Barca family."

 

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Wenger: Messi is mesmerizing

Arsene Wenger has described Barcelona's Lionel Messi as "mesmerizing".

The Argentine set a new record with his 85th and 86th goals of the calendar year, overtaking the previous mark of 85 set by Gerd Muller back in 1972, and the French coach has sent his compliments to the 25-year-old.

“Congratulations to Messi. He is just mesmerizing. What he is doing is unbelievable," he told the Arsenal website.

"Even with the biggest imagination, I would not have thought somebody would be capable of doing that.

"He makes it look so easy to score, and we are all tempted to say ‘let us walk on this pitch and score goals’, because it looks so easy when he does it. When you have played football, you know how difficult it is to score one goal.

“To think that one player can score 86 per year, if you think you play nine and a half months, it’s nearly 10 goals guaranteed per month. When you start the month, you know this boy will give you 10 goals, that is not bad!”

Messi may extend his record even further before the turn of the year, with the Blaugrana scheduled to play four more times before the start of 2013.

 

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Evra: Van Persie is perfect for Manchester United

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has stated that he believes Robin van Persie is "perfect" for the club while maintaining that Wayne Rooney is also very important to the team.

The France international considers the club's new arrival to have slotted into the squad perfectly, and that his hunger and tenacity to work for the team has allowed him to blend in much more quickly than anyone would have anticipated.

The Dutchman already has 14 goals to his name in the current campaign, with a late free kick winning the Manchester derby on Sunday, and the left back believes the summer signing has what it takes to help the club win titles.

"Robin is perfect for Manchester United," Evra told talkSPORT. "When he scored the hat trick at Southampton he also missed a penalty. The first thing he said when he came back to the dressing room was that he was really sorry for missing the penalty. That shows the hunger, humility and personality he has to win trophies. He is not just scoring for himself. He really wants the team to win something."

The 31-year-old fullback also insisted that Rooney was still essential to the team. He dismissed talk that the forward has lost his ability to score this season, pointing towards his recent rich vein of form, in which he bagged himself doubles against both Reading and Manchester City.

"A lot of people criticized Wayne at the beginning of the season, asking why he didn't score so many goals," Evra added. "Last week he scored two goals. [Sunday] he got two again. He is a really important player for us."

Evra was also glad to see a former Red Devil left on the bench, as Mario Balotelli was favored to Carlos Tevez, and he believes the striker's initial omission was a welcome relief.

"Tevez caused us problems when he came on," Evra said. "I told him before the game that I was really happy he was not going to start. It was a good sign for us. When he came on he put pressure on every defender and chased everywhere."

 

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Del Bosque: Football has given me everything

Vicente del Bosque says "football has given me everything" after receiving a lifetime achievement award.

The 61-year-old has been in management for 25 years, taking over the Real Madrid B side before progressing to the senior team and then onto the Spanish national side.

He has since added the World Cup and European Championship to his trophy cabinet as Roja boss and he could not hide his delight at seeing his achievements recognised.

"It makes me very proud, it is an honour for me," he told AS.

"Football has given me everything. When I was 16 I arrived in Madrid as a provincial kid, with the dream of becoming a footballer. Now, at 61 years old, I can say my wishes were fulfilled, thanks to being lucky enough to belong to two fine institutions in Real Madrid and the Spanish Football Federation."

When asked which of his successes he looks upon as his finest, Del Bosque revealed a surprising choice.

"All those trophies have been important, but the period I cherish the most is the 16 years I spent with the Real Madrid youth team," he added.

"I can truly say it was a marvelous time, it was unforgettable. We did not care about money or making a name for ourselves, we were only interested in bringing up players and people. Real Madrid was our life. I think we did an impeccable job."

 

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Fan apologizes for confronting Ferdinand

The Manchester City fan who ran onto the pitch and tried to confront Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand during Sunday’s Manchester derby has issued an apology.

Matthew Stott, 21, attempted to square up to Ferdinand, who had been struck by a coin moments earlier, but was restrained by Joe Hart and subsequently arrested.

Stott has now been charged with pitch encroachment, but released a statement via his solicitors apologizing to everyone involved, particularly Ferdinand, and offering remorse for his actions.

"I would like to apologize to all those affected by my actions yesterday, particularly Mr Ferdinand and the other players," he said in the statement. “I am extremely ashamed of my actions. I have let myself down, my family down, my fellow fans down and Manchester City Football Club.

"I intend to write personally to Mr Ferdinand to express my extreme regret and apologies and also apologize to Manchester United and their fans. I would like to thank Joe Hart for his actions when I came on the pitch."

Rebecca Caulfield of Stephen Lickrish & Associates is the solicitor representing Stott, and she added:

"Scott is a hardworking man who has held a full time job as a landscape gardener for four years and lives with his partner of five years. He has never been to court before and has never been in trouble with any of the stewards at Manchester City Football Club before or at any other ground. He is extremely remorseful and is mortified by his behavior which is completely out of character.

"This was a momentary mistake by Mr. Stott which has led to him being charged, brought shame on his family, and will bring sanctions on the club that Mr. Stott has supported all his life.

"Mr. Stott will accept the consequences of his actions. He would like to make clear that he is not the stereotypical drunken football fan but a fan that attends games with his father. He is embarrassed and ashamed of his temporary moment of madness that has brought wider consequences on the club he supports and his fellow fans."

 

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Dortmund could sell Lewandowski, says Watzke

Borussia Dortmund director Hans-Joachim Watzke has hinted that the club could be prepared to sell Robert Lewandowski this summer if it receives an offer too good to refuse.

The Polish striker, who has bagged nine goals in 15 Bundesliga starts this season has garnered attention from several clubs, including Juventus and Manchester United.

As revealed by Goal.com, the Bianconeri have already made an enquiry for his services, and with the 24-year-old's contract to expire at the end of next season, BVB could be forced to cut its losses.

"As often as I am talking to Robert, I do not have the impression he wants to leave us,” club executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sport Bild.

"We will have to make decisions in this case at the end of the season. We may decide on economical factors.

"Would it be best to cash in a big fee? Or would it be even better to keep Lewandowski to ensure we are more likely to qualify for the Champions League with him in our side, as this would guarantee us big income?

"It's a decision we will have to take. It's our decision. It's not something to be decided by others."

 

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'Wenger's most humiliating loss' - Wright slams Arsenal's Capital One Cup exit

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has labelled the Gunners’ penalty shoot-out defeat against Bradford in the Capital One Cup as the most humiliating of Arsene Wenger’s reign.

The north London side lost 3-2 on penalties after Santi Cazorla’s spot-kick was saved and Marouane Chamakh and Thomas Vermaelen both hit the post.

“I think [it is the most humiliating loss], yes, because it’s one of those where I think he’s finally realized that he has to put out a team that’s strong enough to try and win this competition,” said Wright on Absolute Radio’s Rock ’N’ Roll Football.

“There’s no way I’m going to sit here and say I didn’t expect us to beat Bradford, but the team that we can put out, the team that we did put out, with the right attitude, are supposed to beat Bradford.”

Wright believes there are major problems at Arsenal, but would not like to see the French manager, who’s been at the club for 16 years, axed.

“You’ve got to look at Arsene Wenger and everything that’s going wrong, there are major problems,” Wright continued.

“I think that he should be worried about his future, but at the same time if he wasn’t worried about his future he wouldn’t be human. The fact is something’s got to give, the fans are livid.

“I wouldn’t like to see him go, I’d like to see him bring people in that he’s going to listen to.”

The former Crystal Palace striker felt Arsenal missed Theo Walcott against Bradford, and fears he will be a huge loss for the Gunners if he leaves the club, with Manchester United circling.

“It would be a major loss,” Wright added. “Singlehandedly against Reading he brought them back into the game and I feel that if Theo was playing last night, I think he would have done something in the game.

“Theo Walcott, with his pace, with his ability, with the fact that he’s got a thick skin, Theo, he could take stick. I think that if Manchester United are in, that’s it, he’s gone.”

 

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Llorente puts Premier League on red alert

Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente has reaffirmed his desire to move to the Premier League when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham have all been linked with the Basque target man in the past, and will be buoyed by Llorente’s openness to move to England.

The Spanish forward, who has scored just one goal in La Liga this year, can begin negotiating with clubs outside Spain from the start of January.

"It is true that we are approaching the date when I can sign for other clubs," Llorente told Revista de La Liga.

"I really like the Premier League and I've mentioned on more than one occasion that it's a league which appeals to me a lot.

"You never know. It's one good option in terms of my future but we'll have to wait until the end of the season to see what happens."

Llorente rejected claims that a deal was already in place with Juventus, and stated that his current focus is solely on current club Athletic Bilbao.

"No. That's totally untrue," Llorente continued.

"I think it's normal that people talk about these things, but ultimately you have to respect the rules. I am an Athletic player and, until Jan. 1, I cannot sign with any other team."

 

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Alexis Sanchez’s agent denies Barcelona exit

The agent of Barcelona attacker Alexis Sanchez has said that the forward will not leave the club in January despite reported interest from Premier League clubs.



The Chile international has been on the fringes of Tito Vilanova’s side this season but his representative Fernando Felicevich sees no reason why the 23-year-old would want to depart.“Alexis will stay in Barcelona,” he told todomercadoweb.es. “He has no reason to leave as he is in the best team in the world. Barcelona will not sell Alexis in any case. He has returned after injury and played well.”

Felicevich also stated that every player at the Catalan club can learn something from Argentina captain Lionel Messi.The forward scored his 85th and 86th goals of the calendar year in the 2-1 win over Betis on Sunday to break Gerd Muller’s record, and the agent thinks all players can improve by studying Messi.

“Barca have Messi and he is a player that everyone can learn from,” he said.
The Blaugrana are currently top of La Liga after taking 43 points from 15 games.

 

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Messi's father: My son will never leave Barcelona

Lionel Messi is destined to remain at Barcelona until the end of his career, according to the player's father.

The Argentina international has a contract with the Blaugrana until the summer of 2016, and his dad Jorge has stressed that the fans of the Catalan giants can rest easy knowing that a potential exit for the forward is "unthinkable".

"I cannot imagine that he will ever leave the club, that's simply unthinkable," Jorge Messi told Cadena Cope. "He is feeling very well here and he has always insisted that he wants to remain at Barca."

Messi broke Gerd Muller's record of 85 goals for club and country in a calendar year in the 2-1 win over Betis at the weekend, and Jorge admitted that he never imagined his son would score that many goals within 12 months.

"He has surprised even me. We never thought it would be possible to best such a monstrous amount of goals and it wasn't easy," he explained.

Messi is currently on 86 goals and will be keen to add to his tally in the Copa del Rey match over Cordoba on Wednesday.

 

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Pazzini: AC Milan must keep this up

Giampaolo Pazzini has stressed that AC Milan has to build on its good performances in recent weeks in order to make up the lost ground from the opening months of the 2012-13 campaign.

The Rossoneri have climbed to seventh spot in the Serie A table following a string of good results, but Pazzini has warned that they cannot afford to lose focus again in the remainder of the season.

"We made a bad start and morale was a bit low when the good results didn't come," Pazzini said in an interview with Sky Sport Italia.

He added,"It was not an easy situation as many champions had left the club. We have now returned to winning ways, though, and morale and confidence have received a boost. The important thing now is that we keep this up.

"The Scudetto? We're still far behind and it's always difficult when you're chasing your rivals as you cannot afford to slip up. We started poorly and we'll have to do our utmost to climb in the table again."

Milan resumes Serie A action at home against Pescara on Sunday.