..::Football III::..

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Ozil was Madrid's best player after Ronaldo, says Fabregas

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas says new Arsenal signing Mesut Ozil was Real Madrid's best player after Cristiano Ronaldo and is surprised at los Blancos' decision to sell the Germany international.

The attacking midfielder left Madrid for the Gunners on deadline day of the summer transfer window for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of €50 million.

And Fabregas insists Ozil will prove to be a fine addition for his former team.

"Ozil was the second-best player at Real Madrid behind Cristiano Ronaldo," Fabregas told COPE.

"I could identify with him really well as we have a similar style of play. He's an amazing signing for Arsenal."

The midfielder then went on to stress that he has no intention of leaving Barcelona in the foreseeable future after rejecting a move to Manchester United earlier this summer.

"I enjoy a difficult challenge and succeeding at Barcelona is perhaps the toughest challenge there is. I hope to retire here. Leaving Barca has never been in my head," he added.

"I knew that there were clubs where I could earn more money when I joined Barcelona, but returning here was my dream.

"I made more money at Arsenal than now at Barca. I will not even leave if I could earn twice as much somewhere else."

Fabregas, 26, has a contract with Barcelona until June 2016.

 

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Messi pays €5 million in tax fraud case

Lionel Messi and his father have paid €5 million to Spanish authorities as part of an investigation into alleged tax fraud, a court statement has revealed.

The Barcelona star was accused of "hiding" more than €4m earlier this year having failed to file complete tax returns between 2006 and 2009, although both the 26-year-old and Messi Snr. denied all wrongdoing.

A court in Gava has now confirmed the duo have made a "corrective payment" of €5,016,542.27, though they will still be required to attend a legal hearing on September 17.

"We have our lawyers and our wealth managers to take care of that and we trust them and they will sort this out," Messi said of the issue earlier this summer.

"The truth is that I don't have a clue about all this and that is why we have people taking care of it."

Messi earns a combined total of more than €40m per year through wages and sponsorship deals, placing him 10th on the latest Forbes rich list for athletes.

The Argentina international is not the only top-level football professional to become embroiled in tax problems this year. At the end of July, Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness was formally charged with tax fraud after failing to declare on a Swiss bank account.

 

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Llorente thanks Juventus fans for continued support

Juventus striker Fernando Llorente has thanked the club's fans for standing by him during what has been a difficult start to life in Turin.

The Spain international joined the Bianconeri on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao this summer but he has yet to find the back of the net for his new employers, having struggled to force his way into Antonio Conte's starting line-up ahead of either fellow new arrival Carlos Tevez or Mirko Vucinic.

Llorente is therefore touched that the club's fans are still showing him so much love from the stands.

"Many thanks to everyone for the trust shown in me and for continuing to believe in me," the forward wrote on his Facebook page.

"I want you to know that I am working day after day to repay your trust with great moments of happiness."

Llorente scored only four Liga goals during the final season of what was an otherwise successful spell at Athletic.

 

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Flamini delighted to be 'back home'

Mathieu Flamini has expressed his delight at rejoining Arsenal, admitting that playing in Sunday’s north London derby victory was like returning home.

The 29-year-old spent the summer training with the Gunners following his release from AC Milan, eventually signing a contract with the club at which he had previously enjoyed four successful seasons.

The Frenchman was signed in time to make a substitute appearance in the 1-0 win over Tottenham, and says he has found it easy to slot back into life at the Emirates Stadium after five years away.

"I really have the sensation of being back home. Playing against Tottenham in a big derby, it was a great emotion, a great feeling,” he told the club's official website.

“Playing against Tottenham is never easy but it is special for the club, for the fans and for the players.

"Of course, for me it was my first game and I wanted to show everyone how committed I am to this club, how I am ready to give everything on the pitch. I hope everyone saw it; I really did my best when I came on.

“I have heard it a lot [that it is like I have never been away]. I feel like I never left.

"There are players I played with before, and even staff, there are a lot of people still here that I knew before and the [relationship] with the fans was just amazing. I just want to thank everyone for the nice atmosphere on Sunday. It was great.”

Flamini was Arsene Wenger’s second summer signing following fellow free transfer Yaya Sanogo’s arrival at the club, but has since been joined by on-loan goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano and €50 million man Mesut Ozil.

The midfielder has been impressed with the quality of his team-mates, and believes everything in place for the Gunners to enjoy a successful season.

“The quality is very high in this team and at this club,” he continued. “That is the most important thing, to have players of quality because that makes a difference.

“The team spirit is also very good, and we saw on Sunday that everyone was helping each other on the pitch. That makes a difference in the big games.”

 

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I hope Barcelona don't turn Neymar into a bodybuilder - Maradona

Diego Maradona has revealed that he is worried that Barcelona will try to turn Neymar into "a bodybuilder".

There has already been great media focus on the Brazilian's weight since his arrival at Camp Nou, with the 21-year-old having lost seven kilograms after an operation to have his tonsils removed.

Now Maradona is concerned that the Blaugrana's coaching and medical teams might decide that their star summer signing needs to bulk up.

"Neymar delights me," the legendary Argentine told reporters. "He is a player that should be noted.

"He knows what to do with himself and that he does not need to be a bodybuilder. I hope they [Barcelona] don't do that with him. He just has to play football."

Despite his admiration of Neymar's considerable talent, Maradona believes that Argentina will win next year's World Cup on account of another Barcelona player, Lionel Messi.

"What Brazil showed in the Confederations Cup is that the team, with great concentration, is unbeatable," he conceded. "But I'm putting my money on Argentina because of the great form of Messi."

Argentina have not won the World Cup since Diego Maradona inspired his country to victory in Mexico in 1986.

 

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Galliani: 'Milan are not a team of bums'

AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has told the returning Kaka that he has not joined a "team of bums", arguing that the Rossoneri remain Italy's No.1 team.

Juventus may have won the title for the past two seasons but the 69-year-old says that the statistics show that the San Siro outfit are still superior.

"We are the first Italian club in Europe; just look at the Uefa rankings," Galliani told reporters at Kaka's official unveiling on Thursday.

"Milan, out of those who play in the group stage, are the Italian team that has scored the most points in the last five years: Milan 378 points, Juve 358 and Inter 354."

"I don't like this story that is told to us. We won a Scudetto three years ago. We were first up until April two years ago. Then, last yyear, we finished third.

"I claim both the past and present of Milan with pride.

"Ricky, I say these things because you have not arrived at a team of bums."

Kaka, who won the Ballon d'Or during his previous stint in Milan, has rejoined the Rossoneri after four years in Spain with Real Madrid.

 

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Willian: Chelsea move always on the cards

Willian has revealed that his "dream" move to Chelsea had been on the cards for months before he eventually signed for the English outfit.The Brazil international had been linked with a move to Liverpool and Tottenham during the transfer window, only for Chelsea to apparently sneak in under the radar to secure the attacking midfielder's signature.

However, Willian has explained that a move to Stamford Bridge was always the most likely outcome once Anzhi Makhachkala decided to cut costs."They [Chelsea] made an offer two months ago but I was not allowed to leave," the playmaker told Brazilian television station Sportv.

"I kept following the club and I used to go to London to follow Chelsea whenever I had free time and now my dream has come true."Other clubs were interested, but my intention and dream of playing for Chelsea made the difference."

Willian made just 15 appearances for Anzhi before agreeing his move to Chelsea on August 25.

 

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'Every game is a final for Uruguay' - Cavani

Edinson Cavani says every Uruguay fixture will have the intensity of a final ahead of two crucial World Cup qualifying clashes with Peru and Colombia.

Oscar Tabarez's men, who sit fifth in the Conembol standings, have endured a tougher campaign than initially expected.

However, two victories over their South American rivals could potentially propel the Copa America winners into the automatic qualification places and Cavani says the team have the personnel to negotitate both games.

He told reporters: "I don't want to say which match is more important. For Uruguay, every match is a final.

"We have the weapons to fight against them. The important thing is not to think about the others, but to win to be closer to our goal.

"We must not have negative thinkings. If we lose, we will see how we deal with that, but we are going to jump into the field to win the game. That is the goal of everybody here."

Uruguay travel to Peru on September 6, before hosting Colombia four days later.

 

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Ozil's arrival is a gift for Arsenal, says Mertesacker

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker say he is thrilled to see international team-mate Mesut ozil arrive at the Emirates and has described the 28-year-old as a "gift" to the Gunners.

The centre-back believes both his own and compatriot Lukas Podolski’s positive experiences in London may have played a part in persuading Ozil to join Arsene Wenger’s men.

"We spoke on international duty of course,” he told DFB.de.

“We discussed our respective experiences - what the coach is like, what the city is like, what the team-mates are like. He only heard good things about Arsenal and London from me.

“Mesut also knew that both Lukas [Podolski] and I feel very at home there. I think that was in the back of his mind and might have played a role in his decision.

“I think Arsenal can be proud that a player like Mesut has chosen the club. Arsene Wenger spoke briefly to me about Mesut but he did not really need my opinion. He has followed Mesut's career for a long time and always been an admirer of his. For us, the transfer is a gift.

“It was a gift for me to come here, and the same goes for Lukas. Why would it be any different for Mesut?”

The 28-year-old has captained the side in the Gunners' five competitive fixtures this season, due to the absences of Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta, and is not taking the trust shown in him by Arsene Wenger lightly.

"You must be honest and say that I'm only the third choice for this task. But yes, I'm currently leading the team as captain on the pitch and it's a big honour,” he added.

“I think this is a mark of the coach's recognition and I believe that many see that I use my experience for Arsenal. I have been a professional for 10 years, nine in the national team, so I've experienced a lot, been through a lot of situations. And if this is recognised in the captaincy, then I'm pleased.”

 

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'Neymar could have been Madrid's Messi'

Neymar could have been the Lionel Messi of Real Madrid, according to the club's formersporting director Alberto Giraldez.

The Brazil star, who completed a €57 million move to Barcelona from Santos in May, had a trial in the Spanish capital as a 14-year-old in 2006.

However, Carlos Martinez de Albornoz, the club's general manager at the time, reportedly had reservations about paying the €60,000 requested by Neymar's agent Wagner Ribeiro to secure the services of the future star, which Giraldez labelled a "historic mistake".

"Neymar was willing to stay at Real Madrid. We even registered him in the city," he told Cadena Ser. "We saw that he was different.

"It was a historic mistake by Real. He could have been our Messi."

The 21-year-old netted his first competitive goal for the Blaugrana in the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the first-leg of the Spanish Super Cup a fortnight ago.

 

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Roberto Martinez wants new contract for Manchester United target Baines


Everton boss Roberto Martinez expects the club to open up contract negotiations with Leighton Baines following the closure of the transfer window.

The left-back was a target for former boss David Moyes at Manchester United over the summer but, unlike team-mate Marouane Fellaini, he remains at Goodison Park after the club rejected all overtures.
With the window now closed until January, his boss is hoping to tie up the defender's future beyond the two years that currently remain on his contract.

"When the window is open I think it's the wrong time to speak about those things and so we hadn't discussed it," Martinez told reporters.

"But, now the window is closed, we are going to look into all the players in the squad and see where their contracts are up to. Then, individually, we will look to address that.

"It would just have created more instability if we had done that while the window was open."

Everton rejected a "derisory and insulting" double bid of £28 million for Baines and Fellaini in August, with the latter eventually moving to Old Trafford for £27.5 million on deadline day.

 

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Nani pens five-year Manchester United contract

Manchester United have announced that Portuguese winger Nani has signed a new five-year contract with the club.

Goal exclusively revealed in July that the 26-year-old would extend his stay at Old Trafford following talks with new manager David Moyes.

The wide-man has been at United since 2007 after signing from Sporting Lisbon and had one year remaining on his deal.

Moyes told the club's official website: "I'm really pleased Nani has re-signed for the next five years. He has great ability and experience beyond his 26 years.

"I've been impressed with his approach to training and look forward to working with him in the coming seasons."

Nani only featured in 10 Premier League games for Sir Alex Ferguson last campaign and his future had been under the spotlight as the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and Zenit St Petersburg looked to lure him away from the Premier League champions.

However, the new contract will keep the Portugal international at Old Trafford until 2018 and Nani paid tribute to Moyes.

He added:"Playing at United has been a fantastic experience for me. When I came to the club, I never imagined the success we have enjoyed.

"Training every day with top players who want to win trophies every year is a great motivation to me. I'm very happy that the new manager has shown this faith in me and I'm looking forward to helping the team compete for more honours this season."

 

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Congratulations Nani!​

 

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'I play football like I play chess' - Mkhitaryan

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has revealed he plays football in the same way he treats a game of chess.

The Armenia international sealed a club record €27.5 million move to Signal Iduna Park in the summer, and the former Shakhtar Donetsk ace says he is always thinking several steps in front of his opponent.

"I play football like chess," he told reporters. "You have to think a lot and anticipate what could happen after you make your move.

"If you make a mistake, your opponent can punish and you end up losing the game.

"The most dangerous area is the centre, which has to be either attacked or defended in football and it's the same in chess."

The 24-year-old, who netted twice in last week's 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, went on to reveal he has harboured an affection for the German giants long before joining up with Jurgen Klopp's men.

"I always knew the players, the coaches and the stadium. I already followed the team when players like [Tomas] Rosicky, [Jan] Koller and [Marcio] Amoroso were here.

"This has always been a really interesting club and there is a photo of me as a child wearing a BVB shirt."

Mkhitaryan is currently on international duty ahead of Friday's meeting with the Czech Republic.

 

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Carrick welcomes Fellaini competition at Manchester United

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick insists that he is not threatened by Marouane Fellaini's £27.5 million move to Old Trafford from Everton.

The 32-year-old could face direct competition for his first-team spot from the versatile Belgium international, who was reunited with former boss David Moyes on deadline day, but believes that the challenge will only serve to help him improve.

"The more top-quality players you have in your squad, whether it's in my position or not, the better it is for the team," Carrick told the press.

"It's not a case of me thinking: 'I might not be in the team', I will still have to play well to be in it regardless."

Carrick started in 34 of United's 38 Premier League games last season as Sir Alex Ferguson guided the club to the title before retiring in what the former West Ham and Tottenham man dubbed the "best" campaign of his career.

But the England international refuses to see Fellaini's arrival as any sort of indication that his time in the first team might be coming towards its end.

"I can't deny last season probably was my best one," he added.

"There's no reason why I would be thinking of packing up any time soon.

"You never know what's around the corner but I wouldn't say it was going to be my last one."

 

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Gomez: I rejected Real Madrid

Mario Gomez has revealed that he could have left Bayern Munich for Real Madrid in the summer transfer window, but turned down a move to the Liga giants in order to join Fiorentina.

The Germany international was deemed surplus to requirements by new Bayern coach Pep Guardiola this summer and a number of clubs showed an interest in signing the prolific striker.

However, the 28-year-old needed little time to make a decision on his future when Fiorentina made an approach and rejected a transfer to Madrid.

"It's true that Carlo Ancelotti wanted to sign me for Madrid," Gomez confirmed when questioned about the Santiago Bernabeu side's interest by Kicker.

"I was honoured by their interest, because my entire family consists of Real Madrid fans.

"However, after holding talks with Fiorentina about their plans for the future, I knew joining Fiorentina was the right choice for me."

Gomez has so far netted two goals in four official games for Fiorentina.

 

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Manchester United need a director of football, says Comolli

Manchester United need a director of football after a difficult summer transfer window, according to former Liverpool and Tottenham transfer chief Damien Comolli.

The Premier League champions are set to launch an internal inquest after David Moyes and new chief executive Ed Woodward missed out on a number of high-profile targets, and only landed Marouane Fellaini late on deadline day for an inflated £27.5 million fee.Comolli believes the loss of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill in the same summer has had a huge impact at Old Trafford, and says the club have paid a high price for a lack of forward planning.

"The issue for Manchester United is that the two most important people at the club in Sir Alex [Ferguson] and David Gill left their positions and new people came in for their first transfer window," Comolli told BBC Radio 5.


"If there was a club in need of a director of football to ease the process for both individuals [Moyes and Woodward] it was Manchester United.

"David [Moyes] only joined on July 1 which was quite late. For some reason the club weren't prepared or they didn't think it would be that difficult and they ended up in a difficult situation."

United only managed to bring in Guillermo Varela from Atletico Penarol and Fellaini, and missed out on a host of targets including Thiago, Cesc Fagregas, Ander Herrera, Fabio Coentrao and Sami Khedira.

Comelli signed Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Dimitar Berbatov while at Tottenham, but was also behind Liverpool's underwhelming 2011 transfer season when they lavishly spent on Craig Bellamy, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Sebastian Coates, as well as the flop signing of Andy Carroll the period before.

 

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Britos: Higuain can score as much as Cavani

Miguel Angel Britos believes that Gonzalo Higuain can prove just as prolific as the man he has replaced up front for Napoli, Edinson Cavani.

After netting €64 million from the sale of Cavani to Paris Saint-Germain, the Partenopei splashed €40m to acquire Higuain from Real Madrid.

The Argentine opened his account for Napoli by netting in his second Serie A outing and Britos is expecting the forward to just go from strength to strength at the San Paolo and possibly emulate the goalscoring feats of compatriot Cavani.

"He is not yet in top condition but he is already doing great things," the Uruguayan told Radio Kiss Kiss. "I believe that could score as much as Cavani. He is very strong."

With Napoli having won their opening two games of the season, Britos is also anticipating a title challenge this term.

"We started well but we still have to grow to attain that which [coach Rafael] Benitez wants of us," he mused.

"We are on the right track but we have to do better in defence. We're working on it and I see a very balanced league this season.

"There are several teams that might fight for top spot, so it will be tough. But we want to be leaders in this season."

Britos is entering his third season with Napoli, having joined from Bologna in 2011.

 

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'Arsenal an intelligent move at the right time for Ozil'

The man who discovered Mesut Ozil believes that his former protege has made an "intelligent step at the right time" by leaving Real Madrid for Arsenal.

The Germany international's switch to the Emirates has provoked plenty of debate, with most pundits stunned by los Blancos' decision to offload a prolific assist-maker who was as popular with the fans as he was with his team-mates.

However, Schalke youth team coach Norbert Elgert believes that the focus should be more on what he feels was a very shrewd move by Ozil, given the player will now receive the trust he deserves from Gunners coach Arsene Wenger.

"I saw Ozil the first time in 2005 at a school project during a four-against-four match on a tennis court," he told Bild.

"I asked him: where do you play? He answered, 'At RWE [Rot-Weiss Essen].' I asked, 'Where do you live?' He said, 'Gelsenkirchen-Buer.' I said, 'You have to play for us!

"I don't belong to those people who say, 'I knew he was going to be a star.' "But you could clearly see that he was exceptionally talented.

"He had an outstanding technique, always kept his head up and even back then, he was able to perform under huge pressure.

"I think it [his Arsenal move] was an intelligent step at the right time. Arsenal wanted him by all means and he has a great coach there."

Arsenal handed over €50 million for Ozil, who had proven a great success in Madrid after joining from Werder Bremen in 2010.

 

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Nani pens five-year Manchester United contract