..::Football III::..

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'Xavi the best midfielder of all time' - Villa

David Villa has hailed former Barcelona and Spain team-mate Xavi as "the best midfielder of all time".

Xavi announced last week that he will leave the Blaugrana at the end of the season to link up with Qatari outfit Al-Saad, thus bringing the curtain down on a 24-year association with his boyhood club.

The playmaker lifted 23 titles during his 17 years as a professional at Camp Nou, as well as two European Championships and one World Cup with Spain. And he still has the chance to add two more winners' medals to his remarkable haul, with Barca set to face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final this weekend before meeting Juventus in the Champions League decider seven days later.

New York City striker Villa played alongside Xavi at both club and international level and he insists that the 35-year-old is peerless.

"It's a joy to have been able to know him as a person, to have been able to play by his side for so long with the national team and for three years at Barcelona," Spain's all-time record goalscorer told EFE.

"He's of our league, he's Spanish, he's played in the national team and in Barcelona, and the truth is it is an honour for everyone to have had him in our game. He is the best midfielder of all time.

"I hope that things go really well in his new experience."Villa spent three years at Barcelona, between 2010 and 2013, winning eight trophies in total, including two Liga titles and a Champions League.

 

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Dnipro 2-3 Sevilla: Bacca double sees Rojiblancos retain Europa League title

Sevilla became the first side to win European football's second-tier competition on four occasions with a pulsating 3-2 victory over Dnipro in Wednesday's Europa League final.

The Andalusian club lifted the trophy in 2006 and 2007 - under its former guise as the Uefa Cup - and they have now made it back-to-back crowns for a second time, as Carlos Bacca scored twice to prove the hero.

Unai Emery's side won the competition last season in a penalty shootout following a nervy 0-0 draw with Benfica, but this encounter proved a much more entertaining affair.

Dnipro, competing in their first European final, took an early lead through Nikola Kalinic, but they then found themselves behind when Sevilla struck twice in three minutes.

First, Grzegorz Krychowiak fired home after Dnipro had failed to deal with a ball into the box, and then Bacca produced a composed finish.

The Ukrainian side battled to level before the break, as captain Ruslan Rotan converted a free-kick.

However, it was Bacca who had the final say, latching onto Vitolo's clever pass to rifle home with 17 minutes left to play and ensuring Sevilla claimed a piece of history - and a spot in next season's Champions League.

Sevilla made a bright start, but it was Dnipro who took the lead through Kalinic in the seventh minute.

After flicking the ball onto Matheus, the Croatian striker made his way into the box and met his team-mate's perfect cross with a powerful downward header from eight yards.

Emery's men responded well to that early setback, with captain Jose Antonio Reyes firing a shot narrowly wide before Krychowiak saw his header from Ever Banega's corner clawed away by Dnipro goalkeeper Denys Boyko.

The Polish midfielder was not to be denied for long, though, as, in the 28th minute, he controlled Bacca's cushioned lay-off and fired the ball low into the right-hand corner.

Three minutes later, the holders were in front. Reyes this time produced a superb defence-splitting pass and Bacca sprung the offside trap before rounding Boyko to slot home.

As the free-flowing action continued, Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico produced a stunning fingertip save to keep out Yevhen Konoplyanka's rasping drive from distance, and Aleix Vidal went close with a similarly powerful drive at the other end.

Just as it seemed Sevilla would reach half-time with the lead, Rotan stepped up and curled an excellent free-kick beyond Rico into the top corner from 25 yards.

In a less eventful second period, the key moment arrived in the 73rd minute.

Vitolo latched onto a loose ball just outside the area and produced a sublime first-time pass with the outside of his right foot, which ran perfectly into Bacca's path. The Colombian made no mistake with a low left-footed finish.

Bacca - who celebrated his winner by unfurling his nation's flag - could have sealed a perfect hat-trick six minutes later, but Boyko spread himself well to keep out the striker's header.

There was a moment of concern in the final moments of the match as Matheus collapsed off the ball, seemingly following a clash of heads with Benoit Tremoulinas, but the Dnipro man appeared to be conscious as he left the field on a stretcher.

 

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Sevilla Europa League win karapu 4th time 1ka​

 

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Banega: Winning the Europa League is the best feeling

Ever Banega expressed his gratitude to Unai Emery for the chance to win the Europa League with Sevilla, describing the achievement as "just the best" feeling.
A 3-2 win over Dnipro in Warsaw on Wednesday saw the Spanish side secure a second consecutive title - and a fourth in total.

Banega, who played under Emery at Valencia and teamed up with him this season at Sevilla after a spell in Argentina, says his side fully deserved to lift the trophy again.

"It is thanks to Emery and sporting director Monchi, who believed in me, that I was able to come to Sevilla," he told reporters. "It is wonderful that I can achieve my ambitions with the team.

“We knew it would be difficult but this is a final. We were very relaxed and focused, and after they scored quickly we were able to turn it around. We worked very hard.

"We had all our families and friends in the stadium so we had to work very hard to win the match.

“I’ve worked very hard for my team, we have a great coach and he gets the very best out of us. That’s the best thing about the healthy competition in the dressing room.

"I knew arriving here that I wouldn’t get many minutes, but winning this final and reaching the Champions League is just the best."

Dnipro took the lead after just seven minutes, but Grzegorz Krychowiak was able to equalise and Banega was quick to praise the 25-year-old, hailing the Pole as world class.

“His contribution to the team is extremely important, he works very hard for the team and you always get the feeling that we are going to do well with him because he is a world-class player.”

 

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Sevilla players will beg Emery to stay - Carrico

Sevilla's players will beg Europa League-winning coach Unai Emery to stay amid reported approaches from across Europe, according to defender Daniel Carrico.

The Spanish outfit clinched a record fourth Europa League crown on Wednesday with a 3-2 victory over Dnipro in Warsaw, successfully defending the title they won with victory over Benfica in Turin 12 months ago.

And the consistent successes have led to interest in Emery from the likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid and West Ham United in recent weeks, but Carrico is hopeful that the players will be able to persuade him to stay now that Champions League football has been secured.

"I think he is the key for us. He is our leader, a very important coach. We hope he will stay with us for next season but it is difficult because he is one of the best coaches in the world," Carrico told Goal.

"But now that we are going to play in the Champions League I hope that will help to persuade him to stay with us.

"We will beg him to stay. Of course nobody can ask more than to play in the Champions League. We are going to play in the best competition and that might help us when we ask him to stay."

The Rojiblancos were backed by around 10,000 in the Stadion Narodowy, and Carrico was quick to praise their impact throughout a season which also saw them finish in fifth place in La Liga.

"The fans are crazy. You should see at least one game in our stadium because it is unbelievable how they help us to win games. Sometimes we are losing and when they start to sing it is unbelievable. We just keep winning for them.

"We went 34 games one year without losing a game in our stadium, and in that you can see how important our supporters are."

And with Champions League football to come, the 26-year-old says there is no reason why they cannot succeed in the showpiece competition.

"We don't know what more we can do, but we have great ambitions and next season we will play in the Champions League. It's the biggest competition in the world and we want to do something in this competition."

 

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Wenger: Benzema? Vidal? Arsenal not thinking about transfers

Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is a fan of Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal and has refused to rule out the possibility of signing the Chilean and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema in the summer.

The north Londoners were considering an ambitious summer swoop for Benzema and are convinced that the former Lyon star would be keen on a switch.

When asked about Arsenal's interest in the France forward and Vidal, Wenger told reporters that his concentration remains solely on the upcoming FA Cup final, not on summer moves:

"I like Arturo Vidal. You can suspect that at the moment I'm not in a transfer mode.

"We'll deal with transfers after the FA Cup final. It's all suspicions, nobody knows if its true or not."

The Frenchman was similarly quiet when quizzed about Arsenal's interest in Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling on May 19, with the 20-year-old expected to tell Brendan Rodgers he wants to leave the club when the transfer window reopens.

 

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Congratz Sevilla

Carlos Bacca patta neda bro
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[rcccc]

Carlos Bacca patta neda bro
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ow machan me season eke hodatama perform kala

 

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ow machan me season eke hodatama perform kala

Aniwa bro​

 

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Toronto FC 0-1 Manchester City: Evans wonder strike seals friendly win

A superb goal from George Evans gave Manchester City a 1-0 victory over a stubborn Toronto FC side at BMO Field.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who has spent most of the season on loan at Crewe Alexandra and Scunthorpe United, curled in a fine effort from 30 yards to break the deadlock after 84 minutes.

It was a strike worthy of winning any game and one that finally broke Toronto's resistance.

Manuel Pellegrini's side, who finished second in the Premier League after winning their final six matches, will now turn their attentions towards Friday's clash with Houston Dynamo.

Pellegrini included first-team regulars David Silva, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany alongside fringe players Dedryck Boyata, Seko Fofana and Willy Caballero in his starting XI.

City controlled the majority of the first-half, dominating possession and creating plenty of goalscoring chances.

They could not find the breakthrough, though, with Silva, Edin Dzeko and Wilfried Bony all particularly wasteful in front of goal.

Toronto barely mustered a shot in the first half, Luke Moore's tame header the best opportunity the hosts could muster.

The game followed the same pattern for much of the second period, Toronto camped deep in their own half and City failing to take advantage of some excellent openings.

The introduction of Sergio Aguero gave City extra pace and sharpness up front, but Pellegrini's side's finishing let them down again. Dzeko dragged two shots wide of the post and Aguero's free kick whistled just over the top of the crossbar.

Toronto, perhaps emboldened by City's failings at the other end, began to press forward and create a few chances of their own as the match wore on, Jordan Hamilton going close on three different occasions.

Manny Aparicio then struck the post in the 76th minute after being picked out by Jackson with a wonderful lofted through-ball.

But Evans struck with just six minutes of time remaining, the youngster collecting the ball from Martin Demichelis and bending a fabulous strike into the top corner.

Toronto rallied in the final minutes and almost levelled through Bright Dike in stoppage time, but City held on for a deserved win.

 

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Matheus fine and well after collapse - Markevych

Dnipro coach Myron Markevych said forward Matheus appears to be OK after a scary incident in the Europa League final.

The Brazilian attacker, 32, collapsed with no other player around him late in Sevilla's 3-2 win in Warsaw on Wednesday.Stretchered off the pitch, Matheus was later reported to have suffered a broken nose in an earlier clash of heads.

"It looks like everything is alright with him," Markevych said."He worked a lot on the pitch today so perhaps something went wrong, but I think everything is alright now."

The 32-year-old's sudden fall caused panic amongst players of both teams and evoked tragic memories for Sevilla, who lost Antonio Puerta to a fatal heart attack suffered duting a match in August 2007.Matheus was treated for his injuries at hospital but Dnipro confirmed he was later discharged in full health.

"Matheus needed the help of doctors. The injury was so severe that the Brazilian was immediately sent to the hospital," read a statement on the club website."He was diagnosed with a fracture of the nasal bones and a head injury. A few hours later rejoined the football team at the hotel."

 

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Ramsey good enough for Barcelona, says Coleman

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey would not be out of place at Barcelona amid interest from the Spanish champions, according to Wales coach Chris Coleman.

Barcelona have been linked with a move for Ramsey, who is looking to claim back-to-back FA Cup titles when he faces Aston Villa on Saturday, despite the club's transfer ban until 2016.

Ramsey would join Wales team-mate and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale in La Liga if he left London for Barcelona, and Coleman believes the 24-year-old has the ability to fit in at Camp Nou.

He said: "If you look at the way he plays, and the way Barcelona play with all that imagination, it is not too dissimilar to the way Arsenal play.

"Barca signed [Ivan] Rakitic from Sevilla last year. Some people were scoffing at that, but he's a good player, and if Barca are looking at 'Rambo' then it's for a reason.

"He's already playing for Arsenal, who play a similar style. He's playing at the top of the Premier League and Champions League every season.

"Ability-wise, when you see the best of Aaron Ramsey... at his best, is he good enough for Barcelona? Yes he is, at his best."

 

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Ramsey good enough for Barcelona, says Coleman

Ramsey Barcelona yana 1kak naha​

 

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Pellegrini demands truth in alleged Fifa corruption

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini wants the truth following the indictment of 14 officials associated with Fifa by the United States Department of Justice on Wednesday.

Swiss authorities raided a deluxe hotel in Zurich to arrest a number of dignitaries ahead of the annual Fifa Congress set to take place on Friday.

Fifa has already handed bans to 11 football officials following the allegations of corruption and has vowed to "clean up" its act.

The U.S Justice Department has issued a 47-count indictment in federal court detailing charges but, while Pellegrini was quick not to jump to conclusions, the 61-year-old expects the facts to be revealed to the public in full.

"It's not something I can analyze at this moment but it is obviously very important," he said.

"I hope to know the truth about all these [accusations] soon."

Pellegrini watched on Tuesday as his Manchester City squad squeaked out a narrow 1-0 victory over Toronto FC as their post-season tour quickly got underway.

The Premier League runners-up were granted the win by George Evans' wonder strike in the dying embers of the match, but the Chilean boss says he was not caught off guard by the class of the goal.

"I'm not surprised," he continued.

"I see [the young players] work beside us every day with Patrick Vieira. George already played with the first squad when we went to Abu Dhabi in January – not only him, but four or five other young players."

The Premier League runners-up were without injured midfielders James Milner and Samir Nasri and, with their futures at the club in doubt, Pellegrini doesn’t expect to see them joining their North American tour.

He said: "[Milner and Nasri] remain injured and I don't think they can play tomorrow. Samir is getting better – he is working and started running a few days ago.

"This is not the best timing for us to play a game but it's useful for some of the young players that are with our squad."

Manchester City continue their tour on Friday at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston before a close to two month break ahead of their participation in the International Champions Cup.

 

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'We already have the best players!' - Mourinho on why Chelsea don't need to buy anyone

Jose Mourinho says Chelsea's priority during the summer transfer window will be to keep his title-winning squad together, not bring in new players, and admits it is hard to improve his side further.

The west Londoners romped to Premier League glory in the 2014-15 campaign, ending the season with an eight-point winning margin over previous champions Manchester City.

And Mourinho is already switching his focus to defending the title, but believes new signings will be less important than retaining the core of his successful team and says it will be nearly impossible to find players who are upgrades to his current starting XI.

"We like the players, we are happy with the players. Two or three are always coming to the club, that's normal," said the Portuguese coach ahead of Chelsea’s post-season friendly against Thailand All-Stars.

"But the players I am looking for are my players, the players I want to keep. Last season I had players I wanted to sell. The most important thing in the market is not to lose players

"How can I find a better striker than Diego Costa? A better midfielder than [Nemanja] Matic? A better right-back than [Branislav] Ivanovic?

"Our squad this season was very good. We didn't have many injuries. We had three players play 38 matches of the Premier League."

Mourinho also played down the prospect of any big-name signings, adding: "If you come to a champion team you are not a big name. The big names are the champions."

The Premier League winners are in Bangkok for their post-season tour to take on a select XI of the best players from the Thai league at the Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday.

 

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'We already have the best players!' - Mourinho on why Chelsea don't need to buy anyone

Mourinho mehema kiwwata aluth playersla ganiwi summer 1ke​

 

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'Big clubs have a responsibility to win with style' - Wenger talks 'real' Mourinho rivalry

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his rivalry with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho "is real", but insists that he does respect the Portuguese even if it is not always reciprocated.

Wenger, in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's'World At One', also shed light on his desire to play attractive football - and others' aversion to it - as well as how Roman Abramovich's purchase of Chelsea inflated the market and marginalised the Gunners.

Wenger and Mourinho have long been involved in verbal spats away from the football pitch, going back to the Portuguese's first spell in England between 2004 and 2007, and early last season the Frenchman pushed his old rival in the chest during a match at Stamford Bridge.

But he says that he is quick to admit his guilt when he is wrong, and that he always respects his opponents.

"The rivalry is real but it has to be respectful and I believe that managers sometimes, in the heat of the game, [the] passion gets out of control," he said.

"When I'm guilty, I'm guilty, and I regret that always but basically you have to respect each other, because if in our own job we don't respect each other... the job is difficult enough, and I always find that a guy who doesn't do that you lose a good opinion."

Asked if there is respect between the two when in private, Wenger added, somewhat cryptically: "On my side always... I respect everybody, I don't... I respect everybody's style, everybody's personality."

Chelsea won the Premier League title at a canter this season but were accused of being boring - particularly by Arsenal fans - in the final weeks of the campaign.

And Wenger, when asked about his dedication to attacking, "beautiful" football, says the top clubs must do all they can to be entertaining.

"I believe that our sport has moved forward a lot on the technical side, on the physical side, on the tactical side but as well we must not forget the values that our sport carries through the generations," he added.

"And one of them is that the vibes coming out of a team, going into the stands, they don't lie. I always like to think that the guy who wakes up in the morning after a hard week of work, has that moment, that fraction of a second when he opens his eyes, 'Oh, today I go to watch my team!' and it makes him happy, he thinks 'I can see something special today'. We're not always in a position to guarantee that but we have to try."

When it was put to him that a team could be "more boring" and "win more games", the Frenchman responded: "That's what people say when you don't win but let's not forget you can be boring and lose as well, I believe big clubs have a responsibility to win but to win with style."

Chelsea were bought by Russian billionaire Abramovich in 2003, prompting years of big spending on transfers at Stamford Bridge.

And Wenger says it was impossible for his team to keep up with "an injection of huge money": "It has put a lot of stress on the other teams. Why? Because it puts inflation on the wages so overall it was financial competition and we could not go with it.

"You had first Manchester United with more financial power but they created that power through commercial activities and the size of that club after you had Chelsea coming in with a private injection of huge money.

"After you have Man City coming in with an injection of huge money as well, then you have the clubs like Liverpool and Tottenham as well who have big financial potential so you are in the middle there and you have to survive, but the competition became much harder because of the financial resources of these clubs."

 

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Flamini: Coquelin's a great player but I'll fight him for FA Cup spot

Mathieu Flamini has praised the emergence of Francis Coquelin at Arsenal this season but has vowed to fight for his place in the starting XI ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final against Aston Villa.

Coquelin has become a key member of Arsene Wenger's first-team squad since his loan spell at Charlton was cut short, making 22 league outings in defensive midfield as the Gunners earned a third-placed finish.

Flamini, meanwhile, has not completed 90 minutes for the club since December and accepted that Coquelin has increased competition at the Emirates Stadium, but the Frenchman insists he thrives off such a rivalry.

"It's part of the game when you're playing in top teams," he told reporters at the club's London Colney training headquarters. "You have to fight to find your place, but it's part of the game.

"You have to accept the competition and I believe it makes you better because you fight in the morning in training to prove that you can play in the team. It makes you better.

"We all knew Francis was a great player and we're really pleased for him because he had the chance to prove it. He has been doing very well since coming into the team so I'm not surprised.

Flamini's absence from the team coincided with a remarkable upturn in form for the Gunners who had suffered their worst ever start to a Premier League season.

A shock 3-1 home loss to Monaco in the Champions League last-16 first leg preceded a 15-game unbeaten run, and the midfielder admits he has little room to complain given the club's results.

"I played a lot first part of the season. Second part of the season I got injured, then coming back it was difficult to get in the team," he added.

"We nearly won every single game since February so when the team is winning there's not much to say except working hard and every day trying to get back in the team.

"The situation I accept. Competition makes you better. There's not much to say when the team is winning every single game. You just have to accept it. I'm looking forward. I’m happy to be part of this club.

"I'm looking forward to win another trophy, that's the most important. I don't think the personal situation of every player is important, especially when we're about to play another final and add another trophy.

Arsenal can become the second club to retain the FA Cup twice, after back-to-back wins in 2001-02 and 2002-03, and Flamini feels the squad are in better shape than last season's 3-2 victory over Hull City.

"The team now has more experience, we won the FA Cup last year," he said. "For us to go to Wembley again and win it again is [great]. We [will] try to do the same thing we did last year."

 

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Mascherano: I wouldn't trade places with Messi

Javier Mascherano says he wouldn't want to trade places with Lionel Messi due to the level of expectation heaped on his Barcelona colleague.

Messi bagged 43 league goals as Barcelona reclaimed the Spanish title from Atletico Madrid this season, with the club now facing Copa del Rey and Champions League finals against Athletic Bilbao and Juventus.

And Mascherano says he doesn't envy the pressure his Argentina international team-mate must feel to constantly prove he is the best in the game."I wouldn't trade places with him," Mascherano told Canal Plus.

"You have to be a very special type of person to bear the burden of proving every three days, every game, that you're the best in the world."

Mascherano, 30, went on to say he is expecting a difficult clash against Athletic as Luis Enrique's side go in search of their first Copa del Rey crown since 2012 at Camp Nou on Saturday."They're a cup team par excellence and they're going to make life very tough for us," he said.

"The fact that Athletic have preserved their culture in the increasingly globalised world of football makes them a special club. Despite all the limitations, they remain competitive. They deserve the utmost appreciation."Barca end their season with a trip to Berlin on June 6 to face Italian champions Juventus in what Mascherano believes with be a tight and tense affair.

"They're the biggest team in Italy. They've really prepared for this moment in recent years. It's going to be an extremely tough game and it will be decided on the slimmest of margins."

 

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Real Madrid deny Pogba bid

Real Madrid have issued a statement denying reports they have made a formal offer for Juventus star Paul Pogba.

The France international has been the subject of intense speculation linking him with a move to a host of Europe's biggest clubs this summer, with the reigning European champions rumoured to be among the current front-runners for the 22-year-old.

Italian newspaper La Stampa claimed this week that a formal offer have been presented to Juventus, but Madrid have moved to categorically deny the reports.
An official club statement read: "Following the reports published in the Italian newspaper La Stampa concerning an alleged offer from Real Madrid for the player Paul Pogba, the club wishes to state the following:

"Real Madrid have had no contact either with Juventus or the player's agent and, as a consequence, the reports published in this newspaper are completely false."
Former Madrid goalkeeper Francisco Buyo claimed this week that Pogba had informed the club that he was ready to move to the Santiago Bernabeu, though conflicting reports suggested Barcelona would be his preferred destination.He has also been strongly linked to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

Pogba joined Juventus in 2012 on a free transfer after failing to agree a new contract with Manchester United.