..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea 2-0 Scunthorpe United: Costa & Loftus-Cheek fire Blues into fourth round

Chelsea secured their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Scunthorpe at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Diego Costa and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Guus Hiddink named a strong line-up for the visit of the League One side and was rewarded after just 13 minutes when Costa opened the scoring, volleying home Branislav Ivanovic’s cross.

Loftus-Cheek, a half-time substitute for Oscar, then doubled the Blues’ lead on 68 minutes with his first goal for the club, crashing home a low shot first time after a superbly-timed run into the box.

Scunthorpe will rue a penalty decision that went against them when they were only one goal down, referee Craig Pawson opting not to punish Ramires' second-half challenge on Kevin van Veen, while Jordan Clarke hit a post late on as Mark Robins' side gave a good account of themselves against the Premier League champions.

Chelsea were without the injured Eden Hazard, while other big names to miss out included Nemanja Matic, who was not involved, with Thibaut Courtois and John Terry remaining on the substitutes' bench.

But it only took 13 minutes for the hosts to go ahead. Branislav Ivanovic had space to cross from the right and Costa outmuscled defender Scott Laird to convert with a first-time finish.

Chelsea threatened to kill the game early on and Cesc Fabregas had a powerful long-range drive impressively tipped over by Scunthorpe goalkeeper Luke Daniels, who had to make another excellent stop at his near post to deny Pedro after he had raced on to Fabregas' high ball forward.

Oscar shot just wide after linking up with Costa, before Luke Williams' shot saw Scunthorpe force Asmir Begovic into action for the first time at the other end as Chelsea were unable to pull clear before half-time.

Scunthorpe were furious with Pawson as they were denied a penalty after the break when Van Veen appeared to be clipped under pressure from Ramires as he dribbled into the box.The second half proved far quieter than the first, but Chelsea finally doubled their lead with 21 minutes remaining. Cesar Azpilicueta's cross found half-time substitute Loftus-Cheek and the 19-year-old finished confidently left-footed.

There was no route back into the tie for Scunthorpe even though they made a good fist of it in the closing stages.

Van Veen hit the side netting with a free-kick, Paddy Madden shot over as he cheekily attempted to chip Begovic, before the keeper had to push a thunderous effort from Clarke on to the right-hand post to deny the visitors what would have been a deserved consolation.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Tottenham 2-2 Leicester City: Kane penalty forces FA Cup replay

Harry Kane scored a penalty in the closing stages to salvage a 2-2 draw for Tottenham against Leicester City in the third round of the FA Cup.

The England international was initially rested, but came off the bench after the break and proved his worth by slotting home in the 89th minute after referee Robert Madley awarded Spurs a spot-kick for Nathan Dyer's handball.

Christian Eriksen had opened the scoring for Spurs early on when he tapped home a rebound, only for Marcin Wasilewski to restore parity shortly after with a strong header.

The Denmark international threatened two more times before the break, but was denied by Kasper Schmeichel on both occasions, before Shinji Okazaki gave Leicester the lead after the break.

Kane then netted a late equaliser to prevent a repeat of last year's cup result, when Leicester knocked Tottenham out in the fourth round.

The teams will now meet in a replay to determine who progresses to the fourth round, and face off again in the Premier League at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.

Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino opted to rest stars such as Hugo Lloris, Dele Alli and the aforementioned Kane, while Leicester were without the injured Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, but that did not prevent both sides from playing out an entertaining encounter.

Tottenham made a fine start to the game and needed only eight minutes to break the deadlock. Schmeichel failed to hold on to Nacer Chadli's shot from the left-hand side of the area and Eriksen had little trouble finding the net from the rebound with a calm finish.

The attacking midfielder came close to doubling Spurs’ lead in the 16th minute after a superb free-kick, but Schmeichel did well to deny his compatriot.

Leicester pulled level soon after via Wasilewski. The 35-year-old beat his marker Toby Alderweireld to the ball after a sublime corner from debutant Demarai Gray and hit the net with a strong header that left Michel Vorm without a chance.

Eriksen again threatened following some good work from Son Heung-min down the left, yet Schmeichel pulled off another good save to keep it level.
The visitors could have gone a goal up when Andy King tried his luck from long range with Vorm off his goalline after a headed clearance, but the Dutchman rushed back in time to comfortably gather the midfielder’s attempt.

Claudio Ranieri opted to replace N'Golo Kante with Okazaki at half-time and his decision immediately paid off. The Japan international danced past Tom Carroll and Alderweireld before poking a shot straight at Vorm, but he made no mistake from the rebound to make it 2-1 to the away side.

Chadli looked dangerous after a good individual action in the 54th minute, but the Belgium international's shot lacked the power to worry Schmeichel.

Gray came close to doubling Leicester's lead halfway through the first half, unleashing a powerful shot toward the far corner after cutting inside from the left, yet his attempt went inches wide.

Pochettino opted to bring on Kane and Alli in an attempt to force an equaliser and his gamble paid dividends in the 89th minute. The referee pointed to the spot after Dyer handled the ball inside his own area and Kane coolly converted from 12 yards to force a replay.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hiddink dismisses Drogba move reports

Guus Hiddink has dismissed rumours that Didier Drogba is set to join Chelsea as the Dutchman's assistant manager.

Reports have linked the Ivorian attacker to a return to Stamford Bridge, with the 37-year-old said to be close to retirement.The 37-year-old sat alongside Hiddink in Roman Abramovich’s box for Chelsea’s first match following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal.

Drogba's insistence that he has not yet made a decision on his future has done little to quell speculation, but Hiddink has moved to shrug off the reports, insisting that he still has a commitment to MLS side Montreal Impact.

"Drogba is under contract with Montreal Impact - we have to respect that," Hiddink told reporters.

"It is up to the clubs. We have to respect this contract."The former Blues attacker is tied to the Canadian club until December 2016 and scored 11 goals in as many games for Impact in the league last term, netting a further one across three Playoff matches.

Drogba spent nine years with Chelsea across two spells, winning four Premier League titles and a Champions League crown.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Neuer: Bayern must hit the ground running in 2016


Manuel Neuer has urged Bayern Munich to fly out of the traps in both domestic and European competition after the winter break as they target another treble.

Bayern sit eight points clear at the top of the table and face a Champions League last-16 clash with Juventus in February, and Neuer has stressed the need to give each tournament equal consideration.

The goalkeeper accepted that the Champions League remains the Holy Grail for the Bavarian outfit but he doesn’t want to see their league form fall away during their pursuit of the one trophy still to allude manager Pep Guardiola in Germany.

"I know that things can change quickly. Especially if you don't start well in the second half of the season you can get into trouble,” he said.

"We can't afford to feel too safe in the Bundesliga and the German Cup. Those are important competitions as well."But it's true that for many of us the Champions League is the most important trophy."

The World Cup winner is also wary of the threat posed by Juve, but says his side are looking forward to the challenge."We're up against a good side. Juve know us well, too, and they also won't be happy to have to play against us," he said.

"Those are moments where you need to be in better form that your opponent. We need every player and need to avoid any more injuries.

“We had more than enough injured players in the first half of the season but we still did our job quite well. We are where we are supposed to be."We are looking forward to those big games and moments in the Champions League.

"They have a number of good players, not just Mario Mandzukic. I don't think that he will play any differently just because Pep is our manager."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Celta Vigo 0-2 Atletico Madrid: Griezmann & Ferreira Carrasco fire visitors back to the top

Real Madrid may have captured the spotlight this weekend with a thumping win in Zinedine Zidane's first match in charge, but it was their cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid who lead La Liga following a 2-0 victory at Celta Vigo on Sunday.

Antoine Griezmann's 14th goal of the campaign and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco's strike 10 minutes from time helped Diego Simeone's men to record a 10th win from their past 12 league outings on a sodden night at Balaidos.

The two teams slipped and stumbled through the encounter, which was almost postponed following torrential rain pre-match and finished in a monsoon that forced fans to congregate towards the back of the stands.

The only two moments of real quality ultimately settled the match, as Celta slipped to a third straight league defeat.Simeone's men now lead Barcelona by two points, though the Catalan club have two games in hand, and sit four clear of fierce rivals Real Madrid.

Both sides took their time adapting to difficult conditions. Luciano Vietto headed over from Filipe Luis's cross in the third minute for the visitors, while Iago Aspas had Celta's first effort on goal in the 21st minute - the former Liverpool striker steered his header wide at the back post – as the two teams huffed and puffed with little end product.

Atletico's miserly backline, which went into the contest having only conceded eight La Liga goals all season, repelled their hosts with ease, while Celta were equally staunch in defence as goalmouth action was few and far between before the break.

Griezmann blasted over from 15 yards after a neat one-two with Koke, while the latter produced the match's first shot on target in the 38th minute, before Fabian Orellana tested Jan Oblak in the Atletico goal moments later. Unsurprisingly, there was no breakthrough prior to the half-time whistle.

It took less than four minutes after the restart for the visitors to take the lead. Griezmann's excellent first-time pass found the run of Vietto down the left and when he crossed to the back post the France international was on hand to slide the ball into an empty net.That was the first moment of attacking quality from either side, and soon the stop-start pattern of the game returned.

As the rain became even heavier during the latter stages of the encounter, Carrasco completed the Atleti victory. The Belgian collected a loose ball 35 yards from goal, beat two defenders and fired past Sergio Alvarez to wrap up all three points.

Simeone's attention now turns to a Copa del Rey match at home to Rayo Vallecano on Thursday, before a trip to face Las Palmas in La Liga next weekend.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Sampdoria 1-2 Juventus: Champions hold on for another win

Juventus have extended their winning streak in Serie A to nine games as Paul Pogba and Sami Khedira helped the Scudetto holders to a 2-1 win over Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday.

France international Pogba opened the scoring in sublime fashion in the 17th minute with his fourth league goal of the season, before former Real Madrid midfielder Khedira made it two after the break with a calm finish.

Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata both came close to adding a third, but failed to put the match to bed. Antonio Cassano pulled one back for Samp in the 64th minute but Vincenzo Montella's team were unable to force an equaliser.The hosts finished the match with 10 men after Niklas Moisander was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Simone Zaza in injury time.

Massimiliano Allegri's side have gone second in the table following this weekend's results, level on points with third-placed Inter and trailing leaders Napoli by just two points.

Juve got the first chance of the match after 15 minutes of play when Hernanes tried his luck from 20 yards out, but the Brazilian midfielder's left-footed shot went straight at goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano.

The Scudetto holders did go a goal up two minutes later, though, when Pogba volleyed home from inside the area. The France international did well to control Leonardo Bonucci's long ball with his chest, shrugged off Mattia Cassani and unleashed an effort that lacked power but was accurate enough to beat Viviano.
Sampdoria failed to create any chances of note in the opening 45 minutes, with Fernando's free-kick from the edge of the area five minutes before the break arguably their best opportunity, but the Brazilian midfielder failed to beat the wall.

Carlos Carbonero unleashed a powerful shot from 20 yards out in the dying moments of the first half, but his shot went harmlessly wide as Gianluigi Buffon remained untested.The visitors doubled their lead shortly after the break via Khedira. Dybala reached the Germany international with a clever throughball and Khedira took a touch before poking the ball past Viviano with the outside of his right boot.

Sampdoria looked dangerous at the hour mark after Cassano set up Eder inside the area, but the club's leading goalscorer failed to get his attempt on target.

Dybala came close to adding his name to the score sheet in the 62nd minute after a fine pass from Pogba, but the Argentine forward was denied by Viviano.Morata should have put the match to bed shortly after following a superb cross from the right, but he somehow headed wide from just yards out.

Juventus were immediately made to pay for Morata's profligacy as Cassano netted to make it 2-1 barely 60 seconds later. The experienced attacker collected a pass from Carbonero inside the area and beat Buffon with a good finish.

Montella's side pushed hard for an equaliser after Cassano's strike and threatened via Fernando, but they were unable to really test Buffon in the remainder of the game as Juventus emerged victorious.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Valbuena: I have no problems playing with Benzema

Mathieu Valbuena would have "no problem" playing alongside Karim Benzema despite their joint-involvement in an ongoing blackmail scandal.Benzema has been accused of blackmail related to a sex tape featuring his France international team-mate Valbuena.

The 28-year-old was arrested for his involvement in the case before then being suspended indefinitely by the France national team. However, Valbuena said he would be happy to line-up alongside Benzema if the two end up being selected for Euro 2016.

"Of course [I can play with Benzema], anything is possible. There's no problem," he told TF1.

Valbuena was left out of France's most recent squad, but the midfielder is hopeful he can earn a recall from coach Didier Deschamps.

"I spoke with the coach and understood his decision," he said."It was a shock at first and I found it hard to accept, but I've come to understand it since then.

"My performances [for Lyon] haven't been bad, but my numbers aren't good.
"If I have a good run for my club, I don't see why I won't return to the France team."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Klopp warns Guardiola: England is all football, football, football

Pep Guardiola should prepare himself for "football, football, football" ahead of his move to the Premier League, according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Bayern Munich coach has already announced he will leave the German giants at the end of the season with the intention of testing himself in the Premier League.
There is no shortage of interest in Guardiola's services, with Manchester City favourites to hire the Spaniard, while Manchester United are also rumoured to be in the hunt, with manager Louis van Gaal's future the subject of considerable speculation.

Klopp made the move to the Premier League in October - just in time for the Premier League's famously busy winter schedule - and feels Guardiola needs to brace himself for something of a culture shock.

The German has learned the hard way just how hectic the fixture list can be in England, with Liverpool still fighting in the FA Cup and Capital One Cup, as well as the Europa League and Premier League.

Klopp's Liverpool narrowly avoided an embarrassing defeat against lowly Exeter City in the FA Cup third round on Friday, with a 2-2 draw forcing a replay and yet another match for his injury-ravaged team to cope with.

"In Germany, when you tell people about the FA Cup that if you draw you play again they say: 'What?'" Klopp said.

"Here you have penalties and extra-time, but only after the second game. That's the thing, the number of games – football, football, football,"

"With a perfect pre-season you are prepared for a long, long journey. We knew about it, but to feel it is different."Pep is so experienced, for sure. I'm sure he will buy a few players and have a good team, have 35 players or whatever!

"What I can say about here is very positive. It's a great country, great people, the food is much better than everybody said and the weather is not great, like everyone said."

 

[unicornx]

Yeah. Awesome management
And carvajhal and marcelo was awesome too.
Carvajhal is better at defence than danilo. Good on attack as well

ow ban. even i admit that. Only problem is CR still missing shooting boots Plus madrid need to win against a big club soon

 

[Alucard_SxE]

ow ban. even i admit that. Only problem is CR still missing shooting boots Plus madrid need to win against a big club soon

Ronaldo is Ronaldo
But he's getting better than the previous games. Did a lot of supporting runs and counter attacks at the match.
But the key thing is all 3 attackers Bale, Benzema & Ronaldo have a good understanding and all are on good form. (Bale at best)

Mehema giyoth La liga dinanna puluwan wei

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Congratz Messi! For the 5th Ballon D'or!!

I'd like if Ronaldo won but Messi deserved it this time

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Neville not keen on January signings after fifth winless La Liga outing

Gary Neville does not believe dipping in to the January transfer market is the answer to Valencia's woes after they suffered another La Liga defeat.Valencia were beaten 2-0 at Real Sociedad on Sunday as Neville's wait for a first league win continued.

Neville has overseen two losses and three draws in La Liga since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo last month, but the former Manchester United defender is reluctant to add new arrivals to his squad."I want to play with these players so they can improve together," Neville told reporters.

"It's not that the club doesn't want to spend money. There have been some important signings and my job is to get the players to perform.

"I believe I have some excellent players and I assume responsibility for the defeat."
Valencia came unstuck late in the second half after Jonathas scored a quick-fire brace with 11 minutes remaining in San Sebastian.Neville and Co. have now gone eight matches without a win in the league to languish in 11th position, 16 points adrift of fourth-placed Villarreal.

"Everyone in the dressing room is disappointed, myself more than anyone, but tomorrow everything starts again", Neville added."I can't sit here without saying it's not a blow.

"We lost against Villarreal [last month] but I was happy with our second-half performance. Today I can't say that. We played below expectations and we have to start winning regularly."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Bale: I'm happy at Real Madrid... for the moment

Gareth Bale insists he is happy at Real Madrid “for the moment”.

The 26-year-old has been linked with a return to the Premier League, with Manchester United reportedly leading the race.

“I’m happy at the moment,” Bale told The Daily Telegraph.

“You can never predict what happens in the future, but I’m enjoying my football at the moment so I’ll keep going.”

Bale admits it was “disappointing” to see Rafa Benitez sacked last Monday but the forward, who scored a hat-trick in Zinedine Zidane’s first game in charge - a 5-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna - is buoyed by his new manager’s pledge to show “the same affection” to him as Benitez did.

“Obviously that was nice of him to say,” said the Wales international.

“We had a chat when he first came in. And no matter what, I’ll give 100 per cent on the football pitch.

“He’s [Zidane] a legend, not just of the club but world football.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Robben 'sad' over Guardiola exit

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has admitted he was "sad" to hear the news of Pep Guardiola's decision to quit the club at the end of the season.

Guardiola will leave the Bundesliga champions when his contract expires in June, with a switch to Manchester City in the Premier League reportedly already agreed.

Robben, who made his full return to first-team training in Bayern's winter training camp in Doha, discussed the news but added the squad must remain focused on their goals.

"It is very sad that he will not continue. I would like to work with him over a longer period," the Dutchman said.

"We learned a lot from him and he is improving each player.

"But it is not over yet. We have around six months to go and we have to enjoy this time with him and try to be successful."

Asked if the mood in the Bayern camp was different now that the players knew Guardiola would leave, Robben joked: "Yeah, it is totally different. He is not fully committed anymore.

"No, it is not different. I think we have too much experience.

"In this business it is usual. Players come and go and that goes for coaches as well. We have to continue our work. "We just have one goal and that goal is to be successful. We have to focus on that."

Robben's team-mate Jerome Boateng echoed Robben's comments, adding that he understood why Guardiola would want to challenge himself in the Premier League.

"When I was younger I also wanted to go to England. That's different for every player. Some just want to stay in the same country all the time. I think you have to respect that and it's totally understandable," Boateng said.

"Maybe that's the reason why he wants to go to England, to win trophies with his style. But you have to ask him. But that's all a far way to come in the future. We are currently in the middle of our season and are still focussed on our goals with Bayern."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wenger: I want Ozil to win the next Ballon d'Or

Arsene Wenger admits he would like to see Mesut Ozil win the Ballon d’Or next year but feels individual awards in football are “not logical”.

The Arsenal boss believes Lionel Messi should win the award for 2015 following his stellar year with Barcelona, although Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are also in the running.

Wenger has previously criticised the award, insisting that a player could damage his career by focusing on individual prizes, and reiterated his stance ahead of the 2015 ceremony.

Asked if Ozil could win the award next year, Wenger replied: “I wish, as I told you I am not a big fan of that [award].

"What is important is we are a team sport, and it’s not logical to me to just encourage individual effort.

"We live already in a society where it’s all about individualism. Coming from a team sport going to that as well is to me a little bit contradictory to what is the route of our sport."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal: Fans left because of traffic

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal insists traffic was the reason the club's supporters left Old Trafford early during his side's FA Cup third round victory over Sheffield United.

Vast numbers of empty seats could be seen at the end of the 1-0 win, which came courtesy of Wayne Rooney's late penalty as United struggled against their League One opponents.Van Gaal was criticised once again for the his side's cautious style, with the club's former midfielder Paul Scholes taking another swipe at the Dutchman after the game.

But, the former Bayern Munich boss rejected suggestions his tactics were behind the decision of fans to exit the ground early.

He said: "Maybe also because of the traffic they leave the stadium a few minutes earlier, there are many reasons to leave the stadium at the last minute.

"Me at the stadium when I was looking at matches to analyse the opponent, I have done that also. You can be very negative but we are in the next round, we have won two matches in a row. You have to be happy as a fan of Manchester United.
"The fans have supported our team, it is not an easy time now, the fans were there. How many stadiums were like ours full? You can mention how they leave but you can also mention how they come."

United's first shot on target at the weekend was met with ironic cheers. Pressed on the reaction of the crowd, Van Gaal responded: "I can understand that, it was a fact that we are not shooting too much and that we were not able to shoot at the goal too much. I said that also."
Van Gaal was also quick to dismiss claims he is overly focused on the threat of their opponents, saying: "I'm not more concerned about the opposition, it's part of the job.

"You have to know what they want and how they play and then you can help your players. I do think I'm more thinking how we have to attack, how we have to improve. Because we are defending very well."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Argentina captain Messi to miss Rio Olympics

Argentina star Lionel Messi will not play at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, national team head coach Gerardo Martino has confirmed.

Barcelona forward Messi, who is being widely tipped to win a fifth Ballon d'Or crown on Monday, will focus on the Copa America in June before getting a break ahead of the 2016-17 season, rather than turn out in Brazil at the Games which take place in August.

Messi was part of the Argentina team that won a gold medal in Beijing in 2008, but Martino does not feel it would be wise to select him as one of the country's three over-23 players later this year.

"Exposing Leo by using him in another competition after all the football he has played would be overkill, in my opinion," the former Barcelona boss told Clarin.

"It would come back to haunt us in terms of what we have in store in the second half of the year."Common sense dictates that he and other players in his position should only feature in the Copa America.

"Considering the amount of football in their legs, because many of our most important players reach the latter stages of international competitions having played a lot of games, I think it is only logical to take the weight of having to play in both the Copa America and the Olympics off their shoulders.

"I see it as more important for them to be in good shape for World Cup qualifying, for them to be able to spend pre-season with their clubs and have a break after the Copa America."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Neymar: I've fallen completely in love with Messi


Neymar has hailed Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi, insisting that he fell "completely in love" with the Argentine after joining the club from Santos in 2013.

The Barca duo are Ballon d'Or finalists, alongside Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, and were both in sensational form throughout 2015 as they helped Barca claim five trophies over the calendar year.

Speaking at the Ballon d'Or award ceremony in Zurich, Neymar told reporters: "I fell completely in love [with Messi]. He has really become an idol.

"I think they are absolutely the best, that's why they're here. I think they've made history. Both Lionel and Cristiano.

"I'm pleased with the things I have achieved and the goals I have scored. I thank my team-mates for that. Each player has his own aims. We have to be ourselves."

When asked if Brazil forward Neymar would be his eventual successor, Messi responded: "Neymar isn't the successor of anyone, just like I wasn't. He is who he is and he has everything to be whatever he wants to be.

"It depends on him because he has the conditions. He is an extraordinary player and a great person and that makes us even better."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ronaldo: I was petrified of Beckham's No.7 shirt


Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he was "petrified" of taking on the No.7 shirt when he arrived at Manchester United and originally wanted to choose a different number until Sir Alex Ferguson intervened.

The Portugal international, who is in Zurich to learn if he has won a third straight Ballon d'Or title, moved to Old Trafford from Sporting in 2003 before going on to become the world's most expensive player.

But over a decade ago, the then teenager was reluctant to take on the shirt number previously worn by David Beckham and had asked to retain his old Sporting number - but was challenged to make the iconic jersey his own by Ferguson.
Asked if there was a particular reason for wearing the No.7 shirt, Ronaldo explained: "At the beginning of my career in Manchester, yes. I remember when I signed for Manchester I arrived at the club and I asked for 28, because it was the number I used at Sporting.

"But the coach said to me: 'No, you're not going to wear 28, you're going to use No.7.' And I was a little bit afraid, petrified, because, you know, I knew that Beckham used that shirt.

"But I said OK, I accept the challenge, and since then it's been my lucky number. Because everything I have won in football, it was with that shirt. It's my lucky number.

"Everything that I have is part of the number seven, so this is the story of the number seven in the beginning of my career and this number is the number that I love."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi on Ronaldo: Envy is an ugly word

Lionel Messi has denied there is any jealousy between him and Cristiano Ronaldo, and praised the Real Madrid player's talents.

The Barcelona star is tipped to take his fifth Ballon d'Or at Monday's ceremony in Zurich.

And speaking alongside Ronaldo and fellow candidate Neymar prior to the presentation, he had warm words for his adversary.

"I don’t envy anyone and it’s an ugly word," he told reporters.

"I play the way I play, but Cristiano has so many qualities any player would love to have."

And when asked whether he would give up all his Ballons d'Or for football's top prize, he replied in the affirmative. "That’s a hard question! But I would prefer the World Cup - it’s the ultimate trophy for any player," he said.

"The best thing about this year was having achieved everything we did with the club. It’s really hard to win things again, so it’s the maximum that we were able to achieve that."