..::Football III::..

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Messi, Neymar and James among Fifa Golden Ball nominees

Lionel Messi, Neymar and James Rodriguez have been named among those shortlisted for the Fifa Golden Ball 2014.

The award is presented to the best player of the World Cup finals and is voted for by members of the media and Fifa’s Technical Study Group.

The Barcelona stars were named alongside James, the tournament’s current top scorer with six goals, as part of a 10-man shortlist that is dominated by Germany and Argentina – the two sides who will contest Sunday’s final at the Maracana.

Javier Mascherano and Angel Di Maria join Messi as the three Argentina players to make the list.

Favourites Germany have four nominations, with Mats Hummels and Toni Kroos joining captain Philipp Lahm and Thomas Muller, who has scored five goals in Brazil so far.

Fifa Golden Ball Nominees

Mats Hummels(Germany)
Thomas Muller(Germany)
Toni Kroos(Germany)
Philipp Lahm(Germany)
Lionel Messi(Argentina)
Javier Mascherano(Argentina)
Angel Di Maria(Argentina)
Neymar(Brazil)
Arjen Robben(Netherlands)
James Rodriguez(Colombia)

 

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Rodgers: Liverpool bigger than Suarez

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Brazil won't lose like that again in 100 years - Thiago Silva

Brazil captain Thiago Silva says his side's shock 7-1 loss at home to Germany on Tuesday is something that won't be repeated in the next 100 years.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender missed the semi-final match in Belo Horizonte through suspension, but says he feels partly responsible as captain of the Selecao and believes six minutes of madness - in which Germany scored four times - were to blame for the team's worst-ever defeat.

"I wasn't on the pitch, but I'm part of this team - I'm the captain," he said on Friday ahead of his side's third-place playoff against Netherlands. "It's something that won't happen again in the next 100 years. It was six minutes of darkness which led to a tragic ending for us."

Thiago Silva appeared alongside coach Luiz Felipe Scolari in Brasilia on Friday as Brazil prepare to restore some pride against Netherlands on Saturday in a game in which he is set to start.

"We have the same motivation as always," he said. "We have to turn the page. Life goes on. We lost to Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup, so I wouldn't like to finish like that again."

The former AC Milan defender was also asked about Scolari's future, but said the players are behind their coach.

"This is not the time to crucify him," he said. "We are together. When the team gets it wrong, we all get it wrong."

 

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Valderrama: I hope James goes to Spain

Colombia great Carlos Valderrama believes compatriot James Rodriguez could play for any club in the world after his Fifa World Cup showing.

The Monaco man was one of the stars of the tournament in Brazil, inspiring Colombia to the quarter-finals of the competition with six goals in five games as they were ultimately knocked out by the host nation.

Since his impressive performances at the tournament, he has been linked with a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid and confessed he felt the Spanish top flight would suit his style.

Valderrama, who made more than 100 appearances for Colombia and enjoyed a stint in Spain with Real Valladolid, maintains any club in the world would be fortunate to have his compatriot, who turns 23 on Saturday. "I hope he goes to Spain. There's not much I can add after the World Cup he has just played," he told Marca.

"Whoever had any doubts has now seen what he can do. I never had any."Not even Real Madrid is too big for James. Look how he played this World Cup [at] just 22 years old, he has shown he can play for any club in the world.

"Great players cost a lot, and he's a great player. He's an eight or 10-year investment and the club that buys him won't regret it, whoever buys him will get their money back."

If he were to join Real, James would form part of a star-studded forward line that includes Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and Karim Benzema. Valderrama insists the former Porto playmaker could feature in either the No. 10 role or on the wing despite the competition for places at Santiago Bernabeu.

"Where he plays best is where he started out at - as a classic No. 10," he explained."But as the No. 10s of old are now not so useful for most managers, I'd have him out on the wing; he'd be great there too.

"And if he plays alongside fast players, even better, because he has who to lay on the assists to. He moves around a lot and helps out the defence a great deal.
"He's got a long time in him. He's a great buy and will solve a lot of problems."

 

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Scolari: 7-1 loss will haunt us forever

Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari says he and his players will forever be haunted by their humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany in the World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.

Following their damaging defeat in Belo Horizonte, Scolari and his players are now preparing for a third-place playoff against Netherlands in Brasilia on Saturday - instead of the World Cup final in Rio the next day.

And while Scolari maintains his side have performed well to reach the last four of the 2014 finals, he admits he is unlikely ever to forget the drubbing at the hands of Joachim Low's side.

"I don't think our work here has been negative," Scolari told reporters at his side's pre-match press conference on Friday. "We have had one defeat, which was catastrophic, but I hope people won't focus solely on that one loss.

"This will probably be hard on us for the rest of our lives. What the fans felt and what we felt won't change from night to day. In the 20-odd years I still have ahead of me, I'll always be remembered for this."

The 65-year-old added that the team are still suffering from the 7-1 loss, but believes his players are well on the way to recovering psychologically.

"Tuesday was hard, Wednesday was hard, Thursday was hard. It's still hard," he said. "But we have tried to recover psychologically in order to gain a new perspective to face Netherlands as though it was our new goal. We're working on it and I think we have reversed 75 per cent of the situation."

And he added: "I'm not nervous any more because our original objective can no longer be reached. What we want now is to beat Netherlands and give the Brazilian people a little bit of joy by finishing third."

Scolari also revealed he will make changes on Saturday, with Thiago Silva set to return in defence after suspension.

"I'll make two or three changes out of necessity and also because of the game," he said. "And one I'll make because I understand the match tomorrow asks for this specific player (Silva)."

 

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Manchester City make breakthrough in Mangala pursuit

Manchester City's prolonged pursuit of Eliaquim Mangala is poised to come to a successful conclusion after the France international decided to sign for the Premier League champions.

City have agreed a €40 million deal with Porto, while the 23-year-old is scheduled to join pre-season training following a post-World Cup holiday.

City have prioritised the recruitment of an elite central defender to deploy alongside Vincent Kompany for over a year now. They came close to signing Mangala in January, with the investment trust that owns a percentage of the player's economic rights prepared to accept an offer below his valuation but Porto refusing it.

Delaying until the summer window opened up the possibility of other interested parties convincing Mangala to move elsewhere. Targeted by Jose Mourinho since before the manager's return to Chelsea, Mangala publicly expressed his preference for the west London club in May and refused to sign terms with any of his suitors until the end of France's World Cup campaign.

Aware that they might lose Mangala to a direct rival, City are understood to have set a deadline of Sunday for him to accept their approach. As an insurance policy, an outline deal had been put in place with Roma for Morocco international Mehdi Benatia.

The demand for physically robust defenders who are also capable ball players has seen centre-back become one of the hardest positions for Champions League clubs to fill, leading Paris Saint-Germain to spend €50m acquiring David Luiz from Chelsea at the beginning of this summer. While widely admired, Mangala does not come without an element of risk.

Brought from Standard Liege for €7.5m in 2011, Mangala played less than a 100 first-team games over his three seasons at Porto and has yet to establish himself as a starter for his national team. His form deteriorated during a difficult campaign in which the Portuguese title was ceded to Benfica.

Arguably the most successful transfer-market operators in European football, Porto have entered discussions to bring Portugal centre back Bruno Alves back to the club. Fenerbahce are asking for a fee of €6m for the 32-year-old, who would be expected to make a large salary sacrifice to complete the deal.

 

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Inter still hopeful of Jovetic capture

Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio said the club remain hopeful of signing forward Stevan Jovetic from Manchester City.

The Italian giants have been regularly linked with a move for Jovetic as owner Erick Thohir looks to return the club to Champions League football.

The signing of defender Nemanja Vidic was seen as a big statement of intent and Ausilio - who spoke about the chances of Inter signing several players - has his fingers crossed that Jovetic joins the former Manchester United captain at San Siro.

"We made contact some time ago with the club, who told us that the boy wasn't for sale," Ausilio told Sky.

"We thought therefore that there was no longer an opportunity. But the window closes on September 2."

Ausilio was also quizzed about the potential of Cardiff City enforcer Gary Medel and Udinese's Roberto Pereyra joining the club.

But while acknowledging a new midfielder would arrive, Ausilio said that coach Walter Mazzarri has a high opinion of the club's options in that area.

"We have agreed with the coach that our midfield is very good," he added.

"Medel has the characteristics that we like, so we are monitoring him as we are others. A midfielder will come in, but we must also think about someone leaving."

Ausilio continued by saying that defender Andrea Ranocchia - who Mazzarri claimed would be made captain following Javier Zanetti's retirment - would remain at the club, claiming: "Inter want to continue the project with Ranocchia and Andrea wants to stay at Inter."

Inter finished fifth in Serie A last term, 42 points adrift of Juventus and 18 behind Napoli, who occupied the final Champions League spot.

 

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Pogba, Depay & Varane up for Best Young Player award

Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane and Memphis Depay are the three nominees for the Fifa Best Young Player award for World Cup 2014.

The accolade is open to World Cup participants born on or after January 1 1993, from which Fifa's Technical Study Group will select a winner after the final.

Pogba, who won the Golden Ball prize for the best player at the 2013 Under-20 World Cup, starred in France's midfield and scored the opening goal during Les Bleus' 2-0 win over Nigeria in the round of 16.

Varane started all but one of France's five tournament games in the centre of defence and showed signs of a return to his very best Real Madrid form from the 2012-13 campaign, though he was arguably at fault for Mats Hummels' winner in the quarter-final against Germany.

After beginning the World Cup as a substitute and entering the record books as Netherlands' youngest ever goalscorer against Australia, PSV star Depay cemented his place in Louis van Gaal's plans when he scored the second in the 2-0 win over Chile. Depay then became his country's youngest starter since 1938 against Costa Rica.

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Arjen Robben are among the nominees for the Golden Ball award for best player at the World Cup, while Manuel Neuer, Keylor Navas and Sergio Romero will battle for the Golden Glove prize.

 

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FIFA World Cup 2014 Third Place Play-Off Fixture 2014.07.12

FIFA World Cup 2014 Third Place Play-Off Fixture 2014.07.12

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Brazil Vs Netherlands

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Same here machanSuarez chater wada kalath eyagen team 1kata wenna one de puluwan tharam hodata kala

Suarez ge replacement 1kata favourites la wela thiyenne Luis Muriel,Origi,Balotelli,W.Bony,Huntelaar & Morata.

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Messi: I'd give up all my records to win the World Cup

Lionel Messi has declared he would gladly hand back all his personal records if it meant Argentina could defeat Germany in the World Cup final.


The Albiceleste forward has scored four times on the path to Sunday's showpiece in the Maracana, which his side reached courtesy of a 4-2 win on penalties against the Netherlands on Wednesday.


Messi has won a glittering array of awards throughout his career, including four Ballons d'Or, but claims that he would exchange all those accolades for a taste of World Cup glory.


"I would give all my personal records to be world champion," the 27-year-old was quoted by Bild."I'd prefer to win the World Cup than the Ballon d'Or," he added in an interview with sponsors Adidas.


"As a player, winning the World Cup is the biggest thing there is. It's something you dream of as a youngster and that dream never fades away.

"I've asked my team-mates at Barcelona, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and [Gerard] Pique, what it's like to lift the trophy and they said it's hard to explain. We'll be doing everything we can to turn this dream into a reality [for Argentina]."
The forward was echoed in his desperation to clinch a third World Cup for Argentina by Javier Mascherano, who promised his side would give everything for victory."We're there and we'll try it with the soul, heart and head," the 30-year-old said.


"Now we are on the last step and will try to live up to the circumstances, and then get to the destination."I wish I could enjoy it and can play with joy and excitement it deserves. This is what you aim for in life and what you imagined was far off, almost impossible. The dream is a great one.


"Right now all this is crossing my mind. I am a person who is easily excited and this is all in part for our squad, but also for those who struggle at our side - family and friends who have endured through thick and thin."

 

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James Rodriguez: I'd go to Madrid with my eyes closed

James Rodriguez has encouraged Real Madrid to make an offer to Monaco for his services, revealing his desire for a move to La Liga.


The Colombia attacker impressed with his displays in the World Cup, scoring six times to lead the chase for the Golden Boot, before bowing out in the quarter-finals following a 2-1 defeat to Brazil.

There has been intense speculation over the future of the winger and James himself has added further fuel to the speculation by underlining his desire to play for Madrid."Now I'm enjoying a little holiday after the World Cup," the 22-year-old told Marca.

"I think it has been very positive for me and Colombia. Then there will be the opportunity and time to talk about the market."I'm very well in Monaco, but of course I would come to Real Madrid even with my eyes closed."


James only left Porto for Monaco in a €45-million deal in the summer of 2013, going on to score ten in 38 appearances for the principality outfit last term.

 

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Milan complete Rami signing

AC Milan have confirmed the permanent acquisition of defender Adil Rami from Valencia on a three-year deal.

The France defender arrived at San Siro on loan in January and had expressed his desire to remain with the Rossoneri after making 22 appearances for the club in the second half of last season.

Milan and Valencia had been in protracted discussions over the transfer before the La Liga outfit finally accepted a fee believed to be in the region of €4.25 million.
The Serie A giants issued a statement on Saturday confirming the acquisition of the 28-year-old centre-back."AC Milan announces that it has acquired outright Adil Rami from Valencia CF," the club wrote on their official website.

"Rami has signed a contract until 30 June 2017."
Rami joined Valencia in the summer of 2011 from Lille, where he won Ligue 1 and a Coupe de France title, going on to score eight times in 93 games.The Frenchman joins Jeremy Menez, Alex, Michelangelo Albertazzi and Michael Agazzi as Filippo Inzaghi's signing so far this summer.

 

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PSV sign De Jong from Borussia Monchengladbach

PSV Eindhoven have recruited Luuk de Jong from Borussia Monchengladbach on a five-year contract.


The forward spent the second half of last season in the Premier League, on loan at Newcastle United, but failed to score once during a disappointing four-month spell at St. James’ Park.Nonetheless, it had been rumoured that De Jong could join elder brother Siem in sealing a permanent switch to Tyneside this summer - but the 23-year-old has now joined PSV for a reported €5.5 million.


"I want to get back on the field and show my qualities," the striker told his new club’s official television channel."The talks with PSV were very positive and I'm looking forward to playing here."


The Swiss-born attacker has played seven times for World Cup semi-finalists Netherlands, scoring one goal.

However, he netted just eight times after joining Gladbach from Twente in 2012 for €15m.

 

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Markovic flies in for Liverpool medical

Lazar Markovic has flown to Liverpool to undergo a medical ahead of a €25 million move to Anfield.

The Benfica winger was pictured at Portea Aeroporto in Portugal on Saturday morning and is understood to be on his way to Merseyside.

Markovic was originally scheduled to fly in on Thursday after the Anfield outfit agreed to pay the €25m release clause in the player's contract.

But the transfer is now set to be completed this weekend as Liverpool push ahead with summer recruitment plans following the £70m sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona.

Markovic, who turned 20 in March, was part of an impressive forward line which helped Benfica to a place in the Europa League final last season.

However, he did not play in the penalty shootout defeat to Sevilla after being sent off from the bench in the semi-final against Juventus following an altercation with Mirko Vucinic.

Liverpool are also close to completing deals for Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren and Belgium international Divock Origi.

The Merseyside club has already signed Saints pair Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, and former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can.

Brendan Rodgers is bolstering his squad as the club aim to maintain last season's Premier League title challenge while competing in the Champions League.

 

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