..::Football III::..

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Vidal wa sign karagannawanam sign karaganna 2nd Deadline 1kath deela kiyala thamai kiyanneThis week Friday wenakam witharai reports wala thiyana widiyata chance 1ka thiyenne

LVG mona karaida manda
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Ronaldo Grateful To Ferguson For Award

Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated his man of the match award to Sir Alex Ferguson after scoring twice for Real Madrid to see them win the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla.

Ferguson, who was at the game as part of UEFA's technical committee, briefly spoke to the player he signed for Manchester United as a teenager while the reigning Ballon d'Or holder came down with his winners' medal.

Ferguson named Ronaldo the man of the match for his performance in the 2-0 win at the Cardiff City Stadium as the Portuguese won the European showpiece for the first time in his career."I am happy because I scored these two goals and I want to thank Sir Alex for handing me the man of the match trophy," Ronaldo told reporters after the European champions lifted the first of six trophies they will be fighting for this season.

"He helped me a lot when I was just 18 in Manchester and I want to say I respect him and thank him so much for everything he did in my career."This was a trophy I wanted because I haven't won it yet. I was nervous, but I managed to work well with the team and I am pleased."

Ferguson, who signed Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon for 12 million pounds in 2002 and sold him to Madrid for a then-world-record 80 million pounds seven years later, said the decision to give Ronaldo the award was not a difficult one.
"Normally in a cup final it is difficult to choose a man of the match but Cristiano made it easy for me," he said.

Ferguson's role at the match meant he was not present to see Louis van Gaal's first match at Old Trafford as United beat Valencia 2-1 in their final preseason friendly.

 

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Ronaldo Dedicates Man Of The Match Award To Sir Alex Ferguson

 

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Mourinho: Drogba could return for Premier League opener

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is cautiously optimistic that Didier Drogba could be fit to play a part in their Premier League opener against Burnley on Monday.

The Ivorian was taken off with an ankle injury during Sunday's pre-season friendly against Ferencvaros but the club are confident that the problem is not serious.

"He's good," Mourinho told reporters of Drogba after his side's 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Tuesday night.

"I don't want to say [he will be] ready for Monday but, with the quality of our medical department and the mentality he has, I'm not saying it's impossible for him to recover for Monday."

Despite the Blues icon's return to Stamford Bridge this summer, though, Drogba is set to play second fiddle to new signing Diego Costa, who scored both goals against Sociedad, and Mourinho is thrilled to have pried the striker from Atletico Madrid.

"What can we expect? I expect Diego and Diego is a team player who works hard, he's not just about goals," the Portuguese enthused of his €44 million purchase.

"It's about his defensive work, mentality and ambition. This is the player we bought and we were waiting for since last season. This is why we didn't buy a striker in the winter market. We were waiting for him, we have him and hopefully everything goes well.

"He looks adapted to the team and the Premier League - not just Chelsea - should be happy. Sometimes we lose important players going to other countries and sometimes we bring new top players here.

"You can consider that [a bargain] because the market is crazy and the values are very high. For a striker like him, a champion in Spain, a Champions League finalist, a 25-year-old, we consider the price was very much in our favour."

 

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Watzke: I have no relationship with Rummenigge

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has revealed that he and Bayern Munich counterpart Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have no relationship whatsoever.

Germany's two top clubs have made attempts to mend their broken relationship in recent months, with the Bavarians' recent deals for Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski having created a rift between the pair.

However, Rummenigge has been speaking openly about the possibility of Bayern attempting to lure Marco Reus away from Signal Iduna Park over the past couple of months, much to the annoyance of Watzke.

"Our relationship has been professional for a long time. But at the moment, I believe there's no relationship at all," he told SportBild.

"You shouldn't talk publicly about contractual terms of employees of a competing company to the public, no matter how you say it. And the Bundesliga is no exception.

"Nobody in Germany speculated about whether Toni Kroos was going to Madrid because it wasn't their business ..."

Bayern and Dortmund will renew on-field hostilities at 18:00CET on Wednesday, when they clash in the DFL-Supercup at Signal Iduna Park.

 

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Yedlin on verge of Tottenham move - Schmid

Seattle Sounders coach Sigi Schmid expects right-back DeAndre Yedlin to imminently seal a move to Tottenham.

As revealed by Goal, Spurs have agreed a £2 million deal to sign Yedlin, which would see him spend the remainder of the MLS season with the Sounders.

And Schmid has revealed that a deal for the 21-year-old marauding full-back - who caught the eye in the World Cup in Brazil - should be announced imminently, with Yedlin then set to feature in a US Open Cup clash with Chicago Fire on Wednesday.

Schmid told reporters on Tuesday: "He will train with us today, we think everything is going to be finished and done so I expect DeAndre will start tomorrow."

Talk of an imminent switch went into overdrive on Friday after the United States international was a noticeable absentee from Seattle's training session.

And Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said last week that the in-demand full-back was meeting "a big club in Europe" but refused to reveal if it was Tottenham.

Hanauer also confirmed the Sounders were negotiating a deal that would ensure Yedlin remains at CenturyLink Field for the remainder of the MLS season.

"This wouldn't be a deal where he would be transferred and immediately loaned back," he said.

"It would be a deal that would be constructed in a way that he could potentially be here through the year and potentially longer."

 

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Perez: Real Madrid want more titles now

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has set his sights on further success this season after his side beat Sevilla 2-0 to win the Uefa Super Cup.

The European champions got their new campaign off to the strongest of starts thanks to goals either side of half-time from Cristiano Ronaldo in Cardiff.

Perez is delighted with how his players fared after a pre-season truncated by the World Cup earlier this summer and is now eager to land the remaining five trophies available to Carlo Ancelotti's men this season.

"We didn't play badly for the little time we have been training and we are thrilled with this win," he is quoted as saying by Marca.

"But is gives us the desire to keep trying to improve. That's Madrid's history, without arrogance. That's how our parents taught us.

"We want to keep winning titles and so we have prepared well for the new season."

Perez was also delighted that his side's beaten opponents were also from La Liga.

"It was a party for Spain," he added. "We're very happy because there were two Spanish teams."

 

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Reus a perfect fit for Bayern, says Nerlinger

Former Bayern Munich sporting director Christian Nerlinger believes that Marco Reus would be perfect for the German champions.

The Borussia Dortmund star has been heavily linked with a move to the Allianz Arena, where he would link up with former BVB colleagues Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski.

Nerlinger, who unsuccessfully attempted to bring Reus to Bavaria prior to the player's move to Signal Idunar Park from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2012, says he would like to see the proposed deal go through.

"Marco fits Bayern's profile perfectly," the 41-year-old is quoted as saying by Sport1.

"He is a young German player and certainly one of the best. That fits in with Bayern.

"If another BVB star goes to Bayern after Gotze and Lewandowski, it would be explosive."

Nerlinger, who was born in Dortmund but came through the ranks at Bayern, added that he expects Pep Guardiola's side to maintain their domestic hegemony this coming season.

"Bayern will be a very clear No.1, but Dortmund are well positioned. The only question is: who or what comes after [Jurgen] Klopp?"

 

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Reus Bayern join une nathnam hodai
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Faster than Walcott: Who is the new Arsenal sprint king?

Theo Walcott has is no longer the fastest player at Arsenal, with youngster Hector Bellerin having claimed his long-standing sprint record.

Walcott posted a time of 4.42 seconds over 40 metres following his move from Southampton in 2009, beating Thierry Henry's previous best of 4.82 seconds.

But the England international has now revealed that 19-year-old Bellerin has usurped him as the Gunners' sprint king, although he joked that he is never going to be overhauled by Henry.

Asked who would win in a race between himself and the club legendat an Arsenal fans' Q&A, Walcott said: “Me! Thierry is in his 30s now so I would be very disappointed if I didn’t beat him!

"I beat his sprint record, which Hector [Bellerin] has now broken.”

Bellerin made one apperance for the Gunners in the Capital One Cup victory over West Brom last season and spent a spell on loan at Watford.The right-back joined the club from Barcelona in 2011 and impressed during the Emirates Cup in pre-season.

 

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Inter complete Medel deal

Inter have completed the long-awaited signing of Chile international midfielder Gary Medel from Cardiff City for a fee believed to be in the region of €11.5 million.

The 27-year-old spent just one year with the Welsh side after signing from Sevilla for a fee of €13.5m, the club suffering relegation during his sole campaign there.

After playing a key role in his country's impressive World Cup campaign this summer, Medel has been consistently linked with a move to San Siro.

He has been training with the Serie A side for the past few days, linking up with them during pre-season and Lega Serie A have now confirmed that he has completed his move to the Nerazzurri.

"In pre-season, I have not worked a lot because of a leg injury," he said upon his arrival at training.

"But I am hoping to be ready in time for the start of the new season. I'm glad to be here. Forze Inter!"

Medel, a veteran of 61 international appearances, began his career with Universidad Catolica in his hometown of Santiago, before winning a move to Boca Juniors in 2009.

He spent two years in Buenos Aires before winning his first move to Europe, spending another two campaigns in Andalusia before his move to the Premier League.

 

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Ozil will be 'amazing' for Arsenal this season - Ljungberg

Freddie Ljungberg has backed Mesut Ozil to have an "amazing" season for Arsenal after a difficult first year in the Premier League.

Ozil started with a flourish following his €50 million move to the Emirates Stadium from Real Madrid last summer, but faded as the campaign progressed and came in for criticism after missing a penalty in a below-par performance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

However, Ljungberg, who was part of the Arsenal side that won the Premier League in 2002 and 2004, believes the German World Cup winner will have now adapted to the rigours of English football ahead of the start of the 2014-15 season.

"In general the Premier League is the hardest league to come to physically," the former Sweden international told Goal as part of PUMA's Arsenal kit launch. "It’s a lot different than the other leagues.

"I have seen that with a lot of players, that they start well and then they get a little bit of tired because in England, you get tackled in what would get you free kicks in most other leagues, and that can be hard for technical players.

"Maybe that’s what hit Ozil a little bit at one stage. But now, he is used to - accepts - that English football is not the same as what you get in Spain.

"I think he is going to be amazing this season. But often it takes a season for any player to adapt to the Premier League."

Arsene Wenger signed Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona in a €40m deal this summer, to the excitement of the Emirates faithful, but Ljungberg is wary of putting the weight of leading a Gunners title charge on the Chilean's shoulders.

He said: "I don’t think we need to put the pressure [on] that he should lead us [Arsenal] to the title as there are a lot of other great players in the squad.

"I saw him personally when he played in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup and I loved him then. He played well for Udinese and was voted the best player in Italy. Then Barcelona took him.

"I’m really happy that he is at Arsenal because he goes straight at players. I don’t know if you saw the game at the weekend [against Manchester City] but we had a quicker transition from the defense to attack and that’s a lot easier to score goals.

"I was really pleased with that and I hope that continues."

 

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Verdict on Suarez suspension appeal due on Thursday

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed that it will announce its verdict on Luis Suarez's suspension on Thursday.

The Uruguay international was banned from all football-related activity for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during their respective nations' World Cup clash in Natal in June.

His country's FA was quick to appeal the verdict, but the governing body refused to shorten his sentence, leading to the case being referred to the CAS.

Suarez subsquently left Liverpool for Barcelona Barcelona, who have repeatedly voiced their optimism that he will be available to play sooner than originally expected.

And it has now been confirmed that his fate will be known at 15:00CET on Thursday, after his case was heard last week.

"The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will announce its decision in the matter Luis Suarez, FC Barcelona & the Uruguayan FA on Thursday 14 August 2014 at around 15:00," an official statement read.

"This case was heard on 8 August 2014 at the CAS offices in Lausanne. At the request of the Appellants and with the agreement of Fifa, the CAS has conducted an expedited arbitration procedure.

"As a consequence, the CAS Panel has accepted to render its decision within a short period of time but with grounds to follow later."

 

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Vermaelen: I want to give my all for Barcelona

Thomas Vermaelen has pledged to give his all for Barcelona after sealing a move to Camp Nou from Arsenal over the weekend.

The versatile defender fell out of favour at the Emirates Stadium over the course of the last 18 months but turned down Manchester United to sign for the Catalans.

Although he remains sidelined by an injury sustained at this summer's World Cup, the Belgium international is now setting his sights on proving his worth in La Liga as quickly as possible.

"I have to settle and adapt," Vermaelen told his new club's official TV channel.

"I want to try to learn the language, get to know the coach and the other players. I hope to fit in quickly and give my all for the club.

"I also need to know the city better than what I've heard. People speak highly of the city and I'm anxious to know it better myself."

Vermaelen moved to Camp Nou to help fill the void left by legendary skipper Carles Puyol, who retired at the end of last season to take up an administrative role within the club.

"He's a legend of the club. He was a player with great passion. I will try to do my best."

 

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Lewandowski is the world's best striker, says Lahm

Bayern Munich skipper Philipp Lahm believes that Robert Lewandowski is arguably the best striker in the world today.

The Poland international joined the German champions on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund in July, with his arrival prompting the departure of Mario Mandzukic to Atletico Madrid.

Lahm does not think that the latter, who served Bayern well, will be missed, as he feels that Lewandowski will prove an instant hit at the Allianz Arena.

"Robert is currently one of the best strikers in the world, if not the best," the versatile defender told Munchner Merkur.

"He's more than an adequate replacement for Mario Mandzukic. I think he will settle quickly with us. We have a top squad with no weak points in terms of quality."

Lewandowski is due to make his competitive debut against his old club in the DFL-Supercup on Wednesday and Lahm is keen to win even more silverware after two years of success with both club and country.

"I'm absolutely addicted to winning and I'm motivated to repeat this success," Germany's World Cup-winning captain stated. "Victory is the goal.

"If we play as well as we did last year [in the Bundesliga] then I'm sure we'll be champions again."

Lahm announced his retirement from international football after leading Germany to glory at Brazil 2014 this summer.

 

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Eto'o set for second round of Liverpool talks

Samuel Eto'o will hold a second round of talks with Liverpool later this week after failing to agree a deal during initial discussions with the club.

The Cameroon international wants a one-year contract worth a basic €170,000 a week, while the Reds have offered a lower package - but the Anfield outfit are willing to top up the 33-year-old's wages with performance-related add-ons.

Discussions between representatives of the striker and Liverpool officials took place on Tuesday and further talks are planned for Thursday as the Merseysiders seek proven back-up to Daniel Sturridge and Rickie Lambert.

Ajax, Everton and West Ham are among the clubs keen on negotiating a deal for the veteran, while there is also strong interest from a number of Italian clubs.

The Cameroonian was released by Chelsea at the end of last season and is currently a free agent.

Liverpool have been scuppered in their attempts to sign a direct replacement for Luis Suarez despite selling the Uruguayan for a club-record fee of over €90 million.

Loic Remy failed a medical after agreeing a €11m switch from QPR and other negotiations are yet to bear fruit due to price and availability.

However, manager Brendan Rodgers continued his extensive summer squad overhaul on Tuesday as Liverpool agreed a deal with Sevilla for left-back Alberto Moreno worth an initial €15m rising to €20m.

 

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Thiago Silva sidelined for 'several weeks'

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed that Thiago Silva will miss "several weeks" of action thanks to a hamstring injury.

The Brazil international limped out of the Ligue 1 champions' 2-1 friendly victory over Napoli on Monday night after just 14 minutes of action.

The PSG captain underwent further tests on Tuesday and it has now been confirmed that coach Laurent Blanc will be without one of his key players for a prolonged period of time.

"Examinations carried out on Thiago Silva (ultrasound and MRI) have confirmed that he has suffered a muscle injury in his right hamstring. He will be out for several weeks," a brief club statement read.

Blanc admitted in the wake of the victory at the San Paolo that Thiago Silva's injury had cast a shadow over his side's well-earned victory.

"The shadow over the evening though, is, of course, the injury to Thiago Silva," the World Cup winner conceded. "This sort of thing happens. He will be given the best care because we will need him."

Despite playing the friendly against Napoli, PSG began their Ligue 1 campaign against Reims last Friday, drawing 2-2. They host Bastia this weekend.

 

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Benzema: It's normal that Madrid would want a new forward

Karim Benzema has insisted that he would not be concerned if Real Madrid were to sign a new striker before the close of the summer transfer window.

The France international put pen to paper on a new five-year deal with the Santiago Bernabeu club this summer, ending speculation over his future.

However, the European champions are still being heavily linked with a move for Monaco attacker Radamel Falcao - and Benzema insists that he would welcome the extra competition for a starting berth.

"For me, Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world and it's normal that they'd want to sign a striker," the forward told reporters.

Madrid beat Sevilla 2-0 on Tuesday to claim Uefa Super Cup glory and Benzema is confident that Carlo Ancelotti's reinforced squad can complete a clean sweep of trophies this season in light of the summer signings of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.

"It's very nice to win this title, with good players having a good game," the 26-year-old continued.

"Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez are great players who will help the team. We have many good players in attack and they'll gradually work together to help the team.

"We did a great job [against Sevilla] and we are very happy with this title. I am very pleased and happy at Real Madrid. I'm going to continue working to win many titles here.

"It's possible to win six trophies, we will work for it. We have many players, we are stronger than last year. Now we have two senior teams."

 

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Manchester United line up €75 million double bid for Cuadrado & Blind

Manchester United are pressing ahead with talks to sign Fiorentina star Juan Cuadrado and Ajax defender Daley Blind as they step up their preparations for the new season.

Goal understands that United have been in contact for several weeks over a deal worth up to €45 million for Cuadrado and are confident of signing the winger, who starred for Colombia at the World Cup.
Louis Van Gaal is also desperate for defensive additions and has identified Blind as a versatile target who can play either at centre-back or left-back. The United manager knows the 24-year-old well from his time as Netherlands coach and is ready to spend between €20m and €25m to bring him to Old Trafford.

United are planning to play a 3-5-2 formation this season and Van Gaal has instructed the club to pursue Blind in addition to Sporting defender Marcos Rojo, who was named in the World Cup team of the tournament.

The Old Trafford club made a move for the 24-year-old on Tuesday but a deal for Argentine, who has been disciplined by his club and will not play in his side’s season opener against Academia, is likely to be held up by issues concerning third-party ownership.

United, however, are hopeful of clinching the deal to provide Van Gaal with a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

Blind, meanwhile, who worked successfully under Van Gaal as part of the Dutch side that finished third at the World Cup, recently revealed his openness to the possibility of leaving Ajax this summer.

He said: “I am happy here in Amsterdam. But if there comes another club I will have to think about it and then we will see. I will think about my options. For now I will focus on Ajax and we will see what happens next week.”

Cuadrado, 26, has been strongly linked with Barcelona but United believe they have the financial firepower to outbid the Catalans for his signature, although they have so far been unwilling to offer more than €37.5m for the former Udinese man.

Van Gaal wants a top quality winger to support strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney and will keep tabs on Real Madrid wide man Angel Di Maria after Paris Saint-Germain pulled out of a deal to sign the Argentine.

Cuadrado, however, is considered a more realistic option and the player has told Fiorentina of his desire to move to a leading European club this summer.

United missed out on a place in Europe following a disastrous season under David Moyes but believe they still have the profile and finances to attract big names to Old Trafford.

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has insisted that money is no object for United this season and suggested that they can afford to break the world record of £86m paid by Real Madrid for Gareth Bale.

Van Gaal has taken his time to assess the squad - which he feels drastically underperformed last term - and is now urging United to sign reinforcements to a group of players he has continually described as “unbalanced”.

United have already spent €75m this summer on the transfers of Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera but are understood to have a transfer budget of around €200m.