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Tag: Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo wins Ballon d’Or
As expected, Cristiano Ronaldo wins Ballon d’Or as he is the best player at this time. One of many remarkable stats is that in 2013 he has scored 69 goals (for Real Madrid and Portugal) which is more than Lionel Messi and Franck Ribéry combined who have scored a total of 67. Watch the video above and enjoy some of his moves.
Champions League – Round of 16 draw
We are finally down to 16 clubs in the Champions League. Some of these draws look to be very exciting and could go either way, while others promise to be a one-sided affair.
Who will advance? Who will win it all?
José Mourinho going back to Chelsea?
Latest rumors are that José Mourinho will be going back to Chelsea this summer. How credible that is and what it will all mean we will see in coming months.
Fact is that Chelsea hasn’t had the level of play since he left except during that brief period under Roberto Di Matteo who shouldn’t have been fired. He didn’t have a popular name, but his results spoke for themselves, winning the Champions League and at one point having (I believe) a 12 game winning streak in EPL is worthy of respect and some patience to build the team as he saw fit. Sadly, Roman Abramovich decided that his time was up and I believe that he made a mistake.
In any event, that is now a (not so) distant past and Chelsea definitely needs someone better than that hack Rafael Benitez who is in my mind utterly useless. Will they go back to “The Special One” or opt for someone else? Is Mourinho ready to leave Real Madrid?
Why isn’t Iker Casillas celebrating Ronaldo’s goal?
Rumors are flying and two prominent “theories” are:
1. He was upset that Sergio Ramos (one of his best friends) didn’t play
2. A much more believable reason is that there are still some unresolved issues between Casillas and Ronaldo over Casillas’ fiancée
In any event, it’s interesting to see a man who eats, sleeps and breathes Real Madrid stand motionless as they are winning an important game in the 90th minute…time will tell what really happened.
Reason for Sergio Ramos’ missed penalty kick
Sergio Ramos missed a penalty kick against Bayern Munich last night.
Now, we all know why.
By the way, this kid would be in serious trouble if he did this at an eastern European match (speaking from personal experience).
The stage is set for the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final…well, almost
Champions League Final will be held on May 19, 2012 in Munich, Germany on Allianz Arena (home field of one of the finalists by the way). We now know that the 2012 UEFA Champions League finalists are Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Each of the teams have advanced to the final in slightly different fashions. Chelsea, with a lot of heart, textbook team defense (remember, defense wins championships) collective tireless effort and a bit of luck which was certainly needed to beat the raining champions and arguably the best team in the world, Barcelona. Bayern on the other hand, simply played better football and as such has advanced past Mourinho’s Real Madrid.
Now onto the part that bothers me and makes this final less than ideal. Due to archaic and nonsensical yellow cards rule both clubs will have players missing due to suspensions. Bayern will be missing David Alaba, Holger Badstuber and Luiz Gustavo, while Chelsea will be without Branislav Ivanović, Raul Meireles, Ramires and John Terry. I among many others urge UEFA to change this rule and change it now (don’t wait until next year). Finals are considered “holidays of football” and as such millions of fans across the world deserve to see two BEST teams play with their BEST players. This should pertain to all of those players except John Terry whose idiotic, self-centered move nearly cost his team the final – for him I have no sympathy. Then again, who knows, he could have “helped” his team by not playing.
Either way, I’m looking forward to the final, one that will be won by Chelsea (2:1).
10 highest football transfers of the 2011 summer
Summer transfer window is closed, lots of money was spent and here’s who was paid the most.
| 1. Sergio Agüero | (Atletico Madrid – Manchester City) | €45 million |
| 2. Javier Pastore | (Palermo – Paris Saint Germain) | €43 million |
| 3. Radamel Falcao | (Porto – Atletico Madrid) | €40 million |
| 4. Fábio Coentrão | (Benfica – Real Madrid) | €30 million |
| 5. Cesc Fàbregas | (Arsenal – Barcelona) | €29 million |
| 6. Samir Nasri | (Arsenal – Manchester City) | €27.5 million |
| 7. Juan Mata | (Valencia – Chelsea) | €26.7 million |
| 8. Samuel Eto’o | (Inter Milan – Anzhi Makhachkala) | €26 million |
| 9. Alexis Sánchez | (Udinese – Barcelona) | €26 million |
| 10. Stewart Downing | (Aston Villa – Liverpool) | €22.8 million |
Money well spent?
Emmanuel Adebayor on loan to Tottenham
It’s tough to find your place in starting 11 of Manchester City these days. This becomes even more difficult for a forward whose direct competitors are likes of Tevez, Džeko, Aguero and Balotelli which is why Emmanuel Adebayor will not be returning from his loan to Real Madrid.
He’s actually expected to join Tottenham this week on another loan and make his debut against Manchester United on Monday night. I’ve mentioned Robbie Keane leaving to LA Galaxy which is probably why Harry Redknapp decided to strengthen his attack with Adebayor.
Rumors on the deal are that Man City will pay half of the £170,000 per week wages for the duration of the loan, with Spurs having the option of buying Adebayor for £12 million at the end of the season. Tottenham will also pay a loan fee to Man City which is believed to be at least £2 million.
Now, let me take a minute to share my impressions of Adebayor who is undoubtedly a player for some of the top clubs. He played well in Arsenal, but left it for money and hopes that he will become a part of this “dream team” sponsored by the new Manchester City owners which quickly proved not to be the case. He didn’t provide enough value when compared to his other attacking colleagues so he was sent to Real Madrid. There he didn’t “obey” José Mourinho‘s TEAM/RESULT FIRST mentality and is now let go to join another team, most likely Tottenam.
He’s been searching for his rightful place on a team ever since he left Arsenal and I think that this it’s time to seize this opportunity and prove that he’s not just a big, physical guy upfront, but that he can actually contribute to his new team, score goals and provide assists. Let’s hope he has a great season, as I believe that he truly deserves it.
On the other hand, this move could spark another transfer, that of Peter Crouch to Stoke City, but it’s way too early to even speculate on that just yet. Other transfers in and out of Spurs are also quite possible which could include Defoe and Pavyluchenko on one side with Odemwingie, Rossi and Falcao on the other.
Things are heating up in European leagues and this will certainly be another great year for football.