Posted by Betguru on 9:15 AM
Cristiano Ronaldo
Sir Alex Ferguson admits Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to return to Manchester United.
The Portugal international was largely unknown when he joined the Reds in the summer of 2003, in a deal from Sporting Lisbon which cost around £12million.
Ronaldo spent six years at Old Trafford, helping United win the Premier League three times and the UEFA Champions League whilst he established himself as world class.
Real Madrid eventually paid a world record £80million to take him to the Bernabeu in 2009, and earlier this month his goal beat Barcelona to lift the Copa Del Rey.
There has been speculation, though, that the 26-year-old...
Posted by Betguru on 5:49 AM
“For me, Pele is the best. Nobody has done more than Pele,” a 70-year-old gentleman told reporters in America this week when asked who was the finest footballer to have played the game. It sounded fair enough even if it was not easy to forgive the old man for his sin of referring to himself in the third person.
Lionel Messi
Yet hearing about Pele’s comments at an MLS bash in New York, one could not help thinking that perhaps the great one doth protest too much. A few hours later in the Bernabéu, we understood why. For even the man who remains the yardstick for footballing brilliance – a short head clear of Diego Maradona – has to wonder...
Posted by Betguru on 5:45 AM
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that being the captain is "too much" pressure for Cesc Fabregas, but believes the Barcelona target will grow stronger from yet another trophyless season
Wenger's side are coming to the end of a sixth season without any silverware following last weekend's defeat at Bolton which all but ended their hopes of winning the Premier League this season.
23-year-old Fabregas continues to be linked with an end-of-season move to boyhood club Barcelona, despite Wenger insisting his skipper will not be sold.
But while talk of a return to Camp Nou is set to run and run over the summer, Wenger does concede that the midfielder...
Posted by Betguru on 5:41 AM
Carlo Ancelotti has told Tottenham it will be difficult to attract new players if they fail to secure UEFA Champions League qualification.Spurs finished fourth in the Premier League last term and made the most of their European adventure, reaching the quarter-finals before being knocked out by Real Madrid.However, they are struggling to make it through to next season's edition of the tournament and need to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to get back on track.Harry Redknapp has declared that his star names such as Gareth Bale and Luka Modric will not be sold in the summer, but Ancelotti has indicated...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 2:59 AM
Wesley Sneijder has admitted he is much happier under new Inter Milan boss Leonardo than he was when Rafael Benitez was in charge at the San Siro.Benitez was sacked in December after failing to build on the success of his predecessor Jose Mourinho and Holland playmaker Sneijder believes morale at the club has improved as a result. He told AD Sportwereld: "I feel better now, more comfortable in my own skin on the field."And I would be lying if I said the change in coach had nothing to do with it. The new coach, Leonardo, works much more like Mourinho. Everyone feels a lot better with him."Results have also improved under Leonardo with...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 6:38 AM
Milan are looking to secure a loan deal for Real Madrid winger Pedro Leon for the 2011-12 campaign, according to reports.Milannews.it has claimed that the Rossoneri want to reinforce their midfield options with the addition of the former Getafe star, and have made tentative enquiries towards Los Blancos as to his availability.The Italian club are confident that Leon has burned his bridges with coach Jose Mourinho after a series of run-ins, the most recent occurring after a training ground incident with Fernando Gago.As a result they believe that a loan deal would be possible with a view to a permanent transfer at the end of next season.The...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 11:22 PM
Today's Betting Tips...Juventus - Udinese Over 2,5Twente - Feyenoord Over 2,5Monaco - Marseille Under 2,5Espanyol - Villarreal ...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 2:30 PM
Mahamadou Diarra is set to join Ligue 1 outfit MonacoReal Madrid have revealed that midfielder Mahamadou Diarra will join French Ligue 1 side Monaco after he undergoes his medical. Los Blancos made the announcement on their official website on Thursday evening but didn't give any details about the terms and conditions of the deal."Real Madrid C. F. and Monaco FC have reached a deal for the transfer of Mahamadou Diarra," read the statement."It is contingent upon the player passing a medical as well as the contract signed with his new club."Diarra, 29, joined Madrid from Olympique Lyonnais in 2006 and won two Primera Division titles in 2007...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 2:24 PM
Vucinic And Taddei Fire Giallorossi Into Coppa Italia Semi-FinalsMirko Vucinic's wondergoal and Rodrigo Taddei's acrobatic finish were the difference as Roma edged a tight tie against Juventus in Turin.Vucinic's curled effort on 65 minutes gave Roma the lead before Taddei wrapped up the victory on 91 minutes, two moments of magic in what turned out to be a turgid affair.Roma will face reigning champions Inter in the semi-finals with Palermo and Milan contesting the other.The game endured a slow start with both sides approaching the fixture in a slightly cautious manner with the reward of a Coppa Italia semi-final place at stake.It was...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 12:45 AM
Today's Betting Tips...Palermo - Brescia 1Rio Ave - Guimaraes Under 2,5FC Koln - Werder Bremen Over 2,5Sevilla - Levante ...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 11:24 AM
Lucio hopes for a special tie when Inter and Bayern lock horns in the Champions League Round of 16...Inter centre-back Lucio has said that he is not looking for revenge when he faces his old club Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 in the Champions League next month. The Brazilian joined Inter in 2009 from Bayern and featured in the Nerazzurri's 2-0 win over the Bavarians in the final of the Champions League last season.“It will be a great emotion and a very balanced game. Bayern play a similar style of football at home and away," the 32-year-old told Bild.“I hope that Inter manage to qualify, but it will be very tough. Bayern have got...
Posted by Betguru on 5:32 PM
Lionel messi
Barcelona
Lionel Andrés Messi (born June 24, 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine football (soccer) player.
Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age in his hometown's Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as Lionel's parents were unable to pay for the treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain.
In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official...
Posted by Betguru on 1:43 PM
Tottenham Hotspur fans opposed to the club's bid to move to the site of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford are to make their feelings known before the home match with Manchester United on Sunday.
Representatives of We are N17 yesterday met with the Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, to press their case and will collect signatures for a petition outside White Hart Lane before kick-off. Another group are believed to be planning a demonstration.
At the meeting, also attended by the MP for Tottenham, David Lammy, who has campaigned vociferously against the idea, the fans challenged Scudamore over the League's decision not to block...
Posted by Betguru on 1:40 PM
Harry Redknapp has rejected claims that David Beckham's presence at Tottenham has affected his team's preparations for their game against Manchester United on Sunday.
Spurs will have a chance to prove their manager's claim that they are title contenders when they take on United, who top the table and have an eight-point lead over the north London side with a match in hand.
Beckham's arrival for a month-long training spell with the club, which started on Monday, appears to have taken precedence ahead of this weekend's game at White Hart Lane. A throng of camera crews and photographers have stationed outside the club's training ground in Chigwell,...
Posted by Betguru on 9:18 AM
Tomasz Kuszczak may leave Manchester United in the summer if he is not guaranteed first-team football. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images
Tomasz Kuszczak believes he is good enough to replace Edwin van der Sar on a long-term basis and, as such, claims there is no need for Manchester United to find another top goalkeeper.Van der Sar, currently suffering from flu, is expected to retire from football at the end of the season and United have continued to be linked with several goalkeepers, despite signing Anders Lindegaard from Aalesund.But Kuszczak, 28, is determined to become the Old Trafford No1 – or move on. "I know I have...
Posted by BackdoorMan on 8:57 AM
Former Barcelona and Real Madrid winger Luis Figo insists that awarding Lionel Messi the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or was the correct decision.The legendary former Portuguese international offered his opinion on the Argentine, who collected the title for the second year in succession, finishing ahead of World Cup winners Xavi and Andres Iniesta.Figo, who himself won the title in 2000, said of the ceremony: “This is an individual trophy and Messi is the best. He won despite the fact that both Xavi and Iniesta had done very well this year.“I am not surprised that they elected Messi. I think that Xavi and Iniesta have deserved to win, but Messi...
