Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has paid tribute to his team-mates after breaking the La Liga goal-scoring record on Saturday.The Portugal star was on the scoresheet twice, taking his season tally to 40, as his side romped to an 8-1 thrashing of the relegated Almeria.
Ronaldo’s tally bettered the 38 goals scored by Hugo Sanchez (1989/90) and Telmo Zarra (1950/51).
“The only reason I have scored so many goals is because of my team-mates and I am extremely appreciative. The Pichichi (Trophy) is for them and the fans,” Ronaldo, 26, said.
“I am generous with my team-mates and they are generous with me. I wouldn’t have scored 40 goals in La Liga without them.”
No player has won consecutive Pichichi Trophies since Sanchez won four in a row from 1984/85 to 1987/88.
But Ronaldo did not rule out matching his feat and said he was delighted the team finished the season with such a big win.
“We are happy to end this season in this fashion. It isn’t easy to score 102 goals, so hats off to my team-mates,” he said.
“The coach wanted to end the season with a lot of goals in order to start the next one with ambition and we did.”
“It will be hard to score this many goals again, but nothing is impossible and I will work hard to do it.”
Assistant coach Aitor Karanka hailed Ronaldo for his season.
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s numbers are astounding. He is talented, strong and ambitious. He broke the record because he is simply amazing,” he said.
Dignitaries arriving at the FIFA congress in Zurich on Tuesday have said little on the controversy surrounding football’s governing body.Allegations of corruption surrounding several high-profile executive committee members have erupted in the lead-up to Wednesday’s presidential election, with AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam withdrawing his candidacy shortly before his suspension over allegations of bribery.
FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has also been suspended, while questions have been raised on the way the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.
Incumbent Sepp Blatter is now the only nomination for president, and he received backing from Hungarian Football Federation president Sandor Csanyi when addressing reporters as he made his way into the congress.
Csanyi was, however, reluctant to elaborate on the scandal rocking FIFA.
“I’ve only just arrived and I wouldn’t like to talk about it,” he said.
“I just heard (the election won’t be postponed). I support Mr Blatter.”
“I think (it should go ahead). Definitely.”
It was more than reporters got from Task-Force Football 2014 member Sir Bobby Charlton, who was far happier to talk of retired Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes.
“I only heard today that he’s retiring,” the former United captain said.
“I think that we’ve tried as hard as well as we could (to keep him), but he’s his own man. He’s a great player and he will be badly missed.”
“He’s instinctive, really. He makes his mind up instantly. He’s got fantastic peripheral vision. He can see everything, even though he’s not looking that way. Brilliant player though.”
“Well he will (stay on as coach), which he’ll be very good at too.”
When quizzed on the trouble at FIFA, however, Charlton was less forthcoming: “I said I was going to speak about Paul Scholes. You ask FIFA,” he said.
Liverpool have confirmed that right-back Glen Johnson has signed a new contract extension with the club, but have not revealed the finer details of how many extra years have been agreed.
The England international has been a regular in the Anfield side’s first team since moving from Portsmouth in 2009, and the new deal is of delight to his employers.
We are absolutely delighted,” director of football Damien Comolli told the club’s official website. “It was easy to find an agreement because he wanted to stay and we wanted him to stay.
“We are very pleased he wants to commit long-term, and I think he was pleased we went to him and asked him to.”
Comolli is hoping for many more years with the ex-Chelsea defender at the club and feels he can still improve as a player.
“His best years are to come. Very often defenders peak between 26 and 31, so he is just entering into those years where a maturity comes in and his knowledge of the game gets better and better. We are happy his long-term future is at Liverpool.
“It’s obvious when you watch him play his technical ability is second to none. Physically he is absolutely fantastic as well and his fitness level is great. Towards the end of last season he showed how versatile he is by playing at left-back or right-back – mostly at left-back – and was outstanding.
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“For us he is a great asset to have around. As we’ve always said, we don’t want to sell our best players or sell our assets, and as long as the players are happy to be here, we’re happy to commit to them,” the former Tottenham executive concluded.
The deal comes in quick succession to news that Liverpool have agreed a fee with Blackpool for Scottish international Charlie Adam.
As the new season draws ever closer, thoughts already begin to turn towards who will be in the running at both ends of the table come next May. Sir Alex Ferguson has already been made to field questions over who will be the strongest challengers this season, and he trotted out the same stock answer of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool… and Manchester City?
This is the same manager who for the past two seasons has written City off as title contenders, dismissed their plans for financial domination and described them as a, “small club with a small mentality.” Ouch.
So why the change of tune? Well, Sir Alex was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a defeat which has apparently ignited Mancini’s men, being the 1-0 semi-final defeat at Wembley in April. This enabled the Eastlands club to head back to London and win their first major trophy for 35 years, and Ferguson believes this is the spark that they needed to go on and challenge for more.
But is the Manchester United manager right to fear his (geographically) closest rivals?
Let’s look at last season. If ever there was a chance to usurp their trophy-laden rivals it would have been last year, with nobody running away with the title or even looking like they wanted to win it. In the end they finished 3rd, level on points with Chelsea but with an inferior goal difference, and 9 points behind Manchester United. So they achieved their goal of Champions League qualification. They picked up 43 points at home, winning 13 of their 19 matches, but only 28 away from the newly-christened Etihad Stadium, so maybe they need to improve their away form to close the gap to the top.
But the real area that they lost points last season was in matches against their title rivals. Out of a potential total of 18 they only picked up 5, two draws with Arsenal and United and a win over Chelsea. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side picked up 10 points in the same fixtures, suggesting that the difference between the two sides in these matches could be crucial. Were Manchester City able to improve in these fixtures this season, they could offer a real test to United’s ability to retain the title.
This season’s transfer targets have looked to address the issues in the squad from last season. The defence looked exposed and thin on the ground at times, and Mancini has brought in Stefan Savic to solve this problem. With Wayne Bridge looking to be heading out, Gael Clichy has been drafted in to provide competition for Aleksandar Kolarov, and so Mancini appears to have achieved his goal of having two quality players for every position.
The question still remains as to whether or not Carlos Tevez will remain in Manchester for the coming season following his failed return to Corinthians, so there is still potentially business to be done by Sheikh Mansour. Sergio Aguero’s name has been the most strongly-linked to replace his fellow countryman, and this would be a fairly like-for-like as transfers go. If Edin Dzeko can rediscover the form that made him so sought-after in January and Balotelli can continue to develop, the addition of Aguero would do nothing but strengthen an already impressive strike force.
Ferguson’s comments are cleverly timed with the Charity Shield Derby fast approaching, and he will hope his words will increase the pressure on Mancini’s men. But even if this is a case of mind-games, there is clearly truth in what he says. Manchester City will be contenders next season.
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Chelsea striker Fernando Torres says he has settled at his new club and is ready to kick-start his career at Stamford Bridge.The Spanish forward endured a miserable four months after his 50 million-pound move from English Premier League rivals Liverpool in January, during which time he scored just one goal in 18 appearances.
After winning the 2010 World Cup with Spain, Torres’ 10 goals in the 2010/11 campaign was well down on his previous seasons.
But he is eyeing a return to the form that made him one of the league’s best strikers.
“It was a difficult four months for me last season but now I am settled and really happy,” he said on Monday.
“It’s a new start for me and I am feeling sharper and fitter.”
The 27-year-old implied that fatigue from several consecutive years of non-stop football had taken its toll, as he spoke happily of enjoying some long-awaited rest this summer.
“After five years without a break I could finally enjoy my holiday this summer so I am happier after a rest and some time with my family,” he said.
“Now I am feeling good and ready to start the new season.”
Last season in brief: A season where I would have been happy to just avoid relegation and stay in the Championship so we can start rebuilding again, however after being so close to the top and throwing it away in some games (think relegated Preston at home!) Finishing just outside the players felt deflating. Had some good results though to prove we can compete including the double over comfortable winners QPR.
2010/2011 Final Finish: 7th- on the face of it a good return to the Championship with Norwich exceeding expectations to achieve back to back promotions. It could have been so much better if we had managed to stop conceding silly goals as we scored plenty at the other end.
Who’s New: Paul Rachubka, Michael Brown, Andy Lonergan and Monty Gimpel.
Who’s Out: who isn’t!?! Schmeichel, Kilkenny, Johnson, Naylor, Higgs with Eric Lihaj, George McCartney, David Gonzalez and Sanchez Watt all had loan spells end. Also Bessone and Grella have been told they can leave.
Who to Watch: the attacking four of Snodgrass, Becchio, Gradel and Howson (providing we keep them all!) would be the obvious ones if they can re-create their form of last season. I am keen to see Ramon Nunez get a bit more of chance, he did well for Scunthorpe at the end of last season and has looked live in pre-season by all accounts. Monty Gimpel is another one- he apparently turned down Liverpool and Chelsea to sign for us so he must have some talent, although I am not sure how many games he will feature in.
Who’s going up: I can’t look any further then West Ham and Leicester to get the automatic promotion places, they both have good squads already and have strengthened with some very good signings. The battle for the play-offs should be interesting though and I can see that being between Leeds, Southampton, Burnley, Reading, Ipswich and Birmingham. Also Hull had a good run at the end of last season so if they can build on that they could be up there.
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Who’s going down: 3 from Doncaster, Peterborough, Coventry or Barnsley. I can see a suprise for relegation this season with the league being stronger.
Where will you finish: I would be happy with a play-off finish I think this season so that there is some improvement on last season, although I do think the league is a lot stronger this year than last so it will certainly be a massive achievement for anyone who manages to progress into the promised land of the Premiership. I am happy with the changes so far, although doing the maths 11 players out and only 4 in must leave us a bit short on strength in depth in order to be able to compete in games, especially in the busy Christmas period. I would also like a decent performance against a Premier League club in the FA Cup like the last couple of season, not necessarily beating one of the big teams but giving a show of ourselves to prove we can do it- in fairness although a cup run is great I don’t think our current squad would be able to cope. I think a lot of our season rests on our attacking prowess being up to the same standard as last year whilst strengthening at the back as well, if we manage that then I could see us breaking into the top 2.
With finances tight in the modern day Premier League the ability to loan players has taken on greater significance.
Transfer fees, wages, agent fees and bonuses are rapidly inflating every year making permanent transfers for some clubs not even an option. Loaning players on the other hands can prove to be a cheap, short term solution for a few months or the entire season.
Now this list is probably going to be littered with Manchester City rejects who aren’t wanted by Roberto Mancini. But they do have some quality players kicking their heels in the reserve squad waiting for a club to come in and save them. In fact the Premier League is streaming with players who are too costly to buy permanently but just within budget to bring in temporarily.
For the most part it’s promoted teams or those that continually hover in mid-table downwards that look to loan players to help out when transfers become a little too costly or all the money is blown on an expensive foreign import.
However there is evidence to suggest loans actually work for both players and clubs. Bolton Wanderers are testament to that after they signed Jack Wilshere and Daniel Strurridge on loan in consecutive seasons. Wilshere signed in January 2010 for the rest of the season and his performances at the Reebok Stadium catapulted him to England stardom. The same goes for Sturridge after a similar loan spell last season saw him notch eight goals in 12 games and is now considered one of the best strikers in the top flight.
Obviously there are loans that haven’t worked out but lets not get into that as i’m trying to stay positive here. Okay, i’ll mention Patrick M’Boma at Sunderland but thats it!
To summarise, loan players are a marvellous quick fix for any side but don’t overload on them! For me they are like Mars Bars. One is superb but eat too many and disaster will strike.
Click on Daniel Sturridge to see the top 10 players for hire
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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has compared in-form striker Wayne Rooney to Brazilian legend Pele ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Benfica on Wednesday.
The Portuguese club’s coach Jorge Jesus had earlier in the week stated that Rooney was ‘more Brazilian or Argentinian’ than English, and the Scot has stated that his player has similarities with a number of the past greats of the game.
“Look at Pele. He was a very aggressive attacker as well who could look after himself. So can Rooney. There are similarities that way in strength, speed and determination,” he told Sky Sports.
Despite the Benfica trainer’s thoughts however, Ferguson believes Rooney typifies the qualities of a strong British player, and has compared him to former home-grown attackers.
“Wayne is a typical British player. But there have been British players who have great qualities that made them great players.
“(Paul) Gascoigne, George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. The similarities are that the boy has great courage. He wants to play all the time. He has incredible stamina. These are added extras to the talent he has,” Ferguson concluded.
Benfica will need to mark Rooney tightly when the sides meet at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday, as the England international has been in scintillating form, scoring eight goals in four matches including back-to-back hat-tricks against Arsenal and Bolton.
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Darren Bent’s scoring record speaks for itself. Since his difficult spell as a bit-part player at Tottenham ended, Bent has produced the goods week in, week out in three Premier League seasons with Sunderland and Aston Villa. He has scored 41 goals in the last two Premier League campaigns – more than any other English striker.
Bent’s record in the England youth teams is no different. He produced nine goals in 14 games for the under-21 side, having managed three in three at under-19 level. And yet, in the five years since his England debut, the pre-World Cup 2006 friendly against Uruguay at Anfield, Bent has amassed just 11 caps. He started his first competitive international when England faced Wales in Cardiff back in March (and scored). In all, Bent has four goals in those 11 appearances – not bad as half of them were cameo run-outs as a substitute.
And yet whenever Bent’s name is seen in an England squad, even now, he appears to inspire only doubt and concern among national team supporters. It is as if Bent is becoming the 2010s equivalent of his current club teammate, Emile Heskey. He has neither the trust nor the confidence of the England faithful, and except for the few minutes after he scores, it is none too difficult to find yourself a fellow detractor with whom to share a complaint about his performance.
Are England fans right to doubt Bent’s value in the national shirt, though? This is a man who has demonstrated an instinctive predatorial ability ever since he burst onto the Championship scene at Ipswich Town, forming an unstoppable strike combination with Shefki Kuqi. (I know that sounds absurd, but I watched them a lot, so trust me.) Only Wayne Rooney among English strikers challenges Bent’s strike rate over the duration of his Premier League career – the likes of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Ashley Young et al are lagging some way behind.
There are certainly elements of Bent’s game which appear to diminish his value to Fabio Capello’s squad. Bent tends to be very quiet for spells of a game when his team is in the ascendancy; although there are signs of him developing the ability to drop deep and link up in a Villa shirt, it has never been a strength of his and it is yet to be witnessed of him at national level. As a result, his work rate has often been criticised as sub-standard for an England player.
Bent is much more comfortable, quite clearly, using his pace and power to lead the line, making runs off the last defender for through balls and poking in loose balls in scrambled penalty area situations. I have also heard criticisms of his passing and he either does not possess, or at least has never showcased, a regular ability or affinity to shoot from range.
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It should be remembered, though, that these are not the skills on which Bent’s career has been built. He is, purely and simply, a goalscorer. He is a proven goalscorer who now has a decade of experience of leading a line. In six Premier League seasons since leaving Ipswich, Bent has scored 92 goals in 209 Premier League appearances. And in the post-Rooney preparations for England’s 2012 European Championships, a record of practically one goal in two should be enough to merit Bent a prominent role in the construction of England’s new strike force.
Manchester United face stiff competition for the signature of Paulo Henrique Ganso’s signature with Italian giants AC Milan lining up a January bid according to the Metro.
Sir Alex Ferguson has had the 21-year-old Brazilian’s progress monitored throughout his time at Santos and is convinced he can fit straight into the young side he is currently building.
But the Red Devils boss now has to two major obstacles to overcome if he wants to bring the talented playmaker to Old Trafford with the price tag on his shoulders and Milan’s interest potential stumbling blocks.
The Serie A side haven’t exactly kept their intentions under wraps with coach Massimiliano Allegri desperate to bring one of South America’s rising stars to the San Siro in January.
Santos will settle for nothing less than half of the £40 million buyout clause in Ganso’s contract with the Rossoneri set to bid £21 million when the transfer window opens.
United will either have to match or exceed that offer and also persuade the midfielder that his future lies in England as opposed to Italy where he could link up with international teammates Alexandre Pato, Thiago Silva and Robinho.
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Whilst United have a Brazilian trio of their own in the form of Anderson and the Da Silva twins they aren’t as involved in the national squad which could prove to be a hinderance to their chances of securing his services