All4All

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Real Madrid Stay Just Behind Barca

Pedro scored 2 goals against Real Mallorca - It was his eighth goal of the season in five competitions, a feat unmatched in Barca history.The other goals came from Henry and Messi and Barca ended the game with the scorecard reading 4 - 2.

The Ronaldo less Real Madrid held on to win a hard fought 3 -2 victory over Real Mallorca

European summer signings set new transfers heights

This year's off-season is proving to be one of the most exciting and expensive when it comes to star players' transfers.

Spanish giants Real Madrid and England's nouveau riche outfit Manchester City are taking the transfer market by storm with some mega bids that could change football's face for years to come.

With six weeks till the end of the transfer window, Real already broke two records by signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for £80 million and Kaka from AC Milan for £68.5 million.

The previous record was similarly broken by Los Merengues when they signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for £46 million in 2001.

With the addition of striker Karim Benzema from Lyon for around £30 million, Real's shopping bill has already exceeded £150 million and they are still in the hunt for more players.

City have so far signed Gareth Barry and Roque Santa Cruz for nearly £30 million, but they are trying to lure Chelsea defender John Terry with a salary of over £300 thousand a week.

Many believe that the Real and City are setting crippling transfer measures for other clubs in the continent, but Kaka himself is convinced that the players bought are worth every penny.

"If Real Madrid have decided to pay so much money for us it is because we are worth it, isn't it? Because we have shown it with our football in recent years," the 27-year-old says.

"We are in a sport which pays these kinds of figures and within this sphere it could be that we are worth this investment."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson disagrees with the 2007 World player of the year.

The Scot, who paid £30.7 million to bring Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham last summer, knows that his club can't afford to match Real Madrid's bids.

"Everywhere in England and in Europe the players' values have shot sky high. I don't think any of the transfers that you see happening are realistic," Ferguson bemused.

"It is a very unusual summer and difficult to get value because of that. Manchester United always had to pay a bit extra to get players. But this summer we're not prepared to do this," he added.

Ferguson is not the only one who's not happy at Real's astronomical bids. Bayern Munich honorary chairman Franz Beckenbauer considered some of the transfers as acts of madness.

"These sums of money are ridiculous. But there is always some lunatic who walks around throwing money away," the former Germany and Bayern legend said.

Whether coaches like it or not, Real's signings have forced everyone to play by the new rules, and if clubs like United can't afford raising prices then many others won't be able to buy any quality players in the near future.

Who Are Stronger - Brazil Or Argentina?

South American powerhouses - Brazil and Argentina - have struggled in the region's World Cup qualifiers but their performances during mid-week friendly matches suggest that they are back to their best.

South American powers - Brazil and Argentina - count with extraordinary squads, but although both nations are expected to be candidates for the 2010 World Cup they have been extremely inconsistent during the World Cup qualifiers.

In recent months Brazil have picked up some positive results on the road, but at home their record has been awful. Dunga's side haven't managed a victory in their last three home games - after three goalless draws against Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia. Immense pressure has hit the squad, and it seemed that Dunga would be out of a job.

Meanwhile, Argentina have only won once in their last seven matches, a run of results that led to Alfio Basile's eventual resignation. With the amount of quality in their squad, Argentina should be doing a great deal better. Instead they have been neutralized by difficult opponents, who have found a way to contain them, even with inferior squads.

Despite lots of problems during the qualifiers, if the results both teams picked up during mid-week friendly matches were any indication, they should be back at their very best when the World Cup qualifiers resume in March 2009.

Brazil played arguably their best game since Dunga took charge of the national team in 2006, with a stunning 6-2 demolition of a highly-rated Portugal side in Brasilia.

The Selecao came from behind to record a massive win that will surely boost the side for future matches. What caught the attention of most viewers was the offensive power of the side, and the way they were able to penetrate the Portuguese defense at relative ease. Also some of the goals Brazil scored were nothing less than extraordinary. Are Brazil back to their all-time best? We think so.

Diego Maradona debuted as the coach of Argentina with a narrow 1-0 victory over Scotland in Hampden Park. The Argentines played some entertaining football during the encounter, and must have been relieved by the win, particularly because they have struggled to claim victories in recent qualifiers, even when playing in-front of their own fans. But is it a sign of things to come, will Maradona manage to change their mentality for the more decisive matches?

After impressive results, it seems that both Brazil and Argentina are back on track, and at this rate, both teams will surely secure qualification to the World Cup. Although it is early, when the tournament gets underway in South Africa, both teams should be firm candidates for the title.

Eto'o: Messi Is Better Than Ronaldo

As the best player in the world debate rages, Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has thrown his weight behind Lionel Messi's claim to the mantle. The Cameroonian believes that Messi is 'above everybody' in terms of ability, including Cristiano Ronaldo...

As the race for the Ballon d’Or heats up, influential players as well as coaches are starting to sway worldwide journalists’ decision on who to vote for come December.

It appears to be a two-horse race at present between Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and each player have received either glowing endorsements or rave reviews over the past few months.

And Barça striker Samuel Eto’o has now thrown in his two cents’ worth by backing his Argentine goalscoring accomplice at the Camp Nou.

“Cristiano (Ronaldo) is a great player, but Messi is above everybody at the moment,” he told French television channel, TF1.

“He does things not just in training but during matches that no one has ever done before.

“He is the new Maradona. He is a player who makes other people dream of playing like him,” he added.

Eto’o then analyzed Barcelona’s current playing system under coach, Pep Guardiola, which seems to be brining enormous success.

“Our present system isn’t all that different from the one last season. It’s still a 4-3-3 formation but in reality, it looks more like the system developed by (Johan) Cryuff’s Dream Team,” the 27 year old explained.

Barcelona currently sit atop the La Liga standings on 28 points after 11 rounds, with a massive 36 goals scored, 21 of which are shared between Eto’o and Messi.

Zidane To Florentino: You Go Back, I Go Back

Real Madrid legends Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo were in Morocco last night where they held a charity match against poverty. The pair crossed lines with their former president, Florentino Perez...

Former Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was in Morocco yesterday where he met up with Ronaldo and Zidane, who were holding the traditional Ronaldo & Friends vs Zidane & Friends match against poverty.

Prior to the game, the famous trio took pictures for the press and held a friendly conversation. "With the way you look, you should still be playing," said Perez to Zidane.

The French legend was quick to respond. "If you return, Florentino, I'll come back too!" he joked, with that popular smile on his face.

Injury plagued Ronaldo was sentimental when recalling his days at the Bernabeu. "What good times we spent together, President, back in the day," he mused.

The talk was then moved on to more serious subjects, most notably Real Madrid's current crisis. "Schuster is not to blame for what is happening, the problem lies elsewhere," declared Ronaldo.

After being asked by journalists twice, supremo Florentino Perez refused to talk about making a return as Real Madrid's president in the near future. "I'm here to visit my family and friends, on vacation," said Perez bluntly.

Ronaldo's friends edged Zidane's in the encounter, winning by a score line of 6-5. Ronaldo was taken off early in the first half, in order to avoid aggravating his knee again.

However, Zidane scored a fantastic double, as well showing off those incredible touches that made him one of the most brilliant players in the history of the game.