Carlos Tevez claims he knew his days at Manchester United were numbered when Dimitar Berbatov joined the club.
The Argentina striker will be playing for a new team next season after turning down a five-year contract to remain at Old Trafford.
And he felt Berbatov’s arrival from Tottenham last summer, which provided further competition for places up front, proved to him his future did not lie at United.
”I am not sure where I am going to play, but I know for sure that will not be at Manchester (United),” Tevez told TyC Sports television network.
”When I arrived I had to fight for a place like any other player. My first season was good. I was a starter or a substitute, but I respected that.
”But in my second year, after the match against Liverpool, the coach started to overlook me. The fans supported me a lot so I thought that something was going on as my performances were also good. I was a professional. Read more…
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has revealed he has talked to Arsenal about the possibility of signing Emmanuel Adebayor.
The Rossoneri’s first choice remains Wolfsburg star Edin Dzeko but with the Bundesliga club remaining firm that he is not for sale, Milan are starting to look at alternatives.
Galliani indicated on Thursday that they might be interested in Adebayor and it now appears that the Serie A side have stepped up their interest in the Togo international.
”We don’t have any agreement with Dzeko,” said Galliani. ”He is a Wolfsburg player. Dzeko has expressed his liking for a move here but at this moment there are no negotiations yet.
”We wrote to Wolfsburg and they responded that he is not for sale. If Wolfsburg change their minds we have agreed they will call Milan. If they do I am ready to immediately leave and go there. Read more…
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid from Manchester United has this evening been confirmed by clubs’ official websites, with the player signing a six-year contract at the Bernabeu.
The deal is set to be completed on July 1, with United having accepted a bid of £80 million (93 million Euros) on June 10.
A statement on los Blancos’ official website reads:
“Real Madrid CF and Manchester United have confirmed a definitive agreement for the transfer of the player Cristiano Ronaldo, to take place on July 1.
“The player will be tied to Real Madrid for the next six seasons and will be presented on the 6th of July at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.”
According to Sky Sports, the whole of the fee will be paid, unusually in the modern era, in one instalment on July 1, which was apparently a pre-condition to the deal set by United. Read more…
Real Madrid have been the biggest movers, at least in terms of star names and finance, in this summer’s transfer window so far, with Brazilian superstar Kaka leaving AC Milan for the Bernabeu and Cristiano Ronaldo departing Manchester United to link up with los Blancos over the coming days.
Observers have predicted that the Spaniards will need to clear some space at the club to accommodate the further signings which are anticipated, and a report has emerged in England today that the club could be ready to rid itself of all six of its Dutch players.
One of those is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and the striker is piquing the interest of English champions Manchester United, according to Sky Sports News. Read more…
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has reacted forcefully to last night’s shock 2-0 defeat of the Spanish national team by the United States in the Confederations Cup, and has affirmed that the beaten Spaniards must react positively to the set-back by making every effort to return to winning ways as soon as possible.
“When you lose a game and you’ve got a lot of players who can barely remember the last time it happened, then it shows that you’re on the right track,” the 25-year-old told the Reds’ official website.
“In fact, I’d rather this happen now than at the 2010 World Cup. We have to go back to square one now and start putting some more wins together.
“I’d love us to go another 35 matches without losing. That would be great, especially with a World Cup in the middle.”
The Spaniards will now contest a third place play-off on Sunday, against the losers of the Brazil - South Africa semi-final, and Torres is targeting that game as a means of making an instant positive response to the American defeat. Read more…
Chelsea target Alexander Pato has been the subject of a “monster” offer from an un-named club from England, as revealed by AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani.
Milan have already received a mega-money cash sum for prized asset and last season’s top goalscorer, Kaka, and are believed to be willing to re-invest the money into the squad by either acquiring in-demand Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, or maligned Togolese targetman Emmanuel Adebayor.
However, that has not deterred the aforementioned Premier League side, who are hoping to lure Pato to English soil. The Brazilian interntional, though, only yesterday expressed a desire to remain at the San Siro to propel the club back to their glory days.
According to Sky Sports News, Galliani said on the club’s official website, “We have always spoken to Pato about the comments from other clubs. The only offer that arrived was a monster offer from an English club.” Read more…
Brazil edged South Africa 1-0 in a very tight semi-final thanks to Daniel Alves’s brilliant late free-kick. The Barcelona wing-back only entered the fray in the latter stages, but his 88th-minute rocket finally undid goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.
The game kicked off to the sound of vuvuzelas reverberating around the stadium, and within seconds, so too was the roar of ‘Booooooth’ as South Africa’s towering defender got his first touch. Teko Modise drew gasps from his adoring supporters in the fourth minute by bursting past two opponents before Lucio aborted the attack, and Felipe Melo did brilliantly to dispossess Steven Pienaar after the Everton playmaker had wriggled away from two markers down the left. Read more…
USA caused another sensation at the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009, beating European champions Spain 2-0 to book a place in their first-ever world final. The Spaniards controlled possession at Bloemfontein’s Free State Stadium, but the USA, losers of their first two games here in South Africa, played a brave and spirited 90 minutes in freezing temperatures, pulling off a historic victory with goals in each half from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey.
Bob Bradley’s side made a lively start to proceedings, surging into attack early against their illustrious adversaries. Young Charlie Davies, rewarded with a second straight start by the coach in attack, was causing havoc at the Spanish back. His audacious overhead volley nearly caught out Iker Casillas before bouncing wide in the seventh minute. Carlos Bocanegra, back in the team and wearing the captain’s armband for the first time at these finals, went close shortly after with his head and Dempsey tried his luck from distance. Read more…
Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is currently on holiday in Malmo and does not seem to worry too much about the upcoming season, despite constant rumours that Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are ready to prise him away from the San Siro.
“I am relaxing, it’s nice to be home,” Ibrahimovic confessed to Swedish newspaper Expressen.
“I am seeing my friends, we are organising a trip abroad. I read the papers and I am resting. From time to time, I call my agent [Mino] Raiola and I ask him, ‘Is this or that true?’
“He laughs and says, ‘No.’ I see and hear many things. It’s fun reading that one day I am in Madrid, the next in Barcelona or London. The thing is that today my future is Inter.
“But anything can happen. No one can guarantee you the future. But for now there is just Inter.”
The former Ajax man then reiterated his desire to win the Champions League and praised team-mate Mario Balotelli, who helped Italy Under-21 bring down Sweden in the European Championships last week before being sent-off. Read more…
