June 25, 2016

Ancelotti - 'Ronaldo and Messi need each other'

 
The Italian says the rivalry between the two superstars drives both to become better players and talks about the importance of Portugal to the Real Madrid man
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi need each other, according to former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Madrid's Ronaldo and Barcelona star Messi have been regarded as the best two players in the world for the best part of a decade, winning eight Ballon d'Or awards between them.

And Ancelotti, who guided Madrid to Champions League glory with the help of Ronaldo in 2014, believes the rivalry between the pair motivates both players to keep improving.

"I always get asked about Lionel Messi and how Cristiano regards him," Ancelotti, who will take over at Bayern Munich ahead of the new season, wrote in The Telegraph. "The truth is, we did not spend all our days at Madrid talking about Messi.

"Cristiano respects Messi; he respects him a lot. In a way I think they need one another. Each one pushes the other to new heights, to new records of goalscoring.

"Ronaldo signed for Manchester United in 2003 and played his first international tournament in 2004. Twelve years on he is still the biggest European star. That's incredible.

"Were it not for the other, one of Cristiano or Messi would probably have won the Ballon d'Or eight times, rather than three for one and five for the other. Or perhaps they would not have flown so high without the other pushing them on.

"As a manager it was a pleasure to be in charge of Ronaldo. He wanted to play every week and he wanted to score every week. I never went to bed the night before a match worrying about whether he was going to be ready."
Ronaldo is leading Portugal at Euro 2016 and, after struggling to make his mark on the country's opening two matches, he scored two goals in a 3-3 draw with Hungary on Wednesday.

Ancelotti says Ronaldo considers the chance to play for Portugal a privilege and knows the attacker would dearly love to add international silverware to an already glittering CV.

"He cares a lot about Portugal. You can see that he never swerves a game," he added.
"His best friends in the dressing room when I was there [at Madrid] were the other Portuguese players, Pepe and Fabio Coentrao. If he was Spanish he would have won two European Championships and a World Cup by now, perhaps even more.

"Playing for Portugal is fundamental to him. He would like to win something on the international stage, but very few do, and if it does not work out – well, that happens.

"The point is that he showed his country that he cares about Portugal, that it matters to him as much as anything else. Sometimes, as a great player you have to be happy with that and that alone. It is not like you can change your country, even if you wanted to."

Portugal meet Croatia in the round of 16 on Saturday in Lens.

May 12, 2016

Chelsea fans MOCK Rafa Benitez after Newcastle United's relegation


Chelsea fans mocked Rafa Benitez at Anfield after it was confirmed that Newcastle United had been relegated from the Premier League.

Sunderland’s 3-0 victory over Everton at the Stadium of Light meant that both Norwich and Newcastle will join Aston Villa in the Championship next season.

Benitez, who was appointed as Newcastle boss in March, spent six months at Chelsea and guided the club to success in the Europa League in 2013.

But the Spaniard endured a turbulent relationship with Chelsea fans, who chanted ‘Rafa’s going down’ during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.

Eden Hazard opened the scoring for last year’s Premier League champions with a fine solo effort but Christian Benteke earned a point with an injury-time equaliser. 

Breaking News: Real Madrid top Premier League-heavy Forbes rich list


Los Blancos are the most valuable club in the world according to the finance giants, with Manchester United leading a strong English presence

 Six Premier League clubs are among the 10 most valuable in the world, according to Forbes’ 2016 list, but Real Madrid continue to lead the way.
The Spanish capital club remain the globe’s wealthiest outfit in the list of big-hitters, with their valuation of £2.515 billion seeing them to top spot ahead of arch-rivals Barcelona (£2.449bn).
However, the rise of the English league in monetary terms has seen six Premier League sides make the top 10 of the chart, with a total of eight in the top 20.


Manchester United lead the way for their compatriots, with a total value of £2.289bn according to the calculations, which take into account net debt as well as assets and equity. That figure puts the Old Trafford giants in third place overall behind the Primera Liga pair.
Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool fill the spots between fifth and eighth, with Tottenham’s £702 million valuation seeing them sneak into 10th place.

Bayern Munich (fourth) and Juventus (ninth) are the other clubs making the top 10, while West Ham United (17th) and relegated Newcastle United (20th) also chart inside the top 20 from the Premier League.
The Forbes list is part of the business magazine’s ‘Business of Soccer’ feature, which looks at the wealth within the game, with the 2016 edition taking into account increased Champions League prize payouts.
However, the Premier League’s new £5.14bn TV deal, which begins this summer, could yet see even more English clubs included in future lists.

Ancelotti - 'Ronaldo and Messi need each other'

  The Italian says the rivalry between the two superstars drives both to become better players and talks about the importance of Por...