Mesut Ozil to wear No.10 shirt for Real Madrid in 2011-12 - Goal.com: "The 22-year-old creative midfielder had an excellent first season in Spain last term, but with the signing of Nuri Sahin and the emergence of a fully fit Kaka, competition for places at the Santiago Bernabeu is set to be increased.
Despite this, the former Werder Bremen man has discarded the No. 23 jersey, and taken the starting line-up shirt from Lassana Diarra, who is seemingly on his way out of the club.
The Gelsenkirchen-born player donned his new jersey against Chivas Guadalajara in a pre-season friendly game in San Diego, a clash that saw the Spanish side run out as 3-0 winners.
Ozil had the second most assists in La Liga last season with 17, two behind Barcelona's Lionel Messi, as Mourinho's men failed to stop the Camp Nou outfit picking up their third consecutive Spanish title."
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Messi’s form for Argentina is raising legitimate questions
Daily Monitor: - Sports Columnists |Messi’s form for Argentina is raising legitimate questions: "With every performance, there is irrefutable evidence that Messi’s genius in the game is thanks in part to Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. The system at Barcelona is so fluid and perfected that Messi’s style dovetails with the passing and movement of accomplished players like the aforementioned stars and Daniel Alves.
Argentina cannot play like Barcelona - no team can. But they have some top class players who on paper should form world football’s most feared attack. Few countries boast names like Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito and Angel Di Maria.
There are manifestly areas of concern in defence and midfield; problems not of Messi’s making. Messi has routinely been compared to Maradona but when the latter singlehandedly won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina, he had arguably a more inferior supporting cast than Messi today."
Argentina cannot play like Barcelona - no team can. But they have some top class players who on paper should form world football’s most feared attack. Few countries boast names like Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito and Angel Di Maria.
There are manifestly areas of concern in defence and midfield; problems not of Messi’s making. Messi has routinely been compared to Maradona but when the latter singlehandedly won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina, he had arguably a more inferior supporting cast than Messi today."
Friday, July 22, 2011
Manchester United hit jackpot as United States tour reaches fever pitch both on and off the field
Manchester United hit jackpot as United States tour reaches fever pitch both on and off the field - Telegraph: "More than 67,000 spectators turned out to see the 7-0 victory against Seattle Sounders last Wednesday, while next Saturday’s Champions League final rematch against Barcelona at FedEx Field, the home of the Washington Redskins, is expected to test the stadium’s 82,000 capacity.
The financial benefit to United of their five-game tour has not been divulged by the club or the tour organisers, but a flat fee in excess of £3 million, plus commercial and attendance-related spin-offs, is understood to be close to the figure the club can expect to generate.
Their presence in the States also helps promote the brand to the world’s leading companies. In a survey commissioned by the club, United have 333 million fans worldwide, with 6.5 million apparently based in the US. Those numbers explain why the likes of DHL, Audi, Epson and Singha are determined to pay handsomely for association with United."
The financial benefit to United of their five-game tour has not been divulged by the club or the tour organisers, but a flat fee in excess of £3 million, plus commercial and attendance-related spin-offs, is understood to be close to the figure the club can expect to generate.
Their presence in the States also helps promote the brand to the world’s leading companies. In a survey commissioned by the club, United have 333 million fans worldwide, with 6.5 million apparently based in the US. Those numbers explain why the likes of DHL, Audi, Epson and Singha are determined to pay handsomely for association with United."
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