Falcao is 29, not 27 :
Monaco's £53 million signing Radamel Falcao probably thought he was having a pretty bad day on Monday when his debut for his new club ended in farce.
The former Atletico Madrid hotshot was booked for a string of rash challenges in the friendly against Augsburg, kicked the ball into the crowd in fury, and was hauled off at half-time by manager Claudio Ranieri.
But if he thought it couldn't get much worse, he was wrong. At the same time as he was on the pitch, reports from his native Colombia emerged claiming that he has been lying about his age for years.
TV news station Noticias Uno have alleged that the former Europa League and European Supercup winner is not 27 years old, but actually 29.
Their evidence is a series of registration documents from one of his primary schools, Colegio San Pedro Claver de Bucaramanga, which show that the striker was born on February 10 1984.
The star's FIFA registration states that he was born on the same date two years later, in 1986.
The school also has a photo of the youngster from his first year at the school in 1989, showing a boy who very easily could be Falcao, but who is clearly around five years old rather than three.
If the story is verified, Monaco's purchase - the seventh-biggest transfer deal of all time - is for a player who has just a few years left of his career, rather than one who could be expected to be at his peak for three or more years.
In addition, the sell-on value of a man who scored 34 goals in 41 matches last season will be instantly slashed: Monaco would be lucky to get half what they paid for him just a few weeks ago.
Neither Falcao nor Monaco have yet responded to the claims, but with so much money at stake (not to mention a fair bit of pride - nobody likes being duped) we're fairly sure the lawyers will be on the case already trying to figure out what's what.
Neymar has insisted that he is not like David Beckham :
The Brazilian feels he cannot be compared to the Englishman when it comes to extravagance and has stressed that he only dives to protect himselfBarcelona attacker Neymar has insisted that he is not like David Beckham when it comes to his personal appearance, but has admitted that he does spend a lot of time on the way he looks.The former England international, who retired this summer after spells with Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain amid others, was renowned for his extravagant looks throughout his career and Neymar has stressed that he's less vain than Beckham.
"Yes, it is true that I like to go out and buy new clothes, nice perfumes and hair products. I also shave my legs for example," Neymar told Surface
"I do not see myself as a metrosexual, though. That was more something for Beckham, who was more stylish.
"I might be a bit pretentious, but I don't see that as a problem."
The Brazil international also took the time to discuss accusations that he has a tendency to go to the ground to easily on the pitch and insisted that he's only trying to protect himself.
"I occasionally jump and dive, but only to protect myself. I want to make sure that defenders cannot injure me."
The 21-year-old joined Barcelona from Santos this summer in a deal worth €57 million.
Manchester United will make an improved third bid worth €41 million for Cesc Fabregas :
Manchester United will make an improved third bid worth €41 million for Cesc Fabregas after Barcelona rejected their latest offer for the midfielder.The Blaugrana have turned down United’s second bid for Fabregas - worth €35m plus add-ons - and have told the Premier League champions the former Arsenal captain is not for sale.United, however, are preparing a third and final bid to test Barcelona’s reserve as the club’s vice-president, Ed Woodward, looks to provide new manager David Moyes with a stellar midfield signing this summer.
The Premier League champions would offer Fabregas a wage package worth around €233,000-a-week but fear they will be unable to agree a fee with Barcelona to take the player to Old Trafford.
Moyes confirmed on Monday that United had lodged an improved bid for Fabregas, as the 26-year-old is ready to consider his future at the Camp Nou, with former club Arsenal holding a €29m buy-back clause and also monitoring the situation.
Barca expect to keep Fabregas, particularly in light of Thiago Alcantara’s departure to Bayern Munich, and United sources are increasingly pessimistic about the club’s chances of landing the Spain international.
"This is the final push," a source close to the deal told Goal. "They are only willing to give it one more go, and know that if this fails they have other options."
Moyes publicly admitted United may be forced to accept defeat in their pursuit of Fabregas, while Barcelona are believed to have given the English club short shrift, not least because their second offer was made on the same day that coach Tito Vilanova announced his resignation for health reasons.
United are considering alternatives should they miss out on Fabregas, with Luka Modric, Yohan Cabaye and and Marouane Fellaini all on Moyes’ shortlist to add creativity and attacking threat to his midfield.
United made their first bid of €29m for Fabregas last week, which the Catalans immediately rejected, prompting Woodward to leave the pre-season trip to Australia ahead of schedule on Wednesday.
Fabregas returned to his hometown club in 2011 after eight years at Arsenal, but has struggled for a regular starting spot at the Camp Nou.
He still made 32 appearances for Barca last season, scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists.
Mourinho : Don't compare Lukaku with
Drogba :
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is reluctant to compare Romelu Lukaku with Didier Drogba after the Belgian striker gave a goalscoring performance against a Malaysia XI.The youngster netted his second goal of pre-season in Sunday's 4-1 victory but the Blues boss does not want to put pressure on his charge's shoulders by putting him in the same bracket as the Ivorian, who scored 157 goals for the club.
Mourinho told reporters after the match: "We must respect Romelu and not compare him with Drogba as Drogba is a legend in this club."I am happy with his movement and he did what we asked of him. Steve Clarke did well with him at West Brom last year."
The former Real Madrid coach was also pleased with the rest of his team and their pre-season preparations so far.
With trialist Bertrand Traore, Kevin De Bruyne and Victor Moses also grabbing a goal each, Mourinho insisted that he was not interested with the result.
"I am happy with the pre-season matches so far as we are able to apply what we did in training," he continued. "It was never about the result but more about the fitness and the performance of the players."
Cheryshev's father says he has an offer from Malaga :
Dmitri Cheryshev, asked about the future of your child, point out that there is interest from Malaga and other equipment, but that Denis wants to "earn a spot in Madrid."
The Russian Denis Cheryshev has on the table an offer from Malaga , but is determined to succeed at Real Madrid , said his father, Dmitri Cheryshev, who also played in the Spanish League. "There is interest on the part of Málaga in Denis Yes, but there is also interest from other clubs," said the parent of the russian footballer to Russian sports press.Anyway, he added, "Denis does not think in those clubs for now, but earn a spot in Madrid. For it is his single most important priority."THE CURRENT GONZALO HIGUAIN SITUATION :
Italian Club Napoles - Napoli - has come to an agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Argentine International forward Gonzalo Higuain. The deal is 37M€ plus 3M€ more if certain objectives are achieved, the only thing needed is the OK & signature from the player.Isco impresses in his first game for Madrid :
Isco : Very Impressive
Isco only needed half a game to provide quite a clear idea of the role he could play in the new-look Real Madrid. The fact that the opposition was English Championship side Bournemouth must be taken into account, but the former Málaga player's link-up play with his teammates could be a sign of things to come.Isco connected well with everyone. He looked for Cristiano Ronaldo every time he was near the area, as Ancelotti gave him the license to go and pick up the ball all over the pitch. The majority of the Real players were supported by Isco, who provided an angle. In the first half, he dropped deep into his half to get the ball off the centre-backs or with Khedira to help bring the ball safely out from the back.He also advanced through the center at the other end in order to support Modric and also help Özil on the right. The German was not as effective when he was switched to the other flank, but this was also the case in some matches under Mourinho. This all happened with Isco positioned on the left of the three-man midfield alongside Modric and Khedira, from which he also went on individual runs and allowed Coentrao to overlap.The Málaga-born midfielder does not go missing and his feet never seem to tire of having the ball. Real has bought one of the summer transfer market's gems. Borussia Dortmund manager, Jurgen Klopp, heaped the praise on the Spaniard in Monday's edition of 'Kicker': "We wanted Isco, but we knew it was almost impossible to buy him".
Florentino Pérez: "I can assure you that Cristiano will finish his career at Madrid":
Florentino Pérez stated that Cristiano Ronaldo will finish his playing career at Real Madrid, in an interview with 'L'Equipe' newspaper. "Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world and Real Madrid is right behind him. I can assure you that this is where he will finish his playing career. We haven't received any offers", Florentino Pérez told the paper.Pérez also spoke about the team's new manager, Italian Carlo Ancelotti, and believes his understanding of football suits 'Los Blancos'. The former Paris Saint-Germain manager has not asked any of his old players to be signed and as a result Pérez sent a message of assurance to the fans of the French team. "We won't go near any players. Not Ibrahimovich, Veratti or anyone else. If we want to sign anyone in one year, two years or more, I'll call Nasser (Al-Khelaifi, PSG President) beforehand", he said.The Real Madrid President also talked about Karim Benzema – the French star player who has been at Madrid for four seasons. "We'll see what happens this season. I think he's feeling good and is motivated. I believe Ancelotti's system will suit his game better".Pérez went on to speak about Zinedine Zidane's position as assistant coach, which was proposed by Ancelotti. "He has an eye for young talent. His recommendations were essential in the signings of Isco (from Málaga) and Illaramendi (from Real Sociedad). I can't deny that I would like to see him manage Real Madrid one day", he concluded."Gareth has wanted to play at Real
Madrid since he was a kid" :
Real Bound?? : 100m question
According to Marca, Bale told Spurs he want to leave and is close to join Real Madrid on 6 year contract, 10m/year.26th May was the day when Gareth Bale was made Real Madrid's number-one target. It was the day when Barcelona announced the signing of Neymar – the unmentionable dream and obsession of Florentino Pérez.The news triggered off Operation Bale at the Bernabéu. José Angel Sánchez – General Director at Real -, who foresaw a potential transfer fee of around €100 million, showed reluctance. But Pérez was convinced and if he was ever in doubt, he had Zidane – who had previously made sure there were no misgivings on the matter.It was in February when the Frenchman traveled to Lyon to watch the Europa League tie between Olympique and Tottenham. 'Zizou's' report for the club president was emphatic: "He's the number one. The player's class lets you aspire to winning the Champions League. Not only is he a strong and fast player. He's also clever on the pitch".The first conversation between Pérez and Daniel Levy about the possible purchase of Bale took place one month ago. However, negotiations did not advance and the pair agreed to speak again further ahead. Pérez seemed to understand that a formal offer could be made, to which Levy responded that the Welshman would not be sold.This indicates that Real Madrid may have already made Tottenham an approach for Bale in recent weeks. It is believed the fee would be at least €80-85 million and could include Fabio Coentrao in exchange. However, such a deal could be extremely difficult to pull off.Daniel Levy is a ruthless negotiator who skilfully deals with whatever he is faced with. When Gareth Bale told him last week that he wanted to join Real Madrid and that his decision was irrevocable, he suddenly became aware of the crisis he was facing.Levy has told those around him that he will only sell his prize jewel for a record English transfer fee. Until now, that is the €94m paid by Florentino in 2009 for Cristiano Ronaldo.Real Madrid has already put in a lot of ground work. Firstly, finding out from the player's agent, Jonathan Barnett, what the player's wishes were. The key meeting took place in Madrid on 25th June between Barnett, Florentino and José Angel Sánchez. It was there that they laid out their strategy. However, they are fully aware at the Bernabeu that negotiations could be "long and tedious".During that meeting, they agreed the terms of his contract, a six-year deal worth between €10m per year, as well as his shirt number, 11. They even looked at what a shirt would look like with his name and number on it this season.They also agreed that Bale would inform Tottenham, in private, that he wanted to leave, which he has already done. "Have no doubts: Gareth has wanted to play for Madrid since he was a kid," Barnett said. He then took out a photo of Bale aged 10 wearing a Real Madrid shirt and told them that as a boy he grew up in awe of Madrid's 'Galacticos'. That pleased Florentino a great deal.