Chelsea and Ajax feast

The Tuesday night of the C1 was marked by a crazy match at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Ajax. And also the success of Dortmund.

Stamford Bridge is the place to be this Tuesday for the first part of the fourth day of the Champions League. The London compound has seen an epic match between Chelsea and Ajax . There was 4-4 at the end of an exceptional rally and rich in twists. The Borussia Dortmund produced a fine performance against Inter Milan (3-2). The surprise of the evening came from Naples , where the local team was hooked by Naples.

We are rarely bored with Ajax and this was confirmed again when the Dutch moved to England. Unleashed after the misstep of the first round, the men of Ten Hag literally flew over the first hour of the debates, scoring on every offensive or almost. That led to a three-goal lead (4-1) at the hour of the game, including a very good goal from Hakim Ziyech. But then everything collapsed for the visitors because of their simultaneous expulsion of the two central ones (Veltman and Blind). With two men less, Ajax saw the goals multiply in his cage, but still avoided the worst to save the point of the draw (2-2).

Chelsea and Ajax should now be wary of Valencia, who come back strong after a big win against LOSC. Qualification for the 8th should be played between these three teams.

Emirates aims to sponsor PSG until 2019

Dubai’s Emirates airline confirmed Thursday it would sponsor the shirts of Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain until 2019, despite a regional crisis which has seen the UAE cut ties with Doha.

Emirates’ announcement comes less than a week after Brazilian football phenomenon Neymar joined the French club from Barcelona for a world record 222 million euros ($264 million), paid for by Qatar. “Emirates has a sponsorship contract with the French football club PSG until 2019. So far the club has fulfilled its full obligations and we see no reason to terminate the contract

World Most Expensive Footballer, Neymar Parties On Yacht With Friends

After hitting a world record signing deal, Neymar Jr. has decided to go have fun with friends to celebrate his new beginning with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) while the holiday lasts.
The latest PSG forward has always gone on holidays with his friends and family. See more photos while he’s on board a white yacht this morning with his friends as they enjoyed a trip to St. Tropez, the south of France.

Ronaldinho Disappointed In Neymar’s Transfer

Ronaldinho, Barcelona hero and Brazilian football legend has expressed his disappointment that his compatriot, Neymar Jr. decided to join PSG in a world-record €222 million deal which made him by far the most expensive player in history.
Neymar became the world’s most expensive player when he moved to the French capital in a staggering €222 million deal.
Ronaldinho had previously urged his compatriot to “follow his heart” as speculation surrounding his future swirled.

However, he has now expressed his disappointment that the 25-year-old eventually opted to move to the Ligue 1 giants.
Yes, he was careful, although it is difficult that Neymar’s heart did not tell him that the best place was Barcelona,” he said, as reported by Mundo Deportivo.
Barca has been heavily linked with Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho as they bid to find a replacement, and manager Ernesto Valverde has insisted that Neymar’s exit will not derail the team.
We, of course, wish him all the best and whilst we would have preferred to keep him here we must now look ahead and focus on the players in the squad and those who could join us,” he said.
We must not look back but instead look ahead and focus on the future as that is what we must do.
One door is closed but much more will open so we must look to that and we are excited for what the future holds.”
My heart told me that it was time to sign for Paris Saint-Germain. It was the right time to leave Barcelona and find new challenges,” Neymar said at his unveiling in Paris last week.

I want to write history here at PSG because of the Spanish giant, really have a great potential to become the greatest club in the world.

REAL MADRID ARE THE GREATEST TEAM IN HISTORY, SAYS MUTIU ADEPOJU

La Liga Nigeria boss Mutiu Adepoju has branded Real Madrid as the "the greatest team in history" after defeating Manchester United on Tuesday.

Goals from Casemiro and Isco handed the Spanish giants Uefa Super Cup triumph after defeating Manchester United 2-1 in Skopje.

And the former Nigeria international who featured for Real Madrid B team between 1989-92 has Zinedine Zidan’s men and is proud to have featured for ‘Madridistas’.

MOURINHO WAS RIGHT: REAL MADRID ARE ON ANOTHER LEVEL TO UNITED

Real Madrid have done it again. Despite an indifferent pre-season in which they failed to win a single match on tour in the United States, Los Blancos have kicked off the new campaign with yet another trophy by beating Manchester United 2-1 in the UEFA Super Cup.

Jose Mourinho was right: Real really are on another level.Madrid met United in California last month in a match that finished 1-1, with the Premier League side prevailing in a comical penalty shootout, but before that match, the Portuguese manager said: “You try to compensate the difference in quality with a certain tactical organisation and with that you can win in football.

"It’s possible a team is on a certain day better than the sum of the parts. But the parts are amazing, their relation with the ball is amazing. So, we try not to compare ourselves to them."

It seems something of a defeatist argument from a coach who has won it all at club level, especially considering his United side cost more than the one fielded by counterpart Zinedine Zidane in the UEFA Super Cup on Tuesday in Skopje.

According to Marca , United's XI for this match in Macedonia was bought for a total of €413 million, while Madrid's cost €273m - and that included €100m on Gareth Bale alone.

On the pitch, however, it was Madrid who looked more comfortable than their rivals - even with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench.It was no vintage showing either from the European champions. Casemiro's opening goal was marginally offside, while Romelu Lukaku missed a couple of great chances for United.

But Mourinho's earlier assessment was correct - Real have better players and are simply slicker with the ball at their feet.It was not so long ago that Mourinho was being touted for a possible return to the Santiago Bernabeu. When Carlo Ancelotti was axed in the summer of 2015, the Portuguese was one of the names in the frame before Rafa Benitez was appointed as coach and he was mentioned again when the Spaniard was sacked in January last year.

But Real have moved on since then. And that was perhaps summed up as Sergio Ramos was told that his former coach had said how the defender had never played a Champions League quarter-final before his arrival at the club in 2010.

"It's true what he said," Ramos replied. "When he arrived, we started to get past the quarter-finals and now we have won three Champions Leagues." Indeed. And two of those have come in the past two seasons, with Zidane as coach.

Ronaldo ‘wants England return’ – reports

Cristiano Ronaldo told a Spanish court he “would like to return to England” due to his tax troubles in Spain, Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported on SaturdayThe Real Madrid star was called to testify in court on Monday over accusations he evaded 14.7 million euros ($17.3 million) in tax on his image rights via a complicated web of shell companies based in the British Virgin Islands and Ireland.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/ronaldo-wants-england-return-reports/However, Ronaldo has insisted he did not create a “special structure” to manage his image rights when he moved to Real in 2009 but simply maintained the one set up in 2004 while he was at Manchester United. That structure had been recommended to the Portuguese captain by United via their specialist sports lawyer Chris Farnell. “Chris told me it was what all the footballers did and I didn’t want to be an exception,” Ronaldo added in court. “On the field I always want to be an exception, but off it I want to be like everyone else.” If Ronaldo is found guilty he faces a fine of at least 28 million euros and potentially a three-and-a half year jail term, according to the Gestha union of experts at Spain’s Inland Revenue. However, despite being just the latest in a series of high-profile players to be investigated over their image rights in recent years, Ronaldo believes he is being targeted due to his fame. “If I wasn’t called Cristiano Ronaldo I wouldn’t be here,” Ronaldo also reportedly told the court according to Spanish media. The four-time World Player of the Year posted on social media site Instagram on Tuesday: “What bothers people is my brilliance, insects only attack lamps that shine!!!!” Ronaldo will return to training with his Madrid teammates later on Saturday for the first time since lifting the Champions League final in June. Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane had given Ronaldo an extended break due to his participation in the Confederations Cup with Portugal and his court appearance.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/ronaldo-wants-england-return-reports/

Neymar to miss Paris St-Germain debut in French league

Brazil forward Neymar, the world's most expensive footballer, will miss Paris St-Germain's first French league match of the season on Saturday after his documents failed to be lodged in time.His international transfer certificate did not meet a midnight deadline, so he will watch the match against Amiens from the stands, the league said.

But he will be presented to supporters before the match at Parc des Princes.

Neymar, 25, joined the Ligue 1 club for a record fee of 222m euros (£200m).

He will earn 45m euros (£40.7m) a year.

In his first public appearance as a player for the French club on Friday, Neymar said it was "sad" that people thought that his move from Barcelona had been motivated by money."What I say to these people is they don't know anything about my personal life. I was never motivated by money.

"If I was following the money, I would be somewhere else, with other clubs in other countries. I'm really sad that people still think that way and I'm glad that PSG believe in me."

The player arrived in Paris by private jet on Friday and was greeted by PSG officials and hundreds of supporters.

At the club's shop on the Champs-Élysées, more than 1,000 fans queued to buy a PSG shirt of their new Number 10.

Gareth Bale staying put at Real Madrid despite Manchester United speculation

Gareth Bale has insisted that he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid this summer amid speculation that Manchester United may attempt to sign the Wales international for a fee of more than £100m.
Bale was a second-half substitute in his home city of Cardiff as Real became the first side to retain the status as European champions since the Champions League era began with a comprehensive 4-1 win against Juventus on Saturday.
That victory ensured Bale became the first Welshman to win club football’s most prestigious tournament for the third time at the end of a season during which the 27-year-old has been plagued by injury.
Bale made only 19 league appearances for the club as they won a first La Liga title since 2011. Having attempted to prove his fitness for the final, Bale did not start against Juventus with the manager, Zinédine Zidane, opting instead for Isco. That has fuelled rumours that United could turn to Bale after cooling their approach for Antoine Griezmann after the Frenchman confirmed on Sunday that he would not be leaving Atlético Madrid this summer after the Spanish club’s transfer ban was upheld by Fifa.
Bale, who agreed a new deal in October lasting until 2022 worth £350,000 a week after tax and with a €1bn buyout clause, was adamant that he wants to remain at the club he joined in September 2013 from Tottenham Hotspur for £85m, which was then a world-record fee.
“I’ve signed a long-term contract at Madrid,” he said. “My family is happy and I am happy so, yeah, we will continue what we are doing. We are winning trophies and I am happy.
“I’ve worked double sessions for three, four weeks to get myself ready for this, to get myself fit, recover from the surgery – which still has a little more healing to do – but I will be able to rest in the summer, do some more rehab and then come next season stronger. It’s been a tough year with a lot of football and the injuries, but the main thing for me is to get my ankle sorted and give it that rest it needs. I came back too early from the surgery. But I still finished the season happy, it’s a great finish with another trophy.”
United tried to sign Bale in 2013 when David Moyes succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford but were beaten to his signature. The Welshman’s representatives have dismissed reports linking him with a return to the Premier League, stressing that he has no desire to leave the most successful club in global football. Given that he has now won seven major trophies in only four years in Spain, it is hard to argue that this Madrid side is up there with some of the most successful in history.
“We’re used to this,” Bale said. “We have won three Champions Leagues in four seasons so we have to be in that category. All we can keep doing is keep working hard and hopefully there will be more to come. I think we can get better.
“We are still quite young as a whole team and we have a great squad. We haven’t just got a great eleven, we have a great squad so if any injuries come along there are other people who can do a job. We are strong and confident and the plan is to win more.
“This adds to the history of this club. This club is the biggest in Champions League history ever and now we have even more. It’s great to be a part of.”

More than 1,500 Juventus fans in Turin injured after stampede

More than 1,500 people are thought to have been injured – three of them seriously – after Juventus fans watching the Champions League final stampeded in a Turin square after mistaking firecrackers for an explosion or gunshots.
Thousands of people had gathered in Piazza San Carlo on Saturday night to watch Juventus play Real Madrid on giant TV screens. During the second half of the match loud bangs led to a sudden rush in the middle of the crowd, causing a surge that flung people against barriers.
Many were trampled as people began to run out of the centre of the square, screaming in fear. The stampede may been started by the explosion of a loud firecracker that was mistaken for a bomb, some witnesses suggested.
“I heard an explosion, which must have been a huge firecracker,” a witness told La Stampa, one of Italy’s daily newspapers. However, another suggested it may have been the result of a security barrier falling over.
“They shouted, there’s a bomb, evacuate the square,” a member of the audience told the paper. “So we ran away. There were people on the ground, and blood and glass everywhere.”
One of the fans, who was caught next to the barriers, said: “I felt I was being lifted up. It was terrible.”
Although initially police said 200 people needed hospital treatment, the Italian news agency Ansa later put the figure at 1,527, using hospital tallies.
Most of the injured were treated for cuts and light contusions, but three people, including a seven-year-old boy, were reportedly in a serious condition.
“The root cause of this was panic,” said the local official Renato Saccone. “We’ll have to wait a while to understand what triggered it.”
In a statement, local authorities said the crowd “was seized by panic and by the psychosis of a terror attack” fearing that the loud noise was caused by attackers.
Shoes and bags littered the ground in the aftermath of the stampede, and people were seen limping and searching desperately for friends and relatives. Police have set up an information point to help people find their loved ones, and are now investigating what caused the panic.
“I saw the entire piazza went in the direction next to the screen to escape, all in a panic,” Brian Hendrie, an Associated Press reporter, said. “They ran, fell on the ground on the glass.” He said some reported having heard a small explosion, others a shot. “I heard five or six different versions. It sparked a panic.”
Within minutes, dazed fans in Juve’s black-and-white jerseys returned and milled about the piazza amid the broken bottles and rubbish littering the cobblestones, with the match largely forgotten.

Dani Alves: I made one final promise to the Barcelona board – ‘You’ll miss me’

Dani Alves has revealed that he came close to tears when Juventus defeated his former team Barcelona in the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League, and says he felt “disrespected” by the Spanish club when he left the Camp Nou for the Serie A winners last June.
The right-back is expected to start against Real Madrid in the final on Saturday and has been in exceptional form during Juventus’s European run, creating three of their four goals in the semi-final against Monaco and scoring the other. But, writing exclusively for the Players’ Tribune website, he explained that his affection for Barcelona led to some mixed emotions after the 3-0 aggregate win in April.
“When we beat Barcelona in the Champions League, I walked up to my brother Neymar and gave him a hug,” he said. “He was crying, and a part of me felt like crying, too.”
Alves, who spent eight years at Barcelona before departing on a free transfer with a year left on his contract, says Barcelona is “still in my blood” and that he remains frustrated by the manner of his exit.
“Was I disrespected by the board of directors before I left the club last summer? Absolutely,” he said. “That is simply how I feel, and you can never tell me any different. But you cannot play for a club for eight years, and achieve everything that we did, and not have that club in your heart forever. Managers, players and board members come and go. But Barça will never go away.
“Before I went to Juventus, I made a final promise to the board at Barcelona. I said: ‘You’re going to miss me.’
“I didn’t mean as a player. Barça have plenty of incredible players. What I meant was that they were going to miss my spirit. They were going to miss the care I had for the dressing room. They were going to miss the blood I spilled every time I put on the shirt.”
During his time at Barcelona, Alves won 23 trophies – including three Champions Leagues and six La Liga titles. He was one of Pep Guardiola’s first signings, arriving from Sevilla in 2008, and describes his former manager as a “genius” with uncanny reading of the game.
“Pep would tell you exactly how everything was going to happen in a match before it even happened,” he said. “The sensation when we left every one of his pre-match talks was like we were already up three-nil. We were so empowered, so prepared, that it felt like we were already winning.”
Guardiola, who is under pressure to begin replicating that success at Manchester City, reshaped Alves’s understanding of football. “Pep was the first coach in my life who showed me how to play without the ball,” he said. “And he wouldn’t just demand that his players change their game, he would sit us down and show us why we wanted us to change with statistics and video.
“Those Barça teams were pretty much unbeatable. We played by memory. We already knew what we were going to do. We didn’t have to think.”
Alves played alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona but believes Juventus have a comparable talent in the Argentina forward Paulo Dybala, who should start behind Gonzalo Higuaín in Cardiff. Dybala scored twice in the quarter-final against Barça and Alves expects the 23-year-old to follow in his compatriot Messi’s footsteps.
“In training one day, I saw something in Dybala that I had seen before in Messi,” he said. “It was not just the gift of pure talent. I have seen that many times in my life. It was the gift of pure talent combined with the will to conquer the world.”
Juventus seek their first Champions League since 1996 this weekend and Alves believes his current team go about things in a different manner to the free-flowing Barcelona side of which he was an integral part. Victory against Real would feel sweet but the motivation has nothing to do with his feelings towards his old club.
“At Barça, we played by memory,” he said. “At Juve, it’s different. It’s our collective mentality that has carried us to the Champions League final. When the whistle blows, we simply find a way to win no matter what. Winning is not just a goal at Juve, it’s like an obsession. There are no excuses.
“This Saturday, I have a chance to win my 35th trophy in 34 years on earth. It is a special opportunity for me, and it has nothing to do with proving to the Barcelona board that they made a mistake in letting me go.”

CITY FACE BATTLE FOR MENDY

Manchester City face stiff competition from a number of their Premier League rivals in their bid to sign Monaco defender Benjamin Mendy, according to  L'Equipe .
Chelsea and Liverpool have both accelerated their interest in recent days while Manchester United are also monitoring developments.
Full-back Mendy is keen to move to England this summer, though Barcelona are also keen on the 22-year-old.

WENGER WARNED OVER TRANSFERS

Arsene Wenger will be warned to stop "dithering" over transfers by Arsenal's board today ahead of expected confirmation of his contract extension at the club, according to the Daily Mail .
Missing out on Gonzalo Higuain in 2013 will be highlighted as an example when the Arsenal manager failed to act decisively on transfers.
Malaga pair Sandro Ramirez and Pablo Fornals are reportedly two of the Gunners' targets this summer, plus Wenger must deal with Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez having just 12 months left on their lucrative contracts.

LINDELOF TO COST MAN UTD £52M

Manchester United have been told they will need to splash €60 million (£52m) to sign Benfica defender Victor Lindelof, according to A Bola .
Jose Mourinho's men were believed to be close to signing the Swedish defender in the January transfer market but opted to wait until the summer to pursue the deal.
However, Benfica are insisting that United activate his contract clause if they want to sign him ahead of 2017-18, which could lead to a protracted transfer saga should they be unwilling to spend so much.

WHO WILL BE EUROPEAN CHAMPION

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MILAN IN €60M MORATA BID

AC Milan will offer €60 million to Real Madrid for striker Alvaro Morata, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport .
The Spanish striker has apparently already agreed to join the Serie A club on an €8m-a-season contract, and Milan will now put the sizeable transfer bid to Real Madrid after the Champions League final.

CONTE WANTS PSG KEEPER

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte wants Paris Saint-Germain's Alphonse Areola as Thibaut Courtois' backup at Stamford Bridge, The Sun reports.
With Asmir Begovic having sealed a move to Bournemouth, the Italian boss sees Areola as a perfect fit as Courtois' understudy.

CASILLAS OFFERED TO PSG

Current Porto keeper and former Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has been offered to Paris Saint-Germain, l'Equipe reports.
Soon-to-be PSG sporting director Antero Henrique was involved in the 26-year-old's transfer from Madrid to Portual in 2015 and will liaise with the Ligue 1 club in the coming weeks over whether they would like to sign him.

MOU'S SECRET MORATA TALKS

Jose Mourinho has been in personal contact with Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, Spanish outlet OkDiario reports.
It has been suggested that Milan are current favourites to sign the 24-year-old with a €60m bid, but Mourinho has allegedly told the Spain international that he can ensure he becomes 'the best number 9 in the world' at Manchester United.

MBAPPE WANTS MADRID MOVE

Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe is intent on joining Real Madrid despite interest from Manchester City, according to Marca .
The 18-year-old has been linked with a move to Man City with Pep Guardiola ready to put Mbappe straight into the first team. However, the France international is keen on a switch to Madrid and will reject City's advances.