SIR ALEX FERGUSON'S PRE-SEASON CANDID IDEAS (2011/12)

Sir Alex Ferguson, 69, has been Manchester United's gaffer for the last 25 full seasons. The boss has taken time out of his busy schedule to speak on a number of issues, including Manchester City's season prosects, Barcelona's brilliance and going head-to-head with Andre Villas-Boas, the new Chelsea FC manager.

The Scot's thoughts on the season 2011/12.

Q: How do you view the new season and challenges ahead?
SAF: We've lost five experienced players who has given the club a great service
Wes Brown, John O'Shea, Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. At the time you look at it and think it's a big slice out of the cake, but we have replaced them by bringing back Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley and adding Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea which we think fills the gap. We've actually got 11 players aged 22
and under with us, so it could be an emerging team again.

Q: The record 19th league title was such a big deal, wasn't it?
SAF: I never thought it was a big deal until the last few weeks when it became more of an attraction as we got closer and closer.

Q: You turn 70 at the end of the year. In your mind, have you got a time and date when you might retire?
SAF: Absolutely none. Not at all. I'm not even thinking about it.

Q: Is the number of teams capable of challenging for the title getting bigger?
SAF: Manchester City and Liverpool have spent [money]...

Q: What do you make of Chelsea's decision to give the job to a manager who is so young?
SAF: Well, it was a surprise, he's just a young lad. Istarted at 32 but all I had was a physio. The difference is that he can choose a staff of whatever he wants. He can bring a good assistant and good coaches with great experience.

Q: Finally, is FC Barcelona a completely different challenge to any you've had?

SAF: We will try to move on and get above them, but the target is to be in Munich (for the Uefa Champions League final) in May next year.

In, conclusion with Manchester City's slow progress, Arsenal FC having learnt from their past mistakes,  Liverpool FC slowly building momentum from their last season and  Chelsea FC's faith in their new inspirational manager this is definately going to be the best Premiership season.

FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL (2014)

Today in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil the draw for the prelimenary round of the next Fifa World Cup 2014 took place at the home of the five-times world champions. A total of 175 nations will take part, playing altogether 824 matches which will later reveal the 31 nations, who will be joining hosts Brazil in the finals by November 2013.

The ceremony took place in a specially constructed auditorium at Marina Da Gloria, not far from Sugar Loaf Mountain. The draw cost more than £10m
and was broadcast live around the world.

There was no draw for the South American confederation, the nine contenders will play each other in a single league system, seeking to make, for them, the short trip to Brazil in three years time. Due to political sensetivities, Georgia, Russia, Azerbiajan and Arminia were not drawn in the same group. All the draws were based on Fifa's current world rankings.

Vincente del Bosque, who guided Spain to success last year in the South Africa, Lauren Blanc of France, Guus Hiddink of Turkey and Fabio Capello of England were just a few of the 38 national coaches that attended the cermony.

Some Fifa World Cup preliminary qualifiers have already taken place, but the competition will begin properly this year and be completed by November 2013.

A Fifa official stated that the finals will be staged from 12 June to 13 July 2014, while Rio de Janeiro's famous Maracana Stadium will host the final, Fifa's secretrary-general Jerome Valke confirmed this last night.

Here is the preliminary round groups of the European section:

Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales.
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgeria, Armenia, Malta.
Group C: Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands,
                      Kazakhstan.
Group D: Holland, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra.
Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland.
Group F: Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan,
                      Luxembourg.
Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luthiania, Latvia,
                       Lietchtenstein.
Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marina.
Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland.

Good luck to each and every competing nation.

SERGIO AGUERO RECEIVES A KING'S RANDSOM

Manchester City has paid a club record transfer sum of £38m for the services of Sergio Aguero an Argentine player. The club has agreedto the terms in his contract, which allows the former Athletico Madrid centre-forward to earn a staggering £200,000 per-week paycheck. The contract's wage bill is worth £52m in total, which is expected to be paid over the five-year period.

The centre- forward stands 1.72cm tall and has close ball control, coupled with fast direct bursts of speed towards the opponents goal.

Sergio Augero will never forget the first time he played in the United Kingdom. Five years ago, at the tender age of 18 he stood ready to come on as a substitute during Argentina’s clash with Brazil, at the Emirates Stadium. The man he replaced? Carlos Tevez.

When Sergio Augero was just 8 years old, a family member told Independiente to give him a trial run at the club. They signed him on the spot.

A month and three days after his 15th birthday, he made his Argentinian debut, in the process breaking the national record, which stood for 27 years held by the infamous Diego Maradona, who was 10 days short of his 16th birthday when he made his international debut for their country.

Having scored 23 goals out of 56 appearances, he was soon attracting the attention of more larger clubs.

Atletico Madrid signed him up for£15.6m. At the time a record transfer sum for a Argentinian player.

He found his first La Liga season (Spanish First Division) to be quite difficult as he struggled to adapt to thefaster pace and more physical defenders. He leaned on fellow teammate, Fernando Torres for support.

Sadly, he did not take part in the Fifa World Cup 2006 in Germany, even though there were appeals for Jose Pekerman (then manager of Argentina) to include him into the squad. However, a year after the disappointment, he went on to win the Under-20 Fifa World Cup with Argentina and in the process received the Golden Ball award for being the tournament’s best player.

He began to thrive at Athletico Madrid after Spaniard Fernando Torres left for Liverpool FC during the summer of 2007 and scored more than 20 goals in each of his last four seasons at the club.

Athletico Madrid fans reacted badly to Aguero’s departure, burning his shirt and chanting ‘die, die’ in the Europa League.

Sergio Augero spoke highly of his new club [Man City] and working in the Premier League, saying “ Zabaleta has told me all about City and it is very positive.'I have always wanted to play in the Premier League and this is a good club. I think we will be fighting every year to win major trophies’.

'I think in terms of technique the leagues are similar. Maybe the game is more physical in England and there is a greater emphasis on tactics in Spain. From what I've seen on TV there is a high level of skill here. It is quite different but I need to wait for my first game, go out and do my best. My style has always been to fight to the death for every ball, and give 100 per cent in every game’.

‘I'm not a player who can do everything, but I still have plenty to offer. I don't think I'll have too many problems settling into the team’. He started dating Diego Maradona’s daughter in 2008 and is reportedly happily married to her and they are proud parents of a young son.

Finally, when not kicking a ball around, the young Sergio Augero was glued to a Japanese cartoon called ‘The Adventures of Kum Kum’, which soon became corrupted to produce the nick-name which has stuck throughout his career – Kun.

FERNANDO TORRES FRUSTRATED CAREER

In Hong Kong, China, a bit sheepishly, Fernando Torres held up his Chelsea FC kit shirt. Across its back where the name and number would normally be found was the word “Triumph” in both English and Cantonese script.

Perhaps he understood the irony. A few words spring to mind when describing Fernando Torres and his £50m transfer fee, but triumph is not one of them. Instead Fernando Torres looks lost, confused and angry that his transfer has become such a vocal point. He has refused all requests to talk to the media on Chelsea FC’s tour of the Asian continent.

The Spanish forward, unfortunately had to answer a few questions in a Press Conference scheduled on 26 July 2011 for the shirt sponsors.

Here are the questions.

Q: How do you assess your personal form?

FT: We are all trying to be in the best form for the new season. There are big expectations that Chelsea FC always have. I have been here six months and I can see the winning mentality they have. It’s going to be a long season. My form is OK, like my teammates. We have a new manager and it’s time to get ready.

Q: Are you bothered by the criticism?

FT: You are doing your job. Only that.

Q: What can you say to convince us that the form you showed in your early days at Liverpool FC is still there?

FT: I’m 27. I don’t forget to score goals. I will score.

He will also be aware of comparisons being made to Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan), who arrived at Stamford Bridge for £30m in July 2006. He scored nine Pemier League goals and left on a free transfer three years later.

No one doubted Andriv Shevchenko’s (Ukraine), quality because of his previous achievements at AC Milan. But his transfer did not work out form some reason.

Finally, Andriy Shevchenko struggled in silence, but his teammates were publicly supportive. Then he lost his place, was on a loan and eventually allowed to re-join Dynamo Kiev with a year left on his contract.

Andre Villas-Boas claims the media are wrongly obsessed with the matter. But he has given no reason as to why he thinks Fernando Torres will prosper. As a manager famed for attention to detail, it is infeasible that the new boss does not care for individual performances.

In conclusion, Fernando Torres is aware of rumours trickling out of the United Kingdom and fiercely denied by Chelsea FC that have prompted speculation that their £50m winter purchase might never be the player he was because of injury problems suffered in recent seasons.



LIONEL MESSI THE BEST IN THE WORLD

Lionel Messi says that it must be other people that judges him on whether or not he is the best in the world. The Barcelona forward believes that he is blessed to be playing alongside Xavi and Andries Iniesta whom he believes are the best at the club.

He attributes his successful 2010-11 season to not having any major injuries. It breaks your game-flow when you get injuries all the time and I’ve noticed he didn’t look as fatigued as one might have feared after the Fifa World Cup 2010.

Lionel Messi believes that Pep Guardiola is a brilliant manager. The coach motivates the group like no-one else has done. The Spaniard knows what to say to make them go out on the pitch and give it their best.  His tactical abilities are great, and he finds the strengthens and weaknesses in every opponent and gives the players good information on them every time. He also makes training fun, though still on a serious level. And is a club legend and they all respect him as a coach and as a dedicated club person who always has time for the youth.

Personal honours are great and Lionel Messi sees them as a bonus. The most important thing is winning trophies with FC Barcelona, his current club. The Argentine believes that they have a great team and without his teammates none of his success would have been possible. His teammates make him a better player, so whenever he wins a personal award they are the first ones that come to mind.

Barcelona have won more than eight honours in three years. So likewise he is happy there. And the club and fans are happy that he’s at the club.

In conclusion, you compete in sport because you want to be the best. And the proof in being the best is in the amount of honours you win. I think a lot of kids around the world say that they want to be the best in the world, but it’s only very few who make it. 

He said it himself when he was young, so receiving all the prizes shows that everything he’s worked for his whole life was worth it. 

BARCA'S HISTORIC TRANSFER AGREEMENT

Barcelona the La Liga champions made an unusual deal with AS Roma for the transfer of their forward Bojan Krkic in which the Spanish Giants must buy him back in two years time.

Barca agreed to sell them Spain Under-21 international Bojan Krkic for £10.6m payable on 1 July 2013. But they are obliged to re-purchase him before then, for £11.4m at the end of 2012-13 season.

As Roma have agreed to pay the 20-year-old an annual gross salary of £2.8m and have the option of blocking the re-purchase from the Catalan club. But the Italian side would have to pay another £24.7m in three equal payments in July 2013, January 2014 and July 2014.

Barca will try to convince Chelsea FC to sign a similar deal for Oriol Romeu a 19-year-old midfield player and who is set to move to the United Kingdom.

In conclusion, for  a club like Barca this operation appears to be very positive in both economic and sporting terms.

URUGUAY WIN COPA AMERICA 2011

Uruguay became the South American champions as they won the Copa America for a record 15th time. Luis Suarez who was voted player of the tournament, scored the first goal of the final during the 12th minute.

Diego Forlan the Fifa World Cup 2010 player of the tournament scored the winners second goal just minutes before half time. He then scored the last goal of the final during the 89th minute to seal a Uruguay 3-0 Paraguay win.

Luis Suarez scored four goals in the tournament, one less than top scorer Paulo Guerrero whose hat-trick helped Peru beat Venezuela 4-1 for the third position. “This squad is united, they showed that what they did at the World Cup was no fluke and we showed we’re the best in (the) Americas,” Suarez said.

Diego Forlan won a Uruguayan 82nd cap and equaled the national record of 31 goals held by Hector Scarone.

Twice champions Paraguay finished the tournament without a victory, having reached the final with five draws and two penalty shoot-out wins.

In conclusion, Uruguay now has one more trophy than Argentina, who hosted the Copa America tournament.

THE SUPPORTERS VOTE GREATEST TEST XI

Nowadays even football players need take a break for some rest and relaxation. And what should they do during the holiday period? Watch some interesting Test Cricket of course. Cricket lovers from all over the world (realistically the majority from India) have cast more than a quarter of a million votes to choose their greatest Test team of all time.

The supporters voted on the ICC’s official website, using a short list provided by the games governing body. The Test team consists of 4 Australians, 4 Indians (surprised), 2 West Indians and 1 Pakistani have been selected in the “supporters” dream team.

"It supports the view of the everlasting popularity of Test match cricket. Selecting from such greats is no easy job, and not surprisingly, the selection mainly reflects modern players seen by present day supporters" replied Haroon Lorgat, ICC Chief Executive.

Supporters Greatest XI

01. Virender Sehwag
02. Sunil Gavaskar
03. Donald Bradman
04. Sachin Tendulker
05. Brian Lara
06. Kapil Dev
07. Adam Gilchrist (wk)
08. Shane Warne
09. Wasim Akram
10. Curtly Ambrose
11. Glenn McGrath

Michael Greatest Test XI  

01. W. G. Grace                       
02. Matthew Hayden               
03. Donald Bradman                

04. Sachin Tendulker               

05. Brian Lara                          

06. Garfield Sobers                 
07. Adam Gilchrist (wk)          

08. Shane Warne                      

09. Curtly Ambrose                  

10. Glenn McGrath    

11. Muttiah Muralitharan

In conclusion, I think that my Test XI is a more balanced team. And would whitewash the “supporters” Test XI any day of the cricket season.

FIFA'S FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

Mohamed Bin Hammam touched down from a plane to face bribery allegations that has rocked the football world. In the Swiss financial capital the 62-year-old Qatari arrived to be questioned against the charges that he tried to buy the Fifa presidency by offering cash in exchange for votes to Caribbean football officials. If Mohamed Bin Hammam receives a guilty verdict he will then face a life long ban from football. In response to the allegations the Asian Football Confederation President has pledged to come out fighting.

“Notwithstanding the bias and the absence of fair proceedings since the start of this trial, over the past seven weeks my legal team and I have been working very hard to provide convincing grounds that fair play was highly respected and observed throughout my election campaign,” he wrote on his personal blog prior to arriving in Switzerland.

A key figure behind Qatar’s astonishing success in the race to host the Fifa World Cup 2022, Mohamed Bin Hammam stands accused of attempting to bribe officials with cash gifts of  £25,000 each during a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) summit from 10-11 May 2010.

A leaked Fifa ethics committee report seen by the U.K. Press Association claimed there was “overwhelming” evidence against the Qatari, with stories of brown envelopes stuffed with money could be seen during a secret meeting in the hotel's boardroom.

In conclusion, Mohamed Bin Hammam has been found guilty of bribery and is officially banned from football for life.

JOSE MOURINHO WINS POWER BATTLE

Directly after the dismissal of Jorge Valdano Real Madrid’s Director General during May 2011. The Spanish Giant’s have promoted their manager Jose Mourinho by naming him as their new “Sporting Manager of Football”.

President Fiorentino Perez decided to sack their former player and manager, the Argentine Jorge Valdano
instead favouring Jose Mourinho by giving him more wide-ranging influence in the club.

In a brief statement from the club on their website, Real Madrid said that Jose Mourinho’s new position was rubber stamped at a board meeting on Friday 
22 July 2011.

At previous managerial stints at Chelsea FC and Internationazle FC, Jose Mourinho was given more freer rein than he was initially given at Real Madrid.

In conclusion, according to media reports Jose Mourinho also harboured a grudge over a newspaper column Jorge Valdano wrote several years ago criticizing his tactics during the period he was the manager of Chelsea FC.

EPL PREVIEW SEASON 2011-12

Another page will be written in the rich history book of the most popular domestic football competition in the world during the 20^th English Premier League season.

International interest in the English Championship has been strong since the 1960s, but thanks to television deals, the coverage of Premier League matches have been taken around the world fueling enthusiasm in every football nation.

Since the inaugural Premiership League season in 1992/93, only four clubs have won the Premier League in nineteen seasons.

I would like to set the mood before the start of the new season. Here are a few records the players and clubs have set over the past two decades:

CONSISTENCY: Only 7 clubs have played in every season of Premier League football since 1992/93. They are Arsenal FC, Aston Villa, Chelsea FC, Everton FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United and Totenham Hotspur.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United have won 12 trophies. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have won a dozen of the nineteen Premier League trophies, including the first and latest season. Therefore Manchester United is defending their trophy this season.

APPEARANCES: David James and Ryan Giggs have each played in 573 matches. David James is a former Liverpool FC and Manchester City goalkeeper, while Ryan Giggs is a Manchester United legend.

GOALS: Alan Shearer scored 260 goals. The former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United forward is comfortably at the top of the table in EPL history. Andy Cole is second on the list with 187 goals.

YOUNGEST GOALSCORER: James Vaughan was 16 yrs and 271 days when he scored for Everton FC against Crystal Palace in April 2005. Injuries seemed to have hampered his growth, but he recently joined Norwich City and hopes to help keep them in the Premier League.

MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS: Arsenal have won 14 matches in a row. The rampant Gunners won all their matches between February 2002 and August 2003.

MOST VICTORIES (SEASON): Chelsea won 29/38 matches. The Blues achieved this twice in 2004/05 and 2005/06 when they won back-to-back trophies under The Special One.

FEWEST VICTORIES (SEASON): Derby County won 1/38 matches. The club posted their solitary victory in the 2007/08 season. They got relegated after collecting only 11 points, which is another record for a season. Their victory: Derby County 1-0 Newcastle United.

In conclusion, with the recent emergence of Manchester City and rebirth of Liverpool FC this is going to be one of the most interesting Premier League seasons to date and should be a wonderful spectacle for viewers across the world.

FOOTBALL RICH LIST SEASON 2010-2011

Here are the men that extended their wealth during the 2010-11 season.

No. 10: Samuel Eto’o
Earnings: £12.1 million /year
Age: 30
Country: Cameroon
Club: Internazionale( Inter Milan)
Major Sponsors: PUMA,Pirelli, NIKE

Samuel Eto'o Fils, commonly known as Samuel Eto'o( born 10 March 1980) is a professional footballer from Cameroon who plays as a striker for Italian club InterMilan and is currently captain of the Cameroon's national team.

He was a part of the squad that won the 2000 Olympic tournament; he has participated in three World Cups and six African Nations Cups (being champion twice), and is the all-time leading scorer in the history of the African Nations Cup, with 18 goals.

No. 9: Frank Lampard

Earnings: £12.5 million /year
Age: 31
Country: U.K.
Club: Chelsea FC
Major Sponsors: Adidas, Orange, Gatorade, EA Sports

Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English footballer, plays as a midfielder for Chelsea and English national team. He also holds the position of vice captain of Chelsea. Lampard began his career at West Ham United, his father's former club. In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million. He was voted second place in 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year and the 2005 Ballon d'Or.


No. 8: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Earnings: £12.7 million /year
Age: 28
Country: Sweden
Club: FC Barcelona, Milan
Major Sponsor: Nike

Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is from Sweden who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona, Milan and the Swedish national team. He was also named in the 2007 and 2009 UEFA Team of the Year, in addition to finishing as the league's highest scorer in 2008–09.The Swedish striker got the third-highest transfer fee when Barcelona paid $94 million to Inter Milan in July 2009, signing Ibrahimovic to a five-year contract.




No. 7: Carlos Tevez

Earnings: £13.5 million/year
Age: 26
Country: U.K.
Club: Manchester City
Major Sponsors: AIG, NIKE

Carlos Alberto Tévez (born Carlos Alberto Martínez on 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester City and is currently the team's captain, and Argentina national team. He has previously played for Boca Juniors, Corinthians,West Ham United and Manchester United.After protracted negotiations, Tévez signed a five-year contract with Manchester United's cross-town rivals,Manchester City, after a medical on 14 July 2009. On 12 September, it was claimed that the transfer fee was £47 million, a British transfer record, but this was later denied by both Manchester City and Media Sports Investments. Tévez was given the number 32 shirt, just as he was at Manchester United and West Ham.


No. 6: Ronaldinho

Earnings: £15.1 million / year
Age: 30
Country: Brazil
Club: Flamengo
Major Sponsors: Nike, Nutrilite, Konica, Pepsi

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team. He is a free-kick specialist and has exceptional dribbling ability. Prior to his move to Flamengo, he played for Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona and Milan. With the Spanish club, he won his first Champions League in the 2006 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005. He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007.

No. 5: Thierry Henry

Earnings: £15.8 million / year
Age: 32
Country: France
Club: New York Red Bulls
Major Sponsors: Reebok, Gillette, Pepsi

Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer,and France National Team.  He was nominated for the FIFA World Players of the Year twice, was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the Football writer association footballer of the year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the UEFA Champions League final in 2006. In June 2007, after eight years with Arsenal, he transferred to Barcelona for a fee of €24 million.In July 2010, Henry signed a multi-year contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls, as its second designated player.

No. 4: Ricardo Kaka

Earnings: £16.5 million / year
Age: 28
Country: Brazil
Club: Real Madrid CF
Major Sponsors: Adidas, Giorgio Armani, Bravia, Guarana

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite ( born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká, is a Brazilian midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. He also holds an Italian passport, which enables him to play as an EU player. It was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of fifteen that he chose to focus on football. In 2003 he joined A.C. Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a world record fee of $89 million, smashing the previous record of Zidane, $75 million.

No. 3: Cristiano Ronaldo

Earnings: £26.4m/ year
Age: 25
Country: Portugal
Club: Real Madrid CF
Major Sponsors: Nike, Giorgio Armani, Coca-Cola, Castrol, EA Sports, Banco Espirito Santo

Ronaldo is the most expensive player in football history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer deal worth US$132m. In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is to be paid £11 million per year over the following six years, makes him the highest-paid football player in the world. Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year.

No. 2: David Beckham

Earnings: £26.8m / year
Age: 35
Country: U.K.
Club: AC Milan; Los Angeles GalaxyDavid Beckham
Earnings: €30.4m / year
Club: AC Milan; Los Angeles Galaxy
Major Sponsors: Adidas, Giorgio Armani, Motorola, Coty, Cabo Sao Roque Resort,Go3, Sharpie

David Robert Joseph Beckham, (born 2 May 1975) is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. He previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and Milan, as well as the England national team. Beckham's career began in 1992 aged 17 when he joined Manchester United. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons,clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract with them on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loanspells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010.

No. 1: Lionel Messi

Earnings: £29.1m / year
Age: 22
Country: Argentina
Club: FC Barcelona
Major Sponsors: Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Gillette, Gatorade, Konami, Air Europa, Telefonica/Movistar, SportCenter/ESPN, Damm, Danone, Lody For Men, Storkman, Repsol YPF, SanDisk and Mirage/Seiko.

Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) represents Argentina who currently plays as a forward for FC Barcelona and the Argentina's national team . He is considered amongst the best footballers of his generation. He recieved Ballon d'Or twice (2009,2010) and also FIFA World Player of the Year. Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers counts himself a fan. He has an autographed picture of Messi in his locker.

CARLO ANCELOTTI BIDS FAREWELL

Carlo Ancelotti made a significant impact in the FA Premier League when he upstaged his contemporaries by winning the FA Premier league and FA Cup double during his first season as our club’s manager. He was born on 10 June 1959 in Reggiolo, Italy and is affectionately known by our supporters as The Fantastic One. The 52-year-old has two children. A daughter named Katia and a son named Davide who is a professional footballer in Italy. It’s said though that in 2008, he separated from his wife after being together for 25 years.

Carlo Ancelotti labored in the midfield during his playing days beginning with a stint at Parma in 1974, before switching to AS Roma, where he captained them to an Italian Championship in the early Eighties. By 1987 to 1992 he was part of the legendary AC Milan team who won consecutive European Cups in 1989 and 1990.  He made 26 international appearances for Italy scoring one goal and was included in the FIFA 86’ and 90’ World Cup squads. His managerial career began with Regina in 1995 where he guided the club to promotion to Serie A during his first spell in management. He would later manage Juventus and AC Milan, where he would win the Italian Championship (Scudetti) and two Uefa Champions League trophies.

After Philippe Scolari’s disastrous campaign as our manager during the 2008/09 season, which funnily enough coincided with Jose Mourinho winning another Serie A

Championship. Roman Abramovich acting on the advice given to him by Fabio Capello (current England gaffer) proudly announced on 1 June 2009, that Carlo Ancelotti would be our club's new manager. The oligarch probably desperately seeking stability and a bit of experience agreed to The Fantastic One’s exorbitant salary of £9m a season over the three year term.

Considering that this was Carletto’s first attempt at managing abroad he faired pretty well and only enhanced his reputation. During his first season in charge, he captured the club’s historic FA Premier League and FA Cup double. He even broke a couple records in the process when Chelsea FC became the first club to score more than a hundred goals in the league during the season.

So why did it go so horribly wrong during his second season in the hot seat?

Firstly, I think that he became too complacent after winning the league by a point on the final day of the season.  He then only registered nineteen first team players (three of them being goalkeepers) and did not take injuries and a dip in form into account. This resulted in complaceny and affected the team's morale and chemistry.

Secondly, the sacking of assistant coach Ray Wilkins during our poor moments did not help us. The outcome being the link between the calm manager, staff and players came to an end.

And finally, the death of his dad in September 2010 with whom he shared an intimate relationship must have hurt him.

Thank you Carlo Ancelotti a.k.a. The Fantastic One for bringing respect, dignity and class back to Stamford Bridge.

JULIE BURCHILL ON FOOTBALL DEGENERATION - THE END (Part 3)

These were the broken boughs of working-class British manhood who cast their battered shadow over the childhood of David Beckham. As he learnt to walk and talk, they had certain style, after a fashion; they were healthy, high-spirited young beasts, which is never without its charm unless you live next door to it.

But, frankly, they were always somewhat preposterous, in their three-piece suites, matching ties and clashing cravats, forever peeking cheekily out from under deep fringes.

The trouble was that they all appeared to have based their act on that of Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger in Oliver!, a popular film of the time, ignoring the fact that he was about 12 years old. Thus they were totally lacking in anything approaching dignity – that which the fortunate athlete has in lieu of brains.

And even on the frivolous front – hmm, the new pop stars? The friends of pop stars? What pop stars would these have been, precisely? Brian Poole and the Tremoloes? Marmalade? Whatever, the idea of even George Best marrying one of the ace face poptresses of the day – Marianne Faithfull, say – is unthinkable. He had Miss Worlds instead; today, it’s very likely that a really top-class footballer wouldn’t date a Miss World, believing it to be naff.

They’d be saving themselves for a pop princess. You might shag a Jordan when you were half-cut, but you’d laugh about it with your mates afterwards, and you’d hold out for a Louise when it came to marriage.

Like banking with Coutts, suddenly these barely educated little guttersnipes ‘instinctively knew what was right’, to quote the old sherry ad.

JULIE BURCHILL ON FOOTBALL DEGENERATION - THE SUSPECTS (Part 2)

Of course they became a generation of the walking wounded. A cautionary feature in the Daily Mail in February 2001 screamed DOWNFALL UNITED – ‘They were the David Beckhams of their day. So how did these footballers end up destroyed by alcohol, woman and gambling?’

How indeed?

Alan Hudson, for instance, was a hooded-eye, lush locked young beauty when he joined Chelsea (of course) at 17. ‘Being a player in the Sixties and Seventies was fantastic fun,’ he told the Mail. ‘We were all young, we followed the fashion scene with a vengeance and we were friends with pop stars. Life was far from boring.’ Ominously he adds: ‘There really was nothing better than playing a great game, then going out for drinks and a good meal … we used to go out to all the best bars and clubs, where woman would make a beeline for us. At training the next morning, you could always tell the players who hadn’t been home the night before, because they’d turn up in the same clothes, reeking of alcohol.’

Hilariously, highlighting the unconscious homo-erotica of ‘The Beautiful Game’ (a uniquely effete description; imagine cricket being called by its aficionados ‘The Radiant Play’, or rugby ‘The Gorgeous Ruck’), which would end up with millions of men screaming with hatred at Victoria Beckham that she had the very sought of sex with her husband that they wished he would give them (‘POSH SPICE TAKES IT UP THE ARSE!’), Hudson went on to reflect, ‘There were always women around, although I was more of a man’s man and preferred drinking with my mates.’ ‘I was very easily led and was forever out on drinking binges that sometimes lasted days.’

Interestingly, Hudson claims only to have earned £25 a week, playing for a First Division club in the Seventies; nevertheless, he married a blonde model (like Best), losing her to America in the harsh light of the Eighties (as Best did his Angie). Like Best Hudson played ‘soccer’ in America, which is probably as low as any English player can go, literally; Tony Adams is still a well-respected man after regularly soiling himself, but playing for Seattle would have rendered him completely untouchable. At 49, Hudson lives with his mother, and writing for the Sporting Life means he no longer lives on the breadline as he did for most of the Nineties.

In the same feature, 52-year-old Stan Bowles – three wives and four children later, trumping Hudson’s two-three – was living with his mother, too. It is sad and strange but entirely understandable that these haggard, haunted ex-golden boys end up back with their mums, having stopped still mentally at the age when they were first discovered in all their tousle-haired, scabby kneed glory. By 1983, Bowles was downing a bottle of vodka and eight cigarettes a day, his body not so much his temple as his mangy old lock-up with the windows boarded over and the roof stoved in.

One morning he drank so much that he thought he was having a heart attack and took himself off to hospital for treatment. The doctors took one look at him and put him in a psychiatric ward filled with, in Stan’s words, schizophrenics and manic depressives.’ He stayed there for five days; ‘One man kept calling him his son; another kept telling me he had a train to catch … it was terrifying and made me realise how close I was to self destruction.’

It would be nice to think that one or both of the poor men mentioned also gave up the demon drink after the horrific experience of being incarcerated with a lunatic who kept insisting that he was Stan Bowles.

Malcolm MacDonald – ‘Supermac’, two wives, seven children – has managed to avoid going home to Mother,  despite being forced to retire from football at the tender age of 29. Going to Fulham in 1968, at the age of 18, MacDonald predictably ‘took to the high life like a duck to water … there was a real brashness about the game then,’ he bitches, ‘and a sense of freedom generally. Today’s players may earn vast amounts, but they are owned by marketing machines.’ Back on form, old MacDonald has a boast: ‘I was earning £500 a week and getting mobbed wherever I went. Footballers were the new pop stars and it was all long hair, flares and platform shoes. I did drink and smoke,’ he swaggers, ‘but that wasn’t unusual. Because I was young and fit, I could down pint after pint and not feel the effects the next day.’

So young and fit in fact, that he had to retire at 29 with an arthritic knee! The pain of which, coincidentally, gave him a good excuse to down a bottle of whiskey a day when ‘the painkillers didn’t work’.

Peter Marinello was the prettiest star of all, though; I remember having a moderate crush on him myself when I was ten and he signed to Arsenal in 1970, at the age of 19. Within days, the boy from an Edinburgh prefab was offered a guest appearance on Top of the Pops (a big deal back then), modeling contracts and newspaper columns. Being paid around £1,400 a week, he told the Mail, ‘sustainted a lifestyle of going drinking with my team-mates until 3 a.m.

Yet we always managed to make training – even if we did reek of booze.’ (We’ve been here before, haven’t we?) Bankrupt unemployed and on benefits, still married to his childhood girlfriend, Marinello nevertheless reveals a nature as sweet as his teenage face: ‘Of course I would love to be one of today’s players, earning those vast sums of money. They only have to work a couple of years and they’re set for life, whereas we had to make a 15-year career out of it to do that. I spend a lot of time at home with my wife, who hasn’t been well. I may be relying on benefits, but I’m quite happy these days.’