Ronaldo is a role model - Ancelotti

The former PSG boss believes the attacker's prowess and professionalism makes him a prime example for young players at the club Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as the complete footballer and feels the Portugal international is an example to follow for the club's promising youngsters.

The Santiago Bernabeu side secured the services of youngsters Dani Carvajal, Isco, Casemiro and Asier Illarramendi this summer to add to homegrown prospects such as Alvaro Morata and Jese Rodriguez, and Ancelotti believes Portugal star Ronaldo is the perfect role model for the club's young talent.

"Cristiano is an example for the youth," Ancelotti was quoted as saying on the club's official website. "He has everything a football player needs to be great. And he is great, a really fantastic football player. He’s an example for the young players on the team.

"I ask the players for a competitive spirit, professionalism, and to be aware at all times that they belong to a club with impressive prestige."

Ronaldo's future at the club has been subject to speculation of late as talks over a new contract continue to stall, although president Florentino Perez has stressed his confidence that the 28-year-old will sign fresh terms at the club.

Madrid are currently on their USA tour ahead of next week's La Liga opener at home against Real Betis.

Sign up today with Ladbrokes and get a $20 welcome bonus!

Messi: I have no problem with Neymar

   

The Argentine insists he gets on with the Brazilian "on and off the pitch" and stresses there has been no great upheaval under new coach Gerardo Martino. Barcelona star Lionel Messi has made it clear he has had no problems with Neymar since the Brazilian's €57 million move to the club.

The Argentine ace started a game alongside the 21-year-old for the first time on Wednesday, with both players getting on the scoresheet in a 7-1 thrashing of Thailand, and Messi insists that any speculation of unrest between the pair is pure speculation from the media.

"There’s no problem between us; these are things that come out of the press," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur "We get on with each other on and off the pitch and we’re getting to know each other little by little. We haven’t played much together. But he’ll bring a lot of joy to the club, to us and to the people."

Messi went on to explain the impact of new coach Gerardo Martino at Camp Nou, revealing the former Newell's Old Boys coach is keen for the team to improve their pressing game once more in the 2013-14 season.

"He is telling us that we need to get back to being who we have been for the last few years," Messi explained. "He wants us to create more pressure and work on recovering the ball as quickly as possible. We’re out to do that.

"We’re still getting to know each other. Every coach has his own things. He hasn’t come to change anything, just to get back what we lost a little last year."

Barcelona face a Malaysia XI on Saturday in the latest leg of their lengthy pre-season tour, but Messi believes their work this summer will pay dividends come the new campaign. "I don’t know whether it [the tour] is the best way to prepare or not, but it’s what we’re doing," the 26-year-old said.

"We’re working very well. There are a lot of events and there’s a lot of travelling. We train when we can and take the matches very seriously. "The games help us to get into our rhythm, it’s good preparation and we’ll come into the season in good shape."       

   
    Sign up today with Ladbrokes and get a $20 welcome bonus!
 

     

Barcelona risk ruining Neymar, says Ramalho

The gifted attacker's former boss has voiced his concerns with the Blaugrana's plans to improve his physique by placing him on a weight-gaining programme. Former Santos coach Muricy Ramalho has hit out at Barcelona over their plans for Neymar to gain weight to boost his physical prowess.

Barca doctor Ricard Pruna said earlier this summer that the 21-year-old must gain weight in order to reach his peak physical condition, after the Brazilian was diagnosed with anaemia following his €57 million switch to Camp Nou.

Ramalho, however, believes the Blaugrana are risking damaging Neymar's long-term effectiveness, claiming it could lead to a serious injury like that suffered by compatriot and former Barcelona star Ronaldo. "If Neymar puts on weight, they’re going to take away everything that’s best about him," Ramalho told Jovem Pam.

"They’re going to take away his speed. With small players such as Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and [Lionel] Messi at Barca, I never imagined that they would do this.  "If he puts on weight he could suffer a knee injury, like what happened to Ronaldo. It’s a dangerous business."

Neymar scored his first goal for Barcelona earlier this week in the 7-1 friendly win over Thailand.       

   
    Sign up today with Ladbrokes and get a $20 welcome bonus!
 

     

Mike Idoko praises Stephen Keshi for building local players' capacity

Coach Stephen Keshi has been commended for giving players in the Nigeria Premier League opportunity to fight for a place in the senior national team.

Since Keshi's ascent to the managerial position of the national team, players like Godfrey Oboabona of Sunshine Stars and Enugu Rangers' Sunday Mba, who was recently named into the prestigious Goal 50, have become a key part of the Super Eagles.

Coach Stephen Keshi has been commended for giving players in the Nigeria Premier League opportunity to fight for a place in the senior national team.

 the Ondo State Football Agency executive director, Mike Idoko believes Keshi’s success story with the Super Eagles can be hinged on the fact he never overlooked the local-based stars stating that it takes a lot of confidence for a national team handler to take such a risk.

“I must commend Stephen Keshi for being fearless. He took a risk former managers, even the foreign ones, couldn’t take. I think he must have borrowed a leaf from [Clemens] Westerhof because he took time before building the USA '94 team which we have not been able to assemble up till now. The NFF also must be commended too because if they had not given him the chance, Keshi wouldn’t have been successful,” said Idoko.

“All our boys now go to the Super Eagles to fight for a place because it is glaring that they are no longer training materials like they were in the past where the foreign-based were picked ahead of them. At the Africa Cup of Nations, he took along six players which has not happened before,” he added.

The football administrator, however, warned him not to be carried away by the home-based performances stating he must select players that will stand the test of time.

“If this trend continues, the league will experience rapid growth but the coach should be careful on his choice of local based talents. He must look at their age and ask himself if those players can play for a long period of time,” concluded Idoko.

'Not for sale' - why there is little chance Cesc Fabregas will leave Barcelona this summer

   

New coach Gerardo Martino and vice-president Josep Bartomeu insisted on Friday the midfielder is wanted at Camp Nou, and a move to Manchester United seems highly unlikely. Actions, it is often said, speak louder than words. Barcelona, however, spoke strongly and succinctly on Friday on the subject of Manchester United target Cesc Fabregas. The message from the Catalan club may not have been loud, but is was certainly clear: Cesc is not for sale at any price.

United have already made two bids for the former Arsenal captain and manager David Moyes claimed earlier this week that negotiations were "ongoing", perhaps hoping that new Barca boss Gerardo Martino would want to dispense with the 26-year-old midfielder for a big fat fee. But that was never going to be likely.

Asked about the possibility of selling Cesc at his unveiling on Friday, Martino replied: "I am not going to get involved in the club's finances, but the club have already rejected two bids and I'll reject a third."

If that was not clear enough, vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu spelt it out in even more forceful fashion to United and any other club who may have been hoping to join the race for Cesc's signature. "We are not thinking of selling Cesc," he revealed. "We are not annoyed [by United's persistence]; we are proud that there is interest in one of our players, but we are very happy with him. Whatever offer we receive for him, he is not for sale."

So while it is true that the player himself has grown frustrated at being left on the bench at times and also at having to play in a number of different positions for the side he grew up supporting, he does not want to leave Barcelona. "I want to stay at Barca forever," the midfielder said in February and, although he was later booed by a section of his own fans during the semi-final rout against Bayern Munich, his desire is to stay and triumph at the Catalan club. "Cesc is happy and he wants to stay here," team-mate and friend Gerard Pique revealed recently, while former Barca boss Tito Vilanova added earlier this month: "I am aware he has received offers, but he wants to stay."

And Barca also want to keep him. With Xavi showing signs of slowing down and unable to complete two games a week without feeling the effects and Thiago Alcantara sold to Bayern Munich recently, Fabregas will likely receive much more playing time in midfield during the coming campaign.

Further forward, the incorporation of Neymar means Cesc will probably play fewer games in that sector from now on, but with Thiago having left, he acts as cover for both Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield - and is set to start many games next term. Let him leave and Barca would need to go out and replace him, then find a player of similar quality able to slot in to their system. And there are few such players available.

Had Thiago stayed, Barca could conceivably have decided to place their faith in the younger man (although they would have wanted to keep Cesc anyway) but in his absence, Fabregas is now even more important to the club's plans for 2013-14 and beyond. The Catalans have been gradually reducing their debts, do not need the money and would weaken their team by dispensing with the 26-year-old. So expect Barca's actions to reflect their words when they say he is not for sale this summer.

Follow Anwara Ogbonnaya on            

  Sign up today with Ladbrokes and get a $20 welcome bonus!
 

     

Super Eagles are psychologically superior to Elephants, says Mamadou Gaye

The Ivorian football pundit says that the Nigerian team has an edge over his national team due to the strength of the bench of the visitors. Ivorian football pundit Mamadou Gaye has said that Nigeria are psychologically stronger than Cote D’Ivoire going into Saturday’s final African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier in Abidjan.

The Super Eagles have a 4-1 advantage going into the game that could see them qualify to play in South Africa next year. Gaye, a former analyst on SuperSport, said that the fact that the Super Eagles are being trained by coach Stephen Keshi was responsible for the psychological defeat of the Ivorians when they came to Kaduna two weeks ago.

He blamed the Ivorian FA for not placing first team coach Sabri Lamouchi in charge of the squad instead asking Saraka Norbert to train the home-based team. “They have already killed the psychology of the players by failing to draft Sabri Lamouchi who is the team A coach to handle the home boys and psychologically when the players saw your Big Boss on the bench against them [in Kaduna], a Nations Cup winner, they froze out and that will repeat itself here in Abidjan,” Gaye declared.

The Elephants have played in both previous editions of the CHAN tournament, a competition only open to footballers based in local leagues in their countries. Nigeria are seeking their maiden participation and need to avoid defeat by three goals on Saturday.
 Sign up today with Ladbrokes and get a $20 welcome bonus!

 

     

'Ronaldo is one of the best - not the best' - Ibrahimovic

   

The Swede wanted to refrain from saying the Real Madrid attacker is the greatest in the game and believes it is normal for PSG to be linked to him. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has branded Cristiano Ronaldo one of the best players in the world, but stopped short of suggesting he is the game's finest footballer.

Paris Saint-Germain have repeatedly been linked with a move for the Real Madrid forward, whose contract at the Santiago Bernabeu runs out in just under two years' time.

And ahead of a friendly between the European giants on Saturday, the 31-year-old claimed it makes sense for a top club like les Parisiens to be associated with the former Manchester United man, who he categorises as among the greatest in the game.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world," he told reporters on Friday at a PSG press conference.

"The fact that he is often linked to PSG, this is normal, because the project of the club is to become the best in Europe and therefore attract the best players."

When the translator for the press mistakenly said Ibrahimovic had called Ronaldo "the best in the world", the former AC Milan and Barcelona forward added in English: "No, he's one of the best - not the best."

The clash between the Blancos and PSG kicks off at 20:00CET on Saturday.           

   
    Sign up today with Ladbrokes and get a $20 welcome bonus!
 

     

Nnamdi Oduamadi moves on loan to Brescia

The Confederations Cup revelation has had to move from Milan to guarantee first team action. Nnamdi Oduamadi has moved on loan to Serie B side, Brescia as he seeks to cement a place in the Super Eagles for the coming World Cup.

He exclusively told Goal that: "Milan and I have come to an agreement based on the opportunities that will be afforded me in the first team. "And Brescia have been after me for the past two months so I am glad to be joining them. "I know that I have to play regularly to secure a place in the Super Eagles which has informed this decision."

The Super Eagles winger scored a hat-trick at the Confederations Cup against Tahiti and that feat compelled Milan to give him the No.90 jersey.

But the 23-year-old would have been fourth choice behind Stephan El Shaarawy, M'baye Niang and Mario Balotelli. Oduamadi spent last season on loan at Serie B side, Varese, for whom he scored two goals.

           
 Sign up today with Ladbrokes and get a $20 welcome bonus!

 

     

Keshi lauds Austin Ejide’s professionalism

The national team coach says that the Hapoel Be'er Sheva goalkeeper will have an opportunity to stake a claim to the number spot against South Africa next month Hapoel Be’er Sheva goalkeeper Austin Ejide has been praised Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi for his professional attitude on and off the field of play. The coach who has been with the national team for almost two years hailed the professional conduct of the Israel-based goalkeeper and has tipped him to man the post in the Nelson Mandela Challenge against South Africa on August 14. Ejide has been deputy to number one Vincent Enyeama in the national team for more than a decade. He has made 25 appearances for Nigeria since making his debut in 2001. The 29-year-old enjoyed his most extensive run in the side during the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations where he was in goal in all four matches that the team played. “One good thing about Ejide is that he is just a professional person. I remember his wedding was initially fixed for June this year but he moved the wedding to July because of the Fifa Confederations Cup and World Cup qualifiers. So how patriotic can a player be again,” Keshi said. He also explained the reason for excluding stand in captain Enyeama from the squad that will play against Bafana Bafana next month. “I wanted to have Ejide fill the goal post. He has been working very hard but Vincent Enyeama is my number one choice goalkeeper. But I need Enyeama more in the match against Malawi on the 5th of September. So I told Ejide to go out there and prove yourself and also get ready should anything happen. “That is the reason and there is no other reason why Enyeama was not included,” said Keshi.