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helenarasmussen87 · 4 years

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Writing Asks

This the post where I know no one is going to ask me anyway.

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

Something that is like a “Oh hey, what happens if we do THIS!” and go from there. Usually ends up having loads of emotions, comfort, angst, introspection, loads of kitchen sink dialogues, not too much action. Families, happy endings.

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Fluffy stuff and humourous stuff. I am a little too serious for either one and my humour is drier than the desert and very odd. So no.

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?

Teacher and Student relationships. Necrophilia, abuse of all sorts, underage. Just not my thing. I’ve gotten unable to stomach a lot of grimdark and super dark stuff as I get older so I won’t write it. But go ahead if that’s your thing.

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Two, since I can’t have more than two on the burner. Learned THAT early on and they’re Terror AU’s One is a fixit, but with health complications and angst. The other is a Modern Day AU which has two professors falling in love after one gets injured and the other worked as an EMT and helps to take care of him and they fall in love.

5. Share one of your strengths.

I can offer insights on what flows and what doesn’t. I can also happily shred my own drafts if they don’t work.

6. Share one of your weaknesses.

Action. I work at it, but it’s not my favourite. Or war writing.

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“Danny had to turn his head away to hide his smile, because he knew that it was a legitimate concern for Jose. Most of the time, he had jumped into bed with his partners first and then did the mating dance.

Although extremely smart in other aspects, dating and social interactions were always a bit skewed, because he was always second-guessing himself and nervous as hell.

“That’s actually how things work out in these situations. At least it did for me and my ex and for me and Claude.” Danny explained calmly, making Jose nod and take another pull of his slurpee.

“So what do I do? Like is there a time when I bring up the possibility of us sleeping together?” Jose asked, the words slightly mumbled as he chewed on the straw.

“You don’t bring it up. You’ll just know when the time is right for it to happen. Sex isn’t what a relationship should be built on. Yes, it’s nice and it’s part of it, but it’s not the end all to be all. Trust me on this. It will happen if it’s meant to happen.” Danny explained, hoping that he had put it all in the plainest and simplest terms he could for his friend.

I am proud of this because it was majorly borrowing from life and I can see the difference from earlier writing.

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

“Sergio laughed shortly. “I’ve already done enough of that, and look at where it’s gotten you. Yeah, legally I hold claim over you. I could make the club buy out your contract and sit at home all day, having litter after litter.”

Iker’s blood froze at that and he turned to look at Sergio to see if he really meant it, but Sergio’s face gave nothing away.

“Or I could sign your rights to the club and let them sell you wherever or to whomever. Take you out of Spain, or sell you to Getafe or Malaga. All of these things I could do. The club actually did bring it up at that meeting you didn’t show up for.”

Iker blinked, his hands going numb as Sergio’s wickedly honed words hit home.

“I’m not telling you this to hurt you. Or make you feel indebted. I’m telling this to you because you’re this close to losing your spot and that’s the last thing I want for you. But there’s only so much I can do for you.”

He sighed and looked at Iker dead in the eyes.

“I miss him too, Iker. I miss Antonio every fucking day. And I miss you.”

Iker swallowed hard as Sergio abruptly turned and left, slamming the front door and freeing him from the command so suddenly that Iker fell onto the couch and curled up in it.

He had no energy to do anything else. Not when he was all too aware he’d fucked up and fucked up big and needed to fix it.

Borrowed from life again and it was more of a dialogue that needed to be had when you finally realize how much you fucked up and how much you need to stop coasting and make it right.

9. Which fic has been the hardest to write?

ALL OF THEM! Kidding. I want to say the one I’m working on right now. I was lucky enough I got a ton of help fleshing it out. I can see the end of the 1st chapter and I am having a hell of a time writing Goodsir’s chunk. He’s turned out more emo and romantic than I was expecting.

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write?

The QuiObi prompts for the prompt week. Took me like two hours to knock them off and post.

11. Is writing your passion or just a fun hobby?

Its a passion and a hobby. It helped me through a lot of rough patches and keeps me sane.

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Mostly music or a change in life. I tend to write when everything is in flux with me.

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Just write. Worry about editing later. Once you have something on the paper, fixing it up becomes easier.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Edit as you write. You don’t get anything done.

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Oooh. I think it’s a toss up between my Qui-Gon/Jango fic in a pastoral setting where they have put their pasts behind and are farmers on Concord Dawn. Or the Werewolf fic I wrote during my RPF phase.

16. If you only could write one pairing for the rest of your life, which pairing would it be?

Bloody hard. I would have to say Fitzier (Commander Fitzjames/Captain Crozier)

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Depends. Sometimes I go straight from beginning to end and sometimes I end up writing the middle and not figuring it out until later.

18. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?

Outlines. I have notebooks I jot down point form notes about the characters and the plot.

18. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

Mine is a librarian or an alchemist trying to figure out answers and how things fit in.

19. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

A good playlist. Alone, in my room.

20. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

I revise it along the way when I sit down to write. Then before I post, I give it a once over to make sure it flows and makes sense.

21. Choose a passage from one of your earlier fics and edit it into your current writing style. (Person sending the ask is free to make suggestions).

All my old fics are honestly gone so I’m skipping this one.

22. If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why?

Honestly? The Duo and Heero one I wrote about them being in an abusive relationship where they split up, then got back together again. I was again writing from life, and I have seen couples who did overcome it, but looking back, I think I should have written it that they separated and went their own ways.

Keep in mind I was very young when I wrote this, and I was in an abusive relationship myself and didn’t realise it at the time. He hit me once, apologised and never did it again. But he did end up manipulating me, gaslighting me, and emotionally abusing me until I finally had enough and left.

23. Have you ever deleted one of your published fics?

Yes. Loads of them due to me not wanting to finish them. Or the hosting sites going under.

24. What do you look for in a beta?

Someone who is honest, someone who knows the way I write, and has suggestions to fix those said things. But someone who is themselves is the best. Because they know what they want. Same here.

25. Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?

I do, simply due to lack of steady betas. Flow and story telling, but I also look for syntax and formatting as well as grammar. I will miss typos, so I run spell-check too. I mostly use a mental rubric. Teacher training.

26. How do you feel about collaborations?

I haven’t had a successful one due to the second person always deciding that they can’t follow through or up and disappearing. So I don’t do them.

27. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

Oh my God! I read so much and so many different people that I can’t pinpoint three. I usually end up reading a fic or two, so I can’t say why I read the author.

28. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

I haven’t done that. I do admit to having inspired by fics. I wouldn’t ever presume to do that. It just feels like a snub.

29. Do you accept prompts?

Not really. I can’t tailor write stuff consistently.

30. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

Oh always! I end up liking the characters that somehow never make it until the end. And in the Terror, unless you want to write angst all the time, you HAVE to ignore canon. And I mean BOTH the book and the show, since the book is nasty. The show is amazing, but oh my god is it depressing.

31. How do you feel about smut?

Yes damned please!

32. How do you feel about crack?

Depends on how well it’s done. Sometimes it is needed. Sometimes it’s like “Why?”

33. What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?

A bit tricky. I don’t mind non-con, but it has to be handled well. Dub-con, especially in A/B/O happens within context and it is usually dealt with. So I can tolerate that more than the first. Outright abuse, no.

34. Would you ever kill off a canon character?

Yes. Not often thought. But yes. I usually try and keep as many alive as I can though.

35. Which is your favorite site to post fic?

AO3, its a wild place and I love it for that reason.

36. Talk about your current wips.

It’s an AU where two professors that live in the same building and work in different faculties get thrown together and start to get to know each other. Due to circumstance, one gets injured and the other kind of volunteers to help take care of him, where they fall in love. The others in the vicinity do also. There’s Canadian shenanigans and baking.

37. Talk about a review that made your day.

That they really liked how I wrote Frank Randall and would like to see more with his son, an OC I created for the story.

38. Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

I either delete, or give a generic reply and leave it. I’ve got stuff to do.

40. Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one).

Nope. It just doesn’t work for me.

*somewhere I fucked up on the number but here you are*

Whoever wants to do this.

#about the author #asks #memes

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figure-skating-watch-party · 3 years

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Santa Claus Cup, Budapest

“Small” comps are pretty amazing. It feels kind of more familiar, there are usually more local skaters or skaters from the neighbouring countries (which is even more true now) and you can get surprised by many skaters you’ve maybe never seen before.

And I was totally surprised by Julia Lang. Have never seen her before but I’ll certainly rewatch her SP to André Rieu’s And the waltz goes on many times. The timing of the jumps to the music, the original step sequence 😍

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I’m also happy that I saw Nikola Rychtaříková’s Yo soy Maria FP again, I love it. There are so many Spanish/Latin/flamenco/tango programs but I think she does a good job at the interpretation.

Then I watched Eliška Březinová and just realized how goood she looks on the ice. She’s dramatic in her Never tear us apart SP and then calmer, excluding positive energy in her La la land FP. (it’s just so ironic, imagine finishing third in the short, third in the free and ending up fourth overall...)

The most important message from men singles. Iker Oyarzábal. Spain. I repeat: Iker Oyarzábal from Spain made his senior debut! And he got the TES minimum for Europeans in his FP (exceeding it by more than 9 points) and almost almost got it in the short. Let’s hope there will be some other comps where he could try it again. He skated to trusted figure skating classics: You raise me up and Moonlinght sonata. And he’s so elegant. His spins are awesome. He was not that expressive but he’ll learn that (and he did a hydroblade ;) )

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And another note. Czech skating is not only Michal Březina and the Bělohradský siblings but also Georgi Reshtenko (well he’s Russian but whatever ;) ) He looks like he’s skating with abandon and feels so free on the ice.

Ice dance

A thing happened... The competition took four days with ice dance on day 3 and 4. There were four very looooong videos on YT, one for every day. I watched day 3 with rhythm dances... and then when I wanted to watch free dance, the videos for day 3 and day 4 were gone. So I haven’t seen a single free dance... T_T But I’ve seen rhythm dance at least!

Rhythm dance! Only two senior teams but another Cabaret! I love, I collect them ;) Jennifer Janse van Rensburg / Benjamin Steffan. It was a really entertaining performance comparable with Popova/Mozgov’s interpretation. And then Lara Luft / Maxmilian Pfinsterer skating, very energetically, to Anything goes.

Junior ice dance looked like France decided to hold French open national championships and managed to occuppy the first four spots - even without their two best junior teams. As usual, I liked all the dances.

Perhaps I liked Eva Bernard/Tom Jochum and their RD to Michael Buble the most. They are doing a pretty crazy lift and ending with the twizzles. That seems to me like an act of courage.

Louise Bordet/Thomas Gipoulou’s City of stars is just so nice. Nice to watch from the beginning to the end. And I also liked the tap dance sequences in the music incorporated into the program.

I was a bit confused about Celina Fradji/Jean-Hans Forneaux, I thought they skated their last year’s RD (Singing in the rain) at test skates and now, suddenly, Blue Brothers. But not bad at all. They didn’t look particularly thrilled in the k&c though, so I’m a bit nervous about them.

And I still got to see my beloved Singing in the rain! Because it’s Marie Dupayage/Thomas Nabais’ RD! And they showed quite a lot of personality in the dance, especially towards the end.

And I enjoyed Corina and Patrick Huber’s New York, New York, too. When compared to the French teams, their level was noticeably lower, but if you are not a levels counting and scoring overanalyzing analyst you can enjoy the pretty costumes, enjoy how cute the dance is and just be happy.

And the last one was another siblings team - Petra and Patrick Csikós and their A nice walk in the park with a pretty acrobatic straight line lift.

The only thing I can say about free dance is: there were quite some changes.

#figure skating #figureskating #current season #watch party #santa claus cup #julia lang #eliška březinová #iker oyarzabal

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thefinishedarticle · 4 years

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The Ultimate José

This is one hypothetical question which I keep seeing asked: if you had to assemble a starting XI out of all of the players José Mourinho has managed, who would you choose?

I have copied the discussion-prompting efforts of betting companies William Hill and 888 below, which agree on every member of the team apart from the holding midfielder: William Hill chose Michael Essien, whilst 888 opt for Claude Makélélé. But all of the papers have had their attempts as well, with a fair amount of variation in their results, so I thought I’d have a more thorough look to see just how reasonable their choices are.

Interestingly, it’s a question which has already been answered by Mourinho himself. He refused to do so in 2017, stating that to do so would be a disservice to the players who weren’t included. "It’s an answer that I’ve always refused to give and will continue to," he said then. "So many players gave their blood and soul when they played for me, how can I name some and forget others?”

However, this year he bit the bullet and listed a team as follows: Cech, Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Zanetti, Makélélé, Lampard, Ozil, Ronaldo, Hazard, Drogba. There are a few differences to the teams suggested above, but then Mourinho is not necessary the objective expert here, especially as he had high-profile fallings-out with many of the talents under his management.

So which is correct?

Defence and Goalkeeper

Firstly, we should clarify whether we're choosing ‘the best players to have played under Mourinho’ over their career, or best players whilst playing for Mourinho. I assume the latter, In that case, Ricardo Carvalho is the first name on the team sheet. The pair won five league titles in seven seasons together, across three different clubs in three different leagues, and picked up five domestic cups and two European titles in the same period.

Carvalho was a major part of Mourinho’s early success with Porto, winning two Portuguese league titles, a domestic cup, the UEFA Cup and the Champions League in 2003 and 2004, with enough of a starring role to be named in the Portuguese team of the season and the UEFA team of the season in respective years. He is the only member of that successful Porto squad with that level of recognition (Paulo Ferreira made the UEFA team in 2003, Maniche made it in 2004, and Deco made the Portuguese team in 2004).

Both Carvalho and Ferreira followed Mourinho to Chelsea, where they continued with their third and fourth successive league titles and three domestic cups in three years from 2004 to 2007. Maniche arrived in the 2004/05 season to share in that title, but he was only a squad player whereas the two defenders slotted straight into the first team. Mourinho then left for Inter Milan, but when he was signed by Real Madrid he brought Carvalho back from Chelsea: his compatriot was again a starring defender as they won the domestic cup in the first season, and remained a starter in their following league winning campaign before injury forced his demotion to the bench, and became a squad player for Mourinho’s acrimonious final year at the club.

Sergio Ramos was there for the full three years, sharing in those cup and league victories as well as twice appearing in the UEFA team of the year, but surely he can’t compete with Carvalho’s level of consistent loyalty and success. I think that John Terry also beats him to the other centre-back spot, because he was a fixture in both that original period of Chelsea success and Mourinho’s victorious return in 2013. The pair won three Premier Leagues titles and four domestic cups in five full seasons together, and Terry appeared in the Premier League team of the year for all three league wins (as well as in the UEFA team twice) to demonstrate his starring role in their success. He and Carvalho can renew their successful partnership. Pepe, Ivanoic, Cahill, Samuel, and others did well, but don’t quite clear this extremely high bar.

I am going to disagree with the examples above again when it comes to the left-back pick. Ashley Cole only really played one full season under Mourinho, having been signed post-title success, and was never part of one of his league-winning sides. William Gallas was his predecessor who starred in that dominant Chelsea team and won back-to-back titles, appearing in the Premier League Team of the Year for the latter. Most would say that Cole was the better player for Chelsea, or across his career, but that’s not what we’re looking for here - a point which will also apply to many Chelsea legends which began under Mourinho but only grew once he’d moved on.

The right flank is probably even more contentious. As noted above, Ferreira was an ever-present for five consecutive seasons and four consecutive league titles. Or you could play Maicon, Mourinho’s main man in Milan and a legend of the position. Both won titles and appeared in the UEFA team once under him. The choice of Zanetti is actually a really strange one: he made the most appearances of any player in those two years at Inter, but he starred on the right side of a three-man midfield rather than in his other role at right-back.

If we’re just shunting players into that position, Sergio Ramos played at right-back under Mourinho's first season in Madrid, only shifting to the middle once Carvalho had left a centre-back berth empty (and appeared in the UEFA team for both). I’m minded to give him that role, allowing him to play alongside Carvalho and Terry, with Carvalho providing the bridge between the two partnerships, but it’s a tough position to decide and I think it would be fairer to go for an out-and-out right back in Ferreira, given he spent five years doing great work in that actual position. The left has fewer claimants, but Marcelo was a real star at Real (with his own UEFA team appearance) and probably edges Gallas when comparing their short time of two seasons each.

Circling back to goal, Cech’s position is also under pressure. Iker Casillas was more often in the UEFA team (twice to once), and De Gea was more often in the Premier League’s (twice to once, as well as one UEFA appearance). Cech was also relegated to the bench for Chelsea’s third title in 2014/15. He probably just edges it thanks to his longevity (four seasons of excellent goalkeeping compared to three and two), but again you could make an argument either way.

Midfield

Midfield is also interesting. Wesley Sneijder only had one, albeit brilliant, season under Mourinho. He was excellent in Inter’s treble success, but then we don’t credit Maniche and Deco when they led Porto to the Champions League, two titles and a cup. In comparison, Mesut Ozil was one of Real's stars for all three of Mourinho’s seasons in Spain, twice featuring in the UEFA team of the year.

Essien is an interesting choice, a useful latecomer to both Chelsea and Real, but Mourinho won as much or more with Cambiasso, Xabi Alonso, Di Maria, Khedira, Kaka, Matic, Fabregas, Oscar and others, so there is plenty of room for argument. That’s ignoring the likes of Vieira, Modric, and Carrick who weren't really part of a Mourinho success story but have glittering CVs of their own.

The one certainty is that Frank Lampard makes it. He was consistently great under Mourinho, and Chelsea’s top goalscorer in both of their title-winning seasons. I will include him alongside Makélélé, who did the defensive equivalent. Ozil could round out the trio and provide creativity for the front three, or it would be good to start Zanetti on the right side as another defensive-minded player, allowing the forwards to run riot.

Forward

Their selection may prove to be the most divisive. Cristiano Ronaldo obviously makes the team, as he would probably make an XI of all teams, but there are question marks over the other two. Mourinho managed forwards including Benzema, Higuain, Ibrahimovic, Eto'o, Milito, Costa, Crespo, Adriano, Torres, Lukaku, and Kane, together with others. People seem to think that Didier Drogba walks into this team, but they are probably thinking along the same lines as with Ashley Cole. He was a Chelsea legend more than he was a Mourinho one. His peak came under Ancelotti, when Mourinho was long gone.

Drogba may have gone on to define Chelsea, but people easily forget that he wasn't the star in their two title-winning seasons. He started fewer than half of their league games in 2004/05, and only scored 10 goals as Eidur Gudjohnsen took the lead role. He played the same number of games as fellow forward Mateja Kezman, who we don’t remember in the same light. In the next year’s league campaign he still only started 20 times, with the line led by new signing Hernan Crespo, and scored 12 goals. He doesn’t make the XI with the most starts for either year:

Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas, Ferreira, Makélélé, Lampard, Mendes, J Cole, Duff, Gudjohnsen

Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas, del Horno, Makélélé, Lampard, Essien, J Cole, Robben, Crespo

He certainly wasn’t the club’s top scorer in either year, let alone anywhere near dominating the league. He only really established himself in 2006/07, when Shevchenko was brought in for Mourinho’s third season, and his famous flop left the space for Drogba to rise. Chelsea didn’t win the title that year, but Drogba’s 33 goals in 60 games across all competions helped them win both of the domestic cups, and he secured glory with winning goals in both finals.

Unfortunately, his form then dipped again alarmingly over the next two seasons. Chelsea’s rocky start to 2007/08 which saw Mourinho leave Chelsea was reflected by his record of one goal in their opening eight games (he would only score his second goal in their twelfth game of the season, but not before getting sent off in the eleventh). Overall, he had one excellent season under Mourinho, two useful ones, and one truly dire start, which was no blip but the beginning of a two year slump of disappointment, featuring repeated disciplinary issues (including the red card for slapping which lost them the Champions League), goal droughts and agitating to transfer. It’s a mixed memory at best, and tinted rose by his subsequent achievements under other managers.

The question is how that compares to the strikers Mourinho managed at closer to their prime. Diego Milito, for example: he led Inter to the treble with 30 goals in 52 games (he didn’t have a league cup to stat-pad in), including two goals and a Man of the Match performance in the Champions League final, a winner in the semis, and the only goal in the Coppa Italia final. That seems to be at least the equal to Drogba’s one top season, so the question is whether the additional time as a rotation option counts in his favour, or whether it dilutes his overall rating in terms of his performances under Mourinho.

Both Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín helped to fire Real to a record-breaking league title, and they were consistently top-class over Mourinho’s spell there. Benzema scored 32, 20, and 21 goals in 52, 50, and 52 games respectively, whilst Higuaín managed the slightly more modest hauls of 26 and 18 goals in 54 and 44 games before leaving for Naples. Their numbers are made more impressive when considering that Ronaldo was the team’s main goalscorer.

Then there is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who served Mourinho briefly but brilliantly at two clubs. He preceded Milito’s sublime Inter season with an excellent one of his own, 29 goals (and 9 assists) in 47 games, including the Golden Boot to fire them to the league title and the final goal in each round of the Coppa Italia. That earnt him a move to Barcelona, but Mourinho offered him a reunion at United eight years later, and he picked up where they’d left off: scoring 28 goals in 45 games, before injury forced an end to his momentum.

He had a massive impact on the United side as a talisman and leader, dragging them back up to 2nd in the league after their post-Fergie slump and leading them to victory in the EFL Cup and Europa League. He scored twice in the EFL Cup final, including a late winning goal, having kicked off their season by scoring the late winner that won United the Community Shield. Despite being injured in the Europa quarter finals, he recorded the second most goals and assists and duly made the team of the tournament (he was voted third overall).

It is worth noting that this wasn’t like Drogba hitting his prime in a team of double-champions (United’s previous three top scorers had managed just 17, 14, 19 goals in full, injury-free seasons), but Ibrahimovic hit similar numbers anyway. He beat all of Drogba’s seasons under Mourinho apart from one, and we have to assume he could have beaten those stats if he had been allowed to continue (overall he scored 5 fewer goals in 15 fewer games, and in the league he played 8 fewer games but 3 fewer goals, whilst still beating Drogba for assists).

His one Inter season was 25 goals and 7 assists in the league, five more goals and three more assists than Drogba’s best season at Chelsea whilst playing one fewer game. That’s two top seasons against one, and at two different clubs where Mourinho was new and needed a win. I know that there was more to Drogba beyond his goals, but the same is true of Ibrahimovic given his physical presence, impact on the team and higher assist tally. If we are looking at how the players performed under Mourinho overall, I thnk he has to edge it.

People will do doubt mention that Mourinho once said Drogba was the best player to have played under him. This was said whilst Mourinho was manager of Real, with Ronaldo scoring 50-60 goals a season and winning the Ballon d’Or, so unless we accept that Drogba is better than Ronaldo we can’t hold those words up as gospel seven years later. It also seems that Mourinho has fallen for the Drogba nostalgia I alluded to, because in a recent interview he listed him as his highest-scoring striker, with 186 goals in total and 46 per season. Drogba’s actual tally was 78, which would be 19 per season and compares much less favourably to the other figures in Mourinho’s speech (an average of 30, 29 and 26 goals for Milito, Ibrahimovic and Benzema respectively).

Hazard is another player who had one excellent season (Premier League player of the year) under Mourinho, but then went on a drought and saw him fired. Is that better than the forwards listed above, many of whom, like treble-winning Samuel Eto'o, could play wide? Or Arjen Robben and Joe Cole, who won Chelsea's first two Premier Leagues? Robben was consistently excellent across Mourinho's first three seasons at Chelsea and all the success they brought, but left just before the slump - that makes him a strong candidate, even without his later success.

This is without even mentioning players like Shevchenko, Pizarro, Luis Figo, Salah, De Bruyne, Mata, Pedro, Sanchez, Willian and Balotelli, or Duff and Wright-Phillips who featured with Cole and Robben in those original Chelsea teams, or even peak Angel Di Maria, who played opposite Ronaldo for Real. Depending on how you play it, there are so many options here. But we should look to get Ronaldo on his preferred right wing, and that means we need a left-sided player, which rules out Robben’s famous trick of cutting in from the right and shooting with his left foot. I have also avoided the temptation to just shoehorn in another striker, as some have done. In that case, I’m happy to concede to the popular demand for Hazard, and hope that this appeases those who will no doubt clamour for Drogba’s inclusion.

The final team is therefore as follows: Cech, Terry, Carvalho, Ferreira, Marcelo, Lampard, Makélélé, Ozil, Hazard, Ibra, Ronaldo. This seems to be the best selection of the basis of the reasoning above, although there were difficult decisions in many areas and I would happily change a number of elements, especially when it comes to midfield: this is set up as a free-flowing offensive team to make the most of the riches of attacking talent on offer, but Zanetti and others could easily come in to make it more secure as and when required. I’m conscious that Inter feel under-represented, but then Mourinho was only there for a short time and many of the stars only joined him for a single year, so a lack of longevity has seen them miss out to players from his longer stints at Chelsea and Madrid.

#football #Chelsea #Mourinho #Real Madrid

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dwindledglow · 4 years

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001. MEET LORENA

FULL NAME: lorena ayana torres. PREFERRED NAME: lorena. NICKNAME/S: lora and loren. DATE OF BIRTH: september 29th, 1998. GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis female & she/her. ORIENTATION: hetero. RELIGION: non-practicing christian. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: in a relationship with romeo mathers. OCCUPATION: full time university student and intern at a law firm. RESIDENCE: gramercy park, new york city.

002. CHECK LORENA’S BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: ibiza, spain. NATIONALITY: spanish. ETHNIC BACKGROUND: spanish. LINGUISTICS: spanish which is her native language and english, french, portuguese, italian and latin in a fluent level. EDUCATION: she attended the university of oxford where she got a BA in history and, currently, she’s attending columbia’s university law school. CRIMINAL RECORD: clean. BIRTH ORDER: second. FATHER: iker arturo torres, born on april 26th, 1970 in valencia, spain where he still resides and works as an architect in his own architecture firm. MOTHER: clara maria torres, née gonzález, born on june 29th, 1970 in barcelona, spain, currently residing in valencia, spain and working as a marketing manager in her own management firm. SISTER/S: none. BROTHER/S: xabier alfonso torres, born on october 31st, 1993 in valencia, spain, currently residing in sagaponack, suffolk county and working as a neurologist. andres rodrigo torres, born on november 22nd, 2000 in valencia, spain where he still resides and studies. SIGNIFICANT OTHER: romeo mathers. CHILDREN: none so far. OTHER RELEVANT FAMILY: alexa marie torres, née bennett, xabier’s wife thus sister-in-law. diego rafael torres, xabier and alexa’s son, nephew. EX/ES: jordi martínez and lewis stewart. PETS: none so far.

003. GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

HEIGHT: 5′6″ or 168 cm. WEIGHT: between 123 lbs or 55 kg and 129 lbs or 58.5 kg. BODY BUILD: two or three years ago, lorena was a rather slim girl with no accentuated curves and, pretty much, your classical supermodel shape. she has, since, put on some weight, not because she wished to do so but because her body seems to have gone through some changes. she’s still slim, she doesn’t have a particularly big bust - 32B - and she still has her toned tummy but her waist is now more accentuated and her thighs and bum have definitely grown considerably ever since. EYE COLOR: brown, sometimes appearing to be deep brown, others appearing to be hazel, almost a green shade. EYESIGHT: she has myopia so she wears contacts on a daily basis. when she’s trying to rest her eyes and give it some away time from the contacts, she wears her glasses. HAIR COLOR & STYLE: she has dark brown, nearly black hair and she has never really bothered changing colors or messing with dyes of sorts because she’s scared to damage her hair. she doesn’t get wild with the styles either - generally, she wears her hair down and allows its natural wavy texture to shine through. if she’s meeting with clients, she’ll either straighten it or throw it in a sleek bun or updo. at home, when she’s just chilling, she sometimes throws it in a ponytail or wears it half up, half down. DOMINANT HAND: right. NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: her eyes, particularly their shape and specific shade of brown that sometimes can trick you into thinking they’re green. her pouty lips that she hated when she was a child but has since grown to love. her dark hair and her skin tone, how tan she naturally is which always ends up being brought up to attention. SCARS AND MARKS: besides the occasional scar and mark that we all get, there’s nothing in particular. TATTOOS: she has a wunjo tattoo behind her right ear, a greek symbol, the rune, meant to symbolize joy and happiness. she has a micro, minimalistic lotus flower with watercolor — reference — tattooed on the inside of her left wrist, meant to represent that regardless of the toxicity and negativity that might surround her at times, she will always stay graceful and be as kind as she can be. along the outer side of her right foot, she has gotten the quote a menos que los dejes, something her older brother, xabier, used to tell her whenever she went to him, crying about the people putting her down and trying to demean her ; essentially, it’s a reminder that no one can bring her down unless she lets them. along the side, extending from her right hipbone to her bum, she has the quote those who fan your flames in cursive and white ink. lastly, on the back of her neck, she has the word headstrong in bold, uppercase font. PIERCINGS: she has her regular lobes pierced. VOICECLAIM: cindy kimberly. ACCENT & INTENSITY: between the years in england and the time in new york, lorena has almost completely lost her accent. when she’s speaking spanish, you can tell she’s a native, but when she switches to english, that fades away and you can’t decipher whether english is or isn’t her primary language. ALLERGIES: none that she’s aware of. PHOBIAS & FEARS: though she would never admit it and would say she has no fears, solitude. MENTAL & PHYSICAL ILLNESSES: none so far. ALCOHOL USE: sometimes. SMOKING: no, she doesn’t smoke. NARCOTICS USE: she used to do weed when she needed to unwind but she hasn’t done it for a while. INDULGENT FOOD: sometimes, when she’s stressed out mainly. SPLURGE SPENDING: it doesn’t happen, she’s very careful with her money. GAMBLING: no, never.

004. DIG DEEPER

CAN THEY DRIVE? yes, she can drive. CAN THEY COOK & BAKE? yes and yes. CAN THEY CHANGE A FLAT TIRE? yes. CAN THEY TIE A TIE? yes. CAN THEY SWIM? yes. CAN THEY RIDE A BICYCLE? yes. CAN THEY JUMP START A CAR? no. CAN THEY BRAID HAIR? yes. CAN THEY PICK A LOCK? yes. EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED? extroverted. DISORGANIZED OR ORGANIZED? organized. CLOSE OR OPEN MINDED? open minded. CALM OR ANXIOUS? calm. PATIENT OR IMPATIENT? depends on the situation. OUTSPOKEN OR RESERVED? outspoken. LEADER OR FOLLOWER? leader. OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC? optimistic. TRADITIONAL OR MODERN? modern. HARD-WORKING OR LAZY? hard-working. CULTURED OR UNCULTURED? cultured. LOYAL OR DISLOYAL? loyal. FAITHFUL OR UNFAITHFUL? faithful. NIGHT OWL OR EARLY BIRD? night owl. HEAVY OR LIGHT SLEEPER? light sleeper. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee. DAY OR NIGHT? night. TAKING BATHS OR SHOWERS? baths. COCA COLA OR PEPSI? coca cola. CATS OR DOGS? dogs. NETFLIX OR CINEMA? netflix. SHOWS OR MOVIES? movies. LAPTOP OR GAMING CONSOLE? laptop. HEALTHY OR JUNK FOOD? healthy food. ICE CREAM OR FROZEN YOGURT? ice cream. PIZZA OR HAMBURGER? hamburger. LOLLIPOPS OR GUMMY WORMS? lollipops. BEACH OR POOL? both. SNOWBALLS FIGHTING OR ICESKATING? iceskating. LITERATURE OR SCIENCE? literature. HISTORY OR ART? history. CHOCOLATE BARS OR COTTON CANDY? cotton candy. XBOX OR PLAYSTATION? playstation. FACE-TO-FACE OR PHONE INTERACTIONS? face-to-face interactions. DRAMA OR SCI-FI? drama. HORROR OR COMEDY? horror.

005. LORENA’S FAVORITES

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: reading. FAVORITE ANIMAL: butterfly. FAVORITE BOOK: rising strong by brené brown as nonfiction and, perhaps, a little life by hanya yanigihara as fiction. FAVORITE COLOR/S: deep red. FAVORITE CUISINE: spanish. FAVORITE DISH/ES: fideuà, gazpacho, spanish tortilla and churros. FAVORITE DRINK/S: sangria, rosé wine, limeade and orxata. FAVORITE FLOWER/S: red roses, red carnation and white daisies. FAVORITE GEM: moonstone. FAVORITE MOVIE: pulp fiction by quentin tarantino. FAVORITE SONG: truth is ( the spanish version ) by sabrina claudio. FAVORITE SCENT/S: the scent of nail polish, lime and strawberries. FAVORITE SHOW/S: vis a vis, how to get away with murder, suits, scandal and élite. FAVORITE SPORT/S & TEAM THEY SUPPORT: soccer, she supports valencia cf and tottenham hotspur fc. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR: summer. VACATION DESTINATION: tokyo, japan or kauai, hawaii.

#── ✰. ┊ lorena : — HEADCANON. ❜

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oc-clusterfxck · 5 years

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Santiago Torrero — Full Character Biography

✗ General Information: ✗ Name: Santiago Iker Torrero (FC: Iker Casillas). Nickname(s): Tigo, Ti, Santi. Gender: Cisgender male Age: 33 (08/23). Height: 5'10" (1.78m). Weight: 185 lbs (84kg). Born: Madrid, Spain. Current Residence: Turin, Italy and New York City, NY, USA Sexuality: Gay polyamorous. Occupation(s): Retired professional footballer (goalkeeper).

✗ Personality: ✗ Santiago often describes himself as nothing but a regular guy. He doesn’t act like a spoiled rich brat, nor does he act like a celebrity. He acts like a regular person who would live in a typical middle class neighborhood; a neighbor you wouldn’t really need to take a second look at. And this description of himself is very much accurate. He tends to be a bit more quiet and reserved, but is more than happy to engage in conversation and simply talk to people. He is rarely the one to spark said conversation, however. Aside from this sense of boring normalcy, he does often come off as a stoner to strangers, too. He smokes a lot to ease his mind and often reeks of marijuana on bad days, but this much is definitely not an accurate representation of himself, on the other hand. He does not immediately come off as someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, and often seems alarmingly normal, but through conversation with the right people, this side of him can quickly become apparent, though it is something he still tries to hide away from most.

✗ Powers: ✗ > Empathy: The ability to fully interpret the emotions, moods, and temperaments of others without reading apparent symptoms. Tigo literally feels the pain of others. More prominent is the emotional pain, which may result in odd mood swings depending on whatever it is he is taking in. This is part of the reason why he can’t stand hospitals. > Persuasion: The power to control people through the use of one’s voice. Tigo is able to speak to people in a persuasive tone that leaves them incapable of refusing to do as he says. He can persuade people to do menial things like sit down or listen, but, at a higher level, he can also persuade people to hurt or kill themselves if he so desires. He cannot, however, make anyone do things they are incapable of (ie. make a human fly).

✗ Backstory: ✗ Santiago was born in Madrid, Spain, where he had what he considered to be a normal life. He was an only child to two loving parents who supported him and aided him in his career as a professional footballer. He began playing football professionally at the age of 17, and was immediately a hit among fans. He almost immediately began a rivalry with another young goalkeeper at the time, an Italian by the name of Marco Alessandro. Their rivalry quickly became a friendship stemming from mutual admiration of each other’s skills, rather than envy. They were happy to share the spotlight while fans insisted on making it a competition between the two. Much like his Italian counterpart, he was extremely successful for both club and country, racking up the titles as the years went on. However, as he got older, his empathetic abilities grew stronger, and he resorted to more desperate measures. In his mid twenties, while still very much at the top of his game, Santiago resorted to hard drugs like heroin and cocaine to numb the overwhelming nature of his mind. If it wasn’t the emotions of thousands of excited fans who meant no harm, it was the emotions of thousands of angry fans who were too eager to pick him apart. On the streets, it was just as bad, with every passerby, - whether they knew who he was or not - passing the way they were feeling onto him, often not even directed at him to begin with. His addiction worsened slowly as the years went on. His dependency on the drugs to stay sane grew and grew until it ultimately affected his performance on the field, and his club was offloading him to another club in a nearby country. He truly thought transferring would be the best way to start anew, and although he did kick the habit for awhile, performing much better than he had in months, he ultimately fell back on hard times and started using again. He was warned by teammates and club officials alike, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. They didn’t understand what it was like in his mind, and it seemed losing his career over it would be worth it. He was kicked from the Spanish national team, and then sat matches on the bench with his club. Until one day, he finally overdosed. At that point, his club gave him an ultimatum - they understood that this addiction was an illness, and not something he was doing for the fun of it; he wasn’t going out partying, he was getting high to feel better. Either he could leave quietly and seek help on his own terms while the club wrote it off as a heart attack, or they could publish the news of his overdose all over and effectively ruin his reputation as a footballing legend if he chose to cause a stink. He chose the former. Although he seeked help for his addictions, Tigo never felt as though he progressed. He stopped the hard drugs, but his dependency on weed, and cigarettes remained. He supposed there was no reason to kick the habit if he wasn’t playing football anymore, anyway. Along with the weed and cigarettes remained the depression and anxiety. He felt hopeless without the drugs as a means of escape, but at least he wasn’t literally facing death each time he used now that he had overdosed once. In his newly discovered free time, Santiago began researching the cause of the way he felt. Not in terms of his mental health, but in terms of the overwhelming emotions and mood swings. He had always been told by family and friends that he was a very sensitive and empathetic person, but this had to have been more than what was deemed normal, as it was literally driving him crazy. This wasn’t just caring for others, this was literally suffering along with others, day in and day out, as if it was happening to him. When he stumbled across the idea of mutants and their respective abilities, he began to realize that the description fits him quite well. It was as though a light bulb had gone off in his head, and a wave of relief washed over him. He wasn’t crazy, merely different. And he could handle that. Now he just needed to find a fellow mutant to help him out; harness this power rather than letting it control him. Luckily, before he had to go about finding someone, that someone came to him. It was none other than the young Italian he’d been playing alongside for so many years, though he was no longer young. Marco came to him battling his own demons, until ultimately confessing his abilities, leaving Santiago thrilled more than shocked. Through Marco, he was properly introduced into the world of mutants, and is still learning to control his powers and better himself, while also learning more about himself as he evolves.

#santiago torrero #original character #bio #info post #tigo edit #tigo torrero #รƭเɳɠε૨

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glitterscale · 5 years

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FABIANO FANFICTION (17)

Fabio’s POV

5 years later

Wow, a few things have passed since the last time you’ve heard of me. Let me briefly summarize them for you:

- First and foremost, Cristiano and I have found each other. Well, we kind of did. Even though you might have heard from the media that Cristiano has made three new children and won over a new girlfriend, we have confessed our love for one another. I tell you that it was an emotional and overwhelming moment for me which I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. Yet, I’m still with Andreia and he with his new girl Georgina, who is famously known as ‘big love’, but we’re all living in Madrid next door to each other in order for me to still be able to steal his apples (and more of course…). However, since the incident with Maria it had become clear to us that it was better to love each other in secret. Not even Andreia knows about us.

- Apropos Maria, he is still at Real but his skills got worse. He barely makes the squad anymore which may also be a result of our new coach.

- Yes, you’ve heard right. We have a new coach. Or rather a new old one: The one and only Zinedine Zidane. He used to be our coach one season ago resulting in us winning the Champions League three times in a row, however, he quit after the last season. Now, he’s back and stronger than ever.

- If you almost stopped reading because you were scared that Mou was gone – don’t be! He is now our assistant coach. Whether or not he likes his new role is up to debate but more about that in the following chapters.

- The new coaching duo Zizou and Mou have turned the whole squad upside down. The only remaining players you may still recognize are Di Maria, Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Varane and the German guy Khedira.

- We have got another German import called Groteska (or is it Goretzka? … No, I don’t think so…) whose playing in the defensive midfield – be aware of his curls!

- It’s not only Germans who made the team but we’re a very international Real Madrid in fact.

- We have three Brits: our new goalkeeper Jamie Dornan (San Iker has retired ... or is he still playing? I’m not sure) who keeps saying that he has a very special taste. I think he doesn’t like fish. The other British guy played for a Real Madrid more than a decade ago. You may remember him as David Beckham. He is now working in our marketing department as he is too old to play football. He has reformed a lot already. On matchdays, he sells strawberry banana smoothies and after I requested it the menu also lists fish bone smoothies now. The last British guy is Ruben Loftus Cheek who has not only nice cheeks but also long legs and brown skin. He will also be a huge part of the upcoming chapters… Stay tuned!!

- Loftus moved over from Chelsea London alongside Eden Hazard who hopefully every one of you know. He’s Belgian. He is short – but not shorter than me and quite handsome. I think, he and Ruben would make such a great couple. Unfortunately, their communication seems to be a bit complicated … Cristiano and I had better luck with this…

- Zizou has pulled his strings and made the signing of a very promising talent possible: Kylian Mbappe who is French and young but very skilled.

- The last two signings are the defender David Luiz and our new media spokesman Ingo Zamperoni.

- Last but not least, it was the legendary number 7 Juanito who has watched our Club’s every move and still is!!

So, now back to business. It was a rainy day in Huesca when I woke up early in the hotel room. (Yes, Huesca – I don’t know where that is but Cristiano told me that it was somewhere in Spain which kind of makes sense considering we’re playing in a Spanish League.) I heard the rain falling when I turned around in my bed to face Cristiano. There he was – the Portuguese hero, legend, and sex symbol lying 10 centimetres away from me. I was about to touch his face when someone knocked at the door.

“Cristiano, Fabio! Hallooooooo! Cristianoooooooo, open the door!”

I got up but before I opened the door I asked nervously “Hello? Who is there?”

“Fabio, you idiot. You not know my voice? It’s Sami”

“Who?” I asked. I didn’t know a Sami. “Khedira. Boy from Germany!”, the man said. “Ah okay!”

I opened the door and let the German in. Before I could stop him, he stormed into the room and stopped almost as fast in front of the bed looking at a very naked Cristiano whose blanket had fallen to the floor. There we were. Standing around the bed, both unable to move staring at Cristiano’s manhood.

Moments later, someone entered the room. It must have been Zizou because he said with a French accent: “Cristiano, I hope you don’t mind getting dressed and coming to the conference room? Now?!” He continued in a calm voice: “Fabio, Sami, please just don’t make a scene and go, too. I think Cristiano is able to dress himself!”

I was sitting in the conference room with the good-looking British / Irish guy next to me. “Hi, my name is Fabio!”, I said. “Man, I know. We have been playing together in one team for a little over a year now.” Oh really? Instead of apologizing and fixing the situation (something that would have been impossible anyway because of my bad English), I pointed at my ear and said: “We must hear Zizou!”, to underline my statement, I also pointed at Zizou. Hopefully, the British / Irish guy had understood that.

Zizou started talking about tactics and about our opponent Huesca. I was unable to concentrate because I missed the breakfast and was lusting for fish already. It was when Zizou began to talk about the starting eleven that Cristiano entered. He looked around and targeted the seat next to me. However, it wasn’t the seat on the right taken by the Irish / British guy but the one on the left where Real Madrid’s new signing and promising English talent Ruben Loftus-Cheek was sitting. “Move!”, Cristiano said kind of rude. Instead of replying something, Loftus just smiled at him. “I said move!”, Cristiano said again. Loftus got up as slowly as he probably could and placed himself in front of Cristiano. The whole conference room gasped. Loftus was one head taller than Cristiano and therefore made him look like a child. “Oh god, just sit down. I need a seat close to the mirror, anyway!”, Cristiano said and went into the opposite corner.

That’s how the 2019 / 2020 season started. When we set foot on the pitch in Huesca the sun was shining again, and I was sure that this was Juanito’s doing. The appearance of his spirit promised a very exciting season ahead, of that I was sure. Yet at that time, I didn’t know about all the drama that was awaiting us in the upcoming months…

#cristiano ronaldo #fabio coentrao #Real Madrid #bromance #huesca #fabiano17 #cr7 #zinedine zidane

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junker-town · 4 years

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Tactically Naive: Wayne Rooney for prime minister

The British secretary of health said footballers should take pay cuts during the coronavirus pandemic. Wayne Rooney reminded him that he should have bigger concerns.

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Tactically Naive, SB Nation’s weekly soccer column. We may be socially distant, but we still love you.

Wayne Rooney for prime minister

In times of strife, a nation needs heroes. And when a flailing government staffed by overpromoted clowns decides to take some heat off itself by pointing the finger of blame at professional footballers, then professional footballers need: Wayne Rooney.

How the past few days have played out is a disgrace. First the health secretary, Matt Hancock, in his daily update on coronavirus, said that Premier League players should take a pay cut. He was supposed to be giving the nation the latest on the biggest crisis we’ve faced in our lifetimes. Why was the pay of footballers even in his head? Was he desperate to divert attention from his government’s handling of this pandemic?

[reloads shotgun]

The Premier League then announced it was looking for its players to give up or defer wages by 30 per cent. This despite owners and the Premier League board knowing players were already deep in discussion about what their contribution should be. It seemed strange to me because every other decision in this process has been kept behind closed doors, but this had to be announced publicly. Why? It feels as if it’s to shame the players — to force them into a corner where they have to pick up the bill for lost revenue.

Rooney goes on to point out that “footballers,” as a category, encompasses a few very rich people and a lot of people in extremely precarious circumstances, and that the rich ones all pay considerable amounts of tax anyway, which should in theory be going towards public services.

Given that his column emerged around the same time that Liverpool, to loud booing, announced they would be availing themselves of the government’s scheme for furloughing workers, it’s probably fair to say the players are winning the PR battle, such as it is. At least within football.

Outside football, it’s harder to tell. Footballers are, of course, the preferred millionaires of anybody looking for somebody to blame. They are public figures, and some of them spend their money in quite extravagant ways. Whole sections of the English media are devoted to recording the indulgences of these feckless, usually working-class youths in horrified tones, offering them up to a nation powered by class snobbery and spite.

“Give nurses footballers’ wages” used to be a meme. Now, apparently, it’s government policy.

Oh, Kyle

Obviously some footballers can, on occasion, be a bit silly. The award for Footballer Most Likely to Appear in a Future Satire of Events Currently Unfolding goes to Kyle Walker, who this weekend apologised for hosting a “sex party” on the same day he issued a statement urging the public not to host sex parties to follow government guidelines on social distancing.

Foundational texts: Netherlands 5-1 Spain

Otherwise known as the game that launched a thousand “Is 2014 the best World Cup ever?” thinkpieces, an energy which lasted all the way through to the knockout stages. Then — with the obvious and glorious exception of Brazil’s self-immolation against Germany — things got a little flat.

This game endures for two reasons. The first is that it was very, very, very, very funny, in a chaotic and emergent way that sport does so well. Such defeats are often called “humbling” in coverage: the BBC report of this game, for example, notes that “Spain, looking to win a fourth consecutive major international trophy, were humbled and humiliated.”

But humbled comes with connotations of pridefulness, even arrogance — something to be corrected. Whereas Spain, here, didn’t look particularly arrogant or complacent. They just got done. For an entire cycle of international football they’d been essentially invincible, and now they were getting vincibled all over the shop. I would suggest that they were not humbled, but rather humanised. Or possibly re-humanised, given how hilariously human Spain at major tournaments had been before the triumphs of tiki-taka.

Here is G. K. Chesterton talking about the importance of “a mood of democracy” in the work of Charles Dickens:

There are two rooted spiritual realities out of which grow all kinds of democratic conception or sentiment of human equality. There are two things in which all men are manifestly and unmistakably equal. [...] But this is a spiritual certainty, that all men are tragic. And this, again, is an equally sublime spiritual certainty, that all men are comic. No special and private sorrow can be so dreadful as the fact of having to die. And no freak or deformity can be so funny as the mere fact of having two legs. Every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat, and has to run after it.

The great thing about sport is you can have both tragedy and comedy at the same time without anybody actually having to lay down their lives. Here the great, all-conquering Spain died; and here, also, Spain had their hats knocked off their heads over and over again by Louis van Gaal’s giggling pranksters. In the process, they were returned to the rest of us, to the broad sweep of flawed humanity. And all it took was the very public crucifixion of San Iker.

The other reason it sticks in the memory is that after the game, Robin van Persie said this:

This is inexplicable. We trained all those weeks for this. The match has gone exactly as the coaching staff predicted.

I wrote about this at the time, and these words have stuck with me ever since. This is, on the face of it, an entirely peculiar thing to say: if something has gone entirely as predicted, how can it be inexplicable? And yet those apparent contradictions are reconciled by remembering that football is a horrible game where plans are made to fail and fail again.

What a miserable sport! You can turn up with an amazing plan, and implement it really well, and still get rolled over by some lousy finishing, or a couple of decent saves, or David Silva taking a relatively simple chance for 2-0. This game, then, stands as an apology from the universe to every football fan that watched their team get things absolutely right, only to lose anyway because goals are really hard. We were all van Persie, flying through the air, borne by the inexplicable knowledge that everything was going as it should, for once.

The best lockdown video you will see

Featuring, among other things, a perfect impression of Fabien Barthez.

GOAL OF THE CENTURY. CHOOSE YOU’RE FAVOURITE GOAL! pic.twitter.com/wM2cvnrAgl

— Sean O'Hanlon (@sohanlon23) April 4, 2020

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blogsarahjames · 4 years

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Best goalkeepers in football history

Goalkeepers’ responsibility is to keep the ball out of a 7.32×2.44 meter goal in any possible way. A goalkeeper must remain vigilant for several minutes at a time before being called into action, and their split-second decisions can often decide the outcome of an entire match.

The best goalkeepers of all time exhibit attributes, such as pace, coordination, bravery, strength, leadership, concentration, positioning, anticipation, reflexes, and agility.

Below we take a look at the top goalkeepers of all time:

1. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich & Germany)

Manuel Peter Neuer, born on the 27 March of 1986, is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.

The German professional footballer plays as a goalkeeper and captains Bayern Munich and the German national team.

Because of his unique playing style and speed when rushing off his line to anticipate opponents, Neuer has been described as a "sweeper-keeper."

Schalke 04, Bayern Munich, and Germany's national team goalkeeper may only just be starting out on his career, but he has, in the nine years he has been playing the game, shown that he is one of the best.

In fact, it was the 26-year-old’s sensational displays for Schalke as they unexpectedly made it all the way to the semi-finals of the 2011 Champions League that persuaded Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich to splash €22 million to recruit Neuer.

However, Neuer has simply gone from strength to strength since moving to the Allianz Arena, gaining in confidence, with his remarkable shot-stopping, reflexes, and agility defying belief.

Neuer carried his outstanding form on to the international stage, being the best goalkeeper at both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 as he established himself as the undisputed German goalkeeper.

The 33-year-old goalkeeper suffered serious injuries in 2017/18 and spent 2018/19 regaining his form.

Neuers’ marriage was reported to fall apart and the couple has been reported to live separately for some time. Neuer and Nina’s love story began in 2014 and was reportedly over only three years later. When asked about the situation, the goalkeeper asked for privacy on the issue.

Neuer salary is £259,000 on a weekly basis and he has signed a contract with Bayern Munich until 2021.

2. David Da Gea (Manchester United & Spain)

David de Gea Quintana, born on the 7th of November 1990, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester United and the Spain national team. He is regarded to be one of the best goalkeepers of all time.

The Spaniard has undoubtedly taken the art of goalkeeping to a new level in the past couple of years. There's nothing excessively flash about him, in fact, he could be considered as unconventional because of the high percentage of saves he makes with his feet, but so often he just makes saves which nobody expects him to make.

His showreel develops season by season, with this campaign's highlighting the save from Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League. There was the double stop against Arsenal which sent the internet into a spin, while a favorite of many is the Superman dive against Everton in the 2014/15 season.

David De Gea signed a 6-year contract with the Manchester United club, including an annual average salary of £19,500,000. He earns £375,000 on a weekly basis and he has signed a contract with Manchester United until 2026.

3. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)

The goalkeeper with the Alice band in his hair is, and always has been, one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers.

From his famous Serie A debut against AC Milan as a teenager to leading Juventus to a record-breaking seventh successive Scudetto, Buffon boasts a sustained level of excellence that is simply unrivaled.

His opponent Casillas once said, "It's impossible to find any weaknesses in his game."

As well as being a national icon for the role he played in Italy's 2006 World Cup triumph when he was beaten only by an own goal and a penalty, Buffon is a legend at Juve for having stayed with the club in spite of their relegation to Serie B.

The one major title missing from his CV is the Champions League but its absence does nothing to detract from his standing within the game. Indeed, he bows out as one of the few universally famous goalkeepers in football history.

Buffon first came into view as a 19-year-old when he replaced Gianluca Pagliuca for Italy’s crucial World Cup play-off first leg in Moscow. Buffon was selected as the man-of-the-match display in the process, and ever since, he has been performing miracles in goal for his country, as well as for club sides Parma and Juventus.

It was the ‘Old Lady of Italian Football’ who bought the shot-stopper from Parma for a then world-record fee of £32.5 million in 2001. In the intervening 12 years, Buffon has won Serie A titles with Juve and has been voted the best goalkeeper in Europe on several occasions.

Although, perhaps it is for the Azzurri that Buffon is best remembered. He has won 123 caps to date, and more importantly, played a crucial role in Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph. He came in second in that year’s Ballon d’Or.

In 2019, Buffon signed a contract with Juventus until 2020, including an annual average salary of €4,992,000.

4. Petr Cech (Chelsea, Arsenal & Czech, retired)

Petr Cech, born on the 20th of May 1982, is a Czech former professional football player who played as a goalkeeper and has been described by numerous players and managers as one of the greatest goalkeepers in European history.

The giant Chelsea and Czech Republic goalkeeper has been one of the most consistent and outstanding shot-stoppers of the last 10 years. Many consider Petr Cech to be one of the top three keepers on Planet Football for the period following his move from Rennes to Chelsea in 2004.

Cech has remained ever-present at Stamford Bridge, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League, while also recording 98 caps for his country, the second-most in Czech Republic history.

However, the man who once went 928 minutes without conceding a goal while at Sparta Prague in 2001-02 lost just some of his aura in goal following the horrific broken skull that he suffered while playing against Reading in the Premier League in Oct 2006.

But his sensational displays in goal as the West Londoners won their first-ever European Cup in 2011-12 silenced the whispers forever.

Petr Cech signed a one-year contract with the Arsenal F.C., including an annual average salary of £5,720,000. Later, in June 2019, he announced his retirement and continued his job as a technical and performance advisor for Chelsea.

5. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, FC Porto & Spain)

Iker Casillas Fernandez, born on the 20th of May 1981, was a Spanish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Portuguese club Porto. Casillas is widely recognized as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time mainly because of his spectacular saves.

Ever since Iker Casillas debuted for the biggest club in the world at the young age of 16, he enjoyed nothing but success, claiming five Liga titles, two Champions League crowns, one Copa de Rey, four Supercopas, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup.

Moreover, he captained the country to their first national title in 44 years at Euro 2008, a feat he repeated at Euro 2012, and in between he led Spain to their first and only World Cup triumph in South Africa, making him one of only a very select band of players to have won every major domestic and world titles.

Despite the fact that Casillas had a heart attack in July 2019, he returned for pre-season training with Porto squad.

After Casillas agreed to play one more season at Porto, he took a pay cut to stay in Primeira Liga. For the two-year deal the goalkeeper initially signed at Estadio do Dragao, Real Madrid covered a portion of his €11 million a year wages. However, Casillas could claim only 7m euros in annual salary in 2017/18.

6. Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow & Soviet Union)

Lev Ivanovich Yashin, born on the 22nd of October 1929 and died on March 20th of 1990 in Moscow, Russia, was a former Soviet professional footballer, considered by many as the greatest goalkeeper in the football history.

The only goalkeeper to have ever won the Ballon d'Or, Lev Yashin was a true pioneer of his position. At a time when goalkeepers were expected to remain rooted to their line, the Russian became renowned for his bravery in charging out of his goal to claim crosses and close down onrushing forwards.

Yashin, who was named goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS, was beloved for his showmanship, wowing crowds with his spectacular, acrobatic saves, as well as his iconic all-black strip, which, coupled with the illusion of having extra limbs, earned him the nickname 'The Black Spider'.

A revolutionary in terms of punching the ball away and short throwouts, Yashin became the standard by which all other goalkeepers were judged and it is only fitting that, since 1994, the best goalkeeper at any World Cup is presented the 'Lev Yashin Award'.

The first great modern goalkeeper, the ‘Black Spider’, as he was known due to his outstanding reflexes, played for just one club throughout his career, Dynamo Moscow. He represented Dynamo Moscow on 326 occasions between 1950 and 1970 while winning 78 caps for the Soviet Union (1954-67), playing in three World Cups, and winning gold at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

The working-class hero, Yashin, didn’t enjoy the same salary compared to his European counterparts. A Soviet journalist recalls a story about Yashin going to a restaurant with Ferenc Puskás, a star forward from Hungary who played for Real Madrid.

As Puskás took out his wallet to pay the bill, Yashin was shocked: “I’ve never seen such a large amount of money in my life, let alone earned it.”

7. Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United, Denmark, retired)

Peter Boleslaw Schmeichel, born 18 November 1963, is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper at English club Manchester United and Denmark national team.

Peter Schmeichel is famous for his intimidating presence in the penalty area when confronting an onrushing player. His now famous ‘starfish’ saves, that he perfected so often throughout his long and glittering career, prove he was undoubtedly the greatest goalkeeper ever to have represented Manchester United and Denmark.

Schmeichel played 292 times for the club from 1991 to 1999, winning five league titles before his crowning moment at Old Trafford that fittingly came in his last game for the Red Devils.

He captained the club to victory in the 1999 Champions League final, where his man-of-the-match performance helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s side win the Treble.

He also shone for his country, playing a record 129 times for Denmark, which included causing one of the biggest shocks in the history of international football when they won Euro 92.

Credited with revolutionizing the way modern keepers now play the game, acting as a sweeper behind his back four, his ability to come out on top when faced with one-one-one attacking situations was remarkable.

Schmeichel scored nine outstanding goals during his career. In August 2018, the goalkeeper’s net worth is estimated to be $25 million.

8. Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich & Germany)

Oliver Rolf Kahn, born 15 June 1969, was a German former football goalkeeper. In 1994, he signed a contract with Bayern Munich for the fee of DM4.6 million, where he played until the end of his career in 2008.

Oliver Kahn was an absolute colossus between the sticks for both Bayern Munich and Germany and probably the best keeper when confronted with a one-on-one situation with an opposition player.

The blond-haired, fiery No. 1 won everything there is to win in the club game while in Bavaria. The highlight of his career coming when his penalty-saving heroics in the shootout of the 2001 Champions League final against Valencia helped win Bayern their first European Cup for 25 years.

Moreover, his performances in goal for Die Mannschaft at the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea/Japan virtually dragged his country single-handedly to the final, where they lost to Brazil. Although Kahn made history when he became the first and only keeper to be named player of the tournament when he won the Golden Ball.

It was recently reported that the members of the FC Bayern München AG Supervisory Board unanimously resolved to appoint Oliver Kahn to the FC Bayern München AG Executive Board. The 50-year old former goalkeeper has signed a contract until 2025 to serve as a member of the board.

9. Fabien Barthez (Marseille, Monaco, & France)

Long before Manuel Neuer and other well-known goalkeepers, it was Fabien Barthez who revolutionized goalkeeping.

Fabien Alain Barthez, born 28 June 1971, was a French former footballer and racing driver who played as a goalkeeper.

Barthez played football in both France and England with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester United, Nantes, and France national team.

Barthez is probably the best goalkeeper that has ever evolved in the championship of France. From Marseille to Monaco, the international Frenchie has shined in football history.

But it was his Mancunian time that Barthez became one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He won the 98 World Cup with the Blues with an astonishing performance during the competition.

The 48-year old former goalkeeper possessed not just great shot-stopping ability but also brilliant footwork and amazing passing range.

Once he said to reporters, “Calling me a goalkeeper is not enough because I do like to be involved in the game as much as possible. I’m a player.”

Ferguson commented on him “Other goalkeepers would play safety first. Fabien had a wee bit more. He liked the excitement of taking care of the ball.

“I remember he kept telling me he was a better outfield player. He could play sometimes in Friday morning games before the Saturday game, in small-sided games. He had good feet.”

10. Dino Zoff (Juventus & Italy)

Dino Zoff was born on February 28, 1942, in Mariano del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. In general, he played in 112 international matches for Italy from 1968 to 1983.

After winning the World Cup at the age of 40, he became the oldest captain, goalkeeper, and overall player ever to win the World Cup. He is also known as the oldest surviving captain following the death of Hilderaldo Bellini in 2014.

Although at 14 years old, he was considered too short to be a serious football prospect, Zoff had an imperious presence in goal in his career. Winning six Scudetti with the Bianconeri while also captaining the Azzurri to World Cup glory in Spain in 1982 at the age of 40 years, four months, and 13 days, he is the oldest player ever to win the tournament, while also becoming just the second-ever goalkeeper to lift the trophy.

Zoff still holds the incredible record of the most minutes in international football without conceding a goal, 1,142 minutes, set between 1972 and 1974.

Upon retirement in 1983, Zoff was recognized to be the greatest goalkeeper that the football world had ever seen.

11. Edwin Van Der Sar (Manchester United, Netherlands)

Edwin van der Sar was born on October 29, 1970, in Voorhout, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands. He started out his professional career with Ajax in 1990 and played for the giant Dutch club for nine years.

Van der Sar represented Ajax, Juventus, Fulham, and Manchester United in his career.

He won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and then United in 2008 when he was named man of the match, making him one of a select group of players to have won Europe’s premier club competition with two different clubs.

He also claimed the UEFA Cup and multiple league titles in the Netherlands and England, the last of which at Old Trafford in 2011 made Van der Sar the oldest-ever player to win the Premier League at 40 years and 205 days.

The goalkeeper who was perhaps the best ever with the ball at his feet with a vital skill in the modern game following the abolition of the back-pass rule also held the world record for a long period of time without conceding a league goal at 1,311 minutes during the 2008-09 season at United.

Van der Sar was a regular international for the Netherlands national team from 1995 to 2008. With his 130 caps to the national squad, he holds the record as the most capped player for his national team.

12. Sepp Maier (Bayern Munich & Germany)

Josef Dieter Sepp Maier, born on 28 February 1944, is a former German football player. He played for Bayern Munich and the German national team and is known as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. Maier spent his entire professional career at Bayern Munich.

Maier was an integral part of the all-conquering Bayern Munich and West Germany teams of the 1970s. He was known as the ‘Die Katze von Anzing’ (the cat from Anzing) because of his outstanding agility and reflexes.

Maier won virtually all there is to offer in the game, including four Bundesliga crowns, three successive European Cups, the European Championship and the World Cup. Moreover, the three-times German Footballer of the Year still holds the Bundesliga record for having played the most number of consecutive matches (422).

13. Gordon Banks (Leicester City & England)

Gordon Banks born on 30 December 1937 was an English footballer who played for England national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He also played for different clubs such as Chesterfield, Leicester City, and Stoke City.

In December 2015, it was announced he was receiving treatment for kidney cancer. Banks died on 12 February 2019 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire at 81.

Banks will always be remembered for making the historical save at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico when he somehow managed to push Pele’s close-range goal-bound header up and over the bar in what most experts still consider to be the greatest-ever save made in football history.

While Leicester City and England international may not have won the medals and trophies that some of his rivals did, he still played an integral role in his country winning their first and only World Cup on home soil in 1966. He conceded just two goals during the whole tournament.

In terms of goalkeeping skills, few could match his agility, reflexes, and pure shot-stopping capabilities.

14. Jorge Campos (Los Angeles Galaxy & Mexico)

Jorge Campos, born on 15 October 1966, is a former Mexican football player. He has played for Mexican national team.

Campos started his career as a striker; however, he left his job in the attacking zone after his debut season.

Despite being one of the shortest keepers of his era (5'8''), Campos' aerial game was strong, plus he was one of the first Mexican goalkeepers who knew how to play with his feet accurately.

Beyond his colorful kits, the Acapulco-born footballer made quite an impression in the 1994 and the 1998 World Cups. He won the 1999 Confederations Cup, the 1993 and the 1996 Gold Cups, and the 1999 Pan American Games.

He won the Citlali (Mexican Football Awards) as the best goalkeeper a record five times successively.

Moreover, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFHHS) picked him as the third-best goalkeeper of 1993.

In the local league, he played for UNAM, Atlante, Cruz Azul, and Puebla. He was one of the first Mexicans to play in the MLS (LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire).

15. David Seaman (Arsenal, UK)

David Andrew Seaman, MBE, born on 19 September 1963, is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. In a career lasting from 1981 to 2004, he is best known for his time playing for Arsenal.

Seaman was one of England’s best goalkeepers of all time and a crucial ingredient of Arsenal’s success under Arsene Wenger. He certainly enjoyed his peaks at the club level rather than in an England shirt, but the same can be said for virtually every player of that generation.

“He’s still the best goalkeeper in England,” said Wenger of 39-year-old Seaman in 2002.

“I’m very proud of him. He has shown again the calm, the authority and the responsibility on the pitch and that’s what you want from a super professional. It’s about showing how strong you are on the pitch and he’s done that again today and he has always done that since I was at Arsenal,” Wenger added.

#football news

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eurotickets20 · 4 years

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EURO 2020 - Spain, Sweden, and Poland included into Group E

Spain, Sweden, and Poland will be merged by a play-off winner in EURO 2020 Group E. Spain has won 7 matches against Sweden and lost 3 games, and 5 matches were drawn. Euro 2020 fans can book Spain vs Sweden Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.

Euro 2020 qualifying record:

Spain has played 10 matches from which wins 8 matches and 2 matches were drawn. Spain has lost no match in Euro 2020 qualifiers. Their Euro 2020 qualifying top scorers are Alvaro Morata, Sergio Ramos, and Rodrigo. Spain has won the UEFA Euro Cup in 1964, 2008, and 2012. In UEFA EURO 2016 Spain lost 2-0 to Italy in the Round of 16.

Coach: Luis Enrique Resigned in June for private causes but returned to his post in November after qualifying had come to an end. Earlier led Barcelona to UEFA Champions League glory in 2015. Euro 2020 fans can book Group E Euro Cup Tickets on our website on exclusively discounted prices.

Euro 2020 Draw reaction: “[Poland] came through first in their qualifying group and we all know about [Robert] Lewandowski and the performances they can give. I think we’re among the group of eight to ten favorites to win it but, unfortunately, in the last couple of tournaments – the [FIFA] World Cup and the [UEFA] EURO – we have fallen far short of being able to win the title. But we’re going to try to change all that and try to get back to that level.”

The key player for Euro 2020 is Sergio Ramos. The glue that holds the defense together, Ramos also jointly tops the Spain scoring charts after pulling rank on penalty duty. One to watch in Euro 2020 is Faban Ruiz, One from the Spanish midfield playmaker conveyor belt, he inspired Spain to EURO Under-21 glory this summer just gone.

Did you know? Ramos has passed Iker Casillas as a record caps holder.

Sweden

Sweden has won 3 matches against Spain and lost 7 games, and 5 matches were drawn.

Euro 2020 qualifying record:

Sweden has played 10 matches from which wins 6 matches, lost 1 match and 3 matches were drawn. Their Euro 2020 qualifying top scorer is Robin Quaison. Sweden has progressed to UEFA EURO finals in 1992. In UEFA EURO 2016 Sweden eliminates after the group stage.

Coach: Janne Andersson The bits of intelligence behind Sweden's recent revival, directing them to a first World Cup in 12 years, then topping a UEFA Nations League group including Russia and Turkey.

Draw reaction: “It is neither a nightmare nor a dream. We’ve got some healthy competition. We aim to progress, and that goal hasn’t changed. Spain is definitely one of the toughest teams you can get. But at the same time, we have met them twice this year and felt that we were close to turning them over at home. So, it is a matter of preparing in the best way possible. Then we’ll see.”

The key player for Euro 2020 is Robin Olsen. The Cagliari guardian's reach, figure, and safe hands have time and again proven precious for Sweden. One to watch in Euro 2020 is Alexander Isak. AIK's youngest ever scorer at 16, and the national team at 17.

Now 20 and at Real Sociedad, the lofty striker is settled beyond his years.

Did you know? In 1992, Sweden won a group ahead of England, France, and ultimate winners Denmark before being framed out 3-2 by Germany in the semi-final.

We are offering Euro Cup Tickets so Football fans can get Euro 2020 Tickets through our trusted online ticketing market place. EuroTickets2020.com is the most reliable source to book Euro Cup 2020 tickets.

#EuroCupTickets #euro2020tickets #SwedenVsSpainTickets

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thisdaynews · 5 years

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Real Madrid: Is Zinedine Zidane struggling second time around? - Guillem Balague column

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/real-madrid-is-zinedine-zidane-struggling-second-time-around-guillem-balague-column/

Real Madrid: Is Zinedine Zidane struggling second time around? - Guillem Balague column

Zinedine Zidane played for Real Madrid from 2001 to 2006 and originally managed them from 2016 to 2018

At the press launch of a TV series about himself last week, Sergio Ramos joked with journalists: “I have more seasons now with Amazon than I do with Real Madrid.”

The Spain centre-back has two years left on his contract at the Bernabeu but his club are not looking to renew it.

And while Ramos has been a constant presence at Real for 14 years, the uncertainty surrounding his future only adds to the increasing sense of instability around a club which has won four of the past six Champions Leagues.

Since Zinedine Zidane returned as manager towards the end of last season, his win percentage is below 50% and there has been little to suggest improvement since the start of this season.

Real still look unsettled and they are still inconsistent, worrying signs as they enter a two week-period in which they will face Paris St-Germain in the Champions League, as well as leaders Ateltico Madrid and Champions League qualifiers Sevilla in La Liga.

Moments such as these are nothing new at Real Madrid, a perennial soap opera providing tales of conspiracy, intrigue and passion and never failing to serve up one cliff-hanger after another, both on and off the pitch.

But as Europe’s perennial winners get their latest European campaign under way, is Zidane struggling to make the impact this time around, and is there a danger the Frenchman might not even be there come the next Champions League final?

Never go back? Zidane struggling to inspire on his return

Zidane and his family live in Madrid, which was one of the reasons he found it difficult to reject Perez’s request for him to return as manager

Zidane wrote himself out of the Real Madrid storyline when he quit after somehow winning the Champions League at the end of the 2017-18 season – his third title in a row. He felt there were big changes to make at the club and that he was not going to receive the backing he needed to implement them.

He might have chosen this time of self-imposed footballing exile as an opportunity to reflect on a fine career as both a player and a coach. He probably didn’t come across the words of poet Felix Dennis:

Never go back. Never go back.

Never surrender the future you’ve earned.

Keep to the track, to the beaten track.

Never return to the bridges you burned.

Nor did he take similar advice from people close to him. In March, he returned at the request of president Florentino Perez, who had previously tried to entice Mauricio Pochettino from Tottenham and the unemployed former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.

Zidane took the job before the end of last season because they told him that, if he didn’t, Jose Mourinho would be the chosen one (more on that later). He was also promised he would be a major player in deciding who came in and who left. And that there would be plenty of changes.

There needed to be. Zidane’s last Champions League success flattered to deceive in a season when his side finished 17 points behind La Liga winners Barcelona.

But things have not improved. Since coming back, he has won seven of 15 league games, a win rate of 46.7%. Santiago Solari, the man he replaced, won 22 out of 32 games in charge, a win rate of 68.8%. That was significantly higher than Zidane’s but not high enough to earn the president’s confidence and the Argentine was dismissed after just four and a half months.

Key injuries to vital players such as Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard, a summer signing who found himself sidelined before kicking a ball for the club, have played their part in the lacklustre start.

But so have Zidane’s changeable tactics.

Only left-back Ferland Mendy, who joined from Lyon, looks to have hit the ground running. Luka Jovic – who arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt, where he was scoring for fun – has not looked like he has the quality to be an automatic starter. At least not in the opinion of Zidane, who has started him only once and then replaced him with midfielder Luka Modric after 68 minutes.

Real also signed some youngsters for big money – Eder Militao, 21, (£42.7m from Porto) and 18-year-old forward Rodrygo (£40.2m from Santos). The latter has been injured since pre-season, while the former has yet to feature.

Why Zidane appears to be losing his trump card

Zidane has never been considered a footballing Einstein as a coach, but his trump card at Real Madrid has always been the relationship he has enjoyed with his players. It is perceived by many as a rosy, peaceful, harmonious co-existence.

But there are signs those relationships are crumbling.

In deciding who should stay and who should go, the 47-year-old has not endeared himself to many of the Madrid faithful. They will see the sale to Atletico of Marcos Llorente, the nephew of the great Gento and a Blanco to the bone, as a sort of betrayal.

They will also be unimpressed with the loaning out to Sevilla of Reguilon, another product of the La Fabrica academy who could have slotted into the position held by Marcelo, who was 11kg over his optimum weight last season and has been struggling on that front ever since. And then there was the loan departure of Dani Ceballos, who could certainly be doing a job for the club in midfield, to Arsenal.

Zidane’s obsession with bringing in compatriot Paul Pogba has not been pretty to witness, not least because Manchester United never had any intention of selling him and Perez never seemed that keen on actually buying the 26-year-old.

The club had agreed terms with Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen and Ajax’s Donny van de Beek, but Zidane stopped the moves because Pogba was the midfielder he wanted.

The reality is that Zidane and the club were hoping to sell Isco, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez, but no offers were forthcoming. For many, his use of those players is little more than a stick he is using to beat the president with by saying, basically: “You didn’t get me the player I wanted so now I’m going to have to use the players you wanted.”

Bizarrely, Bale’s lack of rapport with the manager has provoked precisely the kind of reaction that Zidane would have hoped for, with the Wales forward putting in some “I’ll show you” performances that have brought him two goals and one assist in three games. The downside is that it has also earned him a red card – thanks to two yellows collected in less than two minutes – and a one-match ban.

And finally, the club’s decision to sell goalkeeper Keylor Navas to Paris St-Germain was never something Zidane wanted either.

The general opinion at the Bernabeu is that the relationship between Zidane and Perez is not the best. A division between them is being created by their differences on Pogba and Navas, by the club’s failure to get rid of players the Frenchman did not want, and by the confusion over tactics – with the team lining up for one game with three at the back, the next in a 4-3-3 set-up and another as a 4-4-2.

Perez is frustrated at the lack of game time for some big-money signings and, for the first time in a while, the president feels he is not in complete control and the manager is not doing as he would like.

Zidane cannot be happy either, now finding himself with a squad of veterans combined with players untried at this level.

As a consequence, the Madrid media close to Perez are beginning to make mischief with criticisms of the coach.

When that happens, Zidane should know drastic things can happen.

Mourinho waiting in the wings

Florentino Perez (left) and Jose Mourinho were all smiles when they met at a Fifa congress in June

The name of Mourinho, who has rejected at least one big offer from China, has inevitably re-emerged in relation to the Real job.

Around the end of 2015, just as Rafael Benitez was struggling to win hearts and minds at the Bernabeu and before Mourinho joined Manchester United, Perez spoke to him with a view to discussing a return to the club.

Iker Casillas, one of the previous thorns in the side of the prickly Portuguese coach, was already gone. The goalkeeper was a sacrificial lamb, unceremoniously given away to Porto after a career that had, until then, been dedicated to two sides – his club and his country.

Only two problems remained: Cristiano Ronaldo and Ramos, the two players Mourinho blamed for his departure from Madrid.

Get rid of them, he told Perez, and we can talk.

Ronaldo is now at Juventus. One down, one to go.

I would not wager much on Ramos receiving a contract extension any time soon.

#Balague #Guillem

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gadgetsrevv · 5 years

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Euro 2020 qualifiers: Five things you might have missed as Sergio Ramos rises up the rankings

Euro 2020 qualifying was in full swing on Thursday night as the Republic of Ireland gained a priceless 1-1 draw at home against Switzerland.

Mick McCarthy’s men had gone behind to a second-half goal from Newcastle’s Fabian Schar but hit back with a late equaliser from David McGoldrick – his first international goal – and now look good value for top spot in Group D.

Thursday also saw the likes of Italy, Spain, Denmark and Sweden all battle for points to make sure they’re in the hat for next summer’s showpiece tournament.

So, here are five things you may have missed from a busy night of football.

1. Italy survive scare to remain on track

Absent from the 2018 World Cup and generally unconvincing in the two tournaments before that, it’s been a tough old time for Italy. Their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign has been far more fruitful, however, with the Azzurri sitting pretty atop Group J with five wins from five, following their latest victory over Armenia.

Roberto Mancini – Italy

These latest three points didn’t come easy, however, with Roberto Mancini’s side having to overcome an early goal from Alexander Karapetyan and it was only when Armenia’s hero was sent off after picking up a second yellow card that the Italians truly established their dominance in the game, eventually running out 3-1 winners. Goals from Andrea Belotti (x2) and substitute Lorenzo Pellegrini did the damage.

Italy have a very favourable qualifying group which should give this young, new-look side plenty of time to gel ahead of their major tournament return next year but they’ll need to be far more cold-blooded when that stage comes around.

2. Ramos takes another step up the ladder

Sergio Ramos doesn’t do things by halves, does he? The Real Madrid legend converted from the penalty spot once again on Thursday to put Spain 1-0 up at half-time away against Romania, after Dani Ceballos had been felled in the box. That strike moved Ramos to 10th in his country’s all-time goalscoring charts, level with Michel on 21, on what is his 166th cap for Spain. One more will see him equal Iker Casillas as La Roja’s most capped player of all time.

Sergio Ramos has now scored 21 senior international goals, equalling Míchel has the 10th top-scoring male in Spain’s history.

Another from the spot. pic.twitter.com/imzY952tLs

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 5, 2019

But this is no mere defender or goalscorer we’re talking about, this is Sergio Ramos. He, of course, got himself booked for “excessive celebration” or, more accurately, giving it large in front of the Romanian supporters after certain sections had been showing some less than exemplary behaviour.

Spain had to battle hard for their three points in the end, with Florin Andone closing the gap after Paco Alcacer had doubled the advantaged. Diego Llorente’s late red card only made things more difficult but Roberto Moreno’s men held out.

Never change, Sergio, never change.

3. Eriksen double keeps Denmark in contention

Draws with Switzerland and Republic of Ireland in their opening two games had left Denmark unscathed but in desperate need of some wins in Group D. Those fears are now far in the distance as the Danes followed up their 5-1 victory over Georgia in June with a 6-0 breeze past Gibraltar on Thursday, with Spurs contract rebel Christian Eriksen bagging twice from the penalty spot.

The awarding of the second spot-kick was a little questionable, with Jack Sergeant appearing to win the ball fairly from Yussuf Poulsen, only for the referee to blow his whistle for a foul. Not that Eriksen will care now that he sits on 29 international goals.

youtube

Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here.

It’s still very much looking like it could be pot luck between Denmark, Republic of Ireland and Switzerland in Group D but these back-to-back wins have the Scandanavians in a strong position, with two of their next three qualifiers coming at home.

4. A tight game in a tight group

As we mentioned, Group D looks really, really tight. The Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Swizterland all headed into Thursday night unbeaten, with draws being handed out like sweets and the top three looking impossible to separate.

That trend looked set to end as the Irish succumb to a fine team goal from the Swiss, finished by Newcastle United’s Fabian Schar after the visitors had piled on the pressure during the second half. But Mick McCarthy’s side kept on pressing and probing for openings and after Glenn Whelan’s late wonder strike nearly broke the crossbar in two, David McGoldrick found the equaliser to lift the roof off the Aviva Stadium. The Sheffield United man is finally off the mark for his country in his 11th appearance.

1 – With their first shot on target in the second half, David McGoldrick has netted his first ever international goal for Republic of Ireland, in what is his 11th appearance for The Boys in Green. Response. #IRLSUI pic.twitter.com/5nFvrApJnk

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 5, 2019

Ireland remain top of the group, for now, but Denmark and Switzerland have one and two games in hand respectively over the leaders. With blows still to be traded between the trio, this is going down to the wire.

5. Lindelof on target as Sweden take an iron grip on second

If you’re looking for goalscorers in this current Swedish crop, you’ll probably go to Emil Forsberg, Marcus Berg or maybe even Andreas Granqvist from the penalty spot. You certainly wouldn’t be keeping an eye out for Victor Lindelof’s name popping up on the scoresheet.

But Thursday night’s trip to minnows Faroe Islands saw the Swedish race into a 4-0 half-time lead which, in the end, was enough to seal the points and give them an iron grip on second place in Group F.

JAAAA!! Han är tillbaka i landslaget, och gör mål direkt!! Lindelöf sätter 3-0!

pic.twitter.com/GmP9nnumTl

— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) September 5, 2019

And who was it firing in the third goal? Lindelof, of course, with the Man Utd centre-back firing right-footed into the bottom corner following a Robin Quaison corner. That’s an impressive four goals in 31 caps for Lindelof now, who has scored just one goal in 73 games during his time at Old Trafford.

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#Uncategorized Euro 2020 qualifiers: Five things you might have missed as Sergio Ramos rises up the r

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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Sergio Ramos may leave Real Madrid on bad terms like club legends Raul and Iker Casillas

Sergio Ramos can leave Real Madrid on poor conditions such as club legends Raul, Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo … but as captains all three start to flourish elsewhere

Florentino

They had a precarious relationship

By | Real Madrid greats rarely leave the club on full well In general, Raul, Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo will be doing so in recent years. stand up. Recent events suggest that Sergio Ramos goes the same way

Revelations earlier in the week of club president Florentino Perez who had asked Ramos & # 39; people to move to China that the club

Perez was even asked if he thought the China deal was a new maneuver to get Ramos a new contract – as a possible step to Manchester United had been in 2015 – and he replied: & # 39; Ask Rene Ramos, his agent, to come here and tell the story. If the player comes with a real offer, we refer to the release clause. We cannot let our supplier go for free.

<img id = "i-60463aaac22b13e1" src = "https://dailym.ai/2HGC55L -1_1559114990441.jpg "height =" 445 "width =" 634 "alt =" Club president Florentino Perez who had asked the people of Sergio Ramos to move to China "class =" blkBorder img-

Club President Florentino Perez that the people of Sergio Ramos had requested a move to China President Florentino Perez who had asked the people of Sergio Ramos to move to China

Ramos and Perez have always had a somewhat precarious relationship: the president still counts the signing of the player from Seville as one of his smartest but they have had their disagreements and earlier this year when Real Madrid crashed out of the Champions League there was still a low point

They clashed after Real Madrid & # 39; s humiliating defeat to Ajax and the captain said to his president: & pay me and I will leave & # 39 ;. Played against the backdrop of knives-out for temporary coach Santiago Solari and the threat that the club could even go to Jose Mourinho, who had publicly shoved Ramos to the Real Madrid coach option, the two clashed after the game.

Perez had gone to the locker room to beat the players with 4-1.

When Ramos intervened to defend the team and blame the president's poor schedule for the bad season, Perez told him that he & # 39; would disappear & # 39; from him & # 39; to which the captain of the club replied: & # 39; You pay me and I will go & # 39 ;.

<img id = "i-d90118259e18fa9" src = "https://dailym.ai/2YWN5Sb image-a-2_1559115135283.jpg "height =" 422 "width =" 634 "alt =" <img id = "i-d90118259e18fa9" src = "https://dailym.ai/2J2OwKp /29/08/14088508-7081339-image-a-2_1559115135283.jpg "height =" 422 "width =" 634 "alt =" Perez was asked if he thought the China deal was a new maneuver for Ramos a new contract

Perez was asked if he thought the China deal was another maneuver to get Ramos a new contract

Ramos recently turned 33 and has a big contract with Madrid. Sources within the club say that he is the best-paid player in the dressing room. Sources closer to the player say that Gareth Bale position is not Ramos.

Ramos' reputation survived that outage in 2015 when he didn't know what to do. Manchester United performed and offered the defender to believe they were about to make a transfer coup. I signed a new deal. It will be harder this time. Ramos won three other Champions Leagues.

When he was bought in 2005 for just under £ 19 million, no one could imagine how well he would win the World Cup with Spain and four European Cups. He became the best defender in the world and much more than the Spanish heart and soul of the team.

Ramos and Perez have always had a somewhat precarious relationship with Real Madrid. precarious relationship with Real Madrid "

Asked if he has always had a precarious relationship with Real Madrid, Totti was able to simulate Roma that he could have played at 40 in Real Madrid. & # 39; If there are only two years left on my contract and I am awake in the morning and I am not feeling well I am now that it does not matter, I am two years left I know when it is time

If he leaves – and he failed to do that, & # 39; a lot of China & # 39; does not come forward – there will still be a lack of interest in him Tuesday, it was pointed out by an eminent Gazzetta dello Sport journalist – if there is a market for Diego Godin, then there is certainly one for Ramos – it could end in bitterness, although much was the case for Ronaldo , Casillas and partly for Raul.

All three flourished after they left Madrid, Raul had the time of jn lives in Germany, Casillas has enjoyed Portugal and Ronaldo is a Series A winner in Italy. Raul is even back in Madrid and now ready to take over the club's B team.

The Ramos story in Madrid still contains enough chapters – one of which can still see him leave the club he has served for 14 seasons. The Real Madrid captain (right) clashed with the club president after a 4-1 defeat against Ajax "

Real Madrid captain (right) clashed with the club president after a 4-1 defeat against Ajax "

The Real Madrid captain (right) clashed with the club president after a 4-1 defeat against Ajax

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zeroviraluniverse-blog · 6 years

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Spain team undergoing DNA shift from Barcelona to Real Madrid under Julen Lopetegui

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/spain-team-undergoing-dna-shift-from-barcelona-to-real-madrid-under-julen-lopetegui/

Spain team undergoing DNA shift from Barcelona to Real Madrid under Julen Lopetegui

Mar 20, 2018

Dermot CorriganESPN FC

A strong but subtle shift in influence within the Spain squad from Barcelona to Real Madrid is evident from the players picked by national coach Julen Lopetegui for pre-World Cup friendlies against Germany and Argentina.

It was not a coincidence that Spain’s glory years between 2008 and 2012 coincided with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side dominating both La Liga and the Champions League. The possession based style of football developed by Guardiola at the Camp Nou was hugely influential at the international level too. A high point of the connection was the Euro 2012 final when seven Barca players appeared on the pitch together during a 4-0 hammering of Italy.

However the last few years have seen Real Madrid win three of the last four Champions League trophies, as well as last season’s La Liga title. So it should not really be surprising that over his 18 months in charge, Lopetegui has been moving the balance of his squad more towards the Bernabeu.

Spain’s emergence from the wilderness by winning Euro 2008 has often been attributed (rightly or wrongly) to then coach Luis Aragones ditching long-serving national captain and Blancos legend Raul Gonzalez, and instead placing his faith in a new generation symbolised by Barca’s Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.

Madrid contributed just two players to Aragones’ 23-man squad in 2008 — the same number as Real Mallorca and one less than Villarreal. Iker Casillas was goalkeeper and captain, with Sergio Ramos at right-back. Barca did not exactly dominate — they had just three in Xavi, Iniesta and Carles Puyol, although key squad member Cesc Fabregas also had the famous Blaugrana DNA.

By the 2010 World Cup, manager Vicente Del Bosque incorporated Guardiola protégés Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodriguez as important team members and Victor Valdes was named as a reserve keeper. La Liga’s top Spanish scorer David Villa was soon to move to the Camp Nou from Valencia, while Iniesta of course hit the winner in the final in extra time against the Netherlands.

Madrid still had five important squad members though — Xabi Alonso had moved to the Bernabeu from Liverpool and joined Ramos and Casillas in the starting XI. Alvaro Arbeloa and Raul Albiol were backup defenders. Former Madrid B player Juan Mata, who came through at Valencia, also got just 20 minutes in the tournament.

Del Bosque was not one for changing a winning formula. With Fabregas having returned from Arsenal, by Euro 2012 Barca’s contribution was at its peak. Six of these started the final, with left-back Jordi Alba scoring the second goal, and Pedro entering as a sub to make it seven on the pitch at the same time.

Sergio Ramos, Isco and Marco Asensio are part of the Real Madrid revival with the Spanish national team. Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images

But Madrid also had four starters in that game, with Del Bosque having skillfully handled the attempts by then Bernabeu boss Jose Mourinho to sow discord in the national camp. Mata also came off the bench in the final and scored, while the squad also included ex-Castilla youth teamers Alvaro Negredo (then at Sevilla) and Juanfran Torres (Atletico Madrid).

Del Bosque’s resistance to change hit Spain badly at the 2014 World Cup: Barca had the same seven players, while Madrid were down to three. Faith in old servants such as Casillas and Xavi was misplaced, as the holders exited dramatically in the group stages.

By Euro 2016, Barca’s contingent had dropped to five, with Marc Bartra in as a squad centre-back. But then Chelsea players Fabregas and Pedro, along with Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) and Nolito (Celta Vigo), kept the Blaugrana DNA quotient very high. Madrid had just two current players — Ramos and winger Lucas Vazquez. Bernabeu brought up Alvaro Morata, then at Juventus and the departed Casillas (Porto), were also involved.

Two years later the pendulum has firmly swung towards Madrid. Isco and Asensio have emerged as key members of Lopetegui’s revitalised side. Bernabeu youth product Dani Carvajal is a starter at right-back, versatile defender Nacho Fernandez an important squad member and Vazquez remains very much in the picture. Madrid skipper Ramos is now national captain too.

The latest squad for March’s friendlies with Germany and Argentina brought call-ups for three more players at Madrid as kids — Valencia’s Rodrigo Moreno and Dani Parejo, and Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso. There is also a decent chance that by the time the tournament begins this summer long-time Florentino Perez target David De Gea will have finally completed a move from Manchester United.

An injury to Busquets means there are only three Blaugrana players in the latest 23 — along with long-gone Thiago and Pepe Reina. Ex-La Masia Bellerin has been passed out at right-back by Real Sociedad’s Alvaro Odriozola, another reported Madrid target for the summer. Sergi Roberto is perhaps the only Barca player who can really feel aggrieved at recent selections.

Lopetegui has handled the changeover in influence very deftly, as befits a man who knows both sides of the Clasico divide very well without being closely identified with either. The Basque came through the youth ranks at the Bernabeu, but played only one senior game for Real. After then representing Las Palmas and Logrones, he joined Barcelona, playing just five La Liga games in three seasons at Camp Nou.

On retirement, Lopetegui coached Madrid’s Castilla youth team in 2008-09, when Marcos Alonso and Nacho were both just 18. In subsequent years in charge of Spain’s Under-19s and Under-20s he helped bring through many of today’s senior stars, plus others who have fallen away recently including current Stoke City forward Jese Rodriguez and Watford winger Gerard Deulofeu.

It now seems certain that for the first tournament in over a decade Madrid will provide more Spain players than Barca or any other club. As many as 10 of the final 23 could well have a Bernabeu background. Coaching changes have had an influence — with Blancos helmer Zinedine Zidane more of a football purist than current Barca boss Ernesto Valverde. It is also true that the Camp Nou board have recently spent more on big international stars, while Perez has been snapping up the best young local talent.

Whether all this is a positive or a negative for Spain is a moot point, as the national coach’s job is just to get the best players out on the pitch, regardless of their origins. But it still marks quite a change.

#Football

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megadarkbouquettidalwavethings · 6 years

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Transfer gossip: Who’s on the move in the January window?

It is that time of the year again, when the rumour mill starts to crank up.

Last year’s winter transfer window featured little activity from the top-six sides, and Premier League clubs as a whole spent a relatively modest £215m in January.

How will it pan out this time? Will top-flight clubs splash the cash?

Take part in our quiz on potential Premier League movers, have a look through the players who could be packing their bags from the EFL and across Europe, and test your knowledge on previous January windows.

From the Football League…

Across the continent…

The transfer windows in the major five leagues close at the same time, so there is a 23:00 GMT cut-off time on Wednesday, 31 January for clubs in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

DIEGO LOPEZ (Team: Espanyol; Position: Goalkeeper; Age: 36)

Linked with: Crystal Palace.

Best known for battling for the number one spot with Iker Casillas at Real Madrid, he was on the bench when they won the Champions League in 2014 and has been a substitute for Espanyol for much of the season. Has also played for Villarreal, Sevilla and AC Milan.

KEVIN TRAPP (Paris St-Germain; Goalkeeper; 27)

Trapp has two international caps for Germany

Linked with: Crystal Palace, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool.

PSG boss Unai Emery prefers Alphonse Areola, and Germany international Trapp is beginning to get frustrated by his lack of opportunities, particularly going into a World Cup year.

SIME VRSALJKO (Atletico Madrid; Right-back; 25)

Linked with: Manchester City, Liverpool, Napoli.

Croatia’s right-back is said to be unhappy at Atletico Madrid, despite signing a five-year deal when he joined in the summer of 2016. He has struggled for regular first-team football, with boss Diego Simeone continuing to prefer Juanfran.

DANIEL OPARE (Augsburg; Full-back; 27)

Linked with: West Ham, Stoke City, Everton, Swansea.

The Ghana international is able to play at right-back or left-back and is being watched by a number of Premier League clubs. He is out of contract at Augsburg in the summer and the German club may want to cash in.

LEON GORETZKA (Schalke; Midfielder; 22)

Linked with: Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona.

Part of Germany’s Confederations Cup-winning squad, Goretzka has been compared with former Manchester United player Paul Scholes. He is out of contract in the summer and keen to leave for a new challenge.

STEVEN NZONZI (Sevilla; Midfielder; 29)

N’Zonzi has played more than 200 games in English football – for Blackburn and Stoke

Linked with: Everton, Arsenal.

The former Stoke and Blackburn player was linked with a move back to the Premier League after he was said to have fallen out with Sevilla’s former coach Eduardo Berizzo, who was sacked on 22 December. His experience of English football could make him a valuable asset.

ARDA TURAN (Barcelona; Midfielder; 30)

Linked with: Arsenal, Trabzonspor.

The Turkey international has not played for Barcelona since Ernesto Valverde took over as head coach last summer. He has made it clear he wants to leave the Nou Camp in January.

JEAN MICHAEL SERI (Nice; Midfielder; 26)

Linked with: Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool.

The Ivory Coast international was a target for Barcelona last summer, but Nice turned down a substantial bid from the La Liga leaders. Nice have improved after a poor start to the season but, with their chances of qualifying for the Champions League looking slim, Seri may be tempted to move in the winter.

JAVIER PASTORE (Paris St-Germain; Attacking midfielder; 28)

Linked with: Liverpool, Sevilla, Inter Milan.

Another talented player not guaranteed a start at PSG, Pastore was once described as the best player in the world by Eric Cantona, who regularly says he wishes Pastore would sign for Manchester United. The Argentine will be hoping to be a key player at the World Cup.

GELSON MARTINS (Sporting Lisbon; Winger; 22)

Linked with: Liverpool.

Sporting notoriously drive a hard bargain, and Martins is said to have a high release clause, but his performances in the Portuguese Liga have been attracting rave reviews.

THOMAS LEMAR (Monaco; Winger/Attacking midfielder; 22)

Lemar almost joined Arsenal in the summer transfer window

Linked with: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool.

One of the stars of Monaco’s Ligue 1 title win last season, he is now a regular in the France squad and scored twice against the Netherlands in a friendly in November. Arsenal and Liverpool both tried to sign him during the last transfer window.

HATEM BEN ARFA (Paris St-Germain; Winger/Attacking midfielder; 30)

Linked with: Leicester City.

After a great season with Nice in 2015-2016, his move to PSG has not gone to plan. His career has gone stale under Emery, who seems to have no intention of giving him any first-team football. Ben Arfa’s manager at Nice was Claude Puel, and there has been speculation they could be reunited at the Leicester.

Vidic, Torres or Robinho…

Take our quiz below to test your knowledge of January transfers in years gone by…

The post Transfer gossip: Who’s on the move in the January window? appeared first on Breaking News Top News & Latest News Headlines | Reuters.

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