A figure largely unheralded in his native Brazil, Lille’s Michel Bastos has been producing performances on an almost weekly basis over the course of the last couple of years that have seen him gradually come into focus as one of Ligue 1’s most prominent stars.
His contribution to les Dogues last season can be understood simply by raw statistics: he top-scored for the Stade Lille-Metropole club by netting on 14 occasions, but he also led LOSC – and the entire league – in terms of assists, making nine decisive passes according to the strict official statistics of Le Championnat.
In all, he therefore contributed 23 key moments to Lille’s season, and he was not even used as an out-and-out striker. Deployed primarily on the left side of an attacking midfield trio, Bastos pushed forward impressively, using his searing pace effectively and cementing himself as a key facet of a strong LOSC side that lacked only the presence of a penalty-box striker and perhaps a top-class goalkeeper to really push them into the upper echelons of Le Championnat.
Bastos’ reward for his efforts over the course of the season were a nomination for the Player of the Year award, which would eventually be claimed by Girondins de Bordeaux’s Yoann Gourcuff, and a spot in the Team of the Year – well-deserved recognition for a real breakthrough year.
His eye for the spectacular has also earned him praise, with a ‘knuckleball’ free-kick style that has drawn comparisons to set-piece wizard Juninho. And Bastos has proven his ability to find the net from similarly outrageous distances as his veteran countryman - who has now, of course, departed Ligue 1. Indeed, the Pelotas-born star even out-shone Juninho in a clash between Lille and Olympique Lyonnais early in the season, scoring an outrageous 35-metre free-kick that deceived OL keeper Hugo Lloris with its power and movement.
Despite his fine performances in France, Bastos has failed to force his way into the Selecao as yet, with Ligue 1 flying under the radar of the Brazilian footballing public, who tend to demand that their star players from the so-called ‘greater’ leagues are used.
But national coach Carlos Dunga has cast his eye over the Lille man and is certainly keeping him closely in mind. “I know of him,” Dunga said, according to Ligue 1’s official website back in February. “He's very fast and he's got a very powerful shot. He just needs to be consistent in his performances to get the call. If he carries on playing this well he'll get his chance.”
International recognition is certainly a dream of the player, although he has hinted that it is not vital for him. “It’s a dream I’ve had since I was a child,” he told Le Parisien three months ago. “I may be able to reach it with my performance, but it will be very hard. When people see that [national team coach] Dunga has already talked about me, they wonder why I am not already known [in Brazil]. I am young and I will work to make it happen.”
Playing for Lille in a league that is “not watched in Brazil”, according to Bastos, will be a handicap to his international ambitions, although the player has asserted that he is happy to remain with les Dogues for the coming season, even signing a contract extension with them until 2012.
However, this has not stopped speculation surrounding his future, with some of the continent’s most impressive clubs having been linked with him over the past seven or eight months. Juventus and Bayern Munich were said to be pondering a bid in the spring, while perennial Premier League top ten clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa were reportedly quoted a price of €14 million for the player in July 2009.
A talent that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, Bastos is set to make a big impression on the European game in the coming few seasons.
Goal.com 50: Luis Fabiano (48)
at
6:53 PM
Luis Fabiano has become one of the hottest strikers in the world this summer, but this time last year he was barely making any headlines outside of Spain during the transfer window (he was only briefly tracked by then-Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster), despite scoring 34 goals in 44 games in all competitions - his best tally in since joining Sevilla in 2005.
But he didn’t quite care about the lack of attention, and if anything, he was happy to see his amazing goal scoring form rewarded by his Andalucian employers with a contract extension until 2011. He promptly repaid his club by earning his Spanish citizenship that same summer.
It was the perfect way to prepare for the launch of the 2008-09 season, but when the league campaign eventually got underway, he had one of his worst starts, scoring just three times in the first ten games.
Things didn’t improve much for him as the season wore on, and fans had to wait until the new year before they could see the real Luis Fabiano. His most impressive spell for the Rojiblancos was in January, when he scored four goals in three games (two in the Copa del Rey and one in the league) against Deportivo La Coruna. He emerged as the cup competition’s top scorer with seven goals from seven outings, but he couldn’t quite sustain that form and he finished the league term with only eight goals from 26 appearances - his second lowest tally at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
In the national team, however, 'O Fabuloso' was almost a completely different player, and by the end of the recently concluded FIFA Confederations Cup, he had become, alongside Spain’s David Villa, one of the most in-form marksmen at international level for the 2008-09 calendar, scoring 13 goals in 11 matches for the Selecao.
By taking home the Golden Boot as the top scorer for the Confederations Cup, he quickly became one of the most sought after strikers in the world, finally joining an elite group of footballers such as Villa, Samuel Eto’o, Sergio Aguero, Karim Benzema and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The difference in form between club and country comes as little surprise, though, considering the wealth of attacking firepower available with the national side, with whom he is constantly provided with ammunition from Robinho, Kaka, Elano and even Maicon and Dani Alves. One of his highlight performances for Brazil this campaign was the superb 6-2 win over Portugal in an international friendly back in mid-November, when he grabbed a hat-trick.
But at Sevilla, the team’s conservative approach deprived him of a chance to increase his scoring rate - Manolo Jimenez and his troops only managed to score 54 goals in the league, the fourth lowest amongst the top ten sides in the final standings.
He may not be the most flamboyant of forwards, and he certainly can’t match the likes of Adriano, Ronaldo or even Pato in terms of star power, but as a target man, he does exactly what he has to do.
And despite his minimal haul in the league last term, Luis Fabiano is still a remarkably reliable striker, who rarely goes on long stretches of poor form. That explains why two of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United and Milan - two sides who depend heavily on a consistent goal machine - are after his signature.
The former Sao Paulo hot-shot, who has a €30 million buy-out clause in his contract, has already hinted to his bosses at Sevilla that he is desperate for a move to a big club, and you can understand his desires. At 28-years-old, he is at the peak of his career and in the form of his life, especially after such a glittering Confederations Cup tournament. And he knows that time has come for him to take that step up to a bigger stage.
But he didn’t quite care about the lack of attention, and if anything, he was happy to see his amazing goal scoring form rewarded by his Andalucian employers with a contract extension until 2011. He promptly repaid his club by earning his Spanish citizenship that same summer.
It was the perfect way to prepare for the launch of the 2008-09 season, but when the league campaign eventually got underway, he had one of his worst starts, scoring just three times in the first ten games.
Things didn’t improve much for him as the season wore on, and fans had to wait until the new year before they could see the real Luis Fabiano. His most impressive spell for the Rojiblancos was in January, when he scored four goals in three games (two in the Copa del Rey and one in the league) against Deportivo La Coruna. He emerged as the cup competition’s top scorer with seven goals from seven outings, but he couldn’t quite sustain that form and he finished the league term with only eight goals from 26 appearances - his second lowest tally at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
In the national team, however, 'O Fabuloso' was almost a completely different player, and by the end of the recently concluded FIFA Confederations Cup, he had become, alongside Spain’s David Villa, one of the most in-form marksmen at international level for the 2008-09 calendar, scoring 13 goals in 11 matches for the Selecao.
By taking home the Golden Boot as the top scorer for the Confederations Cup, he quickly became one of the most sought after strikers in the world, finally joining an elite group of footballers such as Villa, Samuel Eto’o, Sergio Aguero, Karim Benzema and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The difference in form between club and country comes as little surprise, though, considering the wealth of attacking firepower available with the national side, with whom he is constantly provided with ammunition from Robinho, Kaka, Elano and even Maicon and Dani Alves. One of his highlight performances for Brazil this campaign was the superb 6-2 win over Portugal in an international friendly back in mid-November, when he grabbed a hat-trick.
But at Sevilla, the team’s conservative approach deprived him of a chance to increase his scoring rate - Manolo Jimenez and his troops only managed to score 54 goals in the league, the fourth lowest amongst the top ten sides in the final standings.
He may not be the most flamboyant of forwards, and he certainly can’t match the likes of Adriano, Ronaldo or even Pato in terms of star power, but as a target man, he does exactly what he has to do.
And despite his minimal haul in the league last term, Luis Fabiano is still a remarkably reliable striker, who rarely goes on long stretches of poor form. That explains why two of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United and Milan - two sides who depend heavily on a consistent goal machine - are after his signature.
The former Sao Paulo hot-shot, who has a €30 million buy-out clause in his contract, has already hinted to his bosses at Sevilla that he is desperate for a move to a big club, and you can understand his desires. At 28-years-old, he is at the peak of his career and in the form of his life, especially after such a glittering Confederations Cup tournament. And he knows that time has come for him to take that step up to a bigger stage.
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Goal.com 50: Marco Motta (49)
at
6:52 PM
Despite their stagnant approach to the transfer market this summer, Roma have moved to complete the signing of wing-back Marco Motta from Udinese in a co-ownership deal, and rightly so.
An anonymous figure at the Stadio Friuli until January, he found himself thrown in at the deep end in the Eternal City following Cicinho’s injury and passed the test with flying colours.
He debuted against Genoa at the Olimpico with all the confidence of a veteran and a couple of weeks later appeared totally immune from the collective stage fright afflicting his side when the Lupi travelled to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the Champions League.
In one of his forays behind enemy lines he almost netted a vital away goal, but Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia finger-tipped his rasping drive over the crossbar.
In the return leg at the Olimpico, the 23-year-old was immense, along with Norwegian John Arne Riise, and the pair kept Roma afloat after Juan’s injury further affected an already decimated side. Roma would ultimately lose out in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, though.
But the European experience stood him in good stead and he carried his fine form into the league, in which he was consistently the stand-out performer as Roma’s campaign gradually fizzled out.
However, his season could have ended on a higher note as an Azzurrini side boasting the likes of Sebastian Giovinco and Mario Balotelli flew to Sweden for the European Under-21 Championship.
Pierluigi Casiraghi’s men were among the favourites to win the competition, with Motta superbly marshalling the young guns throughout. However, a mixture of tactical errors and bad luck contributed to their demise, Italy ultimately paying the price for their profligacy in the semi-finals at the hands of the clinical Germans, who then went on to sweep aside England to be crowned champions.
Being recognised by UEFA as one of the ten players who made a lasting impression on the tournament was just a small consolation for the former Atalanta youngster, who had hoped to lift the first major trophy of his career after winning the Toulon tournament in 2008.
But time is on his side, and after drawing the curtain on his career with the Azzurrini, his steady progress cannot go unnoticed by Italy boss Marcello Lippi, who is still scratching his head over the dismal Confederations Cup expedition and has promised to bring some young blood into the Nazionale over the coming months.
We’ll see. But with Gianluca Zambrotta nearing the end of his illustrious career, he should look no further than Motta and Inter youth product Davide Santon for his back line if the Azzurri are to stand any chance of defending their title at next summer’s World Cup.
An anonymous figure at the Stadio Friuli until January, he found himself thrown in at the deep end in the Eternal City following Cicinho’s injury and passed the test with flying colours.
He debuted against Genoa at the Olimpico with all the confidence of a veteran and a couple of weeks later appeared totally immune from the collective stage fright afflicting his side when the Lupi travelled to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the Champions League.
In one of his forays behind enemy lines he almost netted a vital away goal, but Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia finger-tipped his rasping drive over the crossbar.
In the return leg at the Olimpico, the 23-year-old was immense, along with Norwegian John Arne Riise, and the pair kept Roma afloat after Juan’s injury further affected an already decimated side. Roma would ultimately lose out in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, though.
But the European experience stood him in good stead and he carried his fine form into the league, in which he was consistently the stand-out performer as Roma’s campaign gradually fizzled out.
However, his season could have ended on a higher note as an Azzurrini side boasting the likes of Sebastian Giovinco and Mario Balotelli flew to Sweden for the European Under-21 Championship.
Pierluigi Casiraghi’s men were among the favourites to win the competition, with Motta superbly marshalling the young guns throughout. However, a mixture of tactical errors and bad luck contributed to their demise, Italy ultimately paying the price for their profligacy in the semi-finals at the hands of the clinical Germans, who then went on to sweep aside England to be crowned champions.
Being recognised by UEFA as one of the ten players who made a lasting impression on the tournament was just a small consolation for the former Atalanta youngster, who had hoped to lift the first major trophy of his career after winning the Toulon tournament in 2008.
But time is on his side, and after drawing the curtain on his career with the Azzurrini, his steady progress cannot go unnoticed by Italy boss Marcello Lippi, who is still scratching his head over the dismal Confederations Cup expedition and has promised to bring some young blood into the Nazionale over the coming months.
We’ll see. But with Gianluca Zambrotta nearing the end of his illustrious career, he should look no further than Motta and Inter youth product Davide Santon for his back line if the Azzurri are to stand any chance of defending their title at next summer’s World Cup.
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Goal.com 50: Robinho (50)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
at
5:49 PM
Goal.com 50: Robinho (50)
We now count down our 50 best players of 2008-09, and at No. 50 is the British record signing, Man City's samba star, Robinho...
7 Jul 2009 09:00:00
This time last year, not a mortal soul on the planet would have imagined Robinho signing for Manchester City mere months later in time for the start of the new season.
He was the marquee signing of a new era at Eastlands, with the Citizens now officially being the world's richest club following a mammoth takeover from the Middle East that shook world football to its core.
Fresh from winning La Liga and the Super Copa with Real Madrid, Robinho left the Bernabeu a dejected figure after he had been propositioned all summer to be a pawn in the Merengues' ploy to land Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.
The Brazilian left under a cloud, demanding an exit, and though not getting his desired move to Chelsea, nevertheless grabbed the headlines for a whole other set of reasons.
The €42.5 million transfer fee paid by Man City, a British record, didn't intimidate the Brazilian even for a second, as he scored a superb free kick mere minutes into his debut, against none other than Chelsea. This, a man not in any way famed for his set-pieces. In City, he found a club where he could be the undisputed crown jewel and centre of all the team's attacking play.
His good form continued; he looked the club's classiest player, though not entirely consistent. He faced waves of criticism mid-way through the season for his failure to perform in away games, which contributed to the Citizens' dismal record on the road all season.
Despite his and others' endeavours in Europe, City were knocked out of the UEFA Cup, and their poor form, despite having spent the most money in Europe all season, even resulted in their failure to qualify for this coming season's Europa League. Robinho nevertheless finished as the side's top scorer with 14 goals, the fourth highest tally in the Premier League.
His sublime skill was, quite understandably, more prominent at international level. Over the course of the season, he continued to be Brazil coach Dunga's most consistently threatening and crowd-pleasing attacking player, scoring some sensational goals along the way, none more so than the scintillating strike against Italy at the Emirates in February, when his sensational skill gave Gianluca Zambrotta dizzy spells, before he slotted the ball past Gigi Buffon - with his weaker left foot, no less.
Scintillating | Robinho strikes as Brazil batter Italy
The 25-year-old took his good form to South Africa, and without truly excelling, nevertheless played his part in picking up his second Confederations Cup, and Brazil's third.
Yet, controversy continues to surround his current status within club football, as several critics claim he should not be playing for a club not in European competition. He has been linked with the likes of his original suitors Chelsea, as well as Real Madrid's bitter rivals Barcelona.
This is a player who, time and time again, has unreservedly declared his desire and determination to be the best player in the world. In 2007-08, starting with the Copa America - in which he was player of the tournament - he threatened to announce himself as one of the world's best.
And yet, though his goalscoring instinct and dynamism have been remarkable at City, his two honours from this season did not come with his current club and in this respect, he has been held back, illustrated by his ranking in our inaugural Goal.com 50, at 34, to his position 16 places lower this season.
But still, the free-roaming forward appears to be settled in and focused solely on Manchester City, determined to take the club and his own game to the next level in 2009-10, with domestic silverware and the Ballon d'Or no doubt already firmly in his sights.
We now count down our 50 best players of 2008-09, and at No. 50 is the British record signing, Man City's samba star, Robinho...
7 Jul 2009 09:00:00
This time last year, not a mortal soul on the planet would have imagined Robinho signing for Manchester City mere months later in time for the start of the new season.
He was the marquee signing of a new era at Eastlands, with the Citizens now officially being the world's richest club following a mammoth takeover from the Middle East that shook world football to its core.
Fresh from winning La Liga and the Super Copa with Real Madrid, Robinho left the Bernabeu a dejected figure after he had been propositioned all summer to be a pawn in the Merengues' ploy to land Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.
The Brazilian left under a cloud, demanding an exit, and though not getting his desired move to Chelsea, nevertheless grabbed the headlines for a whole other set of reasons.
The €42.5 million transfer fee paid by Man City, a British record, didn't intimidate the Brazilian even for a second, as he scored a superb free kick mere minutes into his debut, against none other than Chelsea. This, a man not in any way famed for his set-pieces. In City, he found a club where he could be the undisputed crown jewel and centre of all the team's attacking play.
His good form continued; he looked the club's classiest player, though not entirely consistent. He faced waves of criticism mid-way through the season for his failure to perform in away games, which contributed to the Citizens' dismal record on the road all season.
Despite his and others' endeavours in Europe, City were knocked out of the UEFA Cup, and their poor form, despite having spent the most money in Europe all season, even resulted in their failure to qualify for this coming season's Europa League. Robinho nevertheless finished as the side's top scorer with 14 goals, the fourth highest tally in the Premier League.
His sublime skill was, quite understandably, more prominent at international level. Over the course of the season, he continued to be Brazil coach Dunga's most consistently threatening and crowd-pleasing attacking player, scoring some sensational goals along the way, none more so than the scintillating strike against Italy at the Emirates in February, when his sensational skill gave Gianluca Zambrotta dizzy spells, before he slotted the ball past Gigi Buffon - with his weaker left foot, no less.
Scintillating | Robinho strikes as Brazil batter Italy
The 25-year-old took his good form to South Africa, and without truly excelling, nevertheless played his part in picking up his second Confederations Cup, and Brazil's third.
Yet, controversy continues to surround his current status within club football, as several critics claim he should not be playing for a club not in European competition. He has been linked with the likes of his original suitors Chelsea, as well as Real Madrid's bitter rivals Barcelona.
This is a player who, time and time again, has unreservedly declared his desire and determination to be the best player in the world. In 2007-08, starting with the Copa America - in which he was player of the tournament - he threatened to announce himself as one of the world's best.
And yet, though his goalscoring instinct and dynamism have been remarkable at City, his two honours from this season did not come with his current club and in this respect, he has been held back, illustrated by his ranking in our inaugural Goal.com 50, at 34, to his position 16 places lower this season.
But still, the free-roaming forward appears to be settled in and focused solely on Manchester City, determined to take the club and his own game to the next level in 2009-10, with domestic silverware and the Ballon d'Or no doubt already firmly in his sights.
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The Second Generation
Sunday, July 5, 2009
at
8:34 PM
The Second Generation Galactico’s started when Florentino Perez makes his return to Real Madrid as new President. The Real Madrid unveils its second era of Galactico’s. The first era was made of signings of Luis Figo , Zinadine Zidane, Ronaldo , David Beckham, Michael Owen and Later Robinho and of course Roberto Carlos, Raul and Cassillas (who are already signed in the before the Florentino Perez Era).(And Of course Arjen Robben is somewhat part of the late part of the first Generation)
The Real Madrid unveils the second era of Galactico’s by signing AC Milan’s and Brazilian Footballer Kaka by a transfer fee of 67.3 m. Karim Benzema of Lyon became a part of the second era of Galactico’s when a he signed for Real Madrid The main piece for the second era of Galactico’s is the signing of Manchester United’s star Cristiano Ronaldo the world footballer of the year and Ballon d'Or winner, breaking the record signed earlier by Kaka with the 91 m Transfer Fee. Other signing includes Raul Albiol of Valencia with 15 m transfer fee. Manuel Pellegrini will be the coach of the Second Era.
Real Madrid is trying to ink players like Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso , Chelsea’s defender Ashley Cole , Frank Ribery of Bayern Munich. Since the signing of Karim Benzama has been finalize the chances of signing David Villa and Fernando Torres will be turned down.
Karim Benzema will bring new striking options in Santiago Bernabeu along with “the Hunter” Jan Klass Huntelaar , Gonzalo Higuain , Raul. I don’t think that RVN(Ruud Van Nistelroy) will back with this season. Kaka will charge in the midfield while Cristiano Ronaldo will be the counter part of Arjen Robben in the Wings.
With this signing Real Madrid lost Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro, but with new defensive scheme with Raul Albiol in the back to help Sergio Ramos and Pepe.
Even though Kaka , CRx(Cristiano Ronaldo, with still known jersey to worn) , Robben , Raul, and RVN has the same linking functions , it is shown that Real’s interest of putting RVN , Raul or even Jan Klass Huntelaar in the first squad will be at hold.
In CRx , Kaka and Robben issue , I remember Brazil fielding Robinho , Ronaldhino and Kaka at the same time , that combination never work for brazil because they have same linking function’s as they said. But the three ( Robben ,at the left wing , Kaka at the Center , and CRx at the right) will bring new attacking options for the Madrilista’s.
Some Article I read was two many stars bring failure this happened to Barcelona not once but twice when they have Eto’o , Ronaldhino , Messi , Henry and Bojan. We should never forget that how the first era of Galactico’s played , when they have Raul , Ronaldo, Zidane , Beckham , Figo and later Robinho , its classic isn’t it?
Forgotten Stars in the Roster , with the star studded squad we might forgot about Wesley Sneijder , Lass Diarra , Gago , Royston Drenthe was still on the rooster to provide more midfield holdings , others are still injured such as M. Diarra , Ruben de la Red.
Although Real Madrid is fine football club , some of the players who did well on their previous squad seems to shrink on Santiago Bernabeu like Michael Owen, Javier Saviola and Jan Klass Hunterlaar, but the Jan Klass Hunterlaar will have time to prove himself to be a Madrilista , if the AC Milan could not ink him.
Javier Saviola has seen scoring goals in Barca but with Madrid signing seems to be a back up striker only to RVN. Other is Jan Klass Hunterlaar who is main piece of Ajax in the Dutch League seems to have a culture shock in Madrid.
I hope the shrinking stars in Madrid should not happened to the second Generation , in the first generation only Michael Owen didn’t do well ( but Owen will try to rejuvenate his career on the Old Trafford with Manchester United trying to pair him with England team Watne Rooney).
Real Madrid is still on Spending spree in the transfer market. Florentino Perez said they have two more signings to go. Maybe a Midfielder and Defender.
The Real Madrid unveils the second era of Galactico’s by signing AC Milan’s and Brazilian Footballer Kaka by a transfer fee of 67.3 m. Karim Benzema of Lyon became a part of the second era of Galactico’s when a he signed for Real Madrid The main piece for the second era of Galactico’s is the signing of Manchester United’s star Cristiano Ronaldo the world footballer of the year and Ballon d'Or winner, breaking the record signed earlier by Kaka with the 91 m Transfer Fee. Other signing includes Raul Albiol of Valencia with 15 m transfer fee. Manuel Pellegrini will be the coach of the Second Era.
Real Madrid is trying to ink players like Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso , Chelsea’s defender Ashley Cole , Frank Ribery of Bayern Munich. Since the signing of Karim Benzama has been finalize the chances of signing David Villa and Fernando Torres will be turned down.
Karim Benzema will bring new striking options in Santiago Bernabeu along with “the Hunter” Jan Klass Huntelaar , Gonzalo Higuain , Raul. I don’t think that RVN(Ruud Van Nistelroy) will back with this season. Kaka will charge in the midfield while Cristiano Ronaldo will be the counter part of Arjen Robben in the Wings.
With this signing Real Madrid lost Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro, but with new defensive scheme with Raul Albiol in the back to help Sergio Ramos and Pepe.
Even though Kaka , CRx(Cristiano Ronaldo, with still known jersey to worn) , Robben , Raul, and RVN has the same linking functions , it is shown that Real’s interest of putting RVN , Raul or even Jan Klass Huntelaar in the first squad will be at hold.
In CRx , Kaka and Robben issue , I remember Brazil fielding Robinho , Ronaldhino and Kaka at the same time , that combination never work for brazil because they have same linking function’s as they said. But the three ( Robben ,at the left wing , Kaka at the Center , and CRx at the right) will bring new attacking options for the Madrilista’s.
Some Article I read was two many stars bring failure this happened to Barcelona not once but twice when they have Eto’o , Ronaldhino , Messi , Henry and Bojan. We should never forget that how the first era of Galactico’s played , when they have Raul , Ronaldo, Zidane , Beckham , Figo and later Robinho , its classic isn’t it?
Forgotten Stars in the Roster , with the star studded squad we might forgot about Wesley Sneijder , Lass Diarra , Gago , Royston Drenthe was still on the rooster to provide more midfield holdings , others are still injured such as M. Diarra , Ruben de la Red.
Although Real Madrid is fine football club , some of the players who did well on their previous squad seems to shrink on Santiago Bernabeu like Michael Owen, Javier Saviola and Jan Klass Hunterlaar, but the Jan Klass Hunterlaar will have time to prove himself to be a Madrilista , if the AC Milan could not ink him.
Javier Saviola has seen scoring goals in Barca but with Madrid signing seems to be a back up striker only to RVN. Other is Jan Klass Hunterlaar who is main piece of Ajax in the Dutch League seems to have a culture shock in Madrid.
I hope the shrinking stars in Madrid should not happened to the second Generation , in the first generation only Michael Owen didn’t do well ( but Owen will try to rejuvenate his career on the Old Trafford with Manchester United trying to pair him with England team Watne Rooney).
Real Madrid is still on Spending spree in the transfer market. Florentino Perez said they have two more signings to go. Maybe a Midfielder and Defender.
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Top 10 Most Expensive Football Transfers
Thursday, July 2, 2009
at
11:20 PM
We’re less than a month into the summer 2009 transfer window, and we’ve already seen the world’s transfer record shattered not once, but twice.
After archrivals Barcelona grabbed headlines this past season on the way to completing a La Liga/Champions League/Copa del Rey treble, Real Madrid needed to make a big splash this summer, and they’ve done that and then some by signing the last two men crowned World Player of the Year.
Earlier this month, Real landed Kaka from AC Milan in a £56m deal, breaking the record that they’d held since 2001, when they signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for what now seems like a paltry £45.62m. While the previous record last nearly eight years, that one stood for only a few weeks, as Real blew it out of the water when they completed the long-awaited and highly-anticipated signing of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo for a whopping £80m.
Before this summer, Real held the top two spots in the list of the world’s most expensive transfers, and now they hold the top four spots for most expensive purchases.
Top 10 Overall Transfers
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United to Real Madrid - £80m (2009)
2. Kaka: AC Milan to Real Madrid - £56m (2009)
3. Zinedine Zidane: Juventus to Real Madrid - £45.62m (2001)
4. Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid - £37m (2000)
5. Hernan Crespo: Parma to Lazio - £35.5m (2000)
6. Gianluigi Buffon: Parma to Juventus - £32.6m (2001)
7. Robinho: Real Madrid to Manchester City - £32.5m (2008)
8. Christian Vieri: Lazio to Inter - £32m (1999)
9. Dimitar Berbatov: Tottenham to Manchester United - £30.75m (2008)
10. Andriy Shevchenko: AC Milan to Chelsea - £30m (2006)
Bumped from the top 10: Rio Ferdinand (Leeds to Manchester United - £29.1m in 2002), Gaizka Mendieta (Valencia to Lazio - £29m in 2001)
Ronaldo’s move from United to Real is certainly the most expensive transfer out of the Premier League, but as of now, the record for most expensive transfer into the Premier League remains the same, with Manchester City topping the charts with their £32.5m purchase of Robinho on deadline day last summer.
Top 10 Premier League Transfers
1. Robinho
2. Berbatov
3. Shevchenko
4. Rio Ferdinand: Leeds to Manchester United - £29.1m (2002)
5. Juan Sebastian Veron: Lazio to Manchester United - £28.1m (2001)
6. Michael Essien: Lyon to Chelsea - £24.43m (2005)
7. Didier Drogba: Marseille to Chelsea - £24m (2004)
8. Wayne Rooney: Everton to Manchester United - £23m initially (2004)
9. Shaun Wright-Phillips: Manchester City to Chelsea - £21m (2005)
10. Fernando Torres: Atletico Madrid to Liverpool - £20m (2007)
It’d be safe to assume that Ronaldo’s record won’t be broken for a while, but how much longer will the Premier League record last? Manchester United are in the market for a new forward, and whether they land David Villa, Karim Benzema, or Sergio Aguero, a purchase of any one of that trio will more than likely knock City’s Robinho move from top spot.
However, they aren’t the only ones who could be spending big this summer, and with two months to go before the window closes, don’t bank on these lists looking the same as they do now.
After archrivals Barcelona grabbed headlines this past season on the way to completing a La Liga/Champions League/Copa del Rey treble, Real Madrid needed to make a big splash this summer, and they’ve done that and then some by signing the last two men crowned World Player of the Year.
Earlier this month, Real landed Kaka from AC Milan in a £56m deal, breaking the record that they’d held since 2001, when they signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for what now seems like a paltry £45.62m. While the previous record last nearly eight years, that one stood for only a few weeks, as Real blew it out of the water when they completed the long-awaited and highly-anticipated signing of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo for a whopping £80m.
Before this summer, Real held the top two spots in the list of the world’s most expensive transfers, and now they hold the top four spots for most expensive purchases.
Top 10 Overall Transfers
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United to Real Madrid - £80m (2009)
2. Kaka: AC Milan to Real Madrid - £56m (2009)
3. Zinedine Zidane: Juventus to Real Madrid - £45.62m (2001)
4. Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid - £37m (2000)
5. Hernan Crespo: Parma to Lazio - £35.5m (2000)
6. Gianluigi Buffon: Parma to Juventus - £32.6m (2001)
7. Robinho: Real Madrid to Manchester City - £32.5m (2008)
8. Christian Vieri: Lazio to Inter - £32m (1999)
9. Dimitar Berbatov: Tottenham to Manchester United - £30.75m (2008)
10. Andriy Shevchenko: AC Milan to Chelsea - £30m (2006)
Bumped from the top 10: Rio Ferdinand (Leeds to Manchester United - £29.1m in 2002), Gaizka Mendieta (Valencia to Lazio - £29m in 2001)
Ronaldo’s move from United to Real is certainly the most expensive transfer out of the Premier League, but as of now, the record for most expensive transfer into the Premier League remains the same, with Manchester City topping the charts with their £32.5m purchase of Robinho on deadline day last summer.
Top 10 Premier League Transfers
1. Robinho
2. Berbatov
3. Shevchenko
4. Rio Ferdinand: Leeds to Manchester United - £29.1m (2002)
5. Juan Sebastian Veron: Lazio to Manchester United - £28.1m (2001)
6. Michael Essien: Lyon to Chelsea - £24.43m (2005)
7. Didier Drogba: Marseille to Chelsea - £24m (2004)
8. Wayne Rooney: Everton to Manchester United - £23m initially (2004)
9. Shaun Wright-Phillips: Manchester City to Chelsea - £21m (2005)
10. Fernando Torres: Atletico Madrid to Liverpool - £20m (2007)
It’d be safe to assume that Ronaldo’s record won’t be broken for a while, but how much longer will the Premier League record last? Manchester United are in the market for a new forward, and whether they land David Villa, Karim Benzema, or Sergio Aguero, a purchase of any one of that trio will more than likely knock City’s Robinho move from top spot.
However, they aren’t the only ones who could be spending big this summer, and with two months to go before the window closes, don’t bank on these lists looking the same as they do now.
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Real Madrid : The Second Galácticos
at
11:10 PM
The 2008–09 season saw Real eclipsed by rivals FC Barcelona, who completed The Treble including beating Real to win La Liga by a wide margin of 9 points. Real were humbled in the Champions League 1st knockout round by English club Liverpool FC - 2nd placed finishers in the Premier League the season before suffering a 1–0 loss at the Bernabeu and a 4–0 drubbing at Anfield. The defeat marked a 5th succesive season of early Champions League exits, with Real not making the quarter-finals since 2004. The team was widely derided in the press. Manager Bernd Schuster was sacked midway through the 2008–09 season, with the team perceptably in decline - a decline that continued under replacement Juande Ramos.
In addition, Real president Ramón Calderón resigned in January 2009 after corruption allegations, and having failed to secure notable transfer targets for the club.
The resignation of Calderón resulted in a presidential election in mid-2009, returning Florentino Perez to the presidency. Perez again pledged to go on a spending spree to return the club to European and domestic competitiveness, notably with his vocal claims of an attempt to sign A.C. Milan's Kaká. Just 24 hours after his appointment, Manuel Pellegrini was unveiled as Juande Ramos's replacement as manager. After much speculation linking him to the club, Kaka was duly signed for a world record fee of £57m on 9 June 2009.On 11 June, Manchester United revealed they had accepted a shock offer of £80m - a new world transfer record - for Cristiano Ronaldo. United gave Real until June 30 to complete the deal. On 26 June Real Madrid and Manchester United signed the final agreement for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, which became effective on July 1. That same day it was confirmed that Lyon had accepted an offer from Madrid for Karim Benzema.
Real is bidding for other players
In addition, Real president Ramón Calderón resigned in January 2009 after corruption allegations, and having failed to secure notable transfer targets for the club.
The resignation of Calderón resulted in a presidential election in mid-2009, returning Florentino Perez to the presidency. Perez again pledged to go on a spending spree to return the club to European and domestic competitiveness, notably with his vocal claims of an attempt to sign A.C. Milan's Kaká. Just 24 hours after his appointment, Manuel Pellegrini was unveiled as Juande Ramos's replacement as manager. After much speculation linking him to the club, Kaka was duly signed for a world record fee of £57m on 9 June 2009.On 11 June, Manchester United revealed they had accepted a shock offer of £80m - a new world transfer record - for Cristiano Ronaldo. United gave Real until June 30 to complete the deal. On 26 June Real Madrid and Manchester United signed the final agreement for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, which became effective on July 1. That same day it was confirmed that Lyon had accepted an offer from Madrid for Karim Benzema.
Real is bidding for other players
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