Kaka: Argentina Aren't Doing Too Well

Thinking ahead to the decisive World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina in early September, Kaka only had harsh words for Los Albicelestes.

"Argentina aren't too well, while Brazil, with a victory, will qualify for the World Cup," said Kaka.

In the weeks leading up to the highly anticipated clash between the South American rivals in Rosario, Argentina, several players have had their say on the form of their respective team and that of their rivals.

Kaka's national team teammates Robinho, of Manchester City, affirmed that if Brazil manage to play good football during the game they will moved closer towards another World Cup appearance.

"We need to play well against Argentina, we need to claim a victory and pick up the three points."

In recent weeks Diego Maradona, the coach of Argentina, explained that because his side will face Brazil it will definitely be a "complicated" match, but that his squad will play their "hearts out" in order to win the match.

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Sebastiano Rossi: Milan Are Taking Right Steps To A Winning Cycle

 

After selling Kaká and making no major new signings, things are not looking too bright for Milan ahead of the new season, and many fans have already voiced their disappointment.
However, former Rossoneri goalkeeper Sebastiano Rossi, still the record holder in Serie A for the longest unbeaten run with 929 minutes, thinks that the club are taking the right steps to build another winning cycle.
"I've heard many complaints from fans, but I tell them: my friends, Milan are following the right road to build a new cycle within a few years," he said to Il Giornale.
"You have endure some suffering and use a fundamental virtue, patience, to find yourself a winning team again. After building the team's spine, you can insert world-class players one at a time.
"All the great teams have this characteristic to endure in time and not be a fluke team. I'm not just referring to Barcelona or Manchester United. I also remember how Fabio Capello's Invincible Milan team was born, and [Marcello] Lippi's Juventus."
On Ronaldinho, who will probably be given more responsibility now with Kaká's departure, Rossi said: "I want to make a prediction, I like taking risks: I think they will do well, I saw it from the first few tests of this pre-season, he has the right desire.
"I think Milan will start slowly, they will have some problems but in the end they'll be fine. You'll see that in the end they won't disappoint: I know the Milanello people well."
Rossi was at Milan between 1990 and 2002, winning three Scudetti, and one Champions League among other trophies, and establishing his unbeaten record in the 1993/1994 season.


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Wayne Rooney determined to fill Ronaldo's boots as well as his own

 

The load on Wayne Rooney's shoulders can be judged by a comment from Carlos Tevez just before the Carling Cup final. The Argentinian described the combination of himself, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney as "the best forward line in the world". Suddenly, a few months on, there is just the boy from Croxteth left.

Since their season ended in the bitter anticlimax of the European Cup final Manchester United have lost two footballers worth more than £100m who last season provided 41 goals. The challenge of filling the void looms before Rooney but it is not one he was ever likely to shirk.
In United's first game since the departures of Ronaldo and Tevez, played in heat and humidity that Sir Alex Ferguson half-jokingly suggested required medical attention just to watch, Rooney drove into the fray, scoring the first goal in a 3-2 win over Malaysia and setting up Nani for United's second. When with England, Rooney has confessed to disliking friendlies, missing the intensity of a fixture where goals translate into points. However, with 85,000 in the Bukit Jalil stadium which erupted even when he clipped the ball into an unguarded net in the warm-up, Rooney could not be accused of failing to give value for money.
Afterwards he accepted that the season ahead, which may just end in a World Cup final in Johannesburg on 11 July, would be a draining one. "With Cristiano gone, it leaves a huge hole when it comes to goals," he said. "We all need to score more, especially me and Dimitar Berbatov, than we did last year.
"We don't feel let down by Cristiano. I have spoken to him since he left. He was a great player for Manchester United but it was his wish to go and I think the club have respected that. We always knew he was going to go sometime. For the club and for himself it was a good deal and the six years we got out of him were brilliant."
Despite the part Ronaldo may have played in Rooney's dismissal in the World Cup, the two were close, bound by an unfettered love of the game. Before kick-off at Old Trafford they would invariably be juggling a football in the dressing-room. He got on well with Tevez, who remarked that playing alongside Rooney was "an absolute joy" and delighted in teaching him Spanish swear-words. Rooney is more reticent about Tevez's departure: "He was a great lad and it was a shame that it [his contract] never got sorted out. I am sure a lot of people will have a lot to say about him joining Manchester City but I don't want to say too much."
Last summer, as the club toured South Africa, Ferguson confessed to having misused Rooney. The United manager admitted he had fallen victim to the temptation of allowing Rooney to play all over the pitch, sometimes because he always craves the ball, sometimes to do a specific job for Manchester United.
Ferguson promised Rooney he would play as an-out-and-out centre-forward, which did not always happen. Even in the European Cup final he was isolated on the left flank, with Ronaldo operating as a centre-forward. This time he will almost demand to go through the middle.
"We haven't spoken about it but I am sure that is where I will play," Rooney said. "Everyone knows it is my best position and, hopefully, that is where I will be. It is less work, you get more chances and, as a forward, that is what you want." Certainly Rooney has developed his close-range work – the goal he scored against Malaysia was a tap-in, an aspect he scarcely bothered with at Everton. Michael Owen's winner, which ensured the match ended with images of United's most unexpected summer signing on the Bukit Jalil's giant screens, was similar.
Owen remarked before kick-off that, if Rooney could improve his game by "five per cent" and if he could cast off the chains of despair that dragged him down at Newcastle, the gap left by Ronaldo and Tevez could be filled. Certainly Owen seems a more natural partner for Rooney than Tevez and until Owen broke his foot in December 2005 they were England's first-choice strike force. "We are delighted to get him," said Rooney. "He is a great goal-scorer, a good finisher and we are all sure he will bring us some goals. I think the move will give him a new lease of life. Over the last couple of years he has had some criticism but, to be honest, it would have been difficult for anyone to have scored in that Newcastle side."


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Ronaldinho promises to fill Milan's Kaka gap

 

Ronaldinho has vowed to lessen the impact of Kaka's departure by having a "great season" for AC Milan.
The Brazilian playmaker was responding to quotes from owner Silvio Berlusconi over the weekend that called him a "great champion".
Many fans were dismayed at Kaka's high-profile departure but Ronaldinho is vowing to step up his efforts for the Rossoneri and help mount a serious challenge for the Scudetto.
After Milan's comfortable pre-season victory over local side Varese he said: "I want to have a great season and dedicate my efforts to the president.
"I also want to guarantee the fans that I have the right mentality to become a great champion once again."
Ronaldinho had an indifferent campaign last year, making just 16 starts and suffering a slump in form after the Christmas period.
As the club rebuild after coach Carlo Ancelotti's departure, Ronaldinho has also urged the club to sign Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano.
He said: "It would be a great addition, he is a great player and we could form a wonderful trio along with [Alexandre] Pato."


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Kaka: Ronaldo, Beckham, Carlos Told Me Nice Things About Madrid

While the rest of the world had their eyes on the Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid’s Monday night coronation of Cristiano Ronaldo, the club’s other galactic star, Kaka was quietly enjoying a party of his own back in Sao Paulo.

Los Blancos’ new No. 8 returned to Brazil for a short holiday after a successful Confederations Cup campaign to celebrate his son, Luca’s first birthday (even though he was born on June 10) and among 
the guests at the party was Elano, Robinho, Ronaldo and F1 driver, Felipe Massa.

During the celebrations, Kaka admitted that he wants to disconnect himself from football for the time being and focus on family. 

“At the moment, my priority is Luca. A lot of people here say to me that I am not Kaka, but the father of Luca,” he told Brazilian TV program, ‘Esporte Espectacular’.

“What I want is for him to grow up well, be happy and be comfortable in Madrid,” he continued.
The playmaker then went on to touch briefly on why he signed for Los Blancos.

“I contacted other Brazilians who have played for Madrid, especially those who were in the national team such as Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos. I even got in touch with [David] Beckham and they all have only nice things to say about Madrid,” he revealed.

“I chose Madrid because of the glamor of the club, because of the fascination people have with them, because of the stadium, the fans, things that you can’t find at any other club in the world.”

Finally, Kaka was asked if his €67 million transfer fee will put any unwanted burden on him.

“At the end of the day, each transfer will involve millions of euros but it is the players who have the least to win,” he replied.

“This is football, an industry where millions of dollars revolve around this spectacle.
“For me, I do not regret anything. Instead, I thank the Milan fans for all the support they’ve provided me all these years but now, I only think about my future with Real Madrid.”
 
Kaka will remain in Brazil to attend the wedding of Alexandre Pato, before returning to the Spanish capital to begin preseason training on July 27 with the rest of the squad.

Kaka surprised by speed of Real's move for Ronaldo

Kaka was surprised Real Madrid swooped for Cristiano Ronaldo so soon after his own move to the Bernabeu was announced.

The Brazilian completed his switch from AC Milan for a fee of around £56m last Monday.
Only three days later, Manchester United confirmed they had accepted a bid of £80m for Ronaldo from Madrid, although the Portugal international has not completed the move.

''I was quite surprised because everything was sorted so quickly,'' Kaka told Globo TV on Monday. ''It was pleasant surprise, not a bad one. He is an excellent player who can bring a lot to the team.
''To have players who can decide a match on their own is very important and Cristiano can do that.''
Asssuming Ronaldo's deal is completed, the double capture of the Portuguese and Kaka represents a stunning raid to land perhaps the best two players in world football.

The amount of money being spent by Madrid under president Florentino Perez, who returned this summer for a second spell in charge, has come in for strong criticism, but Kaka defended the architect of the 'Galacticos' policy.

''It is a political problem,'' Kaka said. ''Florentino has his project, his way to invest. It is not something negative for football, but positive.

''The Barcelona president (Joan Laporta) has criticised us, but they are very strong. The way Real can be a competitive team again is to have an ambitious project like Florentino's.''

David Beckham commitment under fire

The great experiment in question involved adding one part soccer superstar, David Beckham, to a diluted North American market, hoping that a massive positive chemical reaction might take place.
Well, we're still waiting, even if there have been a series of minor explosions along the way. All eyes are back on Beckham as he returns, finally, to the Los Angeles Galaxy roster July 16 for a game against the New York Red Bulls. He's back from an extended stay in Europe, where he fled in search of better competition.

Certainly, Major League Soccer wants him back. He sells tickets and merchandise and gives the league a cachet it might otherwise lack. But he also has left even his teammates wondering if Beckham still believes in the mission.

L.A. striker Landon Donovan is highly critical of Beckham in this long-awaited book by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl. Donovan says Beckham is guilty of a lack of commitment and suggests he deserves to be benched if his attitude has not changed.

Wahl writes of the Galaxy's trip to Toronto in August 2007 as being the first time his teammates experienced the VIP treatment accorded Beckham wherever he goes. At the Ultra Supper Club, "you would have thought you'd stepped into a time warp back to 1977, to the days when the New York Cosmos of Pele and Giorgio Chinaglia partied with Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger and the gang at Studio 54 in Manhattan. For the Galaxy players, that night in the Supper Club – the hottest nightclub in downtown Toronto – was the first time they felt like a SuperClub."
Those were the days.

Milan Don't Need To Buy Any Players – Silvio Berlusconi

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi will anger his own fans with the statement he is in no hurry to sign any new players.

The Rossoneri have been linked to various players this summer, but no major signings have been made as pre-season training starts today.

“We have chosen to look forward, aiming on the renewal,” explained the club’s president to the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“However, our squad remains formidable and therefore I foresee a good season. The fans need to remain calm: it will not be a defeatist mentality for Milan.

“We have great champions like Pato, Ronaldinho and [Andrea] Pirlo, and many young promising players.

“No one in Italy, from the technical point of view, has a squad as strong as ours, not even Inter.

“The objectives? Milan, as always, starts off to win everything, even though there are years which are more lucky or less lucky.

“Reinforcements? The problem is not the names. If on the market some doors open up, someone can arrive, otherwise we’re fine like this. We must not buy at all cost.”

The fans have voiced their disappointment over Milan's transfer efforts through the low sales of season tickets, with reports from Italy stating that the Rossoneri have sold under 1,000 tickets, whereas their rivals Inter have sold over 24,000 so far.


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