Gerrard backs Owen return

Steven Gerrard believes former Liverpool team-mate and close friend Michael Owen still has a future with England.

Owen has again been overlooked by Fabio Capello for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers with Kazakhstan and Andorra raising further doubts about his England ambitions.

The Newcastle striker has missed all of England's World Cup qualifying campaign after an injury-hit spell on Tyneside, but Gerrard has backed Owen to win his place back in Capello's plans.

"I'm a big fan of Michael Owen, a good friend of his," said Gerrard. "I'd love to see him get a move from Newcastle to a big club and get his England career back on track.

"I do believe he can play for England again. He has suffered a lot with injuries for the past couple of years but I believe a fit Michael Owen has got the ability to be involved in the squad.
"I'm sure he will be desperate to get back playing football again, staying fit and scoring goals. That is what he loves doing."

Target

Meanwhile, Gerrard believes England need to match Spain if they are to have any chance of winning the World Cup next summer.

Gerrard has installed Euro 2008 winners Spain as favourites for the 2010 World Cup, but the Liverpool midfielder has been encouraged by the progress made by England under Capello.

Gerrard said: "How far are England off the likes of Spain? It is difficult to say how far but it is certainly clear Spain are the benchmark for this team.

"Spain have got to be massive favourites for South Africa, the way they have been playing of late, and how well they played against us.

"I think it was a good thing we played them to get an idea of how good they are so we know how much we need to improve from now to South Africa."

Winning mentality

Gerrard added: "I think that winning mentality has transferred itself to the team - but let's not get carried away."There is still a long way to go, a lot of improvement for this team to do before we can win a World Cup.

"But I'm certainly confident we can go better than what we have produced before. I think we are progressing well, getting stronger, becoming more of a team.

"We've been guilty of playing like individuals in the past but I think the manager is focusing a lot on the team.
"We've got the right mentality at the moment and we need to keep winning because it breeds confidence."


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Rooney Is A Genuine World Class Player

Emile Heskey once again stated which, to most United fans at least, is blindingly obvious: that Wayne Rooney is a world class player. The United striker scored a stunningly brilliant goal for England at Kazakhstan and was excelling in the free role behind Heskey throughout the game. His strike partner was very impressed with him.

'Wayne is a great player and has shown it for both United and England on many occasions,' he said.

'It's working well and hopefully we can continue to link-up well.

'Wayne is a great player and is up there with the best in the world. He is playing in positions he has never played in and is doing a great job.'

And it's clear that his best position is still behind the main striker. It's a pity that so often at United he's always shunted wide or stuck up front alone to accomodate others. Imagine Rooney playing just behind Cristiano Ronaldo with two hard-working, pacy, skilled wingers... oh, mouthwatering.


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Liverpool: potential transfer list

 

Liverpool came close to finally reclaiming the league title after a 19 year wait this season, and had it not been for injuries to Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, they might have done it.

Rafael Benitez appears to have finally put together a team that can lead a genuine assault on the Premier League, but the Spaniard will still be eager to bring in a couple of new faces.


Although after Liverpool's holding company revealed losses of £43m this week, Benitez may be forced to sell before he can buy.

From the apparently likely to the long shots, we've sifted through the rumour pages to bring you the potential transfer list of Liverpool.


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Perez: Ronaldo is the new Beckham

Cristiano Ronaldo is the new David Beckham, according to Real Madrid’s president-in-waiting Florentino Perez.

Former Real president Perez is expected to be installed as the club’s kingpin once more this summer and will set about righting what he perceives as the wrongs of the three and a bit years since he was last in charge of the club.

Perez’s successor Ramon Calderon tried unsuccessfully to bring Ronaldo to the Spanish capital, but the latter's attempts were too little, too late, according to Perez, who believes the Portuguese should have been signed immediately after the departure of Beckham in order to maintain his team's quota of marketable commodities or 'Galacticos'.

“Madrid should have brought Cristiano Ronaldo as Beckham’s replacement two years ago,” Perez told the Sunday Times.

“There are specific footballers who can turn out to be very profitable, because of the commercial benefits they bring the club.

“For instance, we once brought in €15m for playing two matches in Japan. That would not happen in the current climate but they did it then because we had Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo and Beckham.
Perez added: "If Cristiano Ronaldo comes in, we would have a Nike-endorsed player putting on an adidas shirt every week,”

“In the previous time, we established a model which allowed us to pay off our debts and raise our income, and we did it by investing in great players.

“They brought money in, the model worked.”


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Brazil: Pele, Ronaldinho, Samba

"So how is your Spanish?" ask my friends in India when I talk to them from my current location

"Why Spanish?"

"Aren't you now in Latin America, in Brazil, the land of football, Samba, and beauty queens?"

"Indeed, I am. But it is Portuguese here and not Spanish and to answer your question my language is still pretty bad," I answer.

Their ignorance is understandable. This land is so far, so remote in one's imagination, that to believe that all of Latin America speaks Spanish; that to Samba is the same as to tango is natural though not true.

At my Brazilian end too, I get questions. "What is common and what is starkly different between Brazil and India?" ask some Brazilian journalists to me, a new Indian ambassador. Our two countries today are in several common groupings with fancy acronyms which bring emerging countries together -- IBSA, BRIC, G-20 and so on and hence curiosity about India has been rising.

"Well, the commonalities are several," I start and enumerate the obvious: "We are both big countries: Brazil is actually two-and-a-half terms the size of India, but India is a big country too; both have large populations -- Brazil is one fifth of India, but two hundred million is not a small population; both are vibrant democracies; possess great diversity -- Brazil has large numbers of people of Japanese and Lebanese origin apart from millions with European, African and native Indian descent making it a happily assimilative melting pot for the last 300 years; have capabilities in industry and in S&T..."

Even as I go on listing all this, my questioners from the media become impatient. "What are the differences then?"

Again I start with the obvious. "We speak English, Hindi and many other languages; but you are nearly mono-lingual in Portuguese; you excel at football and we are passionate about cricket; your cuisine is varied no doubt but tends to be bland at least to me and ours is also diverse and exotic, but spicy to most Brazilians."

When I am saying all this, my mind is wandering and wondering about how our different pasts, specialty the colonial past have influenced our present.

The story of European colonisation starts with Portugal, a small country compared to England [ Images ], France [ Images ] or Spain, but which had many adventurous seafarers. Their first voyages occurred at the same time with landings in both India and Brazil. If Vasco de Gama landed at Calicut in 1498, Cabral the sailor who 'discovered' Brazil landed in the northeast coast of Brazil in 1500, again in a search for a route to India.

As we know, Columbus was trying to reach India and in the process 'discovered' America; Cabral with a similar intention landed at the coast of another country in another continent to the South that came to be named Brazil.

What lay at the other end of these voyages was however very different. India already had hundreds of millions of people, an ancient civilisation and a long history of political organisation and administration. The Portuguese and later the British were in a long line of foreigners landing on our shores.
In contrast, the huge area of Brazil was much less inhabited, some estimates put the figure of indigenous people at one million, had nearly empty vast interior spaces and the Tupis -- the native inhabitants were readily welcoming the European 'guests' according to accounts of that period, a bit different from the Zamorin of Kozhikode.

Each colonial history is different: The British, the French, the Spanish or the Portuguese brought their own distinctive traits to bear on the land that they colonised, but equally the character of the land and the people too shaped the outcome of the encounter. In Brazil this took a distinctive form like nowhere else.

Portuguese may have been the first Europeans in Brazil and today, five hundred years later, Portuguese may still be the lingua franca of Brazil, but its identity, culture, customs or cuisine have been shaped by many other influences apart from the European. The reasons for this are the sheer vastness of Brazil, its abundant riches and resources, and as a result the influx of people from different parts of the world starting from as early as 1550.
As we noted, first there were the indigenous natives and then the new settlers from Portugal. But soon it became evident that to farm the land, to grow sugar and later coffee, labour was needed in plenty.

In the first few hundred years after 1500, slaves were brought from Africa, on a scale much larger than the United States. Their large numbers and the cohabitation and to use that terrible word that we see in colonial studies the so-called 'miscegenation' has imprinted Brazil with a distinctive African heritage.

The manifestations today are in the world famous Carnival, the sensuous appeal of the Samba and in the pulsating magic of figures like Pele or Ronaldinho [ Images ]. They are integrally Brazilian but with some African ancestors casting a benevolent eye on their graceful exploits on the football field.

But this, the influence of Europe and Africa is not all. In 1908, a century ago, there was a famine in Japan [ Images ] and the search for work led to a large migration from Japan to initially work in the coffee plantations of Brazil, the world's richest coffee grower. Today next to Japan, the largest Japanese community is in Brazil, all speaking Portuguese and many following the Catholic faith.

There are also very large Brazilian communities tracing their roots to Lebanon, Germany [ Images ] and Italy [ Images ] adding to the colours of the kaleidoscope.

I find it fascinating that this is one country without many Indians, our kind of Indians. The reasons are natural, once you think of it. The huge numbers of Indian labour that were taken or sent to work in plantations went to where the British ruled -- Sri Lanka [ Images ], Fiji, Mauritius and farther apart to the Caribbean -- Guyana or Trinidad. No British domination over Brazil and hence no Indian migration.

That India would get ruled by the British and not by Portuguese except in some parts was a historic destiny. Why, even Mumbai [ Images ] was given away as a dowry gift by the Portuguese, when their princess, Catherine de Braganza married Prince Charles of England in 1661.

Apart from all this, there is another interesting and perhaps unique twist in the Brazilian past that has made Brazilians not think of themselves as having been 'colonised'. Though the huge landmass of Brazil had come under tiny Portugal, in 1807 Napoleon threatened the Portuguese monarchy in Lisbon.

In a flotilla of four hundred boats the royal family fled to Brazil and established their capital in Rio de Janeiro.

Subsequently, the Portuguese empire declared that its capital and seat would be Rio rather than Lisbon. Comparable to Calcutta being declared the seat of all of the British Empire!

One result of this history is that there are few seminars on 'colonial inheritance' or 'post-colonial deconstruction' of the kind that we see in Indian academic circles. Portuguese is not a foreign language for the Brazilians: in fact it is their language, often their only one.

'How come, you don't speak Portuguese?' ask some friendly Brazilians.

I don't know what to say. "Well, I am learning," I answer tamely. "Not all Indians are Goans," I try as a joke. They look mystified, understandably clueless at a shared bit of historical connection from the remote past.


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Should Barcelona let Eto’o go?

While Real Madrid were tying up their deal to sign Kaka from AC Milan, Barcelona seemed curiously ambivalent about the possibility of losing one of their big-name players, the  Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o .
The 28-year-old has a contract until 2010 when he will be able to leave free of cost, unless an extension can be agreed or the club decide to cash in on him now.

The first meeting to discuss the issue between his agent Jose Maria Mesalles and Barca’s sports director Txiki Begiristain, took place on Monday with very little seemingly resolved.

“The technical staff and the representative have met to try and agree a period of continuity, which is what we would like,” Barca president Joan Laporta said on the club website.

Mesalles said no renewal proposal had been forthcoming so far, but insisted Eto’o wanted to continue.

He was quoted in Spanish media as saying: “We are open to every possibility. If we have to look at a renewal we will study it, but if there is another possibility we will study that too.”

Inter Milan and Manchester City have been linked with interest for Eto’o, while Barca are reported to have considered a swap deal involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and moves for Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan or Olympique Lyon’s Karim Benzema*, or maybe even Bayern Munich;s Luca Toni.

But why would they not want to hang on to a player who scored 30 goals in the Primera Liga last season and netted the opener in their Champions League final victory over Manchester United?

Media reports have suggested there are differences over the terms of a renewal, and that coach Pep Guardiola may want a different style of striker to lead the line along with Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi.
Perhaps Barca’s greatest fear is that if they cannot meet the player’s demands on an improved contract, or convince him to take up an offer from another club, he could just walk away from them next year denying them a substantial payday.

It is an issue that is unlikely to be resolved quickly, as Mesalles recognised: “The market is open until August 31 and anything can happen before then.”

PHOTO: Barcelona’s Samuel Etoo scores against Deportivo Coruna during their league match in Coruna May 30, 2009. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal


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Dark side of Wayne Rooney shows again alongside spectacular goal

Wayne Rooney's temperament often overshadows an impressive career with England.

Widely accused of suffering from a very short fuse, the Manchester United striker is no stranger to criticism from England managers past and present.

They worry about his ability to control tempestuous emotions on the field.

Yet, the 23-year-old marksman has been sent off only once in a flourishing international career that saw him pick up his 51st cap against Kazakhstan yesterday.

During that time, he has scored 22 goals - including a spectacular volley in Almaty.

On his day, Rooney is one of the most dangerous strikers in world. His positional play, eye for goal and awareness are exceptional attributes few players can match.

If there's a deficiency in his game, aside from the 'emotional time bomb' claims, it's his frustration at failing to receive service.

He invariably moves into unfamiliar territory in search of the ball and gets involved in rucks with his own players.

Those close to him claim a growing sense of responsibility and imminent fatherhood have brought about a positive change in his character.

Sadly, you were left to question those claims as Rooney's dark side showed up again last night.
The physical tactics the Kazakhs employed to shackle him were evident. But it was also clear Rooney's frustrations at his own team-mates were close to boiling point.
In the first half, with the game goalless, his arms came up in annoyance as he saw less and less of the ball.
Eventually, he tracked back deep inside his own half to pick it up and unleashed a volley of abuse at his own players.

Despite England's two-goal half-time lead, he trudged down the tunnel, mumbling to himself with his head hung low.

Rooney's mood continued to deteriorate further after the interval, as he drifted out of the game for long spells.
But that was all to change in a moment of magic when he made it 3-0 with an acrobatic volley. The dark clouds were lifted as Rooney celebrated his eighth international goal in his last six outings - a phenomenal run.
The happy Rooney tune didn't last long and he was soon ranting and raving again.

But as one England fan said at the end: "Roo can kick off all day as far as I'm concerned, but if he scores and England win, who gives a damn?"




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Real Madrid Ace Kaka: I Will Always Support Milan

Kaka may be a Real Madrid player now, but he will always be a Milan supporter.

The Rossoneri and los Blancos finalised Kaka’s transfer to the Bernabeu on Monday for a reported €67.2 million, leading to the 27-year-old committing his future to the Spanish club for the next six seasons.

But during a press conference in Recife, where Kaka is on international duty with Brazil in preparation for the Confederations Cup, the player insisted that the deal was made in the interest of the Rossoneri, who are struggling to make ends meet in the current economic recession.

And Kaka sent a text message to the Milan Channel yesterday afternoon, reassuring supporters that he will forever carry the Rossoneri in his heart.

“Nothing could ever erase Milan and all the people who have been part of my heart for these six years. I will always support Milan,” read the message.

Kaka arrived at Milan in 2003 from Sao Paulo. During his time in Italy he won a Scudetto, a Supercoppa Italiana, a Champions League, a FIFA Club World Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and claimed the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2007.


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Rich Gladiators show off their logos at the Stadio Olimpico

Boot-iful: Lionel Messi toasts Barca's winning goal by celebrating with his new Adidas boots at the dismay of fellow Three Stripes endorser Edwin Van der Sar

It was a Roman contest with a 21st Century twist. A fierce gladiatorial battle but the chosen weapons were 'Flywire' technology and 'Sprintskin' fabrics, not spears and daggers.
Lionel Messi's twinkling toes were encased in his brand new adidas F50i, cyan and black, customised boots, bearing an image of the European Cup and the date.
Cristiano Ronaldo strutted confidently in a pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly, the lightest and fastest football boots known to man, according to their manufacturers.

Like a James Bond movie, the Champions League final is not complete without another wave of state-of-the-art sporting gadgets and designs. 

This game, beamed around the world, is the extreme example of why Manchester United, Barcelona and their players command huge sums of money to carry a certain logo.

Last year's final was an epic clash of Nike-sponsored United against adidas-backed Chelsea. Both were relieved to find the fall guys in the penalty shootout - Nicolas Anelka and John Terry - were wearing Puma and Umbro.

Last night was something of a Nikefest and they celebrated by decorating flagship stores with a 'Great men made Rome great' image featuring Nike wearers in the final, like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta.


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Wayne Rooney: England can win 2010 World Cup

 

Wayne Rooney last night admitted he has started to dream of winning the World Cup.

He was among the scorers as Kazakhstan were thumped 4-0 on Saturday to give England six wins out of six in the qualifiers and move them to within touching distance of South Africa.

With Andorra up next at Wembley on Wednesday, Rooney said: "Of course I think about the World Cup. It's the biggest tournament in the world and we're one step closer."

Victory in Almaty took to 20 England's Group Six goals tally and leaves Fabio Capello's men two wins away from guaranteeing a place at next year's finals.

England are now fourth favourites behind Brazil, Argentina and Spain and Rooney said the belief in the squad that they can be world champions was growing, particularly with so many scoring options available.
"If we win on Wednesday it will be a massive step and then there are the qualifiers in September and October and we can get there," said the Manchester United striker.

"You love to play in a big tournament. The two I've played in ended in big disappointments. Hopefully we can qualify and win something with this team.

"Four different scorers against Kazakhstan - me, Gareth Barry, Emile Heskey and Frank Lampard - was good for the team. There are a lot of players who can score for us."

World Cup Qualifier: David Beckham leads England vs Andorra

World Cup Qualifier - David Beckham leads England vs. Andorra: Team England with David Beckham will face Andorra tonight at Wembley Stadium in London in a World Cup Qualifier, hoping to record their seventh straight win in World Cup qualifying Group Six and edge the team closer to next years World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

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England Boss Fabio Capello - Wayne Rooney Was Nervous In Champions League Final

With the 2010 World Cup on the horizon, Fabio Capello has been examining footage of his potential England team.

Afforded little evidence of how his side would cope if they were to progress to the final due to the country's failure to reach one since 1966, Capello has been forced to look at other sources - including Manchester United's Champions League decider with Barcelona.

The England boss believes that his star striker, Wayne Rooney, suffered from a bout of stage fright during the tie in Rome, but he is confident that it will not affect the player's international performances.

"Rooney lost easy passes in Rome, incredible - he was nervous, he wanted to play different," Capello said, quoted by the Associated Press.

"When you have to win, sometimes the pressure is too big and when you go to the pitch it's not the same. United played for 10 minutes like United but struggled after that.

"It's not a problem for me because [Rooney] is a very, very good player and he will play very well.

"It's normal in a career of one player to lose and to win. For me I forgot every time when I lost. As a player I lost a final against Ajax and as a manager I lost some finals.

"You win, you lose - but you carry on.''


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Beckham "Not Very Welcome" Back At Galaxy, Say Some Fans

David Beckham is set to return to the Los Angeles Galaxy when the international transfer window opens in July. The England midfielder paid most of the $10 million transfer fee to stay at Milan through the summer, but thinks the Galaxy fans will forgive him “deep down” for leaving California for the opening of the Major League Soccer season.

“I hope they realize by now the reasons why I made this move,” Beckham told Grahame Jones of the Los Angeles Times. “I'm sure they do deep down. I'm sure they'll be supportive when I come back. But you never know. Things could be good. Things could be bad. I can only play the game and enjoy myself.”

Goal.com hit the stands of the Galaxy's home stadium, the Home Depot Center, during LA's MLS match against the Kansas City Wizards to find out what the fans really thought about the prodigal midfielder..

“He's not very welcome as far as we're concerned,” said Jeff from LA. “He has priorities other than the Galaxy, and to Galaxy fans we don't have the same priorities.

“The question becomes, how much does he help versus how much does he care? If he helps the team, great, but it's a little bigger than that. And he knows that, he knows that.”

Several fans refused to comment, saying they had nothing to add that could refrain from profanity. Most comments were littered with vulgarity anyways.

“Eff him,” said Jeff in the LA Riot Squad, a Galaxy fan group. “He's too much of a pretty boy. He has been since he came here. We shouldn't throw a whole bunch of money and resources to try to keep him here when they could be better used doing pretty much anything.”

Ryan from Huntington and George from Alto Alva let their middle fingers do the talking for them. One fan sporting a Beckham jersey refused to admit that the midfielder's name was printed on his back.

The fans in the stands watched as the Galaxy resorted to late dramatics once again to salvage a draw. An Edson Buddle strike in the 87th minute gave Bruce Arena's men their fifth consecutive draw.

Perhaps Beckham could help provide the spark the team needs to turn draws into three points, but Adrian from Culver City says the 34-year-old is to blame for the current mess in the first place.

“I think the team has been a circus since he got here,” Adrian explained. “He's been great for U.S. soccer, not so great for the Galaxy. I feel that we've taken the hit for the rest of MLS. It'll be nice to have him back if he contributes on the field, and I'm sure he'll give it his all, but I kind of resent the whole staying over at A.C. Milan thing.”

At the end of the MLS season, Beckham could be on the move again. AC Milan has shown interest in purchasing the player outright, and it appears that the midfielder wants to play in Europe to better his chances of making the England squad for the 2010 World Cup.

Adrian, for one, did not think a divorce between the Galaxy and Beckham would be such a bad idea.

“Yeah, actually, I am excited,” he said about a possible Beckham sale in the January 2010 transfer window. “That will work out great for us, I think.”


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David Beckham convinced me to join Real Madrid - Kaka

 

On joining Real Madrid for a world record £59m, Brazilian playmaker Kaka revealed that England's David Beckham, a former team-mate at AC Milan, convinced him to move to the Spanish captial.

He also said that the current global downturn convinced him now was the right time to switch.

"I can officially say I'm a Real Madrid player," the 27-year-old said, who turned down a move to the Premier League and Manchester City in January. "My professional link with AC Milan finishes now, but my sentimental link will never end.

"I spoke to some friends, like Beckham, who has already played for Real. He said it's a fantastic place to play. I spoke to him this past week and he kept helping me, he said I made a positive choice for my career's growth.

"Real Madrid intend to build a great team, with historic players such as Raul and Iker Casillas. We will make history again, both in Spain and Europe. I guess the sport project is very good.

"Manchester City and Real Madrid are two different clubs with different situations. At that time (January), it was mid-season, I had a strong emotional impact due to the Italian fans requesting me to stay, and I decided to stay.

"Now another chance came up and AC Milan is in a big crisis (financially). For me, the sporting project (at Madrid) is interesting and will be an important boost to continue my career in the highest level.
"I wanted to stay on at Milan, but the world (financial) crisis affected a lot of clubs, especially those like Milan which are businesses.

"So then, I spoke with the Milan directors and we reached the conclusion that the best thing for everybody would be to sell."

Kaka also revealed that new Real president Florentino Perez has been busy "making contact" with potential targets as he looks to revive his 'Galacticos' project.

In Perez's previous stint with the club, he oversaw the acquisitions of global stars of Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham, as well as Zidane.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, David Villa and Franck Ribery have also been linked to the Spanish capital club since Perez's unopposed election signalled the return of their vast spending.

Kaka continued: "The president (Perez) is already making contact (with potential signings) and is putting together a competitive team, one which will try to once again become champions in Spain and Europe. That's why I chose Madrid.

"They have historic players there already, such as Raul or Casillas. Real Madrid will be an important challenge for me. We're going to win many titles again."

He also revealed that although the deal was only announced last night, it had been in the pipeline for some time, adding: "I wanted this move to be announced sooner. For me it's a relief that it has been announced now, although I have always be 100% focussed on the national side.


"I've been weighing up the offer from Real Madrid a lot. It's an important project for me to continue growing in my career. I'm not going to Real Madrid for money, as I had other offers. But I knew I would only leave Milan to play for Real Madrid.

"Only small details were missing, such as the medical exams I passed this morning. The deal was sealed long time ago".

He also said he hoped to put an end to Barcelona's dominance of Spanish and European football, after the Merengues' arch-rivals swept all before them this season en route to claiming Spain's first league, cup and Champions League treble.

"This will be a tough season at Real Madrid, after all that Messi conquered with Barcelona," he said.

"They're the big favourites and deservedly so. I hope Barcelona's hegemony will end in the coming years. Real Madrid will build a great team to win titles again, as it's the club's history."

Meanwhile he revealed he fell uncomfortable taking on the number five jersey once worn by Zinedine Zidane.
Perez had admitted he would like to see the Brazilian playmaker take on the shirt, but Kaka said he would not feel comfortable doing so.

He said: "Wearing the number five would be a great responsibility. Zidane was a great player, both for Real Madrid and for France, and I wouldn't like to wear the same number as he did.

"We're going to wait a bit before deciding which one to use."

And finally he had words of gratitude to Milan for launching his career in Europe, while he was also elusive about whether he would end his career in Madrid.

"I will be 33 years old by the time the (Madrid) contract ends, with the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 still to come. Lots of things will happen," he said.

"I'm not thinking today in ending my career at 33. I expect to write history there and sign a new contract, who knows, until 35. May be I'll retire then."

He added: "I want to thank Milan, as they were the club who put me on the international scene. They gave me the opportunity to become a big name in Europe.

"I'm happy to leave Milan by the front door, with a lot of friends. It has been very emotional to see what the Milan fans have done for me."



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Kaka set to be confirmed as a Real Madrid player

The 27-year-old AC Milan playmaker was given permission to meet with Real officials between World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Paraguay and is thought to have passed both initial tests and a full medical at the national team's base in Recife.

Providing there are no last-minute problems Kaka will become Real's first signing following the return of Florentino Perez as club president.

If the deal is concluded the fee is expected to be £56m, which would smash the previous world record of £47m paid by Real to Juventus in 2001 for Zinedine Zidane and could be the first in a new wave of 'Galáctico' signings.

Kaka, who converted a penalty in Brazil's 4-0 win in Uruguay on Saturday, has refused to discuss his future since joining up with the Brazil squad last Tuesday.

When he last spoke publically about his future, Kaka insisted he was desperate to stay at the San Siro, but the economic realities of such a huge transfer fee mean Milan are eager to do business in order to provide new boss Leonardo with transfer funds. Ironically, it was Leonardo who helped persuade Kaka to join Milan from São Paulo in 2003.

Confirming that the medical had taken place a statement on the Brazilian Football Federation website read: ''The technical committee of the Brazilian national team attended the request of Kaka and the board of Real Madrid and released the player to perform the routine examinations in a clinic in Recife.

''The CBF had to make all the arrangements for the test through its Medical Department head Jose Luiz Runco, who accompanied the player during the tests.''

Regardless of whether a deal is completed on Monday or early on Tuesday Real Madrid will have to wait before they can parade Kaka at the Santiago Bernabeu due to Kaka's commitments with Brazil.

After entertaining Paraguay in Recife on Wednesday, Brazil begin their Confederations Cup campaign against Egypt next Monday and will be in action until June 28 if they make it through the tournament.

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Book on Beckham Academy kick-off

Children's book based around David Beckham Academy is published 

The four-volume fictional series, comprising Twin Trouble, Le Football, Save The Day and Bossy Boots, is aimed at boys and girls aged seven and up with an interest - surprise, surprise - in football.

Each tome follows the escapades of a different group of youngsters at the former England captain's football academy in Greenwich, south

Two activity books will include ideas for training, including pull-out tactics boards, puzzles and a stats section.

The 34-year-old AC Milan midfielder said: "I'm very pleased that the academy has inspired this series of books, and am hopeful that it will bring more children to reading. 

"The academy is dedicated to the development of all those that attend and these books are a fantastic addition to its scope." 

Beckham opened the academy in 2005 to offer youngsters high-quality coaching and teach them life skills through football. 

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Kaka Signs Real Madrid Shirt

Milan ace Kaka is behaving like a Real Madrid player already, dropping another hint that he has all but joined the Primera Division club after he autographed one of their shirts, according to reports in Brazil.

Globoesporte.com claims the Brazilian ace is currently in Uruguay with the Selecao and he did not object to signing a Real Madrid shirt with his name on it when a fan pulled out the famous jersey and asked him to initial it.

"He was very nice. He saw the shirt and he signed it near the club's badge," the fan told the Brazilian paper.

"He was very good about signing the shirt."

The latest news from Italy claims Kaka will reveal all his future plans during a press conference in Recife on Monday, where he is likely to announce his passage to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Kaka's signature on the shirt seems to confirm reports that he will become a Real Madrid player. The move comes just hours after Rossoneri patron Silvio Berlusconi claimed his man wanted to leave.


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Carlos Tevez, Samuel Eto'o, Kolo Toure and Roque Santa Cruz on Manchester City hitlist

As Mark Hughes strode down the Celtic Manor fairways yesterday clad in his Lacoste golfing gear, he looked more like an establishment figure than a radical.

But make no mistake, Comrade Hughes' blue revolution is sweeping through Eastlands.

Chairman Mark has already signalled his intent by pulling off a coup to beat Liverpool to the £12million signing of Gareth Barry and claims more big names will follow in this summer of change for Manchester City.

Players like Carlos Tevez, Samuel Eto'o, Kolo Toure and Roque Santa Cruz figure highly on his wish-list and Hughes is determined to rebuild City, bigger, better and stronger.

Hughes knows his buys during this transfer window will decide his future and he is determined to fulfil his vision for City.

Armed with Sheikh Mansour's billions, City could become the first club to smash the £200,000-a-week wage barrier, although Hughes claims players are attracted by the club's potential. "A lot of players now understand what we're trying to do at the club and Gareth wants to be part of that," he said.

"We've got an idea where we want to be in the next few years. We want players to buy into that idea and we can offer players a different experience.

"Hopefully it will be an enjoyable one and the next few years are going to be exciting for everybody connected to Manchester City and the players recognise that.

"We are obviously going to go back into the market. We still feel there are areas of the team we want to improve and if players become available, then we will try and acquire them.
"We've made a good start and we're happy with that.

"It's going to be an interesting summer for everybody involved with Manchester City."

That's one way of putting it and the number of players coming in is only likely to be dwarfed by the mass exodus from Eastlands.

Hughes has spent his first 12 months evaluating his squad at City and it is clear that most of the players he inherited from Sven Goran Eriksson may not make the cut. He is going to take a wrecking ball to his squad and when the dust finally settles, Stephen Ireland could be the only survivor from the players he inherited last summer.

Not even skipper Richard Dunne is safe and the Irish international, who turns 30 in September, had a poor season by his standards.

Hughes has made no secret of his desire to sign a commanding central defender and feels Toure could yet be prised away from Arsenal. Several of the young players brought through the ranks at City will also be on their way through the exit.

Teenage striker Daniel Sturridge is already joining Chelsea on a free after City refused to meet his demands for a new £65,000-aweek deal.

"We've offered Daniel a deal that we think is at the level he should be at," said Hughes. "He's in a strong position because he's in the last year of his contract.

"He's keeping his options open, which he has done for quite some time. We just have to wait and see.

"Obviously I have made my intentions very clear to him. I would like him to stay, but it may be out of our hands."

England hopeful Joe Hart could be farmed out on loan after being demoted to No.2 by Shay Given and Hughes admits he has struggled to cope with his sudden fall from grace.

"Joe is frustrated and obviously wants to play," said Hughes. "We will look at his situation in the coming weeks and it might be to both Joe's and the club's benefit if he did go out on loan."

Micah Richards is interesting Aston Villa and could be sold because he has not impressed Hughes with his poor attitude.

Hughes feels the onetime England star is a poor trainer and sent him from the training ground after a recent bust-up.

Doubts over Michael Johnson's future remain and although Hughes rates him as a player, he is concerned by the midfielder's injury record and his love of the high life.

Definitely being turfed out this summer are Danny Mills, Michael Ball, Dietmar Hamann and Glauber Berti, who are out of contract.

Hughes will also listen to offers for Jo, Elano, Tal Ben-Haim, Javier Garrido, Darius Vassell, Valeri Bojinov, Felipe Caicedo, Gelson Fernandes, Benjani Mwaruwari and Kasper Schmeichel.

Elano, from the safety of the other side of the Atlantic in Brazil, claims he wants to join Inter Milan and Hughes will shed few tears if he can offload the troublesome Brazilian. Although Elano is a favourite with the fans, his future at City has been thrown into even greater doubt by Barry's arrival.

The Samba star would love to team up with Jose Mourinho at the San Siro and said: "I have a contract with Manchester City, but I hope the Nerazzurri do not see this as a constraint. I would wear the Inter shirt.
"Jose Mourinho is great. His teams always leave their mark, and every player who has worked with him considers him a phenomenon.
"I hope my friend Julio Cesar can put in a good word for me."

All change on Eastlands front ... the likely transfers

INS:
Gareth Barry (Villa) £12m, Carlos Tevez (Man Utd) £32m, Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona) £40m, Kolo Toure (Arsenal) £15m, Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn) £20m.

OUTS:
Jo £10m, Micah Richards (Villa) £10m, Richard Dunne (Sunderland) £8m, Elano (Inter) £7m, Mwaruwari Benjani £5m, Valeri Bojinov £4m, Felipe Caicedo £3m, Javier Garrido £2m, Gelson Fernandes £2m, Tal Ben-Haim £1.5m, Darius Vassell £1m, Kasper Schmeichel £1m, Dietmar Hamann, Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea), Danny Mills, Michael Ball, Glauber Berti (all free) Joe Hart (Birmingham) loan.


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David Beckham Hopes For Quick AC Milan Return

AC Milan midfielder David Beckham helped his side reach direct qualification to the Champions League as they defeated Fiorentina 2-0 at the Artemio Franchi stadium this afternoon.

This is Beckham’s final match for the Rossoneri before his return to the Los Angeles Galaxy, even though he hopes he will be back in Milan soon.

“Even though today we did not win anything, we have reached the direct qualification to the Champions League,” commented the former Manchester United player to Milan Channel. “Winning today was fundamental, just like being in the Champions League.

“With regards to my future I cannot say anything more than what I said two weeks or two months ago: now I return to Los Angeles for the final part of the season, then we’ll see what happens, but I hope to return soon.

“My thanks goes to everyone, they have all been fantastic with me in making me feel like a part of the team from the first minute and I wish them all the best.

“With Carlo Ancelotti away from Milan, an era comes to an end, extraordinary years come to an end, but wherever he will go to coach, it will be a lucky club to have him.”

The 34-year-old player joined Milan last January and played a total of 18 league games.


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Kaka reiterates Milan stance

AC Milan star Kaka has reiterated that he does not want to leave San Siro, as reports suggest he is set to follow Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea.

Speculation has suggested that informal talks over a £70million deal have already started as the Blues look to tempt the Brazilian to the Premier League, while returning Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is also a long-term admirer.

Ancelotti's appointment as manager at Stamford Bridge was confirmed on Monday and the Italian is set to begin a three-year contract at the beginning of July with the aim of securing the UEFA Champions League.

It is rumoured that Kaka is top of the 49-year-old's wanted list as he plans tweaks to his inherited, ageing squad, with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich understood to be prepared to spend big this summer.
World record

But Kaka, who broke into the Milan side under former boss Ancelotti, insists he is staying in Italy, telling Gazzetta dello Sport: "I say it for the last time. I don't want to leave Milan."

The playmaker appeared to be on the verge of a world-record switch to Manchester City in the winter transfer window before the deal collapsed as Milan opted out of selling.

Kaka's potential move to Eastlands was shrouded in controversy as it was suggested the player was being forced out of Italy against his wishes.

The 27-year-old has now stated that he will make no further comment upon his future so that there is no confusion over his desire to stay at Milan.

Silent

"In this period I prefer to remain silent because I don't want to be misunderstood," he added.

"To the millions of Milan supporters, I say that I have made my choice. I want to stay."

Kaka admits that he is in a debt of gratitude to Ancelotti after he was offered the opportunity to shine.

"I owe him a lot. He opened the doors for me in Italian football," he concluded.


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