Tanpa Gol Di Liga Champions, Diego Costa Jadi Penyebab Chelsea Keok?

Di saat Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, dan bahkan Danny Welbeck rajin menjebol gawang lawan, Diego Costa melewatkan tujuh laga Eropa tanpa menghasilkan sebiji gol pun.
Tersingkirnya Chelsea dari babak 16 besar Liga Champions membuat raksasa Liga Primer Inggris itu terus mendapat sorotan dan menjadi sasaran empuk para pengkritik.
Unggul jumlah pemain kontra Paris Saint-Germain sejak menit 31, The Blues harus merasakan pahitnya tereliminasi dari ajang elite Eropa itu akibat aturan gol tandang setelah David Luiz dan Thiago Silva mencuri gol secara dramatis di Stamford Bridge untuk memaksakan skor imbang 2-2, Kamis (12/3) dini hari WIB.
Namun, di saat semua mata tertuju pada performa buruk tuan rumah hingga kartu merah kontroversial yang diderita Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- termasuk komentarnya yang menyebut pemain Chelsea sebagai “bayi” -- hanya sedikit yang menyoroti fakta bahwa Diego Costa ternyata gagal menunaikan tugas utamanya sebagai seorang striker Chelsea di kompetisi selain Liga Primer Inggris.
Costa gagal mencetak satu gol pun di Liga Champions musim ini. Nol besar!
Tak ada yang membantah betapa ampuhnya ketajaman Costa dalam musim debutnya di EPL yang sudah menyentuh angka 17 gol. Sayang, ketika berbicara di kompetisi lain (Liga Champions, Piala Liga, dan Piala FA), tak ada nama Costa dalam daftar pencetak gol.
Khusus di Liga Champions, laga kontra PSG tersebut menjadi partai ketujuh absennya Costa di papan skor pertandingan. Dalam laga home-away di fase grup dan fase gugur, Costa gagal menjebol gawang PSG, Sporting Lisbon, Schalke, dan satu laga tandang kontra Maribor.

Sebagai perbandingan, klub-klub top Eropa lainnya memiliki para striker yang mampu menjawab ekspektasi dengan menjadi bintang di depan gawang ketika tampil di Liga Champions.
Barcelona punya tridente mematikan Lionel Messi, Neymar, dan Luis Suarez yang kalau dijumlah sudah mencatatkan 15 gol (Messi menyumbang 8 gol). Trio Real Madrid tak mau kalah di mana Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, dan Gareth Bale sudah menceploskan 16 gol dengan CR7 menyumbang setengahnya.
Sang penakluk Chelsea, PSG, punya striker haus gol dalam diri Edinson Cavani (6 gol) dan Ibrahimovic (2 gol). Sementara Bayern Munich terus menahbiskan statusnya sebagai favorit juara karena memiliki Thomas Muller (5 gol), Robert Lewandowski (3 gol), dan Arjen Robben (3 gol). Mantan striker Bayern, Mario Mandzukic, turut bersinar di Atletico Madrid dengan catatan 5 gol.
Klub-klub lain juga tak mau kalah menyertakan strikernya sebagai mesin gol. Ada Sergio Aguero (Manchester City – 6 gol), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal – 4 gol) Carlos Tevez (Juventus – 4 gol), Jackson Martinez (Porto – 6 gol), Ciro Immobile (Borussia Dortmund – 4 gol), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke – 5 gol), Stefan Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen – 4 gol).
Luiz Adriano muncul sebagai pemuncak topskor sementara dengan 9 gol meski penyerang asal Brasil itu tidak bisa menambah pundi-pundi golnya lagi setelah klubnya, Shakhtar Donetsk, disingkirkan Bayern secara telak.
Pada titik terendah, Costa juga layak minder karena ia ternyata kalah bagus dari Danny Welbeck sekalipun. Striker buangan Manchester United itu bahkan sudah mengoleksi tiga gol untuk Arsenal di Liga Champions.
Diego da Silva Costa agaknya harus terus mengasah naluri golnya lagi di kesempatan berikutnya, di Liga Champions musim depan. Supaya Chelsea tidak keok seperti dini hari tadi.  

City bertemu Barcelona lagi di 16 besar Liga Champions

Manchester City akan bertemu FC Barcelona, setelah hasil undian babak 16 besar Liga Champions UEFA.

Pertemuan ini adalah ulangan 16 besar musim lalu, dimana City akhirnya kalah secara agregat 4-1 oleh Lionel Messi cs.
Barcelona memuncaki grup F dengan raihan 15 poin dari enam pertandingan dan saat ini berada di posisi dua La Liga, empat poin di belakang Real Madrid.
Tahun lalu, mereka mencapai perempat-final kompetisi, dikalahkan oleh klub senegara Atletico Madrid yang menjadi runner-up kompetisi.
Skuat Manuel Pellegrini akan menjalani leg pertama di Etihad pada tanggal 24 Februari 2015, dan leg kedua pada 18 Maret 2015 di Nou Camp.
Detail jadwal dan hal-hal lain tentang laga ini akan diberitahu lanjut di masa datang.

Hari ini media penuh dengan gosip transfer (Rumor Lionel Messi )

Hari ini media penuh dengan gosip transfer.

Lima hari lagi sebelum sang Juara kembali beraksi!
Media beralih ke gosip transfer dengan mayoritas pemain City bertugas bagi negara masing-masing.
Jadi, mari mulai dengan pembahasan kecil di Daily Mail yang mengatakan bahwa City memantau Lionel Messi, yang dilaporkan bisa meninggalkan Barcelona.
Rob Shepherd menulis: “Pergesekan Lionel Messi dengan aparat pajak Spanyol bisa mempengaruhi karier klubnya.
“Messi bisa jadi tidak terus bermain di Spanyol dan pindah bila keadaan menjadi sulit.
“Manchester City dan Paris Saint-Germain tengah memonitor situasi rumit sang Argentina sekarang.”
Well, gosipnya sangat konkrit sekali!
Sementara itu, James Milner juga menyita atensi media.

Kemarin, Daily Star menduga bahwa Roma akan menjadi tujuan sang gelandang populer, hari ini laporan menunjukkan bahwa City akan menyertakan Milner demi merekrut Ross Barley dari Everton. Laporan tersebut datang dari… Daily Star.
Paul Hetherington menulis: “City berpikir untuk merekrut Barkley, 20, yang tengah cedera – walau tidak dengan harga 50 juta pound yang Everton minta.
“Pergerakan apapun tentangnya hampir pasti melibatkan keinginan Everton mendatangkan Milner, 28.
“Bos Goodison Park, Roberto Martinez, merupakan pengagum Milner dan ia bisa menjadi target pelatih asal Spanyol itu menggantikan Tom Cleverley dari Manchester United.
“Martinez ingin Cleverley, 25, pada jendela transfer kemarin tapi ia bergabung dengan Aston Villa dalam status pinjaman.
“Jadi, tawaran berbentuk Milner plus uang bagi Barkley bisa menggugah hati Everton.
“Eks Leeds, Newcastle, dan Villa ini akan habis kontrak pada akhir musim.
“City, oleh karena itu, bisa menawarkannya kepada Everton dalam transfer pertukaran pemain apabila mereka tidak ingin sang gelandang lepas secara bebas transfer.”
Di balik semua suara media ini, Anda mungkin ingat bahwa kurang dari sepekan lalu Manchester Evening News melaporkan bahwa sang Juara siap menawarkan Milner kontrak baru.
Kalian semua mungkin juga ingat bahwa sekitar 10 hari lalu, Dani Alves digosipkan pindah dari klubnya kini untuk menuju Premier League dengan City menjadi tujuan utamanya?
Well, menurut laporan, Chelsea dan Manchester United juga tertarik merekrutnya. Namun, pemain asal Brasil ini diduga menginginkan 250 ribu pound per minggu dari klub mana pun yang tertarik kepadanya – gosip ini juga dari Daily Star.
Paul Hetherington menulis: “Itu adalah jumlah gaji yang diminta sang pemain. Manchester United membidik Alves tapi mereka tak tertarik dengan angka tersebut, walau ia akan pindah secara bebas transfer setelah kontraknya di Nou Camp habis.
“Alves, 31, telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia akan meninggalkan Barca pada akhir musim dan ingin mengakhiri karier di Inggris.
Ingat, semua ini benar-benar hanya spekulasi transfer sebelum kalian membacanya secara resmi di sini di Indonesian.mcfc.com

SEJARAH UNIK PERTEMUAN LIONEL MESSI DAN KUN AGUERO

Surat kabar asal Argentina, Ole, baru-baru ini mempublikasikan beberapa cuplikan dari biografi Lionel Messi yang akan segera terbit. Buku berjudul 'Messi, el Destino' (Messi, The Different One) tersebut menceritakan tentang lika-liku kehidupan La Pulga sejak masih di Rosario hingga menjadi bintang besar di Barcelona.

Salah satu kutipan yang cukup menarik adalah kenangan pertemuan pertama Messi dengan striker Tango lainnya, Sergio Aguero. Keduanya pertama kali berada satu tim saat memperkuat Timnas Argentina U-20 di Piala Dunia junior tahun 2005.

Berikut adalah cuplikan kenangan striker yang kini bermain bagi Manchester City tersebut saat berkenalan dengan Messi:

Kami semua makan bersama untuk pertama kalinya, ada bocah yang tidak saya kenal duduk di sebelah kanan saya.

Di depan saya adalah Ezequiel Garay, sedangkan di kiri saya adalah Lautaro Formica. Lalu anak yang tidak saya kenal itu membicarakan tentang sepatu sepakbola dan mengatakan sesuatu tentang Amerika Serikat.

Saya terus berpikir, bermain di mana anak ini? Saya sering menyaksikan pertandingan di Argentina, namun sama sekali tak tahu tentang pemain yang bermain di luar negeri.

Jadi kemudian saya bertanya, "Siapa namamu?" Ia menatap saya dan menjawab, "Lionel."

"Ah, nama kita hampir sama. Nama saya adalah Sergio Leonel. Siapa nama belakangmu?" tanya saya lagi. Ia kemudian menjawab, "Messi."

Saya masih tidak bisa mengenali siapakah anak ini. Untuk memastikan bahwa saya tidak salah dengar, saya bertanya sekali lagi. "Lalu... Siapakah nama belakangmu?" Kemudian ia menjawab lagi, "Messi."

Saya yang makin penasaran akhirnya bertanya, "Kamu ini siapa?"

Kemudian Formica menarik saya dengan ekspresi wajah kesal, seolah ingin membunuh saya. Ia kemudian berkata, "Apakah kamu benar-benar tidak kenal dia, Kun?"

Saat itulah saya sadar bahwa ia adalah bocah yang sering muncul di surat kabar nasional, "Ah, bodohnya saya. Dia adalah anak yang ramai dibicarakan karena bermain untuk Barcelona!"

Saat itu, Messi dan Aguero sama-sama masih berusia 17 tahun. Messi sudah pindah ke Spanyol sejak masih berusia 13 tahun, sementara Aguero saat itu masih membela Independiente.

Di turnamen tersebut, Argentina keluar sebagai juara. Messi sendiri meraih penghargaan pencetak gol terbanyak sekaligus juga pemain terbaik. (mrc/mri)

Top Richest footballers in the World

Former Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzales is the richest Spanish footballer, according to a recent report run by Goal.com on the sport’s richest.

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Raul who nows players for Qatari side Al Sadd, after a spell with German club Schalke, is worth around €44m, beating Barcelona striker David Villa (€43m), Iker Casillas (€35m) and Fernando Torres (€29m).



Another former Los Blancos player, David Beckham is number one on the list, earning a staggering 200m euros, whilst Barca’s Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sit second and third respectively.



Another Real Madrid player, Kaka is fourth on the list, whilst Ronaldinho, now playing Brazil sits fifth.



Full List



1. David Beckham (PSG) – 200 million euros



2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – € 134m



3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – € 130m



4. Kaká (Real Madrid) – € 80m



5. Ronaldinho (Atletico Mineiro) – € 73m



6. Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi Makhachkala) – € 60m



7. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – € 58m



8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG) – € 55m



9. Rivaldo (Sao Caetano) – € 53m



10. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) – € 49m



11. Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls) – € 48m



12. Michael Owen (Stoke City) – € 46.5m



13. Raul Gonzalez (Al Sadd) – € 44m



14. David Villa (Barcelona) – € 43m



15. Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) – € 41m



16. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) – € 40m



17. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) – € 38m



18. Robbie Fowler (no team) – € 37.5m



19. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – € 37m



20. Robinho (AC Milan) – € 36m



21. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) – € 35m



22. Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich) – € 33.5m



23. John Terry (Chelsea) – € 31.5m



24. Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) – € 29m



25. Fernando Torres (Chelsea) – € 29m



26. Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray) – € 25.5m



27. Nicolas Anelka (Juventus – transfer) – € 25m



28. Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC) – € 24.5m



29. Miroslav Klose (Lazio) – € 24m



30. Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) – € 24m



31. Francesco Totti (Roma) – € 24m



32. Petr Cech (Chelsea) – € 23m



33. Neymar (Santos) – € 23m



35. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich) – € 23m



36. Joe Cole (West Ham United) – € 22.5m



37. Andrea Pirlo (Juventus) – € 22.5m



38. Paul Scholes (Manchester United) – € 22m



39. Damien Duff (Fulham) – € 21.5m



40. Park Ji-Sung (QPR) – € 21m



41. Daniele De Rossi (Roma) – € 21m



42. Clarence Seedorf (Botafogo) – € 21m



43. David Trezeguet (River Plate) – € 20m



44. Xavi (Barcelona) – € 20m



45. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) – € 19.5m



46. Ashley Cole (Chelsea) – € 19.5m



47. Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F Marinos) – € 19.5m



48. Michael Essien (Real Madrid – transfer) – € 19m



49. Yaya Toure (Manchester City) – € 19m



50. Alessandro Nesta (Montreal Impact) – € 18.5m

Barcelona win, Malaga stutter

Lionel Messi netted for the 17th consecutive league game as Barcelona eased to a 2-0 win at home to Deportivo La Coruna.

Barca have been suffering from a dip in form in recent weeks but defeat to their rock-bottom Galician opponents never looked likely.

Alexis Sanchez put the hosts in front when he headed home a Dani Alves cross towards the end of the first half.

And Messi, on as a second-half substitute, added a glorious second with just minutes remaining by chipping goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia to consign Depor to a seventh defeat in eight games.

Malaga had earlier failed to beat Valladolid and their 1-1 draw at the Jose Zorilla stadium and that result could see them slip out of the Champions League places by the end of the weekend.

Manuel Pellegrini rested key performers Isco and Joaquin with Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second-leg match with Porto in mind.

His team still got off to a great start when Martin Demichelis headed them into the lead after eight minutes but Manucho equalised for the hosts shortly before the interval.

A point apiece means Valladolid stay mid-table but Malaga could surrender their grip on fourth spot if Valencia win on Sunday.

Elsewhere Rayo Vallecano continued their unlikely push for a Champions League spot as they completed a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Espanyol.

An early goal inside 10 minutes by Chori Dominguez gave the Madrid side the perfect start and Piti wrapped up the points late on to move Rayo within two points of the top four.

The win all but guarantees Rayo survival with 11 games left, a welcome contrast from last term when they only avoided the drop thanks to an injury-time winner on the last day of the season.

Javier Aguirre's side have now gone three matches without a win but remain nine points clear of the drop zone.

In the late kick-off, Mallorca secured a vital 2-1 win over Sevilla to boost their survival hopes and move within a point of safety.

Alejandro Alfaro was the hero for the home side as he scored both goals to give the Balearic Island side their first back-to-back wins of the season.

Alvaro Negredo had equalised Alfaro's early opener on the hour mark but the 26-year-old winger added a second just 10 minutes later to sink his home-town club at which he started his career.

Mallorca had Javier Marquez sent off for a second yellow card in stoppage time but the strugglers held on to move above Celta Vigo into 18th place.

Messi: "People are hoping we lose"

Leo Messi spoke to ESPN earlier ahead of Barcelona's game against AC Milan, saying that: "A lot of people are hoping we lose so they can say that this Barcelona side is finished, just like what happened last year. We have to be strong".



"It's time to make a comeback. It all started in the Milan game and this game could be the one where we finish it. We know it will be difficult because of the negative result in Italy, but there's no reason why we can’t win by the same score-line. We know one goal against us would make things difficult, but we can't worry too much about that. We are confident we can turn it around", the Argentine said in reference to the match against Milan at the Camp Nou.



Messi went on to say that: "The team has been affected by the negative results, but now is the time to pick ourselves up and get back to winning ways. That is what has been missing on the pitch".



The Argentine star described the atmosphere within the club when times are hard on the pitch: "That's the way this club is. When you lose a couple of games it seems everything is not working and when you win a couple, things are back to normal. We know this and a lot of the players have been at the club from an early age. It's crazy to be talking about making changes. Most are young players. The players are optimistic and really want to turn around the 2-0 result".

Messi keen on Bale and Rooney

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has hinted he would relish the prospect of playing alongside Premier League stars Gareth Bale and Wayne Rooney.



Rooney was omitted from the Manchester United line-up against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, sparking frenzied speculation about his future at Old Trafford.



While Bale is among the most in-demand players in Europe after scoring 24 goals for club and country so far this season.



Messi admits he would welcome the chance to play in the same team as either player in the future.



"Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale are both great players, they are doing so well for their clubs," the 25-year-old Argentine forward told the Daily Mail.



"And I always want to play with the best players.



"I have to be careful what I say because I can't see them leaving their teams soon.



"But, of course, I want to play with the best players."

Messi left foot worth £3.5m

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has lifted many gold trophies, including two Golden Boots. Now the prolific goal-scorer's foot has been cast in solid gold.

A pure gold replica of Barcelona football star Lionel Messi's left foot, worth £3.4 million, was unveiled in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Valued at US$5.25 million (£3.4m), the golden foot weighs 25kg and is 10 inches tall.

In a video message, Lionel Messi said he was honoured to have his foot cast the precious metal.

Lionel Messi's brother, Rodrigo Messi, who attended the news conference for the unveiling of the foot, said the replica was exceptional.

"You can see each line on the foot. Its an impressive piece of work," Rodrigo said.

The foot was created by Japanese jeweller Ginza Tanaka to commemorate the football player's achievements.

The jeweller said it had cast Messi's foot in Spain at the end of 2012, and brought the cast back to Japan for the production of the golden artifact.

The foot will go on sale on Thursday, and will come with an official certification issued by the Leo Messi Foundation, which helps children at risk around the world.



VIDEO

Vidal: Messi is better than Maradona

Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal feels that Lionel Messi is a better player than Diego Maradona was.



The former Argentina international is widely considered to be one of the game’s greatest , but Vidal feels that the Barcelona star has now surpassed his compatriot.



"I've only seen footage here and there [of Maradona], but I think Messi [is better],” Vidal told Corriere della Sera.



"For what he has done at his age of 25, is much better, at 25 years of age he has won everything [in club football]."



Messi has won five Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, two Copas del Rey and two Club World Cups in a glittering career with Barca, and is the only player to win the Ballon d’Or four times.



Maradona, meanwhile, led his country to the 1986 World Cup, and helped Napoli to two Scudetti.

Messi misses training due to fever

Lionel Messi did not train with his Barcelona teammates on Wednesday morning after being visited at home by club doctors to treat a fever, the club said

"The Argentine player is suffering from a fever and general sickness," said a statement on the Barcelona website. "The first-team doctors have visited Messi at his home where they have given him the necessary medication and recommended he rest."



Messi played for the full 90 minutes as Barcelona were unceremoniously dumped out of the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night after a 3-1 defeat at home to Real Madrid.



However, the club are still hopeful that the four-time World Player of the Year could be fit for another clash with Madrid in the league on Saturday.



"This Thursday the team has a day off and it is hoped that the Barca number 10 could still train on Friday afternoon, which will be the last training session before the Clasico in the league at the Bernabeu," the club statement added.



Messi has taken part in every league game this season as Barca have built up a 16-point lead over Madrid in the title race.

Lionel Messi misses Barca training due to fever

Lionel Messi did not train with his Barcelona teammates on Wednesday morning after being visited at home by club doctors to treat a fever, the club said.



"The Argentine player is suffering from a fever and general sickness," said a statement on the Barcelona website. "The first-team doctors have visited Messi at his home where they have given him the necessary medication and recommended he rest."



Messi played for the full 90 minutes as Barcelona were unceremoniously dumped out of the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night after a 3-1 defeat at home to Real Madrid.



However, the club are still hopeful that the four-time World Player of the Year could be fit for another clash with Madrid in the league on Saturday.



"This Thursday the team has a day off and it is hoped that the Barca number 10 could still train on Friday afternoon, which will be the last training session before the Clasico in the league at the Bernabeu," the club statement added.



Messi has taken part in every league game this season as Barca have built up a 16-point lead over Madrid in the title race.

Carra - Messi and Ronaldo drive each other on

Jamie Carragher: They are the best players in the world but they will never be best friends. When Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi go head-to-head on Tuesday night, there will be a brief acknowledgement but nothing else.

Highlights: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

Really, though, they should go out of their way to thank each other. Every time Ronaldo sparkles for Real Madrid, Messi inevitably tries to go one better for Barcelona.



The results have been spectacular and it means Spanish football is now essential viewing.



But watch them in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-final - and again on Saturday in la Liga - and you will see nothing more than a cursory handshake. You don't need to be a body language expert to appreciate there is no love lost between these two.



The question both men should be asking, however, is this: where would I be without you?



You have to question whether their statistics would be so incredible if one was playing in another league. When Ronaldo scored a hat-trick last month against Getafe, Messi scored four the night after against Osasuna.



All that was missing from his performance was him lifting his shirt to reveal the message 'anything you can do, I can do better.'



Messi has always been a top player and is surrounded by magicians in Xavi and Andres Iniesta but you can argue that Ronaldo's £80million move from Manchester United in 2009 took his game to another level.



Statistics back that up. If you look at a breakdown of how Messi has reached 300 goals, the first 80 came in 161 games. In the 204 matches he has played since Ronaldo arrived at the Bernabeu, Messi has rattled in 221, as if to hammer home the point he is the best in the world.



Ronaldo, of course, would never acknowledge that nor would he say that trying to outwit Messi has taken his game to another level - he scored 118 goals for Manchester United in 292 appearances but, for Madrid, his tally is 183 goals in 182 matches.



His enmity towards Messi really surfaced last summer at Euro 2012, when Denmark fans barracked him during a game against Portugal, chanting 'Messi!' every time he got possession.



'You know where he was this time last year,' Ronaldo asked after the game. 'Being eliminated from the Copa America. In his own country. That is worse, no?'

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored as many goals as Lionel Messi in all competitions en 2013.

Further proof arrived via the voting for the Ballon D'Or, which Messi won for a fourth time recently. As captain of Argentina, Messi was given a vote and his top three choices were Iniesta, Xavi and Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao.



Ronaldo, meanwhile, also got the chance to vote, as he is captain of Portugal. Yet he turned down the chance and handed responsibility to his deputy Bruno Alves. Unsurprisingly, Alves picked Ronaldo as his number one and left Messi off his shortlist.



Of course, rivalry in sport is nothing new. Look at Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Would Coe have won the 1500metres gold medal in Moscow in 1980, had he not been beaten six days earlier by Ovett in the 800metres?



The intense competition between those two was the reason there was a golden age for British athletics in the 1980s and I read that Coe cited his rivalry with Ovett as the reason he broke three world records in the space of 41 days in 1980.

Carra: They are the best players in the world but they will never be best friends.

Similarly, there was no affection between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost when they dominated Formula One. Would they have enjoyed so many podium finishes without the other pursuing them?



Senna, after all, was known as a risk taker because Prost kept pushing him.The tragic footnote to that rivalry came when Senna was killed in 1994 and Prost said that 'part of him also died' with Senna.



They had no allegiance on the track but the respect Prost had for Senna was shown when he was one of the pallbearers at his funeral.



It is all about appreciation and recognition. Victoria Pendleton and Anna Mears, the top women cyclists, had a feud that lasted years but melted in a second when they embraced at the end of a sprint, which Mears won, at the Olympics last summer.



That was two athletes realising the role they had played in each other's career, a fitting way to bring the curtain down on their rivalry.



Will that happen with Ronaldo and Messi? Unlikely. Ronaldo was pictured with a face like thunder when Messi was presented with the Ballon D'Or. Messi, on the other hand, has not once said in public how good Ronaldo is.



They emit mutual loathing rather than mutual respect.Should that stay the same way, it would be a huge shame. Both men have fantastic team-mates and have enjoyed the backing of brilliant managers but they should also appreciate their private competition is making them play better, possibly better than they could ever have dreamed.



So while they might not be able to live with each other one thing is certain - they cannot be without each other, either.

Real bag Copa Clasico victory

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid overcame Barcelona 3-1 at Camp Nou and 4-2 on aggregate to book their place in the Copa del Rey final.

Highlights: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

With Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson watching from the stands ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg with Real at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho's men produced a devastating display of containment and counter-attacking football.



Barcelona may hold a 16-point lead over their bitter rivals in La Liga going into Saturday's El Clasico encounter, but the Catalan club were firmly second best in front of their own supporters when, as in their Champions League defeat to Milan, they dominated possession but created precious few chances.



Lionel Messi was inches away from opening the scoring with only 90 seconds on the clock as his instant control and shot on the turn from Pedro's cross flashed across Diego Lopez's goal and narrowly wide.



But it was Real who took the lead in the 13th minute when Ronaldo was released by Gonzalo Higuain's clever ball down the wing, with the Portugal ace drawing a foul from Gerard Pique following a series of step-overs.

 Ronaldo is the 1st player to have nine shots against Barcelona in all competitions this season.

Pique and Barcelona were infuriated, but referee Undiano Mallenco's decision was absolutely correct, with Ronaldo picking himself up to drill into the bottom corner and send Jose Pinto the wrong way for his sixth successive Clasico goal at Camp Nou.



Fabregas immediately had a penalty appeal of his own turned down at the other end of the field after tumbling under Alvaro Arbeloa's challenge, while Ronaldo fired two long-range efforts over before thudding a third attempt into Pinto's chest.



Parts of Camp Nou thought Barca had equalised with half-time approaching as Messi rippled the outside of the net with a low free-kick from a central position just outside the box after Arbeloa went into the book for bringing down Andres Iniesta.



Xabi Alonso released Fabio Coentrao with a superb ball on the left side of the area but he shot straight at Pinto early in the second half, before Sergio Busquets finally forced Lopez to make a save with a well-struck shot from outside the box.



Real made it 2-0 with another lighting counter-attack which left Barcelona's defence all at sea as a long ball out of defence was chased down by Angel Di Maria, who turned Carles Puyol inside and out to leave the experienced defender on his knees.



Di Maria's resulting shot was superbly saved by the feet of Pinto, but the ball looped up kindly for Ronaldo to control and convert in the 57th minute, with the Real ace receiving yet more unwanted attention from a supporter in the stands with a laser.

Messi has not made any shot on target in the 1st half of this night clasico, the only time this happened was in San Siro in CL.

Any hopes Barcelona had of mounting an improbable comeback were vanquished when Raphael Varane, who found the net in the 1-1 first leg draw, produced a towering header from a corner with Jordi Alba's late response for Barcelona nothing more than scant consolation.

Messi: We must improve ahead of Clasico

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has issued a rallying cry to his teammates ahead of Tuesday's Clasico meeting against Real Madrid.

Barca came from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 last night, thanks to goals from Messi and David Villa.



In their previous game they lost 2-0 at AC Milan in the Champions League, and Messi has insisted that they must raise their game against Madrid.



"We knew it would be a difficult game, more so after the result against Milan. But we won, and that's the main thing," Messi said after the game.



"I feel good and I like to play. Now we must play like we always do in the cup game against Madrid. We won't be able to count on a 0-0 draw."



Barcelona drew the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final with Madrid 1-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.


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Footballers Cars in Pictures

We bring you the football player's in pictures. You may see your favourite car here!

Steven Gerrard's Bentley Continental GT

Fernando Torres and his Aston Martin 

Freddie Ljungberg and his Ferrari

Emmanuel Adebayor and His Bentley Continental

Sulley Muntari and his Lambourgini Gallardo

Wayne Rooney and his Lamborghini Gallardo

Lionel Messi and his Maserati Granturismo http://

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Maserati

Emmanuel Adebayor and His Bentley Continental

Mesut Ozil with his Ferrari 

Rio Ferdinand and his Aston Martin

Nani and his Lamborghini Gallardo

Robbie Savage and his Lamborghini Murcielago

David James and his Reliant Robin!

John Terry and his Ferrari 

Nicklas Bendtner and his Aston Martin DBS

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Lamborghini

Djibril Cissé and his Plymouth Prowler

Ashley Cole and his Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG

Tom Cleverley and his Audi

Steven Gerrard with his Jaguar's XKR Convertible

David Beckham and his Porsche Turbo

Martin Skrtel's Bentley!

Neymar with his Audi

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Lionel Messi hits 4, Cristiano Ronaldo passes 300 goals

Lionel Messi hit four goals for leaders Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a hat-trick for Real Madrid as the two teams warmed up for their midweek King's Cup semi-final clash with crushing La Liga victories on Sunday.

Messi took his league tally in 21 games this season to an incredible 33, and to 202 overall, in Barca's 5-1 win at home to 10-man Osasuna while Ronaldo passed 300 club goals and now has 21 this term as Real thumped Getafe 4-0 at the Bernabeu.



Barca's return to winning ways after last weekend's 3-2 reverse at Real Sociedad, their first defeat of the campaign, put them 11 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid who lost 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao.



Champions Real, whose hopes of a second straight title are effectively over with 17 matches to go, are four points behind Atletico in third spot. Ronaldo struck three times in 10 minutes, the first his 300th club goal.Mourinho, who turned 50 on Saturday, left several key players out of his starting lineup including Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira while goalkeeper Casillas was missing after breaking a bone in his hand in midweek.

The Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo who was substituted with 15 minutes left after a knock to his right ankle, scored five for Sporting Lisbon, 118 for Manchester United and now has 179 for Real thanks to his 20th career treble.



Malaga reclaimed Spain's fourth Champions League qualification berth from Andalusian rivals Real Betis when the Qatar-owned club survived the second-half dismissal of Martin Demichelis to win 3-2 at struggling Real Mallorca.



Malaga have 35 points, eight behind Real, and lead Betis on goal difference. Rayo Vallecano continued to defy their modest status and are a point behind Betis in sixth place after they beat the Seville-based side 3-0.



World Player of the Year Messi became the first player to score on 11 successive La Liga matchdays and, at 25, the youngest to reach 200 league goals.



He has scored more goals on his own than all the other La Liga teams apart from Real and Atletico and is on course to smash the record for the most in a season (50) he set last term.

Messi grabs four in Osasuna rout

Lionel Messi celebrated another goalscoring milestone with four more goals as Barcelona demolished 10-man Osasuna at the Nou Camp. The Argentinian went one better than great rival Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick earlier in the day as he was part of a Barça side who utterly outclassed Osasuna.

His second was his 200th goal in La Liga, another landmark in his ever-growing list of achievements. The fourth brought his total in the league this term to 33 and he is on track to match last season's barely-believable 50 strikes, with 17 more goals needed from as many games.



Pedro was also on target for the Catalans and even though Raoul Loe briefly levelled for Osasuna, Alejandro Arribas' sending-off after 27 minutes made their task an almost impossible one. The win preserved Barça's convincing lead over at the top of the Primera Division, while Osasuna remained in relegation danger.



Barcelona started quickly and Thiago Alcantara brought a fine parry out of goalkeeper Andres Fernandez after only four minutes. They went ahead seven minutes later through a predictable source. Xavi's exquisite pass from the left played in Messi and he rounded Fernandez to score.



The visitors levelled in the 23rd minute as a clearance fell to Loe on the edge of the area and his low shot with the outside of his left foot found the bottom-left corner, with keeper Victor Valdes perhaps unsighted. Parity lasted just five minutes, though.



Arribas conceded a penalty with a handball in the area and was sent off for a second yellow card before Messi stepped up to score low into the corner. And this time there was no way back for Osasuna.

Messi was denied a hat-trick by a post as his header from a Dani Alves cross came back off the frame of the goal, but Pedro had better luck five minutes before the break. Again Alves was the provider and his ball in from the right was swept home by the Spain forward.



But this match, yet again, was about Messi and he got his hat-trick in the 56th minute, running on to a pass from David Villa down the left of the area, rounding Fernandez and sliding the ball into the empty net.



Three became four two minutes later. Villa's pull-back from the left byline picked out Claro Adriano in the area and his pass across goal was flicked in by Messi.



The forward has scored five in one match before, against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League, but this time Osasuna, who defended desperately to the end, were spared further embarrassment.




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Zlatan: ‘Messi too short, Ronaldo useless’

Swedish striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has lashed out at two of the world’s best footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.



­“Messi may have four Golden Balls, but I don’t have to get on a box to buy a chocolate bar in a vending machine,” Ibrahimovic is cited as saying by Argentinean Canchallena website. "As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s a privileged spectator, who only watches how Messi receives all his awards. He doesn’t deserve to be in the top three, there are at least ten people better than him."



1.69-meter tall Messi won his fourth straight Golden Ball award (given to the best footballer on the planet) on January 7.



The Argentinean’s Barcelona teammate, Andres Iniesta, and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo finished as the runners up for the prestigious prize.



Ibrahimovic, who didn’t make it into the top three this year, is well known for his temper and controversial statements.



The PSG star also called Man City player Mario Balotelli a “mediocre” player and made some revealing statements about former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, in his autobiography.

Messi apologises to Ronaldo for Ballon d'Or speech

After coming in for heavy criticism Lionel Messi has admitted he regrets his Ballon d’Or speech after receiving the award for a record fourth time in as many years last week.



The Barcelona star came under-fire from some commentators after his acceptance speech snubbed long-term rival and fellow nominee Cristiano Ronaldo, while so openly and enthusiastically congratulating team-mate Andres Iniesta, who was also on the three-man shortlist.



Aside from some being angered by Messi’s omission of Ronaldo from his speech, there were also reports that several media figures were unimpressed with Messi’s behaviour in the pre-gala media conference, claiming he was disinterested and spent most of the time looking at his mobile phone.



Seeing the error of his ways, Messi has since apologised for this incident, admitting that he should have acknowledged Ronaldo.



“I am sorry about that. I didn’t say everything I wanted to," he told France Football.



"I hadn’t prepared anything and didn’t have any notes, but I didn’t want to forget anyone Especially not Tito or Abidal. I should have congratulated Cristiano, too.



"But that’s what always happens to me, the emotion overwhelms me and I lose my train of thought.”



Despite the 'snub', Ronaldo has insisted there is no bad blood between the the two players. “There is no rivalry as to who wins more. Of course we are here to win but there’s no rivalry," he said.



“I am calm about it –it’s not a matter of life and death. Life goes on. I don’t feel frustrated."