REPOST: Manchester United calculate the cost of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return: £140m

Cristiano Ronaldo has always been ridiculously expensive (in looks, kit, even girlfriend), but as he faces the prospect of trade from Real Madrid to Man U, he's about to get richer still. Not exactly a Ronaldo fan, but you have to respect the guy for keeping the coffers of Madrid generous all these years and the English clubs keen to put out.  

Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in 2009 after helping them win the Premier League.

 Image Source: theguardian.com 

Manchester United will have to pay at least £140m to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford with Real Madrid reportedly ready to cash in on a move that will also alert Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and other European heavyweights.

It is understood that around 18 months ago Ronaldo and his advisors spoke to the majority of Europe’s blue riband clubs regarding potentially leaving Real. In the event he signed a fresh deal last September with the Spanish giants that made him the world’s highest paid footballer.

Ronaldo earns €21m a year, which is £16.4m or £315,384 a week, with Real paying all of his 52% tax. He costs the Spanish club £34.1m a season. Given his pay equates to £693,844 gross under the UK’s 45% tax bracket for high earners, Ronaldo would have to agree a sizeable pay cut on his basic terms if he were to return to United.

United could further boost his take-home pay by offering him a lucrative image rights deal and other sizeable commercial incentives beyond the normal bonuses awarded for successful on-field performance.

The £140m cost for United – or any prospective suitor – would be the transfer fee of around £60m and his basic wage, should he agree to around £380,000 a-week as a gross figure, which on a four-year contract amounts to £79m.

While Real would want £80m to try to recoup all of the fee paid to United five years ago for Ronaldo, any interested club would hope to agree a smaller sum. Wayne Rooney is United’s highest paid player on £300,000 per week. Given Ronaldo’s ability, which places him in at least a class above Rooney, and his pedigree as a double Fifa world player of the year and Real’s record goalscorer, United would be prepared to break their pay structure to offer him nearer to £400,000 a-week.

Ed Woodward, United’s executive vice-chairman, would be confident of extracting the maximum return if Ronaldo was bought. The forward has the highest following of any athlete on Twitter, greeting the reaching of 30m followers on Wednesday by tweeting: “Wow! Reached the 30 million followers on Twitter, it’s amazing. Thanks everyone.”

Ronaldo’s ability to sell shirts and global appeal would also allow United to ensure the transfer would be a financial – as well as footballing – success.

With the Portuguese turning 30 in February, Real have decided the end of the season will be time to cash in on an asset who will have three years left on his contract by the summer of 2015.

Since signing in 2009, Ronaldo has continually spoken of his affection for Real. Having scoring the 25th hat-trick of his glittering Real career – a club record – in the 5-1 win over Elche, Ronaldo was once more asked about a return to United.

He said: “They are all speculations about my future. My future is Madrid. I’m happy this season is going well and my future I will not speak about, it does not make sense.”

Yet with Real revealing the club is £400m in debt the sale of Ronaldo next close season would make financial sense as he enters his thirties ahead of an inevitable physical decline.

Last Friday Louis van Gaal, the United manager, admitted he would be interested in buying Ronaldo.
Regarding any competition for his signature, it is thought City are not minded to buy Ronaldo, while Chelsea’s José Mourinho described his relationship with the player as non-existent. Bayern Munich may not be able to afford him and PSG may struggle to convince the 29-year-old he should join as French football is not considered on a par with Europe’s best domestic competitions.

I reckon club salaries have been obscenely high since the recent World Cup. I think I've made an Arnaud Massartic list of grossly overpaid football players in my blog before. Have a go to the link and tell me whether James Rodriguez is worth at least a plane fare in the direction of the Old World.

REPOST: Lionel Messi Back to the Top of AP Soccer Poll

The FC Barcelona forward tops AP’s first global soccer poll for this season with 110 points. See who else has made the list here.

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi from Argentina, right, reacts after
scoring against Elche during a Spanish La Liga soccer match
at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014.
Image Source: usnews.com

LONDON (AP) — The season's first Associated Press global soccer poll has Lionel Messi back at the top of the list. 

The Barcelona forward scored two goals in the 3-0 win over Elche, putting him ahead of Bayern Munich striker Arjen Robben and Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic. 

City, the defending Premier League champion, took the top spot in the team vote after beating Liverpool 3-1 on Monday. 

Bayer Leverkusen, which beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in its season opener in the Bundesliga, was second and Barcelona was third.

Arnaud Massartic is a football fan from Liverpool. Follow him on Twitter to catch up with news regarding the sport.

REPOST: Is men’s college soccer about to undergo big changes? Many hope so

Sasho Cirovski attemps to radically change the landscape of college soccer starting with the turning Division I men’s soccer into a full academic-year sport. The article below has more info Cirovski’s plans.

Image Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Sasho Cirovski is college soccer’s most passionate advocate, a guardian of the oft-criticized university development system, but the longtime University of Maryland men’s coach appreciates the need to evolve.

That is why, as chairman of the Division I men’s coaches’ committee, he has joined forces with NCAA leaders, MLS officials and the U.S. Soccer Federation to radically change the landscape of the college game.

They have proposed turning Division I men’s soccer into a full academic-year sport, one that would kick off in mid-September and culminate in late-May. If approved by the NCAA, the new calendar would begin as early as 2016-17.

“We have to change the game and do it justice,” Cirovski said. “College soccer has been relevant, but it can become much more relevant. It is doing a good job; it can do a great job.”

For more than 50 years, college soccer has packed a full season into three-plus months in the fall, creating physical and academic challenges and restricting the amount of development time. (Teams are allowed limited practices and exhibitions in the spring, as well.)

Under a proposal formulated by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the number of official team days would grow to 144 from 132. Teams would open training camp in late August, hold two friendlies, then play 13 matches between mid-September and the weekend before Thanksgiving. (Currently, some teams play two friendlies and as many as 24 games between late August and the holiday.)

From late November until late February, teams would go on winter break, restricted to eight hour-long training sessions. Spring training camp would begin in late February and include one friendly. The season would resume in mid-March and include nine regular season matches, plus conference and NCAA tournament games. 

Proponents are aiming to submit formal plans to the NCAA this fall and seek a decision in the first half of 2015. With college athletics undergoing rapid change, backers of the plan believe the timing is right.

“We recognize people and parents are focused on college,” said Kevin Payne, the former D.C. United and Toronto FC executive who is consulting on the matter on behalf of the USSF. “Instead of complaining about college soccer all the time, we have to figure out: How do we make it better?”

Others involved in the process include MLS officials Todd Durbin andJeff Agoos; and West Virginia University Athletic Director Oliver Luck, the former Houston Dynamo president who serves on the NCAA committee implementing a college football playoff system.

Payne, Luck and Rob Kehoe, the NSCAA’s Division I programs director, are scheduled to address MLS’s technical committee at the league’s all-star game in Portland, Ore., next week.

At this time, the changes would affect Division I men’s soccer only. The women’s game and men’s lower divisions would retain their schedules.

Among the reasons for the proposed changes:

*From a player development standpoint, the NSCAA says, “Division I soccer exists in an outdated format that is inconsistent with the growth of United States soccer and with the current youth and professional soccer structures that operate in 10-month seasons.”

In other words, college players are not receiving adequate training over the course of the school year and remain behind contemporaries in many other countries. 

*College soccer is failing to retain high-caliber players who are, the NSCAA says, “choosing to forego a college soccer experience in favor of professional opportunities due to perceived college developmental deficiencies.”

Without calendar changes, the fear among college advocates is the USSF will begin advising players to skip NCAA soccer altogether. Already, MLS clubs are signing teenagers from their youth academies, prospects who bypass college or attend for only a year or two.

*Teams are playing too many matches in a short amount of time, leading to injuries and substandard performance. Three games per week is common throughout the season, and some conferences pile three tournament games into four days. The NSCAA cites the NCAA chief medical officer in prioritizing players’ health and safety.

Along those lines, college soccer is criticized for allowing unlimited substitutions and players to re-enter games, contrary to international standards. But those scheduling demands are what make the liberal guidelines necessary. With more time between matches, those rules could someday be changed to meet FIFA requirements, proponents argue.

*Academic balance. A looser schedule in the fall would alleviate work-load pressure and distribute academic demands equally over the entire school year.

*A proper culmination of the season. The College Cup — semifinals and final over three days in December — is barely noticed, even in the soccer community. It is often played in cold weather and in front of crowds smaller than some of the participating teams often enjoy during the regular season. 

“All coaches are frustrated,” said Cirovski, who is entering his 22nd season at Maryland. “The championships don’t work.”

College soccer longs for a marquee weekend, like other secondary NCAA sports (lacrosse, baseball and hockey). A College Cup in May would expand the location options and, in theory, create an annual destination for soccer fans.

Also, without scheduling conflicts with college football and basketball, postseason soccer matches in May would have a greater opportunity to appear on live TV. On the current calendar, few soccer tournament matches are televised until the College Cup – out of sight, out of mind. In the spring, college sports currently filling TV slots are softball, baseball and lacrosse.

Proponents appear to have the backing of most head coaches. Skeptics worry that, in an era of belt-tightening at many institutions, athletic departments may choose to do away with the men’s soccer program if the proposed changes lead to increased costs through staffing and facility demands. Some schools would have to adjust stadium availability, particularly those that house soccer and lacrosse in the same venue.

The change would also impact the MLS draft, which is held every January – a month after the college season ends.

If the draft remained at the same time of the year, just before training camps open, would players be tempted to turn pro halfway through the college season? Or would they not become eligible for MLS until the summer? If so, they would miss out on four months in a pro environment and perhaps never figure into that season’s plans. Moving the draft to June would have the same effect. 

The larger question about college soccer is whether it’s necessary at all. For most players, who do not have realistic pro ambitions, it’s perfectly fine: four years playing the sport they love while earning a college degree and, in many cases, receiving a substantial scholarship.

For those players with special talents, college soccer has long been viewed as detrimental to playing development, largely because of the short schedule and limited practice time mandated by the NCAA. Personal development, however, is not something an MLS academy can provide. College, proponents say, turns out more mature and responsible individuals. The same cannot be said of many American prospects who turned pro after high school and have struggled to adapt to the adult world of pro soccer.

Said Cirovski: “A college education is important for life-long success and happiness. This [proposed] schedule allows student-athletes to fully maximize the soccer experience and the life experience. It’s time has come.”

Arnaud Massartic is a Liverpool F.C. fan who lives in England. Follow him on Twitter for more sports news, competitions, fixtures, and game results.

REPOST: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez offered escape route from his biting ban with Kosovan Superleague club Hajvalia

Luis Suarez has been given the chance to play football in Kosovo despite the four-month suspension issued Kosovo Superleague club Hajvalia. Read about the latest ruling in the article below.

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez has been offered the chance to play football in Kosovo despite his biting ban | Image Source: metro.co.uk

 
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been offered the chance to continue playing football while he serves a four-month suspension from the game by Kosovo Superleague club Hajvalia.

The Uruguay captain was found guilty of biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during his team’s World Cup win in Natal last week, with Fifa imposing a nine-match international ban and a four-month ban from all ‘football-related’ activity for the incident.

The punishment means that Suarez will miss Liverpool’s first nine Premier League games and three Champions League fixtures next season, and will be unable to train with his teammates during that period.

The Reds are thought to be considering letting their star man go this summer, with Barcelona heavily linked with him, but the Kosovan club have now offered to take Suarez on as the country is not yet a full member of Fifa, and therefore not affected by any of their rulings.

Luis Suarez was handed a four-month ban from all football-related activity by Fifa | Image Source: metro.co.uk

 
‘Suarez can’t play in the next four months,’ club director, Xhavit Pacolli, told Kosovo newspaper, Sport Plus.

‘As we are not part of Fifa yet, I think he can play in Kosovo, so we have an offer that we will send to Liverpool.’

That offer is said to be a £25,000 fee to Liverpool and a £1,200 monthly salary to Suarez.
‘This is the maximum we can offer,’ Pacolli said.

‘This might sound ridiculous to him, but that is all we can do.

‘If he is willing to come and play for us, he is welcome. As we are not part of Fifa, it would be ideal for him.’

Hajvalia finished sixth in the Kosovan league last season.

This spells good news for die-hard Liverpool F.C. fan Arnaud Massartic. Like this Facebook page for more news and updates on Liverpool F.C. including LFC products, player stats, and match information.

World Cup 2014: Six Reds carrying England's flag

Sure, not all are ecstatic about this year’s line-up for England’s national team in the World Cup, and the lads are currently getting larruped in Brazil; but Roy Hodgson’s young-ish squad keeps my hopes up for the future of English football. What’s more, Hodgson had the manners to include half a dozen Liverpool players in his final line-up. Steven Gerrard captains the squad, and is joined by Liverpool teammates Jordan Henderson, Glen Johnson, Rickie Lambert, Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge. Here’s a bit about them gritty Reds playing for England:  

 

Image Source: theguardian.com

1. Steven Gerrard, MF, Captain

Aside from being captain of the national team, Steven Gerrard is also skipper for the Reds, playing his entire career at Anfield. He’s the sixth player to win 100 caps for England, and is third in the all-time appearance list for the Three Lions.  

2. Jordan Henderson, MF

Moving to Liverpool in 2011, Henderson previously captained England’s U21 team.

 3. Glen Johnson, DF

A defensive specialist, Johnson has capped for the Three Lions a total of 53 times.

 

Image Source: telegraph.co.uk

 4. Rickie Lambert, FW

At 32 years old, Lambert is a relatively new face in the national team; his first call-up was last year.  

5. Raheem Sterling, MF

At 19 years, Sterling is one of the youngest members of the Three Lions, and has represented England in U16, U17, and U21.  

 

Image Source: metro.co.uk

6. Daniel Sturridge, FW

Sturridge is a stalwart for the national team, having been regularly called up to represent England since 2011. Also, special mention goes to Jon Flanagan, DF for making it to the standby list after a great Premier league season.  

Arnaud Massartic is a die-hard Liverpool FC fan. More news and stories about the Reds here.

Team play tips: Liverpool's Rodgers on hitting 96 goals

Liverpool leads the current campaign with 96 strikes so far. This number puts them five ahead of Manchester United, with a large gap between and the rest of the teams.

Image Source: kopology.co.uk

Thank the dynamic duo of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge for most of these numbers: with their 30 and 20 hits, respectively, they practically ensured their lead in the individual rankings as well. Icing on top of Liverpool’s sweet, sweet cake.

Image Source: dailystar.co.uk

However, they aren’t the only ones responsible for this large a lead. We’ve seen points coming from the other members of the team as well: team captain Gerrard with 13, Sterling hitting nine, Skrtel with four under his belt. The boss Brendan Rodgers says it best when he considers that teamwork to be integral to the Liverpool’s not only gaining, but maintaining the lead as well.

 

Image Source: zimbio.com

"That's the beauty of us with our 96 league goals, it's about more than one player," Rodgers explained to the Liverpool Echo. "Luis Suarez is a wonderful talent. He is world-class and has had a great season. Daniel Sturridge has got big potential and I believe he will really flourish here over the next few years. But what's been really positive for me is the threat we've been from different areas throughout the season. Other players have improved. When you look at the function of the team now, we've got players taking on responsibility right across the field. It means we're able to cause teams a lot of problems. Everyone has made a contribution and that's been vital to the progress we've made."

Teamwork is the essence behind every team sport; Rodgers would know that more than anyone. He has, after all, been coaching for half his life, with teams like Chelsea, Watford, and Swansea under his belt.  

Arnaud Massartic is an avid Liverpool FC fan who follows the team through their victories and challenges. Visit his Facebook page to learn more about his love for Liverpool.