Saturday, 24 May 2014

Evra signs new one-year Man United deal

14:04

By: TBMU Admin On: 14:04   In:   No comments

Evra signs new one-year Man United deal

Evra signs new one-year Man United deal

Posted: 23 May 2014 10:23 AM PDT

The future of the 33-year-old was unknown, with reports suggesting the Frenchman's eight-year stay was to end after the Premier League giants endured a tumultuous season and finished seventh. However, Evra will now stay at United for at least another campaign, and becomes the first player to commit their future to the club since it was announced Louis van Gaal will become United's new manager, replacing Ryan Giggs who was in charge on an interim basis following the ill-fated spell of David Moyes. "We can confirm that Patrice Evra has extended his contract at Manchester United for another year," United posted on their official Twitteraccount..

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Stats Zone Premier League Games of the Season 2013/14

Posted: 23 May 2014 09:47 AM PDT

Most passes in a game: 1192 Arsenal 2-0 Hull City, 4 Dec 2013 For those who love what Xavi calls the "pum, pum, pum, pum" of passing, the place to be was the Emirates, back when the advent calendars remained relatively pristine. The Gunners, who scored in the second minute of each half, piled up 803 passes (721 completed), the Tigers a hardly shabby 305 of 389. Fewest passes in a game: 544 Stoke City 2-1 Aston Villa, 21 Dec 2013 Less than a fortnight later, with the advent calendar a plundered shell and Christmas drunkenness all around, Stoke and Villa concocted the Premier League's most pass-free game of the season. The Potters' passing improved notably this season but they contributed just 186 completed passes (of 286) to this unseemly scrabble, while their guests were worse, with 158 out of 255. Might have been better to go Christmas shopping. Most unblocked shots: 33 Manchester City 0-1 Chelsea, 3 Feb 2014 Shooooooot! The summit meeting at the Etihad, renowned in retrospect as a Mourinho masterclass in defence, actually provoked the highest total of unblocked shots, of which City had 19. The hosts' problem was accuracy: of their 24 shots in total, only 3 were on target, whereas Chelsea got 6 of their 18 on target. Most shots (inc. blocked): 44 Newcastle 0-3 Sunderland, 1 Feb 2014; Sunderland 0-1 Everton, 12 Apr 2014 Heck of a season for the Mackems, who were also involved in the two matches with the most shots in total. Up the road at Newcastle, they won 3-0 despite only having 16 shots to their neighbours' 28 (10 of which were saved by Stats Zone Awards Goalkeeper of the Season Vito Mannone). Just over two months later, they had their own barn-door day with 24 fruitless shots on Tim Howard's goal; even Everton's winner was an oggie off Wes Brown. Fewest shots: 9 Aston Villa 0-0 Southampton, 19 Apr 2014 Strikers, look away. Southampton's trip to Villa, which also produced the fewest unblocked shots (7), featured a home side who apparently couldn't hit a cowshed with a brass band – looking at the Stats Zone screen, at least two of their six efforts may have produced throw-ins – and a Southampton side so timid that they restricted their three shots from an area the size of a tea towel. Highest overall pass completion rate: 89.9% Man United 3-1 Hull City, 6 May 2013 An evening of firsts (goalscoring debutant James Wilson) and lasts (final Old Trafford appearances for Nemanja Vidic and Ryan Giggs) also produced a pleasingly high percentage of accurate passing – and, as in the game at Arsenal which produced the most passes overall, Hull played their part. The Tigers completed 449 of their 511 passes, while the hosts connected with 583 of their 637. Well done, everybody. Lowest overall pass completion rate: 62.7% Stoke City 2-1 Aston Villa, 21 Dec 2013 You lot again? Most fouls: 40 West Brom 0-1 Southampton, 17 Aug 2013 Maybe it was a refereeing directive that didn't reach anyone but Kevin Friend. Or maybe this opening-day encounter was just as "scrappy" as almost every match report calls it. Whichever, when Mauricio Pochettino's side turned up to face Steve Clarke's Baggies, they acted like anything but Saints, committing 25 of the 40 fouls given by Friend. None of them mattered as much as one of the game's last infractions – Youssouf Mulumbu's 89th-minute foul on Luke Shaw which led to recent goalscoring England debutant Rickie Lambert striking from the spot. Fewest fouls: 9 Manchester United 2-2 Fulham, 9 Feb 2013 One of the season's most peculiar games, in which Rene Meulensteen returned to Old Trafford with a line-up best described as "solid" and Fulham escaped undefeated for only the second time in 51 years… somehow. The Cottagers produced as many fouls (6) as shots; at the other end, United used their 75.4% possession to rack up 31 shots and a startling 82 crosses… but still allowed Darren Bent to steal a point with an injury-time equaliser. See also... Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Striker of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Player of 2013/14 Stats Zone Premier League Team of 2013/14

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Kagawa not out to impress Van Gaal at World Cup

Posted: 23 May 2014 05:31 AM PDT

The arrival of the Dutchman could give Kagawa a new lease of life after a frustrating campaign under David Moyes, but the Japan international is concentrating on helping his country out of Group C in Brazil first and foremost. Kagawa only made 14 starts in the Premier League last season but does not believe there is added pressure on him to impress his new boss in the World Cup. ,And the former Borussia Dortmund man and is confident he can rise to the occasion on the big stage in Brazil. "I'm not using the World Cup as a place to showcase myself for (Van Gaal)," said the 25-year-old. "I'll deal with that after this tournament is over. "I think everyone knows I want to do well at the World Cup, and I'm sure everyone else does, too. "But I don't want to get my priorities mixed up here – the important thing is for Japan to win at the World Cup. "I know how to get myself into shape. I was able to stay motivated despite the year I had because I had the World Cup to look forward to." Kagawa has made 54 appearances for the national team since making his debut in May 2008 and will be playing in his second World Cup finals.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

FFT to announce 2013/14 Stats Zone Awards

Posted: 23 May 2014 05:05 AM PDT

The awards were decided by a panel of FourFourTwo writers and Opta analysts, who used facts provided in the Stats Zone app to back up their decisions. Announced from 1:30pm at FourFourTwo.com, the prizes were hotly contested, with Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez among the contenders for the main award. There were also positional awards for goalkeeper, full-back, centre-back, central midfielder, attacking midfielder and forward of the season, a Team of the Year featuring the best line-up and a Young Player prize for those aged 21 or under on the first day of the season. The Stats Zone Awards are in their second year, with Tottenham's Gareth Bale picking up last season's Player of the Season gong. Christian Benteke was the 2012/2013 Young Player of the Season, although the Aston Villa striker was kept out of the Team of the Year by Manchester United's Robin van Persie. The Dutchman was joined in the select XI by the likes of Petr Cech (Chelsea), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton) and Santi Cazorla (Arsenal). The winners... Stats Zone Premier League Goalkeeper of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Full-Back of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Centre-Back of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Central Midfielder of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Attacking Midfielder of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Striker of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Player of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Young Player of the Year Stats Zone Premier League Team of the Year

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Connor Wickham: I didnt retaliate to Di Canio – I knew he just wanted a reaction

Posted: 23 May 2014 04:35 AM PDT

Sunderland's end to the season was quite something. How would you describe it? Magic. I don't know what it was, or what we did –we didn't do anything different, just the same. But we managed to get ourselves out of a really bad situation, and next season we need to make sure we're not in that same scenario. Was there a particular moment when you thought 'yes, we're staying up'? At Manchester City we were so unlucky not to come away with the win, after they scored with about 30 seconds of the game left. It did knock us back but it also gave us belief that we could compete with the big teams. We needed to because four of the next five games were against the big teams. It was important that we kept the belief, kept ourselves strong and did what we needed to do. Thankfully, somehow we managed to do it by drawing with City and then beating Chelsea and Manchester United away from home. When we beat Cardiff, that was the game when I thought "we're not gonna go down". What was it like after that City game–mixed emotions? When they scored in the last minute the ball just went in so slowly. We took a point but we wanted all three. We were down but more annoyed than anything that we had given the game back to them. At the same time we took positives, though, because we'd just played the team who turned out to be the champions and had taken a point away from home. No one would have thought we were going to do that, and we proved a lot of people wrong. I remember saying after that game that we weren't going to go down without a fight –and we didn't. Take us back: Sunderland have just lost to Everton, are seven points adrift from safety and have those aforementioned teams coming up. What on earth was going through the squad's heads at that point? It was hard to be bottom and cut off from the next team. I came back at that stage when we were seven points adrift with Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Man United all away from home to come. We needed something magic to come and help us out. Thankfully we managed to put together those performances, score the goals and beat some of those teams nobody ever thought we would have. You came back from Leeds and Gus Poyet threw you straight into the team. What kind of message did that send out to you? He called me the night before he called me back and said 'I'm bringing you back, you're going to play and you're going to get a chance'. That was the most important thing for me –I didn't want to come back as a bench player, someone to come on in the last 10 minutes to try to change a game. I said that to him and he said 'no, you're going to get a chance'. That's what I've always wanted, and I've always said that if I was given a chance I'll prove people wrong. Thankfully I paid him back. Did you feel as though you had to prove people wrong then? I didn't feel like I had to, I felt like I wanted to. Being in the Premier League for two years but having only been on loan and come on every now and again, people did start doubting me saying I wasn't good enough. But I always knew I was; I just needed a chance. This manager gave me one and I proved people wrong. What did you do when people were saying you weren't good enough? I just kept going. Everyone is going to criticise and have an opinion –I could say things are someone who doesn't do their job right –but you have to take that. I took a lot of it, and I know a lot of other top footballers have as well, but how you become the best is by dealing with it and using it to your advantage. People question whether the loan system helps players or not. What were your experiences like? I was accepted by Sheffield Wednesday straight away; by the players, the staff and the fans. It really helped my confidence, and I felt like I was welcomed everywhere I went. That proves on the pitch that I was doing well, and that boosts your confidence game by game. It was the same situation there where we were bottom of the league, and we got ourselves out of that. Is it more difficult being a young, English player who's made a big-money move? Not really. It wasn't my decision that the clubs agreed such a big fee at such a young age. I was playing football and the clubs came to the agreement for the money they did. I was happy to get to the Premier League. It's taken a while but now I feel like I've stamped my mark and hopefully when I go back next season I can continue where I left off. What has the manager been like for you since you returned? He's been good. Training has been good, and I've stayed behind to do bits and bobs –longer than most people. I've worked hard, and I had to do that because he gave me a chance and I wanted to prove it wasn't the wrong decision to bring me back. I did that, and now we're not looking back. The season is behind us now and we go again. Niall Quinn says you can be Sunderland's answer to Alan Shearer if you're first on, last off the training pitch like that. What do you need to do to stay at this level now? I think I just have to stay confident in myself. I've always remained that way even when I wasn't playing, because I knew that if I got my chance I'd be able to do it. It didn't happen that way at Sunderland initially so I went to Wednesday and did it there. I proved to people that I am still about and able to play, and thankfully the manager asked me back to do a job in the Premier League. What is confidence for a striker? It's everything –that's what you live off as a striker. As soon as you get one goal, two goals, three goals, you feel like everything you do is going to come off. You can't do anything wrong with confidence, and it's the most important thing you play off. For me it was massive, and I think that's what it came down to; playing with no fear and not being scared of anyone. How much can you feel it at the other end of the scale when you're not confident? It's different, of course. You might take an extra touch, think about things too much and give the ball away. Then your head's down and you're nervous about going on. You need to stay positive, keep strong and believe in what you know you're able to do. If you're confident, things will come together. You say nothing changed for you. Come on now… No, it's true. I was on loan for the majority of the season, so I wasn't involved in that environment of the team being bottom for so long. In that situation it's just ticking away and ticking away. I came back and my first game was Liverpool when we played well but lost (2-1), and then we got beat at Tottenham (5-1). But after that we seemed to pick it up, and the City game gave us the belief that we needed. The manager never said anything bad about our performances in the dressing room after the game, so it gave us the confidence that when we really want to we can compete with the top teams. Paolo Di Canio said he needed to "slap your face a little bit" to get you motivated when he was still in charge. How did that make you feel? He's his own man and he can say what we wants, but people who know me know that what he was saying wasn't true. I didn't retaliate to it because I knew he was doing it to get a reaction out of me. The only reaction I was going to give was 'play me and I'll prove you wrong'. When he did play me, I came on against MK Dons and scored twice. After that he didn't say anything. But those days are gone. What was Gus Poyet like for the players when the going was tough? He was quite relaxed, certainly with me, despite the position we were in. I don't know if deep inside he was panicking, but now we can all breathe and just relax! We can make sure next season isn't the same. Your form culminated in April's Player of the Month award. How was that for you? It was special, especially after the season I'd had. It was my first month back in the Premier League, and to get that award was massive. To be honest I didn't think about it and it was surprising when it was mentioned to me, but I'm really happy to have gotten the award. Most importantly we stayed up, and all I did was my job of a striker to score goals and help the team. Understandably, you said you didn't want the season to end. How do you keep yourself in that positive mindset now? For the first couple of weeks of the summer I'll just relax and take a break from football. It's hard and stressful when things don't work out, but I'm sure all of the lads are the same and will have some time off. Then we start training, preparing for pre-season and when that comes around we'll be ready for whatever we need to do. If you keep this up, could England be calling soon? Hopefully one day soon, next season maybe. It's my aim for next season if I can do well and be in that team from the start. Eventually I'd like that call-up before the season is up. You're nearly released from football for the summer. What will you get up to? I'm going away to America for two weeks in June with some friends, so it'll be great to get away from it all. I'll be watching the World Cup there - I'm sure it'll be on… [FFT: Who's going to win it then?] England... Connor Wickham was supporting the PlayStation Schools' Cup National Finals. PlayStation's partnership with the English Schools' FA has increased boys' and girls' football tournaments for secondary school age categories. This season has attracted close to 2,000 schools entries and 100,000 participants, helping to nurture stars of the future. Head here for more.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Kroos dismisses talk of Man United transfer

Posted: 23 May 2014 01:20 AM PDT

The Germany international, who is currently training with the national team ahead of next month's FIFA World Cup, has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League side Manchester United. However, reports in England have suggested that United have now ended their pursuit of the 24-year-old. And Kroos insists that the prospect of a potential switch to Old Trafford has never been on the agenda. "I would be very surprised (if Bayern let him leave before end of his contract in 2015)," he told Bild. "The club was very clear and told me that a transfer in 2014 would not be possible. "There has been much speculation, but Manchester United was never an issue and is no issue right now. "Now I want to concentrate fully on the World Cup."

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Gareth Bale, the ultimate Galactico? His debut season compared to Zidane Co.

Posted: 22 May 2014 10:23 AM PDT

10. David Beckham (£25m from Manchester United, 2003) Beckham was a hell of a footballer – it's easy to forget that the summer of 2003 saw Real and Barca fight tooth and nail for the Manchester United man's signature – but he was also a devilishly handsome, blond-ponytailed one-man brand whose status as an international marketing goliath represented a shrewd investment, even at £25m. He immediately started repaying his transfer fee pre-season, with a summer tour of Japan in particular ridiculously lucrative thanks to Beckham's status. On the pitch he had a solid start, too: with Luis Figo dominating the right-wing position he was most used to playing, Becks proved himself a fine central midfielder (expressing a preference for the position, although many pundits were never quite convinced), and often bamboozling opponents by swapping positions with Figo. A Beckham goal helped win the Spanish Super Cup, too. He made 46 appearances in total, scoring seven goals, but ultimately couldn't inspire any major silverware as Real crashed out of the Champions League and hit the La Liga self-destruct button. His four-year Real career was moderately successful in the end – they won the title in 2007 – but Madrid's accountants remained happy throughout his stay. 9. Luka Modric (£33m from Tottenham, 2012) For Spurs fans, Madrid moves for their best players are now becoming tiresome. In 2012, it was versatile Croatian scamp Modric who swapped White Hart Lane for the Bernabeu, and while he has since gone on to establish himself as a key midfield cog for Los Blancos, his first year in Spain was a mixed bag. Modric initially found it tricky to break into a well-oiled midfield trident of Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil, but he eventually crept into the line-up and showed just what he could do. He laid on two fine assists for Cristiano Ronaldo against Ajax, and scored a stunner against Manchester United in the Champions League, while in La Liga he was instrumental in their March Clasico victory. In the end he made a healthy 53 appearances across all competitions, and while the Spanish Super Cup was the only gong in his cabinet at the end of the first 12 months, his report card was overwhelmingly positive. 8. Wesley Sneijder (£15m from Ajax, 2007) After five year's worth of awesome Eridivisie performances, Real shelled out €27 million for the archetypically ambidextrous Ajax midfielder, the second-biggest Dutch transfer of all time (after Ruud van Nistelrooy's move to Manchester United). Intelligent, quick and a master of dead ball situations, he soon endeared himself to the Madridista masses, helping to win their opening day league derby against Atletico with a typically pinpoint free kick. He then played a central role as Madrid retained their La Liga title, playing 30 games, scoring nine times and crafting seven assists; his first season was such a success that at the end of it he was offered the prized No.10 shirt. But – as is mysteriously the way with so many of Real's major signings – it wasn't to last. He was sold to Inter two summers after arriving, complaining of being treated terribly, as Florentino Perez's second term brought about yet another major player overhaul. 7. Mesut Ozil (£12m from Werder Bremen, 2010) Fresh from some dazzling displays at the World Cup in South Africa – Gareth Barry probably still wakes up screaming for Mother Barry to bring his blanket – Ozil had outgrown Bremen and the young German seemed like the visionary playmaker that Madrid fans had been hankering after since Zidane's retirement in 2006. "This is one club you don't say no to," said Ozil, and the love-in was soon mutual: he scored and put an assist on a platter for Gonzalo Higuain against Ajax on his debut – leaving the pitch to a standing ovation. His visionary passing continued season-long, and Ozil ended the year with 25 assists, more than any other player in Europe, as well as a healthy tally of 10 goals. Honours-wise, he helped Real to win the Copa del Rey, too. But a Zizou-like dynasty as the Madrid main man didn't materialise: while Ozil's second season was excellent (they won La Liga with 100 points) and he also topped the assists charts in his third, the changeable nature of life at the Bernabeu convinced the German he was out of favour, and he switched to Arsenal last summer. 6. Arjen Robben (£24m from Chelsea, 2007) After two superb seasons of boogie-ing through Premier League defences as Chelsea's creative hub – and one frustrating injury-plagued one – the marauding Dutchman won a richly deserved mega-transfer to Madrid, where he did not disappoint. His inspirational performances routinely inspired Real to victory as they won La Liga at a canter: he helped himself to four league goals, dumped full-backs on their backsides and got the tough-to-impress Bernabeu regulars purring with his exceptional trickery. By the time title rivals Barcelona came to the capital, the title was already safe: Robben capped a sublime evening with a goal as their Clasico rivals were humiliated 4-1. Alas, that was as good as it got: Robben's price tag seemed more than justified, but, as with many Real Madrid careers, it was over just as it was getting started. His second season was also excellent from a personal point of view, but the team won nothing and Florentino Perez's cash-falshing arrival, including signings like Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, saw him head for Bayern Munich, where it has gone rather well. Perhaps Madrid should have shown a little more faith? 5. Ruud van Nistelrooy (£10.2m from Manchester United, 2006) Having already been a seasonal top scorer for PSV in the Eredivisie and for Manchester United in the Premier League, the goal glutton showed that he can outscore the rest regardless of which domestic league you stick him in by bashing home 33 goals for Real in his debut year. He came hurtling out the traps, smashing a hat-trick against Levante in his second Real appearance. Ruud rammed in four times against Osasuna, then scored in seven straight games, tying a La Liga record. He finished the season with Marca's Pichichi Award for the year's top scorer, with 25, and the La Liga title in the bag. Real didn't fare well in the Champions League, crashing out to Bayern Munich, but Ruud got six goals, and he grabbed a couple in the Copa del Rey, too. Those who thought all of this was a sign of great things to come were disappointed, however: Van Nistelrooy hit 20 the following season, 10 the injury-plagued year after that, then moved to Hamburg, from where he'd never hit his previous prolific heights again. 4. Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m from Manchester United, 2009) The most expensive player on the planet (until some fella from Cardiff bowled up and ruined it) immediately paid back part of Madrid's whopping overdraft in a whirlwind of brilliant strikes, frantic footwork and slickly gelled image opportunities during 2009/10. He grabbed 26 goals from just 29 games in La Liga – as well as providing seven assists – and also hit the target seven times in the Champions League over six outings. His partnership with Gonzalo Higuain was also a sensation, as they reaped 53 goals between them, the highest joint total in Real's history. It was all for naught, silverware-wise however: Los Blancos were surprisingly and disappointingly foiled by Lyon in the Champions League round of 16, while Barcelona managed to pip them to the title by three points. And infuriatingly, despite his individual impeccability, CR7 still found himself constantly considered second best to Lionel Messi, who would win the FIFA Ballon d'Or this season, and the two after that. Ronny would finally break the pesky Argentine's stranglehold on La Liga in 2011/12 – and on the individual top prize in 2013. And yethe may come to be seen as Real's most significant ever signing. His debut term, however, must still be seen as a delicious appetiser. 3. Ronaldo (£30m from Inter, 2002) Anything Portuguese Ronaldo can do, Brazilian Ronaldo has already done better. A matter for debate of course, but while CR7's debut season was highly successful on a personal level, it also ended up potless – unlike the South American, whose mum probably doesn't call him Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima. The Phenomenon's first term in Spain was aptly phenomenal, and it had to be, considering the hype generated by the forward who had sent Real replica top manufacturers and salesmen into overtime and meltdown. Injured until October, once he did start scoring, he couldn't stop. Twenty-three goals were enough to help clinch the La Liga title, and he was on fire in Europe, too, popping a hat-trick into Manchester United's net to knock them out of the Champions League. A fantasy season was marred slightly when Real were eliminated from the competition by Juventus in the semis, but with the Intercontinental Cup and Spanish Super Cup added to the title, it was certainly a dream start. Real's greatest ever Ronny, then? Come back and see us when you've got two World Cup medals, Cristiano… 2. Luis Figo (£38.7m from Barcelona, 2000) They may have been miffed in Catalonia – and they expressed their dissatisfaction openly and honestly by wanging pig parts at him and painting a vibrant "TRAITOR, JUDAS, SCUM" banner especially for his return to Barcelona – but Figo's decision to jump the bile-filled divide to Madrid was fully justified by his first season at the Bernabeu. "I wanted to play better football and win more titles," was his frank explanation of why he moved –and win them he did. This was the Portuguese matinee idol taking the lead role in a season-long action blockbuster, tormenting full-backs, twisting them inside out, scoring goals (14 in total) and racking up assists for fun. Returning to Barca for the Clasico may have required a major security detail and ended up as "the worst day of his life" (he felt that locals should have respected his efforts for the club… hmm), but it showed a sportsman with truly Herculean cojones. Figo ended up the season having inspired a La Liga title, and became the first Portuguese player since Eusebio to win the Ballon d'Or. His move was the catalyst for the power shift from Catalonia to the capital for the next half decade, too. 1. Zinedine Zidane (£46m from Juventus, 2001) Madrid smashed their own transfer record, paying Juve the comically large-sounding sum of 150 billion lire for the French World Cup and European Championship-winning midfield warlock. Even for that brass, Zizou couldn't disappoint: he was ever-present in his debut season, and his 49 appearances in the white shirt were bewitching, sending Spanish journalists into a tizz of metaphors about ballet dancing and high art. Such individual excellence wasn't quite enough to win La Liga – Real finished third behind Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna that year, and they also lost to Depor in the Copa del Rey final – but it did help secure the club's second Champions League win in three seasons, and ninth in total. There was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, too. Zidane was always more about passes than goals, but his astonishing technique in slamming home a truly sublime volley – with his "weak" left peg – in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen, confirmed that this was the most galactic of all the Galacticos. Many still consider it the greatest-ever Champions League strike. It was the start of a five-year romance with Los Blancos that continued until his retirement from the game in 2006. He remains closely tied to the club as an advisor, and of his four sons, three are currently on the books of the academy. All in all, a shrewd buy. ?? Gareth Bale (£85m from Tottenham, 2013) Where should the Flying Welshman be judged in the pantheon of Real Madrid's biggest signings' debut years? It's perhaps unfair to judge him on one match, but Madridistas are a hysterical bunch. With La Liga already surrendered to Atletico, a flat performance and defeat to their city rivals in the Champions League Final will be a lot for Real fans to tolerate – and all that has gone well this season will be forgotten. It's the silver pots that count. Inspire his team-mates to a victory, alongside fellow rampagers Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, and Bale's £85m price tag can be considered a snip, and his first term a glorious success. The former Spurs man struggled with injury early in his career, but since getting fit has been scintillating. His 27 La Liga appearances have borne 15 goals and 12 assists, his 11 Champions League appearances resulted in five goals and four assists, and his majestic solo jig-and-hit to help scoop the Copa del Rey against Barca was a career high. Lose, and such brilliance will be a footnote on a season that – while a glowing success on a personal level – will not be judged as a collective victory. The Decima is what the supporters crave. Lifelong adulation lies ahead for the individuals who secure it: Bale could become a Demigod. But lose it – and follow that up with a major-honour free season or two – and he might find that his paymasters go looking for another expensive toy to try out.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Written by TBMU Admin

We are Manchester United Fan located around the World which provides user friendly, effective and easy to browse info regarding our Team. Each support/info is free. Support us by clicking the ads located in this site. Thanks

0 comments :

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )
Click Picture Below for More Info

Popular Posts

Share

 





© 2013 TBMU . All rights resevered. Published by The Best Manchester United Admin Blogger

Back To Top