Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Edinson Cavani.

Italian website Mediaset reports this Saturday evening that Chelsea reach agreement with Napoli striker Edinson Cavani.New Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been eager to beef up his striker options with just Fernando Torres and Demba Ba currently available at Stamford Bridge.According to Mediaset Cavani has agreed an 8.5 million euro deal per season on a five year contract with the blues.

The 26 year old has long been linked with Chelsea this summer but it was thought to be a straight choice between the Abramovich’s side and Real Madrid for the Uruguayan.On Cavani’s return from the Confederations Cup, the top goal scorer in Serie A last season will sit with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to ensure a transfer fee can be agreed between the two clubs.

Napoli are holding out for 63 million euros (Cavani’s release clause) while Chelsea have initially offered 50 million euros.There has also been talk of Brazilian midfielder Ramires being used as part exchange to soften the blow for Rafa Benitez’s new side.Intriguingly, for the English transfer market, Mediaset add that Real Madrid will now turn their attentions to Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

The thought of Cavani spearheading a Chelsea attack that includes Oscar, Eden Hazard and Juan Mata behind, should be a frightening one for the rest of the Premier League.

Iker Casillas: “Mourinho made me cry”

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, has revealed the way Jose Mourinho treated him, left him in tears and made him unwell.The Spain international was excluded from the team during the second half of last season, and forced to spent five months sitting on the bench after losing his place to Diego Lopez through injury.

The demotion of a club icon such as Casillas to the role of the reserve caused great consternation in the Spanish capital and the legendary goalkeeper freely admits that the situation affected him deeply and casued him serious emotional problems.

“I’ve cried, I’ve suffered, I’ve been unwell, I’ve had sleepless nights.” 
 Casillas admitted in an interview with Fifa.com

He also said he considered leaving the club, before Mourinho eventually departed to Chelsea.

“I’m a ‘Madridista’ right down to my soul and above all else, what matters to me is the club,I would love to retire at Real Madrid, but I will not make problems if a coach does not have me.”

Casillas, who has retained his number one spot for Spain at the Confederations Cup, stated that it was a relief to be playing again.

“I have regained happiness,” he enthused. “It was not easy but I’m another Iker Casillas now.After five months, it takes some time until everything comes back to you, but, luckily, I have had a great deal of help of my team-mates and coach and that’s important when it comes to having to start over again.”

Andres Iniesta saves his former club Albacete from relegation.

According to reports from Spanish newspaper Marca Andres Iniesta has rescued his boyhood club Albacete from relegation by stumping up €240,000 owed to the club’s players.

The cash-strapped Segunda Division B outfit would have been demoted to the fourth tier of Spanish football on administrative grounds had they not settled the debt by noon on Friday. 

However, Iniesta, the largest shareholder in the club at which he began his career, came to their aid, paying the outstanding wage bill out of his own pocket. 

While that amount might be a drop in the bucket for a player like Iniesta,It is not the first time the 29-year-old has come to the rescue of Albacete as he injected €420,000 into the club in 2011.

Iniesta’s winery (he owns a winery), the aptly named Bodega Iniesta, is Albacete’s current sponsor.

World Cup champion, Euro Cup Winner, La Liga steamroller proves he is just as good off the pitch as on.

Juventus fans are angry as Carlos Tevez has been given the No.10 shirt.

Carlos Tevez has walked into a fresh controversy at Juventus because some Turin giants' fans are unhappy with him being given the club’s iconic No 10 shirt.

The fabled number of Michel Platini and Roberto Baggio was last worn by Alessandro Del Piero in 2012, and a section of supporters feel it is wrong Tevez has been handed it after joining from Manchester City.Juve's No 10 jersey was unused last season after Del Piero opposed the club’s suggestion to retire it and fans feel Tevez does not deserve this honour.
The striker - well used to controversy from his time at City and West Ham - claimed at his Thursday unveiling that he understands the responsibility of wearing this special shirt.

“I feel the responsibility of wearing this number and I’m aware of the great responsibility of representing Juventus and playing for the club, so this number is certainly a great challenge,” he said.

“Top players have worn it before and I was No 10 with Boca Juniors before - Maradona played in it too. So the great responsibility is now I’m going to play for this great club so certainly the greatest challenge is for me to do my best.

“Obviously I didn’t want to forget Del Piero, who was the last player to wear No 10. He is a person and player who I greatly respect and who certainly represents an emblem and symbol of esteem.

“It is a great pleasure and honour to wear this jersey with his number.”

Tevez  also admitted he was determined to quit City after four years at the Etihad despite the sacking of his nemesis Roberto Mancini.

Tevez had a huge row with Mancini following his Munich mutiny in September 2011 and did not want to stay, even when the club replaced the Italian with Manuel Pellegrini.

“I thank Manchester City for the beautiful years they gave me,” said the former City skipper, who has cost Juventus £7.6million rising to £12.74million.

“I talked to Pellegrini, telling him that I wanted to go away from Manchester City because I considered my cycle ended there.”

Edinson Cavani to Manchester City ?

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that the only club that have approached him for Chelsea and Real Madrid target Edinson Cavani is Manchester City and that their bid was not good enough.Cavani has been strongly linked with a move away from Serie A with the Blues seemingly leading the race, but De Laurentiis has admitted that City are the only club to have made an offer.

“The only meeting I’ve had has been with Manchester City, but the offer was inadequate,” the president was quoted in the Daily Mail.“If a club offers €63m then we would allow him to leave. The release clause will have been activated.“It’s not fair that Cavani has distractions while he is playing in an important tournament like the Confederations Cup.”

It’s beginning to seem fairly clear that De Laurentiis will accept nothing less than the £54m release clause the Uruguayan has in his contract, but with none of the interested clubs willing to meet that colossal fee a stand-off could continue to ensue.Cavani himself has tried to remain diplomatic on the subject, whilst being halfway around the world back in South America playing at the Confederations Cup with Uruguay.

The comments from the Napoli president may well shake Chelsea and Madrid into action however, as  it’s clear City aren’t going to waste any time looking for a replacement for Carlos Tevez – who signed for Juventus following a £10m transfer.The Cavani saga is likely to rumble on for a little while longer whilst the competing clubs decide which will be the first to make the plunge and activate the 26-year-old’s release clause.

Should Barcelona Sell Lionel Messi?

Johan Cruyff, the Dutch legend credited with bringing "Total Football" to Barcelona, made news when he revealed that he was not in favor of bringing Neymar to the Camp Nou. Further, the former Blaugrana manager, player, and legend went on to state that since Neymar's services had been secured, he would opt to sell Lionel Messi.

Before thinking about selling Messi, Neymar must be qualified as a worthy replacement. At 19-years, the Brazilian prodigy led Santos to a Copa Libertadores title, which is the South American equivalent of the Champions League. Also, he was identified as the top player of the tournament.Also in that year, he won the Puskas Award for best goal of 2011. At 19, he scored the best goal on the planet. Please allow that thought to settle in.

Neymar has performed under immense pressure at Santos--Pele's club--and with Brazil. At his tender age, he is regarded as the best Brazilian footballer on the planet--the man singled out to shoulder Brazil's burdensome hopes into the 2014 World Cup.Without a doubt, the 21-year-old has been the top performer in the Confederations Cup entering the Final. Neymar can score, he can pass, he can dribble, and he is nearly five years younger than Messi.

Okay, so should Barcelona sell Messi?No.Initially, there may be skirmishes and territory marking as two of the top talents in the universe sniff each other, but Barcelona's style is suited for the dynamic skill set of Neymar. The Brazilian may be primarily identified as a scorer, but he understands how to play the team game. For his Puskas Award winning goal, for example, Neymar's ability to give up the ball to his teammate set up the entire move.He uses his individual skill and incredible flair, but he included his teammates in the process.

Instead of focusing on Messi or Neymar, the focus should be on Messi and Neymar. The thought of those two playing together should brings smiles to faces. After watching the Confederations Cup, those smiles should only grow wider.From a strategic standpoint, Neymar has been effectively utilized on the left wing with Brazil, and he has appeared most comfortable in this role. Playing ahead of Jordi Abla in this position would hardly trample Messi's ability to act as a roaming center forward. If the fear is alienating Messi by catering to Neymar, one only needs to recall Barcelona's destruction in last season's Champions League to marginalize such a pedestrian discussion.

In the quarterfinals, Messi was suffering from a hamstring injury, but Barcelona was short on ideas and on the verge of exiting the competition. The hobbled hero came on as a substitute and created magic to advance the team past Paris Saint-Germain and into the semifinals.In the semifinals, Messi was visibly restricted in his movement, and the Catalan club was shutout in the first leg. In the second leg, Messi was not fit to get off the bench, and Barcelona was again shutout and embarrassingly crashed out of Europe with an aggregate 7-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.

With Neymar alongside Messi, Barcelona can add another lethal source of creativity and scoring. He can help balance Barça's reliance on Messi as the focal point of the attack. Beyond Messi, Bayern dominated the Catalans, so Neymar should be embraced because he can help Barcelona improve and return to the top of Europe.Sure, the thought of selling Messi is worth discussing for a moment, but that moment has passed. Messi should stay because selling the best player in the world when he has not even asked to leave is criminal.

10 Facts about Lionel Messi's personal life.

                                 

• Messi supports a number of charities through his Leo Messi Foundation.

• Lionel rakes in more than 16 million EUR in salary.He is annually among the world’s Top 10 earning athletes.

• He was offered a place in the national team by Spain which he did not accept.He wanted to wear blue-and-white Argentinian jersey, a chance he first got in 2004.

• Barcelona officials were quick to spot his footballing skills.They offered to pay for Messi's medical bills and the family shifted to Spain.

• Lionel is sponsored by Adidas and appears in their television commercials around the globe.

• His family is of middle-class Italian origin.His father Jorge was a factory worker, his mother Celia was a part-time cleaner.

• He was detected with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 11.

• Lionel’s favorite music styles are Samba and Cumbi.

• Lionel’s nickname is "The Flea".

• Messi shares his birthplace with the Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevera.

Would Neymar be a success at Barcelona?

The Brazilian young talent Neymar joined the Spanish giants Barcelona .This super club is already home to the world's best player, Leo Messi, and his equally skilled compatriots, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. Together, this trio of world-class, unselfish players will create an offense that will be a force to be reckoned with.Stylistically, Xavi, Messi, and Iniesta are cut from the same cloth. The three have been signed to Barcelona since their pre-teen years, when they studied at the club's private football academy for exceptional players, La Masia. This exclusive institution teaches the finer points of aggressive, team play, and the foundations of the Tiki-taka, the one-touch passing style. These three former prodigies grew up playing together. They carefully developed a habit of passing and moving with the understanding of a collective mind. They flick the ball back and forth in triangles like a pinball when they really get going. 

Neymar will have to adapt to the style of Barcelona, which is perhaps the point of his move. Real Madrid, the wealthy rivals of Barcelona, continuously made more expensive offers at the super talent. Neymar's refusal could best be explained by his desire to learn the team game from the best teachers in Europe, rather than joining Madrid. Maybe Neymar simply did not want to compete for the same position on the field as Cristiano Ronaldo.

7 facts about Cristiano Ronaldo

• Cristiano Ronaldo was named after US President Ronald Reagan.

• Cristiano always buys his childhood friend everything he needs as he owes him his football career.

• Cristiano Ronaldo lived on his own at age 12 in order to start his football career at Sporting.

• Cristiano Ronaldo’s childhood heroes were Pele and Figo.

• A year before CR7 was signed by Manchester United, Liverpool decided he was not good enough for them.

• The first time Mourinho saw CR7 in Portugal he nicknamed him Van Basten’s son.

• Cristiano Ronaldo swore off alcohol as his father passed away from a liver alcohol related disease.

Why La Liga Is Better Than EPL ?

For many years the Premier League has been seen as the best league in Europe. but now La Liga isbecoming the dominant force in Europe.Here are some reasons for why La Liga is better than EPL.


Most of the la-liga teams have players developed from their own youth academy. This past year, Barcelona achieved the goal of playing 11 La Masia players in their starting XI. Madrid have also produced brilliant players though their ideology is a little different. Atletico Bilbao is still respected for its policy of playing home grown players. Rise of the Spanish Team in all age groups, be it U21 or senior World Cup, provides the evidence of the class of Spanish players. EPL clubs do promote youth players but not of their own. English National Team manager Roy Hodgson himself said that there are very less English players to pick from and that foreign players are dominant in England clubs.
Another main reason that shows La Liga is better than EPL is that La-Liga youth accademys report the most rate of player developement in Europe. Any person with sound knowledge of the game would say that La Liga is the place to grow skills and technique. EPL is more of a physical game which does not prove to be great for youngsters. Players moving from La Liga to EPL enjoy tremendous success (eg:Torres, Aguero,Mata,Silva, etc) However, it’s not the same for EPL players, who mostly struggle in La Liga (eg: Owen,Henry,Alex Song,etc).

While considering the current situation in European competitions EPL teams are struggling. This year, three Spanish teams are in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League whereas no English sides have been able to qualify. Malaga topped their group while Valencia gave a scare to Bayern Munich. Dominance of Spanish teams in the Europa League for the past three years speaks volumes of the performance of La Liga sides. Spain’s Euro triumph is also the result of growing influence of Spanish football in Europe.

The FIFA team of the year 2012 consist of All La-Liga players.There has been a lot buzz regarding the 2012 Team of the year as it features all XI Liga players. I am not saying that players like Van Persie don’t deserve to be in that side, but when you think about it, it’s almost flawless. Falcao helped Atletico Madrid to the Europa league title and no one, especially Chelsea, can forget the night of the Super Cup. This team is an official proof of La Liga’s dominance in the world. Regarding Marcelo’s inclusion, he was the most successful left back of 2011-2012 with 4 goals and 9 assists, ahead of Ashley Cole and Lukas Piszczek. So his inclusion, which he fully deserved, should not be questioned.The two-horse race excuse wont work any more.For many years, people have criticized La Liga over the unchallenged dominance of Madrid and Barcelona. But not any more.at the begining of the season Madrid were sitting third in the table with Malaga slowly catching up from behind.I agree EPL is exciting as I myself jumped from my bed when Aguero scored the league clincher  2011-12 season but there is no reason to criticise La Liga.

Thiago Alcântara is on verge of Manchester United move.

According to the Daily Star, the Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcântara is on the verge of completing a £17million to Old Trafford after the contract was agreed in principle.

Manchester United  has issues to address with their central midfield, as there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding that area.

Paul Scholes has now retired for a second time, Darren Fletcher is beginning his comeback from serious long-term health problems and Anderson has failed to realise his potential.

Signing him will add further quality to the Red Devils midfield and Manchester United fans will be expecting big things of the Spain Under-21 international.

The 22-year old Barcelona youth system graduate captained Spain’s Under-21 side to victory in the European Championship this summer and was impressive throughout the tournament.

Barcelona were desperate to keep Thiago at the club and were reportedly trying to convince him to sign a new contract with the spanish giants, though he is unhappy with the playing opportunities he is currently getting at Barca.

Gonzalo Higuain will be paid £125,000/week if he moves to the Emirates

Arsenal are ready to make Gonzalo Higuain the club's best paid player to ensure they capture their prime summer transfer target.

The Real Madrid striker is close to a move to the Emirates and can expect to command wages of £125,000/week - taking him above current highest earners Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski.

A deal with the Argentina international's current club is yet to be struck but Arsenal are locked in talks with the Spanish giants and a deal seems likely. Sky Bet have announced that they have suspended betting on the 25-year-old joining the north London club. The Gunners are currently offering about £20m for Higuain and Real are holding out for £25.5m.

While the two parties are yet to settle on a compromise - expected to be in the region of £22m - the player's personal terms are not expected to be a problem.

Reports suggesting Higuain's contract have been agreed are premature but the Argentina international has indicated he would be willing to accept wages in the region of £125,000/week at Emirates Stadium.

The willingness to pay such wages is a signal of the club's intention to remodel their wage structure this summer.

Arsenal's previous record transfer fee was the £15m paid to Zenit St Petersburg for Andrey Arshavin in 2009 and the Russian's release frees up £95,000/week.

Sebastien Squillaci and Denilson have also left the club this summer, with Andre Santos and Marouane Chamakh likely to follow, allowing manager Arsene Wenger to redistribute wages.

Wenger is keen to land Higuain before Arsenal's players return for pre-season on July 4, not only as encouragement to his squad that they can compete for silverware but also to allow Higuain plenty of time to integrate with his team-mates before the new season.

Top 50 Fastest Football Players

50. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Saint-Étienne)

49. Scott Sinclair (Manchester City)
48. Jordi Alba (Barcelona)
47. Loic Remy (Marseille)
46. Junior Hoilett (QPR)
45. Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)
44. Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)
43. Jesus Navas (Sevilla)
42. Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich)
41. Mark Gonzalez (CSKA)
40. Neymar (Santos)
39. Maicon Marques Bitencourt (Lokomotiv Moscow)
38. Ahmed Musa (CSKA)
37. Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona)
36. Victor Obinna (Lokomotiv Moscow)
35. Obafemi Martins (Levante)
34. Eljero Elia (Werder Bremen)
33. Jefferson Farfan (Schalke)
32. Ola John (Benfica)
31. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
30. Vladimir Bystrov (Zenit St. Petersburg)
29. Jonathan Pitroipa (Stade Rennais)
28. Nathan Dyer (Swansea)
27. Cristian Tello (Barcelona)
26. Michel Bastos (Lyon)
25. Max Gradel (Saint Etienne)
24. Christian "Chucho" Benitez (America)
23. Luton Shelton (Karabükspor)
22. Waris Majeed Abdul (Hacken)
21. Jose Maria Callejon (Real Madrid)
20. Edgar Alvarez (Dinamo București)
19. Jimmy Kebe (Reading)
18. Dominic Oduro (Chicago Fire)
17. Gareth Bale (Spurs)
16. Mohammed Tchité (Club Brugge)
15. Kyle Walker (Spurs)
14. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
13. Eliseu Pereira dos Santos (Malaga)
12. Luciano Narsingh (PSV)
11. Seydou Doumbia (CSKA)
10. Ignazio Abate (Milan)
9.Aaron Lennon (Spurs)
8. Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)
7. Lucas Moura (Sao Paulo)
6. Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari)
5. Ryo Miyaichi (Wigan)
4. Marvell Wynne (Colorado Rapids)
3. Joffre Guerron (Beijing Guoan)
2. Jonathan Biabiany (Parma)
1. Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Ten Worst Football Disasters

Football (soccer)  is one of the most popular of the sports around the world. However, it also holds the distinction of having the highest number of disasters to its name. The incidents that have occurred during soccer have been mainly due to the hooliganism of the spectators and the inability of the stadiums to hold the overwhelming number of spectators. Several big matches have ended in tragedy due to the hooliganism of the spectators.

Here is a description of the top ten soccer disasters.

10. Puerta 12 Tragedy 

While the exact reason for the occurrence of the incident is not clear, the disaster occurred due to a stampede that killed more than 70 people. These people were crushed to death when they were moving towards a closed exit when the match had ended. The incident took place in 1968 in the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

9. Burnden Park Disaster 

The incident occurred during the game between Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers when a wall collapsed trapping several people under it. While 33 people died because of the crushing of the wall and the ensuing stampede, more than 400 people were injured. The incident was caused due to the force of the 20,000 fans who tried to break their way in to the stadium which already had more than 85,000 people.

8. The Luzhniki Disaster 

Occurring at the Lenin Stadium in Moscow, Russia in the year 1982, the Luzhniki disaster took the lives of more than 66 people. The last minute goal by FC Spartak compelled the fans leaving the stadium to return to witness the goal. The returning of the fans led to confusion and colliding with those leaving the ground, resulting in a stampede that claimed the lives of 66 people. Unofficially the number of those died stands at 340.

7. The Guatemala Disaster 

The incident occurred in 1996 in Guatemala when more than 80 died due to the stumbling of the fans down the stairs. It was reported that the stadium had more spectators than it could hold and therefore, the commotion, shoving and pushing led to the fall of several people. While 80 people died, more than 100 fans were injured in the incident.

6. The Ibrox Disaster 

The Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland has not witnessed just one but three soccer disasters. While two of these disasters were minor ones, the one that occurred in 1971 claimed the most number of lives which stands at 66. Just minutes before the completion of the match, fans of the Rangers started leaving the ground. Barriers on the Stairway 13 gave way leading to the death of 66 people who toppled one on top of the other.

5. Bradford City Fire Disaster 

The cause of this disaster was fire which accidentally started when a spectator threw a lighted cigarette on a trash that had collected under the terrace seat over the years. Even after getting the stadium cleared on the sight of smoke, the fire took the lives of 56 people who died of toxic smoke that engulfed the narrow corridor towards the back. The incident took place in 1985 in Bradford, England and is a grim reminder of the times when stadiums were made of wooden structures.

4. Ghana Disaster 

Cited as one of the worst soccer disasters to have occurred in the history of African soccer, the Ghana disaster in 2001 claimed the lives of more than 125 people. While the match ended peacefully, it was the tearing of the seats by the fans that angered the South African police who fired tear gas at the spectators. This led to confusion and people tried to get out of the way killing 125 people in the chaos.

3. The English FA Cup disaster 

Occurring in 1989, the English FA Cup disaster took place in England when more than 100 people were crushed to death when a crowd surge pushed the packed fans against the barriers. Several people who had been standing and sitting were crushed to death when they were pressed against the barriers. A makeshift field hospital was made at the pitch to provide instant aid to those injured in the incident.

2. The Orkney Disaster 

The disaster took place in 1991 in South Africa during a soccer match between two football clubs of the country. After a deadly attack by a fan of one of the clubs on another fan, there occurred a massive stampede resulting in the death of 42 people. Although the match was cited to be “friendly”, the fans were certainly not at all friendly leading to the tragic death of so many people. 

1. The Heysel Stadium Disaster 

Occurring at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium the Heysel disaster is termed as “darkest hour” in the history of UEFA competitions. The trigger for the tragedy was hooliganism that started off between the fans of the Liverpool F.C. and Juventus F.C. of Italy. The chaos led to the collapse of a wall that took the lives of more than 39 people and injured many more.

How Will Neymar Play with Lionel Messi?

The most talked-about transfer in football over the last two seasons is finally done. Neymar.Jr joined Barcelona from Santos, and now the biggest question remains: Will the Catalan kings get a return on their investment? Many think Barcelona have spent their money wisely. Others are in a wait-and-see mode. Let the debate begin.

Will Neymar complement Lionel Messi, or will he try to compete with him? Can these two superstars co-exist, or are there too many cooks in the Camp Nou kitchen? What does the transfer mean for David Villa and Cesc Fabregas?

What about Neymar's weight? He is very slight and doesn’t carry too much muscle. Can he bulk up and change his style of football to adapt to playing in Europe? Is he willing to work hard and put in the effort he needs in order to succeed like other great Brazilians we've seen play at the highest level? Will he emulate the likes of Ronaldinho,Romario, Ronaldo and Kaka? Or will he end up a high-profile flop? Remember Keirrison?

Instead of writing in depth about the subject of Neymar, I decided to talk about it. If you've never listened to La Liga Lounge before, you'll love this very special Brazilian blend of an episode about the man of the moment!

La Liga Lounge is a football podcast dedicated to the beautiful game in Spain and also covers the Champions League and a smorgasbord of other superb subjects about the world's most popular sport. From tactical breakdowns to leading stories, news and transfers, there's always plenty of heated debate and great discussion.

La Liga Lounge dissects the subject of Neymar like a frog, and you can also hear the thoughts of Brazilian legend and 1970′s World Cup winner and captain Carlos Alberto. The scorer of the greatest goal ever seen in the World Cup doesn’t hold back when talking about Brazil’s current football starlet.