Toure, Nasri blasts bring City League Cup joy

Sensational quick-fire goals by Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri inspired Manchester City to come from behind and beat Sunderland 3-1 in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Sunderland had taken a 10th-minute lead through on-loan Liverpool striker Fabio Borini and a fine first-half display left them on course for a first piece of major silverware since 1973.

However, City responded in the second half, with Toure lobbing in a superb long-range equaliser and Nasri smashing home less than two minutes later before substitute Jesus Navas added a third goal at the death.

Asia Cup: Pakistan beat India by 1 wicket

Shahid Afridi slammed an unbeaten 18-ball 34 to give Pakistan a thrilling one-wicket win over India with two balls to spare at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.

Chasing a target of 246, Pakistan almost lost the plot in the last few overs. They needed 13 runs from 12 balls with four wickets in hand. But then lost three quick wickets within a space of five balls.

Afridi, however, held his nerve and smacked spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for two cosecutive sixes in the last over as Pakistan reached 249 with two balls to spare.

La Liga race tightens after Madrid derby draw

The three-horse race for the La Liga title tightened on Sunday when leaders Real Madrid drew 2-2 at city rivals Atletico and Barcelona won 4-1 at home to Almeria.

Real needed a Cristiano Ronaldo goal eight minutes from time to rescue a point at Atletico's Calderon stadium in a typically feisty Madrid derby, before Lionel Messi became only the third player to reach 230 La Liga goals in Barca's victory at the Nou Camp.

With 12 matches left, Real lead on 64 points, with champions Barca, chasing a fifth title in six years, second on 63 and Atletico, who are mounting a genuine challenge for the first time since they last won La Liga in 1996, third on 61.

Atletico recovered from conceding in the third minute to lead Real 2-1 at halftime and were closing in on a first home win against their neighbours in nearly 15 years before Ronaldo pounced on a loose ball and fired low into the corner.

It was the Portugal forward's 23rd goal of the campaign and helped extend Real's unbeaten run to 28 matches, stretching back to a 2-1 reverse away to Barca at the end of October.

Pellegrini lands first trophy in Europe, now wants more

It has been a long time arriving but Manuel Pellegrini can finally celebrate some meaningful European silverware - 10 years after arriving in Spain as a relative unknown.

The Chilean coach, who earned plaudits for his work at unfashionable Villarreal and Malaga, either side of a brief stint at Real Madrid, steered Manchester City to a 3-1 League Cup final triumph over Sunderland on Sunday.

His breakthrough moment did not come easily - City were woeful in the first half before goals by Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas gave them a flattering win - but it could mark a pivotal moment in the career of the 60-year-old.

"I never though that I needed a trophy," Pellegrini (Getty Images)

City have a realistic chance of a unprecedented domestic treble and, with one trophy in the bag, Pellegrini is clearly not about to rest on his laurels.

Protest In Brazil Continues

Determined to rein in protests which have marred the build up and threaten to overshadow the event, Brazilian authorities have vowed to crack down hard on violence in a bid to ensure the World Cup goes off without a hitch.

Brazil was caught out by the biggest protests in a generation last June during the Confederations Cup dress rehearsal event, which saw more than one million people take to the streets.

Some protest groups have vowed to keep on marching to protest the billions being spent on the Cup in a country whose public services need a massive overhaul.

Recent protests have been small, many Brazilians staying away appalled at how radical anarchists known as Black Bloc have injected a violent edge into proceedings. 

Miachael Clarke puts Aussies in a good position

Michael Clarke completed one of the more heroic of his 27 Test hundreds as he steered Australia towards a huge first innings score on the second day of the series-deciding third Test against South Africa at Newlands on Sunday.

The tourists reached the lunch interval on of 434 for four a day after the Australian captain had survived a battering from pace bowler Morne Morkel, who struck him a number of times, including a sickening blow to the back of the head.

Clarke showed admirable composure to battle it out on what is a flat wicket and having been unbeaten on 92 overnight, the right-hander was able to bring up his hundred in the second morning session, despite spending a nervy 24 balls stuck on 99.

Massa on top for Williams, Vettel sidelined

Brazilian Felipe Massa put Williams on top on the penultimate day of pre-season testing in Bahrain on Saturday while Red Bull's quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel failed to complete a lap.

Massa, who moved from Ferrari at the end of last year, completed 99 laps in the Mercedes-powered FW36 car and set the fastest time yet in seven days of testing at the Sakhir desert circuit.

"I'm really happy with the car and feel we found a good balance," said the 32-year-old, who carried out a full qualifying simulation on supersoft tyres towards the end of the afternoon.

"You can never be sure that you are 100 percent ready for the first race but I feel that what we have done in these days testing has been important for making sure that we have a car that can not only get to the end of the race but that will have good performance as well."

Vettel's car broke down with an electrical problem on its first lap out of the garage. He tried again later but only made it to the end of the pitlane before stopping again.

Didn't want to miss important names in farewell speech: Sachin

He delivered his farewell speech with such emotional conviction that many were left wiping tears but retired batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday said his only preparation for the stirring address was to remember the "important" names he wanted to mention.

The 20-minute speech, which Tendulkar delivered after his final Test in Mumbai last year, was lauded by one and all for its emotional clarity so much so that the spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and the millions glued to TV sets were left teary-eyed.

Reflecting on it, Tendulkar revealed that he planned on delivering a speech after his penultimate Test on a flight from Kolkata to Mumbai.

Sublime Suarez fires Liverpool to second

Liverpool's title challenge is gaining increasing momentum, with Luis Suarez inspiring them to a victory at Southampton that moves them second in the BPL.

A tilt at the crown had never been part of Brendan Rodgers' plan this season, but their recent form has given them a real chance of a first championship since 1990.

The latest victory came at Southampton - the only side to have won at Anfield this season - with goals from Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard earning the Reds a 3-0 which sees them climb above Manchester City and Arsenal.

It was the ideal start to a run of three successive away matches, with Suarez marking his 100th league appearance for the Reds by ending his an unusual barren run after just 16 minutes.

Saints did not wilt, though, with Adam Lallana hitting the post after a Rickie Lambert flick-on, before Luke Shaw, impressing in front of watching England manager Roy Hodgson, went on a marauding run which ended with Jay Rodriguez forcing Simon Mignolet into a fine save.

Federer subdues Berdych to win sixth Dubai title

Roger Federer roared back from a set and a break down to subdue Tomas Berdych 3-6 6-4 6-3 in the Dubai Championships final on Saturday as the Swiss maestro sealed a 78th singles title.

Federer had recovered from a similar position to stun world number two Novak Djokovic in Friday's semi-final and the 32-year-old again struggled early on before he dug deep to claim a sixth Dubai crown.

"It was a tough match," fourth seed Federer said in a courtside interview. "Tomas had the advantage and could have, should have, brought it home, but maybe I got a little lucky."

Campbell kicks up row, claims FA racist for not giving him England captaincy

Former England defender Sol Campbell believes he would have been national team captain for more than 10 years if he was white, according to extracts from his new biography that is being serialised by The Sunday Times newspaper.

Campbell, 39, who was born in east London to Jamaican parents, claimed the FA decided it could not have a black face leading the England side on a regular basis.

Stoke defeat a Major blow admits Arsene Wenger

Stoke stunned Arsenal 1-0.

Arsene Wenger conceded Arsenal's stuttering Premier League title bid had suffered a "major setback" after they lost ground at the top with a shock 1-0 defeat at Stoke.

Jon Walters' second-half penalty handed Stoke a famous win at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday and left the Gunners four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea in third place.

The north Londoners have now won just once in their last eight trips to Stoke and Wenger admitted it was the worst possible start to what he had branded a season-defining month.

Spain call up Costa, snub Torres and Villa for Italy friendly

Brazilian-born forward Diego Costa was called up by Spain on Friday for next week's friendly against Italy, and veteran strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres were not wanted.

Dropping Villa and Torres for Wednesday's match at Vicente Calderon Stadium in Madrid does not mean they will not make the squad for the World Cup, coach Vicente del Bosque said.

"This list is exclusively for the game against Italy," Del Bosque said after announcing his 22 players. "There are three months left of competition, and many things can happen to convince us to bring other players. We don't close the door to anything."

Diego Costa, a naturalized Spanish citizen, was summoned for a pair of November friendlies, but injury kept the Atletico Madrid striker sidelined.

"I'm very happy to have been called up," Diego Costa said. "Besides, it will be very special to play Italy in our stadium, the Vicente Calderon."

He has been at the center of a few ill-tempered encounters with Real Madrid players, soon to be his new teammates in the national side.

Del Bosque said he wasn't concerned, adding that the latest run-ins were not as serious as the tension between Barcelona and Madrid players from recent years that didn't stop Spain from winning the World Cup and two European Championships.

"We don't make a big deal of it," the former Madrid manager said. "We know that there are conflicts, but I don't think it is the same case (as Barcelona and Madrid). There was a recent match between Madrid and Atletico and no incidents occurred."

Del Bosque said Italy was Spain's "last great test" before he names his final 23-man World Cup squad on May 25.

Spain will play Bolivia in a friendly on May 30 and then take on El Salvador on June 7 in the United States before it faces the Netherlands in its opening World Cup match on June 13.

While Del Bosque was adamant that he has yet to pick his final squad, the group he has chosen to face Italy appears to indicate he may opt to rejuvenate a side that lost handily to Brazil in the final of last year's Confederations Cup.

Even so, the squad is still loaded with midfielders, meaning Spain's control-based passing style won't change.

Besides Diego Costa, Del Bosque will have only Alvaro Negredo and Pedro Rodriguez as traditional forwards with Villa, Spain's all-time leading scorer, and Torres left at home.

Del Bosque summoned the young Bayern Munich pair of Thiago Alcantara and Javi Martinez, while Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta returned for the first time since the Confederations Cup.

Juan Mata and Alvaro Arbeloa were also dropped. Gerard Pique was unavailable due to injury, while Barcelona teammate Carles Puyol was left out as he struggles to return from nagging injuries.

Spain:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Victor Valdes (Barcelona), Pepe Reina (Napoli)

Defenders: Juanfran Torres (Atletico Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Raul Albiol (Napoli)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Jesus Navas (Manchester City), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal)

Forwards: Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)

Jermain Defoe leaves Tottenham Hotspurs and the Barclays Premier League

Jermain Defoe said farewell to Tottenham Hotspur and to the Barclays Premier League this week as he heads off to play for Toronto FC in the MLS and begin a new chapter to his stellar career. Looking back on his 13 years in the Barclays Premier League the England striker talked exclusively to premierleague.com about his success on the pitch and off it with various good causes.

Defoe made his Barclays Premier League debut as an 18-year-old on 19 May 2001, coming on as a substitute for West Ham United away to Middlesbrough.

"I was at Bournemouth on loan having made my debut in the cup for West Ham and at Bournemouth I had scored a number of goals so I was looking forward to coming back to West Ham and playing that in the Premier League," he says. "It was like a dream come true to come on in the Premier League at such a young age for a good club. It was a special day."

Roger Federer in Dubai Championship Finals

Third-seeded Roger Federer ended top-seeded Novak Djokovic's chance of defending his Dubai Championships title with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 semifinal win Friday.

Federer will be looking for his sixth Dubai title when he plays third-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in Saturday's final. Federer now leads Djokovic 17-15 in their career head-to-head meetings.

Djokovic established an early lead when Federer lost his serve in an error-filled second game of the first set. Serving at 5-3, Djokovic won the first set on his third set point of the game with a clean ace down the middle.

In the second set, Djokovic surrendered his serve in the sixth game to put Federer in position to even the score at one set apiece. Federer broke Djokovic's serve in the first and fifth games of the third set to set up the win.

Federer saved two break points when serving for the match in the final game.

See how Russia rewards its champions athletes...

Life is only going to get better for Russian medalists at the Sochi Winter Games! They were rewarded with cash and a new luxury SUV.

The Winter Olympics hosts, which topped the medal table in Sochi, presented its 13 gold medal winners and 20 other podium finishers luxury SUVs on Thursday.

"If we put it straight, there has been no such event in the contemporary history of our country which would so much consolidate our nation, our people," Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told athletes at the handover ceremony, held near the Kremlin.

"You gave us this feeling of pride; you didn't do it on an ordinary day, but rather when the Olympic Games were held in our country."

Russia won 13 gold, 11 silver and nine bronze medals at the Games, which ended on Sunday.

President Vladimir Putin staked his political reputation to hold a successful Games, aimed to show the world the modern face of Russia and boost patriotic sentiment.

The Kremlin chief handed state awards to the athletes in Sochi saying that they have "accomplished the mission" assigned to them.

The cars were provided by Russia's Olympic athletes' support fund, an entity chaired by Medvedev, which has senior officials and billionaires on its supervisory board.

The Russian Winter Olympics winners in Turin got Toyota and Lexus cars in 2006, and Audi vehicles after the Games in Vancouver in 2010.
The Sochi Games won praise from the International Olympic Committee officials and there were no major security incident, despite fears following suicide bombings in southern Russia in December, blamed on insurgents based in the adjacent North Caucasus restive region.

Bangladesh win ICC Under-19 World Cup Plate Championship

Bangladesh defeated New Zealand by 77 runs to win their fourth Plate Championship at the ICC Under-19 World Cup at the Zayed Cricket Stadium here on Thursday. Opener Shadman Islam scored 97 and Litton Das contributed 79 as the two batsmen put on 124 runs for the second-wicket to propel Bangladesh to 223 in 47 overs. Off-spinner Mosaddek Hossain then returned figures of 10-4-23-4 as New Zealand finished at 146/9 after Brett Randell followed up his 2/22 with 51 not out.

Bangladesh had previously won the Plate Championship in South Africa (1998), Bangladesh (2004) and New Zealand (2010).

Shadman, who hit 13 fours in a 113-ball innings, finished with an impressive series aggregate of 406 runs. He leads Pakistani Imam-ul-Haq by 36 runs with South Africa captain Aiden Markram occupying third place with 304 runs.

Afghanistan, playing in their third World Cup, finished an impressive seventh after defeating Sri Lanka by five wickets at the ICC Academy 2 in Dubai. This was their second big victory in the tournament after upsetting Australia by 36 runs.

Usman Ghani took 3/21 and Sayed Shirzad bagged 3/33 as Sri Lanka was bowled out for 114 in 34.3 overs. In turn, Afghanistan raced to victory in under 22 overs for the loss of five wickets with Ihsanullah scoring 37 not out.

Zimbabwe finished 11th in the 16-team tournament when they defeated hosts United Arab Emirates by 84 runs.

IPL 2014: Title sponsor Pepsi doesn't want IPL to go outside India

On the eve of the muchanticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council meeting in Bhubaneswar, title sponsors Pepsi have come out in support of not only the other sponsors, but also the eight franchises and said that they hope the BCCI comes up with a solution through which the tournament stays in India.

Despite the dates of the IPL clashing with the general elections, the BCCI has met the home ministry to request for permission to host the domestic T20 league in the country. But Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has made it clear that providing adequate security during general elections is impossible.

But with discussions on the venue of the seventh edition of the IPL being the top agenda in Friday's meeting, Pepsi has said they are on the same page as the other sponsors and franchises who want the IPL to be played in India.

"We hope BCCI will be able to find a solution, which is in the best interest of all stakeholders," PepsiCo India's spokesperson told Mail Today . It is no secret that even though Pepsi products are available in South Africa, it is Coke that dominates the market. But another senior official said that production and market supremacy isn't a major reason why the company wants the IPL to stay in India.

He said that moving out of the country every election year can't be the best solution.

"See, it is the Indian Premier League and needs to be played in India.

We can't be moving out of the country every fifth year. You need to understand that Pepsi's standing in the South African market doesn't count for much as it is the India wing which has done the deal and we can anyway promote our products inside the stadium - as we have a contract with all the franchises.

"Marketing and strategising isn't an issue. If that was the case, we would be happy to go to the Middle-East as we are market rulers there. Also, in case we move to South Africa, branding and ensuring that the matches are played to suit the Indian audience's viewing time isn't an issue. But building on the euphoria as the tournament comes closer and generating the hype is. To make things simple for the layman, there is always a difference in comfort level when you are staying at your own home and when you are staying at a friend's place," he said.

"Yes, we will suffer as far as revenue generation is concerned, but that will be heavier in case of the team owners. So it is more about ensuring that everybody benefits and the losses are minimal.

We are still keeping our fingers crossed ( smiles)."

Europa League: Stunning comeback takes Tottenham through to last 16

After losing 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 32 tie in Ukraine last week, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. looked to be heading out of the tournament when Roman Zozulya headed in a delivery from visiting captain Ruslan Rotan two minutes into the second half.

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the last 16 of the Europa League after a dramatic recovery saw them get the better of ten-man Dnipro at White Hart Lane on Thursday.



After losing 1-0 in the first leg of the round of 32 tie in Ukraine last week, Spurs looked to be heading out of the tournament when Roman Zozulya headed in a delivery from visiting captain Ruslan Rotan two minutes into the second half.

That left the Premier League club needing to score three unanswered goals to go through, but a Christian Eriksen free-kick reduced the deficit on 55 minutes before Zozulya was shown a straight red card by the French referee following a headbutt on Jan Vertonghen.

Spurs made the most of their man advantage as Emmanuel Adebayor struck twice in the space of four minutes to seal a 3-1 win on the night and go through 3-2 on aggregate.

The Togolese forward later told ITV that he was never worried about his team's situation, saying: "Not at all. I know we have quality up front.

"We just kept our focus very well and scored that good free-kick that put us on our way. I managed to get two goals for the team and we're very happy."

Swansea knocked out

Tim Sherwood's side will now face last season's beaten finalists Benfica, who saw off PAOK of Greece, and they will do so as the only Premier League side left in the tournament after Swansea City went down 3-1 to Napoli in Italy.

Following a goalless first leg, the Serie A side took the lead 17 minutes in at the San Paolo stadium when Lorenzo Insigne cutely lifted the ball over Michel Vorm in the away goal.

Jonathan De Guzman hit back for Swansea and for a long time it looked as if they would progress on away goals.

But Gonzalo Higuain took advantage of a lucky ricochet in the box to put the hosts back in front 12 minutes from time, and Gokhan Inler made sure of Napoli's progress in stoppage time.

Napoli will now take on 2011 Europa League winners Porto, after the Portuguese club won a remarkable tie against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Following a 2-2 draw in last week's first leg, Eintracht looked to be going through thanks to goals from Stefan Aigner and Alexander Meier either side of the interval.

A double from Porto's France international defender Eliaquim Mangala silenced the crowd of close to 50,000 in the Commerzbank Arena, only for Meier to put the hosts back in front.

But Nabil Ghilas netted four minutes from time to make it 3-3 on the night and take Porto through on away goals, the result easing the pressure on coach Paulo Fonseca.

Juventus to face Fiorentina

Elsewhere, there will be a mouth-watering all-Italian tie between Juventus and Fiorentina after they eased past Trabzonspor and Esbjerg respectively.

And there will also be a Spanish derby clash between city rivals Sevilla and Real Betis in the round of 16.

Sevilla, who are eighth in La Liga, beat Maribor of Slovenia 2-1 on the night to go through 4-3 on aggregate, while Betis, the Spanish top flight's bottom club, were impressive 2-0 winners away to Rubin Kazan in Russia, advancing 3-1 overall.

The 2009 UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk were eliminated by Viktoria Pilsen of the Czech Republic, who go through to play French side Lyon.

Ajax fell by the wayside too, going down 6-1 on aggregate to Salzburg, who will next face Basel of Switzerland, while Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad came from behind to knock out Lazio, setting up a tie against Valencia.

Wenger discusses break criticism, Campbell

Arsene Wenger has hit out at being forced to justify handing his Arsenal stars two days' rest this week.

The Arsenal manager branded criticism of his decision "unbelievable" ahead of his side's Premier League trip to Stoke City on Saturday. Wenger revealed Mesut Ozil will be fit to return after hip trouble for the weekend's Potters clash, with Thomas Vermaelen also expected to be available.

Wenger said German playmaker Ozil is now ready to shrug off his costly penalty miss in Arsenal's 2-0 UEFA Champions League loss to Bayern Munich. "It's not necessarily fatigue, I don't see why that's suddenly a problem," said Wenger when questioned on the impromptu rest period he handed his squad this week.

"We have played without a break since December, we don't have to justify that, it's unbelievable. We are in a society where everyone wants to control everything; I don't understand this at all.

"We are entitled to do unusual things. We came out of a heavy schedule. We had two days off, that's all. Sometimes it's not only physical, it's mental, you're under pressure all the time, there's nothing unusual there."

He was good (against Manchester United), convincing in going forward, he looks like he has adapted better to the physical side of the European game.

Wenger on loan forward Joel Campbell

Admitting he is still weighing up whether to employ Vermaelen at left back to cover other absentees, Wenger backed Ozil to shrug off recent struggles with the Premier League's relentless intensity. "He (Ozil) had a difficult game because he missed that penalty, and it was on his mind," said Wenger.

"Sometimes when you're under this kind of pressure it's good to refresh. My opportunity is just to put the best team out who can win the game, it's not about individuals, it's about the team. If needed Thomas can play there (at left back), it's not his preferred position. He's been out for a long time but I still have 48 hours to make that decision."

Wenger also said that forward Joel Campbell, on loan at Olympiacos, now has the physicality and temperament to secure himself a long-term future at Arsenal. The 21-year-old claimed a fine individual goal in the Greek side's 2-0 Champions League victory over Manchester United in Athens in midweek.

Wenger said a series of loan stints have stood the Costa Rica forward in good stead. "He was good (against Manchester United), convincing in going forward, he looks like he has adapted better to the physical side of the European game," said Wenger.

"We knew always that he had the talent to create something special. He did rely a bit too much on that, but he has now been out at three different clubs, at Lorient, Sevilla, and Betis. Now he is at Olympiacos and he has learned the toughness of the European leagues.

"I will decide (his future) later, but why not? We bought him to bring him here."

Seedorf to coach AC Milan

Dutch veteran Clarence Seedorf confirmed on Tuesday he is taking over as coach of AC Milan, replacing Massimiliano Allegri.

The seven-times European champions sacked Allegri after a shock weekend loss to Sassuolo and have turned to Seedorf, who won a host of honours in Milan as a player.

Seedorf, 37 and the first man to win the Champions League with three different clubs after stellar spells with Ajax, Real Madrid and Milan, has spent the past 18 months with Rio-based Botafogo.

But he said now was the time to take up a new challenge -- and hang up his boots.

Pele talks about Ronaldo

Pele looks to be impressed by Ronaldo as he says about him before and after the Zurich Ceremony.

FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo must continue to maintain his exceptional high standards in order to be classed among the sport's legends, according to Brazil great Pele who compared the Portuguese to Eusebio.

Portugal and Real Madrid forward Ronaldo beat Argentine's Lionel Messi and France's Franck Ribery to claim the prestigious award for the second time on Monday.

"To me the last true great was (France playmaker Zinedine) Zidane. He stayed at the same very high level for at least 10 years," Pele, who was awarded a honorary Ballon d'Or, told France Football magazine.

Ronaldo is on the right path, though, and reminded the three-times World Cup winner of former Portugal striker Eusebio, the top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, who died earlier this month at the age of 71.

"Today Messi and Ronaldo are above the rest. Ronaldo reminds me a bit of Eusebio, he is well bred.

"He has the elegance and the creativity of the great players," Pele said.

Winning the World Cup used to have greater significance in the voting for the Ballon d'Or but the success of Ronaldo and Messi, who won the award from 2009-12, proved that was no longer true, according to the Brazilian.

"It is perhaps less important than it used to be when I was playing," Pele of the showpiece tournament that the duo will look to win for the first time later this year.

"I'm not saying it is not essential to win the World Cup but the Champions League now has the same considerable impact celebrity-wise."

Ronaldo wins it!!!

Ronaldo scored a staggering 69 goals in 59 matches for club and country in 2013 and was hot favourite to lift the prestigious award he last held in 2008.

BPL Facts

·         Arsenal are unbeaten in 14 Barclays Premier League trips to Villa Park, winning seven and drawing seven.

·         The Gunners' 14 game unbeaten run at Villa is their longest away run without defeat against a single side in Barclays Premier League history.

·         Arsenal conceded two penalties in the reverse fixture against Aston Villa this season for the first time in the League since 5 Feb 2011 v Newcastle United.

First a Rock, Now a Wreck! What ha happened to Manchester United?

Manchester United lost to Sunderland 2-1 in the first leg of the Capital One Cup last night as three generations of United legends watched shaking their heads in disbelief.




For those of us old enough to remember, or in my case, to be there, it is all Déjà vu. When Sir Matt Busby retired after Manchester United has won the European Cup in 1968, it was thought that he would fade away into retirement with his wife and family. But no, he decided he would hang around the ground, the training centre and the changing rooms. This was found to be a distraction for the players and the new manager and it ultimately led to him making a brief comeback, but it merely delayed the inevitable. United were relegated in 1975 and I have to say that the foundations for that were laid during the end of Sir Matt's reign.