Manchester United on red alert as Ronaldo snubs fresh contract at Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to sign a new deal with Real Madrid and could be targeted for a dramatic return to Manchester United.
The Portuguese striker has indicated he will snub Real’s offer on the table, and plans on seeing out the final two years on his contract. In doing so, the Galacticos could stand to lose their £80million star for free, in 2015.
The likelihood of anyone matching what Real snapped him up from Old Trafford for in 2009 is slim, which could force a cut-price sale.

Paris Saint-Germain and their seemingly limitless transfer funds are leading the race to sign the 27-year old, believed to be willing to part with up to £90m. It would break transfer world records if it went through, although there are few indications this will happen.
The Ballon d’Or finalist has been offered a contract extension until 2018, increasing his salary by 50 per cent to a whopping £15m a year, but reports of his increasing dissatisfaction in Madrid suggest he will be ready to leave as soon as the end of the season.
Interestingly, despite scoring 23 goals in all competitions for the La Liga champions, his image in Spain has taken a few dents.
He blamed those within the clubs for him feeling ‘sad’ in the capital, claiming they have not provided enough support for him.

United meanwhile, will certainly keep close tabs on his touted movements. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confessed he would ‘love’ to bring Ronaldo back one day, but talk is already circulating of him returning along with Madrid coach Jose Mourinho to succeed Fergie, in the coup of the decade.

Ronaldo is still good friends with with former United team-mate Patrice Evra, who said: “He’s done amazing things in Madrid, but has not received the respect he deserves.”

Real defender Raul Albiol, however, hopes it is nothing but speculation, before referring to lingering unrest at the Bernabeu.

‘I don’t know if he’s going to renew his contract or not,’ he told reporters.

‘But Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world and we want him by our side as long as possible.’

Albiol has appealed for the club to move on from the controversy caused by Mourinho’s decision to drop stalwart goalkeeper Iker Casillas for deputy Antonio Adan.

‘After 10 years as a starter, the day that Casillas was a substitute surprised everybody. But I think the controversy was too much. Even Iker said that.

‘We must forget these things that happen outside the club and do our best to win things in 2013. Mourinho took the decision and that’s that.

‘We will continue training to be at our best level. We must be united. We all want the best for Real Madrid

Former winner Luis Figo backs Ronaldo to beat Messi to this year's Ballon d'Or

Luis Figo has said there’s nothing to stop Cristiano Ronaldo from achieving Ballon d’Or glory this year. 

The former Portuguese midfielder says Ronaldo is more than deserving of the honour, highlighting his excellent performances for both Real Madrid and their shared nation. 

‘There’s nothing to stop [Ronaldo] from winning it,’ the former Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon hero.

He is one of the favourites to win all the individual trophies there are, even more so this year, because I think he had a good season in the league and did well at the Euros.’
Quoted in Mundo Deportivo, the 2000 Ballon d’Or recipient added: ‘There are a lot of people involved in the choice, so it is always difficult to know who will win.’
When he scores, he can really go for it. Ronaldo has netted seven league hat-tricks in each of the last two seasons.

Figo is of course referring to the seemingly unstoppable Lionel Messi as Ronaldo’s competition, but even suggests it’s easier to win the honour now, than it was in his day.
‘It was one of the most special moments in my career on the individual side of things, because there are few players who have the opportunity to win this trophy.
‘At the time, there were lots of players who were in with a shout, whilst now there are four or five big candidates

‘It was a privilege and a proud moment for me.’

Barcelona ace Messi has a truly mind-blowing ability for finding the back of the net and whether or not he’s a safe bet for the Ballon d’Or, he’s already had plenty of reason to celebrate.

He’s Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer, something he achieved aged just 24, and earlier this matched Gerd Muller’s record for the most goals scored in a calendar year. If he is triumphant, it will be his fourth successive Ballon d’Or.

The initial 23-man shortlist, dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona players and featuring Wayne Rooney as the lone Brit, was whittled down to just three, with Andreas Iniesta completing the trio.

National coaches, captains and selected journalists will vote for the winner of the FIFA crown and the winner will be presented at the Zurich Kongresshaus on January 7, 2013.

They’re arguably the world’s greatest footballers, so what finer way to split them apart than by checking out their stats:

WERE THE DRAWS FIXED.

Champions League draw produces exactly the same pairings as dress rehearsal.

dress rehearsal draw

actual draw

As one of sport's most prestigious competitions all eyes were on yesterday's draw for the knock-out phase of the Champions League.

And they would have witnessed something quite remarkable.

To ensure that everything went smoothly UEFA chiefs had first staged a dress rehearsal. And they were left astonished as the real draw ending up producing exactly the same fixtures as those pulled out during the rehearsal

Ties included mouth-watering match-ups such as AC Milan v Barcelona and Real Madrid v Manchester United.

Leading football statisticians Opta say the likelihood of such an event happening is 2,160,900-1, leaving some football conspiracy theorists wondering whether there had been some kind of fix

Although the order in which the ties were drawn was different, the pairings were identical. Football statisticians have been arguing over the odds of such an occurrence happening.

The mathematics are complicated because of rules preventing teams from the same nations competing against each other at this stage of the tournament, or clubs facing rivals from their own group stage. 

The Champions League, previously called the European Champion Clubs' Cup, is an annual continental club football competition which has been taking place since 1955 for Europe's biggest sides.
It is hugely anticipated each year and the final of last year's tournament was the most watched final yet, with 178.7 million viewers on TV.
The tournament involves a number of stages, which includes qualifying rounds, a group stage and then a final knockout phase.
Real Madrid are the most successful team in the competition's history after winning the tournament nine times.

SORRY SEEM TO BE THE HARDEST THING - I

“I believe you should stand your ground and do not let him have his way this time. I don’t see anything wrong with what you did, you had every right to be upset and worried and he had no right snapping at you when you asked him for an explanation. If it takes a month or more to drive your point home so be it” Sandra said to her friend Betty.


Betty’s husband (Simon) had really upset her nearly three weeks ago when he had come back home very late. She had tried to reach him on his mobile but his phone had been switched off. She had been very worried because it was unlike him not to tell her if he was going to be home late. When he eventually got home, she had asked him where he had been and why he was just getting home. Rather than offer an explanation and an apology, he had looked at her for a good minute before snapping at her saying he was tired and didn’t need any hassle from her. She let him know she didn’t appreciate being snapped at and the least he could have done was apologise for the worry he had caused her. He didn’t reply but walked into their bedroom and started getting ready for bed. His action had really infuriated her even more and she had followed him into their bedroom demanding an explanation of where he had been and why she couldn’t reach him on his mobile. She refused to let him sleep and kept going on and on, insisting that he must talk to her. He eventually told her that his car had broken down and his mobile phone battery dead because he had forgotten to charge it the night before so he couldn’t call her. He had managed to call the road recovery company when his battery went dead otherwise he won’t have been able to get help. He said it took the roadside assistance over 2 hours to get to him and when they eventually did, they couldn’t start his car and had to tow the car home. He was quite angry with her because he felt she didn’t wait for him to settle down or ask him how his day was or showed any concern about him before jumping straight to asking him where he had been in an irritated tone. He was tired and hungry and just wanted to get some peace and quiet if she didn’t mind.

The following morning when Betty woke up and said good morning to him, he muffled an answer back. He arranged for his car to be picked up and called for a taxi to take him to work. When he got back in the evening, he dished his dinner by himself and ate alone on the dining, played with the kids before their bed time and wouldn’t speak to Betty directly. Betty felt he was being childish and decided that if he was going to act that way two could play the game. Three weeks on things seemed to have gotten worse. Simon sometimes came home later than usual and did not call to let her know if he will be coming home late. She didn’t think she owed him an apology for asking where he had been that night on the contrary he owed her an apology for snapping at her when she had asked him. She felt really uncomfortable though not speaking to him and they seem to be growing apart. He was still there for the kids at weekends but they hardly said a word to each other and during the week more often than not he came home a lot later than he usually did.

Betty wasn’t sure she agreed with Sandra. She had always believed that two wrongs did not make a right. Communication had always been key to their relationship. Granted she hoped Simon would have tried to talk to her but he hadn’t. She had never been one to keep malice this long and was worried that something so trivial had blown out of proportion. She made up her mind to talk to Simon when he got back home. It wouldn’t make her less of a person if she called the truce.

Culled from V. Tiger

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST THING. II

 

Simon woke up to this irritating noise ringing in his head. The noise wouldn't go away. He slowly realised it was his mobile phone's alarm. He turned it off wondering where he was. He had such a headache and his eyes were struggling to get used to the light. His mobile phone started ringing which he instinctively picked up. It was his wife Betty in total hysterics asking where he was and how she had been trying to reach him all night but he didn't pick up his phone. Hearing Betty's voice on the other end of the phone cleared his headache. Everything came back to him and in his panic he cut the phone. He got dressed quickly and let himself out of the house. 

How did he let things get out of hand? Simon thought as he sat in his car parked on a side street. He never meant for this to happen. He had only planned to have a couple of drinks last night with some of his colleagues before heading home. Friday evenings was his and Betty's night normally but ever since their fight the night his car broke down and they stopped talking to each other, he had started hanging out with his colleagues for after work drinks on Friday. It was better than going home to a tense atmosphere. He hated fighting with Betty and would usually try to make peace regardless of who was in the wrong. In this instant he had decided for once he was going to hold his own. What really hurt him most was the fact that she had not asked him if he was okay or hungry or what had happened to him. She didn't even let him sit down before having a go at him for coming home late. He had been tired and hungry when he got home that night, and really wasn’t in the mood to talk or answer her tirade of questions. The next morning when Betty muffled a good morning to him, he muffled an answer back and was expecting her to apologise but she carried on as if everything was okay. That really irritated him. If he had upset her he would have tried to talk about it with her and make her see his point of view. When he came home that night, she had muffled some sort of welcome to him but he totally ignored her. She did try to make conversation with him but they were forced and he really didn’t feel like talking to her. This had carried on for over three weeks and even though he missed her a lot, he wasn’t going to be the one to make the first move.

Yesterday evening he had gone for drinks with his colleagues Jay, Richard, Jane and Amy. Thinking back now, he should have gone home once Amy decided to come along. He had been getting a lot closer to Amy ever since the fight happened. She had a way of making him laugh and if he was being honest, he was flattered by the attention she gave him because she was 5 years younger than him. He remembered drinking a lot more than he should have and offering to take her home. When they got to hers, he decided to walk her to her door and then she kissed him. He should have run then, but instead he accepted her invitation for a night cap. One thing led to another and they ended up in bed.

Sitting in his car, he hated himself. He had never cheated on Betty. A lot of thoughts were going through his head. Should he tell her? How will he tell her? Will she forgive him? How will he face Amy at work on Monday? How will he live with himself after this?

The quote “It is better to lose your pride with someone you love rather than to lose that someone you love with your useless pride” is so apt. Research done on the causes of divorce have found that a lot of the issues were very trivial and could have been resolved if the parties involved had kept lines of communication open. A healthy relationship cannot exist if either party won’t discuss how they feel or talk about their issues.

Culled from V. Tiger

MESSI VOTED THIRD BEST ATHLETE IN ARGENTINA

 Boxer Sergio Martinez

Ask a group of people who they think the best athlete or sportsman in the world is, and Lionel Messi will be a name you'll hear a lot.

Unless this group of people is comprised of Argentine journalists, who don't even rate Messi as the best in their country. Or second best for that matter.

No, it was third place for the Barcelona superstar who finished behind boxer Sergio Martinez and taekwondo fighter Sebastian Crismanich.

Crismanich, meanwhile, was Argentina's only gold medallist in the London 2012 Olympics.
'It is an honor having won this prize contending with athletes like Sebastian Crismanich and Leo Messi,' Martinez said at the award ceremony on Tuesday night.
But having picked up the award in 2011 and being the hot favourite for the Ballon d'Or, Messi won't be too upset.

Adorable never-before-seen photo OF THE President

I could have labelled them but i just thought you might just the pics WITHOUT WORDS.

EUROPEAN DRAW

FC Porto v Malaga

 

Valencia v Paris Saint-Germain

 
Real Madrid v Manchester United

 
AC Milan v FC Barcelona

 
Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund

 
Arsenal v Bayern Munich

 
Celtic v Juventus

 
Galatasaray v Schalke 04

President Obama named as TIME magazine's 'Person of the Year' for the second time in four years

DID IT AGAIN

KEEPING THE HOPE ALIVE

 

BALOTELLI MATURES.

BACKS DOWN FROM FIGHTING CITY

Mario Balotelli has shown signs of maturity for the first time in months as he decided not to face Manchester City at a Premier League tribunal.

City were due to meet with their errant striker at a Premier League showdown today (Wednesday) after he contested a fine of two weeks' wages - £340,000 - imposed for accumulating too many red and yellow cards last season

A City statement – released just after midday – said: 'After amicable talks between the parties, as a sign of respect for Roberto Mancini, the supporters and the club, Mario Balotelli has chosen to accept a two-week fine levied upon him by the club and withdraw his disciplinary appeal, which was due to be heard by a Premier League panel today

 

'Mario remains available for selection for all forthcoming fixtures.'

City imposed the fine at the end of last season after working out that Balotelli had missed 20 per cent of his team’s games through suspension.

However, Balotelli was informed by his legal team that there is no provision in guidelines drawn up by the Premier League and the PFA Players’ Union for that kind of fine.

He originally appealed to an internal panel at City and, after losing that, chose to take his case to the Premier League.

Balotelli missed training on Tuesday after being sent home with a virus. He will not be involved when City face Reading at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday as manager Mancini does not think he is fit enough

 

How Much Does Appearance Really Matter?

We’re all told that appearances shouldn’t matter — we shouldn’t judge other people by their appearances or make a priority of keeping up with the Joneses. But you’d think that if these beliefs on appearance are such universal truths, we wouldn’t have to keep reinforcing them. We’d have no problem avoiding spending money on things that really just amount to keeping up our appearances.

The Value of Appearances

A lot of personal finance gurus draw a hard line against spending money on appearances. I can think of a few who only buy clothes from second-hand stores, drive cars that are more than ten years old and go to great lengths not to spend money on making them look good.
I can’t help but think that such an approach is, in its own way, an effort to present a very specific appearance. After all, how far would someone talking about thriftiness get with an appearance that obviously cost a lot to maintain?
As a society, we value appearances, no matter how often we hear “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Simply cutting our budgets for clothing and other expenses related to the image we project can have far reaching impacts simply beyond saving us money. The right appearance, after all, can make a difference in whether or not you land a job, the price you can negotiate for a car, even affect where you live.

Investing in Appearances

I’m not one of those people who typically spend a lot of time thinking about appearances. I have about four pairs of shoes and can generally be expected to show up in a t-shirt just about anywhere. But recently, I let my very fashion-conscious sister pick out my outfits for meetings with clients. There was a huge difference in how those clients reacted to me in the more formal (and fashionable) outfits she picked out than the jeans and t-shirt I would normally show up in. Just that little change made a world of difference in how easy I could land clients and the prices I could charge.
When your ability to land a raise or a client is at stake, it’s worth thinking about the image you present as an investment. Sure, the car you drive to meet with clients isn’t going to appreciate in value, but if it helps you land bigger accounts, it may just be worth it. When thinking about your appearance, you need to take your goals and your current situation into account. There is truth to the idea that people prefer to buy from or work with individuals that are successful, and your appearance is the main way that they can tell just how successful you may be. That doesn’t mean you need to rush out and buy a brand new car — there are many ways of signaling your own successes — but you do need to think about appearances.
You have to take your personal situation into account, along with what impact your appearance actually has in your life. In a sense, you have to prioritize the image you want to present. For most people, keeping up appearances certainly shouldn’t be a high priority — but it should be something that you consider when you’re making your budget and planning your finances.

Keeping Up Appearances

There is an undeniable danger that goes along with constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses, no matter the actual value of keeping up appearances. It’s important to understand the differences between making sure that your appearance can help you move towards your goals and just wanting to project an image for image’s sake. It’s that second one that can become incredibly expensive.
It’s also worth reminding yourself that image is not the same as reality. If you want your appearance to include expensive clothes or cars, you don’t necessarily have to spend too much on them. Careful shopping (including a trip by the second-hand store) can create a wardrobe that costs less than it appears to. It takes some planning — more than you would need to just go to the nearest store.
If appearances need to be a priority for you, that shouldn’t be a problem — but you may need to spend some time on that priority, especially if your budget doesn’t necessarily leave room for the image you need to project. Handled correctly, there’s no reason that you can’t turn your appearance into an asset.

Sienna Miller is Vogue UK's December cover girl

December's issue of Vogue takes a decidedly glamorous feel with Sienna Miller as its glittery cover girl. Inside the mag, the pint-sized beauty discusses her messy apartment, Twenty8Twelve and being a muse for designer Matthew Williamson. "Five years ago, I cut out a picture from a magazine of a pretty blonde girl with a green jacket on. My sales director saw it and told me that the girl, a friend of hers, was a young actress. I subsequently met her at the premiere of Cold Mountain. She was all dressed up in Dior with ice cream down her front. It was love, " Williamson says of Miller. Too cute!

COCO HAS MORE ISSUES

Behold Nicole "Coco" Austin at the Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav. Her outfit is wrong on so many levels, I'm not even sure what to say. What one would do with breasts that large and fake, I'm not sure. But the poor thing seems to be struggling to find shirts that fit, I mean, just LOOK at the hole her breasts ripped in that shirt!

 

 

Beyonce inks $50 million deal with Pepsi

Pepsi continues its love affair with A-listers by retaining Beyonce for its newest campaign. The singing superstar not only continues to act as the face of the brand (she has been with them since 2002) her new contract has reportedly earned her a cool $50 million dollars in the process.

It's a win-win situation for the diva, with the campaign set to coincide with her next album set for release in 2013. She will also perform at next year's Super Bowl halftime show in February which, of course, will be sponsored by Pepsi. Furthermore she will star in a new TV ad and appear on a limited edition line of soda cans. The first image from her promotional shoot is pictured above.

Pepsi also announced it would create the multimillion fund to support Beyonce's creative endeavours. "Pepsi embraces creativity and understands that artists evolve," Beyonce said in a statement. "As a businesswoman, this allows me to work with a lifestyle brand with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity."
Pepsi's last campaign featured Sofia Vergara in a tongue-in-cheek TV commercial for Diet Pepsi. The Modern Family actress appeared alongside David Beckham in the "Beach Tweet" ad which saw her don a $98 Norma Kamali swimsuit. Check out the amusing ad below.

ARSENAL WON BUT THE FANS WANTS WENGER OUT

Arsenal won with a comfortable 5-2 at Reading but that wasn't convincing enough for some of Arsenal's fans as they want Coach Wenger to step down as coach of the club.

Wenger and Theo Walcott also seem to have made up for their differences as they shoot hands and hugged as the player stepped out of the field. Theo scored the fifth goal for Arsenal while Cazorla had a treble.

 

WHAT SOME PEOPLE WILL DO FOR A WATCH

Whose the real winner. The watch company uses their study deed to make more money while they go to jail. Cool.

Chelsea book final place in Club world cup

Goals from Mata and Torres helped Chelsea to book their place in the club world final.

The goal from Torres and second from Mata were actually aided goals by the opponents.

They will meet Brazilian Champions Corinthians in the final.

They beat Mexican champions Monterrey 3-1 in a match that was watched by empty seats as less than 1000 chelsea fans showed up.

Chelsea fans still showed their dislike of current caretaker manager Rafa as they chanted the name of Robert Di Mateo at some point in the match.

When will this stop, after he wins the league, that won't happen.

 

Real Madrid loses

Madrid was beaten by Celta Vigo in the first leg of the Copa del Rey cup.

The match ended 2-1 in favor of Celta Vigo.

I don't know why Madrid have to lose matches.

 

Drogba host party for Chelsea players Torries didn't show up

Chelsea's hero Didier Drogba hosted a dinner tonight in honour of the Champions League title victory he secured with is former team-mates in May - although Fernando Torres was conspicuous by his absence.

Drogba organised the reunion at the Wyndham Hotel in Chelsea Harbour in recognition of last May’s amazing achievements, when they defeated Bayern Munich in their own stadium to lift the trophy.

He presented his old colleagues and backroom staff with special commemorative rings to mark their achievement - early reports suggest their total cost is around £800,000.

The Ivorian set up the special dinner to raise spirits after they became the first Champions League winners to be knocked out in the group stages the following season.

Spanish striker Torres, who is attempting to fill Drogba's boots at the club, was not in attendance.
However his son Leo turned two today and so he may have had an excuse for not showing up. Juan Mata and Petr Cech were also unable to make it to the event

NOW CHELSEA MIKEL GETS 3 MATCH BAN AND THE REFEREES UNION THINKS ITS NOT ENOUGH

John Mikel Obi has been handed down a three match ban for his confrontation with Referee Mark Clatternburg after Chelsea's stormy Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester United in October.

I think it was the one that happened in the dressing room and not on the field of play.

He was also handed a fine of £60,000 after he admitted the charge.

However, the referees trade union expressed dismay at the lenient punishment handed down by the FA Regulatory Commission to Chelsea player Jonh Obi Mikel.

The FA had earlier on revealed that the sanction would have been 'significantly longer' but for the fact Mikel had believed he had been racially abused by Clattenburg.

Hope this put a seal on this sad event.

BASKETBALLER LEBRON JAMES WINS ILLUSTRATED'S SPORTMAN OF THE YEAR

 

 

Miami Heat player LeBron James has been awared with the Illustrated Sportman of the Year award.

 

He accepted the honour at the award presentation at Espace in New York City.

 

Jay-Z and wife Beyonce were there to join him celebrated. LeBron had his long time girl friend and mother of his children with him. They are engaged to me married soon.