The Most Important Portuguese at Old Trafford Isn't Ronaldo

Winning, obviously, has its benefits. There's the extra cash, the added merchandising sales, and the growing allure for top-level players to join the squad and grab a piece of that success. Unfortunately, especially in Manchester United's case, it also brings many drawbacks, namely that everyone wants a piece of you.

It's hard to imagine Sir Alex Ferguson enjoying any moment of his holiday. With Cristiano Ronaldo and his agents using the predictable nature of football media to engineer a move to Spain, it's hard to see how the Man U gaffer got any sleep at all the past few weeks.

While it looks like the Red Devils can't seem to bear the possibility of the most in-form player on the planet leaving, it is perhaps the potential departure of Fergie's right-hand man, Carlos Queiroz, that worries all at Old Trafford the most.

Given that Queiroz pretty much runs the first team and is known as the tactics man for the European and English champions, his temptation to take over the Portuguese side could come at no worse a time. Ferguson can cope without the Mozambique-born assistant, as he did when he left briefly to manage the Real Madrid in 2003, but Queiroz seems to be the jack-of-all-trades at Old Trafford, with a proven knack for scouting.

Hardly given a chance at the Bernabeau, Queiroz found himself a victim of the disaster begun by former president Florentino Perez. He wanted to keep Claude Makelele and buy Pepe for 2M Euro, but was pretty much ignored and one can arguably point to the the loss of Makelele as the downfall of Madrid. And Pepe? He eventually came to los Merengues for 30M a few years later.

Carlos Queiroz knows football and it's no secret that he's waiting to take over the Red Devils when Ferguson calls it quits. The offer from Portugal is undoubtedly a bargaining chip for him to get the club to commit to fingering him as the next man to take charge at Old Trafford. Barring an incredible run by a lucky gaffer (Mark Hughes?), I'm not sure why Man U is so hesitant to commit to Queiroz, unless it's quite unclear as to when Fergie will leave. Unfortunately, what may be Portugal's gain will undoubtedly be United's loss if they fail to appease him.


United losing battle to keep Queiroz despite £500k sweetener [This is London]

-bl

Richest Red Devil Ever?

Ronnie scoring when it counts

We caught a glimpse last season of just how good Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo is, and this year he's been able to take all of his qualities and translate them directly into goals. Not just goals, but game-deciding, team-defining goals. Just as Arsenal receive plaudits for their one and two-touch, quick-passing game, Manchester United is all about movement, namely the movement of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, new signings Nani and Anderson, and of course, Ronaldo.

Once a showpony prone to step-overs, flicks and ill-advised backheels, the Portuguese international has done what so many feel Leo Messi must do at Barcelona: know when to dribble, and when to release the ball for his teammates in more space.

I've watched a lot of United in the last few years and cannot think of a team that is more dominant in all of European soccer of late. Even with Inter's record-setting run last season in Serie A, never have I seen a team play with such movement and meaningful directness. And Sir Alex Ferguson's seemingly done it the right way, allowing his youngsters to grow in skill, stature and involvement as his senior class of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes lead the way and simultaneously recede into the past.

But, like everyone else, I am most impressed with Ronaldo, who took the negativity of the 2006 World Cup (where he was blamed by the English media as the catalyst that saw his United team mate sent off for England) and never lost his focus, resulting in serious contention for World Player of the Year. For me, he inhabits the realm of Theirry Henry at his best for Arsenal, albeit all over the pitch and at full speed.

And now he's set to be rewarded with the largest contract in the EPL, hopefully displacing Chelsea's John Terry as the highest paid player. It's a no-brainer if you ask me. As much as some love Captain England, if he's getting over $260,000 a week, such a wage for Ronaldo is certainly worth it, especially for what he means not only for United but the Premier League as a whole.

The Portuguese View [Guardian Football]

Ronaldo gets 44 million pound deal to stay at Man U till 2013 [India Times]


-bl

Without Sheva To Push Around Anymore, This Is The Result

Jose Mourinho's got to take his frustrations out on somebody, no matter how old they might be. Uefa.com's magazine has the story:

Mourinho is now back in his native Portugal, and is free to take his daughter Matilde to school. Unfortunately, that meant he was able to overhear a fellow pupil teasing her, unacceptable in any language, and the former Chelsea FC coach took exception. What happened in the resultant scuffle is unclear, but St Peter's School headmistress Isabel Simão said: "I saw Mr Mourinho grab the child's arm. I stayed with the young man to calm him down. I asked if Mr Mourinho punched or kicked him and he denied it. But I knew he grabbed his long hair." Mourinho was big about it, though, Simão adding: "He said he was sorry for what had happened and wrote a formal letter of apology to the school, the boy, and his parents and they seemed happy with that." Until he withdrew his children from the school.

No need to call in Judge Judy, seems like everything has been straightened out.

Schoolboy error [UEFA Magazine]

-ac

Porto By A Nose

Porto won it's second Portuguese league title on the trot, it's 22 in all, after their home win against Desportivo Aves today. Porto finished the season with 69 points, one ahead of Sporting Lisbon and two clear of Benfica. For the first time in 70 years, three teams had a chance of winning the championship on the final day.

Porto and Sporting qualify automatically into the Champions League, while Benfica will take part in the competition's third qualifying round.

Porto again the pride of Portugal [UEFA official site]

-ac

How Do You Say "Bust" In Italian?

Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport has come out with a list of Italy's worst transfers in recent memory. Here are some of the flops they've come up with:

• Robbie Keane - Coventry to Inter for $25.1M, 0 goals in 6 appearances (2000-01)
• Gaizka Mendieta - Valencia to Lazio for $54.3M, 0 goals in 20 appearances (2001-04)
• Rivaldo - Barcelona to Milan for $7.8M, 5 goals in 22 appearances (2002-03)
• Nuno Gomes - Benfica to Fiorentina for $22M, 14 goals in 53 appearances (2000-02)
• Ariel Ortega - Valencia to Sampdoria for $16.1M, 8 goals in 27 appearances (1998-99)
• Antonio Cassano - Bari to Roma for $36.2M, 39 goals in 118 appearances (2001-06)

And Mendieta can't even get a look at Middlesbrough. You lead your team to two consecutive Champions League finals, and then your career spirals downward from there. It's been a tough couple years for the 32-year-old Basque midfielder, there's no denying that. Reports are that a move back to Spain before the end of the month is very likely. Anything is better than been considered "not good enough" by such an accomplished and successful coach as Gareth Southgate.

Thinking about past flops, there are a lot of them. Off the top of my head, Ian Rush and his one year at Juventus come to mind. He made the jump to Serie A in the summer of 1987 for $5.7M, a huge sum back then. Of course, he couldn't cut it away from home, famously remarking, "It's like living in a foreign country."

Who's your favorite bust/flop of all time? You can't pick Andriy Shevchenko, at least not yet.

From Rivaldo to Mendieta... (in Italian) [La Gazzetta dello Sport]
They haven't forgotten about him (in Spanish) [Ole]

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Jogo Bonito

Well if this isn't a sight for sore Fox Soccer Channel eyes. After Rupert Murdoch's henchmen signed a deal to broadcast 12 Brazil friendlies, I wondered what kind of matches we'd have to look forward to. We were treated to games against Ecuador and Switzerland in 2006, and it looks like the new year will kickoff with a match against Portugal live from the Emirates Stadium in London.

Though I'm a little tired of FSC's lineup, I have to say that this Brazilian deal is quite the coup. With a TV schedule that at the moment pairs the EPL with highlights from Japan, the Caribbean Cup, and Australia, viewers will take anything they can get. [Live Soccer TV]

In other eye-numbing news:

• If anything, they (with Setanta) will have the EPL through the 2009-2010 season. [EPL Talk]
• I had world-renowned documentary filmmaker in the betting pool, who had celebrity poker player? [World Cup Blog]
• It's always fun to see a reporter getting taken out on the sidelines. [Soccernista]
• With all this talk about the second-coming of Fernando Redondo, here's a little bit of what the new kid from Boca Juniors has to live up to. [SoccerBlog.com]
• "There's all kinds of places to sit" is my favorite. [ThroughBall.com]

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Here are the games I'll be keeping an eye on through Sunday.

Today
Liverpool v. Arsenal
2:30pm ET, LIVE
Setanta Sports USA
Liverpool can't lose to Arsenal twice, at home, in less than a week. At least that's with I'm telling myself, BL might have other thoughts.

Atletico de Madrid v. Osasuna
3pm ET, LIVE
GolTV
For Javier Aguirre's sake, this one's at the Vicente Calderon.

Wednesday
Wycombe Wanderers v. Chelsea
2:30pm ET, LIVE
Setanta Sports USA
How big of an upset would this be for Wycombe? Biggest of the season, in the last decade, in cup history?

Saturday
Manchester United v. Aston Villa
9:55am ET, LIVE
Setanta
Hey, they haven't played each other in a while.

West Ham United v. Fulham
9:55am ET, LIVE
Setanta Xtra (DirecTV Channel 670)
Will Clint Dempsey's work permit come through in time for a substitution appearance in this one?

Chelsea v. Wigan Athletic
10am ET, LIVE
FOX Soccer Channel
Wigan had a result in the bag at the JJB before the balding Dutchman killed them off in the dying minutes.

Blackburn Rovers v. Arsenal
12pm ET, LIVE
FOX Soccer Channel
No result at Bolton, no result at Sheffield United, _______ at Blackburn.

Espanyol v. Barcelona
3:58m ET, LIVE
World Sport HD
The Barcelona derby, could be worth a look with Rijkaard's side needing three points. Ronaldinho and Deco should be back for this one.

Torino v. Inter
5pm ET, Same Day Delay
FOX Soccer Channel
Can Inter keep the good times rolling?

Sunday
Tottenham v. Newcastle United
11am ET, LIVE
FOX Soccer Channel
Spurs got smoked at St. James, look for the opposite result at White Hart Lane.

As always, check your local listings for dates and times in your area.

-ac

It Was Nice Knowing You Kid

It looks like Antonio Cassano could be on his way out of La Liga and back to Italy. Real Madrid's forward, who they bought from Roma for $6.8M a year ago, is in the shop window with a $5.5M price tag.

With the acquisition of Gonzalo Higuain, it seems that the Italian is now surplus to requirements. Besides the new Argentine addition, Real already have Raul, Ronaldo, Robinho, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Jose Reyes at the club. They also have Oscar Minambres and Julio Baptista out on loan. [Channel 4]

In other Spanish news:

• Sevilla have signed their first second-half addition, Russian Aleksander Kerzhakov, from FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. If they can make a offer that Fiorentina can't refuse, this guy would be a great pickup. [Marca, Channel 4]
• Real Betis have hired a new coach after sending Javier Irureta packing last week. [Reuters]
• Barcelona is reporting that Samuel Eto'o will start training with the first team in mid-January. Leonel Messi and Lillian Thuram should be doing the same once February rolls around. If you happen to be in the Catalan capital next Thursday, stop by the 15,276 seat Mini Estadi to watch the first team train. It'll cost you 3 euros. [Barcelona official site]
• Some twenty teams have made inquiries into David Beckham's situation at Real Madrid. The latest: Sam Allardyce and Marseille, asking if the player would be interested in a move if Sven Goran Eriksson became the new coach. The ex-England captain has until the end of the month to agree to a new deal lasting through June of 2009. Some are saying that New York will be his next stop. [AS, Deportes Punto Com]
• Real Sociedad is still trying to negotiate the signing of Federico Higuain, Gonzalo's younger brother. The player's contract is owned by River Plate, who loaned him out to Nueva Chicago over the summer. The loan deal is through the upcoming Clausura season, so Chicago are not willing to rescind the deal and get nothing in return. Once River offers up a suitable replacement to their Buenos Aires neighbors, the deal should go through. The club has just signed centerback Victor Lopez from Avellaneda club Arsenal de Sarandi. [La Nacion, UEFA official site]
• Any Spanish club looking to sign 24 year old Mariano Pavone know how much they're going to have to pony up for his services. Estudiantes de La Plata vicepresident Julio Alegre revealed that they have already turned down an offer of $4.5M from Italian club Genoa. [Clarin]
• The South American seller's philosophy: three years and they're gone. [BBC]
• In music news: If things don't work out at Arsenal, at least Julio has the ukulele to fall back on. And who wouldn't like to see a moustache on Barca's little Freddy Mercury look-a-like? [UEFA official site]
  
• Details about the new Portuguese remake of The Fast and the Furious. [Goal.com]

-ac

Maybe He Ran Out Of Wrapping Paper

Atletico de Madrid midfielder Maniche was cited early Christmas morning on suspicion of drunk driving. He was vacationing in Lisbon and was caught speeding through the Portuguese capital with his wife and Porto midfielder Ricardo Quaresma.

According to Portuguese sports daily O Jogo, both soccer players were tested for alcohol levels and Maniche's test came back over the legal limit. We'll wait for a little more news to trickle out about this incident before we put Maniche up alongside our favorite drunk driver in the Boozer Hall of Fame.

Maniche caught driving drunk (In Spanish) [Marca]

-ac