Barcelona defender Dani Alves has hit out at Real Madrid for their treatment of Kaka, saying the Brazilian would be more valued at Camp Nou.
Former Ballon d Or winner Kaka has struggled to secure a starting place and consistent playing time since joining Real in 2009, with injury setbacks playing a major role.
The 30-year-old was widely linked with a move back to AC Milan in the close season, and Alves is adamant that his compatriot should have departed the Santiago Bernabeu.
If I were Kaka, I would have left Real Madrid a long time ago, Alves told Esporte Interactivo.
Because in my life, I love playing football, and if you take away from me what I love, I lose my sense of life. I am sad because I admire Kaka and I would not like to live through what i…
Tony Pulis refused to get carried away despite Stoke s come-from-behind 2-1 win over Newcastle on Wednesday.
Goals from Jon Walter and Cameron Jerome inside the last 10 minutes earned the Stoke the three points and ninth place on the table.
But the slump continued for the Tynesiders as they suffered a fourth successive league defeat for the first time since 2008.
We won t get carried away, we ve had a couple of very good results at home, to take six points from Fulham and Newcastle is very, very pleasing, Pulis told reporters.
But at this football club whether we re third from bottom or ninth it makes no difference, we just carry on what we do and we do it to the best of our ability.
We were unlucky first half with the one that hits the post,…
Hamburg goalkeeper Rene Adler has revealed that he was once scared of taking his own life.
The 27-year-old s impressive performances this season in the Bundesliga were capped with a call-up to the Germany squad for the first time in two years.
He has described it as a fairytale after his emotional breakdown in 2010, and counts himself lucky that he did not follow the route of his former colleague and friend, Robert Enke.
I had to be careful that I do not fall into a depression, he told German magazine Star during an interview.
Robert Enke and I were very similar. We were both very sensitive and hated the pressure that was put on us. I was so, so scared that I was going to follow a similar route to him.
I suffered from many injuries and I had t…
Napoli have copped a two-point penalty as part of the match-fixing investigations, while two players have been banned for six months.
The penalties derived from a Serie A match against Sampdoria in 2010, which former Napoli goalkeeper Matteo Gianello has confessed he tried to fix leading to a suspension of 39 months.
The Italian Football Federation s (FIGC) disciplinary commission confirmed on Tuesday they have suspended Paolo Cannavaro, the younger brother of former Real Madrid defender Fabio, and Gianluca Grava from playing for six months for failing to report Gianello s plans.
The FIGC have punished Napoli for being objectively responsible due to Gianello playing with the club at the time.
The FIGC determined Cannavaro and Grava were approached by Gia…
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane conceded he needs to give more game-time to Isco and Alvaro Morata after their starring roles in the comeback victory over Villarreal.
Zidane s men recovered from two goals down at Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday to dramatically win 3-2, scoring three goals in the final 26 minutes.
Isco came off the substitutes bench when the score was 2-0 – playing a part in two of the three Madrid goals – while Morata entered the field at 2-2 and scored the winner with seven minutes remaining.
Isco and Morata have only made 11 and seven league starts respectively this season and Zidane acknowledged that is something that needs to change.
There is no doubt that Isco and Morata deserve to get more minutes, the Madrid boss told repor…
Manuel Pellegrini hailed Manchester City s character after Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero inspired a late 2-1 comeback win at Watford – a game in which the manager believed his Premier League title-challengers could not afford to drop points.
City were without a league win on the road since September s last-gasp 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace and Aleksandar Kolarov s 55th-minute own goal looked set to be the source of further misery at Vicarage Road.
But Toure smashed home a volley from Kolarov s left-wing corner eight minutes from time and the Serbia international s fellow full-back Bacary Sagna delivered a delightful cross that Aguero rose to dispatch beyond Heurelho Gomes two minutes later.
Third-place City are now three points behind leaders Arsenal and one s…
According to , Arsenal are ready to sell Konstantinos Mavropanos this year. It has been reported that manager Mikel Arteta is looking to make a clear-out at Arsenal, and that the 23-year-old could be one of the players who leaves the North London club for good.
Mavropanos has been on the books of Arsenal since 2018, but the youngster has made only a handful of appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners. The former Greece Under-21 international had a loan spell at FC Nurnberg in 2020 and is on loan at Stuttgart in Germany at the moment.
With Arsenal having a number of centre-backs, it is hard to see Mavropanos establish himself as a regular in the first team in the coming weeks. The 23-year-old is a very good and promising young player, and it would make sense for…
Charlie Austin scored a controversial late penalty to earn West Brom a 1-0 win at Preston North End that sends them back to the top of the Championship.
The second-half substitute converted from 12 yards in the final minute of the match after Declan Rudd was adjudged to have brought down another sub in Kyle Edwards.
Monday s match at Deepdale had otherwise been devoid of major talking points, with Kyle Bartley missing the best of the visitors first-half openings and Daniel Johnson testing Sam Johnstone just after the hour mark for Preston.
Bilic s attacking changes paid off, however, as West Brom made if five league wins in a row to leapfrog Leeds United at the summit, while Preston remain in the final play-off spot despite a third successive loss.
Cool. …
Andoni Iraola has committed his future to Bournemouth until 2026 by penning a one-year contract extension with the club, having enjoyed an excellent first season on the south coast.
Iraola left Rayo Vallecano to join Bournemouth after they parted company with Gary O Neil last year, and after a difficult start to his tenure, he has overseen a tremendous campaign.
Bournemouth failed to win any of their first nine league games under Iraola before beating Burnley in late October.
Since that victory, only the current top four of Arsenal (65), Manchester City (64), Liverpool (58) and Aston Villa (48) have bettered the Cherries tally of 45 points.
Their overall total of 48 for this campaign, meanwhile, is a new top-flight club record.
Though they were …
Fiorentina are open to selling Dusan Vlahovic for €80 million with Tottenham Hotspur interested in the striker, according to in Italy. It has been reported that Serie A outfit Fiorentina are now ready to cash in on the Serbia international striker, but they want as much as €80 million in transfer fee for the 21-year-old.
have reported that Tottenham are interested in signing the striker. Antonio Conte has recently been appointed as the new manager of the North London club, and the former Inter Milan and Juventus boss would know all about the 21-year-old from his time in Italy.
Vlahovic has scored eight goals and provided one assist in 11 Serie A appearances for Fiorentina so far this season. During the 2020-21 campaign, the Serbia international striker scored 21 …