Tottenham chief Daniel Levy keen on £1.5million move for Dimitar Berbatov

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Jan 21, 2014

Tottenham chief Daniel Levy is keen on a shock reunion with Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov – but Tim Sherwood is against the move.

Levy is keen to ensure the north Londoners are not left short of striking options when Jermain Defoe leaves for Toronto at the end of February.

As such the Spurs supremo – who failed with a Deadline Day bid to pinch Berbatov ahead of Fulham two years ago – is looking at a short-term deal worth £1.5million.

As reported by MirrorFootball last month, the Bulgarian, on £80,000-a-week at Craven Cottage, has indicated to Fulham that he wants to quit the club’s relegation fight this month.

Sherwood, however, maintains he has enough attacking options at his disposal and does not want Emmanuel Adebayor – who has returned to form under his leadership – unsettled.

Sherwood said: “Everyone knows Berba. He is proven in this division.

“He is a Fulham player and I am not sure what they are thinking about that. But we have options to take us through to the end of the season.”

Signed from Bayer Leverkusen by Martin Jol, Berbatov hit 46 goals in 102 appearances at Spurs before being snapped up for a record £30.75million in 2008 by Manchester United.

Fulham maintain they have not had bids from any club for their star striker after Berbatov was linked with a move to Arsenal.

Written by Steve Milne

Gary Neville recommends SEVEN players David Moyes should sign

By

Alex Batt

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Jan 21, 2014

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Former-Manchester United defender Gary Neville has recommended seven players that David Moyes should try and sign to help the club out, and he doesn’t think Chelsea’s Juan Mata is the right man to do that.

The Sky Sports pundit believes the Spaniard wouldn’t fit in at Old Trafford and certainly isn’t worth the £40million that Chelsea want for him, but the right-back has given a list of players that he feels would settle in and suit United’s style of play.

“If you took Paul Pogba, Marco Reus, Luke Shaw and Arturo Vidal – they would fit into Manchester United’s philosophy,” Neville said.

“Lucas Moura would and Ilkay Gundogan and Julian Draxler would. They are young players who have still not reached their full potential and have the potential to go on to be world-class players.

“They are good players at the moment and that fits the Manchester United mould of how they have historically signed, more often than not.”

On Mata, Neville said: “That’s a lot of money, but they need a signing.

“Does he fit in with what I would call the typical philosophy of Manchester United? I would say no.

“The first question, I think, is where are you going to play? Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are up top if they are fit so where are you going to play him? Are you going to play him off the left or off the right?

“Maybe they have to change the philosophy and maybe that’s what David Moyes is thinking. Maybe he wants to play narrow wide players and maybe a three in midfield.

“They would have to change to accommodate Juan Mata in the way they normally play. They normally play with wide players.

“He’s obviously a fantastic football player, there’s no doubt about that, but one thing it does do, I suppose, is that David Moyes, Manchester United and Ed Woodward need to sign a big player.

“They need to make a noise and if they get him in it will attract potentially other players – and they need three or four players.

“What it could be is the start of something to lead to other things, but typically I wouldn’t say he fits.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Santi Cazorla apologises to Tottenham fans

By

Alex Batt

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Jan 21, 2014

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Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has apologised to Tottenham Hotspur for holding up a picture insulting the club.

The Spaniard was picture with a fan and also Arsenal-legend Robert Pires and was holding up a piece of paper which said ‘What do we think of Tottenham? S**T, What do we think of S**T? Tottenham’.

That saying is a well known chant within the club, but the midfielder took to his personal Twitter account to apologise to the Spurs fans before claiming he didn’t know what the sign said.

“Our apologies to the Tottenham fans, we couldn’t see the paper.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

French duo stand accused

By

wayney

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Jan 21, 2014

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The trial for long term Arsenal target Mr Benzema 26, currently of Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich winger Mr Ribery 30, has begun in france with both players facing charges of having sex with an underage prostitute. The two players are accused of paying for sex with Ms Zahir Dehar when she was 16 in Mr Benzema’s case and 17, in Mr Riberys case. With both players possibly facing up to three years in prison and fines of up to 45.000 euros each, neither attended court themselves allowing both sets of lawyers to represent them.

Ms Zahir Dehar now 21 and has established herself as a luxury lingerie designer following the scandal, was also absent from the proceedings and has withrawn as a cival plaintiff in the case with her laywer Daniel Vaconsin stating “Ms Dehar is not asking for anything ”

The two players stand accused for paying for sex with Ms Dehar when she was 16 in the case of Karim Benzema and 17 in the case of Frank Ribery. The trial is going ahead following a ruling from Frances highest court that only those aware that a prostitute is underage can be found guilty of breaking the law, The prosecuters believe there is no case to answer although it is the investigating magistrates that have pushed this case through to trial.

Mr Ribery has admitted to having sex with Ms Dehar in 2009 after she was flown to Munich as a “present” for his 26th birthday, but denies knowing she was under the age of 18, while Mr Benzema who is accused of paying for sex with Ms Dehar in a hotel in Paris in 2008 denies the encounter ever took place. Ms Dehar testified to having sex with both players for money although does admit to lying to them about her age.. The trial continues..

Written by W.Cutmore

Chelsea striker admits he’s leaving in Summer

By

Alex Batt

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Jan 21, 2014

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Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o has revealed that he will be leaving Stamford Bridge and England once his short-term contract at the club expires, which is this Summer, as he eyes a return to Spain with former club Mallorca.

Eto’o only signed for The Blues in the Summer from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, but after finding life tough in the Premier League, the Cameroon international has admitted that he won’t be staying around much longer.

After scoring a hat-trick against Manchester United at the weekend, Eto’o has suddenly become quite a favourite with the fans, but he knows that he will not be there for long as he dreams of returning to La Liga.

He said: “I’ll always like Barca, but I personally prefer Mallorca.

“My son has pressured me to finish my career there, as he is from there.

“I have signed on at Chelsea for the entire season and will try to enjoy it.

“Later on, I will go to Mallorca.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Chelsea willing to sell Mata for £40million

By

SteveMilne

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Jan 21, 2014

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Manchester United have been told to pay £40million for Juan Mata after the champions stepped up their interest in the Chelsea outcast.

Despite posturing from both clubs, Chelsea are willing to sell the Spanish playmaker if United match their valuation — and David Moyes is believed to be on the brink of making an offer.

The deal is complicated because Chelsea still have an interest in Wayne Rooney, but United will not sell the striker.

United manager Moyes wants to add Mata to his squad and the club have the cash to seal a deal for the Chelsea midfielder.

Moyes, who is preparing for the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Sunderland, needs fresh blood.

United lost for the seventh time in the league this season when Jose Mourinho’s team beat them 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

They believe a deal can be done for Mata, 25, and Chelsea will sell if United find £40m.

United have been given enough encouragement to make their move for a player who has not featured in the Chelsea side since he was substituted against Southampton on New Year’s Day. Chelsea’s player of the year for the past two seasons is desperate to leave Stamford Bridge.

He reacted badly when Mourinho substituted him at St Mary’s in the 53rd minute. Chelsea went on to beat Southampton 3-0 and the manager said then the ‘door was open’ if players wanted to leave.

Mata has failed to convince the Portuguese manager of his worth since Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge last summer.

The midfielder fears he will lose his place in Spain’s squad for the World Cup if he is not playing regularly between now and the end of the season.

Many Chelsea players sympathise with Mata’s position, but Mourinho has more confidence in Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian.

Although Mourinho’s decision to cut Mata adrift appears to have been vindicated, the Spanish playmaker remains a popular member of the squad and he is still adored by supporters. Mourinho has claimed he wants Mata to stay, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of the player leaving if he demanded to go.

Written by Steve Milne

Bayern after Rosicky.

By

Ben Reardon

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Jan 21, 2014

0

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich are to make a move for Arsenal winger Tomas Rosicky once his contract expires at Arsenal in the summer.

Pep Guardiola is apparently keen on landing the Czech Republic international, to give his star studded squad some experience, in a relatively young squad.

Rosicky would surely be tempted by a move to the Bundesliga Champions, who are in touching distance of another title, with the Baverians yet to lose a game, after another superb season.

Rosicky hasn’t been a regular for the Gunners this season, with Wenger handing the Czech international just seven League starts, as the Gunners push for a first title in ten years.

Rosicky would also add stability and back up to an ever improving Bayern side, if he decides to make the switch in the summer.

A potential move to Bayern Munich would see Rosicky have to challenge a number of star performers for a starting spot at the Allianz Arena.

Rosicky moved to Arsenal back in May 2006 and has made a total of 203 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals in the process, becoming a real fans favourite at the Emirates Stadium.

Rosicky has also been linked with a return to former club Borussia Dortmund in recent weeks.

He scored against Bayern in Arsenal’s 2-0 win in Germany in the Champions League last year.

By Ben Reardon

@BenReardon1

FA charges Nicolas Anelka over gesture

By

SteveMilne

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Jan 21, 2014

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The striker made the sign, described as an inverted Nazi salute, after scoring against West Ham on 28 December.

West Brom sponsor Zoopla will end its agreement with the club at the end of the season because of the incident.

Anelka, who started Monday’s draw with Everton, has until 18:00 GMT on 23 January to respond to the charge.

In a statement, the FA said it had charged the 34-year-old former France international with making a gesture that was “abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper”.

It added it was “an aggravated breach in that it included a reference to ethnic origin and/or race and/or religion or belief”.

The minimum suspension for the offence is five games but the FA can increase that if they see fit.

“If Nicolas Anelka is found guilty of a racial offence, then he deserves everything he gets,” said Alan Cleverley, secretary of the West Bromwich Albion Official Supporters Club.

“You can’t go on doing that. It sounds as if he did it on purpose because he knew the match was being shown live in France. So if the book gets thrown at him, I’ve got no sympathy whatsoever for him.”

The FA appointed an expert to help determine the outcome of its investigation into the gesture, which Anelka made after scoring in a 3-3 draw at Upton Park.

If the striker, who has also played for Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bolton and Real Madrid, is suspended, it would reduce the number of attacking options for new Baggies head coach Pepe Mel, who has already seen Shane Long move to Hull City in a £7m deal.

Anelka has promised not to repeat the gesture, which he said was made in support of controversial French comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala.

The performer, a friend of Anelka’s, makes the sign at his shows, angering the French government, which has tried to ban him from using it.

Written by Steve Milne – Have your say below 🙂

BIG SAM CAN’T SLEEP!!!

By

Footballisgood

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Jan 20, 2014

0

Sam Allardyce is losing sleep because of the stress and “burden” that comes with trying to keep West Ham in the Barclays Premier League.

United take on Manchester City in the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final on Tuesday.

Ordinarily, for a team that has not won a major trophy for 24 years, a domestic semi-final would be something to shout about, but Hammers fans are bracing themselves for another hiding after they lost the first leg 6-0.

West Ham’s league form is of deep concern to Allardyce, as well as the club’s fans and owners, too.

The East London club slipped into the relegation zone on Saturday following a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle and Allardyce has been tossing and turning at night as he contemplates the task ahead of him.

“You lose a bit of sleep and you don’t sleep quite as well as you would like to,” the West Ham manager said when asked how he was coping.

“Saying that, you don’t sleep much as a manager anyway.”

Having been in management for 23 years, Allardyce is used to feeling the heat. He was involved in a relegation scrap while at Bolton and he also took Notts County down earlier in his career.

Neither of those clubs had a big move to the Olympic Stadium on the horizon, though.

West Ham will struggle to get anywhere near the 60,000-capacity level if they are in the second tier by the time they move there in 2016 and that is weighing heavily on Allardyce’s mind.

Indeed, Allardyce reckons the pressure on him now is equal to that David Moyes is facing at Manchester United

“People would think outside that the pressure on David is probably greater than it is on me, but from my point of view. I think it’s equal – not only because of now but because of the future of this club,” the 59-year-old said.

“The burden of this club is that it wants to move into the Olympic Stadium in two years’ time or so and has to have a team in the Premier League to move into that stadium.

“You have to build for that, and that’s a bit of extra pressure.”

Written by George Coomber

Martino: Barcelona In No Panic

By

Footballisgood

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Jan 20, 2014

0

Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino his side believed deserved more after they dropped two crucial points in the La Liga title race with a 1-1 draw away to Levante on Sunday.

Lionel Messi made his first league start for the Catalans in over two months.

However, after early goals from Loukas Vydra and Barca’s Gerard Pique, even the four-time World Player of the Year couldn’t find a way past in-form Levante keeper Keylor Navas as the hosts clung on for a share of the spoils.

Barcelona remain on top of the table as Atletico Madrid were also held 1-1 by Sevilla on Sunday, but both league leaders are now just one point clear of Real Madrid in third.

Martino, though, is sure there will be plenty of surprises to come between now and the end of the season.

“I don’t think we should be worried looking to the future,” he said.

“There were games at the start of the season when we won and we didn’t play very well. Today is completely the opposite. We played very well and the result is a bit negative, but it is not what we deserved.

“We still have 18 games to play and with the games all three teams have still to play there are going to be a lot of surprises.

“I try to be a fair person when we have to speak about something. When we haven’t been up to it I am the first one to speak to the players about it, but I don’t think that was the case today.

“We leave here sad because we weren’t able to win, but I didn’t see any regression in the way that we played.”

Written by George Coomber

Manchester United will keep fighting for the title

By

Kyle Farrington

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Jan 20, 2014

0

After another defeat for Manchester United, their slim hopes of challenging for the title look to be over, even though we are only in January. Manchester United is currently fourteen points a drift of current leaders Arsenal.

Despite the huge gap that has developed, David Moyes refuses to give up the fight for the title.

Moyes, whose side remain seventh in the table, said: “What we don’t do is throw the towel in until we can’t get there. The job is to finish first and we’ll try to do that.”

“This is a project,” added Moyes. “I know what I’m going to do and there will be changes as we go along the journey.

“It is a massive challenge. I hoped we’d be in a better position than we are, but we are not.”

Jose Mourinho still refuses to rule Manchester United out of the title race, but ad its they would need three teams to collapse for Manchester United to win the Premier League.

Next up for Manchester United is the second leg in the Capital One cup against Sunderland, which they must overturn a 2-1 deficit.

Jason Puncheon gives critics the silent treatment

By

Kyle Farrington

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Jan 20, 2014

0

One way for Puncheon to forget about that awful penalty miss against Tottenham is to silence his critics. Not only did Puncheon do this with his winner against Stoke city, but he also gave critics such as the BBC the silent treatment after the game

It has been a long week for Puncheon who has received light hearted abuse from not just the media, but his won teammates. The penalty miss has been described by some as the worst penalty miss in the Premier Leagues history.

Crystal Palace keeper has given his backing to teammate Jason Puncheon. Palace keeper Julian Speroni said: ‘You always take the mickey. There was a bit of banter between the lads. He was fine.

‘He knows whatever happens, himself and everybody else, we all have the support of each other.’

Puncheon spoke after the game and the interview was shown on Match of the Day on Saturday night, but the BBC had to use footage from another broadcaster.

Puncheon who is currently on loan from Southampton, will be glad to put the incident behind him and will hope to have more positive impacts in the remainder of the season.

Written by Kyle Farrington

Yohan Cabaye on his his way to Paris

By

Kyle Farrington

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Jan 20, 2014

0

After a summer of interest around Cabaye, the January transfer window looks set to be the same with Paris Saint Germain showing a lot of interest in Newcastle’s star man. After scoring two goals on the weekend against West Ham, interest will only increase.

During the summer Newcastle rejected bids from Arsenal to keep their star player, although it looked like Cabaye was keen on a move away, since then he has been in good form for Newcastle putting the summer behind him. However there are reports coming out of France that a deal has been struck between Newcastle and the French League champions.

The deal is thought to be around £21 million for the 28 year old midfielder. However some reports suggest this deal will only go through if Newcastle can secure Cabella from Montpellier.

“Newcastle boss Alan Pardew conceded on Saturday that he was nervous about losing Cabaye during the transfer window, but maintained the idea that every player has a price.”

‘We’re conscious that we have a good team and want to keep it together because we are not that far behind the guys that have been so dominant in the top seven this season.’

If Newcastle lose Cabaye in this transfer window, many believe Newcastle may struggle for the last half of the season, but only time will tell, what happens to the Magpies.

Written by Kyle Farrington

Should Ballon d’Or take into consideration team performances?

By

Alex Batt

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Jan 20, 2014

0

In the wake of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or, Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery has complained and lashed out at the voting policy as he feels he should have won the prestigious award.

The French international was nominated along with Ronaldo and also FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi, but due to the Argentine being injured for around three months late last year, he was highly doubted over winning the prize.

With the majority of football fans backing Ronaldo to win it due to his sensational performances throughout 2013/2014, there was no surprise that the Portuguese-star took home the award, however that decision has clearly rattled Ribery, who gave an interview with AZ just days after the ceremony.

Ribery was quoted saying: ‘I won everything I could win with Bayern and individually. Ronaldo, on the other hand, did not win anything. I am not sad that I missed out, but it does hurt a bit. I deserved to win the Ballon d’Or’.

Throughout last season’s campaign, Ribery picked up the Bundesliga title, the German cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and Club World Cup (this season), whilst Ronaldo won nothing with Real Madrid.

The Frenchman then continued by claiming the voting deadline was extended so that they could see how Ronaldo would perform against Sweden in the World Cup Qualifiers, and as we all know, it was he who guided the Portuguese to yet another World Cup.

‘It was clear that Ronaldo would win it’, Ribery added. ‘The voting deadline was extended by two weeks. This had never happened before. It wasn’t about football. It was a political decision.’

With the Munich star clearly frustrated about the way the Ballon d’Or is judged, I thought it would be a good idea to ask fans how they feel about the award and whether or not team performances should be taken into consideration.

Here are some of their comments:

Ed Batt: “It’s an award for an individual so should not take into account team performances…if you look at Ribery’s contribution to Bayern, it’s not a fraction on Cristiano’s contribution to Madrid/Portugal.”

Joel Darby: “The Ballon d’Or should be an individual’s contribution to a team and the success that comes as a result. The contribution must outweigh the success however otherwise Bale, who is clearly World Class, wouldn’t even get a nomination because of Spurs/Wales having little success.”

Ayman Jaouni: “It may not be a team award, but it is a team game…. What if it was Ribery vs 11 people, how well would he do alone? I would say team performance must have some sort of inflluence. However, at the same time, individual skill and interactiveness should be considered becasue as you mentioned it is an individual award.”

Nicolas Prodöhl: “It’s not a team award, but the difference between Messi and Ronaldo every year is that Barcelone won championship… So they gave it to Messi. And now, Bayern won everything but they gave it to Ronaldo. Everyear, it’s not the same rules…”

Tim Shunom Yako: “Definately individual performance. Because it is Cumulative of both Club and Country.”

Matas Pakalnis: “No maybe team of the year should of been Bayern Munich but personal award is the Ballon d’Or which Ronaldo earned.”

Andreas Nattfalk: “Individual of course! Its not a team award.”

Arman Madjidian: “He was a piece of puzzle in an already overpowered team.”

Slim Esperanza: “I think that considering the team titles when it comes to the “ballon d’Or” is not fair because you’ll be choosing the best team not the best player.So ribery dosen’t deserve it anyway he’s not better than Messi or Ronaldo.”

Filip Conzo: “Individual for me because the Ballon d’Or only for one person……not the whole team.”

Rory McMahon “Individual… its not a team award…”

Steve Milne: “I think he is just bitter he didnt win it, and saying that he should of because bayern won everything is bordering on childish, its about performance of an individual player not really about a whole teams performance.”

Ben Reardon: “In some cases they should yes, as Ribary contributed to a superb season, but then again, its an individual award, and ronaldo deserved it.”

Jonathan Keen: “Yes, they should, Ribery played a huge part in Bayern’s performance. Which lead them on to so many victories.”

So who’s comment do you agree with?

Write your thoughts below!

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Ribery slams Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or award

By

SteveMilne

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Jan 20, 2014

0

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery has blasted the voting system for the FIFA Ballon d’Or and claimed that he was more deserving of the award than winner Cristiano Ronaldo because he won five trophies in 2013, while the Real Madrid star did not win any.

The Frenchman appeared to accept coming third behind winner Ronaldo and second-placed Lionel Messi at the award ceremony in Zurich last Monday, even claiming that individual awards were not important to him.

But his frustration appears to have got the better of him since then and he has come out all guns blazing in a powerful interview with AZ.

‘I won everything I could win with Bayern and individually. Ronaldo, on the other hand, did not win anything. I am not sad that I missed out, but it does hurt a bit. I deserved to win the Ballon d’Or’

Ribery claimed the Bundesliga title, the German cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and Club World Cup with Bayern during 2013.

The France star even appeared to suggest changes were made in this year’s voting system to help Ronaldo’s cause, by extending the deadline at the same time the Portugal star had almost single-handedly seen off Sweden in a World Cup play-off.

‘It was clear that Ronaldo would win it. The voting deadline was extended by two weeks. This had never happened before. It wasn’t about football. It was a political decision.’

His frustrations didn’t end there as he also criticised the FIFPro World XI – FIFA’s team of the year – for only having three Bundesliga stars in it, despite the 2013 Champions League final being contested by Bayern and Borussia Dortmund.

Written by Steve Milne

SillySeason.com

Tottenham chief Daniel Levy keen on £1.5million move for Dimitar Berbatov

Gary Neville recommends SEVEN players David Moyes should sign

Santi Cazorla apologises to Tottenham fans

French duo stand accused

Chelsea striker admits he’s leaving in Summer

Chelsea willing to sell Mata for £40million

Bayern after Rosicky.

FA charges Nicolas Anelka over gesture

BIG SAM CAN’T SLEEP!!!

Martino: Barcelona In No Panic

Manchester United will keep fighting for the title

Jason Puncheon gives critics the silent treatment

Yohan Cabaye on his his way to Paris

Should Ballon d’Or take into consideration team performances?

Ribery slams Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or award

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