LA LIGA & REAL MADRID

[Madeus]

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Buffon: If I leave, it'll only be for Real, not MU
Liverpool: signing Roque

[raul julia]

Riquelme is going back to Barcelona.........

[Von!-x]

Ronaldo: I need a rest. Just call me when you're in the World Cup finals.
Figo: I have always had a desire to play in England. Anybody listening out there?
Beckham: I might play for some clubs in the US! I like to have my holidays here.

[raul julia]

Former World and European Player of the Year Luis Figo has been given the green light to leave Real Madrid, Spanish sports daily Marca reported on Wednesday.
Marca said the 32-year-old Portuguese international, who fell out with Real coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo after being consigned to the bench for the latter part of the season, had been given permission to negotiate with other clubs.
Figo, who has a year to run on his contract at Real, agreed recently to come out of international retirement after being dropped by Luxemburgo and has made it clear that he is unhappy at the way he has been treated by the club.
The way they treated me when I was dropped wasn't right," he told Marca on Tuesday. "They didn't tell me I wasn't going to play. It really hurt my pride."
Real's director of football Arrigo Sacchi said Figo's future at the club was in the balance.
"I don't know whether he will stay," the Italian told Punto Radio. "He's got a contract with us and I hope he stays because he could still be a great player for us and he is a great professional.
"But I think his future depends more on him than it does on us...If he continues to feel down about his situation then it won't be good for him or for us."
Figo joined Real in 2000 in one of the most controversial transfers in the history of Spanish football when newly elected club president Florentino Perez paid a then world record $56 million to buy him out of his contract with arch-rivals Barcelona.
The midfielder, who is viewed as Real's first Galactico signing, helped guide them to the league title in his first season at the club and played an important part in their victories in the 2002 European Cup and the 2003 Spanish championship.
Marca reported that Serie A side Inter Milan were interested in signing Figo and have also made enquiries about Real's Argentine internationals Santiago Solari and Walter Samuel.

[raul julia]

Gerard to Barcelona : "You found van Bommel I found Monaco...."

[raul julia]

England captain David Beckham on Thursday joined those calling for Liverpool to be allowed to enter next season's European Champions League.

"They way they've played, they've won the Champions League so of course they should be in it next year," Beckham said in an interview following the launch of the David Beckham Soccer Academy in Los Angeles on Thursday.

[raul julia]

Dutch international striker Patrick Kluivert has agreed a three-year contract with Valencia, the Primera Liga side said on Friday.
The 28-year-old, who will arrive on a free transfer from English club Newcastle United, is due to undergo a medical at Valencia next Thursday.
Kluivert joined Newcastle on a three-year deal after being released by Barcelona at the end of the 2003-04 season, but failed to live up to expectations.
He started 25 games in all competitions and scored 13 goals in a disappointing season for Newcastle who finished only 14th in the Premier League.
Valencia, Spanish champions in 2002 and 2004, came only seventh last season and appointed Quique Sanchez Flores as their new coach this week.
Valencia's Spanish international Vicente said Kluivert's Primera Liga experience could be invaluable.
"He knows the Spanish league very well, has scored lots of goals and that is important," the midfielder said at a Spanish national team news conference.
"He wasn't in good form in his final season at Barcelona, but if the club has signed him then it will be because they believe he can go a very good job."
Kluivert, who has been involved in a number of controversial off-field incidents during his career, made his name when he scored for Ajax in their 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the 1995 Champions League final.
After a frustrating spell at AC Milan, he moved to Barcelona for $13 million where he was reunited with former Ajax coach Louis van Gaal and played an important part in helping them win the league title in 1999.
A consistent performer for the following three years, he had a trouble-torn final season at Barcelona where has was jeered by the fans for his failure to find the net.
He signed for Newcastle last July when former Barcelona boss Bobby Robson was still in charge at St James' Park but his season was blighted by injury and inconsistent performances.
Kluivert's best displays came in the FA Cup where he scored the goals that knocked out Chelsea in the fifth round and Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals.
He has scored 40 times in 79 internationals but was overlooked for Euro 2004 and has not represented his country under new coach Marco van Basten.

[raul julia]

Meanwhile at the world cup qualifying:

Spain's qualification for the World Cup finals now rests in their own hands after a 1-0 home victory over Lithuania in Group Seven on Saturday, says goalscorer Albert Luque.
"It was very important to win tonight and we did that. Now it is all up to us. If we win our next two games we will in the finals in Germany," the Deportivo Coruna forward said after the game.
The result meant Spain joined Serbia & Montenegro, who were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Belgium, on 12 points from six games at the top of the group, with Lithuania third on nine points.
Luque, a second-half substitute, broke the deadlock when he sent a superbly struck 20-metre shot fizzing inside the post after 69 minutes to inflict a first defeat on the visitors.
Spain dominated throughout but a combination of some sharp goalkeeping from Zydrunas Karcemarskas and some poor finishing from strikers Raul and Fernando Torres looked as though it might deny the home side the victory they deserved.
"It was harder than we thought it would be, but in the end we got ourselves in front after a lot of suffering," Luque added.
"The legs maybe aren't as fresh now as they were at the beginning of the season and we found it difficult to get into rhythm of the game. But we won and that's all the matters."
Spain coach Luis Aragones admitted his side had struggled to break down the Lithuanians but felt next week's qualifier against Bosnia would be a different proposition.
"These types of games are difficult when time goes on and you don't assert yourselves. If we had scored earlier it would have been a more comfortable game," said Aragones.
"Lithuania were defensive, looking to play on the counter, and that made it hard to attack them. But I don't think Bosnia will be so defensively-minded, because they need points and will want to try and win."
Spain have the chance to wrest the group leadership from Serbia & Montenegro when they meet Bosnia at the Mestalla on Wednesday. After Bosnia they host Serbia & Montenegro on September 7.

[gloryhunter]

Football's Biggest Mouth

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/...,89414,00.html

I salute to these managers for making soccer more popular.

[Von!-x]

Raul may turn Red.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/sports/...89416,00.html?