Cicinho has not taken kindly to being palyed out of position, and threatened to leave the club if that continues to be the case.
After only the first match of the season, Bernd Schuster has dissent in his ranks to deal with.
The coach dropped his first hints regarding his plans for the season in yesterday's friendly against Stoke City, and Cicinho feels he is on the wrong end, literally.
While the first half of the 2-0 win saw Sergio Ramos on the right and Miguel Torres on the left, the second was conspicuous for Cicinho finding himself on the left, with Salgado playing in "his" position.
The player has previously dismissed speculation linking him with a move away, particularly to Roma, insisting he wants to stay and prove his worth, but seemed very irked after the game, irked enough to threaten to leave.
"I am not confortable on the left and would like to play in my position," he said on Spanish radio.
"I want to play at right back, and if that is not the case, I will find myself another club, because I do not see myself playing there [on the left] all year."
He insisted that he still wanted to stay at Madrid, but only if he was wanted for what he has to offer. The Brazilian warned that offers from other clubs were most certainly not a problem.
"My desire is to continue here, but only if it makes me happy," he quipped. "I have several offers on the table, and we will see what happens.
"It is certain that there are problems playing on the left, and that Schuster has asked me to paly there. My will is to play in my position."
Whether Dchuster handles this with kid gloves or an iron hand will tell us plenty about what will happen at Madrid over the coming 12 months. What is certain is that the gauntlet has been thrown to his man managing skills.
Saturday 28 July 2007
Cicinho Revolts Against Schuster, Threatens To Leave
Sevilla star Daniel Alves in new Chelsea talks
Sevilla wing-back Daniel Alves is on the verge of signing for Chelsea.
El Mundo Deportivo says representatives for the Brazilian traveled to London yesterday ahead of speaking with Chelsea officials today.
Personal terms over a contract for Dani Alves will be discussed and should an agreement be found, Chelsea will return to Sevilla prepared to match their asking price.
Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido has already rejected a £17 million offer from the Blues, insisting Dani Alves will not leave for less than £20 million.
Friday 27 July 2007
Anderson: I'll have fantastic time at Man Utd
Anderson is excited about the prospect of kicking off his Manchester United career next week.
The Brazil international is in Portugal today to tie up some loose ends before jetting to Manchester and said: "I am ready to work just as hard as I did at Porto and I plan to have a fantastic time with Manchester United.
"I'm not nervous about moving to Manchester. I am actually highly motivated to do excellent work."
Liverpool signing Leiva rejected Man Utd, Everton
Brazil U20 captain Lucas Leiva has revealed he rejected an offer from Manchester United to sign with Liverpool.
Lucas claims he turned down moves to Manchester United and Everton before joining Liverpool from Gremio in a £5million deal.
"We knew Lucas could be a good signing because he played at a high level for Brazil Under-21s. A lot of other top clubs were after him, so we had to move quickly," revealed manager Rafa Benitez.
"One of those other clubs plays in red, and Lucas told me the other wears blue, but I won't say which."
Leiva told the manager Everton and United were those clubs, while Atletico Madrid were also hoping to secure a deal.
Marcelo infuriates Real Madrid coaching staff
Real Madrid are considering offloading Brazil international wing-back Marcelo.
ABC says the youngster has angered Real coaching staff by deciding to take a break after the U20 World Championships rather than join Bernd Schuster's senior squad in Austria. Spain U20 internationals Adrian, Esteban Granero and Antonio Bueno are all working with Schuster and actually were in Canada for longer than Marcelo and his Brazil teammates.
Marcelo failed to win over former coach Fabio Capello last season and with Real now pursuing Feyenoord's Royston Drenthe, the ex-Fluminense starlet's days could be numbered.
Thursday 26 July 2007
Gremio advances to second in Brazilian championship
Gremio got goals from Tuta and Carlos Eduardo to beat Nautico 2-0 and climb into second place in the Brazilian first-division championship on Wednesday.
Nautico, which advanced from the second division this season, was superior to the two-time Brazilian champions and repeatedly rattled the posts with their shots but couldn't find the net.
The victory left Gremio, champion in 1981 and 1996, with 24 points, one behind leader Botafogo, which was idle.
Teenage striker Alexandre Pato, a star of the Brazil Under-20s, scored from the top of the penalty area to give Internacional a 1-0 victory over Parana. The loss left Parana with 22 points and prevented the team from advancing into a tie for the division lead with Botafogo, which has 25.
Nene scored on a header in injury time to salvage a 2-2 draw for Cruzeiro against Atletico Paranaense. The draw moved Cruzeiro into seventh place in the standings.
Atletico drew first blood on a tap-in by Gustavo in the 21st minute but two minutes later Araujo shook his defender and evened the score on a header. Cruzeiro controlled the game, but Atletico struck again on a header by Pedro Oloni that barely dribbled across the goal line.
When Atletico fans were celebrating the apparent victory, Nene made it 2-2.
Goias climbed back into the race with a 1-0 victory over Santos. Welliton finished a cross from Paulo Baier in the 69th to give Goias the win and 23 points, two behind Botafogo.
Marcos Aurelio missed a penalty kick for Santos, shooting wide what would have been the tying goal.
Palmeiras pulled off a stunning upset, coming from two goals down and playing with 10 men to beat Vasco 3-2 and advance to sixth place.
Rubens Junior and Leandro Amaral scored early for Vasco, and Palmeiras defender Makelele was expelled. But the "Big Green" rebounded with goals from Valdivia and Nen to make it 2-2, and Luiz Henrique scored the game-winner from the top of the penalty area with four minutes remaining.
Flamengo got goals from Ronaldo Angelim, Jailton and Obina to defeat America 3-1 and climb out of the cellar, although the club remains in the relegation zone in 18th place. Carlos Eduardo narrowed the gap for America.
The victory was the first in eight games and more than two months for Flamengo and marked the return of striker Obina, who was sidelined for four months recovering from knee surgery.
Corinthians drew Figueirense 2-2 to advance to 15 points and emerge from the relegation zone.
Edson opened the scoring for Corinthians with a shot that hit the crossbar and deflected in, but Jean Carlos tied it for Figueirense. Clodoaldo put Corinthians up again but Felipe Santana deadlocked it at 2-2 after 67 minutes.
The 14th round concludes on Thursday when Botafogo plays Juventude, Sao Paulo meets Sport, and Atletico Mineiro faces Fluminense.
AC Milan prepare offer for Barcelona's Motta
AC Milan will bid for Barcelona midfielder Thiago Motta in the coming days.
Gazzetta dello Sport says Milan president Silvio Berlusconi confirmed their plans in a luncheon with sponsors this week.
Motta has been put up for sale by Barca and carries a price-tag of around £4.5 million. The Brazilian midfielder carries an Italian passport.
Arsenal's Gilberto to skip season start
Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Gilberto will miss the start of the coming season as he recovers from his Copa America exertions.
The holding midfielder played a key role in Brazil's success in Venezuela - even though he missed the final win over Argentina due to suspension - and has been granted a three-week break by Wenger after a gruelling campaign.
As such, Gilberto is due to return to North London just five days before The Gunners' opening game of the Premier League season at home to Fulham on August 12th.
Having had little in the way of pre-season conditioning, Wenger is unwilling to throw his second-longest serving player into the breach immediately.
"He will miss the start of the season," confirmed Wenger. "He is on a three-week holiday and will be back with us on August 7th."
Pato To Revael Future Within A Week
Likened in style to AC Milan goldenboy Kaka, the prodigiously talented 17-year-old is considered the next big thing to come out of Brazil. As a result, the likes of AC Milan, Inter, Real Madrid and Chelsea are all competing over his signature, and one of these uberclubs is set to get August off to a very good start if Pato opts for them.
"My agent will be the first person to know what I have decided and I will tell him that in a week," said Pato, who currently stars for Brazilian club Internacional.
There were recently quotes attributed to his agent Gilmar Veloz claiming that his client, nicknamed ‘The Duck’, already had his mind set on Real, but his latest comments on the matter where decidedly ambiguous.
"For the moment the only thing that I can say is that Pato has already dismissed some of the teams that have sent him proposals.” Veloz told Radio Gaucha.
“He told me that after speaking with his parents he will decide which team he will play for and that decision will come from what is best for his family and for his career.”
A princely sum of €25m is being touted for the rights to buy the teenage sensation, as that represents the buyout clause on his contract with Internacional.
Emerson Thanks Mancini For Praise
Emerson is set to remain at Real Madrid unless the club do not feel that they require his services any further. This is what the Brazilian player declared from the Merengues training camp when asked about his future with the Spanish Champions.
"If I don't feel useful here, I will surely leave because I don't want to create any problems to anyone.
"I'm calm, I'm a professional and therefore I hope to be useful for Real Madrid," the former Juventus player said.
Emerson also commented the rumours of his possible move to Inter following Roberto Mancini's words of praise in the past few days.
"I must not talk about this. I must only thank the coach who spoke well about me," he concluded.
Adriano blames booze for poor Inter Milan season
He admits he drank too much alcohol last season following the death of his father.
Although Inter ran away with Serie A, the 25-year-old Brazilian had a wretched season which included a number of niggling injuries.
"After the death of my father and the break up with Daniela [his girlfriend], I took refuge in alcohol," Adriano told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I must say thank you to the president. It is beautiful to know that he counts on me."
Wednesday 25 July 2007
Corinthians break off partnership with MSI
Carlos Tevez's former club Corinthians have announced they are breaking off their controversial partnership with the London-based sports management group MSI.
The Brazilian club's executive council voted unanimously in favour of ending the partnership, which was less than halfway through its 10-year term, at a meeting on Tuesday night.
"It's the end of a partnership," Rubens Aprobato Machado, one of the council's 241 members, told Brazilian television. "It was a unanimous decision."
Corinthians directors said they were considering legal action to avoid a multi-million dollar penalty fee for ending the partnership.
The decision came two weeks after a Brazilian judge ordered the arrest of agent Kia Joorabchian, who ran MSI in Brazil, and Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who authorities said was one of the group's investors, on money-laundering charges.
Joorabchian is the agent for Argentina forward Tevez, who was Corinthians' major signing during the MSI partnership and is now involved in a dispute over a proposed move from West Ham United to Manchester United in England.
Corinthians signed the deal with MSI in December 2004 saying it would turn them into the pride of South America, although critics said at the time that not enough was known about MSI.
The agreement was that MSI would finance the club's football department and be entitled to 51 percent of profits.
Adailton: I'll never quit Genoa
Adailton insists he's committed to Genoa.
The Brazilian declared: "I have not ever thought of leaving, it has never passed through my mind.
"This is only things that I have read in newspapers."
Man City in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk for Elano
The Mirror says City boss Sven Goran Eriksson is trying to land the 26-year-old, who has become one of Carlos Dunga's key men in the national side over the past couple of years - and now wants to come to England.
Ukrainian side Donetsk are super-rich and do not want to lose Elano, but negotiations are at an advanced stage and a deal should go through soon as Eriksson pieces together an attractive, cosmopolitan new team.
Owner Thaksin Shinawatra's advisers have let slip that City are signing a Brazilian - and Elano, signed by Shakhtar from Santos two years ago, is the mystery man.
Kaka sensation: New AC Milan contract talks planned
Kaka has sensationally revealed he could sign a new deal with AC Milan in the coming days.
The Brazilian, who yesterday shut the door on a move to Real Madrid, revealed to La Stampa: "It has always been Milan which has made the first move.
"Every year, when we have sat around a small table, we have always found an agreement. Now, I am waiting for them.
"I know that [vice-president] Adriano Galliani has contacted my Dad and in the next few days they will be looking at this ..."
However, Kaka refused to declare that he could play out his career with Milan.
He added: "I can never promise that. It's impossible.
"If the day came that the club decided to sell me, people could turn round and accuse me of breaking promises."
Deco sparks Chelsea, Newcastle interest
Barcelona midfield ace Deco has set Premiership clubs on red alert after refusing to rule out summer move to England.
The Portuguese star has been targeted by Chelsea and Newcastle after rumours of a rift between him and boss Frank Rijkaard, says the Mirror.
Deco, 29, said: "I just want to do my job."
Tuesday 24 July 2007
AC Milan eyeing CSKA Moscow striker Vagner Love
AC Milan are considering a move for CSKA Moscow striker Vagner Love.
Milan watched Love star for Brazil in this month's Copa America and are now weighing up a bid for the forward.
Arsenal sending new Brazilian Pedro to Salamanca
Arsenal are sending new Brazilian signing Pedro Da Silva on-loan to Spanish Segunda Liga club Salamanca.
Da Silva, a defensive midfielder, will spend the rest of this year in Brazil before moving to Salamanca in the January transfer window. The Brazil U17 international signed for the Gunners after impressing in trials at the end of last season.
Adriano backs Inter Milan's bid for Emerson
Adriano has backed Inter Milan's pursuit of his Brazil teammate Emerson.
Real Madrid midfielder Emerson is a target for Inter and Adriano says: "Yes, we hope he comes. Both he and Cristian Chivu [Roma] are two great players.
"I hope that Emerson comes, this is a choice for coach [Roberto] Mancini and president [Massimo] Moratti, but it would be a pleasure to have him with us here."
Dunga Dedicates Copa America Win to Angolan Children
Brazil national soccer squad coach, Carlos Caetano "Dunga" dedicated his team's Copa America victory to children around the world, especially from Angola.
Dunga dedicated the title that was retained Sunday after beating their archrivals of Argentina by3-0 in a one-sided final in Venezuela, to children, because they are the class that suffers most in many societies, but have a pure soul, free from intrigue and jealousy.
The Brazilian coach visited Angola in November 2005. During his stay he lectured at debates related with the Angolan national team's participation in World Soccer Cup, Germany2006
Monday 23 July 2007
Oliveira confident of rediscovering scoring form in Spain
Real Zaragoza striker Ricardo Oliveira is confident he can rediscover his scoring form on his return to Spain after a disappointing season with Serie A side AC Milan.
"I'll be doing my utmost to score goals and help the team have a great season," the 27-year-old Brazilian international told a news conference after completing a season-long loan move to the Primera Liga side on Monday.
"I hope next season will be as good as or even better than the campaign I had when I scored 22 goals for Betis," he said. "I know it is a bold promise but I've got a lot of confidence in this team."
The former Valencia and Betis striker joined Milan for 17.0 million euros ($23.5 million) at the start of last season as a replacement for Andriy Shevchenko, but he failed to live up to expectation, scoring just three goals in 26 Serie A appearances for the club.
"It was a difficult year in Italy what with my sister getting kidnapped (in Brazil), but it is different now because I'm in a country where I feel happy and relaxed," he said.
Oliveira will team up with Argentina striker Diego Milito at Zaragoza who have qualified for next season's UEFA Cup.
The Primera Liga side have an option to sign Oliveira on a four-year deal at the end of the season.
Robinho Ends Madrid Kaká Hopes
Robinho does not believe that Kaká has any chance of moving from AC Milan to Real Madrid, despite earlier making public calls for his compatriot to join him in Spain.
The Brazilian starlet is currently one of the top performers in the Copa América in Venezuela, but has revealed that he talks to Kaká most days on the telephone.
Kaká asked to be excluded from the competition in order to gain some much needed rest, but the pair have kept in constant contact.
"He's on holiday and calls me every day," Robinho explained.
"I don't think Milan are going to allow him to leave in order to join Real Madrid. They'll do anything to keep him, even increase his salary.
"He is playing well and enjoys himself. I think he will win the Ballon d'Or."
Robinho has been the key player for Brazil as they have progressed to the semi finals of the Copa América and he has shown a scoring touch which was missing from Real Madrid last term.
"I'm a forward and I have to score as many goals as I can despite not being a number nine," he continued.
"It's easier to become the best player in the world if you score many goals, but it is also possible to achieve this if you don't.
"I'm best at taking on players, allowing my teammates to get close to the goal, but I am taking every chance I get to score now with Brazil because we used to miss many of our chances.
"I've gained experience in my two years at Real Madrid and I have become a team worker. I have learned to take on players in key moments, such as when I'm facing the goal. I try to have only a couple of touches on ball when I'm in midfield.
"(Brazil coach) Dunga has two defenders always at the back and one that is positioned slightly further forward to allow me not to run back too often and to play freely. He gets angry at me when I go back to our side of the pitch to steal the ball. "No! Go forward!" he says. The closer I am to the goal, the better.
"I take players on too often. I only do it when it is necessary when I play for Brazil. I grow confident by dribbling the ball well. If you do it well, defenders eventually stop tackling you so often."
Despite his strong performances Robinho still believes that he plenty to prove and wants to stop the Brazilian fans from barracking the team.
"Playing for Brazil is complicated," he explained. "People say I'm a star, but I see myself as a normal player. Dunga treats us all the same way.
"Nevertheless, I know I'm an important player. Dunga's confidence in me makes things easier and allows me to do what I want on the pitch as long as I do it responsibly.
"The Brazil fans are very similar to Real Madrid's; they protest if they don't enjoy watching you play."
No, never. On the contrary, he says I do it less than I used to. Playing in Europe has made me more consistent."
Milan To Shell Out 125m Euro For Ronaldinho?
According to the latest transfer gossip in Italy, Milan supremo Silvio Berlusconi is ready to green-light an incredible 125m Euro offer for Ronaldinho, in order to take advantage of the Brazilian mega-star's buy-out clause at Barcelona.
Barca have made it abundantly clear that they no intention of selling their iconic number 10, but should this rumour prove true then the Catalan giants would be powerless to prevent their crown jewel from leaving.
There have been reports that Ronaldinho has already agreed personal terms with AC Milan, but besides being sensational these claims are also unsubtantiated.
In any case, the Rossoneri could conceivably be able to justify what would be record-busting cash outlay, considering that they have been uncharecteristically thrifty in their transfer dealings so far this summer despite the added revenue derived from their Champions League conquest.
Such an astonishing move would conrtradict the latest statement of their Vice President Adriano Galliani, however, who just on Thursday declared the San Siro side a "complete squad" and ruled out any further moves for Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o.
Baptista Could Be On His Way To Newcastle
The Brazilian striker spent last season on loan at Arsenal, yet with Arsene Wenger deciding against making his move to the Emirates Stadium permanent, the player has since returned to Real Madrid. Newcastle are believed to be willing to offer Baptista the chance to make an immediate return to England, but with Bernd Schuster being appointed coach at the Bernabeu, the powerful player wants to try his luck with the new boss. "I believe I showed at Arsenal last season that I can play in England score goals and make goals," he told the Sunday Mirror. "Newcastle is a big club but before I consider a move I need to know about my future with Real. "I want the chance in pre-season to show our new coach Bernd Schuster I should be part of his plans. If things don't work out here I will have to look at other options in Spain and England."