Rooney linked With Move To Real Madrid

Wayne Rooney

The tabloids are having a field day recently, with the current Manchester United strikers being the main focus of their attention. First, van Persie is set to go, and now Rooney is ready to follow suit.

News coming out of Old Trafford is that Real Madrid is set to offer £50m plus Angel Di Maria or Sami Khedira in exchange for unsettled striker Wayne Rooney. It seems that the 28 year old England star is destined to leave Old Trafford at some stage, amid endless speculation about his rocky relationship with manager David Moyes.

With 18 months left on his current deal, Man United are desperately trying to convince Rooney to sign a long term contract with the club, but reports are suggesting that Rooney believes it is time to pursue a new challenge away from Manchester.

If Rooney was to move to the Bernabeu, he would link up with his old team mate Cristiano Ronaldo as well as Gareth Bale, creating potentially the most prominent attacking force in world club football.

Without question, Rooney has been United’s top player so far this season, with ten goals and ten assists in twenty appearances across all competitions. He would be a huge loss for the Champions, but their current form is surely going to have a major influence on his future plans.

If United fail to qualify for the Champions League, Rooney will leave, without question. As the season progresses, their chances of achieving this are becoming more difficult, so maybe a move to Madrid is the correct option?

Either way, United will be well aware that Rooney’s value will decrease dramatically if he remains at the club into the final year of his current contract. It will come as no surprise to many if you see a whole new strike force at Old Trafford next season.

Angel Di Maria or Sami Khedira would be a great addition to Moyes’s squad, but losing Rooney and possibly van Persie also would be a huge blow to the club. Here’s hoping it happens…YNWA!

football.co.uk

Rooney's whopping £45m earnings puts him top of Britain's football's rich list... and Joe Cole and Milner are surprise names in top 10

His Manchester United team may be floundering in ninth in the Premier League table, but star striker Wayne Rooney tops the rich list for English footballers.

The usual suspects make up the top 10, with Rio Ferdinand, Chelsea pair Frank Lampard and John Terry and Steven Gerrard all in the top five, but West Ham's Joe Cole is the surprise inclusion, coming in sixth ahead of the likes of Ashley Cole, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young. James Milner is the youngest player on the list at 27.

Rooney, 28, is head and shoulders above his nearest rival, United team-mate Ferdinand, with an estimated net worth of a staggering £45million. The man England are banking their World Cup hopes on earns approximately £250,000 a week before taxes on his current deal, and also earns through endorsement deals such as Nike.

Raking it in: Wayne Rooney tops the rich list for English footballers with an estimated net worth of £45m, according to Wealth-X

Endorsements: Rooney, here in a Nike advert with Rory McIlroy, earns some of his wealth through numerous endorsement deals

Runner-up: Rooney's Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand is second on the list with an estimated net worth of £37m - he has numerous interests including a restaurant, Rosso in Manchester, and magazine, #5

Third place: Chelsea's Frank Lampard, pictured with the Chancellor of the Exchequer and fiancee
 Christine Bleakley, has a net worth of £29m

Ferdinand, 35, is £8m behind Rooney with an estimated net worth of £37m, according to a rich list from Wealth-X.

The defender has numerous business interests including the Rosso restaurant and his #5 magazine.

Chelsea's Frank Lampard is third on the list, with £31m, while former England captain John Terry shares fourth spot with the current England skipper Steven Gerrard, both with £29m.

There is then a sizable drop to sixth place, where surprise name Joe Cole, worth £22m, sits. Cole has his own business venture, Joe Cole Promotions, and owns various properties including in the Caribbean and Dubai. He earned £90,000 per week while at Liverpool, and the club also gave him a £3m pay-off when he exited Anfield.

Thrifty: John Terry may be worth an estimated £29m, but he was spotted shopping in Poundland
by Chelsea fan Jack Jeffrey (right) last week

A tale of two skippers: Current England captain Steven Gerrard shares fourth place with former captain John Terry

Surprise name: Hello! Magazine paid £2m for exclusive photos of Joe Cole and Carly Zucker's wedding - but the West Ham man donated the fee to charity

Cole also received £2m from Hello! magazine for the wedding photos from his marriage to Carly Zucker in 2009, but donated the money to charity.

Chelsea's third player on the list, Ashley Cole, has an estimated worth of £20m. The left back was previously higher on the list, but his divorce from Cheryl Cole in 2010 impacted hugely on his assets.

Injured Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick is worth £16m, while Ashley Young and James Milner, the youngest player on the list at 27, share the final spot both worth an estimated £13m.

Impact: Divorce from Cheryl Cole had a bearing on Ashley Cole's net worth

Michael Carrick

James Milner

Ashley Young

THE ENGLISH FOOTBALLERS' RICH LIST

1) Wayne Rooney (£45M)

2) Rio Ferdinand (£37m)

3) Frank Lampard (£31m)

4) John Terry, Steven Gerrard (both £29m)

6) Joe Cole (£22m)

7) Ashley Cole (£20m)

8) Michael Carrick (£16m)

9) Ashley Young, James Milner (both £13m)

DailyMail

European Football - Ronaldo, Messi and Ribery up for Ballon d'Or

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery are the final three names left in the running for the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or as the final shortlist was revealed.

Eurosport - Ballon d'Or 2013 new picture Ribery Messi Ronaldo

Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed out on the top three despite a superb season with Paris Saint-Germain that saw him score an endless stream of dazzling goals.

Ribery was the star player in the Bayern Munich team that won the treble of Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League last season, but is still considered an outside bet to win the award.

Messi spearheaded Barcelona's Liga success last season, but injuries have kept him from producing his best football in the last few months, hurting his chances of claiming his fifth consecutive Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo had been expected to miss out until a few months ago, but his outrageous goalscoring so far this season for Real Madrid - 25 goals in 18 matches - allied to his devastating play-off hat-trick to put Portugal into the World Cup have turned things around.

That display against Ibrahimovic's Sweden came after the initial voting deadline had passed for the coaches, international team captains and journalists who make up the expert panel.

But FIFA controversially extended the deadline for votes after Ronaldo's heroics, also allowing the panel to change their original votes. As a result, Ronaldo is now a 1-2 odds-on favourite with most bookies.

YahooSports

Powerhouses Chelsea, Manchester United stunned: EPL

Liverpool cruises past West Ham

Dejected Chelsea players look on after conceding a third goal to Stoke City at Britannia
 Stadium on December 7, 2013 in Stoke, England. (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The most unpredictable Premier League season in years threw up more surprises Saturday when Chelsea conceded a 90th-minute winner at Stoke and beleaguered defending champion Manchester United lost to Newcastle for a second home defeat in four days.

With Manchester City being held 1-1 at Southampton, Liverpool was able to capitalize on its rivals' slip-ups by thrashing West Ham 4-1 to go second, with Luis Suarez following up his spectacular quadruple in midweek by scoring again at Anfield.

It was a good day for Arsenal, which retained its four-point lead ahead of its game against Everton on Sunday. Chelsea's 3-2 loss at Stoke, sealed by Oussama Assaidi's late strike, saw Jose Mourinho's side drop to third on goal difference behind Liverpool.

United's flimsy hopes of retaining its title took another battering by losing 1-0 to Newcastle at Old Trafford, leaving the champions languishing in ninth place — 12 points behind Arsenal — and placing further scrutiny on David Moyes in his turbulent first season as Alex Ferguson's successor.

"I don't think (the fans) or me expected us to have lost five games by this time of the season," said Moyes, who still believes United will be "very close" to the title come May.

Yohan Cabaye's 61st-minute goal earned Newcastle its first win at Old Trafford in 41 years and left United supporters further disheartened after a loss by the same scoreline to Everton on Wednesday.

The way the champions are playing, a place in next season's Champions League could even be out of reach, although the top four is wide open with the big teams continuing to drop points.

Tottenham downs Sunderland

Also Saturday, Sunderland stayed bottom after squandering a lead to lose 2-1 at home to sixth-place Tottenham, which has picked up seven points from a possible nine since being humiliated 6-0 by Man City last month. Crystal Palace beat Cardiff 2-0 for a third win in four matches since the departure of Ian Holloway and Norwich won 2-0 at West Bromwich Albion.

There was a minute's applause before each Premier League game in honour of former South Africa president Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday at the age of 95.

Chelsea and Man City were looking to apply pressure on Arsenal but couldn't hold onto their leads away from home.

Andre Schuerrle put Chelsea in front and then equalized for 2-2 after Stoke had hit back through goals by Peter Crouch and Stephen Ireland, only for Assaidi to grab the winner with seconds left of normal time.

"I don't feel comfortable enough to tell you what I think about the game. We're in trouble," said Mourinho, bemoaning his team's lack of organization.

Sergio Aguero moved to 12 goals for the campaign — two behind Suarez's league-high tally — to give City the lead at Southampton, but Pablo Osvaldo delivered a brilliant equalizer just before halftime by leaving Vincent Kompany on the ground, turning Pablo Zabaleta and floating in a curling shot from the angle just inside the area.

"I'm pleased with the point," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini, whose side's away form has been erratic this season.

Suarez couldn't reproduce his exploits of Wednesday, when he scored four stunning goals against Norwich, but he once again proved to be the difference for Liverpool in a game of three own goals against West Ham.

Guy Demel and Joey O'Brien put in their own net to bookend the victory after good work by Suarez, who scored himself with a powerful header in the 81st minute to make it 3-1.

Mamadou Sakho netted Liverpool's second, with West Ham replying through Martin Skrtel's own goal before losing Kevin Nolan to a red card with eight minutes left.

"In the end we had 29 attempts at goal, and we could have scored more than four. It was a great victory," said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, whose captain Steven Gerrard limped off injured midway through the second half.

Liverpool has scored 17 times in its last four home games but United found goals hard to come by this week, failing to score in successive games to lose back-to-back home matches in the league for the first time in 11 years.

Without the suspended Wayne Rooney and with Robin van Persie lacking sharpness in his first match back after a month out, United lacked a cutting edge against Newcastle, which controlled midfield and pounced when Cabaye's sidefooted effort deflected into the corner.

"When I came here I knew it wasn't always going to be easy and it's proving that way," Moyes said.

As the pressure on one coach increases, so it relents on another as Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas punched the air in delight after his team's second away win in four days. John O'Shea's own goal in the 50th sealed Spurs' victory at the Stadium of Light.

CBC

Premier League: Everton deny Arsenal as Gerard Deulofeu rescues 1-1 draw

Arsenal had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Everton as Gerard Deulofeu's equaliser cancelled out Mesut Ozil's opener in an absorbing encounter at Emirates Stadium.

Everton held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in a pulsating game at Emirates Stadium

Everton followed up their victory at Old Trafford in midweek with another impressive performance - but it was Arsenal who looked set to emerge triumphant when Ozil struck in the 80th minute.

However, Deulofeu fired in a terrific finish four minutes later and the Gunners were unable to grab a late winner as Olivier Giroud struck the woodwork in the dying seconds.

The result leaves Arsenal five points clear at the top of the table, while Everton remain fifth and have still only been beaten once in the Premier League this season.

Unchanged Everton made a positive start, with a counter-attack seeing Kevin Mirallas get away down the right and send a low ball straight through the Arsenal six-yard box.

The Toffees - who were on a seven-match unbeaten Premier League run - continued to dominate possession, with Costa Rica full-back Bryan Oviedo, who scored the winner at Old Trafford, a constant danger on the overlap down the right.

After such an uncharacteristic slow start, Arsenal began to find some possession in midfield. A sweeping counter by the hosts, started from Ozil deep on the left, saw Santi Cazorla freed on the overlap down the right - and his low centre flew across the face of goal, with only a touch needed from the onrushing Kieran Gibbs to put the ball into the net.

It proved only a temporary rally as Everton were soon back on top, with England World Cup hopeful Ross Barkley most impressive as he drove at the Arsenal defence.

Finally, the home side managed to fashion an opening as Giroud was played through on goal in the 43rd minute, but Tim Howard was out quickly to block from the France forward.

The American had to be alert again in first-half stoppage time when Aaron Ramsey broke through the middle of a crowded penalty area.

There was at least more purpose to Arsenal at the start of the second half, as Gibbs crashed a 20-yard effort wide following a corner.

Ozil's ball in from the right was knocked back by Jack Wilshere, but Cazorla could not get any power on his header, which was straight at goalkeeper Howard.

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had to be alert when Everton broke quickly in the 54th minute, with Barkley playing in Steven Pienaar, whose 20-yard drive was turned away.

The Gunners were soon back on the offensive, with a cross from Gibbs met by Ramsey at the far post, and his angled half-volley was blocked by Howard.

James McCarthy was shown a yellow card for leading with a high boot into a challenge with Ramsey, which saw the Everton midfielder collect a caution, his fifth of the season which will result in a suspension.

Szczesny saved from Barkley's 18-yard strike before Arsenal made a triple substitution with 23 minutes left as Cazorla, Wilshere and Ramsey were replaced by Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini.

Flamini dragged his angled shot wide of the far post after Walcott's determined run into the right side of the Everton penalty area.

Howard was booked for time wasting with 13 minutes remaining and on the break a Mirallas shot was deflected behind, with Sylvain Distin heading over from the resulting corner.

Arsenal took the lead with 10 minutes left. Rosicky's sweeping cross out to the right was met by Walcott, who headed it straight back through the Everton six-yard box. Giroud completely missed his kick, but Ozil was on hand to crash the ball into the roof of the net.

The lead, though, lasted only four minutes as Deulofeu smashed in from the right side of the box less than five minutes after coming on as a substitute, after Arsenal had switched off at the back.

Giroud almost snatched victory in stoppage time when his stunning 25-yard drive struck the woodwork, but Everton deserved to share the points.

SkySports

Red Flag!

United won't need any red flags to get them going tomorrow at Shamrock Park, against Portadown, they have enough incentive already, trying to keep their unbeaten run going. We fully realise that our unbeaten record is still in it's infancy (4 games), but big trees from little acorns grow and it would be nice if we could keep it going for another game at least. Ports fans will not need any reminding that this 'run' started off when United beat them comprehensively in a league cup match at  Showgrounds on Tuesday November 12. Nor will they need reminding of the score, 4-0 in the Sky Blues favour.

One of the architects of that league cup victory, Thommo,  is unavailable due to suspension and another one, Cookie Munster, must be rated doubtful, as he was rumoured to have a broken a toe against the Ducks last Saturday. In the absence of Thommo, Spike could maybe move Captain Jenks back into midfield and if Ally's fit, he could play with Mario, Liggie or MM, taking the Captain's place at striker. If Ally's not fit, he would have to shuffle the pack a bit more and could elect to go with a 4,4,2 formation, but like the Iron lady, Spike not known for one to change tactics, but needs must.

If Cookie doesn't make it, Spike could play Archie alongside JT, with Ruddy taking Archie's place or he could have Marky reverting to central defence, with Tony K taking over his position and Gavin filling Tony's position. The enigma that is Alan D could be a surprise selection for Thommo's place in the side, but we feel sure that Fergie will not want to gamble on such an inconsistent player as Alan D has turned out to be. When he first signed for the Sky Blues he was like a breath of fresh air, but so far this season he has been a shadow of that player and we cannot afford to carry any passengers.

Maybe like last week we'll turn up at Shamrock Park, only to be informed that one or more of our players didn't train all week and they are not playing. Omar, when he was on the forum, had said the forum lads (and lassies), had asked for a heads-up on the state of injuries, so they would have an idea who was playing. This idea was put to the 'powers that be' and the silence was deafening and it never materialised. The excuse trotted out to the forumites, was that the management team thought that it would give our opponents an edge, we never heard so much claptrap, well not for a week at least.

We are going need all our players focused on the game tomorrow, as the Ports carved a good victory at the Oval last Monday and they'll want to build on that. Their manager, Ronnie McFall needs no introduction to United fans, we normally get to cheer him off once a season, when he falls foul of the referee, but we are not expecting that tomorrow. But if we frustrate the Ports, as we did on our first two meeting this season, you never know and like his team, when Ronnie gets rattled, a red mist comes over him and he gets the blues. So come Sky Blues, let's shove it to them, let's shag those apple pickers!

U.S. draws into 'Group of Death' for 2014 World Cup

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke holds up the name of USA for Group G. (Getty Images)

United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann described his team's World Cup draw as "the worst of the worst" after it was pooled with Germany, Portugal and Ghana in one of two "Groups of Death."

Klinsmann could scarcely believe his ill fortune after the draw was made in Bahia, Brazil, with the Americans lumped into Group G and a situation that immediately installed them as long shots to reach the last 16.

To add to his discomfort, Klinsmann's side also will have to battle a grueling travel schedule, including a visit to the Amazonian jungle city of Manaus with its extreme humidity and hostile weather environment.

"It is one of the most difficult groups of the whole draw," Klinsmann said. "It couldn't get any more difficult or any bigger but that is what the World Cup is all about.

"We are looking forward to the challenge and we don't see ourselves as any kind of outsiders. If you want to get into the top 10 or 12 teams in the world you have to beat these guys.

"We discussed before the draw that there could be some difficult schedules and we hit the worst of the worst. Every coach said, 'Anything but Manaus' and we got Manaus."

Germany is one of the strongest teams in the tournament and reached the semifinal in 2010, while Portugal will be led by Cristiano Ronaldo, currently the world's best and most dominant player.

Supposedly the weakest opponent, Ghana, eliminated the U.S. at the round of 16 stage four years ago. The Ghanaians also ended the Americans' 2006 World Cup with a victory in the teams' final group game.

"After two losses, it's about time to beat them, I guess," Klinsmann said.

The Ghana matchup will be the first for the U.S. and is scheduled for Natal on June 16. Portugal follows in Manaus six days later before group action ends against Germany in Recife on June 26.

"I kind of had a feeling in my stomach that we were going to get Germany," said Klinsmann, who starred for the West Germany national team as it won the 1990 World Cup and later led the German side to the 2006 semifinals on home soil.

The "other" Group of Death is Group B where 2010 finalists Spain and the Netherlands square off in the opening match. Host nation Brazil kicks off the tournament against Croatia in Sao Paulo on June 12.

Group A:
Brazil – Host nation is a clear favorite to win it all and was the seed no one wanted to meet.
Croatia – Shaky in qualifying and winless in World Cups since 1998; Luka Modric is a shining light.
Mexico – Fortunate to qualify after desperate CONCACAF form pushed it to the brink of elimination.
Cameroon – Lowest-ranked of the African nations after patchy form over the past year.

Group B:
Spain – Defending champion started slowly in 2010, losing to Switzerland in first game.
Netherlands – 2010 runner-up was somehow unseeded and a team nobody wanted to face.
Chile – Struggled early in qualifying but was near perfect late on and will be a real threat.
Australia – Fired coach Holger Osieck after heavy friendly defeats and comes in with little momentum.

Group C:
Colombia – Radamel Falcao heads a deep squad keen to shine after missing last three tournaments.
Greece – Not much fun to watch; defensively excellent but short on attacking firepower.
Ivory Coast – Eliminated in the Group of Death last time, Didier Drogba’s back for one last shot.
Japan – Greatly improved team more than capable of creating some shocks against bigger opponents.

Group D:
Uruguay – Reached the semis four years ago but survived a qualifying scare this time around.
Costa Rica – Qualifying success was built upon outstanding home form, struggles on the road.
England – Lacking in confidence and inspiration and comes in with its lowest expectations in decades.
Italy – Champions in 2006, awful in 2010, full of talent and believes it can go all the way.

Group E:
Switzerland – Considered the weakest seeded team but a skillful unit capable of going deep.
Ecuador – Clinched a World Cup spot for only the third time and has never gone past the last 16.
France – Scraped through with a playoff comeback, hopes to atone for humiliating 2010 campaign.
Honduras – Has reached two previous World Cups but has yet to record its first victory.

Group F:
Argentina – Lionel Messi heads a confident team looking to secure first title since 1986.
Bosnia-Herzegovina – The only newcomer in the 32-strong field, highly talented but unpredictable.
Iran – Managed just one point from three games in 2006 and failed to qualify in 2010.
Nigeria – One of the youngest squads in the tournament that should not be underestimated.

Group G:
Germany – Third in 2010 and aims to build on positive vibe created by its dominant club teams.
Ghana – Knocked out the U.S. in 2010 before being heartbreakingly denied a semifinal spot.
United States – Regarded as the strongest team in its pot after topping CONCACAF group.
Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo single-handedly won a tense playoff but has yet to shine at World Cup.

Group H:
Belgium – Reached first World Cup since 2002 after huge improvement and a superb qualifying campaign.
Russia – Finished first in a tough qualifying group that also featured Portugal and Sweden.
Algeria – Bottom of the U.S. group in 2010 and one of the weakest teams, at least on paper.
South Korea – An easy campaign became nail-biting late on; finally booked place on goal differential.

Yahoo Sports