Robinho has claimed Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour told him the club would sign both Kaka and Lionel Messi.
Exciting forward Robinho, lured from Real Madrid to the blue half of Manchester in September 2008, was the first major arrival after the club was taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
The Brazilian initially shone at Eastlands but then struggled for consistency and returned to boyhood club Santos on loan before moving to AC Milan.
Now back home and playing for Atletico Mineiro, the 33-year-old is gratified to see City leading the Premier League and playing good football after some early, optimistic transfer plans did not come to fruition.
I spoke a few times with the owner Sheikh Mansour, he told the Daily Mail.
He told me he was…
With the likes of Brazil s Serie A taking center stage this weekend, we still have a stacked schedule for across the globe. So, for those of you looking to stick on a Saturday acca, we have found a handful of helpful tips that are worth keeping an eye out for.
Saturday July 2nd
BST 19:45 Sligo Rovers vs Shelbourne
Starting with Saturday s hosts, although Sligo might have been disappointed to have only collected just a single point on their travels last weekend, the Rovers are enjoying a largely impressive run of form. With their recent unbeaten run highlighted by a 3-0 win against the Finn Harps on June 18th, John Russell s men are yet to taste defeat from any of their last five Premier Division matchups. Appearing to have found a welcomed boost on either side of t…
Both Juventus and Real Madrid have the opportunity to join esteemed company with victory in the Champions League final on Saturday.
As the two sides clash in Cardiff, Massimiliano Allegri s men are chasing a treble after triumphing in Serie A and the Coppa Italia while Madrid hope to secure a second consecutive title under Zinedine Zidane and the 11th in their history.
Juve will have to overcome a poor record in European finals, while Zidane must mastermind a route through a sturdy Italian defence.
Here, we take a look at the best Opta stats ahead of the showpiece meeting.
This is the 19th encounter between Juventus and Real Madrid, making ti the second-most played fixture in the history of Europe s premier club competition after Bayern Muni…
Jack Wilshere s injury problems have given the Arsenal midfielder the mental strength required to perform on the biggest stage, according to former Gunners player Gilberto Silva.
Upon his emergence into Arsenal s first team, Wilshere had been touted as a player able to fill the void left by Silva, who won two FA Cups and the Premier League title during his time at the club between 2002 and 2008.
Injuries have derailed Wilshere s career, though, with a loan move to Bournemouth last term seemingly signalling the end of his time at Arsenal.
However, the England international has enjoyed a resurgence this season, and Silva feels that Sunday s EFL Cup final clash against Manchester City will provide the perfect opportunity for Wilshere to prove his quality.
I…
Bayern Munich returned to winnings ways after reaching the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals as Eric Choupo-Moting scored one and assisted another in a 4-0 victory at Mainz.
Julian Nagelsmann s side are just a point clear at the Bundesliga summit after three successive 1-1 draws, but they ended their winless run with a dominant showing at MEWA Arena on Wednesday.
Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo assisted Choupo-Moting s opener just 17 minutes into his debut, before the striker teed up Leroy Sane on the stroke of half-time after Jamal Musiala s 30th-minute strike.
Substitute Alphonso Davies sealed the victory in the second half prior to Alexander Hack being dismissed late on, as Bayern picked up a first win of 2023 to remain on course for a first DFB-Pokal triumph since…
Everton s record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson marked his full debut with an astonishing long-range strike that secured a 1-1 draw at Hajduk Split, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win and a place in the Europa League group stage.
Ronald Koeman named a strong side, including Wayne Rooney leading the line one day on from his surprise England retirement, but the Croatian side hauled themselves back into the tie through Josip Radosevic.
That strike came from almost 35 yards but paled next to Sigurdsson s ambition.
Thirteen seconds into the second half, the Iceland international swung ferociously at a loose ball 50 yards from goal on the right.
Sigurdsson lost his footing but struck the ball sweetly and it dipped beyond helpless Hajduk goalkeeper Dante Stipica.
Eve…
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca wants Noni Madueke to stay beyond the summer transfer window, but conceded anything can happen .
The Blues are looking to offload the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku and Trevor Chalobah before the window closes on August 30.
But Madueke, who scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Servette in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off, is someone Maresca wants to develop and improve.
Though the Italian wants to see a more consistent level from the former PSV winger, who scored five Premier League goals in 23 appearances last term and outperformed his expected goals (xG) by 2.5.
He said: I really like Noni. The only problem is that he has to understand that he has to be consistent during the week in …
Former England striker Ian Wright has announced he is to leave Match of the Day at the end of the current season.
The 60-year-old pundit has revealed his decision to step back from “the most iconic football show in the world” to “do a few more different things with my Saturdays”.
Wright said on his official X – formerly Twitter – account: “After my debut show whilst still a player in 1997 and many more memorable years, I’ll be stepping back from BBC MOTD at the end of this season.
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0)
“I feel very privileged to have had such an incredible run on the most iconic football show in the world.
“I’m stepping back having made great friends and many great memories. This decision has been coming for…
Paul Pogba can return to Serie A champions Juventus as he is unhappy at Manchester United, according to his agent Mino Raiola.
Pogba s representative Raiola said the star midfielder s time at United is over in Monday s preview teaser for an interview with Tuttosport amid speculation he is set to leave Old Trafford in the near future.
The World Cup-winning France international – who scored in Saturday s 3-1 Premier League victory at West Ham – has regularly been linked with former club Juve and LaLiga champions Real Madrid, while Pogba described a possible move to the Santiago Bernabeu as a dream .
Pogba left United for Serie A powerhouse Juve in 2012 after his contract expired only to re-join the Red Devils in 2016 for what was then a world record transfer f…
David Silva has become the latest modern great at Manchester City to announce he will move on from the club.
The nucleus of a team that first won the Premier League in 2011-12 under Roberto Mancini has slowly fallen away over recent years, with Vincent Kompany s departure at the end of last season following Pablo Zabaleta and Yaya Toure bowing out in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Pep Guardiola will still be able to call upon Silva for one more campaign, with 2019-20 set to be his 10th and last at the Etihad Stadium.
Widely considered to be among the finest players to have ever graced the sky blue shirt, we look back on some of the finest moments produced by a silken playmaker who will be fondly remembered.
El Mago
Appearances: 50
Goals: 10
Assis…