Former Netherlands international Ruud van Nistelrooy has defended Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Van Nistelrooy, who was Ronaldo s team-mate at Manchester United from 2003 until 2006 and at Madrid in 2009-10, has stressed that the Portugal international is not an arrogant person.
I never saw him as an arrogant guy. He was always open to advice and not arrogant at all. He was a great guy in the dressing room. He was really vain, but always in a good mood and making jokes, Van Nistelrooy told Algemeen Dagblad.
I talked to him like attackers talk among each other. A lot of his individual actions were not necessary and he lacked efficiency. He still had a lot of room for improvement.
He worked incredibly hard to become a better player, though. And…
Mitch Langerak has been backed to make Stuttgart s number one spot his own, even though the Australia goalkeeper will miss his new club s Bundesliga opener on Sunday.
Langerak signed a three-year contract with Stuttgart in June, ending his five-year association with Borussia Dortmund, but the 26-year-old suffered a setback when he injured a muscle in his upper leg in July.
He will sit out Stuttgart s first match of the 2015-16 league season against Cologne, with fellow new signing Przemyslaw Tyton set to start in goal for Alexander Zorniger s side.
Poland s Tyton played 32 of 38 La Liga matches on loan at Elche from PSV last term.
But former Stuttgart captain Matthieu Delpierre – who now plays for Langerak s first professional club Melbourne Vic…
Steven Gerrard is unlikely to return to Liverpool on loan this season, .
The thirty-five year old moved to LA Galaxy after seventeen years in the Reds’ first team at the end of last season, during which time he racked up over seven hundred games in all competitions, scoring one hundred and eighty-six goals and winning a whole host of major honours including the 2005 Champions League.
He also played one hundred and fourteen times for England, scoring twenty-one times and captained them at both the 2010 and 2014 World Cup finals.
Since arriving at the Los Angeles club, Gerrard has played seven times, scoring his one and only goal so far in a 5-2 win over San Jose Earthquakes back in July.
LA Galaxy face Montreal Impact on Sunday, and Gerrard can be …
Juventus are in a commanding position as they look to reach their second Champions League semi-final in the space of three years, but Monaco have not yet given up hope.
Massimiliano Allegri s side hold a two-goal lead going into Tuesday s home second leg in Turin after Gonzalo Higuain scored twice in the first leg.
Higuain s double improved what had been a miserable record in the Champions League knockout stages, while Juve s defence continue to set records.
Monaco, meanwhile, remain in with a chance of Ligue 1 glory domestically and a dramatic turnaround against Juve would take their sensational campaign to another level, with Kylian Mbappe looking to make more of an impact than he did in the first leg.
A timely weekend boost for Monaco they re sure to b…
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is fearful of Paul Pogba s impact in Monday s FA Cup quarter-final, warning his team to pay great attention to the Manchester United midfielder.
A world-record signing from Italian champions Juventus, Pogba has struggled for consistency since returning to Old Trafford ahead of United s trip to Stamford Bridge.
Pogba came in for criticism following United s 1-1 Premier League draw against Bournemouth last week but Conte who lured the France international to Turin in 2012 during his time in charge of Juve is more than aware of the 23-year-old s quality.
We are talking about a top, top player. A top player in all situations, Conte said.
Also in his commitment in training, trying to improve him, good technique, physically strong, …
Five-a-side, fashion stakes – Giroud a winner in all areas for Chelsea boss Tuchel ahead of Man Unit
Tuchel knows he cannot compete with the suave looks and man-about-town fashion style of Giroud, who he described as a leader within his squad.
I try to close the gap, he said. At the moment it s not possible because I arrived with only one suitcase, so there s no chance for me.
I will have to trust you that the guy is top-notch and highest level. I will try to close the gap, so it s not embarrassing for Oli that I m his coach.
Tuchel stopped short of promising Giroud a starting role against United, but he would clearly have no reservations about the striker s credentials for such an important game.
He s used to playing a high rhythm, he s used to playing Premier League, and this helps him a lot to be on this level, Tuchel said.
He s in a f…
After a build-up dominated by talk of the danger of goal celebrations in the pandemic era, Liverpool and Manchester United did their bit to calm the nerves of concerned viewers on Sunday.
Two sides being tipped as title rivals this term simply eschewed goals completely as they produced a spectacle that didn t quite live up to the pre-match hype.
But, while there weren t exactly fireworks at Anfield, the 90 minutes did at least offer some insight into the championship credentials of two bitter rivals.
For Liverpool, it was another game that highlighted the true reasons behind their recent Premier League malaise.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez s absences continue to dominate analysis of the champions performances, but it was telling that Jurgen Klopp s most …
Mark Bowen has expressed his delight at being named Stoke City s assistant manager and insists that he is ready for the challenge.
The former Norwich defender was brought in by new boss Mark Hughes, who took charge following the sacking of Tony Pulis after seven years at the helm.
Bowen has previously worked with his fellow Welshman at Blackburn Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham and QPR.
With Stoke s fixtures being confirmed on Wednesday, the 49-year-old can now ready himself for a difficult start as the club take on Liverpool at Anfield in their opening game, but he insists that he is relishing the opportunity.
First and foremost you want to put your own stamp on things but at the same time, Stoke wants to be a progressive club, he told Sky Sports News.
I…
Luis Diaz is among the 33 players Jurgen Klopp is taking with him for Liverpool s training camp in Dubai.
The Premier League side are heading to the United Arab Emirates on Monday for warm-weather training in preparation for the resumption of domestic football at the end of the month, following the break for the World Cup in Qatar.
Diaz – who has four goals and two assists in 12 games for Liverpool this season – has been out of action since suffering a knee injury in the 3-2 defeat at Arsenal on October 9, but the Colombian attacker is expected to be fit to take part in team training during the trip.
Fellow injured team-mates Joel Matip, Naby Keita, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo are also included in the travelling party, though the latter two are not thought to …
Melbourne Heart have ended their search for a high-quality midfielder, signing Dutchman Orlando Engelaar as their marquee player.
The 33-year-old will arrive in the A-League on a free transfer after ending a four-year stay at PSV Eindhoven earlier this year.
He began his career in Feyenoord s youth team and has previously played for NAC Breda, Racing Genk, Twente and Schalke.
John Aloisi has been vocal about his desire to bring in a quality holding midfielder and the Heart coach backed his new signing to make a significant impact on the A-League.
I am confident that Orlando will be one of the most accomplished midfielders that has come to play football in Australia, Aloisi said on Friday.
The club has worked hard for a number of seasons to attract a player …