REAL MADRID | ICARDI - THE NEED FOR GOALS

Everyone is waiting for REAL MADRID CF to make a signing BOMB announcement. The exit of Cristiano Ronaldo lifts expectations as that the void left open needs to be filled with a player similar in status & "pulling power".  The fact is that there are only very few names in World Soccer that fill the profile; Neymar JR, Mbappé, Harry Kane, Eden Hazard ... & little more of which all are extremely difficult to pull out of their current Clubs.

The current state of affairs adds more difficulties & pessimism to the situation as Mbappé has stated he will NOT leave Paris St Germain along with team-mate NEYMAR JR who also has stated the he too WILL NOT LEAVE Paris St Germain (for the moment). The others like HARRY KANE is impossible due to his contract & market price, while EDEN HAZARD who wants to go to Real Madrid has Chelsea FC reluctant to let him go with a huge market price of around 200M€ that the Spanish Club does not wish to pay.

Putting aside these names & targets, from a tactical & practical point of view what REAL MADRID really needs to fill is a goalscorer, a Striker that can assure 25-35 goals a season, a feat that Ronaldo was achieving on a seasonal basis. This is the fundamental piece of the puzzle that is now missing & should be the main priority.

A name is now doing the rumour mill that can fit the profile & Club needs: MAURO ICARDI of Inter Milan. The 25 year old Argentine forward was on the Real Madrid agenda during the previous "Winter Market" & has scored last season 29 goals in the always difficult Italian Serie A. The player has an accesible 120M€ contract release clause that makes the forward a realistic target. We will have to wait on developments. 

The other option B is to fill the lost "goal quota" is Bayen Munich forward Robert Lewandowski a well known past target. While English Club Manchester United is apparently also interested & tempting the Polish International, the player may hold out if Real Madrid send over "positive signs" of a true desire.

So there you have it punters, the next Real Madrid signings could be diverting to other lesser "sounding" ( no less magnificent) names for a more practical approach. The other popular players already mentioned above have voiced their negative desire to make a move from their current Clubs, their huge transfer market price or difficulties make them a "discard" for the Spanish Club.

Just to end, I would not however discount Hazard just yet, although "tactically" for Real Madrid they already have Isco & Asensio for the same position. If the price is lowered Real Madrid may take advantage of the unique opportunity looking ahead long term.

Stay tuned!

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CRISTIANO RONALDO TO LEAVE REAL MADRID

Spanish TV via "La Sexta" channel & its afternoon "Sports News" has confirmed that CRISTIANO RONALDO will be leaving REAL MADRID CF. This news complements Italian news sources that JUVENTUS has made an offer that it seems has been accepted by Real Madrid & thus opens the door for Ronaldo to play in "Serie A" next season.

The details of the operation are the following; Juventus will pay Real Madrid 100M€ in concept of a transfer fee, while Juventus offers Cristiano Ronaldo 30M€ per season for a 4 year contract. The Portuguese star has commented to close sources that he will accept their offer & now awaits Real Madrid keeps their part of the deal. 

The 33 year old forward adds that it has nothing to do with money leaving Real Madrid, in fact the Spanish Club has equalled the Italian offer as the player too solicited an improvement. It has to do with the need to find a new stimulus & Ronaldo feels his "cycle" at Real Madrid has come to an end.

Months back Ronaldo voiced his "feelings" of leaving Real Madrid to President Perez & the Club responded that if they received an acceptable offer the Club would not put any impediments or barriers for an exit. The player is recognized as the most important & greatest Player to pass through the Club in the "modern era", Ronaldo for many has eclipsed Alfredo Di Stefano, thus the Club is empathic to the Ronaldo respuests.

The Juventus offer was already on the tables before the Champions League Final in Kiev & Cristiano Ronaldo looked favourably thanks to the Italians Club fans who rose & applauded his performance at Turin that included his now famous "overhead" goal in Champions League Q/Final. 

Real Madrid will now be looking to shut the deal & organize a huge goodbye event with all the fanfare that their Champion & Star deserves after 9 years ( & 4 Champions League plus 4 FiFA Golden Ball Awards) of brilliant service.

The news is not 100% official but the source is viable & traditionally spot on. However, one cannot help think that the above is the "official goodbye story" & that there is more to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo than meets the eye. 

One unofficial said factor that could be crucial is the "obsessive" interest by Real Madrid for Brazilian NEYMAR. Real Madrid refuted a news piece yesterday that stated a massive 310M€ offer to Paris St Germain & a 45M€ / season contract for Neymar...a record breaker. It is obvious to all that Real Madrid sees in Neymar the "new Star", their "new Marketing & Income generator" & their key to future titles success.

Added to the above MBAPPE has also again entered the Real Madrid orbit & there are rumours that the French International & PSG youngster can be a target as he was last year.

In both cases, it is not strange to think, that both Neymar &/or Mbappe would look more favourably in accepting a Real Madrid offer if Cristiano Ronaldo was no longer at the Club to soak up all the spotlights. Both will demand to be starters in all matches & too many roosters in the hens den always leads to trouble.

Stay tuned the following days & weeks! Tweet

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CRISTIANO RONALDO TO LEAVE REAL MADRID | WELCOME NEYMAR

Cristiano Ronaldo is on his way out of Real Madrid, or at least there are signals that indicate that these times around the “smoke signals” are correct. Latest news doing the Sports & Football media rounds is that Premier League giant Manchester United may be the next Club destination for Ronaldo next season. The return of the “prodigal son” is a possibility as commented in the past by Cristiano Ronaldo himself: a “retirement objective”. There is definitely strong evidence that a move at the end of the season is a strong & very real possibility.

The main reason, at least publicly, is that Cristiano Ronaldo feels that Real Madrid has not “lived up” to there promise to lift his economic rewards (salary) to the level of Lionel Messi or Neymar. The Portuguese star believes firmly that he has won all the big titles, helping directly Real Madrid be Nº1, while individually winning the important “FIFA The Best” & “Golden Ball” back to back. This makes Ronaldo technically the “Best Football Player in World Football” now earning around 24-25M€ per year, while Neymar earns +35M€ & Messi around +50M€ (these salary figures are never accurate totally). Cristiano Ronaldo has solicited formally & is waiting from Real Madrid a contract renewal that will put his salary close to Messi, &/or at least on par with Neymar. However, the Spanish Club has not responded positively (as yet). This in itself may be a clear signal from Real Madrid to the player that things are about to change.

It is no secret that Cristiano Ronaldo has declined in his performance & efficiency. Its natural, no one, no even super muscled Ronaldo, can halt the physical effects of time. Next February the Portuguese star will be 33 years of age, his speed has notably declined this season, his goal scoring efficiency has plummeted (currently only 4 goals in Liga) & is no longer the “decisive player” of the past. With this horizon Real Madrid may be reluctant to “invest” any further, while Ronaldo feels the Club has a “moral obligation” to do so.

However, Football has never been about ethics or morality; it’s about goals, victories & titles. This season Real Madrid is currently 19 points behind leaders & rivals FC Barcelona, & is currently sitting 4^th on La Liga table (Champions participation next season under threat), which virtually signs that the Spanish Championship title is a no option. Added to this their unlucky, bad on-field performances & losses in lesser teams has alarmed fans, their participation in the UEFA Champions League is also under threat with Paris St. Germain coming up next month. The way things look right now, PSG is hot favourite to knock them out of their fetish competition. Real Madrid Directives are looking to the future & it seems Cristiano Ronaldo is not part of it.

In 2009 Real Madrid President Florentino Perez paid a then World Record 94M€ transfer fee to Manchester United for Ronaldo as an intricate & fundament piece of a long term “Global Strategic Plan” which included titles, increased Marketing income & Media brand domination; in part to win Asian & US markets & increase TV & sponsorship deals. Real Madrid has built its squad since then around Cristiano Ronaldo & it has paid back huge dividends with multiple titles (Champions League the most important), record Marketing, TV & Sponsorship income & media saturation Worldwide to brand Real Madrid. Now it´s time to find the “substitute”, to continue with “the Strategy”, & all indications point towards Brazilian, ex FC Barcelona & current Paris St. Germain player Neymar.

Everything indicates that Real Madrid & Neymar have already advanced to the stage that the Brazilian will land back in Spanish Football with them soon: the already famous PSG contract release clause. The original idea is incorporation in season 2019-2020, but unofficial sources indicate possibly as early as next season. Real Madrid seems willing to again break the transfer market for Neymar (+230M€ plus transfer +40M€ salary) because Real Madrid sees the Brazilian as strategic, the natural successor of Ronaldo on the field, in all Marketing & World branding. Plus the players “renewal process” will continue as Directives know too well that the Club needs GOAL, & will most likely sell Benzema to replace with a World-class goalscorer (Kane & Icardi are sounding). If things continue their negative results path, Zidane will most likely resign & many players (Benzema primarily…) will be without “defenders & shied”. To think that the next Coach of Real Madrid could be Mauricio Pochettino, currently at Tottenham Hotspurs, is realistic, & with him Forward Harry Kane.  

For Real Madrid to acquire Neymar, add a World class goal scorer, plus a defender has a huge Investment, money that cannot be diverted in raising the salary levels of Cristiano Ronaldo entering his “twilight years”. In fact to renew the contract of Ronaldo will only delay the arrival of stars like Neymar who does not wish to be his shadow.

The current lack of a positive gesture from the Real Madrid Directives towards Cristiano Ronaldo demands is originating frustration within the player, who is already sending signals of his displeasure. There are unofficial media leaks that Ronaldo has already asked the Club & decided to leave next season. The news of a possible Manchester United return is part of it. There is another rumour that Ronaldo will be part of the Neymar transfer buying deal to make things smoother for PSG.

All the Cristiano Ronaldo (or his representatives) public outburst are playing into the hands of Real Madrid which will public announce that it was the player who wanted to leave & that the Club has an existing contract with him. This message will smooth public-fan opinion, although many already see “the glory days” of Ronaldo being over & would welcome the arrival of Neymar, others like Kane/Icardi…next season.

So to answer the question, will Cristiano Ronaldo be leaving Real Madrid next season? This time around there is plenty of evidence & signals that indicate YES. Which will be the new Club? Right now, rumours point to Manchester United & Paris St Germain is also in the formula.

Said this & concluded with today, Football changes rapidly. If Real Madrid knocks out PSG from Champions & continues advancing to win the title again, or if no other Club is willing to pay the huge salary expectations of Ronaldo, the Portuguese may well find himself playing at Real Madrid next season AGAIN & perhaps this time with Neymar: Kane/Icardi… & new Coach Pochettino.

Stay tuned.

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NEYMAR TO PARIS ST GERMAIN | VALUE & REASONS

It looks like the long & boring “Neymar case” is coming to its end. The Brazilian & still FC Barcelona forward visited his team-mates this morning & announced that he was going to Paris St Germain. There in the Clubs dressing rooms this morning Neymar personally dismissed himself from Messi, Suarez, Iniesta & Coach Valverde, this last giving him permission to leave his scheduled training duties.

From here Neymar went to the Clubs offices & announced to Directives his intention to leave FC Barcelona, to later board a private plane to Portugal to get away from media & plan the next steps.

FC Barcelona has expressed to the player that 222 Million Euros will be needed to breaking his current contract. A massive new record in Football transfer history smashing last years 117M€ transfer for Pogba from Juventus FC to Manchester United

But is Neymar really worth 222M€? It has been written here previously that Neymar is the Worlds most over valued Football Player, definitely not worth the 222M€. The player has 25 years of age & has won some important titles with FC Barcelona (1 Champions, 2 Spanish Ligas…) but has not done anything truly outstanding, except the occasional skilful party trick, which is not exclusive to the Brazilian. So why will Paris St Germain pay 222M€? Difficult to rationally explain or understand, but value in the market place is heavily dominated by perceptions. What does PSG gain?

•  A good player & goalscorer needed in their squad to better their Champions League campaigns which fall short season after season,
• Promises made to keep current players at PSG. Italian Verratti expressed that he would continue at PSG only if the Club invested heavily in Top players,
• Prestige. PSG will have an asset to “brag” about  Internationally & this will attract World class sponsorship deals,
• Marketing: merchandising sales & International trips will double-triple in value,
• Bigger fanbase in France & through the World where TV rights can be further exploited.

But do these points justify 222M€, no. The only justification is that someone is willing to pay & another willing to accept. It is a purely market given explanation.

The other question is why has Neymar left FC Barcelona?

• The long shadow of Lionel Messi. Neymar cannot progress with the Argentine taking the spotlight. It is said that Neymar has gotten tired of repeating that Messi is the best in the World. Plus on the field, everyone plays for Messi, & the Brazilian feels limited & held back.
• A 30M€ per year salary is also a mayor reason. Neymar will be on the same level as Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo on the economic level
• The continued Court appearances over tax evasion in Spanish Courts do not help & moving to France will clear this front
• An average relationship with Spanish media & Spanish football players.
• There is a belief that FC Barcelona will begin its decline from European & Spanish Football dominance as key players get older, including Messi 

The deal has a second phase to go through as 222M€ still needs to be deposited in the Spanish Football League headquarters in coming days, plus FC Barcelona is threatening to take things to UEFA & FIFA over “fair financial” issues.

Be what may, farewell to Neymar from Spanish Football, the Worlds most overrated & now over valued Footballer.  

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NEYMAR JR | THE MOST OVERRATED FOOTBALL PLAYER IN WORLD SOCCER ?

When Brazilian Footballer Neymar was elected 3º rd in the last FIFA Golden Ball Award I was more than surprised. Frankly, I could not understand how the FC Barcelona forward was in the Top 5 & less at the level of such giants as Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo.

In my opinion, witnessing things up till this point, Neymar is the most overrated Footballer in World Soccer. Yes, he has talent, scores goals but little more than any other Top 20 World Footballer. Neymar has his head on everything else except on Football & this is not good.

The FC Barcelona player is on the front pages for irregular transfers fees, tax invasion in Brazil, parties with "his boys" & "his girls" & multiple non-ending publicity commitments & events. Football seems to be a sideline issue. 

Lastest incident, throwing an object at Valencia CF player Barragan & telling team-mate Jordi Alba to "go f*ck yourself" for not passing him a ball. This unusual behaviour coincides with the drop of form & three straight losses by Barça, including a Champions League elimination. Which just to add, we witnessed a non-existent Neymar on the field.

The Brazilian is gaining quiet an image for himself. Spectacular diving to cheat the referees in calling fouls & penalties, arrogant behaviour & humiliation towards opponents & some undisciplined behaviour worrying the Club FC Barcelona as the player dances the night away around city Clubs. And yes, if the kid wants, gets on a private jet flys 12 hours, has a good time, flys back to Barcelona in 2-3 days. Normal stuff.

Neymar is dangerously at the crossroads. Not the first big time name that has come over to European Football & a big Club to end up smashing head-on at the bright lights. Time for serious reflection by the youngster & decide which is the road to take. Neymar has the potential to reach the top, but just, potential that at this moment. 

While marketing, social media, front pages of media & the satellites-elements that surround Neymar inflates his image, his Football etc, the extras (doggy characters) are confusing this player. Big part of the problem is his Father, Neymar Senior , who is badly managing his son, with the focus being on money, self interest & other "dark" issues that pop up on media frequently. The old man is "shady" its a well known rumour that hits nearly the truth, an issue that is delicate but serious for Junior.

I hope that young Neymar gets over this slump, that the Brazilian regains his head, elects the correct options & behaves according to his ambition, to be the best Football player. Football will appreciate it, Brazil will desire it, fans will be overjoyed, his Club will be delighted & Neymar will be back on course. 

Difficult moments, I wish Neymar luck. 

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MESSI & NEYMAR, LACK OF HARMONY ?

At the start of the season some FC Barcelona observers & insiders commented that two roosters in the same chicken pen were incompatible. The two roosters they talked about are Lionel Messi & Neymar, the first the undisputed star of his Club & the other the heir apparent to his throne. Although publicly Neymar kneels & praises the steeps that Messi leaves behind, privately Messi thinks that Neymar is more show & dance than anything else, or that is what the "bad tongues" have said that Messi thinks. Hard to know for a fact, but what we can figure & see clearly is that on the field of play both Messi & Neymar are out of sync, that is, there is no harmony.

Said more clearly, Neymar & Lionel Messi do not play well together, the figures illustrate it clearly. This is the evidence, of the 43 official matches FC Barcelona has played so far this season, Neymar & Messi have coincided only 19, sharing 1,230 out of 3,870 minutes (31.7%). Between them only three passes have ended in a goal & it should be noted, that the passes were always in one direction: Neymar to Messi.

As it has been commented here, Neymar can’t seem to get out of the Lionel Messi shadow. It seems that the Football personality of the Brazilian star fizzes out when the Argentine shares pitch. The ex-Barcelona star player & ex-Coach Johan Cruyff has commented that Neymar looks like the "personal assistant of Messi.

The Brazilian is receiving some criticism locally for not putting in his expected part. There are huge expectations placed on Neymar & his performances of late have been disappointing. The best period for Neymar this season coincided with Messi injured & far away in Argentina recovering. During this period we saw a more joyful, active & dazzling Neymar with goals included.

The external factors aren’t helping Neymar. The accusations of tax evasion & “strange dealings” in the Neymar signing by Barça have added pressure on the Brazilian. FC Barcelona has been under intense fire from the "Anti-corruption Authorities" & the Tax Office & Neymar is the centre of all the investigations. Added to this is a niggling injury to his ankle that is limiting his movements, we will see how he performs with the Brazilian National Team.

Perhaps this is just coincidence & the two Barça stars are both going through difficult moments that are not allowing them to show their best together. Perhaps the critics are using the problems at Barça & the fall in team form as an opportunity to put their boots in. What is obvious however from a spectators point of view is that Neymar is currently a secondary actor & role that is not the reason he was signed for or do the Barça fans wish.

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IS NEYMAR THE ASSISTANT OF LIONEL MESSI ?

The great Brazilian Nº 9 Ronaldo Nazario has commented publicly something that many believe: "at FC Barcelona Neymar is a bit like the assistant of Lionel Messi". The ex-Football player made this comment in a recent press Conference related to the upcoming Word Cup in his country. 

The loss by FC Barcelona last Saturday in Liga against Real Sociedad has turned the Barcelona press guard dogs onto the Club, Coach Martino & some players who aren´t living up to "expectations". One of those players is Neymar, under pressure of late with his personal life going through a rough patch due to all the news being generated with his transfer signing & FC Barcelona being investigated by the Spanish Anti-Corruption Agency & Tax Office, plus a niggling injury that has "slowed" him down.

But many "insiders" claim that the shadow of Lionel Messi is long ( & dark ) & is dampening the light of the Brazilian star. The "evil tongues" have been saying for years that the influence of Messi within the Barça dressing room & at the Club is such that many players have had to leave due to his whims, & even a famous Coach. The list goes from Ronaldinho, Eto´o, Bojan, Ibrahimovic & David Villa, apart there have been stories of Messi tantrums with Alexis, Montoya, Bartra & Tello. Even Coach Martino received "evil stare " when he substituted Messi early in the season along with angry gestures as he came off the pitch. 

Neymar arrived at Barça with the script well learnt. He spent the first 3 - 4 months publicly saying that Messi was the "Best in the World", that he had come to learn from the "Master" & to help him. He too knew well that it was better to have the Argentine happy on your side than to create a new "enemy" within your own home.

The best Football this season from Neymar was during the period that Messi was far away injured & in Argentina recovering just before Xmas. Here Neymar was free from the "disciplines" of his team-mate, was allowed to improvise more & the team looked at him to fill the gap left by Messi. A responsibility that the Brazilian took on without hassle & even thrived. 

With the return of Messi, Neymar has returned to his secondary roll, shut himself more within his Football shell & has not been able to fully contribute & explode all his natural talent. As Ronaldo Nazario has said, Neymar looks like the assistant of Messi. 

But what hasn't been said to loud, & some observers are thinking, is that Messi himself has not been up to his level & should also take the responsibility of his teams seasons drop of form. Some say the Argentine is "saving" himself for the upcoming World Cup, the only title he is missing & the one truly needed to make him the "Greatest of all Time". Others believe that we are witnessing the end of Messi at FC Barcelona, that next season the Argentine may take on the speculated "super offer" by Paris St Germain & leave. 

The last option would greatly benefit Neymar. The personal praising by Neymar towards Messi has ceased these past weeks, it appears that Neymar has gained sufficient confidence within the dressing room along with a strengthen personality to be himself . The Brazilian recurrently  is attempting to shake off his persistent ankle injury & look to contribute more positively to the team. But as ex Barça player, Barça Coach & Football Leyden Johan Cruyff said: "two roosters in the same chicken pen is not good". 

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FUNNY GUY NEYMAR | QUOTE OF THE WEEK

The arrival of Brazilian Neymar to Spain & concretely to FC Barcelona has had its collateral damage, in this case unprecedented for Barça. The fall & disappearance of a Barça President, Sandro Rosell,  & the formal accusation by the Spanish Anti-corruption Agency through Judge Ruz of possible tax evasion by Barça which the Club will have to appear in Court to prove its innocence. 

The storm forced Barça to reveal the previous "secret" contract & signing numbers of the Neymar transfer lifting the figure from around a said 57,1M€ to around 97M€ ( or 130M€ from other sources ). The Father of Neymar received around 44M€ plus other "incentives" in strange concepts that still no one really understands & puts it down to financial engineering. 

Which leads to what is in my mind the quote of the week, if not the month & it is boarding onto the year. A wonderful piece that comes out coinciding with the "Autobiography" book about Neymar, & his relation with Real Madrid & their failed attempts to sign him. According to Neymar his reply to Real Madrid was:

“Yo no me vendo por dinero” translated

"I don´t sell myself for money"

A wonderful piece that should get us all running to the books stores to by up a book that talks about the "full rich life with experience" of a 22 year old.

This is the apparent location & building of the Neymar Company. As you can see luxurious offices in prime city real estate. The truth is that it is empty (abandoned) with no one present & without a post box to receive mail. Perhaps Neymar is sincere about not selling his "soul" to money", however perhaps we should ask his Father if he thinks the same. 

Funny guy this Neymar. Must think we are all stupid.

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FC BARCELONA - NEYMAR AFFAIR - ROSELL RESIGNATION

The Spanish news paper the began looking under the FC Barcelona carpet with the Neymar transfer deal, "El Mundo", continues finding dead skeletons & the "problems" for the Club are spreading to the now put new President Bartomeu who is under the microscope as accomplice to ex-President Sandro Rosell. As the newspaper explains the resignation of Sandro Rosell still leaves all the questions without answers. What is assured is that this whole "affair" is going to get hotter & hotter & we will be in for more big surprises.

Meanwhile "El Mundo" puts up today this cartoon to put some humour ( sarcastic ) into the whole affair. I think it depicts well in a very quick way what the issue is:

As you can see "Ricardo" splits up the supposed payments in the Neymar transfer deal. The missing "37,9" - the "other costs" - is the price of the head of ex-President Sandro Rosell in this cartoon. As things come to light those missing 37-40M€ is the money that was paid directly to the Father of Neymar as "commissions".

Some local Football observers are speculating that the transfer price could be as high as 150M€;  a big difference from the official Club statement of 57,1M€

Stay tuned.

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FC BARCELONA PRESIDENT ROSELL RESIGNS - LEAVES THE PRESIDENCY

A few days back a post was uploaded here with the title "NEYMAR TRANSFER COMMISSIONS TIME BOMB | FC BARCELONA PAID 95M€ NOT 57M€ ?". Here was alerted the first signs of possible existing irregularities in the signing of Neymar by FC Barcelona this summer. There are indications of possible undefined commissions with an important difference between the said cost of 57,1M€ & the unofficial cost of more than 95M€ ( some say +120M€).

A FC Barcelona member Mr. Jordi Cases filed a lawsuit against Club President Sandro Rosell & his Directive Team. This lawsuit has been taken up by the Spanish Anti- Corruption Authority under Judge Ruz who sees evidence of possible "wrong doing" & contractual manipulation & will investigate the case.

The above post said that this would have a snow-ball effect & that President Sandro Rosell & his Directives were sitting on a time-bomb awaiting to explode. Well that "time-bomb" has exploded & the shock waves are now shaking Spanish Football & World Soccer.

FC Barcelona President Sandro Rosell called a Press Conference this afternoon to announce his resignation as President. Until this moment President Sandro Rosell has kept to the "Official Club Line", that everything concerning the signing of Neymar is legit, transparent, that it´s a Madrid lead "conspiracy plot" & that Neymar cost 57,1M€, he even called onto Judge Ruz to call him as soon as possible to the stand to enable him to "break" contractual confidentiality clauses to explain the whole "reality". The overwhelming evidence that has appeared in recent days goes directly in the opposite direction of what has been said & has forced the Club President to take this drastic decision tonight.  Sandro Rosell leaves with arguments about "outside influences" & pressures on his family, that the Club is above any personal interest.

The decision makes Vice President Bartomeu the new President of FC Barcelona who announced that the Directive Team will continue until 2016.

President Rosell falls from grace partially because he himself dug his own grave by not being transparent to the Club members & media & allowing doubts over the "Neymar Affair" to linger in the air ( as they still do ). Also Rosell has made enemies within the Club & he has sacrificed himself as the "scape goat". Tied in with all this were personality traits that worked against his favour like over confidence & perhaps a lack of humility that would have served him better. I personally have no doubts that there are "Wolfs" within his own team of Directives that went in for the "kill" tonight & left their President wounded to be preyed on by the scavengers. A "dirty lesson" indeed for Sandro Rosell & a reality check on ruthless Football Politics. 

The next coming days, weeks & months will see more news,  & insights will arise from the "Neymar Affair" along with all the back-room manoeuvring & politics. Dark moments at "Camp Barça" which Barça fans hope will not effect their Football Team in Liga, Spanish Cup & Champions League.

Stay tuned, this isn't finished yet!

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NEYMAR TRANSFER COMMISSIONS TIME BOMB | FC BARCELONA PAID 95M€ NOT 57M€ ?

How much did Brazilian player Neymar Jr cost FC Barcelona?

The FC Barcelona President Rosell says 57M€, however other sources put it closer to the 100M€ & Brazilian Club Santos around the 140M€. This discrepancy in the figures has lead a Barça Club member, Mr Jordi Cases to file a law-suit against the FC Barcelona Directives which has been taken up by Spanish Anti-Corruption Judge Ruz who is investigating the issue. The Judge has solicited the Neymar contracts to see if there were irregularities & today Spanish paper "El Mundo" poured more gasoline onto the fire claiming the reality is Neymar cost 95M€ according to their journalistic investigations. The difference between the "official" 57M€ & the 95M€ is apparently due to commissions of all kinds that include:

• helping local favales ( "slum areas")
• Santos players preferences
• Friendly matches between Santos - FC Barcelona
• 10M€ signing bonus 
• 11M€ commissions ( Father of Neymar )
• Publicity 
• & other inventive clauses

In all cases there are no legal clauses that mentions the need to exercise said terms. They just appear on paper as justification for commissions. 

The alarms already sounded earlier last summer when Real Madrid President Florentino Perez was asked by press why Real Madrid did not sign Neymar. The casual reply was that Real Madrid was not prepared to pay around 150M€ for Neymar. This radically contrasted with the said FC Barcelona price of 57M€. Why would a player sign for a Club that offered far less?

The Brazilian Club that "sold" Neymar, Santos, has said via their President Odilio Rodrigues to ESPN that they are considering - along with DIS ( a Brazilian firm which had shares in Neymar ) - going to court after knowing the accusations from Spain that FC Barcelona may have paid commission to the Neymar family outside of their "Club-DIS- agreement". The Brazilian Club sets the transfer price at 140M€ which coincides more or less with the Real Madrid version of the Neymar signing attempt.

FC Barcelona are categorically denying everything & have said that the Neymar transfer deal is totally transparent & cost 57M€. The evidence at this stage seems circumstantial as the Spanish Anti-corruption Authorities continue investigating further to gather solid evidence. Barça claim  a "Madrid based" conspiracy theory lead by the dark forces of Spanish national newspaper "El Mundo" & their satellite interests political in some cases. Whatever the case for now, FC Barcelona is innocent until it is proven.

What is clear however is that this story keeps growing week by week & the opened can keeps spitting out worms. The hidden ghosts in the Barça wardrobe seems to be appearing & scarring many into asking very sensitive questions. How long can this be kept under wraps at Camp Barça? Who knows, but President Sandro Rosell & his Club Directives are sitting on a time bomb about to explode at any moment. The explosion & aftershock could be devastating.

Stay tuned!
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SPANISH FOOTBALL , NEYMAR & 2014

Happy 2014 to all the readers & hope you had a great entry into the New Year with celebration & good vibes. Spanish Football with Liga gets back on course this weekend with Round 18.

Most teams are back training already, with FC Barcelona back tonight with a recovered Messi & Victor Valdes. Real Madrid defeated Paris St Germain in Doha ( Qatar ) 1 - 0 with goal from Jese in a Friendly put together as part of the Carlo Ancelotti transfer to Real Madrid. And lastly Atletico de Madrid has a "Winter Market" signing in the loan of Argentine midfielder Sosa from Ukraine Club Metalist. These are all the Spanish Football News to date.

I would like to join in with all the Football observers-commentators & make a prediction for this New Year. I see 2014 being the year that could finally consolidate Brazilian & FC Barcelona player Neymar on the World Football scene. The scope of the players explosion will depend on two factors:

1) how Neymar manages Messi & the Argentines omnipresent shadow at FC Barcelona. It was clearly seen that Neymar got out of his shell & grew in stature without the presence of Messi in the late part of the season.

2) how Brazil & Neymar perform in the World Cup Finals in July. An excellent performance by Brazil & Neymar on the highest World Football Stage could catapult him to FIFA Golden Ball candidacy. 

Apart from this it going to be exciting as always & look forward to coming events. Sure 2014 will be a great Football Year!

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NEYMAR DEBUTS WITH FC BARCELONA

It is the photo that FC Barcelona fans have been waiting all year. The debut of Brazilian Football sensation Neymar with his new Spanish Football Club. 

The forward came on late , around the 77th min mark, to replace Alexis in a pre-season match against Polish Club Gdansk which ended 2 - 2. The Brazilian was fiercely followed & one may say was welcomed to European Football with some "rough" marking. Something Neymar will have to become used to which explains his tonsil remove operation this summer so as to gain some more muscle. The Brazilian said post-match that he needs more time to adapt. Naturally as the fans are too excited & expect immediate results. 

While the Brazilian attracted all the camera flashes , TV close ups & signature petitions, his team-mate Argentine Lionel Messi scored last night one of his teams goals along with young midfield promise Sergi Roberto.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL MARKETING & TREND - SETTERS

Hi guys, been out on a "mini summer break" this weekend. There was three "big" matches played yesterday - Saturday - that saw Real Madrid defeat PSG, FC Barcelona won Valerenga & Atletico de Madrid lost overseas to Estudiantes. All were pre-season matches & you would have seen the results & scorers already.

To get things back & rolling today's post is about two Football Players that look like they will attempt to set some trends amongst the younger World Soccer audiences. 

Spanish International & Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos turned up today for his pre-season & trip to the US with a new look. Ramos looks a lot like singer Billy Idol but I presuppose that behind all the attention grabbing changes there is a long term marketing strategy. Hopefully they won´t confuse Sergio Ramos in Los Angeles with "Lady Gaga" :O)

Taking about marketing, FC Barcelona new signing Neymar arrived today at Barcelona to begin his pre-season tomorrow. The Brazilian "walking billboard" posted this "hello" on his Instagram account. The experts in Football Finance claim that Neymar will be a "goldmine" for Barça with his media attraction & "charisma".

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FOOTBALL FINANCE | CRISTIANO RONALDO EARNS MORE THAN MESSI & NEYMAR

The prestigious American Financial magazine "Forbes" has printed their list of the "Highest Paid Sportsmen in the World". The Nº1 earner is American golf player Tigers Woods with 59,5 M€ followed by Tennis ace Roger Federer with 54,4 M€. In the Top 10 appears Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Drew Brees etc., as one would expect. But what about Football - Soccer - players ? 

The first & highest Football player on the list is now retired, that is David Beckham with 35, 9M€. However technically speaking it is not at all 100% accurate & Beckham now enters more into the "Sportsman" category. The highest money earning Footballer - Soccer player - currently active is Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo with 33, 5M€ & he is followed by FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi with 31,4M€. 

Newly signed to FC Barcelona Brazilian youngster Neymar is in Nº 68 spot with earnings of 15,6M€. Although I have a feeling this will be changing soon & the player will make a big jump up the list in coming months.  

Here is the "Forbes" list: HIGHEST PAID SPORTSMEN 
1. Tiger Woods 59,5 M euros
2. Roger Federer 54,4
3. Kobe Bryant 47,1
4. LeBron James 45,5
5. Drew Brees 38,8
6. Aaron Rodgers 37,3
7. Phil Mickelson 37,1
8. David Beckham 35,9
9. Cristiano Ronaldo 33,5
10.Lionel Messi 31,4
..............................
68. Neymar 15,6

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FC BARCELONA | NEYMAR ARRIVAL & PRESENTATION IN BARCELONA

The city of Barcelona received with open arms "Hurracane Neymar" who landed to officially pass his medical check, sign his new contract with FC Barcelona & then be presented in front of around 50.000 fans at the "Camp Nou". From there he was raced off to give a press conference to the Spanish Sports media & let known that he is finally here to stay.

The expectation was maximum & the player went through all the protocols of a big star signing. The habitual smiles, good vibrations, hand shakes, photographs & the occasional shout of "Visca Barça". It was clear that the 21 year old Brazilian was well versed & advised with "how to win over the crowd" strategy.

At the "Camp Nou" Neymar showed himself with the FC Barcelona uniform & "Neymar Jr" on the back to let everyone know what to get put on their new Barça shirts. Lots of thank you to the fans, ball juggling to excite the crowd & ball kicking into the crowd to give away souvenirs of the afternoon.

The player flys back to Brazil to join the National Team & begin preparing for the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup.

From Spanish Football Sports Blog, welcome to Spain & Spanish Football Neymar.

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NEYMAR GOES TO FC BARCELONA | WILL SIGN MONDAY

Spanish Football will have a new upcoming talent next season. FC BARCELONA announced around 03.30 Sp. local time via their Web that they had an agreement with Santos & Neymar to sign for next season. The Brazilian 21 year old "sensation" announced this himself as well via the Social Media channels & will sign the formal contract tomorrow that will make him officially a FC Barcelona player as of next season & for the following 5 seasons.

The operation is rumoured to have cost FC Barcelona around 54M€ which I suspect maybe higher but better not said by the Club. This puts an end to months of speculations & rumours where the "kid" was placed in a "bidding war" with Clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea FC etc all asking & offering. In the end Neymar picks Barcelona for its style of Football & prestige.

Welcome to Spanish Football.

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NEYMAR | AN AGREEMENT - DEAL WITH FC BARCELONA SHUT ?

More news from Brazil after intense negotiations today between Santos, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid & Neymar. The very latest news circulating is the offer each Club ( Barça & Madrid ) has made to the Santos player: Real Madrid 11M€ /season & FC Barcelona 7M€/season. But there is a "catch", Real Madrid asks for 50% of the players image rights while FC Barcelona gives it all - 100% - to Neymar. Just to remind you, Neymar earns around 8M€ just in publicity per year.

But there is more, Spanish Sports paper "Marca", along while the two main Barcelona based papers, "Sport" & "Mundo Deportivo", have let known this afternoon in their online editions that its a practical done deal in favour of FC Barcelona. According to the mentioned Sports papers, barring last minute surprises & paperwork, the Brazilian 21 year old will be a FC Barcelona player as from next season with a 5 year contract. The rumoured signing - transfer figure that FC Barcelona will pay to all 4 parties that own the rights of Neymar is around 50M€ although I suspect that it will finally be much higher. 

This is all unconfirmed. It is important that readers keep this in mind. Plus it is not even certain that Real Madrid has really offered the player anything & least 11M€ per season. I say this because the highest paid players at Real Madrid right now are Cristiano Ronaldo & Kaka & they are around the 10M€. If it is true that Real Madrid has offered 11M€/season to Neymar,  & if Neymar surprises everyone choosing Real Madrid next season, the Club would have to raise the salary of Cristiano Ronaldo substantially & perhaps others players to keep the salaries "in line" & not offend "egos". 

The only thing right now that can be said is that the "Neymar story" is very close to coming to a conclusion & that FC Bareclona is in the front seat. Everything indicates that Barça is the destination the player desires for next season - over that of Real Madrid - & that an official announcement seems very close. If I were a FC Barcelona fan I would be conservatively happy - if your in agreement - that the Brazilian is in "the bag".

Stay tuned!

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NEYMAR NEWS - LATEST | FC BARCELONA OR REAL MADRID ITS UP TO NEYMAR

We have been following the Neymar "soap opera" here for months. I would assume that plenty of fans of Santos, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid & World Football in general will be interested in knowing how it will finish.

Apparently, according to local Spanish Sports press, we could be in the final home stretch. 

There are two firm offers on the table that satisfy the 4 players rights owners of Neymar. The most "difficult" to date,  Brazilian Club Santos, has apparently accepted a figure & has said it is up to Neymar to decide which one he prefers.

The two Clubs are Spanish Football giants FC Barcelona & Real Madrid CF, the former is offering around 60-70M€ ( way above originally agreed months back ) while Real Madrid it is rumoured to be around the 90-100M€ mark ( not confirmed ). Santos has said OK to both & leaves it all now in the hands of Neymar to decide. The player came out this morning to say to press that he was honoured to have both Clubs interested & that he will decide soon which offer to take up. 

In Football nothing is certain, & least with the ever changing Neymar & his money hungry circles of advisors & rights owners. Real Madrid is the offer economically superior, but it seems the player wishes to go to FC Barcelona & this is the determining factor.

However, in the last days influential voices at FC Barcelona ( Johan Cruyff for example ) have expressed the "no need for Neymar" & the worry of having "two peacocks" in the same dressing room that may cause more problems than solutions. The possible clash of "egos" between Messi & Neymar has been voiced, plus the unknown of how will Neymar adapt to Barça & European Football ? Theses opinions from Barcelona may have reached Brazil & may make Neymar think & change his mind, but everything looks set that Neymar will choose FC Barcelona, taking into account that he apparently Neymar signed weeks back a document saying so.

But don´t take this as a certainty, anything can still happen. Stay tuned!

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NEYMAR | PLAYER WISHES TO GO TO FC BARCELONA - OR IT SEEMS

Signing Brazilian sensation Neymar is a very complex affair as the players rights are divided in four parts : Club Santos (55%), DIS (45%),Teisa (5%) plus his father. Each naturally wishes to get the maximum out of their investment, while his Club Santos desires to sell him now in order to avoid the player becoming a "free agent" next season. 

As written here Spanish Football Club Real Madrid has burst onto the scene to "torpedo" the pre-agreement with FC Barcelona. The strategy is simple, while FC Barcelona is willing to pay around 40-45M€ Real Madrid has raised the bid to 100M€. Real Madrid is willing to offer more & will take care of the "penalty pre-agreement clause" with Barça as well. 

Apart from Real Madrid, other Clubs are said to have entered the picture like Manchester City which has said will offer 138M€, obviously false as its "filtered news" to make all the parties offering lift their bids. 

Up to here its all known. What is fresh news is that the player seems to want to go to FC Barcelona. News out of Brazil, via O Globo, comments that Neymar has signed an "agreement" with FC Barcelona last week committing to present himself at the Club for next season straight after duties with Brazil in the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup.

Important piece of "fresh" news today, as it is hard to fight against the desires of the player. Real Madrid has been successful in its strategy, at least it has forced FC Barcelona to pay way about the original figure they calculated. Said this the Neymar circle with so many intermediaries hungry for money are liquid & every changing & Real Madrid still has a glimpse of a chance, after all 100M€ is a record figure.

However, if the Spanish Football Sports readers were to ask me were I believe Neymar will finally end up my answer is that it looks like FC Barcelona at this moment. Plus it looks like the Brazilian "whiz kid" will join for next season. 

Said this, negotiations with all parties ( & all Clubs ) are continuing in this very complex & "greedy" atmosphere. Stay tuned.

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