Roman Abramovic didn't become an oligarch by making bad financial decisions; his business savvy, along with shrewd political connections and a healthy moral deficit have allowed him to amass a personal fortune of around $8 billion.
Earlier this summer, Louis van Gaal hinted that Manchester United would bring in a "mystery striker." He was, obviously, very mysterious about who it would be. There were rumors about Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo, among others.
Everybody loves a good homecoming story, especially when it involves the world’s favorite Italian bad boy, Mario Balotelli. Following a lackluster season at Liverpool, in which Balotelli scored just four goals in all competitions and just one in the Premier League, Balotelli is going back to AC Milan where he enjoyed much goalscoring success.
When Carlos Tevez announced to the world that he would be returning to Argentina last summer to play for his boyhood club, Boca Juniors, many were surprised. They didn’t understand. He was still just 31, they said, far too young for a man of his ability to walk away from Europe. He was arguably Juventus’ top player in his last season, and now he was going to a club and league in which he would fade into obscurity.
As much as we like to believe that superstar footballers live lives of fantasy and glamour, constantly doing things that other people would pay to see, that really isn’t the case. All Footballers, including the superstars, have to make sacrifices just like anyone else in pursuit of any other dream.
Often, this pursuit leads to the sacrifice of a steady home for their family to grow in, and no one takes this harder, or is more affected by it, than kids.
Just off the western coast of Morocco lies a volcanic archipelago known as the Canary Islands. Despite its size, the Spanish-controlled territory has developed a locally based premier division called the Preferente which combines with the fifth division of Spanish football. Local Canary Island club Raqui San Isidro are becoming more popular by the day in the Preferente since Pedro’s transfer from Barcelona to Chelsea.
Chelsea made the long-rumored move official on Wednesday when it made its first major addition of the summer by swooping in to sign winger Pedro for £21M from Barcelona. While the player must still pass his medical, the deal looks like it is officially done.
Reports from Germany – following on similar stories in the British press last weekend – claim that Manchester United has bid $95 million for German international striker Thomas Muller. Louis van Gaal enjoys a close relationship with the player, whom he handed his Bayern Munich debut back in 2008, and is keen to test the Bavarian club’s resolve to hang onto one of their star men.
Give PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaïfi this: he's nothing if not ambitious.
French Newspaper Le Parisien reported that PSG will use its newfound oil money to try to sign Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two best players in the world.
Never mind the exhorbitant release clauses. Never mind previous rejections. They are going to try again! And we applaud them for it.
Al-Khelaifi is the proud owner of quite a lot of money, and if there's anyone with the testicular fortitude to make a serious run at both Messi and Ronaldo, it's the Qatari oil baron.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one step closer to coming to America. In fact, he technically lives here. Well, he owns a place that he could theoretically live in and that place is located in the United States.
The New York Post reported that Ronaldo has purchased an $18.5 million apartment in the Trump Towers in New York.
This has, obviously, fueled speculation that Ronaldo will move to the United States to play in MLS when his Real Madrid contract is up in 2018.