Selfless Messi Seems Even More Dangerous – Laudrup

Messi has always been a top favorite of the former football stars and one of the most impressed of the latter is Michael Laudrup. According to the erstwhile Barca legend, the very selfless nature of the 2014 Golden Ball winner makes him even more dangerous.

The ex Real Madrid star is pleased by the way Messi has been able to graduate in his sport & is amazed to speculate that how he & his Real Madrid  arch rival Ronaldo (Cristiano) could come up with further stellar displays.

In 20 football matches this 2014 season, the Argentine captain has eleven assists that complemented his 9 goals. He has received immense plaudits for his caring stance of a dedicated playmaker, alongside the very in-form Neymar.

The Dane, the man who scored for 5 years for Camp Nou before leaving for Santiago in the year 1994, showered great praise on the extremely talented Argentine forward for his matured play-style.

“Messi of previous years was undoubtedly a phenomenon yet he usually looked to finish his move”, remarked the former football star while speaking on the Argentina captain.

“Now he usually goes past the players & is always ready to assist the teammates- that makes Messi even more dangerous & more tough to thwart than before.”

The erstwhile Swansea coach finds it amazing that both the Barca treasure & his Real Madrid rival Ronaldo (Cristiano) show no hint of lacking in quality even after 5 years of going neck-to-neck in the La Liga championships. However, Laudrup also warned that the Clasico match coming up on Saturday could bring out a lot of other matchwinners.

“The way Ronaldo & Messi are continuing with stellar performances is just so amazing”, continued Laudrup. “Both the players look forward to stay in tune as they have been undoubtedly two f the best footballers the world has ever seen.”

Tavecchio Accused Of Racist Remarks

Italian football and the Italian League are no strangers when it comes to scandals, investigations, racism and everything that goes along those lines. A few years ago during the 2006 Italian football scandal, major clubs such as: Ac.Milan, Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio were found guilty of rigging matches and a number of punishments were given to the clubs as well as to the individuals involved.

Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio had to be relegated to the 2nd division in Italian Football which is Serie B as well as having points deducted. The referees that were caught doing this scandal were banned between a periods of 3 months to 5 years from football while some of them were even jailed.

Mario Balotelli and the former Ac.Milan player Kevin-Prince Boateng are some of the performers that have been hit with racial abuse when performing in the Italian League, Serie A. This has even led to matches having to be cancelled due to number of crowds and racial chants which has affected players in the playing grounds.

One of the latest incidents of this nature that has popped up involves the president of the Italian football federation (FIGC) Carlo Tavecchio and a series of alleged racist remarks. Tavecchio was selected as the president of the FIGC a few days ago but he will now be facing a disciplinary investigation after making a speech involving a fictitious player called: Opti Poba who had “previously ate bananas and then suddenly becomes a first team player with Lazio.”

Carlo Tavecchio has a criminal record which dates back to 1970 as he has been sentenced in numerous occasions as he has been found guilty of tax evasion, falsification of reports and a number of other incidents and now the Italian executive can add to his portfolio claims of racism.

Beckenbauer Claims Only Germany Could Stop Brazil

German legend Franz Beckenbauer has claimed that only his German national team will be capable of stopping the Brazilians at the upcoming World Cup 2014. Brazil are regarded as the favourites to win the title due to the home support behind them. However, there are also other teams capable of achieving this glory and this includes the likes of Germany and Spain. Spain come into the World Cup as the defending champions while Germany have come under criticism for the repeated failures in major tournaments.

As a result, there is a lot of pressure on the young German team and manager Joachim Loew. Despite this, Beckenbauer claims that Germany will be able to lift the World Cup title, which would join them in the elite rank. Currently, Brazil have the world record when it comes to most number of World Cup titles won – five. Despite facing a tough says that includes the likes of Portugal and the USA, Beckenbauer says that Germany cannot only progress from the group, but also win the tournament itself.

The first major tournament for the Germans will be against Portugal, who have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani in their ranks. If Germany win this match, then they would straightaway be considered as favourites for the knockout stages.

“I have seen Brazil play devastatingly well during the Confederations Cup. And they will be doing the same during the World Cup as well. Brazil can truly be challenged only by the Germans. However, I know that the teams that have won the Confederations Cup have never won the World Cup in the same year. So, in that respect, they have some problems. Otherwise, they will start as clear favourites. We have really a good side with (Bastian) Schweinsteiger and (Manuel) Neuer,” said the honorary president of Bayern.

Courtois Has Rivalry With Cech

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has stated that he cannot be in the same team along with goalkeeper Petr Cech since it would be unhealthy for both of them. Courtois has come on leaps and bounds in the last two years. Even though he has been a Chelsea player since 2011, he has spent all of his time at Atletico Madrid. After a mediocre first season, the young goalkeeper has been one of the best in the world with his impressive performances, which have started speculation that he will be fighting for the first-team spot at Chelsea from next season.

Courtois, though, has revealed that he does not want to be fighting along with Cech, who he thinks is the best in the world, since it would be unhealthy for both players. At just 22 years of age, Courtois says that he wants to play regularly in order to improve his game. There has been a lot of speculation that Courtois may make the move to Atletico Madrid permanent, but it has also been reported that Czech Republic’s number one stopper Petr Cech may be sold. At 32 years of age, he is in the prime of his career – for a goalkeeper.

Courtois still has two years left on his current contract and there have been discussions to extend it.

“I still have to talk to Chelsea to discuss my future. I want to have my future done quickly. Hopefully we can find an agreement for next season shortly. I have the biggest respect for Petr Cech, but I think putting me and him in the same team is not the healthiest thing. Neither of us would be happy to just play the FA Cup or League Cup. We need to talk about this and see what will happen,” said the youngster.