Real Madrid and Chelsea desperately wanted Neymar from Santos but the Brazilian had his heart set on Barcelona. This extract from a new book reveals how the chase unfolded and why it ended up in courtOn a July evening in 2011 the football world’s focus was on the Vila Belmiro Stadium in Santos, which appears little changed from the days when a teenage Pelé lived in a dormitory under one of the stands. National-team coaches had arrived in Brazil before the World Cup qualifying draw, as a 19‑year‑old footballer called Neymar went toe-to-toe with Ronaldinho, the two-time world player of the year famous for his hip-swivelling trickery with the ball and toothy grin.Sporting a blond mohawk hairstyle that teenagers all...
The Bernabéu tie this week has rekindled memories of the occasion when one of Real Madrid’s finest sides met a Napoli inspired by Diego MaradonaThe teams are in and Diego Maradona will be leading Napoli in Madrid. He touched down at Barajas airport on Monday and took refuge in his hotel – the same hotel Real Madrid use when they are brought together the night before home games – from where he will head to the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night, invited by the Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis. Thousands of Neapolitans will be there too, high in the north stand. The ones who get tickets, anyway. The sports newspaper AS said on its front-page: “10,000, plus Maradona”. Marca warned...
With the La Liga club struggling, the local-born manager who took them back to the top has departed, saying the team do not reflect him any moreThe revolution ended in tears. “This is hard,” Abelardo Fernández said, voice breaking, fingers rubbing at his eyes and kneading at his temples while the president gently laid a hand on his neck. “I’m not crying because I’m no longer the coach of Sporting Gijón,” he insisted, “I’m crying because of the affection I have for everyone here.” Wednesday morning at Mareo in the green, rolling hills south of Gijón where cowbells ring, and the man who declared “Sporting are revolutionary, like Asturias” , who rescued and represented the club, who often seemed to...
Real Madrid were set to extend their unbeaten run to 41 matches until a late own goal, against his old club, by Sergio Ramos sparked Sevilla’s comebackZinedine Zidane smiled that smile, the one that has served him so well. What had his team lacked, he was asked; what was it they had needed? “Five minutes,” he said gently. Not long, but long enough to change everything. No one had beaten Real Madrid in 40 matches, going back nine months, 30 teams and five competitions, but Sevilla beat them in five minutes. “We knew that this would happen one day,” Zidane said. He just didn’t expect it to happen like this; by 10.30pm on Sunday, he didn’t expect it to happen...
Today’s rumours are wondering whether Shropshire’s nightclub scene will ever leave the 80s where it belongsLuka Modric’s move from Spurs to Real Madrid in 2012 was followed by a strange announcement from the London club. “The club can announce that it has signed a partnership agreement with Real Madrid FC and reached agreement for the transfer of Luka Modric, subject to medical, to the Spanish club. The partnership agreement will see the two clubs working together in respect of players, coaching, best practices and commercial relationships.”Having sold Gareth Bale to the Madrid giants a year later, and after receiving no players, coaches, no announcements of joint commercial ventures, Tottenham ended the ‘partnership’, having watched Real sell Mesut Özil to Spurs’...