Messi lights up Copa America with hat trick

Fans chanted his name throughout Argentina's opening game even though he wasn't on the pitch, against Panama, but they eventually got to see their hero in action.

With Argentina leading by a goal and half an hour to play, Lionel Messi was introduced and in typical fashion, he lit up the tournament with his brilliance. The attacker bagged a hat trick and set up a fifth goal to help Argentina to a comfortable win and send them through to the next round. Argentines will be hoping their talisman maintains this blitz all the way in search of an elusive continental title.

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Football: ‘I Could Have Won Five Golden Boots In A Row But Chose Not To’

Thierry Henry has played down his natural ability as a goal-scorer, but insists he could have won five Golden Boots in a row had he been more selfish.

_Arsenal’s record scorer – and in the eyes of many, greatest ever player – was the Premier League’s top scorer in four out of five seasons between 2001 and 2006.

The only time he missed out on the gong was in 2002/03, when Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy pipped him to it.

The Dutchman scored 25 league goals that season while Henry scored 24 and assisted 23.

The World Cup winning Frenchman insists he could have won it that year too, but chose not to._


“I was a player that scored goals – I wasn’t a goal-scorer,” Henry told ShortList.

“I was making passes. I could have won five Golden Boots in a row. But, in 2003, in the last game versus Sunderland, I gave Freddie [Ljungberg] three goals.

“I’m battling with Ruud van Nistelrooy but I gave him three goals. Is that the sign of a guy that wants to win the Golden Boot?”

He added:

“I’m more proud of my assists than my goals. I’ve said it many times. I gave people penalties. With Edu [Gaspar], I gave him a penalty in his last league game [in which Henry himself didn’t score]. I was fighting with James Beattie, but that was better than winning the Golden Boot.

“If I had to score a goal, I’d score a goal. If I had to make a pass, I’d make a pass. I try to do the right thing at the right time.”

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Football: See Why Neymar Could Leave Barcelona Soon

Neymar could be forced to leave Barcelona due to his ongoing tax issues in Spain, according to his father. Skysports Reports.

The Brazil striker, who attracted interest from Manchester United in the summer, is in negotiations over extending his contract, which runs out in 2018.

Barca are keen to renew the 23-year-old’s deal and increase his £140m release clause but ahead of Saturday’s Clasico clash with Real Madrid – his father and manager, Neymar Santos Sr, has raised doubts about his son’s future with the club.

“We’ve begun contract renewal talks, but there are outstanding issues that concern us, and which need to be resolved,” Neymar Sr told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.

“Since we arrived to Spain we have been under attack and it has extended to Brazil. For the last two-and-a-half years, we have had to defend ourselves from accusations.

“We will respect Neymar’s contract with Barca but regarding the contract extension, we need a deal that gives us peace of mind for Neymar, my companies and my family.

Which Club will suit Neymar if he decides to come to the English Premier League?

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Football: Aston Villa Star Racially Abused By Politician From Home Country

Aston Villa defender Jores Okore has been subjected to racial discrimination on social media by a politician in his home country of Denmark. Mirror football reports.

Daniel Carlsen, leader of far-right ‘The Danish Party’, took to Twitter to make vile comments after Okore was snapped showing off the national team’s new shirts.

Okore, who is battling back from a knee operation which has kept him sidelined for the whole of this season so far, was absent as Denmark lost 2-1 in Stockholm last night in the first leg of their Euro 2016 playoff against Sweden.

He has eight international caps, but Carlsen doesn’t think Africans should be representing the country.

In response to the picture, he tweeted:

“It is unfortunately not just the national team’s shorts which has a new colour.”

When asked to clarify his comments, he added:

“I do not believe that Africans should represent Denmark’s national team.”

The comments were immediately condemned across Denmark.

Okore, 23, became the country’s first black international in 2011, having been born in the Ivory Coast and moving to Copenhagen at the age of three.

He turned down the chance to play for his country of birth, instead opting to represent the place where he was nurtured.

The Danish FA took to Twitter to show their support, posting a picture of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Yussuf Poulsen with face paint of France and Tanzania flags respectively, showing their roots.

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Football: ‘Chelsea Can Still Win The Premier League’

Chelsea Midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes his team can still retain the Premier League title amid a poor start to the season. Naijaloaded reports.

Chelsea trail joint League leaders Manchester City and Arsenal by 11 points, and no team in the Premier League has won the trophy with fewer than 18 points from their first 10 games, but Fabregas, 28, doesn’t seem too concerned about stats.

“I’m sure we can still win the league,” the Spain midfielder was speaking to the Match of the Day magazine.

“We just have to get our confidence back, win a few games on the trot and from there we’ll see what happens.

“In the Premier League anyone can lose points to anyone.”

Are Chelsea Still In The Title Race?

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Jose Mourinho - ‘Chelsea have lost their fear factor’ manager admits

play Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that they have lost their fear factors which has given sides the confidence to play them.

The English Premier League defending champions are 16th in the table after losing four games.

Ahead of this weekend’s clash against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho feels the visitors will not be intimidated.

“Maybe. Maybe. One thing is to go to a stadium where there is a huge percentage of defeats for the away team,” Mourinho said during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

play Jose Mourinho says he will appeal FA's decision to fine him (Reuters)

“Another thing is to go to a stadium where the home team in the last four games has won only once. I really believe every team coming to Stamford Bridge doesn’t fear us. They think they can get a result.”

The Chelsea manager was recently given a suspended one game ban and fined £50,000 following his comment about the referee after their home loss to Southampton.

Mourinho however states that he will appeal the decision.

 “Yes, I will appeal,” he said.

“Maybe I am naive (And I know that I can use that word) but for me English football and its fans and passion for the game, what makes me like so much this country and the football in this country is not the FA. It’s the people. If one day I have to work for that people I will."

Watch this Jose Mourinho video, below:

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Neymar' - Manchester United made an offer' father of star reveals

  

Father of Brazilian star, Neymar has claimed that Manchester United had a £130m offer turned down by Barcelona for the forward.

Manchester United Chief Executive, Ed Woodward reportedly contacted Barcelona in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.

Naymar’s father, Neymar da Silva Santos who is also the agent of his son has now claimed that United did make an offer which was rejected by Barcelona.

play Neymar 's father is also his agent (Daily Mail)

“Man United’s offer came to Barça and they told us they won’t sell. They asked if we were interested but that wasn’t the case,” Neymar senior told Brazilian publication Globo.

“Barcelona does not want to sell because Neymar has a three-year contract.”

Watch this Neymar video, below:

 

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Enyeama And Musa Shortlisted For African Footballer Of The Year Award

Two Nigerian players, Ahmed Musa and Vincent Enyeama, are in the run to win the 2015 CAF African Footballer of the Year Award after the duo were included in the shortlist of 37 players released on Sunday by the continent’s soccer ruling body.
The two players have been in blistering form for their respective clubs this term with Musa scoring ten goals in all competitions for his Russian club, CSKA Moscow, while Enyeama has kept five clean sheets in six Ligue 1 games for his French side Lille who are 12th on the log.
The list of nominees released by CAF on Sunday is dominated by Algerian players with six footballers from the North African country in the squad even though they failed to make an impact at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ivory Coast, who finished top at the tournament in Equatorial Guinea, have four players in the shortlist with Yaya Toure leading the pack from the West African country.
The Ghanaian duo of Christian Atsu and Andre Ayew also made the star-studded shortlist.
Musa and Enyeama were also shortlisted last year with Enyeama making it to the final shortlist of three.
It is yet to be seen if either of the two Nigerian players will finally end the long wait for the country as no Nigerian player has won the top prize since 2000 when Kanu Nwankwo was voted the best on the continent,
Meanwhile, the present 37-man list will be pruned down to 10 by next month before it is further reduced to five and then the final three before the award ceremony is held.
Yaya Toure has won this prestigious award four times including in the last three straight years.

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See Photos Of New Super Eagles Captain, Ahmed Musa, Doing A Bricklayer’s Job

New Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa is a humble man to the core. Apart from being a footballer,he is a versatile man who likes to try new things.
See photos of him doing a bricklayer job above.
How many stars can do this

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Photos Of Super Eagles Players Training Ahead Of Today’s Match With Cameroon

Super Eagles players pictured training ahead of today’s friendly match againts Cameroon in Belgium.

See more photos below:-

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2 More To Go: Cristiano Ronaldo Set To Break Raul’s Record As Highest Goal Scorer For Real Madrid

Ronaldo is set to become Real Madrid’s all-time record goalscorer.

The current goal scorer is Raul with 323 while Ronaldo has 321. So two more goals and he will have the all time record.

Describe this Football Legend in one word..

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10 Nigerian Footballers Who Will Never Play For Super Eagles

Nigeria is blessed with lots of talented football players and some of them play for the best leagues and teams in the world.

While many have gotten to feature for the Super Eagles during the course of their careers, some others will never get to play for their fatherland.

We tale a look at some of these players, who may possibly never play for the Nigerian national team, due to their mixed roots and preference of their home countries.

1. Chuba Akpom

He is currently on loan at Hull City from Arsenal FC. The young striker, who was born to a Nigerian father and an English mother has represented England at various youth levels and has even hinted that he may never play for Nigeria.

When asked where he sees himself 5 years from now during a Q and A session on Twitter, he said: “Hopefully still playing for Arsenal and the England senior team too. I want to emulate the Arsenal legends.”

2. Jordan Ibe

The Liverpool FC winger is another footballer of Nigerian descent lost to England. Born Jordan Ashley Femi Ibe, he is a winger c*m striker and has played his entire career at Anfield.

Ibe has represented England at various youth teams. Sunday Oliseh tried persuading him to play for the Super Eagles, however on 13 September, it was confirmed that Ibe had committed his international future to England.

3. David Alaba

David Olatokunbo Alaba was born in Vienna to a Filipino mother (a nurse) and a Nigerian father (a DJ and former rapper). He currently plays for Bayern Munich and the Austrian national football team.

Alaba was instrumental in Bayern’s treble winning team last season. He has played a multitude of roles, including central midfield, right and left wing. In October 2009, he was called up to the senior Austria national team for a match against France. He has since been capped 26 times by Austria.

He is now arguably one of the best left backs in the world.

4. Ross Barkley

With a Nigerian paternal grandfather, he was eligible to represent Nigeria earlier in his career, but opted to represent his country of birth. He has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-19, under-20, under-21 and senior level.

He scored his first goal for England under-21’s on 13 August 2013, in a 6–0 win against Scotland.

Barkley was called up to the senior England squad in August 2013, and earned his first senior cap the following month, coming on as a substitute for Jack Wilshere in a 4–0 win in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova at Wembley.

5. Sidney Sam

Born to a German mother and Nigerian father, Sam decided early on to represent his country of birth. After starring in Germany’s under-19 and under-20 teams, Sam made his senior international debut for Germany in a friendly game against Ecuador in Boca Raton, Florida. Sam was named to the 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by German national team manager, Joachim Löw.

6. Gabriel Agbonlahor

Gabriel Imuetinyan “Gabby” Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986). Agbonlahor was born to a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother in Birmingham. His ancestry qualifies him to play for Scotland or Nigeria at international level, but he chose to play for his homeland of England.

Agbonlahor is a product of Aston Villa’s Academy and still plays for the club. He is also Aston Villa’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer. On 19 November, he made his international debut against Germany. He played for 76 minutes. Since then he has earned only three caps for the English national team.

7. Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor

Adebayor was born in Togo to Nigerian parents and plays for Tottenham Hotspurs in England and the Togolese National Team.

He’s previously played for AS Monaco, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Adebayor was voted African Player of the Year in 2008. He has played for Togo 57 times.

8. Nedum Onuoha


Chinedum “Nedum” Onuoha (born 12 November 1986) plays for Queens Park Rangers. He is a defender, usually used as a centre back, but he can also play at right back or left back. Born in Warri, Nigeria, Onuoha was brought up in Manchester, England.

In March 2007, Onuoha received an international call up from Nigeria, but announced he would like to represent England at full international level.

However, he has since admitted that he would play at the FIFA World Cup for Nigeria if he were to be called up. Onuoha has never been capped by England at international level.

9. Oguchi Onyewu

Oguchialu Chijioke “Oguchi” Onyewu is an American central defender who is currently a free agent. Onyewu’s parents moved to the United States from Nigeria to study in Washington, D.C. They are from the Igbo ethnic people of Nigeria. He made his first appearance for the senior national team on October 13, 2004, against Panama. Onyewu has been capped by USA 64 times. Oguchi still remains a free agent after Sporting announced the termination of his contract by mutual consent.

10. Dennis Aogo

Born to a Nigerian father and a German mother, Aogo grew up in Oberreut, a suburb in the south-west of Karlsruhe in Germany. Aogo is capable of playing either as a left back or as a defensive midfielder. He currently plays for FC Schalke 04 (on loan from Hamburger SV). Nigeria gave him the chance to play at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa but Aogo announced that he would only play for Germany.

He made his national team debut for Germany in a friendly match against Malta in a 3–0 victory on 13 May 2010, playing 79 minutes, before being replaced by Jérôme Boateng. He has been capped 12 times sand not much has been heard about him since then

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Lionel Messi - Pep Guardiola says Barcelona player is 'best player of all time'

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has labeled Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, the 'best player of all time'.

The former Barcelona manager was on the opposition side as Messi helped knock Bayern Munich out of the UEFA Champions League.

Speaking after the semi-final second 3-2 victory over Barcelona, Guardiola said: "He is the best player of all time, I compare him with Pele."

Guardiola who managed Barcelona from 2008 to 2012 has backed his former club to win this season's UCL.

"I hope Barca win their fifth Champions League final," Guardiola said.

Barca will play Real Madrid or Juventus in the final in Berlin on 6 June.
Steve Dede

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Osaze Odemwingie​ Super Eagles forward suffers injury set back

Just two weeks after returning to training after an eight month absence, Osaze Odemwingie have suffered another injury setback.

The forward has made two substitute for Stoke City since his return from injury but revealed that a fresh muscle injury as sent him back to the treatment room.

The former West Brom forward was expected to feature for Stoke reserve team against Wolves on Monday, May 4 but pulled out of the game having what he described as a “little muscle injury”.

“Little set back with a minor muscle injury so unfortunately I won’t take part in the reserve game this noon at the Britannia as planned,” he tweeted.

It has not been confirmed how long this new injury will keep him out of action

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2022 World Cup Qatar arrests journalists filming FIFA corruption expose

In the latest of controversies involving Qatar and the 2022 World Cup, two TV Journalists have reportedly been arrested, detained and interrogated while they were filming a documentary in Qatar.

The two journalists were said to be working on stories involving an expose about corruption in FIFA's decision to choose Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup.

According to a translated press release from WDR and a tweet from one of the journalists, Qatar authorities also deleted the materials the crew had recorded and confiscated and damaged their equipment.

Accroding to the WDR release, the documentary is called 'The Selling of Football: Sepp Blatter and the Power of FIFA.'

The Guardian and ESPN have previously published facts that exposed the wretched conditions construction workers and how they are paid paltry wages.

An internal probe by FIFA's ethics committee cleared the organization of corruption last year, but it's still being investigated by FBI

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Mourinho Is Greater Than Wenger & Guardiola – Fabregas

The Spanish international midfielder believes the Portuguese coach has a “magic touch” and believes his desire to win places him above Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger

Cesc Fabregas has claimed that Jose Mourinho is the best manager he has played under.

Chelsea wrapped up their first Premier League title in five seasons with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday and Fabregas believes Mourinho’s influence on that triumph cannot be underestimated, crediting his winning mentality as a key factor in Chelsea’s success.

The Spaniard has worked under esteemed coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Vicente del Bosque and Arsene Wenger in his career, but says that Mourinho is number one.

“He (Mourinho) just loves winning,” the 28-year-old said. “I’m not just saying other managers I have played under don’t, but he has some edge that goes above anyone else I have ever been with.

“The mentality shows every single training session, or game. I now understand why he has won what he has won in his career.

“Yes, Mourinho has a touch of magic, 100 per cent. He knows how to manage a team, he knows how to get the best out of you, and that’s what you want from a manager. 100 per cent.”

Fabregas also warned the Blues’ rivals that this season could be just the beginning of a protracted spell of dominance for Mourinho’s side.

“Hopefully it will be the start of a new era, a new team. Hopefully the new players now feel this winning mentality can go on for a long time,” he added.

“Even obviously we have the likes of John Terry, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic and Jon Obi Mikel, they have all been here seven or eight years, even longer.

“I have always said since the beginning of the season that it is a very young talented team, and that as well is one of the causes that made me sign for the club, is that, potentially, this team can be one of the best in Europe.”

Source:- Goal.com

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English Premier League Chelsea win league title with 3 matches remaining

Chelsea have won the English Premier League with three matches to go after defeating Crystal Palace by a lone goal.

Jose Mourinho's men were up against a pragmatic Crystal Palace side, but an Eden Hazard penalty was all they needed to seal a win and a first league title in five eyars.

After threading a pass to Willan, the Chelsea number 10 collected a return pass and attempted to wriggle into the box.

While trying to tackle, McArthur made contact with Hazard who fell to earn a penalty.

The Belgian picked himself up to take the penalty.

His first effort which was tame was saved by Speroni, but Hazard pounced on the rebound to score Chelsea's only goal of the game.

Alan Pardew men were however up for a fight as Chelsea tried without success to get the second.

Ivanovic dragged his effort wide, Speroni denied a John Obi-Mikel effort, while WIllian's effort went wide after dancing past a couple of defenders.

Palace als had their own chances, but Puncheon effort narrowly missed target while Thibaut Courtois was sharp to save at the feet of Wilfried Zaha.

In the usual Jose Mourinho style, Chelsea ended the game with six recognised defenders on the pitch, plus two defensive midfielders.

They remained resolute and protected their one goal lead and now they are EPL Champions.

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#MayVSPac! After 12 Rounds! Mayweather Beats Pacquiao

The winner: Mayweather remains undefeated via unanimous decision, with two judges scoring it 116-112 and the other 118-110. Mayweather landed 67 more punches according to CompuBox. Pacquiao landed double-figure punches in only three out of 12 rounds. Accuracy, defense and ring generalship clearly belong to Mayweather, even at age 38.

Round 12: Mayweather completes the fight as he did in most of the rounds: owning the center of the ring and not allowing Pacquiao to get inside. Mayweather is too quick and too skilled defensively. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 11: Mayweather comes out firing and lands at his highest volume of the fight. Pacquiao has a brief flurry, but Mayweather ducks and escapes back to the center of the ring where he is completely comfortable. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 10: Mayweather gets backed into the corner but never absorbs more than a glancing blows and is able to counter enough. Pacquiao was more active but not nearly as accurate. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 9: Pacquiao draws cheers from the partisan crowd with a flurry at the end of the round, but Mayweather lands enough early and more frequently to keep the fight in the center of the ring. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 8: Pacquiao is the more active fighter, but Mayweather more accurate, scoring with straight rights. Mayweather baits Pacquiao to come forward, then lands several counters. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 7: Mayweather takes control by keeping the action in center of the ring and setting up Pacquiao with the jab. Pacquiao was able to land with a straight left, but Mayweather connected with greater frequency. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 6: Pacquiao comes back with more volume combinations that connect mainly to the body but glance off Mayweather’s gloves up top. Pacquiao not landing at high percentage but, Mayweather didn’t land at all. Advantage: Manny.

Round 5: Mayweather scores on counterpunches with Pacquiao laying back after a whirlwind Round 4. More activity from Mayweather, who was able to land combinations. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 4: Pacquiao begins throwing at a high rate but lands only several times. Mayweather doesn’t appear fazed, but Pacquiao appears to be gaining confidence, landing on counterpunches and having the crowd squarely behind him. Advantage: Manny.

Round 3: Mayweather keeps the action in the center of the ring, attacking the body and landing straight rights up top. Pacquiao swinging wildly and missing. Advantage: Floyd.

Round 2: Pacquiao comes back strong, moving Floyd into the corner and landing. Mayweather was unable to connect with his right like in Round 1. Advantage: Manny.

Round 1: Mayweather was more active than usual in the early going and has already begun leaning on Pacquiao and landed several scoring blows, including a straight right. Advantage: Floyd.

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Some Amazing Football Fact You Won’t Want To Miss

1. When Barcelona’s Xavi was 19, he almost signed for Milan. His father gave his “yes” to him but his mother said “if Xavi leaves Barca, I will divorce!”

2. While Zlatan Ibrahimovich’s youth team was 4-0 down, he came in as a substitute and scored 8 goals.

3. Juan Mata is the first player in history to have joined Manchester United from Chelsea.

4. Xherdan Shaqiri has so far won league titles in every year of his professional career !

5. Alex Song has 27 siblings – 17 sisters and 10 brothers.

6. Ryan Giggs is the only Premier League player to score 100 goals without scoring a hat-trick.

7. Cristiano Ronaldo was named after former US President Ronald Reagan.

8. Steven Gerrard has swapped his jersey with more than a hundred players, but never with a Man United player.

9. Ronaldinho first gained media attention when his youth team won 23 – 0. He scored all 23 goals.

10. Chelsea have been relegated more times than they have won the league.

11. The difference in Messi’s age and Ronaldo’s age is 869 days. The same difference between Messi and Ronaldo’s son.

12. Zinedine Zidane was never caught offside in his whole career.

13. Only one GOLD Premier League trophy has been awarded and it was to Arsenal because in 2003/2004 season, they didn’t lose one match.

14. Brazilian legend, Pele, scored 92 hat-tricks, 4goals on 31 occasions, 5 goals on 6 occasions, and 8 goals onan occasion.

15. When Mourinho says you have a bright future, it means you can’t make his team at the present.

16. Cristiano Ronaldo was expelled from school at the age of 14 after throwing a chair at his teacher for mocking his family’s financial status.

17. CR7 has no tattoos because he frequently gives blood and getting a tattoo will render him unable to do so for 6 months.

18. Real Madrid sold 50,000 James Rodriguez jerseys in one day. Juventus sold 0 (zero) Bendtner jersey in one season.

19. In January 2003, Van Gaal was SACKED by Barcelona after leaving them just 3 points above the relegation zone.

20. Louis Van Gaal and David Moyes attended the same Tactical Management School.

21. Arsenal bought Anelka, Overmars, Petit, Henry,Vieira, Fabregas, RVP, Adebayor and Nasri for £42 million. Then sold them for £206 million.

22. Hearts of Oak never lost a game in the Ghana Premier League but they couldn’t clinch the league title.

Which one of them do you find interesting?

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Top 7 Highest Paid Nigerian Footballers in 2015

Let’s take a look at the priciest Nigerian footballers – the ones you hear about every day and some relatively new names. We will be moving towards the highest paid footballers, and start with a relatively small amount of £1 million a year.



Super Eagles midfielder, Kalu Uche, is the first one on our list, making £1.04m a year. He showed himself being a desired footballer back in 2012, when he got £630,000 – half of his transfer fee to Kasimpasa, Turkey, from Espanyol. This was made according to the previous agreement he had with the Espanyol club, made on his free transfer from Swiss club Neuchatal Xamas.



With an annual wage of almost £2 million pounts, Joseph Yobo is one of the most noticeable players on the list. He is known to have scored this amount at least twice, at Everton where he was earning £1,974,000 a year, and then as he was transferred to Fenerbahce he started earning £1.8m, which was even more as he didn’t have to pay 35% taxes anymore



The player that could have made it to the top of the list and appeared at its mere beginning is Victor Moses. Having gained almost £9 million at joining Chelsea, Moses unfortunately had to move forward and joined Liverpool on much smaller salary, of £55,000 a week (£2.5 a year).



Nonetheless, John Utaka denied all the rumours of earning £80,000 a week (£3.6 million a year) at Portsmouth when the club was in financial trouble, we still dared to mention this amount in our list. The footballer insists on being paid just £30,000 a week at the club, which is more than two times less than what was rumoured. In 2011 he joined Montpellier in a contract for 2,5 years for £40,000 a week, which seems to confirm that the rumours were not true



In 2012-2013 football seasons, John Mikel Obi was the highest paid footballer with a yearly income of £4 million a year. Midfielder in the Chelsea started earning this amazing salary having signed a 5-year contract in 2012. Prior to that, his income was £2.6 million a year. According to the tax laws of the UK, however, his paycheck gets cut quite a bit, still he is among one of the highest paid players from Nigeria.

Mikel Obi is 27, and he is sure to enjoy several years of his career ahead of him. Still, football is not his only source of income, as he is a big investor in real estate and bought several mansions in Lagos, Jos and Lond, total worth approximately £4 million a year, as well as a shareholder in several top companies.



Obafemi Martins, the forward of Levante of Spain, is famous for having played for other top clubs like Birmingham City of England, Inter-Milan of Italy,Vfl Wolfsborg of Germany and Newcastle United of England and is now playing for Seattle Sounders in the US. There he became the highest paid player with a salary of £4,437,446 a year. At the moment the player if 28, he owns 2 mansions in Lagos (Victoria Garden City) with a total worth of N500m, in addition to a great house in Como, Italy, priced N800m, and several top hotels in Italy. He also donates to charity, and his recent contribution was over N400m.



Another footballer from Nigeria - Yakubu Aiyegbeni, topped Mikel’s earning by scoring a little over £5.4 million a year with a move to Guangzhou club, China. Being a very international star, there is no surprise that Yakubu Aiyegbeni made it to this list. His recent transfer to China’s club Guangzhou earned him a great amount of £100,000 weekly. He had just joined a Qatari team, for undisclosed amount, and we should probably guess the amount was not less than that.




At the top of our list is a 26-year old footballer – Brown Ideye. Super Eagles forward was recently bought for £10m transfer fee by West Bromwich Albion from Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine. An aspriring Nigerian footballer began his carreer by winning the Nigerian Premier League at Ocean Boys. After that he went to Europe and his price began rapidly going up transfer after transfer. He joined Dynamo Kiev in 2011 for £7m after being transferred from Sochaux for £4m.

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