| Portuguese completes his sweep of international awards |
| Cristiano Ronaldo player FIFA 2009 |
Agencies
Washington Hispanic
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| Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: AP. |
Cristiano Ronaldo gained the Player of the Year FIFA, with what the Portuguese star of the Manchester United completed a monopoly of the individual awards.
That of Christian was a magic year in every respect, since the Manchester conquered during 2008 the qualifications of the league Premier, the Champions League and the World cup of Clubs.
Christian also was honored by the golden Ball like better European soccer player and he received the kudos of specializing magazines and of the FIFPRO.
Christian obtained 935 votes in the scrutiny of that there took part the technical staff and captains of the national teams.
The second place was for Lionel Messi, the Argentine forward of the Barcelona that it extracted 678 votes. Messi also had represented second in the previous voting, in which the Brazilian Kaká went out triumphantly
Third remained Fernando Torres, the scorer of the Liverpool that obtained 203.
Christian noted down 42 goals the past period and turned into the first player of an English club in obtaining the award with 18 years of history. Also it is the second portuguese in being dedicated, since Luis Figo did it in 2001.
“ It is a truly special moment in my life”, said Christian. “I can say to my mother and sister that the fireworks can already make explode”.
Christian was the big favorite, although in the last weeks Messi's name acquired force at his phenomenal level that it takes to the Barca as the best club of the moment in Europe.
Author of 20 goals in 22 parties with the Barca, Messi also dedicated Olympian champion in Argentina.
The Christian's actions were devaluated a little after the final of the Champions, in which the Manchester conquered for penalties the Chelsea. It did not mark differences in the Euroglass of Austria - Switzerland, where Portugal said goodbye on having lost before Germany in the quarter finals.
Also the starter of the period got lost after surrendering to an operation in the ankle and it has been difficult to his habitual level to return. It takes eight goals in the league Premier, but the last one goes back to November.
His victory, anyway, it was something very awaited and the band of the Opera of Zurick gave a track even before the beginning of the gala after there interpreted the Aryan of "Rinaldo" of Handel.
The Brazilian Marten was the winner of the feminine award for third followed year.
Also, the FIFA awarded the award to the fair play to the Football Federations of Armenia and Turkey.
| Puerto Rican it will fight with Michael Jennings on February 21 |
| Miguel Cotto wants to return to the summit |
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| To vindicate itself. Miguel Cotto wants to return to the first planes of the boxing after his fall before Margarito. |
For Eric Núñez
AP
It is said that the big boxers demonstrate what they cost after the disasters. Now it is the shift of Miguel Cotto to make clear that he can get up after suffering the first defeat of his career.
Half a year, after succumbing noqueado in the eleventh assault before Antonio Margarito, Cotto will return to a planking on February 21 when there measures himself to Michael Jennings for the vacant scepter welter of the World Organization of Boxing.
“ I have the class and the skill to return”, said the Puerto Rican one. “I know that I can return to be the same of earlier. I still keep on feeling as a champion. I want to demonstrate to him to the people that I still have very much boxing. Miguel Cotto wants to be the one that was in June again”, added Cotto.
Cotto still has the thorn of his reverse crossed before Margarito, last July 26 in Las Vegas, in a combat in which it started dominating and finished exceeded by the potency of the Mexican.
Cotto added that he proposes to dispute three fights this year, and in the possible thing with the big names of the division welter.
A possibility is them turn with Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino that in last December technician conquered for nocaut Oscar De La Hoya in 147 pounds. “I am ready to fight with the best and the best thing the fact would be that Pacquiao remains in the 147”, he affirmed.
It did not also prove to be anxious to itself for the period of stagnation most prolonged in his professional trajectory: "That does not worry me in the absolute thing, I come preparing myself with the same everlasting seriousness”.
What yes he recognized is that it is not possible to give the luxury of underestimating with his English opponent, in spite of the fact that this one for the first time will fight out of his country and for a world scepter.
His promoter Bob Arum remembered that the Britons some time ago that they stopped being “bread eaten”, and it mentioned the names of Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton as examples.
“ I do not know it, but I am not going to be careless”, pointed out Cotto (32-1 and 26 nócauts). “They say to me that it is an attacking finished one and that one can move”.
Jennings (34-1, 16 nocauts) expressed himself filled with enthusiasm with his possibilities. “I do not come to spend vacations or me to go for a walk”, it warned. “Margarito demonstrated that Miguel Cotto is not invincible and I will do it to him to remember”.
The wild Indian of New York of the boxing is a habitual stage for Cotto, since there is a combat fought there at least a year between 2005-07.
“ To fight here is like fighting in Puerto Rico. I am as at home with so many people boricua and Latin”, he affirmed.
| Walter Martínez as reinforcement speaks to himself about the catracho |
| DC United promotes his lines |
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| What does it have of villain?, seems to wonder Beckham of his obsession to play in the Milan. photo: AP |
Agencies
aP
For the period 2009, DC United is promoting his lines. Of the players that they were part of the payroll 2008, till now it is known that they will be still the doormen Louis Crayton y Zach Wells, the defenders Bryan Namoff, Devon McTavish, Marc Burch and Greg Janicki; the mediocampistas Marcelo Gallardo, Clyde Simms, Iván Guerrero, Fred, Ben Olsen, Joe Vide and Santino Quaranta; and the forwards Jaime Moreno, Francis Doe, Luciano Emilio y Thabiso Khumalo.
It has come out as well as DC United would be acquiring the Honduran Walter Martínez, who would come to loan of his club Marathón. Nevertheless, even the deal has not been confirmed.
In 2008 the club had long periods of few production owed principally to the injuries that infested the key players of the technician Tom Soehn. As example is the Argentinian Marcelo Gallardo, who with 15 parties played scarcely did four goals and had three assistance.
For the same, the current payroll had to robustecerse with a mediocampista that could assume the leading role when the "Doll" is out of the field (with 33 years it is probable that it happens).
Also attention deserves the situation of Ben Olsen.
Although the mediocampista is venerated by the fans and the administration of the club, it would be slightly intelligent to give him a place again in the payroll especially when in 2008 a pair of minutes played scarcely in the victory over THE Galaxy in the RFK.
The entire payroll belongs to 24 players. DC United had five elections in the draft of the MLS on Thursday, the 15th. It is of hoping that the club also could bring a defender with experience in more demanding leagues.
| Negotiations are intensified by the Brazilian |
| DT of the Manchester City loves Kaká |
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| It does not sell. Milan will not get rid of Kaká, but the Manchester City keeps on pressing. photo: AP |
Agencies
Washington Hispanic
Mark Hughes, the technician of Manchester City, said that it supports the hopes to record Kaká, and his assistant indicated that the English club and the Milan are "very close" of coming to an agreement.
The City offered the record number for 100 million pounds sterling (145 million dollars) for the Brazilian star, according to diverse press reports.
Although the 26-year-old attacker said on Wednesday, the 14th that wants to remain in the Milan, Hughes pointed out that the negotiations will continue until it should close the passes market on February 2.
“ The people must not think that this is a caprice”, said Hughes. “We take several months analyzing this and Kaká was in our plans from the beginning”.
“ It is not anything that we think only about last week and that decide suddenly. This week there were advances. It is a soccer decision that was taken knowing that it can progress”.
Hughes was more cautious than his assistant Mark Bowen, who spoke with the BBC and said that “we believe that we are nearly one agreement”.
“ We believe that there are a lot of possibilities that Kaká comes to Manchester City”, he added.
The spokesman of Kaká, Diego Kotscho, confirmed that the City offered 100 million pounds sterling for the attacker.
“ In January it is a very difficult market to negotiate”, said Hughes. “If the teams do not want to sell his players, it is no much that we could do on this matter”.
If the transference is realized, it would overcome the previous world record of 65 million dollars that Real Madrid paid to the Juventus for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.
Kaká chosen by the FIFA like the best soccer player of the world in 2007, said that he wants to continue in the Milan but he admitted that the last word is of the club.
“ While my goals are the same that those of the Milan and they do not want to sell to me, I am going to keep on being a player of the Milan”, expressed the Brazilian. “If they want to sell me some day, then it is another story”.
Kaká has already spoken on the possibility of playing in the league Premier with his compatriots Robinho and Elano, both of the City.
“ I like very much the league Premier”, said Kaká in November. “There are many important players and many important teams, and I believe that in this moment it is the best championship of the world. So perhaps any day, I do not know when, I would be fabulous to play in England”.
Man City turned overnight into a club with immense resources at disposal, then that in last September was acquired by the consortium Abu Dhabi United, whose proprietor is the Arab sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed To The Nahyan. The buy of the club, according to versions, would have been for 370 million dollars.
Almost immediately, Man City paid a record total out for the English soccer, on having offered 58,5 million dollars to Real Madrid to bring to him the forward Robinho.
Abu Dhabi has proposed to have to the club in the same level as the big ones of the English soccer, like the Manchester United and Chelsea.
Man City, which Wayne Bridge has just hired to the left side street, is considered to be the only one of the league Premier with money in abundance to spend during the market of passes of January.
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