I really home both he and Neymar are ready to play so well that the opposing defense is faced with an impossible task of who to shut down. Because we're going to need to be at our best this weekend.
On one hand I want to criticize the fans for abandoning them. On the other hand, Manchester United need to realize that fans expect more out of their club and aren't putting up with it.
I think that while the fans should expect more out of United, they should still watch the matches now. It could just be that rather than go to the bar in the morning, they are just watching it on tv/computer?
We're talking about a team that's had great success year upon year for two decades or more; and now, a half-season of mediocrity is causing some fans to stop watching? Fsck them. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't ask for a more crystal-clear definition of glory hunting/front running.
Ferguson is an iconic figure for them, I believe his retirement certainly has an impact on both fans and players.
Yaya Toure comes off injured for Man City against Newcastle. Looks like some sort of back injury. Hard to say... Edit: Now Nasri gets injured and this one looks more serious. His season could be over. Absolute dirty play by whoever that donkey wearing #13 for Newcastle is.
Atletico Madrid will be on alert. Following the 4-3 defeat away to that new club Sassuolo, Milan have called a press conference for Monday, apparently regarding the status of Allegri.
i'm guessing that CR7 will win the 2013 Balon D'Or, but will then fail to make the top three for 2014.
Grats to Christina for winning the Ballon d'or , wasn't surprised after all the bitching and crying she did in the last two months...
Congrats to Cristiano. I think Ribery and Messi would've made equally deserving winners, but Cristiano deserves it just fine. Obviously he's a big rival and there won't thus be many occasions to praise him, but he's a great player. He better enjoy it, as it's the last major trophy (team or individual) he's gonna win in his career.
The ceremony always strikes me as very amateurish. There are so many awkward moments. And as much as Pele' was great, I wonder if he lobbied to get that Honorary Ballon D'Or trophy.
S Seems to me like this show was all propaganda for Brazil and the WC, and it made sense to make up the lifetime award for Pele to fit into that. So CR7 wins the Ballon. It was a tough decision, since nobody was really far and away a clear candidate. But again, what did Crissy win last year? He didn't even get Pichichi. He had a good game vs. Sweden to qualify Portugual, but why was Portugal in a playoff to begin with? I think the voting deadline extension definitely helped seal it for CR7. [blasphemy]I don't deny CR7 is a great enough player to deserve a couple Ballons in his career. [/blasphemy] I just wonder what the exact criteria for him winning in 2013 were, esp. vis-a-vis Ribery and Messi who edged him in team and individual accomplishments.
I agree, the only thing he won with LPB last year was the Supercopa and he didn't win the Pichichi. At least Messi won the Liga and the Pichichi and Ribery won the treble. CR7 with Portugal: 10 goals Messi with Argentina: 6 goals Ribery with France: 2 goals
I definitely think that the voting extension was a good help to Ronaldo, but to some degree, all these awards come down to popularity too if you look at whom some people have chosen in the past. That's to take nothing away from Ronaldo, who had a superb season and if it were not for Messi he would have won a couple more Ballons. He's a rival, so I don't like complimenting him (lol), but his goal scoring rates are astonishing as well. He has been playing at a superb clip over the past 4-5 seasons and with Messi injured for parts of the past season, it seemed like it was his time again. Ronaldo is very consistent at putting up large numbers. Now there are facets of his game one would wish to see him eradicate, and maybe some personality traits too, but no one is perfect. Ribery obviously won everything team based, and is definitely one of the stars on Munich, but I think he is a) not as popular and b) the Bundesliga is not as well known internationally by the average fans as the EPL or Liga. Who knows how much of Ribery the voters saw last season? I also think that Ribery was hindered by the fact that Bayern are such a juggernaut that there are any number of players you can say could carry or help carry their team. I know some of the Bayern fans feel Bastian runs the team from the midfield, for instance. They have Robben, Muller, Javi Martinez. Ribery could sit out 5 matches, and I doubt anyone would notice because Bayern would roll along. That may have been the biggest factor against Ribery, he may not have been viewed as the key player on his team. I look at it like this, and state how you feel if you please. If you had to build a team and you had to pick between only Ribery and Ronaldo to start your team who would you pick? I would pick Ronaldo.