Luis Suárez Wins Brazil League’s Golden Ball Award

It’s the golden hour for Luis Suárez.

The 36-year-old Uruguayan professional footballer has won the Golden Ball as the player of the season in the Brazilian league ahead of his expected departure from the club.

Luis SuarezSuárez, who played with Lionel Messi at Barcelona after several seasons with Liverpool and Ajax, scored 17 goals for Brazilian league runner-up Gremio. The season ended Wednesday with Palmeiras defending its title and Santos being relegated from the top flight for the first time in club history. 

Suárez scored two goals on the final day of the season in a 3-2 victory over Fluminense at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian league’s top scorer was Atletico Mineiro forward Paulinho with 20 goals.

Suárez said many times he feared he could not finish the season in Brazil because of intense knee pain and the hassle of long flights, but a selection of journalists voted for him to win the Golden Ball award.

Suárez played 53 matches for Gremio and scored 26 goals in three competitions this season.

“I am almost 37 years old, this is the year I played the most times in my career. It was also the year I was most often distant from my family. This award belongs to them,” a tearful Suárez said after receiving the trophy from former Uruguay teammate Diego Lugano.

When asked about his future, Suárez did not respond, but ESPN sources have said that a deal to move to MLS side Inter Miami CF to play with Lionel Messi again has been agreed.

Suárez said he’ll remember not only Gremio fans, but also those of other clubs who respected him as an opponent.

“It is hard to see rival fans here applaud you when you play, and that did happen to me in some places,” Suárez said. “This is all about the player’s mind, it doesn’t matter how old they are.

“It could be Endrick at age 17, Hulk, Suárez. The mindset and the commitment have to be there for you to play and do what you like.”

Rodrygo Helps Lead Real Madrid Past CP Cacereno in Copa del Rey Play

Rodrygo has helped Real Madrid notch an important win… 

A second-string Real Madrid side edged fourth-tier CP Cacereno 1-0 in the Copa del Rey last 32 with a late goal from the 21-year-old Brazilian professional footballer as they bid for their first triumph in the competition since 2014.

RodrygoReal Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti made nine changes to the team that won 2-0 at Real Valladolid on Friday, resting several key players including Karim Benzema and Vinícius Junior.

Real Madrid went into the break locked at 0-0 versus Cacereno, with a crowded stadium seeing little action in the opening period.

It took 69 minutes for Real to break the deadlock when Rodrygo eluded the Cacereno defence to get into the box where he elegantly placed his shot into the top-right corner.

The Santos youth product celebrated by honoring the late Pele, replicating his iconic punch in the air.

Cacereno mounted a late push to get an equalizer, but Real Madrid went into defensive mode and ran down the clock.

Neymar Hopes New Docuseries “The Perfect Chaos” Will Change Public Perceptions of Him

Neymar is hoping to change minds…

The 29-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and Paris Saint-Germain star believes an upcoming Netflix documentary about his life will help people get to know him and like him better.

NeymarThe Perfect Chaos, a three-part documentary series, offers a look into Neymar’s life off the pitch as well as the marketing operations run by his father.

Directed by David Charles Rodriguez, the documentary will be released later this month.

“Those who know me, know who I am and that’s what matters to me,” Neymar told ESPN. “As for those who don’t know me and just speak bad things about me, I just put them aside, but I hope they can still watch this documentary and hopefully it can change their idea or the image they have of me, and I hope they can learn to like me … even a little!

“Few people really know the real me. Just my closest friends, my family, some teammates and now I feel I can show a bit more of my life, of how I am on my day to day, at work, at home, how I am as a father, a son, a brother, and I hope this documentary shows that side to people. It’s what we’ve worked on, we’re showing the truth, 100% and that’s what matters most.”

The Brazil international stated earlier this season after becoming his country’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup qualifying games that he doesn’t receive the respect he deserves from the media and fans in his homeland.

The former Santos and Barcelona star has come under heavy criticism in the past for his behavior on the pitch, with memes of the player diving dominating social media sites.

Neymar is known for hosting lavish celebrations with big personalities in attendance, inevitably drawing media attention. However, he said he will never stop partying despite claims he is immature.

Neymar attended a New Year’s Eve party in crutches, leading to criticism in Brazil that he wasn’t taking care of himself. He reacted to suggestions that he is not taking care of himself during his recovery from an ankle injury sustained in November by posting a photograph on Instagram in which he is seen wearing a mask in a high-tech oxygen chamber.

Neymar has said in the past that criticism made him question his game but added the title of the documentary The Perfect Chaos is a reflection of his life.

“The perfect chaos because my life has always been like that,” Neymar said. “Ever since I was 6 months old, I was in an accident with my parents and well, that’s when the chaos began. We recovered after and nothing happened to me … then after I became a footballer and of course, I’ve had very happy moments, but I’ve still had a lot of chaos in my life.

“But in all this chaos, things have worked out perfectly because I have a very good life, and I’m very grateful for everything, for my family, for all my friends, for all God has done in my life and well, that’s why I think this title is perfect because I’ve had a lot of problems, but things have worked out well.”

Neymar also said his mental strength has helped him succeed.

“You must have your head on straight, so you don’t fall or crumble,” he said. “Family and friends are important, but my teammates, too. They’re always behind me so that when I have a sad day they can help with a word or a hug to make me feel better.

“But I think now I am strong. I’m a strong man, not just physically but in my head too because I have to deal with so much pressure, because of who I am, because of where I play, because I’m Brazilian and a lot of other things. But I have a strong head now and I’ve had to work very hard to get it that way and I think that that is the other really good thing about me, that not only can I play football, but I’ve focused on my mental health.”

Lionel Messi Moves Past Pele to Become the New Leader in the Single Club Goal Tally

Lionel Messi has overtaken a legend…

The 33-year-old Argentine professional soccer star has surpassed Brazil’s legendary footballer Pele to become the player to score the most goals for a single club after taking his tally to 644 on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi

The record-breaking goal came in the second half of Barca‘s 3-0 win at Valladolid, with Messi taking the ball in stride off a nifty flick from Pedri for a finish into the corner of the net.

Pele struck 643 competitive goals for Santos during an 18-year stay with the Brazilian club. He left for the New York Cosmos in 1975 and until Messi’s goal, the record had stood ever since.

 

Gerd Muller came closest to matching Pele’s one-club goal-scoring feat. The former Germany international netted 565 times for Bayern Munich between 1964 and 1979. The top five is completed by Fernando Peyroteo (Sporting CP 1937-49, 544 goals) and Josef Bican (Slavia Prague 1950s, 534 goals).

 

“When I started to play football, I never thought I would break any record. Especially not the record held by Pele that I now hold,” Messi wrote on Instagram after Tuesday’s game. “I can only give thanks to everyone that has helped me throughout the years, my teammates, my family, my friends and everyone that supports me every day.”

 

The only other active player still in the top 10 is Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 450 goals for Real Madrid. The Juventus striker is 10th behind Jimmy McGrory (Celtic 1922-37, 522 goals), Jimmy Jones (Glenavon 1951-62, 517 goals), Uwe Seeler (Hamburg 1953-72, 507 goals) and Eusebio (Benfica 1961-75, 473 goals).

Messi’s Barcelona goals have been spread across 16 years in the club’s first team. He scored his first professional goal in 2005 against Albacete as a 17-year-old.

Along with Ronaldo, who played for Manchester United before Madrid and Juve, Messi has taken goal scoring to new heights over the past decade. Everyone else in the top 10 has been retired for at least 40 years.

Messi reached his zenith in the 2011-12 season, Pep Guardiola‘s final year in charge of Barcelona, when he scored 73 goals in all competitions. That tally was sandwiched in between 53 the previous season and 60 the season after.

The Argentina forward has scored more than 50 goals in a season on six occasions, including 58 in 2014-15 when he won his second Treble as a Barca player.

Messi replaced Cesar Rodriguez (232 goals) as Barca’s top scorer in 2012 and overtook Telmo Zarra (251 league goals) as the record scorer in La Liga in 2014.

In addition to his 644 goals with Barca’s senior side, he scored 11 goals for the C team and the B team as a teenager.

Robinho Returning to Santos for Just Above Brazil’s Minimum Wage Rate

Robinho isn’t afraid to earn a lot less to play for his boyhood club…

The 36-year-old Brazilian professional footballer and former Manchester City forward has signed a five-month contract with former club Santos, and he’ll earn $271 (R$1.500) a month, which is just above the country’s minimum wage.

Robinho

Robinho re-joined his boyhood club for a third stint as a free agent, having left Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir shortly after helping them win their first Super Lig title last season.

“I will play for a minimum wage, but the most important thing is to be here,” Robinho told the club’s official website.

“I am well physically and mentally, obviously there is still a little bit of rhythm [missing], but that over time we will gradually evolve.”

Robinho, who shot to fame after making his professional debut with Santos in 2002, went on to play for Real Madrid, City and AC Milan, among other clubs.

He won two national championships, two Paulista tournaments and the Brazilian Cup in his previous two spells with Santos.

“I have many fond memories here,” Robinho added. “The fans can be certain that I will give my best to help Santos FC on and off the pitch.

Santos FC is going through a difficult financial time. So this is the time for those who can do something. I want to help the club that always gave me everything. Santos FC has already done a lot for me and this return is still little.”

Santos are going through financial difficulties and could soon face a transfer ban from FIFA over unpaid debts.

Chilean club Huachipato are demanding Santos to complete the $3.4m deal over the signing of Venezuelan striker Jefferson Soteldo, while Colombian outfit Atletico Nacional claim they are still owed $774,000 from the sale of defender Felipe Aguilar.

Brazil Unveils Statue of Pele to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of 1970 World Cup Win

Pele’s likeness will live on forever…

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has unveiled a statue of the 79-year-old futbol living legend at its headquarters, the first of a series of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the team’s third World Cup triumph.

Pele

Pele, who will be 80 in October and finds it difficult to walk, wasn’t present at the ceremony in the CBF’s museum but had been given a preview of the statue, which he declared “perfect.”

JairzinhoClodoaldo and Brito were among members of the 1970 team present at the ceremony along with Brazil coach Tite.

Pele Statue

The 1970 Brazil side, led by Pele and featuring names like GersonTostaoRivelinoand Carlos Alberto, is known as one of the greatest teams of all time. They won all seven of their matches in Mexico that June, culminating with a 4-1 over Italy in the final at the Aztec stadium.

The statue of Pele, dressed in the strip worn by the 1970 team, bears a close resemblance to the former Santos and New York Cosmosstriker.

Many of Pele’s recent appearances have been in a wheelchair as his health has slowly deteriorated.

His son Edinho said in an interview in February that the Brazil legend is depressed over his poor health and reluctant to leave the house because he cannot walk unaided.

Neymar Signs Papers for His Transfer to FC Barcelona

It’s official… Neymar is headed to España…

The 21-year-old Brazilian striker made his move to Futbol Club Barcelona official on Monday, signing the papers for his transfer from Brazil’s Santos FC to this year’s Spanish champion.

Neymar

Next on the agenda is a visit to the office of Barça club president Sandro Rosell, where Neymar will ink his five-year deal.

The club expects to present Neymar to the fans next week, though the exact day will depend on his commitments with the Brazilian national team.

Barcelona has yet to reveal how much the team paid for Neymar, but some media accounts have mentioned a transfer fee in the realm of 100 million euros ($129.3 million).

Neymar still had a year left on his contract with Santos, which last Friday accepted offers from both Barça and archrival Real Madrid and left it up to the striker to decide where he wanted to go.

The latest soccer phenom to come out of Brazil joined the Santos organization as a youngster and was promoted to the senior squad in 2009.

Neymar’s 138 goals in 230 matches have been a big part of why Santos has won six titles, including the Brazilian Cup and the Copa Libertadores, in the last four years.

At Barça, he will be part of a lineup led by Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the world’s best player.

Neymar Agrees to Five-Year-Deal with FC Barcelona

It looks like Neymar is heading to Spain…

Futbol Club Barcelona has agreed to a five-year-deal worth a reported $36.12 million with the 21-year-old Brazilian striker, wooing him away from his club in Brazil, Santos.

Neymar

“FC Barcelona and Santos have agreed terms for Neymar. The 21-year old is one of the most promising footballers on the planet,” said FC Barcelona in a statement.

“On Monday, I sign a contract with Barcelona. I want to thank the fans of Santos by these incredible nine years,” wrote Neymar on Instagram.

The statement in Portuguese added: “My feeling for the club and the fans will never change. Titles, goals, dribbling, celebrations and songs that fans created for me will be forever in my heart.

Neymar had been considering his future after Santos revealed they had accepted two offers for their star player, with Barcelona confirmed as one of the bidders and Real Madrid widely assumed to be the other.

His contract with Santos was due to expire at the end of next season.

Neymar will say goodbye to the Santos fans at Sunday’s season-opening game against Flamengo before joining Barcelona after the Confederations Cup, which starts in Brazil on June 15 and finishes on June 30.

The signing ends years of speculation about which team would be the first to persuade the player to make the move to Europe.

As well as Real Madrid,  he has also been linked with Chelsea  and Manchester United  since making his debut for Santos in 2009.

Neymar led Santos to their greatest run since Pele stopped playing for the club in the 1970s, helping the team win the 2010 Brazilian Cup, the 2011 Copa Libertadores and three straight Sao Paulo state championships.

He’s the club’s leading scorer in the post-Pele era with 138 goals in 229 matches.

Neymar is also considered Brazil’s key player for the 2014 World Cup.

Messi Scores History-Making 86th Goal of 2012…

He’s already considered one of the greatest soccer players of all-time… And Lionel Messi  has just shown the world another reason why…

The 25-year-old Argentine fútbol star broke German great Gerd Muller’s 40-year-old record for most goals in a year on Sunday by scoring for the 86th time in 2012.

Lionel Messi

Messi scored twice to lead FC Barcelona to a 2-1 win at Real Betis in the Spanish league match.

His first was an individual effort in the 16th minute to tie Muller’s mark, and he eclipsed the 1972 milestone with a left-footed finish nine minutes later.

“As I have said many times, the record is nice but the important thing is the victory that keeps us on the path we want to continue on,” said Messi. “As I always say, my objectives are on a team level: to win the league, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey again.”

Messi has scored 74 goals for Barcelona and 12 times for Argentina this year, and he still has three games left to add to his tally before the end of the year. Muller scored 85 for Bayern Munich and West Germany.

The 25-year-old Messi passed Brazil great Pele‘s single-season milestone of 75 goals for Brazil and Santos in 1958 with his 75th and 76th goals of the year on November 11 to move into second place behind Muller.

“We won’t see another player like (Messi),” said Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova. “Not just because of his ability to score. But also for his ability to pass, play defense, and his understandings of the game. He is a global star that helps us in so many ways.”

Messi  is one of the three finalists for the FIFA world player of the year award along with teammate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s won the Ballon d’Or for the past three years in helping Barcelona win three Spanish league titles and two Champions League crowns, along with several other competitions. He ‘s seeking to become the only player to win the award for a fourth time when the winner is announced on January 7.

“Leo is supernatural,” said Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. “He doesn’t have limits. We’ll always have to remember everything he gave us. We have to enjoy every minute we have with him.”

Messi Could Pick Up a Fourth FIFA Ballon d’Or Award

Lionel Messi has the chance to make soccer history…

The 25-year-old Argentine fútbol star, who just claimed his second Golden Boot award, is among the 23 players in the running for the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

Lionel Messi

Should he come out on top, Messi, who made history by claiming the award the last three years in a row, would become the only player to claim the award four times.

But Messi will face stiff competition from several noted players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi Hernandez, this year’s runners-up for the world’s best player award.

Here’s a look at the nominees:

Real Madrid Players:
Cristiano Ronaldo
Iker Casillas
Mesut Ozil
Karim Benzema
Sergio Ramos
Xabi Alonso

Barcelona Players:
Lionel Messi
Andres Iniesta
Sergio Busquets
Gerard Pique
Xavi Hernandez

Atletico Madrid Player:
Radamel Falcao

Manchester City Players:
Mario Balotelli
Sergio Aguero
Yaya Toure

Manchester United Players:
Wayne Rooney
Robin van Persie

Juventus Players:
Andrea Pirlo
Gianluigi Buffon

Shanghai Shenhua Player:
Didier Drogba

PSG Player:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Bayern Munich Player:
Manuel Neuer

Santos Player:
Neymar

The final three candidates will be revealed on November 29 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in Zurich on January 7, 2013, when the player who receives the most votes from coaches and captains of international teams, as well as reporters, will be announced.