PAGE 43
PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2014
Sports
Suarez L may return to Ajax
iverpool forward Luis Suarez hopes to return to Ajax later in his career and has lauded the impact his time at the club had on his development. The Uruguay international spent three-and-a-half seasons in Amsterdam, lifting the Eredivisie title and scoring an astonishing 81 goals in 110 league matches. And the 27-year-old, who has enjoyed a double awardwinning campaign on Merseyside this season, says he is still “crazy” about the Dutch giants and keen Suarez was named the Professional Footballers’ Association’s and Football Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year after a prolific season for Liverpool and credits his education at Ajax for helping turn him into one of the best players in the world.
Luis Suarez
Scolari ignores Kaka, Robinho for World Cup squad
B
razil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari yesterday unveiled the 23 men he trusts can deliver a sixth World Cup ahead of this year’s event starting June 12 on home soil. Having already led the most successful nation in the tournament’s history to their fifth title in Japan in 2002, Scolari is now out to lay the ghosts of 1950, when the Selecao lost the trophy match to Uruguay in Rio. His squad list contained no major surprises Napoli defender Henrique landed the final berth but several veterans missed the cut. For the defensive second
string, Paris St Germain’s Maxwell edged out Atletico Madrid’s Filipe Luis, while veteran defender Maicon won out at the expense of Bayern Munich’s Rafinha, even though the latter had played in a March friendly romp against South Africa. Scolari had already named as his four captains defensive linchpins Thiago Silva and David Luiz, veteran striker Fred of Fluminense and goalkeeper Julio Cesar, despite Cesar now playing in Major League Soccer with Toronto. But the Brazilian Football Confederation had indicated ahead yesterday he was happy
to name his final squad now in readiness for group games against Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon. Scolari will now welcome his selection at the end of May to the refurbished Granja Comary training complex outside the rural town of Teresopolis around an hour north of Rio. He will then oversee a June 3 friendly against Panama at Goiana and a final warm-up against Serbia three days later at the Morumbi stadium in Sao Paulo before the Cup starts at the Corinthians Arena on June 12. Brazil squad Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar
Barcelona continue €20 million Messi contract talks
Robinho and Kaka (Toronto FC/CAN), Jefferson (Botafogo), Victor (Atletico Mineiro) Defenders: Dante (Bayern Munich/GER), David Luiz (Chelsea/ENG), Henrique (Napoli/ITA), Thiago Silva (PSG), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ ESP), Maicon (Roma/ITA), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Maxwell (Paris St Germain/ FRA) Midfielders: Fernandinho
(Manchester City/ENG), Hernanes (Inter Milan/ITA), Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg/ GER), Oscar (Chelsea/ENG), Paulinho (Tottenham/ENG), Ramires (Chelsea/ENG), Willian (Chelsea/ENG) Strikers: Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Fred (Fluminense), Hulk (Zenit SaintPetersburg/RUS), Jo (Atletico Mineiro), Neymar (Barcelona/ ESP)
I learn from Pep, Jose, says Atletico Madrid coach
Diego Simeone
A
Lionel Messi
B
arcelona will meet with Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge yesterday to resume talks over a new contract worth €20 million. The 26-year-old still has four more years remaining on his existing deal, but the Catalans are eager to offer their star player a new and improved contract which will make him the best paid player in the world. Barcelona vice-president Javier Faus and general director Antoni Rossich met with Jorge
Messi on Tuesday at the club’s offices to present him with their contract offer and plans for the future and both parties will hold further talks on Wednesday to iron out a number of details. The reigning Spanish champions are willing to pay Messi an annual salary of €20m after taxes, with the prolific attacker’s new deal running until June 2019. A number of recent reports suggested that Messi is unhappy with life at Barcelona following a number of off the
field problems at the club this season. Sandro Rosell was forced to step down as club president following the controversial transfer of Neymar, while Fifa handed Barca a transfer ban, which has now been suspended following an appeal. Messi has netted 28 goals in 29 La Liga appearances so far this season and will be hopeful of adding to his tally in the next two games as Barcelona still have a shot at winning the Liga title.
tletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone says he spent time watching and learning from both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola earlier in his coaching career. Simeone’s Atletico side need four points from their last two games to claim the La Liga title, while they have also reached the Champions League final against Real Madrid. Such achievements outshine both what Mourinho has done at Chelsea and Guardiola at Bayern this season, and are particularly impressive given the relatively scant resources available at the Estadio Vicente Calderon, as well as Simeone’s previously brief managerial experience at Serie A
side Catania and in Argentine club football. The former Atletico midfielder told El Larguero radio show that at different times he had spent a week with both the managerial superstars as he was learning his trade as a coach. “I went a week to see Mourinho at training, and another week with Guardiola,” Simeone said. “I learned from the two, I took important things from both. I went when Guardiola had just begun his first competition at Barcelona [around 2008]. The same with Mourinho, when he was on the way to winning his first league with Inter [2009]. But I saw something different in them.”