Transfer news: Thibaut Courtois happy he made choice in staying at Atletico Madrid

Transfer news: Thibaut Courtois happy he made choice in staying at Atletico Madrid

The promising Belgium international has yet to make a competitive appearance for Chelsea since signing from Genk in 2011. Since linking up with the Blues, the 21-year-old goalkeeper has spent two full seasons in Spain. He has returned to La Liga for 2013/14, with Courtois reluctant to risk his World Cup dreams by challenging Petr Cech for a starting berth at Stamford Bridge - or moving to another Premier League side. He said in the Daily Star: "The club and Jose Mourinho wanted me back for this season. "They also considered the option of sending me out to a team in the Premier League. "But I was not interested in this option. I feel good in Madrid and wanted to play in the Champions League with Atletico. "I could have gone back to Chelsea and it may have worked out perfectly, but then again I may not have been playing and could have risked losing my starting place with the national team. It would have been a risk for the World Cup." On his plans for the future, amid talk of interest from Barcelona, Courtois added: "Next year? I can afford to take more risks. But for me now, the important thing for me as a young player is to reach a higher level. "I was not afraid of fighting for a spot with Petr Cech. I have no fear of anyone, I believe in my qualities."

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World Cup - Bento: Ronaldo is 'from another planet'

World Cup - Bento: Ronaldo is 'from another planet'

The forward netted three times at Windsor Park to give his side a 4-2 win, which also saw him reach 43 goals – the second-highest in the Seleccao’s history. “ is from another planet,” he said. “He is already the second-best scorer in history, which is crazy because he is still young.” Ronaldo himself spoke of his pride at beating Eusebio’s goalscoring record for . "It was the first time I scored three goals for the national team and for me is something historic," Ronaldo said. "At club-level I have done it, but internationally it has never happened before. I am happy, it was special.  "I came closer to the (Pauleta's) record [of 47], but that was not my goal. I am proud to have tied and then exceeded Eusebio, one of the greatest players to ever play for Portugal. It is with great pride that I take this record." Ronaldo will not travel to America for Portugal's match against World Cup hosts Brazil on Tuesday, as he is not ‘100 per cent fit’. Read the original article on Football Espana - The ultimate website for English-speaking fans of Spanish football

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Boateng return is good for the Bundesliga - Weidenfeller

Boateng return is good for the Bundesliga - Weidenfeller

The Borussia Dortmund keeper says Schalke have done well in signing the Ghana international and believes Mesut Ozil will bring "enormous quality" to Arsenal Kevin-Prince Boateng's move to Schalke is good news for the Bundesliga, according to Borussia Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller. The Ghana international completed a €10 million switch from AC Milan shortly before the close of the transfer window at the end of last month. And, Weidenfeller, who played alongside the 26-year-old at BVB, believes the German top flight will benefit from the quality he brings. "It's good for the Bundesliga that Prince is back. He's a real asset. I always got on well with him at Dortmund," he told Bild. Weidenfeller went on to discuss his side's tough Champions League draw in Group F, claiming that Arsenal will pose a serious threat after the sensational €47m deadline-day signing of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. "Arsenal have gained enormous quality with Ozil. Napoli have also reinforced. This will be a great challenge," Weidenfeller said. The 33-year-old added his belief that Dortmund must look to build on their opening good form, having won four games from four at the start of the 2013-14 Bundesliga campaign. "We have come out of the blocks very well, with scores to be proud of," he said. "Nevertheless, we still have a lot of room for improvement."
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'Neymar could have been Madrid's Messi

'Neymar could have been Madrid's Messi

A former club official of los Blancos says the 21-year-old should be lining up against the Argentine in future Clasico's rather than playing alongside him Neymar could have been the Lionel Messi of Real Madrid, according to the club's former sporting director Alberto Giraldez. The Brazil star, who completed a €57 million move to Barcelona from Santos in May, had a trial in the Spanish capital as a 14-year-old in 2006. However, Carlos Martinez de Albornoz, the club's general manager at the time, reportedly had reservations about paying the €60,000 requested by Neymar's agent Wagner Ribeiro to secure the services of the future star, which Giraldez labelled a "historic mistake". "Neymar was willing to stay at Real Madrid. We even registered him in the city," he told Cadena Ser. "We saw that he was different. "It was a historic mistake by Real. He could have been our Messi." The 21-year-old netted his first competitive goal for the Blaugrana in the 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the first-leg of the Spanish Super Cup a fortnight ago.

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Lahm: 100th cap not important

Lahm: 100th cap not important

The full-back will bring up a century of appearances for his country on Friday but insists the result is more important than any personal honour Germany captain Philipp Lahm says taking a step closer to World Cup 2014 qualification is much more important than winning his 100th cap. The Bayern Munich defender is set to comple a century of senior appearances for die Mannschaft when Austria visit the Allianz Arena on Friday night, but the 29-year-old insists picking up three points from the game is all that matters. Speaking to the press ahead of the Group E World Cup qualifier, Lahm said: "My 100th cap is a minor issue, the most important thing is we win the game." The Germans sit top of their group and will be virtually assured of a place in Brazil next summer if they collect six points against Austria and the Faroe Islands over the next five days. Yet there was still plenty of time for reflection, with Lahm praising former Germany coach Rudi Voller for putting faith in him as a rookie full-back over a decade ago. "Many thanks to Rudi Voller because I was only young when I was first called up, I'd been an amateur seven months before." Voller took a punt on the then 20-year-old Lahm for a testing trip to play Croatia in Split in 2004, and since then the Bavarian born star has played a further 98 times for his country, remarkably starting every single one of his 99 caps. Germany coach Joachim Low was quick to lavish his captain with adulation, showering his man with the kind of compliments recently dished out by Jupp Heynckes and Pep Guardiola. Former Bayern boss Heynckes described Lahm as 'the best full-back in the history of the Bundesliga', whilst current coach Guardiola claimed he was, 'the smartest player I've ever coached.' Not to be outdone, Low added: "He is an absolute model of seriousness and commitment. He is a world class player and a great person. As a coach, you can always rely on him." During his decade with the national side, Lahm has had to endure some agonising defeats, such as the 2008 European Championship final loss to Spain and two semi-final defeats in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. But Lahm has vowed to atone for those near misses after declaring "the title I most want is the 2014 World Cup".

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Wilshere: I learnt so much from Fabregas

Wilshere: I learnt so much from Fabregas

The Arsenal midfielder has praised the Barcelona star, saying he is the best player he has ever played with, and is also confident England will qualify for World Cup 2014 Jack Wilshere says that he "learnt so much" from playing with Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal and believes the Barcelona midfielder is the best he has ever played with. The Spain international spent eight years with the Gunners before returning to Barcelona in 2011 and the England international holds his former team-mate in high regard. ARSENAL LATEST "The best player I ever played with is probably Cesc Fabregas," Wilshere told Esquire Weekly. "I only got to play with him for a year before he went back to Barcelona but I learnt so much from him – the way he knew what he was going to do with the ball before he got it and his passing – and he scored goals. "Also, he grew up at Arsenal – he got into the first team at a young age, which is something I wanted to do." Wilshere is currently on international duty with England and featured for the Three Lions during their 4-0 win over Moldova at Wembley on Friday. The victory has put Roy Hodgson’s men top of their group ahead of Tuesday’s clash in Ukraine, and Wilshere is confident England will qualify for World Cup 2014. "As a footballing nation with the quality we have, we can’t think of anything else," he added "We have got some tough qualifiers coming up, but we know if we win them, it’s in our hands. "We will be in Rio and I think all the players are going to have to come together on that one."

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