Everton Closes In On Lukaku’s Permanent Move

Everton are close to signing Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal, the BBC Sports reports.

The Goodison Park club have called a news conference for 7:00pm on Wednesday, at which a confirmation of the deal thought to worth a club-record £23.7m is expected to be made.

Lukaku has played the last two season away from Stamford Bridge, and the ‘Blues’, who have bought Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid for £32m and welcomed back Didier Drogba on a free transfer, are willing to part with the Belgian.

The 21-year-old striker scored 16 goals on loan at Merseyside last season, as Everton finished fifth and reached Europe for the first time in five years.

His performance for the Toffees earned him a place in Belgium’s World Cup squad in Brazil, where he made four appearances and scored a goal.

Romelu Lukaku Celebrates Scoring for Everton Last Season.

Lukaku, who joined Chelsea from Anderlecht in August 2011 for £18m, scored 17 goals in 38 games for West Brom in the 2012/13 season when the club recorded their highest ever Premier League finish of eighth.

Chelsea already released Cameroonian Samuel Eto’O and sold Demba Ba to Besiktas for £4.7m in the close season.

Footballer Obafemi Martins shows off his cars

Footballer Obafemi Martins shows off his cars

He posted the photo on his instagram page...nice whips!

Ronaldo, Messi, Ribery Up for Ballon d’Or as FIFA Reveals Other Nominees (See Details).

The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) have today (Monday) revealed the three candidates for the Fifa Ballon d’Or and Fifa Women’s World Player of the Year for 2013.

All the nominees were confirmed after a voting process which was open to the captains and head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams of the 209 member associations as well as to international media representatives selected by FIFA and France Football voted for candidates.
All the awards will be presented at the FIFA Ballon d’Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on 13 January 2014 during a televised show.

Fifa Ballon d’Or.

The trio vying to be named as the world’s best male footballer for 2013 are (in alphabetical order):
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal)
Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich and France) and
Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
While the three female footballer gunning for the Fifa Women’s Player of the Year are (in alphabetical order)
Abby Wambach (USA)
Mata (Brazil) and
Nadine Angerer (Germany)
The candidates for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football and FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football awards were also announced. In alphabetical order, the contenders are:

FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football award:
Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC former coach)
Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München former coach) and
Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund).

FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football award:
Ralf Kellermann (Germany/VfL Wolfsburg)
Silvia Neid (Germany/German national team) and
Pia Sundhage (Sweden/Swedish national team) for the.
In addition, Fifa announced three nominees for the Puskas Award- given to the “most beautiful goal of the year” according to the world governing body.
The contenders are:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden vs. England in November 2012)
Nemanja Matic (benfica vs. Porto, Liga in January 2013)
Neymar (Brazil vs. Japan in June 2013)
Fifa also announced the 55-man shortlist for the team of the year, which will also be announced a the Ballon d’Or ceremony in January.
The five Goalkeepers nominated to be named in the FIFPRO World 11 2013 are:
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus)
Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid CF)
Petr Cech (Czech Republic, Chelsea FC)
Manuel Neuer (Germany, FC Bayern München)
Víctor Valdes (Spain, FC Barcelona).
The Twenty defenders shortlisted for FIFA FIFPro World 11 2013 are:
David Alaba (Bayern Munich and Austria); Jordi Alba (Barcelona and Spain); Dani Alves (Barcelona and Brazil); Leighton Baines (Everton and England); Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich and England); Ashley Cole (Chelsea and England); Dante (Bayern Munich and Brazil); Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund and Germany); Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea and Serbia); Vincent Kompany (Manchester City and Belgium); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich and Germany); David Luiz (Chelsea and Brazil); Marcelo (Real Madrid and Brazil); Pepe (Real Madrid and Portugal); Gerard Pique (Barcelona and Spain); Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid and Spain); Thiago Silva (Paris St-Germain and Brazil); Raphael Varane (Real Madrid and France); Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United and Serbia); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City and Argentina).
The 15 Midfielders shortlisted for FIFA FIFPro World 11 2013 are:

Image Credit: Fifa.com. 15 Midfielders Shortlisted for the FIFPRO World 11.

Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid and Spain); Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur/Real Madrid and Wales); Sergio Busquets (Barcelona and Spain); Steven Gerrard (Liverpool and England); Andres Iniesta (Barcelona and Spain); Isco (Malaga/Real Madrid and Spain); Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid/Arsenal and Germany); Andrea Pirlo (Juventus and Italy); Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund and Germany); Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich and France), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich and Netherlands); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich and Germany); Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast); Arturo Vidal (Juventus and Chile); Xavi (Barcelona and Spain).

The 15 Forwards shortlisted for FIFA FIFPro World 11 2013 are:

Image Credit: Fifa.com. !5 Forwards Shortlisted for the FIFPRO World 11.

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City and Argentina); Mario Balotelli (Manchester City/AC Milan and Italy); Edinson Cavani (Napoli/Paris Saint-Germain and Uruguay); Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid and Spain); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal); Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua/Galatasaray and Ivory Coast); Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid/Monaco and Colombia); Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden); Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund and Poland); Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich and Croatia); Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina); Neymar (Santos/Barcelona and Brazil); Wayne Rooney (Manchester United and England); Luis Suarez (Liverpool and Uruguay); Robin van Persie (Manchester United and Netherlands).

Jonathan, Oshiomhole Hail World Cup-bound Eagles

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday congratulated the Super Eagles on their 2-0 victory over Ethiopia in the final rounds of 2014 FIFA World club qualifiers, which earned Nigeria a slot at the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil.
A statement from the presidency praised the doggedness of the Super Eagles in ensuring victory, yesterday, at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar.
“President Jonathan joins other proud and happy Nigerians in applauding the Super Eagles’ dogged and determined performance against the Ethiopians over the two legs of the final qualifying round which ensured away and home victories, and also ensured that Nigeria will be at the World Cup Finals for the fifth time,” the statement said.

“As the team and its handlers bask in the glory of being the first African country to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Jonathan urges them to rededicate themselves to excelling on the global stage and reaching for heights never previously attained by the country at the World Cup Finals.”
Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole also congratulated the Eagles saying they have done Nigeria and have shown they are indeed champions of Africa, by the qualification.
“The Super Eagles have shown that they are indeed the Champions of Africa by emerging the first country from the continent to qualify for the World cup, joining the ranks of other great football nations like Germany, Netherlands, Spain and England, among others, who have already qualified,” a Government House statement said.

UAE 2013: Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets Become the Most Successful Team at the U-17 Level.

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets successfully made history by becoming the only team to have won the Fifa Under-17 World Cup on four different occasions by beating defending champions Mexico 3-0 at the Abu Dhabi stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday.

Nigeria opened scoring through an Erick Aguirre own goal, Kelechukwu Iheanacho extended the lead before skipper Musa Mohammed sealed a comfortable victory for the Manu Garba-led team.
Nigeria maintained a 1-0 lead into the interval and came back to put two more goals into the Mexican net. The Golden Eaglets are now the only side to have lifted the U-17 trophies on four occasions in 1985, 1993, 2007 and 2013.

Golden Eaglets Supersedes Brazil (Three Trophies) With Four Fifa Under-17 World Cup Trophies.

As expected, the final started as a cagey affair and the Mexicans kept and controlled the ball on the attack in the first two minutes but a fast counter attack by Nigeria led to the opening goal, Kelechi Iheanacho led the move and laid the ball in for Taiwo Awoniyi who then fed it on to Yahaya, who had a little help from Aguirre.

The Mexican midfielder mistakenly hit the ball into his own net in an attempt to recover.
The Eaglets extended the lead in the 56th minute as captain Muhammed unleashed a stunning which was too hot for Mexico goalkeeper Raul Gudino. The goalkeeper spilled a rebound for directly to the feet of Iheanacho, who made no mistake dispatching his sixth goal of the tournament.
Muhammed added a third with ten minutes left, curling a sublime free-kick into the top corner.
Coach Garba has now won the tournament as an assistant coach in 2007 and head coach in 2013.

Golden Eaglets Win FIFA U-17 Championship For The Fourth Time

The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria Friday put up a sterling display to defeat Mexico three goals to nothing on its way to winning the FIFA Under-17 World Cup a record fourth time.

Holders Mexico was humbled at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi despite fighting hard to ensure a repeat of the team’s group stage meeting where they were beaten 6-1 by Nigeria didn’t reoccur.

Mexico had more possession of the ball, but the eaglets did the scoring.

An excited Coach Garba Manu thanked Nigerians for the support, while saying he hoped the boys went on to play for other age-group competitions and someday represent Nigeria on the big stage playing for the Super Eagles.

An own goal, one from Iheanacho, and a sublime free-kick from Muhammed saw off Mexico in a record breaking feat by the Eaglets.
They are champions of the world for a fourth time, one better than South American giants Brazil.

Wenger Says It Would Be Strange to Play United Without Ferguson.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Sunday’s Premier League duel with Manchester United will be “strange” without retired Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson wrote in his book that the rivalry between him and Wenger subsided in the latter part of his illustrious career.
Arsenal have not won at Old Trafford since 2006 and Wenger will look to get off well against United’s new manager. He feels it’s too soon to judge David Moyes.
“It will be a bit strange without Sir Alex Ferguson there on Sunday,” Wenger said.

Forget Pizzagate, Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson Were Good Friends.

“It’s too early to tell the difference. Moyes has shown great competence at Everton. When a guy has been there for 26 years and goes, it takes time for the manager who comes in. Moyes is dealing with the situation very well.”

The Gunners have 25 points from their opening 10 Premier League games this season and five points clear at the top of the table heading into the weekend, while they are also on a run of 14 wins from their last 15 away matches.
Wednesday’s Champions League win in Germany against Borussia Dortmund is Arsenal’s last victory away.
The North London club could move 11 points clear of the defending champions with victory, just as Wenger is expecting his side to keep up their recent show of resilience, adding it’s one of those matches which could help his side set its part straight as was the victory in Dortmund.
“It’s one of the games where you can build confidence and gain credit,” added the Frenchman.
“Recently we have not done so well there. What is important is that we trust our quality and show our resilience. It’s a good opportunity to show we’ve improved.”

Mourinho Says Meeting Clarke in the Opposite Dugout will be Difficult

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says last Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Newcastle was the first time he was really angry with the players since he returned to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea failed to climb top of the Premier League table as Mourinho’s wait for a first victory at St James’ Park failed to yield a positive result in last weekend’s early kickoff match.
“I don’t want to scare the players, I just want to influence their mentality and make them tougher,” the Chelsea boss said.
Mourinho revels meeting his former Chelsea assistant Steve Clarke, who he said was more than an assistant, but insists it will be a difficult match.

Jose Mourinho and Steve Clarke During the Portuguese’s First Spell at Stamford Bridge.

“I am very happy to meet Steve Clarke again. It will be a difficult game because he organizes his teams well. Every game Steve Clarke plays I wish he will win, but tomorrow that is not the case which is strange,” he added.

Chelsea are now five points behind league leaders Arsenal, who travels to Old Trafford on Saturday. The Portuguese adds that there are six clubs in the race to win the league title.
There are no injury concerns apart from long-term casualty Marco van Ginkel, says the Chelsea boss.
He said Eden Hazard is back in the squad to face Albions after apologizing to the manager and his teammates for missing a training session.
Fernando Torres is recovering well from injury and so should be available after the international break.

NRA Referee Slumped and Died While Participating in a Fitness Test

A member of the Nigeria Referee Association (NRA) from the Lagos State Referee Society (LSRS), Osita Nwadashi, slumped and died while participating in the 2013 NRA fitness test at the Abuja National Stadium on Wednesday.

The deceased alongside his colleagues from the South West zone was reportedly almost finishing the mandatory running exercise when he slumped.
Every effort to resuscitate the late Nwadashi proved abortive as he was confirmed dead at the National Hospital moments later.

Match Referee.

Chairman of the LSRC, Tade Azeez, said the association did everything possible to avert such an ugly incident during the exercise.
“We had the best of everything,” said Azeez. “The medical personnel are from the NSC, and all of them passed medical test before we allowed them to participate in the exercise. If the family are interested in doing autopsy on him we cannot stop them. It was a very sad day for me in particular and an unfortunate situation.”

Garba Urges Keshi to Admit Eaglets into the Senior National Team

Nigeria U-17 coach Manu Garba says Stephen Keshi should allow his boys train with the senior national team, Super Eagles, so as to help broaden their understanding of the game.

The Golden Eaglets reached the final of the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup after beating the likes of Sweden, Iraq, Iran, and are set to meet the defending champions, Mexico, who they trashed 6-1 in their first match, in Friday’s final.
“I want to appeal to Keshi to give some of the Eaglets a chance to train with the senior national team as that will be of immense benefit to them in the future,” Manu said.
“I believe that some of my players are good enough for the Super Eagles.”

Getty Image: Golden Eaglets Player Vies for the Ball With a Swede.

The coach, who is on the verge of making history by leading the Eaglets to a record fourth title in the history of the nation in the UAE, admitted it is however too early to expect to see his young lads in next year’s Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
“They can even play at next year’s World Cup, although it may be too early for them,” Manu added.

[EXCLUSIVE] Sugarsport’s Top Five Richest Nigerian Footballers

The adventure of the likes of Stephen Keshi, Etim Esin, Daniel Amokachi, Austin Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and Finidi George overseas changed their fortunes from ordinary amateur footballers struggling with daily existence to professional footballers worth millions of naira. Investments of those who play the round leather game already amounts to billions of naira.
Here is Sugarsport’s list of the five richest footballers in Nigeria.
5) YAKUBU AIYEGBENI

Yak as he is popularly called is still widely regarded as the most successful Nigerian footballer to play in England. His assets include a mansion on Manchester Road, London, a duplex in VGC, 2 massive buildings in Benin city and hotels in Auchi,Edo State. The former Boro man owns a petrol station in Benin City which is run by his brother Momo Aiyegbeni. In his garage back home in Nigeria are a fleet of cars including a Range Rover and a BMW.

4) OBAFEMI  MARTINS

He’s been everywhere. The on loan UD Levante of Spain forward has played for top clubs like Inter-Milan of Italy, Newcastle united of England , Birmingham City of England, Vfl Wolfsborg of Germany , Rubin Kazan of Russia and currently Seatle Sounders in the US. Obafemi Martins is the fifth highest paid player in US Major League Soccer for the 2013 season, according to a players’ union release.
He is also the highest ever paid player for Seattle Sounders with an annual basic salary of $1.6million. The 28-year-old striker owns 2 mansions at VGC Lagos worth N500 million, a massive home in Como, Italy valued at N800 Million, and top hotels in Italy. He splashed N400million on his charity foundation not too long ago. He drives a Lamboghini worth N50m,Porsche Gemballa worth N20m, Bmw X6worth N 18M,and a Ferrarri sport car.

3) JOHN  MIKEL OBI

Sources say John Mikel Obi, the Chelsea midfielder is the current highest earning Nigerian footballer. He joined Chelsea in 2006 from Norwegian club Fc Lyn Oslo on a US$25 million. He is currently on US$120,000,(N20m), per week excluding bonuses, and income from participating at the UEFA Champions League.
The 25-year-old Jos born player owns mansions in Jos, Lagos and London worth about N800m. He has shares in top companies, and he recently launched a record label, MATURED MONEY MIND (MMM). He drives a Mercedes G Wagon, Black Mercedes G 500, a Range Rover Sport and a N30Million Bentley Continental. He once said, its very difficult finding a wife. Why won’t it be with all that cash…

 LIKE us on facebook to finish viewing the list.

AMBASSADOR