Barcelona Transfer Rumours - Porto Transfer Rumours: Midfielder João Moutinho off to La Liga?

Media out of Portugal including O Jogo have linked Barcelona with Porto midfielder João Moutinho.

Moutinho, the one-time captain at Sporting Lisbon, was a transfer signee of Porto this summer.

Media speculate that €20 million would be needed to acquire the 24-year-old
Portuguese international.

With Xavi and Andres Iniesta both battling injuries, will Pep Guardiola make a move for the Porto star?

Porto's Hulk hungry for the 2010 World Cup; will tear into Manchester United after

Or so say's the Brazilian's agent...

The 23-year-old Samba striker, a rumoured target of Manchester United and Sir Alex, is focused on a call up to the Brazilian national team. After the tournament, a move to Manchester United will be discussed.

Via Footballpress.net

2009-10 UEFA Champions League Final 16 Draw

Stuttgart v Barcelona
Olympiakos v Bordeaux
Inter Milan v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v Fiorentina
CSKA Moscow v Seville
Lyon v Real Madrid
FC Porto v Arsenal
AC Milan v Man U

First legs to be played Feb 16th/17th or 23rd/24th, second legs March 9th/10th or 16th/17th

*Bold signifies our predicted winners over the two-legged match ups.

Ajman: Free Agent Tarik Sektioui Relocates To UAE

Former Porto and AZ Alkmaar winger Tarik Sektioui, aged 32 and capped 18-times by Morocco, has spurned the advances of European clubs to seal a lucrative transfer to UAE's Ajman.

Read On -- Tarik Sektioui Joins Ajman Of UAE via Goal.com

A.C. Milan Adds Porto's Aly Cissokho

Giants A.C. Milan doled out £13million for Porto's 21-year-old left-back Aly Cissokho. The defender signed a five-year contract and all that remains is a medical this day.

Cissokho is overjoyed to be playing at the San Siro and noted to Skysports.com...

"I am the happiest guy in the world. Twelve months ago I was playing for Gueugnon, now I am playing for one of the greatest clubs in the world."

"Milan are a club with a history and so many cups. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Porto officials. They have been excellent to me and they showed they care about young talent, helping make dreams happen."

"Now I have to prove my value, to be a left-back here is a huge thing, to play in the position of the greatest left-back of all time. It is a dream."

FC Porto: Maicon and Alvaro Pereira Join The Squad

FC Porto add Brazilian defender Maicon via EC Cruzeiro and Uruguay leftback Álvaro Pereira via CFR 1907 Cluj plus manager Jesualdo Ferreira has agreed a two-year extension through 2011.

Read On -- Maicon and Pereira sign as Porto secure Ferreira via UEFA.com

FC Porto: Is Wason Rentería Part Of The Plan?

The 23-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan spells after joining FC Porto during the January 2007 transfer window. First, Rentería joined French side RC Strasbourg in 2007-08 where he scored nine times in league. For the 2008-09 campaign, Rentería saw action with Portuguese side Braga, netting six league goals.

Is the Columbian international going to regroup with the reigning Portuguese Liga title holders for the 2009-10 season?

Finals Taking Shape All Around Europe

May is the dawning of the much-heralded ‘business end to the season’, the fitting climax to the sweat, tears and bloodshed which have been sacrificed to guarantee a euphoric finale. It is the curtain-fall that differentiates the genuine victors from the once-threatening aspirants and creates an opportunity to watch mesmerising history unfold in front of our very own eyes.

While championship skirmishes throughout Europe may predictably appear to be heading in one foreseeable direction, for those still fortunate to be flexing their muscle in the domestic cup competitions it is an open invitation to terminate years of trophy famine and garner the profits of European football. The pressures highlighted above will soon be understood by the lucky coaches, who will no doubt feel the full-throttle exertion of them, as we look ahead to the national cup finals of many countries.

The German Cup semi-final between Hamburg and Werder Bremen had been branded as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming UEFA Cup dual, but there was no suggestion as to who would finish on top. After Per Mertesacker of Bremen and Ivan Olic in the corresponding jersey brought the fixture to a dead heat, standing at 1-1, Tim Wiese produced “one of the best nights of my career” to defy Martin Jol’s men by pulling off a set of valiant saves in the unnerving penalty shoot-out. Hamburg’s Jerome Boateng and Ivan Olic were the guilty wrongdoers as Bremen snatched bragging rights at the first hurdle. Bayer Leverkusen, who will provide the opposition in the final, were also forced into extra time but were able to strike three past Mainz to claim a 4-1 victory and secure their berth.

Inter Milan faced an instantaneous struggle in their mission of eradicating Sampdoria’s 3-0 first-leg advantage, but nevertheless sought to carry out the improbable. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s gorgeously-struck volley in the 27th minute instigated a momentary comeback but, despite tapping the bar twice and failing to capitalise on several clear-cut chances, Sampdoria were inevitably left to celebrate their final appearance against Lazio and chase down a fifth Italian Cup triumph.

Past Dutch Cup finals haven’t been benign to the spirits of SC Heerenveen, with elimination to Roda JC in 1997 and Ajax in 1993 serving up despairing reminiscences of how the long-awaited occasions fell deflated, failing to equal the enthusiasm and divine passion of the crowd, but twelve years after suffering their second plateful of sting, history can be rephrased if, at the third attempt, they can outclass FC Twente. January-arrival Viktor Elm and Danijel Pranjic sent Heerenveen past FC Volenham en-route to the final but Steve McClaren will be unyielding in his pursuit of obtaining silverware to cap an impressive first season at FC Twente – whose seat at the centrepiece event came courtesy of NAC.

Alarm bells were ringing at FC Porto when the current Portuguese Liga leaders threw away a 1-0 gain to fall at Estrela Amadora but a comfortable first-leg cushion protected their position in the finals of the domestic cup where they will be favourites to vanquish challenging Pacos de Ferreira. Pacos narrowly prevailed over Nacional with an aggregate scoreline of 5-4, a second penalty conversion from Pedrinha winning the match in extra-time.

Istanbul acquaitances will be renewed as Besiktas face Fenerbahce in the Turkish Cup final, KRC Genk surpassed Lierse SK with considerable ease to setup a Belgium Cup final versus KV Mechelen, while Kris Boyd scored his 100th career goal for Glasgow Rangers to help create a last-hurdle tie over relegation-ridden Falkirk in Scotland.

8 Remain in UEFA Champions League

The draw is on March 20.... Who will face who?

Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Villarreal, Bayern Munich, and F.C. Porto.

Soccer Past: Mario Jardel

Rio Grande de Sol, Porto, Istanbul, Lisbon, Bolton, Ancona, Rosario, Larnaca, Newcastle – The destinations on show for Mario Jardel’s career could have been easily mistaken for the jet-setting antics of an affluent tycoon, but such has been the geographical scope of his profession that it pays perfect testiment to the life and times of the ultimate journeyman.

Guilty of tip-toeing around modern-day football from continent to continent in search for a last-minute fling with the beautiful game, the present-day 35 year-old reached soaring heights during his days at FC Porto, Galatasaray and Sporting Lisbon, which came in the years between 1996 to 2003. Infamously nicknamed ‘Super Mario’ during his time in Turkey, Jardel clocked up 198 league appearances for those three clubs and netted an earth-shattering 205 goals – an astonishing ratio beyond any recognition and such a feat that twice earnt him the esteemed accolade of the European Golden Shoe in 1999 and 2002. In doing so he followed in Ronaldo’s steps to become only the second Brazilian to achieve the elite prize coveted by every single forward on the continent.

For all the admiration truly earnt in his heyday, off-the-field indisciplines and untimely depression looked hellbent on strangling out the playing life of Mario Jardel, an irrefutably talented presence who could have been elevated to the stature of the greats, and became transformed into an ailing figure of a former self.

Released by Sporting Lisbon before the start of the 2003/2004 campaign, Jardel has since struggled to overcome the niggling injuries that have burnt any lingering desires to pull on the boots for one last extensive phase. Inevitable depression from divorcing his wife and the subsequent usage of cocaine, which he confessed at the beginning of the calendar year upon his premature release from Newcastle Jets, contributed to the downfall. “I started making mistakes when I had bad friendships. Then, divorce came, depression and then cocaine. I now want to restart my life. I am training. I am not a good example for children, but I am admitting my mistake."

The epicenter from his immediate fall from ‘grandeur’ can be pinpointed as early as 2002, where an article from the Guardian concluded the situation perfectly as ‘The disintegration of his marriage, which coincided with the summer's double disappointment of omission from Brazil's World Cup squad and a collapsed transfer to the Spanish League, has, he says, made him too depressed to play football.’ With Barcelona, Real Madrid and Real Betis rumoured to have made an approach – both ending disastrously as Sporting rejected promptly – Jardel’s much-craved transfer to Spain never came and thoughts gathered that his emotional exodus to his homeland was in protest at this.

Controversy was an ever-present mishap that threatened to overshadow a career that had the divine essences of success and prosperity beckoning. His stint in Istanbul with Galatasaray beared fruitful results with 22 goals but acted to go on strike when he wasn’t paid, before a potential legal battle lurked in the fore as a pre-contract with Benfica wasn’t honoured due to a lack of money on their side and thus led to Jardel signing for cross-city rivals Sporting. Cameos for Bolton, Newell’s Old Boys, Anorthosis Famagusta and most recently Newcastle Jets, where he starred as their marquee player, were short-lived and yet more contract wrangles with Deportivo Alaves have seen the former sensation fail to reignite the spark he possessed several years ago.

International ambitions remained just that and one of his disappointments will have been not to don the “Seleção” more often than just ten occasions, but returning to Brazil is an intelligent move and harbouring dreams of still playing consistently for club cannot be ripped apart yet. Transferring to one of the most renowned European teams eluded the grasps of Mario Jardel and to the day remains territory untouched, but twice being the recipient of the European Golden Shoe asserts the goalscoring figures that he was unquestionably one of the modern-day greats to have graced the European scene. Mario Jardel: The much-hyped rise and fall of the able traveller - Coming to a stadium near you.

Achievements:

- FIFA U-20 World Cup (1993)
- Copa Libertadores (1995)
- Portuguese Liga (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
- Portuguese Cup (1998, 2000)
- Portuguese Super Cup (1998)
- UEFA Super Cup (2000)
- Argentinian Torneo de Apertura (2004)
- Copa Libertadores Top Scorer (1995)
- Portuguese Liga Top Scorer (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002)
- UEFA Champions League Top Scorer (1997, 2000)

• Profile at Football Database
• Mario Jardel Videography

Transfer Roundup: Samba Stars On The Move

By: Alan
Soccer City FC

Former and current Brazilian internationals have been a common theme in transfers worldwide as teams look to reinforce their squads in the off-season.

Playmaker Geovanni was quickly signed up by Premiership newcomers Hull City upon his release from Manchester City. The former Barcelona midfielder, who once cost the Catalan side £11 million from Cruzeiro and represented his country 4 times during 2001, signed a two-year deal. His stint in Manchester ended in disappointment despite scoring in the derby against Manchester United and he failed to hold-down a first-team position. He is a welcome addition at the KC Stadium where experience will be vital if they are to secure their position in England’s top flight league. 2006 UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool, meanwhile, received the the signiture of goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri from Palmeiras. The Merseyside outfit are in the market for a backup keeper to Spaniard Jose Reina as Scott Carson looks to make his move to Aston Villa permanent and Charles Itandje is expected to move to Galatasaray for around £2 million. Diego Cavalieri has spent all of his professional career at Palmeiras and the move should be worth around £3 million for the Brazilians.

Another Brazilian joining the Premier League is striker Jo, who has joined Manchester City for a record-fee in the region of £19m from CSKA Moscow. The season for the Eastlands side starts a month earlier than most other club’s as they embark on an UEFA Cup run, starting off in the Faroe Islands on July 17th. However, Jo along with compatriots Anderson of Manchester United and Lucas at Liverpool will miss the opening league games as they have been called up by Dunga to the Olympic squad.

Atletico Madrid have made their fifth signing ahead of their Champions League campaign. Paulo Assuncao has signed from Portuguese champions Porto for an undisclosed fee. The defensive midfielder spoke of the club’s ambitions of regaining the title they won back in 1996 as the reason behind the move. "The Atletico players want to win titles like me. It's a team that has won over many years and now I'm happy to be here.” Assuncao joins Florent Sinama-Pongolle, John Heitinga and Tomas Ujfalusi at Atletico.

Defensive midfielder Amaral, who donned the Brazilian shirt on 31 occasions between 1995 and 1996, has signed with Australian A-League outfit Perth Glory, being described as “a terrific addition to the squad” by manager Dave Mitchell. “Amaral is a wonderful footballer, he's the type of player we've been missing in the last couple of seasons. His interplay with the rest of the team after just a short time is outstanding.” Amaral could prove to be an astute signing for the West Australian team and he heads a list of impressive summer transfers.

Elsewhere, Sammarinese champions Murata have ambitiously revealed that they are hoping to persuade 42-year-old Romario out of retirement. They hope to discuss a short-term contract with the 1994 World Player of the Year in time for their UEFA Champions League campaign, which begins with a first qualifying round draw against Gothenberg of Sweden. Whether the move actually happens is a completely different matter, after Romario announced on his retirement “Officially I'm not playing any more. I've stopped." With or without the veteran, Murata will have to defy all odds if they are to advance any further in the Champions League.

Related items at Soccer City FC:

• 2008/09 UEFA Cup
• Soccer City FC: The Top Ten

IFK Norrköping Notches First League Win

Swedish club IFK Norrköping gained promotion to the Allsvenskan for the 2008 season. The club enjoyed their first league victory this past weekend on May 11th. The match was against Ljungskile SK. Two goals were scored by IFK Norrköping including one from Swedish national team prospect Imad Khalili. The left winger's goal in the 49th minute was his first league goal of the season. With the win, the club now has four points from their last three league matches. Can they avoid relegation? If the club maintains their focus on the two points below, IFK Norrköping might just stay up:

1. Keep Khalili on the pitch. See how the 21 year-old midfielder responds after scoring his goal last weekend. If he truly is one of Sweden's top young players, then his game should reach new heights this season.

2. Keep sending balls into the Nigerian. Kevin Amuneke now has two goals in his last three and three overall in league play. Only 22 years old and polished from his time spent in the Portuguese youth academies of S.L. Benfica and F.C. Porto, the forward looks ready for a huge campaign.

FC Artmedia Petržalka Going for Historic Double

Slovak football power FC Artmedia Petržalka (FC Artmedia Bratislava) can now claim their first ever league and cup double after taking home the Slovakian Cup (Slovenský Pohár) by defeating FC Spartak Trnava 1-0 in Zilina.

The club remembered mostly for their historic UEFA Champions League run in 2005-2006 are sitting comfortably now six points ahead of second-place side MSK Zilina in the Slovakian League.

If they accomplish the double, it will rank right up there in club history with other great feats including the club's defeat of 2004 UEFA Champions League winners F.C. Porto 3-2 at Porto's Estádio do Dragão. FC Artmedia Petržalka came back to win in that match after going down 2-0 in the first half during UEFA Champions League Group H action.