Lucas Silva has revealed that he waived his right to 10 per cent of his €15 million transfer fee in order to facilitate his transfer from Cruzeiro to Real Madrid. The 21-year-old signed a contract with the Champions League holders until June 2020 after passing his medical and is determined to make an impact at his new club. It is right that I waived my right to 10 per cent of the transfer fee so I could join Real Madrid, the Brazilian told Marca. It was best for all concerned and at this stage all I wanted was to play for Real Madrid. Ive been given a unique opportunity and I want to make the most of it. Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world, but I feel up for the challenge and Im really excited. I know Im going to a club where theres a lot of competition, who play in a very tough league and the Champions League, but Im ready for all of that. The midfielder then went on to admit that he has yet to discuss his role with Carlo Ancelotti, but is confident he will fit in at his new club. I havent had the chance to speak to the coach yet. I have spoken to people at the club, though, such as the sporting director, and I know what they want from me. Theyve watched me play for Cruzeiro and they know what my attributes are, but at the end of the day the coach calls the shots and Ill adapt to the team. Fifa president Sepp Blatter has accused Uefa of lacking the courage to challenge his leadership. The 78-year-old is bidding for a fifth term as head of footballs world governing body and has urged Uefa to put someone up against him or be respectful of his wish to continue. Three candidates - Jerome Champagne, Prince Ali and David Ginola - have said they will stand against him in May. All those who want to get rid of me should come, Blatter said. Michel Platini, president of European governing body Uefa, has called for his Fifa counterpart Blatter to be replaced but will not stand himself. Blatter, who has been in charge of Fifa since 1998, told CNN World Sport: All this opposition is coming now, its unfortunate to say - but its true - its coming from Uefa. They dont have the courage to come in. So let me go [on] - be respectful. Cesc Fabregas has revealed Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho and former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola are more similar than people think. Fabregas has worked under both Mourinho and Pep Guardiola and the two are often seen to be polar opposites, despite their repeated clashes. But the 27-year-old insists the two are both driven by the same intense will to win, and claims they are in fact remarkably similar. He told El Pais: Dont be so sure [that theyre so different]. I think they have one very important thing in common: theyre winners. They both hate losing. Theyre more similar than many people think. Mourinho is asking us to play attractive football. This [Chelsea] team arent about sitting back: were about attacking and getting on the ball. Theyre both winners and they both like playing attractive football, though their working methods arent exactly the same - they have different ways of going about things. The Spain international played for Barca at a time when they were in fierce competition with Mourinho’s Real Madrid, and he concedes that he would never have envisaged himself playing under the Portuguese back in 2012. “Three years ago, no, he said when asked if he ever expected to work with Mourinho. It just shows you how you can never tell in life, and even more so in football. We had a very intense rivalry with Mourinho. It never reached the level of hatred, not even close, but there were disagreements with him and [John] Terry too. Chelsea were always the team that I most wanted to beat. Barcelona star Neymar says he understands Cristiano Ronaldos frustration boiling over after he was shown a red card during Real Madrids 2-1 win over Cordoba. The Portuguese seemed rattled throughout the contest, with video footage appearing to show him throwing a punch at Jose Angel Crespo, which went unnoticed by the referee. But Ronaldo was later punished for kicking out at Edimar Fraga in another moment of indiscipline, which resulted in him being sent off. The three-time Ballon dOr winner later apologised on social media for losing his temper, but he has received the support of Neymar. It is difficult because sometimes there is provocation, he said. It happened to Zinedine Zidane, it happened to me. Nobody has the coolness to remain calm 100 per cent of the time. We must think with our heads. I think he should be punished. It is the referees responsibility to protect players on the pitch, particularly when they are targeted by hard challenges. Hard tackles must be punished. Neymar has been one of Barcelonas shining lights amid a turbulent campaign at Camp Nou, with boardroom upheaval followed by reports of a dispute between Lionel Messi and coach Luis Enrique. The Brazil captain has scored 19 goals in 25 games in all competitions and eased the goalscoring burden on the Argentine. The 22-year-old was asked whether the presence of his South American team-mate could hinder his own bid to become the best player in the world, but he says Messis influence is only positive. I have no problem. Ive shared a dressing room with Ronaldinho and I never had problems with him. Ive played with many great players. Messi is the best player in the world and Ill always have huge respect for him.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 16:43:58 +0000