The Nation Newspaper

Tag: neymar

  • Barcelona ready with or without Neymar

    Barcelona ready with or without Neymar

    Barcelona are ready for Sunday’s Clasico whether Neymar is suspended for the crunch clash with Real Madrid or not, insists Luis Enrique.

    Neymar is serving an extended ban after sarcastically applauding an assistant referee on his way down the tunnel having been sent off or two bookable offences during Barcelona’s 2-0 defeat at Malaga.

    With Barca three points behind Madrid, who have a game in hand, coach Luis Enrique conceded the match could be decisive in the LaLiga title race, but they go into the contest with an appeal over Neymar’s ban still under consideration by the

    Spanish Sports Tribunal (TAD).

    It is a course of action that Luis Enrique, whose side were knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus in midweek, fully supports – and he even refused to rule out playing Neymar regardless of the outcome.

    “I think what the club has done is very correct, defending the interests of the club and the players. So in that respect I think it’s correct and logical,” he said.

    “From a coach’s point of view I’m preparing for the game both with and without Neymar.

    “I think [overturning the ban] is something the club is working on as much as possible, whether it’s fair or unfair, those aren’t terms I like to classify.

    “It makes no difference if I’m optimistic or not. I’m prepared to play with Neymar or without Neymar. End of matter.”

    Pressed further on the possibility of selecting the Brazil star while the suspension is still in place, the 46-year-old added: “You’ll find that out when the game is played.”

    The reverse fixture ended 1-1 at Camp Nou in December, when Sergio Ramos scored a last-gasp leveller for Zinedine Zidane’s side.

  • Neymar handed 3 match ban, Misses Clasico

    Neymar handed 3 match ban, Misses Clasico

    Spanish FA has handed Barcelona star Neymar a three-match ban. The FA decided to hand him a one-match ban for the two yellow cards he got during the Barcelona 2-0 loss to Malaga on Saturday.

    However he was giving an additional two match ban for sarcastically applauding the assistant referee when he was sent off. Barcelona will face Real Sociedad at the Nou Camp next week-end before meeting Real Madrid at the Santiagob Bernabeu on the 23rd of April but the blaugrana will have to do without Neymar.
    According to Marca, Barcelona will appeal the FA’s decision. The LaLiga giants believe the ruling is not fair as it punishes a ‘spontaneous’ reaction of their footballer. The Spanish paper, however, claims Barcelona do not have many chances to win the appeal as similar bans have never been reduced by the FA in the past.
  • Man U set to make £173m move for Neymar

    Man U set to make £173m move for Neymar

    Manchester United are reportedly ready to smash their own world-record transfer fee in order to bring Barcelona winger Neymar to Old Trafford this summer.

    The Red Devils have been linked with the Brazil international for some time now and were given a boost in their pursuit last week when Neymar himself admitted that he wants to play in the Premier League.

    The 25-year-old is understood to be happy at the Camp Nou at the moment, but Barcelona are worried that he could have his head turned by a world-record offer from United.

    Spanish publication Sport claims that United are willing to trigger Neymar’s €200m (£173m) release clause in addition to offering the forward wages of £416,000 a week.

    However, the report goes on to state that Neymar would not consider any move if it means missing out on Champions League football, which could scupper the deal with United currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table.

    Jose Mourinho’s side could still qualify for the Champions League via the top four or winning the Europa League, but negotiations will have to be put on hold until their position is clear.

    United also broke the transfer record last summer when spending £89m to bring Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford.

  • Neymar eyes Manchester United move

    Neymar eyes Manchester United move

    Barcelona sensation Neymar has talked up a possible move to Manchester United, insisting that every player would like to work with Jose Mourinho.

    The Brazil international has long been linked with a switch to Old Trafford, with newspaper reports in February suggesting that United were ready to launch a £200 million bid.

    And Neymar has now opened the door to a possible move to United, insisting that Mourinho’s side are one of the teams that he admires and that “any player” would like to work with the Portuguese.

    He told The Sun: “The Premier League is a championship that amazes me.

    “I like the playing style and the teams. And who knows, someday, I would like to play at it, yes.

    “I admire Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool – these are the teams that are always there fighting.

    “And then you have high-level coaches like Mourinho and Guardiola. These are coaches with whom any player would like to work.

    “In the Premier League you never know who is going to win or who will be champions, it is always a surprise.

    “Leicester are very good. They had a great season last year, they were Premier League champions and therefore we need to respect them if we draw them in the Champions League.”

    Neymar has enjoyed a productive 2016-17 campaign with Barca so far, scoring 14 goals in all competitions.

    The Catalan club are trailing Real Madrid in the Liga title race by two points, with Zinedine Zidane’s side also having a game in hand over their fierce rivals.

    Barca are also in the hunt for Champions League glory, with Neymar having set a record for assists in that particular competition, and will face Juventus in the quarter-finals following a miraculous comeback win over PSG.

  • Neymar reveals EPL desire

    Neymar reveals EPL desire

     

    Barcelona star Neymar admits he would like to play in the Premier League in future.

    The Brazil international was reportedly a firm target for Louis van Gaal at Manchester United in 2015, with the forward’s agent claiming that an offer said to be worth close to £140million had been tabled.

    Rumours have emerged in recent weeks that Jose Mourinho has made contact personally with Neymar in order to test the water before launching a new bid at the end of the season.

    Although he signed a new contract at Camp Nou in October that runs until 2021, the former Santos forward has revealed that a move to England is tempting.

    “It’s a championship that surprises me,” he said at a PokerStars event. “I like the playing style and the teams.

    “I admire Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool – these are the teams that are always fighting for the title.

    “And then you have top-level coaches like Mourinho and [Pep] Guardiola. These are coaches any player would like to play for.

    “Who knows? I’d like to play there.”

    Neymar has 14 goals and 23 assists in all competitions this season.

  • Corruption: Neymar to stand trial after losing appeal

    Corruption: Neymar to stand trial after losing appeal

    Barcelona forward Neymar is to stand trial in Spain on corruption charges.

    The country’s high court confirmed on Monday that the Brazil forward’s final appeal against the prosecution proceeding has been rejected.

    Appeals against the prosecution from Barca, Neymar’s former club Santos and the company run by his parents were also turned down.

    The charges relate to the 25-year-old’s transfer to Camp Nou from Santos in 2013, with Brazilian investment group DIS alleging it received less money than the 40 per cent it was entitled to from the disputed transfer fee.

    Prosecutors want a two-year prison sentence for Neymar and his father, although as they are first-time offenders that would be unlikely to result in jail time.

    They are also seeking fines of $10million against the Neymars, as well as amounts of $9m and $7m from Barcelona and Santos respectively.

  • Neymar eyeing 2018 World Cup success

    Neymar eyeing 2018 World Cup success

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Barcelona attacker Neymar has revealed that his ultimate ambition in football is to lift the World Cup trophy with Brazil.

     

    The 25-year-old was part of the Brazil team that went in search of World Cup glory on home soil in 2014, but an injury forced the attacker to miss his nation’s semi-final thumping by eventual winners Germany.

     

    Neymar did score the winning penalty to help Brazil win gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, but he has admitted that he ‘cannot stop thinking’ about success at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

     

    “It would be a big honour for me, it’s a dream I have to keep playing for the Brazilian football team, to score goals and help the team the best way I can,” Neymar told Red Bull Content Pool.

     

    “And, well, I hope I’m able to keep scoring, keep setting records, that makes me happy. I don’t want to be better than anyone, all I want is to be better than myself. For me, that’s what really matters.

     

    “I’m not anxious, but I’m already thinking about the World Cup. I am a daydreamer; I can’t stop thinking, imagining how it would be to win a World Cup. But I will work hard, so that I’m prepared for 2018. I have many [ambitions]. I still have many things to do, there’s a lot of titles to be conquered.”

     

    Neymar has scored 50 times in 75 appearances for Brazil; only Romario, Ronaldo and Pele have more goals for the South American nation.

  • Neymar knocks Messi off as the most valuable player

    Neymar knocks Messi off as the most valuable player

    .Dele Alli make top 10

    The CIES Football Observatory has published a list judging

    which player would command the highest transfer fee.They have

    judged that if a team were to make a move for Barcelona striker

    Neymar, they should pay no less than £217m – £128m more than

    the current world record, the £89m paid by Manchester United

    for Paul Pogba.
    The CIES Football Observatory research team has developed a unique approach

    to estimate on a scientific basis the transfer value of professional football players.

    The statistical model through which fair prices are calculated includes

    multiple variables on player performance (minutes, goals, etc.)

    and characteristics (age, contract, etc.), as well as data on employer clubs and potential recruiting ones.

    THE TOP 100 MOST VALUABLE FOOTBALLERS IN THE WORLD
    1. Neymar (Barcelona and Brazil) – £217m

    2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina) – £150m

    3. Paul Pogba (Manchester United and France) – £136.5m

    4. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid and France) – £132.2m

    5. Luis Suarez (Barcelona and Uruguay) – £127.7m

    6. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur and England) – £122.4m

    7. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal) – £111.2m

    8. Paulo Dybala (Juventus and Argentina) – £100m

    9. Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur and England) – £97m

    10. Eden Hazard (Chelsea and Belguim) – £89m

    11. Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus and Argentina) – £86m

    12. Anthony Martial (Manchester United and France) – £81.3m

    13. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City and England) – £75.2m

    14. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid and Wales) – £73.8m

    15. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Atletico Madrid and Belguim) –

    £73m

    16. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City and Argentina) – £70m

    17. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria) – £68.7m

    18. Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan and Argentina) – £68.3m

    19. Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City and Belguim) – £67.5m

    20. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal and Chile) – £67.1m

    21. N’Golo Kante (Chelsea and France) – £65.5m

    22. Alvaro Morata (Real Madrid and Spain) – £64.1m

    23. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid and Germany) – £62.8m

    24. Ousmane Dembele (Borussia Dortmund and France) – £62.4m

    25. Romelu Lukaku (Everton and Belgium) – £62.3m

    26. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham Hotspur and Denmark) – £62.2m

    27. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Poland) – £61.9m

    28. Hector Bellerin (Arsenal and Spain) – £61.8m

    29. Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur and England) – £61.1m

    30. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon) –

    £60.5m

    31. Koke (Atletico Madrid and Spain) – £59m

    32. Diego Costa (Chelsea and Spain) – £58.3m

    33. Leroy Sane (Manchester City and Germany) – £57.4m

    34. Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid and Spain) – £57.2m

    35. Mohammed Salah (Roma and Egypt) – £57m

    36. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid and France) – £56.3m

    37. Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich and Germany) – £55.9m

    38. Nicolas Otamendi (Manchester City and Argentina) – £55.5m

    39. Sadio Mane (Liverpool and Senegal) – £53.5m

    40. Shkrodan Mustafi (Arsenal and Germany) – £53.2m

    41. James Rodriguez (Real Madrid and Colombia) – £53.1m

    42. Virgil Van Dijk (Southampton and Holland) – £52.9m

    43. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid and Slovenia) – £52.5m

    44. Andre Gomes (Barcelona and Portugal) – £52.2m

    45. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool and Brazil) – £48.6m

    46. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea and Belgium) – £48.5m

    47. Willian (Chelsea and Brazil) – £48.4m

    48. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool and Brazil) – £48.3m

    49. Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool and Holland) – £47.2m

    50. Miralem Pjanic (Juventus and Bosnia-Herzegovina) – £46.2m

    51. Bernardo Silva (Monaco and Portugal) – £46.1m

    52. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City and England) – £45.9m

    53. Marco Asensio (Real Madrid and Spain) – £45.4m

    54. Radja Nainggolan (Roma and Belgium) – £44.5m

    55. David Alaba (Bayern Munich and Austria) – £44.4m

    56. Lucas Moura (PSG and Brazil) – £44.3m

    57. John Stones (Manchester City and England) – £43m

    58. David de Gea (Manchester United and Spain) – £42.9m

    59. Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid and Croatia) – £42.8m

    60. Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea and Belgium) – £42.3m

    61. Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona and France) – £41.9m

    62. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal and Germany) – £41.8m

    63. Granit Xhaka (Arsenal and Switzerland) – £40.5m

    64. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich and Germany) – £40.3m

    65. Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon and France) – £40.1m

    66. Andrea Belotti (Torino and Italy) – £39.7m

    67. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich and Germany) – £39.6m

    68. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona and Croatia) – £39.5m

    69. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea) – £39.4m

    70. Sergio Busquets (Barcelona and Spain) – £39.2m

    71. Antonio Rudiger (Roma and Germany) – £39.1m

    72. Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund and Germany) – £38.2m

    73. Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich and Germany) – £38m

    74. Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus and Italy) – £37.8m

    75. Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen and Germany) – £37.7m

    76. Daniele Rugani (Juventus and Italy) – £37.5m

    77. Piotr Zielinski (Napoli and Poland) – £37.4m

    78. Nathan Redmond (Southampton and England) – £37.3m

    79. Isco (Real Madrid and Spain) – £37.2m

    80. Konstantinos Manolas (Roma and Greece) – £36.8m

    81. Angel Correa (Atletico Madrid and Argentina) – £36.5m

    82. Dimitri Payet (West Ham United and France) – £36m

    83. Fabinho (Monaco and Brazil) – £35.9m

    84. Alessio Romagnoli (AC Milan and Italy) – £35.8m

    85. Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur and Belgium) – £35.7m

    86. Alex Sandro (Juventus and Brazil) – £35.6m

    87. Denis Suarez (Barcelona and Spain) – £35.5m

    88. Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea and Spain) – £35.4m

    89. Marco Verratti (PSG and Italy) – £35.3m

    90. Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City and England) – £35.2m

    91. Pedro (Chelsea and Spain) – £35m

    92. Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich and Brazil) – £34.6m

    93. Emre Can (Liverpool and Germany) – £34m

    94. Felipe Anderson (Lazio and Brazil) – £33.5m

    95. Marquinhos (PSG and Brazil) – £33m

    96. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and France) – £32.9m

    97. Kevin Gameiro (PSG and France) – £32.8m

    98. Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli and Senegal) – £32.6m

    99. Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich and Portugal) – £32.2m

    100. Michail Antonio (West Ham United and England) – £31.8m

  • Ronaldo wins 2016 Ballon d’Or award

    Ronaldo wins 2016 Ballon d’Or award

    Cristiano Ronaldo has tonight been crowned the Ballon d’Or winner for the fourth 
    time in his illustrious career.
    The Real Madrid and Portugal forward enjoyed an outstanding 2016 to beat
    Barcelona rivals Lionel Messi and Neymar to the individual award.
    Ronaldo’s latest triumph, which is voted for by 173 journalists from around the
    world, takes him to within one title of Messi’s total of five.
    Ronaldo has scored a total of 102 goals in 110 appearances for club and country
    throughout the calendar year.
    The 31-year-old’s efforts helped Madrid win the Champions League in May as
    Zinedine Zidane’s side edged out city rivals Atletico Madrid courtesy of a penalty
    shoot-out.
    And Ronaldo added another trophy to his cabinet in July as Portugal triumphed
    over host nation France to win Euro 2016.
    Ronaldo did not attend tonight’s ceremony in Paris as he is currently on Club
    World Cup duty with Madrid in Japan.
  • Ex Barcelona striker Eto’o risks jail over tax fraud

    Ex Barcelona striker Eto’o risks jail over tax fraud

    Former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o has been accused of tax evasion in Spain and could face a ten-and-a-half year prison sentence if found guilty, according to reports in Spain.
    A Spanish public prosecutor has accused the former African footballer of the year of conspiring to evade 3.5 million euros ($4.4 million) in taxes owed on income from his image rights when he was playing for Barcelona between 2006-2009.
    According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, there are four charges levelled against him, which could amount to 10 and a half years behind bars and a fine of €14m.
    Additionally, his agent at the time, Josep Maria Mesalles, would also stand trial if the reported prosecution effort is accepted.
    And as well as the long prison term, prosecutors are demanding he be fined around £12m.
    The former Cameroon striker is also reported to have operated two companies — Bulte 2002 in Spain and Tradesport in Hungary — and this allowed him to transfer his image rights between the two and avoid having to pay tax.
    However, Eto’o is not the first person associated with Barcelona to come under scrutiny for his tax returns, with Lionel Messi handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence in July after being found guilty of tax evasion. He only avoided time behind bars due to his previously clean criminal record.
    And currently, Neymar is accused of similar charges, and on Wednesday the prosecutor requested that he be sentenced to two years in jail if he is found guilty.