Massacci Joins United

Manchester United have grabbed Alberto Massacci, yet another young Italian after Davide Petrucci and Federico ‘Kiko’ Macheda at United. The deal is expected to be completed early next week as it is thought Massacci has already had and passed a medical at Carrington. The full-back spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport about how surprised and delighted he was when Sir Alex contacted him at first.

Sir Alex convinced him to join United after talking for more than an hour with the 16 year old defender over the telephone.

“When Sir Alex Ferguson rang me up, I couldn’t believe it,” said Massacci. “I had an hour-long conversation with him, in English. He seemed a humble person and nobody from the club made the pressure of an historic side weigh on my shoulders. In life a chance like this only comes past you once, so you’ve got to grab it with both hands. It isn’t an easy decision aged 16 to leave home, family and friends, but I don’t want to have regrets.”

United have been attacked verbally on poaching young talent from all over the world and it will add another club to the list of teams unhappy with United’s transfer styles, Empoli.

Massacci was apparently spotted by United’s chief Italian scout David Williams at the international Gallini tournament in Pordenone last year, where he was voted the tournament’s best player. As he says, it’s a big step for a 16 year-old to leave his family and friends behind to move to a new country, but Messrs Rossi, Macheda and Petrucci have proved it is manageable in recent years, and the latter pair should provide immediate help and comfort for the new arrival as he settles in.

Massacci is the second defender to be brought in from another club to bolster this year’s crop of first-years, following the signing of Charltons McGinty. They figure to compete for places in the academy back four with homegrown products like Tom Thorpe and Zeki Fryers, as well as second-years Reece Brown and Scott Wootton.

Federico Macheda, another Italian was brought over from the Lazio youth teams which left the Italian club less then impressed with the manner in which they lost a future star.

CR9 ~ Press Meet ~ Transcript

What position would you like to play in?
I haven’t always played as a striker. I prefer to play down the wing, but I wouldn’t mind playing as a striker.

What word defines your presentation day?
Impressive.

Is it going to be hard for you to sleep today?
I’m sure I’ll sleep well. I’m tired.

What did you think of when you saw 80,000 people at the stadium?
It was a beautiful sensation. I loved it. I didn’t expect the stadium to be full. This is a dream come true. I thought of my parents. I felt the fans are fond of me already. I want to pay them back for that. I know I’ll feel more pressure here than at Manchester United, but I have faith in myself and I am ambitious. I want the league to begin to do my absolute best.

What would you like to say to the people at Manchester United?
I think about my former team-mates and bosses. I had a great relationship with them for six years. My team-mates respect my decision. Real Madrid is a dream and a great challenge to me. This is my new home and I will give 100% for this shirt.

What did Di Stefano say to you?
It was very special to meet him. He is a legend. It was the same as meeting Bobby Charlton at Manchester United. He wished me luck. I am very grateful to him. It was one of the best moments of my life.

What do you think of the money your transfer has cost?
I’ve always said a club must pay a lot of money to get the best players. I want to prove that they made the right decision. I understand many of the comments that have been made, but I’m happy for being the most expensive player in the Club’s history. It makes me feel proud.

Did you think about how hard it’s been for you to get here when you entered the dressing room?
Yes. To play for Real Madrid was my life’s ambition. I wanted to change clubs and this is the one I regard to be the best. It is special to kiss this shirt for the first time. I felt special emotions.

Will you make Real Madrid win the European Cup again?
I won’t play alone. I will be part of the team and I will do my best to help it win the Champions League. We have a great team and a great coach. We will take things slowly at first and then we’ll think about the Champions League. We have to do a good job.

How many goals do you think you’ll score this year?
I will try to adapt as quickly as possible. The goals will come later.

Did you notice the Portuguese flags on the stands?
It’s always nice to see your country’s colours in a foreign country. I also noticed flags from Madeira and it made me feel proud. My next challenge is to be the best again, to help the Club win titles and show that the money spent on me was worth it.

How was your farewell with Ferguson like?
It was very good. My relationship with him always was and will always be very good. I spoke to him in Manchester. Life goes on.

What do you know about Pellegrini?
I’ve heard many good things about him. He must be good because he is at Real Madrid. Villarreal always made things hard for us when we faced them. It will be a pleasure to work with him. He will try to do his best, the same as me. I hope we win many titles together.

Why wasn’t your mother at the presentation?
She missed it for personal reasons. She is watching it on the TV. She is very proud and probably crying.

What do you think of Ribery?
He is a good player. I know him and I’ve watched him play on several occasions, but my job is to play football, not to comment on other players.

Has Florentino Perez been decisive in your signing?
I’ve read many things about myself in the press. They shoot, but miss a lot. The fact is I am at Real Madrid. That’s what counts.

Are you sad for losing the number ‘7’ shirt?
I wanted number ‘7’ because it is a legendary number at Real Madrid. But I like number ‘9’. Numbers don’t play. I will try to play as I’ve done until now, regardless of the number. It is I who plays and I think I will do so well.

Have you spoken to the friends you have on the team?
I’ve spoken to Pepe, Heinze and Di Salvo. They all congratulated me. We’ve been friends for years. I’m sure I will make many more friends at Real Madrid.

Are you especially excited about playing with one particular footballer?
I’ve always wanted to play for Real Madrid. The best in the world play here. They are all important and that’s why I’m not especially excited about playing with one in particular. They are all here for a reason. New team-mates, new team, new championship... This is very exciting.

Do you think you’ve arrived one year late?
No. I think we made the right decision. I wanted to win the Premier League and we reached the Champions League final. I am happy with the season I had last year.

Do you know what the Cibeles is?
I do. That’s where the team celebrates winning its titles. I would love to go there.

What do you think of the current squad?
It has great players. I'm sure we'll all pull in the same direction to win titles. It will be hard for Pellegrini to choose the starting line-ups. I am proud of the team-mates I'm going to have. I hope we're lucky.


It's an ambition of mine, but two titles would also be nice: La Liga and the Champions League. We must work hard and build an organised team before thinking about important stuff like that. This team, its coach, the structure of the Club, our ambition and hard work will all give us chances of achieving great things.

Do you think defeating Barcelona will serve as revenge?
No. I don't believe in revenge. I want to defeat them both at home and away.

What makes La Liga and the Premiership different?
The Premiership is faster and La Liga is more competitive, especially when it comes down to smaller teams.

What did you think of the Bernabeu?
I had never felt anything like this before. It was a nice first impression. It was very special.

How will your relationship with Kaka be like?
It wiill be good. He'll say the same thing. We will be good friends.

What do you think of Benzema?
He is a very good player and a great signing. He will meet with the expectation that's been generated. It will be nice to play with him. He will adapt very well to the team. He still has a lot to learn, like me. He will have a lot of fun.

Is La Liga better than the Premiership?
It is more competitive. They are the best league tournaments in the world. They have the best players.

What do you know of the current Real Madrid squad?
I know it is a fantastic group of people and that they are all very open. There won't be any trouble. I've never caused trouble and i'm not about to start now.

How would you convince a child to start supporting Real Madrid?
It's not easy. Real Madrid is special. Barcelona is a great club, but Real Madrid is special. I could tell kids not to give up their dreams and to continue learning, not imitating. They should have personality and fight for their dreams.


Which is the league game you are most anxious to play?
All of them. Every player likes to be in a great game, like the Clasico with Barcelona, but I actually have no preference. I want to play and win them all.

Have you spoken to Pellegrini yet?
I haven't had the chance. I know his methods are good and that he listens to players. It will be a pleasure to play with him.

What do you prefer, spectacular football or winning games?
The important thing is to take points. The team with the most points wins in the end. It is even better if it does this with spectacle.

How do you disconnect from everything that surrounds you?
I watch television at home.

Do you have any fears?
No. I only fear death, like everyone else.

Have you spoken to Luis Figo?
He always spoke very well of Real Madrid. He used to tell me I should sign for the Club. I would like to win even more titles than he did.

Do you think you could win the Ballon d''Or again this year?
I'm not worried about that. I just want to have a good season and have a good start to the league. Individual awards are important, but they aren't the most important thing.

Would you like to play against ManU?
They were very good to me. Ferguson jokingly said to me that ManU would destroy us in a final. We've always had a great relationship and I wish him all the best.

Would you like to take set pieces?
The coach should decide that, but I would like to.

Are Real Madrid favourites to win La Liga?
We'll see that at the end of the campaign. We'll have options to win the title and so will Barcelona. But there are other teams too. I hope we are the best.

Who is the best player in the world?
Real Madrid.

The boy who at 14 years of age was already head of the family

This is the story of a boy who at just 14 years of age was the breadwinner of a family of five. What he earned at Grémio went towards the household expenses. Practically the whole salary. The childhood story of this youngster was different from most. Football was always his passion; his studies always took second place. This is why his mother, Doralice Oliveira, a widow of five years, signed him up for the junior team of Olímpico. As well as giving her son the opportunity to do what he truly he wanted, it was a chance to take him off the Brazilian streets and simultaneously provide him with a future profession.



Anderson, "little Pele", as he was known in the Rubem Berta Park, the zone north of Porto Alegre, only visited his family at the weekends. He was one of 130 boys who lived in a type of youth home. And while at the start the adaptation was not easy, he now states that he wouldn’t swap this experience "for anything in the world". But only after weeping abundant tears of homesickness, not only for his family, but also for the street kick-abouts. "Here the training sessions are scheduled and everything is organised; there’s a lot of discipline", he commented at the time. He settled in. With difficulty, his mother also had to get used to this new reality, albeit temporary, in the certainty that her son was on the right track for a better future. "If not as a player, then as a person, as a citizen", she said at the time.

The future would prove her right. The strong personality that was noticeable as a boy was increasingly ingrained. He said that everyone would see him on TV, he said that one day he would offer a house to his mother and build a football pitch for the "guris" (kids) of the neighbourhood were he was born and grew up, so that they would have the same opportunity as him. The first promise is fulfilled; the second will soon be made reality. The big opportunity arose by chance, but also because he knew how to catch the attention of the then coach of Grémio, Cuca. He was 16 and had just been promoted to the junior team. The canteen was shared by all the members of the club. Cuca was sitting down at the table when he noticed a kid looking at himself in a mirror holding two mobile phones in his hand. He was curious and called over the young player. "Do you need two mobile phones to play?" he asked. "It’s not you who pays the bills", retorted Anderson immediately. Cuca was impressed, and decided to find out more about that "guri" from the Grémio boys’ coach and the Brazil under-17 national coach. What was his name, was he already an international, where had he played. Anderson went up to Cuca. "You can ask me: I'm called Anderson, I've already played in Spain, France, Germany, England, I play for Brazil, I’ve scored more than 40 goals". Cuca made a decision at that very instant: Anderson, the kid that used two mobile phones, was called up to the senior team of the club, four days before a vital match between Grémio and Internacional. "I can’t explain why, it was a hunch of mine", said Cuca at the time. "He’s got a promising future and the best references possible".


The "guri" Anderson was not only called up for the first time to the professional team, but he played and scored a goal. Grémio lost 3-1, but he was the player who stood out most. The goal he scored in converting a free-kick, his versatility, his self-assurance and confidence were evident. From that moment onwards Anderson was part of the professional squad of Grémio. At 16. That was the moment he had a considerable rise in his wages, because he went from being a "prodigy" to being considered the successor to Ronaldinho Gaúcho. It was also when the agents began to appear with increasing frequency.

Doralice Oliveira had dealt with this phenomenon of her son called Anderson since he was just 11 years old. Many came knocking at her door offering video games and sums of money in exchange for signing some documents. She refused all entreaties, remaining steadfast in the defence of the interests of her son. "On the day I meet somebody who's got his interests at heart, okay", she said endless times. Anderson is currently represented by Jorge Mendes, who was responsible for his transfer to FC Porto.

Manchester United ~ Crowned Premier League Champions 08/09

Wow ~ a season long effort has really paid off pretty well. the Red Devils retain the Barclay's Premier League :) ~

Thunderbolt Strikes ~ Old Trafford

USAIN BOLT raced in to meet Manchester United’s stars — as Alex Ferguson warned no one will catch his champs for years.

Double Olympic sprint king Bolt will be at Old Trafford today as United face Arsenal, needing just a point for their 11th Premier League title.

The fastest man on the planet, a United fan, dropped in at their Carrington training ground to meet Fergie and his troops ahead of today’s lunchtime clash with the fading Gunners.

Red Devils ~ Sign a French Starlet

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has snapped up French midfield starlet Paul Pogba - under the nose of Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger.

Ferguson has tied up a deal to land the 16-year-old youth international who plays for crack nursery club Le Havre and the kid has opted for United ahead of the Gunners.



It is a major signing triumph for Ferguson who has been unable to dominate the French market in the past few years because of Wenger's name and contacts.


However United have been working on the deal for months and the defensive midfielder, a regular in the national under-16 side, will join their list of talented kids.

Ferguson is working overtime on recruiting the next generation while also chasing the double at first team level, with Pogba's signature now imminent.

Pogba can leave Le Havre in the summer - with the fee to be based on appearances and compensation on his 'education' at the Ligue 1 outfit.

United Sign a Dodo

Brazilian teenage sensation José Rodolfo Pires Ribeiro shortly called as Dodo is a Red Devil from now. He joins the increasing brazilian brigade in Old Trafford ~ Anderson, Da Silva's & Possedon.

Here is his profile ,
http://www.goal.com/en/people/brazil/30406/dod%C3%B4