England Junos: Future Stars in Making

The U-17 World Cup that was hosted in India has been nothing short of a spectacle. The event that has set a predominantly cricket-based nation on fire, with the crowds smashing all attendance records, this has surely been a tournament to remember. Right from the opening game to semi finals and ultimately the final, the event has seen football craziness on the highest level. The final of the U-17 World Cup has had more turnover than the final of the Cricket World Cup.

Young Brigade

Coming to the teams that took part in the competition, everyone has been nothing else but brilliant. Representing their countries at such a young age and playing riveting football right from the start of the tournament, it was brilliant. Each and every team managed to win the hearts of the fans and the brand of football displayed by these youngsters was superb. The tournament deserved a fitting end and it indeed got one with Spain and England making it to the finals of the tournament in Kolkata. The match saw a packed Yuvabharati Krirangan cheering both the sides equally and the noise level in the stadium was absolutely massive with an electric atmosphere and the stadium shaking to its core.

Final Countdown

The final saw England going down to Spain by 2 goals to nil and then making a comeback that has seldom been witnessed in the finals of the Football World Cup. The boys from Britain managed to ship in 5 goals and the match ended with England being the runaway winners. The comeback set up by England was absolutely mesmerizing and the brand of football that was displayed by both the teams in the final was majestic. Both the teams chose to play open football with pressing high up the pitch and staying attacks after attacks. This tempo of the game was massive and it has been a worthy final.

England – True Champion

The entire English team was applauded by the football fans for their performances and the brand of football that was out on display by them was fantastic. Rhian Brewster from England managed to win the golden boot after scoring the maximum number of goals in the tournament, which included two hat tricks in back to back matches and a goal in the final. However, the player, who won the hearts of every one with his brilliant footwork and skills with the ball, was Manchester City academy product, Phillip Foden. Donning the number 7 Jersey for the club and orchestrating the play for the team, the player was simply brilliant.

His agility and footwork kept teams on their toes throughout the tournament and the passes put forward by him, which turned into assists, was nothing else but brilliant. The player managed to score in the final as well after doing what he does best: Orchestrating the run of play. Players like Kirby and Gomes were rock solid in the centre of the pitch and dictated the terms of play, taking the game to the opposition. Young sensation Jadon Sancho, another Manchester City product now playing in Borussia Dortmund, had his tournament cut short due to club duties. The player was brilliant with the ball as well.

Players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White gave their all and the performance of the former in the final from the left wing was breathtaking. The player has a lot of pace and agility that teared the Spanish defence. It was a massive team effort that resulted in England lifting of the trophy. 

10 Most Fashionable Footballers in the World

An individual’s fashion statement is a reflection of his/her lifestyle. Therefore, how can the football players stay immune to the changing scenario of fashion and style? In fact, many footballers are extremely fashionable and love to set a trend on and off the field as well.  There is a long list of footballers who are considered role models in the fashion world.

Football being the most popular sport in the world, celebrity footballers are just like next to God for their followers. Even a single change in their style does not go unnoticed by their fans all over the globe. These days, they are always on the radar of the paparazzi and football fanatics. Not surprisingly, their every look and style is a hot topic for discussion and followed by the fashionistas. 

Here are top 10 footballers mostly famous for their unique style and sense of fashion.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid star and Portugal national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo is the most stylish footballer of his era. The talisman has a good sense of fashion and always sports dresses from the top brands. He endorses several famous brands. After all, he is a fashion icon on field and off it!

Memphis Depay

Former Manchester United midfielder Memphis Depay is truly a fashion fiesta. During the French football awards ceremony, the Dutchman followed legendary pop star Michael Jackson’s footstep when he wore the same black jacket emblazoned with a garish gold material.

Gerard Pique

The Barcelona defender and Spain international has its own fashion statement, which is simple and straightforward. He was the face of the ‘H.E. by famous ‘Mango’ fashion campaign back in 2011. The famous Manchester United player is believed to have been highly influenced by his wife and Columbian pop star Shakira. 

Danny Welbeck

Dat Guy Welbz has failed to make the list of the first XI for Arsenal more than often. The England international seems to have got busy with online shopping in his free time. He loves switching between different suits and it could be a good fashion tip for anyone with earning worth million pounds/year.

Samuel Eto’o

The former Chelsea star launched his own brand of clothing. The Cameroon forward started a new line of shirts, shoes and caps under the brand name ‘Samuel Eto’o 9’. The striker is a hard-believer in fusion when it comes to clothing.

Xabi Alonso

The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star has hung up his boot. However, the handsome midfielder’s cool fashion statement continues grabbing the eyeballs of his hard-chore fans and fashion-crazy football lovers.

Andrea Pirlo

How can the coolest footballer be a fashionable man? The answer is the fashionable men don’t need to look hot always in order to turn head. The legendary Italian footballer believes in simplicity and the rest of the world knows it well that the most stylish thing about Andrea Pirlo is being Andrea Pirlo.

Alex Song

Believe it or not, the West Ham player is a hot fashion icon. He started his own brand Systeme TCHAKAP in 2014 and it earned fame within a quick timeframe. The celebrity players like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Dani Alves have been spotted wearing clothes from his brand.

Raul Meirelesfamous

The former Chelsea and Liverpool player looks extremely stylish in fluorescent green shoes. He always sports a beard and tattoos.

Didier Drogba

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba looks elegant in jeans and t-shirts. He launched his own brand of men “s underwear and beachwear with a French company.

An Insight into Chelsea’s Transfer Policy

London side Chelsea has been one of the forces to reckon with in the modern era of English Premier League. The club has been in the top tier for a long time now and one of the most successful clubs after Manchester United and Arsenal. Run by Russian business tycoon Roman Abramovich and currently being managed by Italian manager Antonio Comte, the club has been a massive threat to the other title challenging rivals for a long time now.

Italian boss Antonio Conte was appointed as manager of Chelsea only last season after the club endured a lacklustre season under Jose Mourinho. Mourinho, who also had spell at Real Madrid, guided them to win the Premier League in the 2014-15 season and backed it up with a lacklustre campaign in 2015-16 season as Chelsea finished outside top ten. This led to sacking of the Poutuguese manager who got replaced by Italian manager Conte who had successfully managed the Italian national team back then. Antonio Conte joined the club eventually and after a slow start in the Premier League with the first five matches panning out to be drab matches for the side, the club gained pace and turned out to be runaway champions. The Blues – the nickname of Chelsea, gained pace and outdid their rivals to win the English Premier League title last season.

From winning the Premier League and defending the league this season, Chelsea has been ensuring that they build a squad that is capable enough to compete in the cup games and the league and also the Champions League this campaign after coming back into the competition after a season. The club has been trying to make deals in order to ensure that all the bases are covered and there is adequate backup for players in each position in order to make sure that the players are refreshed and suitable players replace the ones who are injured during the season.

To be very honest, Chelsea’s transfer plans have not been that great this season and the club has made some bizarre sales during the summer transfer window, with the like of Nemanja Matic leaving the club. The Serbian midfielder was one of the mainstays for Chelsea last season as the club won the league. Having said that, they have looked to replace Diego Costa who has been having problems with Conte. The Blues have managed to secure service of Alvaro Morata. Assessing Chelsea’s transfer plans this season and given the formation they use, the club is likely to need more reinforcements as the squad looks too thin and that would be costing them dearly if players in vital positions get injured during the season with the numbers of games spiking up for the club competition this season.

TheBlues are not short in fund and can spend a lot to buy some high-profile players in the summer. However, this summer transfer window does not seem to be a happening one for them. It is now to be seen how the squad perform and whether they are able to endure the gruelling season that awaits them.

Was it only money to tempt Neymar away from Barcelona

With the dynamism that has flourished into the world football at the present moment, the sport which we fondly used to call a team game is no longer the same. The game of football is now more about individual superstars. The evolution of football from a team game to individuals’ stardom has given birth to monopoly of the well-capitalized clubs.

When it comes to money, a lot has changed since the days the business tycoons entered into the football market and started to own teams they like. With the influx of a lot of money, a massive change in the world football scenario is hard to ignore as the clubs have been on shopping spree in the transfer market. They are landing high-profile players to ensure success in both domestic and other prestigious competitions.. One such notable transfer that has recently shocked the world football involves Brazilian superstar Neymar.

From Santos to Barcelona

Neymar’s journey to stardom started when he joined Barcelona from Brazilian club Santos in summer of 2013. He took little time to be a true companion of another superstar Lionel Messi. They two created a fearsome attacking line for the Catalans. Neymar has flamboyance and skill that other players of the same age can hardly match. Neymar’s transfer to Barcelona created a lot of hoodoos and the Catalans suffered a transfer ban due to allegedly illegal tapping of a player and offering money under the table.

The player went on to be a world-class winger, arguably the best in the business after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The player’s popularity has been steadily on the rise. He is only 25 and has the best years still ahead of him.  The player formed one of the best trios in the world football after partnering with Messi and Suarez, which will be fondly remembered as MSN.

Departure from Nou Camp

The current summer transfer season has witnessed what no Barcelona fan would have ever imagined in his life. Their star forward Neymar decided to join Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee of 222 million pounds. The Neymar transfer has overshot the transfer of Paul Pogba last season when he was sold to Manchester United from Juventus for a massive fee of 120 million pounds plus add ons.

The Brazil international was also linked to a move to Manchester United last summer but nothing happened. Everyone wished him to stay in La Liga. Even Cristiano Ronaldo from Barcelona’s arch rivals Real Madrid urged him not to move away to PSG. However, everything fell on deaf years.

Conclusion

Was it only money or something else that convinced him to cut ties with Barcelona? The amount PSG offered is hard to resist but Neymar deserves more in future. The player has himself claimed that he was not lured by money. Was it his conscious yearning to come out of the shadow of Messi and create a niche on his own? Only Neymar knows the answers. But all La Liga fans will surely miss his footwork in the upcoming season.

Transfer News, rumors: PSG wants Neymar and Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea lands Morata

The rumors or news of transfers in club football has always been very exciting and fascinating. We at Golden Goals have always tried to keep you up to date on all accounts of football including football transfers too. In this blog let us speak about the latest big transfers on cards.

PSG wants Neymar and Alexis Sanchez

As you might be aware Paris Saint-Germain is aiming for a big-time splash in the transfer market this summer. This includes the Brazilian superstar Neymar and Alexis Sanchez the star Chilean footballer as the main targets, according to some reliable media reports. This is just a day after it was reported that Neymar had agreed to the deal with PSG, the French football club too confirmed that the “deal is possible”. According to the report this means that the transfer might trigger his release clause of over $200 million. 

In recent years Neymar, who was twice the South American Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012 has had a phenomenal run with Barcelona as well. He was a big part of Barca’s attacking trio with Argebtine Superstar Lionel Messi and Spaniard Luuis Saurez. He won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del and also the UEFA Champion’s League in the 2014-15 seasons. He   has also a great record for his country as well. Having scored 52 goals in 77 matches he played for Brazil since debuting just at the age of 18.

Apart from this the report also states that PSG has once again resumed their talks with the agent of Alexis Sanchez. In case the French football club manages to secure either, it would be a huge boost for a team. This is especially considering that it is looking to contend in the Champions League. In fact some experts feel that if somehow it can get both, with Edinson Cavani-Neymar-Alexis strike force, Les Parisiens would be one of the favorites to win the 2017-18 UCL.

Chelsea likely to sign Morata

In another major development in regard to football club transfers, Chelsea the premier English football club is all set to sign Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata after announcing a deal has been reached. You might be aware of the fact that Morata has scored 20 goals last season for Real Madrid. Thus this transfer is being seen as a major boost for Chelsea.

Morata is reputed to be a great finisher. He has the supreme ability to burn out defenders with his rapid pace with the ball. His game is more than just about scoring. Apart from this Morata is also great in the air. He is also hugely intelligent. His moves both on and off the ball, contributes greatly to the success of the team he plays for. Thus this transfer will indeed help Chelsea to perform much better in the upcoming season.

In conclusion we can say that all these are major transfers on cards, which will impact the upcoming season in a big way.

Ronaldo decides to stay with Real Madrid after change of heart over tax evasion allegations

In a major development recently, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo popularly known as CR7 underwent a change of heart over his future. He has decided to remain at Real Madrid, according to reports in Spain. According the Madrid president it is true that the CR7 was indeed hurt and offended when he had been charges of tax evasion by the Spanish authorities. They have alleged that football star had evaded taxes to the tune of £12.9million.

Ronaldo would leave if he is found guilty 

Ronaldo said that he would leave the football club if he was found guilty at the trial in regard to his tax evasion charges. There had been a lot of speculations last month in regard to what CR7 would do when the matter regarding charges of tax evasion came to light; in fact many were of the opinion that Ronaldo had already made an irreversible decision to quit Real Madrid following the charges. Some even linked with moves to PSG and Manchester United. But it seems that while playing the Confederation's Cup he kept his council and now appears to have had a change of heart.

In fact Florentino Perez has openly defended Ronaldo. He also was of the opinion that Ronaldo was indeed hurt and angry at the whole incident. But it is now great that Ronaldo has continued to stay with Real Madrid. 

Probable reasons why Ronaldo might have decided to stay 

The news of Ronaldo comes shortly after the news that Messi another superstar has extended his contract with Barcelona. Some experts say that the first reason why CR7 might have decided to stay could bet the fact that being with Madrid would give him a higher profile. This is particularly considering the fact that with Madrid he would be at a better chance of winning the Ballon d' Or. He would also probably be in a better shape for next year's world cup after a season in Spain. 

The fact is that Ronaldo has now won back to back Champion's league titles with Madrid. This is 3 in 4 years to put himself in a great position for winning the Ballon d' Or this season. This would make him go one behind his arch rival superstar Lionel Messi. 

Ronaldo undoubtedly one of the all time greats in the game

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the all-time greats of the game. He is a player who is destined to make history. It owes mainly to his immense natural talent. The Portuguese forward is a commanding leader for Real Madrid and his national team. After he arrived at Spain from Manchester United, his goal scoring figures have improved significantly. This has brought much delight of Madrid fans. He is now firmly established as one of the leading goal scorers in the history of the club. The fact that he will now continue with Real Madrid would surely make the fans and the club happy.

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang: The football star playing for Borussia Dortmund

He is 28 years old and a French born Gabonese footballer who plays for German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. His name is Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. Aubameyang is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 80 Kgs. He plays in the position of a centre forward as the striker for the teams he plays for. He is already having a market value of about € 70,0 Million and a football star by all standards.

His early days in football

Aubameyang had played for the French under 21. But he made his senior international debut for Gabon in the year 2009. Thereafter he also represented the same country in 3 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and in the 2012 Olympic Games. He began his international club football career at Milan. He joined Saint Eltienne permanently in the year 2011. After winning the Coupe de la league final in 2013 he joined Borussia Dortmund. In the year 2015 he became the winner of the CAFs African footballer of the year award. He became the first player to win the award. In the December of 2016, renowned British English Daily The Guardian named him the 8th best footballer in the world.

His record with Borrusia Dortmund

In 2013 Aubameyang entered with Dortmund for a 5 year contract. He made his debut against Bayern Munich. With this he also became the first Gabonese player to appear in Bundesliga. In the November of 2013 he scored his first goal group stage against Napoli where in the team won with a score of 3 is to 1. In the 2016-17 seasons with Dortmund, Aubemeyang had an excellent start. With a double score against FSV Mainz. He also had a great start to Dormund's Champion's League group stage game. He scored in each of the group stage matches owing to which his team was at the top of their group with Real Madrid. IN December this Gabonese football star scored his 100th goal for Borussia Dortmund. Thereafter he also scored a hat-trick against Benfica shortly after. 

In spite of having a great record with Dortmund it seems that not many clubs come in for Aubameyang. The star has as much as a whopping 27% of the total goal goals scored by Dortmund in the past 2 seasons. Reasons include that some team managers and football experts do not consider him as a true value for the money invested. 

According to some there is another quality lacking in him which is important. This is to hold-up play with back passes towards goal. Keeping hold of the ball while teammates run into dangerous spaces has become an important trait for any top striker. This is what some feel Aubameyang does not have and thus not many big clubs have considered hiring him.

To conclude we can say that in spite of the fact that not many big football clubs have shown interest in him, Aubameyang still is still one of the greats of the game.