Football Not Soccer

Manchester City’s manager Roberto Mancini is not showing any sign of stopping just yet. He continues to sign great players from all around the world. After a recently-closed deal to sign David Silva from Valencia, Mancini is now finalizing a deal with Lazio and plan to bring Aleksandar Kolarov to City this season. Aleksandar Kolarov is known as Serbia’s Roberto Carlos for all the right reason; he has the ability to strengthen the team’s defensive line as well as support attacks with powerful kicks when necessary.

It was also Aleksandar Kolarov who helped Serbia won the match against Germany in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Many critiques believe that it was that particular performance that attracts Mancini into signing the 24-year-old player. The £16 million transfer is a done deal, and Kolarov will indeed play for Manchester City starting this season.

Manchester City’s record breaking transfers is now totaling at £75 million after signing David Silva, Yaya Toure and Jerome Boateng. Both Siva and Toure cost £24 million; Silva was brought to City from Valencia, while Toure was transferred from Barcelona. Boateng, on the other hand, is brought to Manchester City with a transfer deal of £11 million.

With so many interesting players joining Manchester City, it is only natural that this Premier League team will be much more competitive against larger teams with higher spending budget. We will definitely see just how much improved the team is when Manchester City faces Tottenham at the beginning of this season’s Premier League.

There were a lot of rumors and reports saying how Gerrard is seeking new transfer deal despite of having signed a new deal until 2013 with his current team Liverpool. It was not until he met Liverpool’s boss Ron Hodgson that he officially stated his commitment and future with Liverpool. Yes, Gerrard will remain in Anfield for many years to come.

Reports are stating that it is Ron Hodgson’s future plans for the team that made Gerrard finalize his decision to remain in Anfield. Hodgson is planning a lot of big moves that will make Liverpool even more competitive in both the Premier League and other international events, and those plans got Gerrard interested.

“I only returned to training on Monday at Melwood with some of the other World Cup players but I can’t wait for the new season to start,” stated Gerrard on Liverpool’s official website. The official statement relieved a lot of Liverpudlians off thinking that they will lose their favorite striker. Responses are showing all over the web, from thousands of Twitter posts to support blog posts directed towards Gerrard and the team.

Liverpool’s first match in this season’s Premier League would be against Arsenal, another strong contender in the league and an arch enemy of the team. It is always interesting to see the two teams play, especially because they have such a long history of rivalry already. Gerrard will certainly start in the match, allowing him to entertain many Liverpudlians with spectacular plays and (probably) goals.

After a series of bad performances in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, England’s very own striker Emile Heskey officially announced his retirement from international football. The 32-year-old player was part of Fabio Capello’s squad in the world event and was one of the players who received heavy criticism during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Emile Heskey started his national team performances on his debut match against Hungary in 1999. Having played for England 62 times, Heskey scored a total of 7 goals. Even though he is retired from international football, he will still play for Aston Villa – as starters nonetheless – this season.

“I have enjoyed every moment of my England career and worn the shirt with pride,” stated Heskey when he made the official announcement. Playing for England was indeed his dream, and he accomplish that without hassle after showing superb performances in the Premier League.

Aside from playing the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Heskey also played for the England squad at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He was also part of the England squad in two European Championships in 2000 and 2004. He reached his top performances early, when England squad showed amazing performances in the 2002 World Cup. He started in every match and scored an amazing goal against Denmark. England was later on eliminated by Brazil in the quarter-final.

This season should be interesting for Heskey and Aston Villa fans. It is his chance to prove the critiques wrong, and he can do that with the help of fellow Aston Villa players.