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Ronaldo wants to play for another ‘four or five’ years

Cristiano Ronaldo has said he hopes to play for another “four or five years” despite turning 37 next month.

The Manchester United forward received the FIFA Best Special Award at a ceremony in Zurich on Monday in recognition of breaking the world record for international goals in September last year previously held by Iran’s Ali Daei (109), with Ronaldo now on 115 goals for Portugal.

When asked by event co-host Jermaine Jenas about his “obsession” with the game and where it could take him, Ronaldo said he still has the same love for football as he did when he was younger, and gave an idea as to how long he intends to keep playing.

“I still have the passion for the game. Not just to score goals,” Ronaldo said. “It’s to entertain myself, because I have played football since I was five, six years old.

“When I go to the pitch, even in training, I still enjoy [it] and my motivation is still there. Even [though] I’m going to be 37 soon, I feel good, I feel motivated.

“I keep working hard, since 18 years old, and I continue. I love the game, I still have that passion and I want to continue.

“People ask me sometimes how many years more I am going to play, and I say I hope to play four or five years more.

“It’s all about mentally, because I think physically if you treat your body good, when you need your body, it will give it back to you, so this is what I do.”

Ronaldo has scored 14 goals in 22 games for United in all competitions since making a dramatic return to Old Trafford at the start of the current season, but recently indicated frustration at the recent form of the team.

The Red Devils currently sit seventh in the Premier League table, five points off fourth-placed West Ham and 24 points behind top of the table Manchester City, though with two games in hand over both.

Talking to Sky Sports last week, the former Real Madrid and Juventus marksman said: “I don’t accept that our mentality be less than being in the top three in the Premier League.

“I think to build up good things, sometimes you have to destroy a few things. So why not – new year, new life and I hope that we can be the level that the fans want. They deserve that.

“We are capable of changing things now. I know the way but I’m not going to mention it here because I don’t think it’s ethical on my part to say that.

“What I can say is we can do better – all of us. Manchester United belongs to important things, so we have to change that.

“I don’t want to be here to be in sixth place, or seventh place, or fifth place. I’m here to try to win, to compete.

“I think we compete but we are not yet in our best level. But we have a long way to improve and I believe if we change our mind, we can achieve big things.”

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Lewandowski wins FIFA Best Award for second year running

Robert Lewandowski won the men’s FIFA Best award for the second year running at a ceremony at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich on Monday.

The Bayern Munich striker beat fellow nominees Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah to the award, having also won it the last time it was up for grabs in December 2020.

Lewandowski scored 58 goals in 47 games in all competitions in 2021, which included breaking two long-standing records previously held by the legendary German striker Gerd Muller. He bagged 41 goals in a single Bundesliga season for Bayern, and 43 Bundesliga goals in a calendar year.

The Pole has scored 34 goals in 27 games so far this season, including nine in the Champions League group stage.

The 33-year-old was presented the award in Munich surrounded by Bayern’s chief executive officer Oliver Kahn, sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

“Thank you very much. I am very honoured to win this trophy,” he said upon receiving the award. “I feel very proud, very happy. This trophy also belongs to my team-mates and my coaches.”

Lewandowski was also asked about breaking the records of Muller, who passed away in August last year at the age of 75.

“I never dreamed I could break [Muller’s] records, to score 41 goals in 29 games, if you asked me a few years ago if this was possible I would tell you ‘no’.

“But now he’s not with us anymore, and these old records that I broke, I also say to him ‘thank you’ because he had so many records and for us, the next generation players, that was like the next step. To try to break these records and I did, so I am very honoured and very proud of this as well.”

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EVERTON SIGN WINGER ANWAR EL GHAZI ON LOAN FROM ASTON VILLA

Everton have announced the signing of Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi on loan for the rest of the season.

The 26-year-old Dutchman becomes the third new recruit for the Toffees in the current transfer window, following the arrivals of full-backs Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson on permanent deals.

El Ghazi told evertontv: “I’m really excited. Everton is a big club, I cannot wait to get started.

“I want to show my quality to my teammates, to the club and, of course, the fans. I want to put a smile on their faces. I’m ready and willing to work hard for it and for all of us to work together.

“I just want to focus on working hard, getting into the team, fighting for my place and, with the boys, to get Everton where it belongs – that is much higher up the table. We have a really good squad.”

Everton – currently 15th in the Premier League table – confirmed the El Ghazi transfer hours after it was announced left-back Lucas Digne had departed the club to sign for Villa.

El Ghazi joined the midlands outfit on loan from Lille in the summer of 2018, with the switch then being made permanent a year later after he had helped Villa gain promotion via the Championship play-offs, scoring in the final.

He has since made 71 Premier League appearances, registering 15 goals, including the winner in a 2-1 victory at Everton in May 2021.

El Ghazi – holder of two Holland caps – added: “I can always score a goal in an important moment. I can add a lot of value with my pace and technique going forward. I can hold the ball and I am decent in one-on-ones. I am ready and can’t wait.

“If I can score goals like the one I scored against Everton, for Everton now, then I will be a happy man.

“I will work hard and give everything I have. That is the least you can expect from a player. That is what I will start with and from there hopefully I will be able to score goals and give assists.”

El Ghazi could make his Everton debut when Rafael Benitez’s men face Norwich away on Saturday.

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TEN-MAN ARSENAL HOLD LIVERPOOL TO DRAW IN CARABAO CUP SEMI-FINAL FIRST LEG

Ten-man Arsenal displayed all the resilience and fight which was missing in their weekend FA Cup exit as a goalless draw at Liverpool saw them carry the initiative into next week’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.

Granit Xhaka’s second red card in just 13 appearances this season handed Liverpool the numerical advantage for 71 minutes of this tie but they had been well below their best before that and they struggled even more against an organised 5-3-1 formation.

Arsenal actually performed better with a man less and Bukayo Saka’s thrusting runs down the right ensured their hosts always had to be aware of his threat.

The England midfielder also forced the best save of the night from Alisson Becker – remarkably making his League Cup debut after three-and-a-half-years – midway through the second half.

Liverpool had 78 per cent possession but only managed to force Aaron Ramsdale into one save – in added time – from the 17 attempts they had.

Jurgen Klopp had wanted a one-off game and that is effectively what he has now got, although following last week’s postponement of the original first leg in London because of Liverpool’s Covid outbreak the advantage is now with Mikel Arteta’s side.

Klopp had brought back his recognised first team, or as close as possible to it, for this tie but nevertheless the whole side had only 71 previous League Cup appearances for the club between them – and captain Jordan Henderson and James Milner accounted for 37 of those.

Arsenal, too, went strong after their defeat to Championship side Nottingham Forest on Sunday but still found themselves facing significant Liverpool dominance in the opening 25 minutes, not helped by the early loss to injury of Cedric Soares.

Ben White almost diverted Takumi Minamino’s cross into his own goal before the pressure finally told when Xhaka stretched to reach Andy Robertson’s searching crossfield ball and succeeded only in bringing down Diogo Jota with a waist-high challenge on the edge of the area.

Referee Michael Oliver had no hesitation in showing the Switzerland midfielder his third red card in the last 18 months.

Eddie Nketiah’s immediate withdrawal for Rob Holding saw Arsenal switch to damage-limitation mode with a back five but it gave them renewed purpose.

Willed on by an animated, arm-waving Arteta they more than comfortably kept their opponents, who struggled without top scorer Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who are at the Africa Nations Cup, at bay.

Saka almost snatched the winner when he broke through once again only to be denied by the outstretched arm of Alisson but when the midfielder limped off nine minutes from time Arsenal settled for what they had, which was more than deserved.

Minamino, who had earlier flashed a shot across goal, blazed a half-volley over an open goal with the last real chance of the game.

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MANCHESTER CITY’S ANNUAL REVENUES EXCEED MAN UNITED’S FIRST TIME

Manchester City’s revenues exceeded those of rivals Manchester United for the first time last year, newly-published figures have revealed.

City have reported record revenue of £569.8million (€681 million) for the 2020-21 season, an increase of 19 per cent on the previous year, with a profit of £2.4million.

United recorded revenue of £494.1million for the financial year ended June 30, 2021, although the figures were heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, with the loss of matchday income at Old Trafford particularly keenly felt.

City’s latest figures, published in their annual report for 2020-21, represent a club record in terms of revenue and reflect a highly successful campaign on the field.

The men’s first team won both the Premier League and Carabao Cup and reached the Champions League final for the first time.

Matchday revenue fell from £41.7million to just £700,000 as a result of matches being played behind closed doors, but the club say this 98 per cent reduction was offset by Champions League income. Commercial revenue was £271.7million with broadcast income £297.4million.

The return to profitability comes after a loss of £126million in 2019-20, when the pandemic first hit.

Chief executive Ferran Soriano said: “The season closed with the team having played 63 out of a maximum possible 64 matches, taking home the Premier League title, winning a record-equalling eight League Cups, reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League for the first time and breaking a raft of records in the process. This is not a club that gives up when the going gets tough.

“From a business perspective, we were pleased to return to profitability, having successfully navigated the revenue challenges created by the pandemic. Covid-19 did not stop us, and we continued to grow, innovate and develop new ideas.

“We are hopeful that the pandemic-related challenges from the last two seasons will continue to subside, as we keep working tirelessly towards our objectives.

“And while we cannot dismiss the pain of missing out on the trophy in Porto at our first ever UEFA Champions League final, we must also pause to savour the fact that Manchester City has won three of the last four Premier League titles, and are now looking ahead to what we can do to achieve even greater success in the next stage of our journey.”

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ALEXIS SANCHEZ SCORES LATE AS INTER BEAT JUVENTUS TO WIN SUPER CUP

Alexis Sanchez said he felt like a “caged lion” after his last-gasp striker won the Italian Super Cup for Inter Milan in Wednesday’s dramatic 2-1 extra-time triumph over old rivals Juventus. With penalties looming at the San Siro Sanchez poked home from close range in the 121st minute of a gruelling contest to hand Simone Inzaghi his first trophy since arriving at Inter to replace Antonio Conte in the summer.

Chile forward Sanchez, who has started just four matches this season, was submerged by celebrating teammates as he charged to the sidelines to celebrate his winner, which came after Lautaro Martinez’s first-half penalty had levelled Weston McKennie’s opener for Juve.

“That’s what great players are like, the more we play, the better we feel,” Sanchez told Mediaset.

“I feel like a caged lion, if they let me play I’m a beast,” he added.

The win continues Inter’s sparkling form, with eight wins from their last eight matches in Serie A, which they lead by a point from city rivals AC Milan.

For Juve meanwhile it was another disappointment in a season which had looked like it was getting on track in recent months after an inconsistent opening.

Martinez could have put Inter ahead within eight minutes when, completely unmarked, he somehow didn’t meet Stefan De Vrij’s header from a corner, and seconds later flashed a first-time effort wide when laid on by Nicolo Barella.

McKennie silenced the Inter fans in the 25th minute when after Alvaro Morata collected on the edge of the area the Spain forward clipped over a cross which was deflected straight into his American teammate’s path.

However Inter were level 10 minutes later thanks to Martinez, who rifled home a precision spot-kick after Edin Dzeko was taken out by Mattia De Sciglio.

Juve started the second half with their tails up but apart from two efforts from Federico Bernardeschi it was Inter who were the dominant team after the break.

They had the best chance to break the deadlock in normal time when Mattia Perin pushed Denzel Dumfries’ close-range header onto the bar just before the hour mark but struggled to create much more danger despite being clearly the better team.

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Inter went close again five minutes into extra-time and again it was Martinez who should have done better, this time heading narrowly wide from Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner.

However with Juve preparing to send on Leonardo Bonucci ahead of spot-kicks, Alex Sandro miscontrolled a cross, allowing Matteo Darmian to nip in and push the ball to Sanchez, who sent the Inter fans into raptures with his simple finish.

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JURGEN KLOPP VERY POSITIVE ABOUT SALAH’S CONTRACT SITUATION.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists he is “very positive” about Mohamed Salah’s contract situation.

The Egypt forward has less than 18 months left on his current deal and, in an interview this week, said he was not asking “for crazy things”.

Klopp has said in the past the contract is not something which can be sorted quickly – Salah is reportedly looking for wages in excess of £300,000 a week – and he remains upbeat despite time ticking on.

“I know that Mo wants to stay. We want Mo to stay. That is where we are,” Klopp said.

“These things take time. I cannot change that, sorry. I think it is all in a good place.

“I am very positive about it but I am pretty sure fans are not as nervous as you (the media) are.

“They know the club pretty long, they know the people dealing with the different things here pretty long, so I think it is enough reason to be positive.

“But as long as it is not done, we can’t say anything about it. Good conversations, that’s what I can say.

“There are so many things you have to do in these negotiations. There is a third party, the agent in there as well, but there is nothing to worry about, it is a normal process.

“No-one has to worry. It is just the situation. Really, all fine. It’s not done – that’s why we didn’t get this news – but we have talks.”

Looking at Salah’s numbers – he has scored 111 goals in 165 Premier League matches and 148 in 229 in all competitions – the decision to extend the five-year stay of a player leading the race for a third Golden Boot in five years is a no-brainer.

It is not just his weight of goals, it is his consistency. He has never scored fewer than 23 in any one season – including the current campaign – and the fewest appearances he has made in his previous four years is a remarkable 48.

The 29-year-old is super-fit and barely misses a game and that is something owner Fenway Sports Group will have to factor in if it is to break with its general practice of not offering ageing players – Salah will be 30 in June – lengthy, lucrative contracts.

Klopp, however, sees no reason why the forward, currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations, cannot remain at the top level well into his mid-30s like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I am as convinced as you can be,” Klopp added. “He is a world-class player, unbelievable player, great boy, did a lot of great stuff for Liverpool.

“His character, his determination, it’s the way he trains. His attitude, his work-rate is incredible, first in, last out, doing the right stuff.

“You can do some not-so-good things when you are in training and in the gym for a long time but he knows his body, he knows what to do and he is listening to the experts here.

“He tries to improve all the time. He works so hard for the situation he is in now and he will not waste it by doing less.”

Salah, along with Sadio Mane and Naby Keita, will be absent for Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final at home to Arsenal, which is now the first leg after last week’s cancellation following what turned out to be a raft of false positive coronavirus PCR tests.

The EFL has said it will not be investigating the postponement and Klopp said the matter – which included the closure of the first-team training complex for 48 hours – was not of their own making.

“A false positive is a positive test,” he said. “You get a test result back positive and, when you are able to do a retest a day, a day and a half later you get a result that makes it look like a false positive because this test was a negative.

“It doesn’t change anything for your quarantine but you need to prove that wrong or right (so) you have to do a third test and between the first and second and second and third tests you cannot use the players.”

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JARROD BOWEN HITS BRACE AS WESTHAM BEAT NORWICH TO RETURN TO TOP FOUR

Jarrod Bowen fired West Ham into the top four and enhanced his England credentials in a 2-0 win over Norwich.

Bowen’s seventh and eighth goals of the season secured a third straight Premier League win for the Hammers and left City rooted to the foot of the table.

The calls for Bowen to win a Three Lions call-up are getting louder, with his eight assists meaning the former Hull winger has now been directly involved in 16 goals this season – the most of any English player in the top flight.

The statistics for Norwich make grim reading, however. It is now six successive defeats without scoring, equalling a depressing club record in the Premier League.

This London Stadium encounter was rearranged from December when Norwich were decimated by Covid-19 and injuries, and they may have felt they stood a better chance now with West Ham suffering similarly.

Boss David Moyes admitted there was Covid in the camp and although nothing was confirmed prior to kick-off, Tomas Soucek, Mark Noble and Ryan Fredericks were notable by their absence from the squad.

Nevertheless, the hosts were almost ahead inside the first two minutes when Manuel Lanzini’s diagonal ball into the box found Bowen, but his shot was too close to City keeper Tim Krul.

Moments later Nikola Vlasic reached the byline and cut the ball back for Lanzini, who lifted his effort over the crossbar.

Krul somehow escaped giving away a penalty when he manhandled Vlasic on the goal-line, throwing the forward to the floor by his face.

West Ham had the ball in the net after 35 minutes when Bowen’s cross flew straight in, but Vlasic was offside and interfering as the ball whizzed over his head.

They finally made one count three minutes before half-time. Aaron Cresswell’s cross was overhit but found Vladimir Coufal on the right, and when the Czech full-back curled the ball back into the area Bowen got in front of Ben Gibson and nodded it home.

Michail Antonio scored four times the last time these sides met and he should have grabbed another at the start of the second half when he turned Grant Hanley on the six-yard line but blazed over.

Bowen, meanwhile, was a man on a mission. He was fed by Pablo Fornals and chipped the ball over the onrushing Krul only to see it come back off the crossbar and then rattled the foot of a post with a deflected drive.

West Ham’s 1-0 lead did not feel particularly precarious but they were given a warning when Adam Idah forced Lukasz Fabianski, making his 300th Premier League appearance, to push his drive against his near post.

But any doubts about the result were extinguished seven minutes from time when Bowen prodded home Arthur Masuaku’s cross and the VAR overturned an offside decision to seal the points for West Ham.

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CHELSEA BOOK THEIR PLACE IN THE CARABAO CUP FINAL AS TOTTENHAM SUFFER VAR MISERY

Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final with a 3-0 semi-final aggregate win over Tottenham, whose hopes of a comeback were denied by VAR misery.

Thomas Tuchel’s men did half the job in last week’s first leg at Stamford Bridge when they won 2-0 and Antonio Rudiger’s first-half goal in north London settled matters, setting up a Wembley date against either Liverpool or Arsenal next month.

They will get a chance to claim a sixth League Cup and give Tuchel the opportunity of winning a third trophy in just over 14 months in the job.

Spurs were well beaten over the course of the two games, but it could have been different had technology not ruled against them on three occasions in the second leg.

Referee Andre Marriner twice awarded penalties that were overturned while Harry Kane had a goal ruled out for offside as they missed out on a second successive appearance in the final.

The damage was done in last week’s first leg, where boss Antonio Conte was left complaining about a team that was “in the middle”.

The size of Spurs’ task in trying to recover was highlighted by the fact that no team had reached the League Cup final having lost the semi-final first leg by more than one goal since Aston Villa did it in 1994.

They started brightly as they looked to make inroads to their deficit, but Chelsea soon wrestled control and put themselves in an even more comfortable position.

Pierluigi Gollini, surprisingly selected in place of club captain Hugo Lloris, started well as he made a good save to deny Romelu Lukaku with his feet, but his evening soon took a turn for the worse in the 18th minute.

The Italian was culpable for Chelsea’s opener as he came out to punch a Mason Mount corner but got nowhere near it and the ball hit Rudiger and went into an empty net.

He went some way to atoning for that error when he made a smart stop to deny Callum Hudson-Odoi, but the damage had been done.

Spurs were in danger of being blown away, but for the first time in the whole tie began to put up a fight.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg saw a deflected effort go just wide with Kane unable to turn in Davinson Sanchez’s header from the resulting corner.

They thought they had a route back into the game in the 40th minute as they were awarded a penalty after Hojbjerg had been chopped down by Rudiger.

However, VAR ruled that the first contact occurred outside the area and the decision was changed to a free-kick on the edge of the area, which was missed by Giovani Lo Celso.

That felt an important moment as Spurs needed something to take into the second half.

It was Deja vu 10 minutes into the second period as Spurs had another penalty taken away by VAR.

Marriner was well behind play when he pointed to the spot after Lucas Moura went down under a challenge from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

But replays showed the goalkeeper won the ball and the referee had to change his decision again after checking the pitchside monitor.

Nine minutes later they suffered more angst as VAR chalked off a Kane goal.

Hojbjerg won the ball back high after a bad Kepa pass, but the England captain was marginally offside when he shot into an empty net.

That ended any chance Spurs had and they were unable to find a breakthrough.

There was a lengthy delay at the end due to a medical emergency in the crowd, but that could not dampen Chelsea’s celebrations.

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Real Madrid tired but very happy to reach Supercopa final

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti said his players were “tired, but very happy” following their dramatic 3-2 Supercopa de Espana win over Barcelona.

Los Blancos advanced to the final after prevailing in a thrilling encounter at the King Fahd Stadium on Wednesday.

Madrid were twice pegged back, so the contest went into extra-time as strikes from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema were cancelled out by Luuk de Jong and Ansu Fati. 

But Ancelotti’s side edged their noses back in front through substitute Federico Valverde in the 98th minute, claiming their fifth successive win over Barca.

And the Italian saluted the efforts of his players, who must prepare to do battle against either Atletico Madrid or Athletic Bilbao in Sunday’s final.

“I have to be honest, Barcelona played a good game,” he told Movistar.

“I don’t think Barcelona dominated us, they controlled the ball; we were very effective on the counter. It was an entertaining game.

“There was a good atmosphere in the stands and although it is not the most important title, it was an important game.

“The physical and mental effort was very big, but we held up well until the end. The changes helped; we are tired, but very happy. 

“The important thing is to be in the final, not the rival.”