Bojan, Canales suggest La Liga no longer a teenage wasteland

January 12, 2010

Lionel Messi hogged most of the headlines thanks to his wonderful hat-trick at Tenerife, but it was the performances of a pair of teenagers who had pundits, coaches and team mates purring following the weekend’s La Liga action.

Barcelona’s Spanish forward Bojan Krkic has been around for a while –- he made his first-team debut in a friendly in Egypt in 2007 -– but all three of Messi’s goals came from passes supplied by the 19-year-old and coach Pep Guardiola was effusive in his praise.

“He constantly demonstrates his quality, but the problem is his coach doesn’t let him play very much,” Guardiola joked at a news conference.

“He didn’t manage to score (against Tenerife) but he has to see that the team doesn’t just survive on goals but on assists too.”

Racing Santander midfielder Sergio Canales is a newer phenomenon.

The 18-year-old had already earned himself the nickname “Peter Pan” with some polished performances that belied his relative youth.

But two outstanding goals in a 2-1 win at Sevilla on Saturday, in which he made experienced goalkeeper Andres Palop look rather foolish, have put him firmly in the spotlight as one of La Liga’s hottest young talents.

He was applauded by both sets of fans when substituted in the second half and the Spanish sports press even rolled out comparisons with Diego Maradona.

“He’s a monster,” Racing defender Pablo Pinillos said. “Although he has zero responsibility, he still has an incredibly cool head,” added forward Pedro Munitis.

There is no real prospect of Bojan leaving Barca, where he has already spent 10 years, but Santander-born Canales is out of contract at the end of the season and is being linked in the Spanish media with interest from big clubs at home and abroad (with Real Madrid the favourites to sign him, according to Marca and As today).

In the past, players tended to make an impact in La Liga at a much later age and Spanish clubs used to gaze enviously at thriving teenage superstars in rival European leagues.

The success of players like Bojan, Canales and Athletic Bilbao’s Iker Muniain, who became Spain’s youngest top-flight scorer at the age of 16 in October, suggests that trend is changing.

PHOTO: Racing Santander’s Sergio Canales (L) celebrates next to Sevilla’s goalkeeper Andres Palop after scoring during their Spanish First Division soccer match at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville January 9, 2010. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo

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Tags: 18 year old, barca, cool head, diego maradona, hat trick, Krkic, lionel messi, monster racing, pep guardiola, peter pan, real madrid, relative youth, spanish clubs, spanish media, spanish sports, team debut, team mates, teenage superstars, zero responsibility

Weiss extends City deal

December 18, 2009

Young Slovakian star Vladimir Weiss agreed on a contract with Manchester City on Thursday, keeping the midfielder at Eastlands through the end of the 2011-12 English Premier League season.

Weiss, 20, joined the youth ranks of City in 2005 and made his first-team debut with the Blues late last season in the Premiership. Heralded by both City and Slovakia as a future star on the European football scene, Weiss has been limited to a handful of Carling Cup appearances this season.

City manager Mark Hughes said of Weiss, “He has all the attributes that…can turn matches and we look forward to his further development.”

Weiss is a third-generation Slovakian footballer, his father and grandfather of the same name both appearing for national teams over the course of their careers. Weiss’ father is the current coach of the Slovakian team that will play at this summer’s World Cup.

Weiss has appeared six times for Slovakia and is likely to be on their 23-man squad in South Africa.

Tags: attributes, Carling Cup, Eastlands, English Premier League, european football scene, further development, handful, man squad, manchester city, Mark Hughes, midfielder, premiership, six times, slovakia, slovakian, South Africa, team debut, third generation, vladimir, Vladimir Weiss, World Cup, youth ranks

Real sign Benzema

July 2, 2009

European giants Real Madrid, who have already signed Ronaldo and Kaka for a combined £148m this summer, have reached an agreement to sign striker Karim Benzema from French side Lyon.

The Spanish club will dish out an initial £30m for the France international, a figure which could rise to £35m if performance-related clauses are met.

“Benzema will have his medical in the next few days,” said a Real statement on it’s official website.

Benzema, who will sign a six-year-deal at the Bernabeu, had also been linked with a move to Manchester United.

Benzema scored 23 goals in all competitions last season but could not help Lyon to a ninth consecutive league title.

Benzema had joined Lyon’s youth academy at the age of nine and progressed through club’s ranks before making his first-team debut aged 17.

Former France and Real Madrid great Zinedine Zidane, who is now a senior advisor at the Spanish club, is believed to have recommended Benzema to club president Florentino Perez after negotiations to sign David Villa from Valencia broke down.

“A few days ago Karim Benzema informed the club president Jean Michel Aulas of his desire to move to the Madrid club, which had always been his favourite club after Lyon, earlier than he had foreseen,” said a statement on the French club’s website.

“The player wanted to seize the opportunity which Real Madrid offered him to be one of the major elements in their new ambitious project based around the greatest players of the world.

“Lyon accepted Karim Benzema’s decision and negotiated the conditions of a transfer which satisfies all the different parties.

“The club wishes Karim the greatest success with Real Madrid.”

Written by: Abhimanyu Rajput

Tags: 30m, ambitious project, bernabeu, clauses, club president, consecutive league, DAVID VILLA, florentino perez, France, france international, french club, french side, jean michel aulas, Jean-Michel, kaka, Karim Benzema, LA Liga, Ligue 1, MADRID, madrid club, Manchester, manchester united, Real, real madrid, spanish club, team debut, Valencia, youth academy, zinedine zidane

Defoe heading back to Totttenham

January 6, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – England international striker Jermain Defoe is leaving Portsmouth and rejoin Harry Redknapp at Tottenham, the London club said on Tuesday.Spurs confirmed Defoe, who only left the club last January, will be paraded in front of fans at White Hart Lane before Tuesday evening’s Carling Cup semi-final first-leg clash with Championship side Burnley.A fee has been agreed on what is thought to be a five-year contract and the 26-year-old Defoe only needs to clear a medical to clinch the deal.Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie had been in talks over the weekend to negotiate a transfer fee in the region of 15million pounds (16million euros)."Personal terms have been agreed and the striker will undergo a medical," a statement from Spurs said.Tottenham boss Redknapp bought Defoe for Pompey in the 2008 January window and his return had been suggested since the change of manager at White Hart Lane two months ago.He went on a run of eight goals in his first seven games for Portsmouth and has added nine goals this season so far."I wouldn’t have sold him if I was manager at Portsmouth and Tottenham came back in," Redknapp admitted. "I’d be keeping him."Redknapp has prioritised a striker and a left-sided midfielder in the current transfer window, with Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing also subject of a bid from Spurs.Ghana international midfielder Stephen Appiah is on trial at White Hart Lane this week and could sign until the end of the season.Defoe controversially signed pro with West Ham aged 16 after coming through Charlton’s youth system. A Premier League tribunal forced the Hammers to pay Charlton 1.4 million pounds (1.7 million euros) compensation.The striker promptly scored on his first-team debut in a League Cup win over Walsall.The goals continued to flow during a loan spell with Bournemouth which brought 18 goals in 29 league games – including a club record ten consecutive league outings stretch before returning to Upton Park for his Premiership league debut.In May 2003 he handed in a transfer request the day after a draw at Birmingham saw the Hammers relegated but started the following season with a goal in a win at Preston.Three red cards followed, however, before he finally left for Spurs in February 2004 with Bobby Zamora moving to West Ham in part exchange.Five days later Defoe netted on his Spurs debut – against Portsmouth.Two months later came his England debut against Sweden in a friendly and then his competitive bow the following September against Austria.But he missed the cut for the 2006 World Cup squad and then could not prevent elimination in the November 2007 3-2 defeat to Croatia at Wembley which saw England miss out on Euro 2008.Two months later, in January 2008, he moved to Portsmouth for a reported 7.5million pounds but was cup-tied for Pompey’s FA Cup final victory over Cardiff.With Redknapp leaving for White Hart Lane speculation mounted that Defoe would follow him.

Written by: AFP