Legend to Leave Schalke

One of the greatest strikers of our times, Raul Gonzalez announced yesterday that he'll leave German soccer club Schalke after the season and continue to ply his trade elsewhere. He confirmed that he will not move to the any of the bigger leagues having decided to continue his career in a league outside Europe.

"I have made a decision about my future, and will not stay at Schalke. It has been a really tough decision. I'd like to thank the club, the president and the manager for their patience. This decision is the right one for me," said Raul.

"My future doesn't lie in Europe. I will get together with my agent to discuss the offers we have received. I will then announce where I will go. It will be a less competitive league," he added.

Raul, 34, joined Schalke from Real Madrid in the summer of 2010 on a free transfer from Real Madrid and has scored 36 times in the 86 appearances that he has made for the German club in all competitions, helping them win the German Cup and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2011.

Even this season, Schalke are currently closing in on Champions League qualification. They are third in the Bundesliga, a point clear of Borussia Monchengladbach.

The legend that he is downplays the transfer offers that have already started pouring in, "My decision is based on several factors. I'm still confident enough to play in a top league, but I can't foresee the future, the key factor is my family. In the Bundesliga you don't have much time with your family. My choice of which league to join will reflect my desire to spend more time with them.

"I had a wonderful two years here and the club will always be in my heart. I also want to say many thanks to the fans. They are very special, showed me lots of respect and affection. It will be emotionally difficult to say goodbye. Schalke will always be a part of my life," said Raul.

Schalke, as a mark of respect will retire Raul's No 7 shirt for an indefinite period.




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Rise of Reading

Brian McDermott is ecstatic and can't wait to revel in Premier League glory - having engineered Reading's promotion to the top-flight of English football.

 McDermott's men sealed promotion on Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in front of 20,000-plus delirious fans.

 It is indeed quite different from the way Royals last went up to the Premier League under Steve Coppell in 2006 when McDermott was the club's chief scout. McDermott explains: "When we got promoted in 2006 I was scouting a game at Brighton. I was sitting in a motorway layby thinking how great it was to be promoted. But I was on my own because everyone else was at Leicester City.

 "I'm manager now so this time it is completely different. I've been in this job for two-and-a-half years and I've got a promotion under my belt and a lot of managers haven't done that."

 While Reading's promotion in 2006 was secured at Leicester City, this time it occurred in front of their own supporters, at The Majedski who invaded the pitch at the final whistle and stayed back for an hour to honor their heroes.

Royals can boast a remarkable 59 per cent win ratio this season and have picked up 46 points out of a possible 51 in their last 17 games.

It is that form that has seen them storm up the league and clinch promotion with two games to spare. McDermott admits that he still has to remind himself that Reading will be visiting the top clubs in the country next season. "I keep asking if we're definitely playing at Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford etc. I like the yellow (promoted) strip across our name on the league table," he said.”

His predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, whose Swansea City side beat Royals 4-2 in last season's play-off final, paid tribute to McDermott.

Rodgers said: "I want to congratulate Brian, Nigel Gibbs the staff and players.

"They have been brilliant since the turn of the year and 46 points from 51 is an incredible run of consistency in such an inconsistent league. It's a brilliant achievement and they all deserve a huge amount of credit. It's great to see a wonderful club like Reading back in the Premier League." 

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UEFA: Drogba halts Supre Messi

Chelsea's Didier Drogba makes Catalans pay as they won the first leg of UEFA Champions league semifinal by 1-0. R. Di Matteo's side will take a slight, yet valuable advantage in the second leg.

The Blue showcased outstanding levels of organization and team work and certainly they will take great confidence after demonstrating that Barcelona can also be outclassed

Josep Guardiola's side kept the ball for long spells and showed a clear superiority. The visitors had 79% of possession, but it also replicate on their own carelessness as it was hard at times to keep count of the number of opportunities the visitors have created, but failed to execute properly, in particular Cesc Fabregas, Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez. They hit the crossbar and saw probabilities cleared off the goal line. Catalans took 24 shots out of which 6 were on target, which shows the huge number of missed chances and their poor accuracy rate.

Stamford Bridge witnessed some extraordinary goalkeeping from Chelsea's Petr Cech as he became the biggest disappointing factor for the Barcelona's striker, particularly in the dying seconds, when Messi chipped in, Puyol flicked it on with his head and Cech took a full length dive to his right to push it away

It was a dazzling night for Chelsea, yet the home side is absolutely aware of the fact that what an extraordinary performance they will require at Camp Nou next Tuesday. In this match, Drogba was undoubtedly a man on mission while Messi's wait to upset the Blues continues.


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EUROPA preview: Sporting CP vs. Athletic Club

Sporting CP will face Athletic Club in the first leg of semifinal in Europa League at Estadio Jose Alvalade this Thursday. The Portugal side is the only non-Spanish club in the semi-finals and they could be considered as outsiders in this semifinal by the three other Spanish sides. Sa Pinto's side has enjoyed their run in the Europa League, knocking out a side like Manchester City in the progression.
On the other side, Athletic Bilbao is playing excellent football in Europa League. They have showcased themselves a better and well-organized side against their opponents like Manchester United and Schalke 04, which made them favorites to win the Europa League. 
However, both sides were not that impressive in their domestic leagues. Sporting CP is at fourth position in Portugal league while M. Bielsa's side is at seventh place in La Liga. The most vital factor for Sporting in this game will be their excellent form at home which could give them high confidence in gaining the essential first-leg lead. Sporting has been revitalized since sacking Domingos Paciencia and replacing him with Ricardo Sa Pinto in February. The new manager has led the side to 6 wins in 8 league games. 
Anderson Polga, Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Marat Izmailov, Andre Carrillo and Fabian Rinaudo are all one yellow card away from a European suspension, though no Sporting players are out of this game for disciplinary reasons. Elias is still ineligible in the Europa League and could be replaced in midfield by Daniel Carrico or Andre Martins. 
A huge blow for Athletic Bilbao is the absence through suspension of key man Javi Martinez. He will be back for the second leg, and Marcelo Bielsa will be keen that none of Muniain, Herrera, de Marcos or San Jose picks up a yellow card which would keep them out of the return leg. 
On the other side, the visitors have huge concern ahead of the match regarding the fitness of Fernando Llorente. Bielsa is well-aware of the fact that his fitness is so crucial for Athletic's potential success and with six goals already in the competition he has proven his significance to the side.  


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EUROPA: Clash of the Spanish Sides for the Final Berth

In all-Spanish Europa League semi-final match, Atletico Madrid and Valencia will play at Estadio Vicente Calderon this Thursday in the first leg. There is high expectation that these two sides will be successful to provide superior level of entertainment to the spectators in this Europe's second most prestigious club competition.
In spite of the respective league positions, Atletico Madrid certainly claims the tag of favorite. The home side will try their level best to take a vital advantage going into the second leg at Valencia next Thursday. In this League, the home side has won their last eight matches and would be pretty confident when they host Unai Emery’s men.
The home side will have to perform without the suspended Uruguayan defender Diego Godin for the first leg, while Captain Antonio Lopez and Silvio Pereira are struggling with respective injury problems. Juanfran Torres and Joao Miranda are expected to replace them.
For Valencia, Ricardo Costa may come in at right-back as Antonio Barragan is suspended while the return of Spanish striker Roberto Soldado will further provide strength in their formation.

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