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World of football at Mourinho's feet The Real Madrid coach receives praise from players and managers throughout the world Laura Navas / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell Important football personalitites from throughout the world share praise and admiration for Jose Mourinho. Hugo Sanchez "Real Madrid will make headlines again now that Mourinho sits on the bench. What I most like about him is that he is authentic and that he says what he feels. He says the things that have to be said and that may even hurt. His career is admirable and I think he is the right man at the right place. Real Madrid have much to win with him." Samuel Eto'o "He is unique as a coach and as a person. He builds good relationships with this and also earns good results." Pep Guardiola "He is probably the best coach in the world. Mourinho's career is perfect. His run in several countries is immaculate." Luis Aragones "Mourinho has proved he is a great coach. He deserves to win it all." Kaka "Mourinho is a great coach. He's won it all wherever he's been." Juan Carlos Garrido (coach of Villarreal) "Mourinho makes his teams believe in him. He is a great coach. His CV commands respect." Zidane "He is a great coach who's won it all and who has to make Real Madrid win. He can do it. The Club has a lot of discipline, but he has brought even more with him." Ibrahimovic "He is a great coach, with a great personality and a very strong character. He knows what has to be done in order to win, and he does it his way." Sneijder "One year with Mourinho is worth more than ten with another coach." Cristiano Ronaldo "He is the best coach in the world, a natural born winner." Arrigo Sacchi "I love Mourinho. He is a great and unique coach. He has internal strength, capacity, charisma, personality, clear ideas and great knowledge. He is truly great. His career proves it." Figo "Mourinho is a great communicator, a great coach, honest with his men and a winner." Van Gaal "I knew he would some day become the coach he is now. He was already an excellent coach years ago and he is currently one of the best in the world. He is the best of his generation." Rafa Nadal "He has proven to be a great coach throughout his entire career. He has won everything he's wanted to win. He has a new challenge ahead of him now." Maradona "There is excellent camaraderie on his squad, and that's due to Mourinho, who holds the reins of the team. He is, without a doubt, one of the two or three best coaches in the world. He respects players." Casillas "He is the best coach and the best person I know" Martin Jol (Coach of Ajax) "Mourinho is probably the best coach in the world. He is a true professional and a very skilled worker who has made all his teams play their finest. He has proven to be probably be the best in his style."

Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo make the FIFA/FIFpro World XI 2010 Over 50,000 footballers from around the world voted for the best players in each position Laura Navas (Zurich) / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell Jose Mourinho wasn't the only Madridista to receive an award at Zurich's Congress Palace on Monday. Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo were voted by over 50,000 footballers around the world to be in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2010. The award comes as the last in a long list of personal accolades for Casillas, who won the Golden Glove in Germany in December, L'Equipe's Best Coach of the Year award, and the IFFHS World Club Goalkeeper of the Year award at the start of 2011. "I am glad to be amongst the best," said the goalkeeper, "I've won this award two straight years, which isn't easy. It is the icing on an unforgettable year for me. You always hope the following year will be better, but I don't know how last year could be topped." Cristiano Ronaldo has become a fixture in ideal lineups of the sort. The Portuguese forward had an unbelievable run in 2010, scoring more goals than ever before in his career (48, 13 more than his 2008 personal record). Ronaldo seems fixated on pulverising these numbers this year, having already scored 5 goals in 2 league games (2.5 per match). FIFA and FIFPro (International Federation of Professional Footballers) joined forces in 2009 to honour the best 11 players of the year. Over 50,000 footballers from all over the world vote for the best man in each position. Casillas and Ronaldo also made it in last year's World XI.

Lionel Messi Factfile A closer look at the career of newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner, Lionel Messi. 1987: June 24 - Born Lionel Andres Messi in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. 1995: Joins Newell's Old Boys. 1998: Diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at age of 11. 2000: Moves to Barcelona, aged 13. 2003: November 16 - Makes first-team debut in friendly at Porto at the age of 16. 2004: October 16 - Appears in first official Barca match, aged 17, in 1-0 derby win at Espanyol. 2005: May 1 - Becomes youngest player to score for Barcelona by netting against Albacete. June - Helps Argentina to World Youth Championship triumph in Holland. Messi is competition's top scorer and is named player of the tournament. August 17 - Makes full Argentina debut as second-half substitute in Hungary, only to be shown a red card within two minutes. September - Granted EU passport by Spanish government. 2006: May - Helps Barca retain Primera Division title and win Champions League, although he misses out on Champions League final win over Arsenal in Paris due to injury. June 16 - Becomes youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup with substitute appearance against Serbia & Montenegro. Also nets final goal in 6-0 win to become fifth youngest goalscorer in World Cup history. 2007: July - Named Young Player of the Tournament after helping Argentina to Copa America final, where they lose to Brazil. December 2 - Finishes third behind Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in Ballon d'Or voting. December 13 - Again misses out to Kaka, this time finishing second to the Brazilian in FIFA World Player of the Year poll. 2008: July 3 - Included in Argentina squad for Olympic Games in Beijing, prompting protracted dispute between the Argentinian federation and Barcelona, who want the player available for Champions League qualifiers. August 7 - Barca announce they will allow Messi to remain with Argentina squad for the duration of the Olympics. August 23 - Helps Argentina to gold with a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the final in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium. December 2 - Finishes second behind Cristiano Ronaldo in Ballon d'Or voting. 2009: May 27 - Scores second goal as Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 to win Champions League final in Rome. Also helps Barca win the Primera Division and Copa del Rey titles in an unprecedented treble. October 14: Helps Argentina reach the World Cup finals with 1-0 win in Uruguay. December 1: Wins Ballon d'Or. 2010: April 6 - Scores four as Barcelona knock Arsenal out of the Champions League. May - Equals Ronaldo's club record of 34 goals in a league season as Barca win the Primera Division title again. June - Plays every game as Argentina reach quarter-finals of the World Cup before being knocked out by Germany. November 20 - His second hat-trick of the season in Barca's 8-0 win over Almeria takes him to 100 goals in La Liga. 2011: January 10 - Wins FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo make the FIFA/FIFpro World XI 2010 Over 50,000 footballers from around the world voted for the best players in each position Laura Navas (Zurich) / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell Jose Mourinho wasn't the only Madridista to receive an award at Zurich's Congress Palace on Monday. Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo were voted by over 50,000 footballers around the world to be in the FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2010. The award comes as the last in a long list of personal accolades for Casillas, who won the Golden Glove in Germany in December, L'Equipe's Best Coach of the Year award, and the IFFHS World Club Goalkeeper of the Year award at the start of 2011. "I am glad to be amongst the best," said the goalkeeper, "I've won this award two straight years, which isn't easy. It is the icing on an unforgettable year for me. You always hope the following year will be better, but I don't know how last year could be topped." Cristiano Ronaldo has become a fixture in ideal lineups of the sort. The Portuguese forward had an unbelievable run in 2010, scoring more goals than ever before in his career (48, 13 more than his 2008 personal record). Ronaldo seems fixated on pulverising these numbers this year, having already scored 5 goals in 2 league games (2.5 per match). FIFA and FIFPro (International Federation of Professional Footballers) joined forces in 2009 to honour the best 11 players of the year. Over 50,000 footballers from all over the world vote for the best man in each position. Casillas and Ronaldo also made it in last year's World XI.

Barca pair hail Messi award win Barcelona duo Xavi and Andres Iniesta both lauded club-mate Lionel Messi after he won the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Messi, 23, finished ahead of Xavi and Iniesta in the voting for the award, which was created following the merger of France Football magazine's Footballer of the Year prize with the FIFA World Player of the Year gong - Messi the holder of both titles. Xavi, who along with Iniesta helped Spain win the World Cup in 2010, hailed Messi and felt the award is also a success for Barca's famous youth system, from which all three players in the shortlist graduated. "He (Messi) is one step above us all. He's the best player and there can be no argument. This is also a prize for the Barca youth team set-up and I am proud to be a part of that," said Xavi. When asked if he thought his chances of winning the award himself had now passed, the 30-year-old Xavi added: "We'll see what happens next year. My life wouldn't have changed if I'd won, and neither is it going to change by not winning. I'm going to continue working with the same hopes." The 26-year-old Iniesta, who struck the winning goal in Spain's World Cup final win over Holland, said: "If the people have voted for Leo Messi it's because he deserves it and because he's a just winner. "I'm not disappointed. To be here is already a prize, hopefully I can repeat it. We'll see what happens. The important thing is to do things well, because you can't control the other things. "We were the three nominations, any of us could have won, but Leo has won and we need to congratulate him. We are very happy for him and for having been here." Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, who was named in the World XI, added: "All three deserved to win it. It seems in the end that the people went for individual level and right now he (Messi) is a step above."

Ricardo Kakà Congratulations to Mourinho, awared by FIFA Best Coach of 2010. Also congratulations to Messi, best player in the world in 2010.

Messi: I thought I wouldn't win it Barcelona wizard Lionel Messi admitted he did not expect to be crowned as the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or winner. The Argentina international, who was nominated alongside Barcelona colleagues Xavi and Andres Iniesta for the prestigious gong, was stunned when Barca club manager Pep Guardiola announced his name at the ceremony in Zurich. According to the club's official website, all Messi could mouth to the seated audience at the ceremony upon collecting his award was: "I didn't expect to win this" After composing himself, the Nou Camp fans favourite was quick to pay tribute to the Spanish pair of Xavi and Iniesta, both of whom were thought to be favoured for the crown after their stellar performances saw Spain claim their maiden World Cup during the 2010 edition in South Africa. Messi elaborated: "I want to dedicate this to all my teammates, because without them I wouldn't be here. It came to me, but Iniesta and Xavi also deserved it for all they've done". The nippy playmaker also thanked those who voted for him along with the fervent support of the Barcelona and Argentine faithful and his family. The duo of Xavi and Iniesta were the first to laud the achievements of their counterpart after the ceremony. Xavi commented "He is one step above us all. He's the best player and there can be no argument. This is also a prize for the Barça youth team set up and I am proud to be a part of that". Iniesta added: "He is a worthy and deserved winner". Barca central defender Gerard Piqué declared that Messi "is the best" footballer on the planet right now. He said: "We all have to enjoy this because it's something we have all won." Striker David Villa chirped: ''He deserves it, but so did Xavi and Iniesta. They might still win it, they've still got a lot of football in them". The FIFA Ballon d'Or was created following the merging of France Football magazine's European Footballer of the Year prize with the FIFA World Player of the Year gong. As such, it is awarded based on votes cast by journalists from around the world and coaches and captains of national teams. Messi was the holder of both titles and therefore joins former Brazil strikers Ronaldo and Rivaldo and France legend Zinedine Zidane as a multiple winner of the latter accolade.

Mourinho's unforgettable year The coach won the Italian league, the Cup of Italy and the Champions League with Inter Milan last season, signing with Real Madrid in the summer Laura Navas / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell Jose Mourinho's most successful season was, without a doubt, the 2009/10 campaign. The current Real Madrid coach won the Italian league, the Cup of Italy and the Champions League with Inter Milan, confirming his status as the best coach in the world. The icing on the cake to that perfect campaign was signing for Real Madrid in the summer. Mourinho was presented as Inter Milan's new coach on 3 June 2008, bringing hope to fans and players alike thanks to the great success he had at Porto and Chelsea. During his first season, the coach won the Italian Super Cup and the league title, which earned him Best Coach honours in the country for the 2008/09 campaign. He went on to lead the team to league, Cup and Champions League success the following year - Inter hadn't won the European Cup title in 45 years. On 28 May 2010, six days after winning the Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Real Madrid announced the signing of the Italian manager; President Florentino Perez introduced him as the best coach in the world. Mourinho has earned 23 victories, 3 draws and only 2 defeats in the 28 official games he's coached at Real Madrid. The Whites are currently in second place in La Liga, where they've won 15, drawn 2 and lost only one game. The Madridistas have reached the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, where they will face Atletico Madrid. In the Champions League, Real Madrid have so far won five games and drawn just one, taking more points than any of the other 32 sides that participated in the group stage, during which the Whites also earned the best goal averages (15 scored, 2 conceded).

Cristiano Ronaldo Jorge Mendes, my agent and more importantly my friend, just won the Agent of Year award presented by Globesoccer. It's more than fair, and another proof of the good things coming from Portugal. Congratulations, Jorge! facebook

Cristiano Ronaldo : Congratulations to Mourinho awarded FIFA best coach of the year. He really deserves it and it's a pleasure to work with him everyday! © facebook

Real Madrid Coach Jose Mourinho Insists Kaka Is Going Nowhere Brazilian back to inspire Madrid After missing five months with a knee injury Brazilian playmaker Kaka is back for Real Madrid and manager Jose Mourinho has no intention of letting the 28-year-old leave the Santiago Bernabeu. Kaka underwent an operation on his meniscus knee cartilage in August but he returned to the Madrid first team against Villarreal on Sunday, and made a huge impact as he set up one and scored another in their 4-2 victory. There had been rumours that the Brazilian could be on his way back to Italy having never played for Mourinho but the Portuguese manager was adamant the playmaker would continue to play for Madrid. "He will stay with Real," he told Sky Sport Italia. "It took so long to get to work with him. He told me, with real honesty, that he feels it is very important that he demonstrates that he is a Real player. “He is now in a situation where he can do so, while last year he did not have that chance. "Kaka is staying with us, for definite."

Mourinho: Thanks to those who love me Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho paid tribute to his support staff after he was awarded the new FIFA World Coach of the Year prize. The Portuguese tactician fought off competition from the other nominated duo of Spain national team manager Vicente del Bosque and Barcelona chief Pep Guardiola to further enhance his reputation as the "Special One." According to Real Madrid's official website, Mourinho said: "I would like to congratulate two marvelous coaches: Vicente del Bosque and Pep Guardiola. I've worked very hard to reach this far, but I haven't done it on my own. I want to thank my players, my colleagues and, especially, those who love me and who have supported me at all times to get to experience this very special moment." It is no secret that Mourinho's coup de grace has been the 2009/2010 campaign when he led former side Inter Milan to a historic treble of the Italian Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League crowns. Coaches and captains of national teams along with journalists from all over the globe awarded the managerial gong to Mourinho as he gained more points than the duo of Del Bosque and Guardiola. In his maiden season thus far with Madrid, Mourinho has guided the team to 23 wins, three draws and only two losses in 28 official matches. Real Madrid Director General Jorge Valdano and Director of Institutional Relations Emilio Butragueño travelled to Zurich to support the coach, alongside players Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom were selected as part of the World XI.

Mourinho: 17 titles in eight seasons The FIFA World Coach of the Year 2010 winner has won 2 Champions League, 1 UEFA Cup, 6 league, 5 Cup and 3 Super Cup titles Realmadrid.com Jose Mourinho (Setubal, Portugal, 26-1-1963) joined Real Madrid one week after winning the Champions League title with Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Nerazzurri hadn't won the title in 45 years, but under the Portuguese coach Inter also won the Italian Scudetto and the Cup of Italy during the 2009/10 season; the first-ever treble in club history. Mourinho also won the Scudetto in his first season at Inter, as well as the Italian Super Cup. Earlier in his career, Mourinho won six titles in three years at Chelsea. During his first year at Stamford Bridge, he won the Premier League and the Carling Cup. Chelsea won the Premiership again the following year after a tight race with Manchester United throughout the season, which the Blues opened by winning the Community Shield. Mourinho led Chelsea to victory in the FA Cup and the Carling Cup during the 2006/07 campaign. Before leaving for England, Mourinho won the second Champions League title for Porto in 2004 as well as the Portuguese league title (the first for Porto in four years). With the Portuguese side he also won one UEFA Cup, one Cup of Portugal and one Portuguese Super Cup.

he looks pretty jealous in some of the pics!

Charity match

Wawrinka cruises past Berdych Stanislas Wawrinka produced a brilliant game, showcasing Swiss accuracy and style to race away with a win in the Chennai Open semifinal. By Vineeth Krishnan Wawrinka played an amazing all-round game on Centre Court at the SDAT Centre, Nungambakkam, to topple top seed Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-1 and enter the Chennai Open final. He will be up against Belgian Xavier Malisse in the summit clash on Sunday, after the veteran seventh seed beat Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first semifinal. There was no sign of exhaustion for the third-seed Wawrinka from a late-finishing three-set quarterfinal match on Friday against Robin Haase. Berdych served first and the first four games were a mere warm-up for the action later. In the fifth game, Wawrinka, wearing his familiar cool-blue T-shirt, broke Berych's serve to take a 3-2 lead, hitting a delightful backhand crosscourt winner on the crucial point. He had earlier in that game hit a couple of glorious forehand winners and his consistent shot-making proved too good for his Czech opponent. The sheer weight of his first serve was enough to see him through the remaining games, as despite being under some pressure in the 10th game, Wawrinka managed to land the first punch and take the set in 38 minutes. Berdych tried his best to fight back in that 10th game as Wawrinka served for the set, but two booming aces at 134 and 135 miles per hour pulled him ahead to 40-30. Despite netting a forehand for Deuce, a good serve forced Berdych to net a forehand for Advantage to the Swiss star, who came out on top after a long rally to make the set his own. He eased away from Berdych in the second set, playing some brilliant tennis to go up a break in the third game. From 15-15, the world No.6 netted two consecutive forehands to give Wawrinka two break points and then double faulted to gift away the game. Berdych then lost out in his next service game as well, hitting far too many unforced errors in the fifth game. Under no pressure, he hit a forehand long to go down 0-15. Another error from his forehand brought the score to 30-30 and a brilliant backhand pass down the line from Wawrinka got him a break point at 30-40. Berdych fought back to get the game to Deuce but Wawrinka dominated from there on in, hitting a deep forehand crosscourt at the end of a long rally, forcing Berdych to net for Advantage. Then the top seed missed an attempted forehand down the line after a crosscourt rally, to give the second break to his opponent. Wawrinka held serve for 5-1 and then with Berdych serving to stay in the match, broke his serve again for a well deserved win. Berdych had raced to a 40-15 lead but Wawrinka got to the net after a good approach shot to put away a volley for 40-30. He then hit a forehand winner for Deuce and played a wonderful point to get Advantage. The majestic backhand down the line he hit with Berdych seemingly in control of the point showcased the class of the world No.21. Then in the final point of the match, Berdych came in to the net off his serve to try and disrupt the rhythm of the Swiss ace, only for Wawrinka to respond with a delightful backhand lob that just caught the baseline. With that a thoroughly dominating win was wrapped up inside an hour and 16 minutes and with it Wawrinka levelled his head-to-head with Berdych at 4-4. After the match, Wawrinka said his game was improving with every match he played. "It is not easy to get back on form in the first tournament after two months out but I am playing better with every match. Today, I played one of my best matches and focussed hard on my level. I served well on the big points and the work put in right through last year to be more aggressive on my serve and forehand is paying off for me," he said. Wawrinka was a losing finalist in Chennai last year and said he intends to correct that record. "Playing a final is always special and I will give it my best. It will not be easy as (Xavier) Malisse is playing very well this week. This is my first game against him and will be interesting to see how it goes. I am sure it will be a tough final but my aim will be to try and enjoy the match," he added.

I want to help win titles" Cristiano Ronaldo: "The fans were great tonight" Realmadrid.com Cristiano Ronaldo notched yet another hat-trick on Sunday night and has now scored 22 goals in 18 league matches, but the Madridista is more interested in team accomplishments than his own. "My teammates helped me a lot and I wouldn’t score so often without them. I want to continue playing this well and to win titles at season’s end. I am very happy here and very motivated." "This was a tough match. Villarreal touched well, created chances and scored two important goals. We managed to pull level before halftime and we improved in the second half." "The coach knows in what position I best help the team. All I do is work to help as best I can. We are focused and must play with the footballers we have." "The fans were great and helped us a lot tonight." "With 45 minutes left in the match, the coach spoke to us during halftime. We reacted and won.