LuNo

You're welcome Sandy!!!!!!!

INFINITE CAPTAIN Paolo Maldini, the symbole of this Milan, continues to surprise. Following the game in London, against Arsenal, the critics praised him and the fans now beg him to continue his glorious career. MILAN - He arrived to his first game...after 1,000 played amongst the professionals, Paolo Maldini has gathered just praises following the game against Arsenal. The game presented itself as one of the most difficult and delicate ones of the season, but he did not limit himself to lead the team. No, he almost scored, with a header, he defended, he pushed forward just like he had 20 years less and he covered two roles: that of a full-back and that of a central defender. The captain said that at the end of the season he will retire, but after having seen him in the conditions of Wednesday evening, many are begging him to change his mind. First of all the fans: 'Paolo change your mind', 'Captain, don't leave football, you can still give a lot,' 'Maldini unique, he must not give up', 'Paolo continue to lead us, continue to play'. These are some of the messages launched to the one who the English have been calling for some time 'History Man'. It was the English daily newspapers who came up with this word, 'History Man', the symbol of the game. It was the Daily Mirror to name Paolo Maldini like this, following the win in the Champions League of Milan at Manchester against Juventus. Manchester, in 2003, Paolo Maldini captain of Milan. Wembley, in 1963, Cesare Maldini captain of Milan. Things which happen to a few. No actually to no one. Only to him and only here. Following the London performance, not only the fans, but even the critics (and it couldn't be otherwise) are on his side. The average vote of the media was around 7.5. Not bad for one who in some moments was criticized for his age and performances... But this is also his strength. Yes, because after thet game, the captain revealed what he believes to be a bit his secret: "The passion for this sport, the enjoyment I have every time I go on the pitch. the love for this shirt.@ In just one word, we can talk about the 'sense of duty' of a great professional. To those who invted him not to leave the football world, he responds like this: "I think that it will be difficult to change my mind. From the outside you only see the positive things, those that go, but in reality I often find myself with some minor injury which does not allow me to remain calm. Continuing would be difficult. After all, my football career gave me a lot, therefore I feel extremely satisfied." However, rarely Paolo uses the term 'fulfilled', even because his dream is that of closing with his farewell game of...Moscow. Balanced champion, the Milan captain has always been respectful in the wins and calibrated in the defeats. No excess in celebrations, no drama. The way of Paolo Maldini has always been more adequate. Also for this, starting very young, he reached and surpassed the 1000 official games quote. These are some important careers of his career: OFFICIAL GAMES OF PAOLO MALDINI WITH MILAN: 860 DEBUT GAME: Udinese-Milan 1-1, 20th January 1985 OFFICIAL GAMES OF PAOLO MALDINI WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM: 126 (Record) DEBUT GAME: Yugoslavia-Italy 1-1, 31st March 1988 OFFICIAL GAMES OF PAOLO MALDINI WITH THE UNDER 21: 12 OFFICIAL GAMES OF PAOLO MALDINI WITH THE OLYMPIC NATIONAL TEAM: 1 PAOLO MALDINI'S WINS WITH MILAN: 7 SCUDETTI - 5 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 1 WORLD CLUB CUP - 2 INTERCONTINENTAL CUPS - 5 EUROPEAN SUPER CUPS - 5 ITALIAN SUPER CUPS - 1 COPPA ITALIA OTHER IMPORTANT DATES: 7 September 1988: VITOCHIA SOFIA-MILAN 0-2, Paolo Maldini's debut in the Champions Cup 22 March 2003: MILAN-JUVENTUS 2-1, 500th game of Paolo Maldini in Serie A 11 March 2007: INTER-MILAN 2-1, 600th game of Paolo Maldini in Serie A 26 November 2003: AJAX-MILAN 0-1, 100th game of Paolo Maldini in Champions Cup/Champions League

Fans Beg Maldini To Keep Playing AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini has been flooded with messages from supporters begging him not to retire from football. The 39-year-old has announced that he will be hanging up his boots at the end of the season, following almost a quarter-of-a-century at the very top. On Wednesday night Maldini made his 1001st professional appearance during Milan’s 0-0 Champions League last 16 first leg draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. The defender put in a brilliant performance that belied his years and was arguably the man-of-the-match. This display has led to hundreds of Milan supporters begging him to stay. “Paolo change your mind”, “Il Capitano, don't leave football, you can still give a lot,” “Maldini unique, he must not give up”, “Paolo continue to lead us, continue to play” – these are just a few of the messages he has received. Maldini however seems unlikely to change his decision, as he explained in the aftermath of the match with Arsenal. "I think that it will be difficult to change my mind,” he said. “From the outside you only see the positive things, those that go, but in reality I often find myself with some minor injury which does not allow me to remain calm. “Continuing would be difficult. After all, my football career gave me a lot, therefore I feel extremely satisfied." Maldini has stated on a number of occasions that he hopes to end his career in the perfect fashion by lifting the Champions League in Moscow on May 23.

You're welcome Sandy !!!!

DC: I wouldn't read anything into times. David Coulthard has warned Red Bull Racing fans not to get too excited about the performances he and team-mate Mark Webber are producing in testing in Spain, claiming that this point of the season throws up many false dawns. Webber continued Red Bull's promising start to the pre-season by topping the times on day two of the latest group test at Jerez, but Coulthard insisted that Australian fans, in particular, should not expect the team to be frontrunners when the championship opens for real at next month's Melbourne grand prix. "I've done lots of testing over the years and some of those tests have been fantastic and some of them have been s**t," Coulthard told Australian press agency AAP, "I wouldn't read anything into it. I think that anyone who expects anything different than McLaren or Ferrari to be setting the pace at the beginning of the season would be extremely surprised." What DC did appear positive about, however, was that Adrian Newey's RB4 appeared to be a lot more reliable than its predecessor. The RB3 struggled in particular with gearbox and other transmission woes, but DC was hopeful that, with a new four-race requirement for gearboxes starting in 2008, the team was on top of the problems. "I think that's the main thing that we're able to speak of with certainty," he said, "The facts are the car is running more reliably, we don't have the gearbox issues that we've seen over the last couple of years. We're cranking out grand prix and three-quarters every day per car, [where] we were probably doing about 50 laps, so less than a grand prix, for most of the winter testing last year. That's just because the car's more reliable. The veteran Scot said that, while he was discounting the possibility of being an outright frontrunner, he was hopeful that RBR could move itself up the field, even if the current packing order remains clouded by unusual performances from other teams. "What's not clear for us at the moment is where we fit into that mix, with BMW and Toyota and Renault and all those guys," he revealed, "And it might not even be completely apparent in Melbourne because it's a particular track. "But I think, by the time we're gotten through the first three grands prix - in Melbourne, Malaysia and Bahrain - we'll have a very clear picture of who are the pacesetters and what the pecking order is down the field." "We go into the season - with seven test days left in Jerez and Barcelona before we go to Melbourne - and we know we're not the quickest, we know we're not the slowest and we know we're more reliable than last year. The unknowns are where do we sit in that mix."

Schumacher back for Ferrari next week Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher will return to testing action for Ferrari next week, when he participates in the team’s final pre-season test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. Schumacher, who last tested in late 2007, will join Kimi Raikkonen in Spain on Monday, as Ferrari begin a three-day session to finalise their on-track preparations for the coming season with their F2008 machine. Meanwhile, Ferrari wound up their current Barcelona session on Friday, with Felipe Massa and official tester Luca Badoer carrying out a full race-weekend simulation, starting with the third free practice session, followed by the three qualifying sessions and the Grand Prix, along with all the relevant trackside procedures. Massa successfully completed the simulation. Badoer, however, had to stop in the final race stint because of an oil leak. Massa ultimately completed 95 laps, with a best time of 1m 20.508s, while Badoer managed 75, his fastest a 1m 21.808s.

Weber cannot see the next Schumacher... Michael Schumacher's manager says he does not see a lasting successor to the retired seven time world champion among the current generation of drivers in Formula One. Willi Weber has told Germany's Bild newspaper that not even Lewis Hamilton, revered in the mainstream racing press as the sport's new golden boy, matches up to Schumacher, who retired after the 2006 season. "Lewis has many prizes, but no titles," 65-year-old Weber said. "He had his chance last year, when he was sitting in the best car, but still Ferrari won the championship. "I'm not saying that Hamilton is bad, but Schumacher was in a different world. And that will remain the case. "I am sure that in my lifetime we will never witness someone in this sport as great as Michael. Becoming world champion has never been so easy," he added.

Casillas press conference "Raúl will get his reward" Iker Casillas approved of the meeting between Raúl and Spain coach Luis Aragonés. He also highlighted the excellent form of former Madridista and current Getafe striker Esteban Granero. What did you think of Raúl's and Luis Aragonés' joint press conference? I wasn't surprised. I welcome anything that is done for the good of the Spanish national team. The coach decides who plays on the team. I think Raúl will get his reward if he continues playing this way and working as hard as he always does. What do you think of the contractual provision that prevents a loaned out player like Getafe's Granero from facing Real Madrid? There are many views on this issue, but I think it is the right thing to do. The normal thing for a loaned out player is to return to the Club at the end of the campaign, especially when you have a great season like Granero. Think about it this way: what if something's at stake at the end of the campaign and a loaned out player like Granero scores a goal and thwarts your plans... Just like Morientes and Munitis did in the past... I think it is normal for the Club to try to prevent this from happening. If Barcelona win, you will be only two points in the lead at the start of your game... That could happen. In fact, their match with Levante is meant to be relatively easy for them, but anything can happen. It is expected for Barcelona to win, but Levante's players want to do the best they can. Do you still have a lot of problems with the niggles on your fingers? I have some problems, but I won't say if they are few or many. What's your analysis on the team's three consecutive defeats away from home? We didn't earn good results in our last three away games, but things were slightly different against Roma. We should take note of this, just as the coach said. The season is very long and we have time to react thanks to our comfortable lead on the table. We want to defeat Getafe to regain our winning streak.

Higuaín: Our Squad Is Better Than Barcelona's Young Real Madrid hitman Gonzalo Higuain has told a press conference that he believes that Real Madrid's teamplay is superior to that of the Blaugrana... The Argentine was bullish about his side's prospects of a title win, despite their lead at the top of the Liga recently being slashed to five points. His reasoning was clear: "Barça has great individual, but Madrid have played better as a team. "However, Barça are catching up, and we need to fight, because they certainly have the grounds to do so as well." The 20-year-old has been in and out of the team since his arrival in early 2007, with Raul and Ruud Van Nistelrooy dominating the striking positions for the most part. However, the ex-River man is unconcerned at being left out of the squad of late. "The balance of my time here has been positive overall," he insisted. "I'm not playing a lot, but I understand that the coach has Raul and Van Nistelrooy - one of the best pairs in the world - and he can't change things as long as they're doing well. "Myself? I'm just not having luck in front of goal. It's a question of patience and work, though. All forwards go through such lean spells. "I'd give anything to be a starter here at Madrid, and that's why I'm working towards it. Scoring at the Bernabeu is the best feeling in the world, and hopefully I'll have a chance to do so against Roma in the Champions League." Looking ahead to the Olympic Games in Beijing in summer, the youngster - who as a U-23 player is likely to be called up by the albiceleste - declared that it would be a "special" experience to go to China. "I aim to go to Beijing and do a good job with the selección," he confirmed.

Spain coach Luis Aragones and Raul meet to defuse tension over non-selection MADRID, Spain (AP) -Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez and Spain coach Luis Aragones met in a bid to defuse the tension caused by the player's omission from the national team. The two spoke Thursday at the Spanish Football Federation after Raul asked Aragones to meet him in a bid to end the differences that have been played up between them for the "good of the national team.'' "Fundamentally, what interests Raul and what interests the coach and what interests the federation is that we end all of the debates and all of these themes and we move forward,'' said Aragones, who has faced intense scrutiny for not selecting Raul despite the Madrid captain's improved form. "The debate and the speculation does not help anyone. What we want to do is end all of the debate.'' Aragones said nothing had changed regarding Raul's chances of playing at the European Championship in June. "Spain is split in two and we want to end this,'' Aragones said. "If I feel he is worth calling up, I will. But if I don't, then I won't.'' Raul, Spain's all-time leading scorer with 44 goals in 102 games, believes a normal misunderstanding between a coach and a player had been blown out of proportion. "I've been thinking about it for many months and I want the team to qualify without all of this suffering,'' Raul said. "It hurts me that with each game there is speculation and manipulation of news that isn't always real.'' Raul hasn't played for Spain since it lost to Sweden in qualifying for Euro 2008 in September 2006. The 30-year-old Raul has scored 15 goals in all competitions for Spanish league leader Madrid after a season in which he only had seven goals in 35 games. He has played at three World Cups and two European Championships. Aragones has faced relentless questioning over the omission of Raul and was involved in a shouting match on national radio earlier this month when other journalists challenged him on the issue.

Raul And Aragones: We Must Look Forward At a hastily-arranged press conference at Las Rozas, Raul and Luis Aragones sought to clear the air regarding the Real Madrid man's Spanish international chances... With Raul's selection a constant source of speculation in the media and in bars across Spain, the striker opted to arrange a press conference with national team coach, Aragones, in order to settle the issue once and for all. "The meeting was billed to "seek an end to the debate and speculation, and for the common good of the federation, squad, selector and Raul." Raul, explaining why he opted to arrange the event, said, "I thought about it for months. "I think that the squad qualified [for Euro 2008] brilliantly, they've done a great job, but with four months to go until the Euros it hurts me that every squad selection will be accompanied by untrue speculation. "I decided to talk to the selector because nothing really key like that has happened." Misunderstandings "Obviously there are always misunderstandings about the player-coach relationship, and things have always gone well when I've been in the squad," he continued. "We talked about things in which we were in agreement, and things in which we weren't. "But we should look not backwards, but ahead, because the squad is more important than just whether or not I go with them. Support the manager and the squad that goes." But would he be with them in Austria and Switzerland? "It'll be complicated and difficult, but I still have the dream," he sighed. "But I just want to stop speculation about it... we had a conversation and we feel that this is best." Aragones' Thoughts The coach, meanwhile, had plenty to say as well. "The conduct of Raul towards me has been extraordinary, as has mine to him. "The first thing he asked me was if he wanted help with squad selection. "Hopefully this will fix some things, and about these debates as to whether players, but especially Raul, who is in the media eye, will go or not. "You, [the media], have to help us with this." On the subject of the media, Aragones stated that he felt that the fans' demonstration in Malaga calling for Raul's selection was contrived by external fortress. He offered no details, but remained convinced. Raul disagreed. The burning question remained, though, would Aragones take Raul to Euro 2008? "His issue is as complicated as that of other players," said the coach. "I'm the selector. Some will stay and others will go. "But Spain was half divided, and that's what we wanted to stop.