February 22, 200718 yr Serie A: Ronaldo again takes centre stage All eyes will once again be on Ronaldo when AC Milan host Sampdoria on Sunday.The three-times World Player of the Year conjured up two goals and the pass that created Milan's third in the 4-3 win over Siena last weekend.It was a performance that swept away any doubts that 'The Phenomenon' as he was known during his days at Inter was worth the 7.5million euros Milan paid Real Madrid for him in January.'We all knew he was a great player. What came as such a big surprise to us was how quickly he has managed to slip back into the Italian championship,' said coach Carlo Ancelotti, whose team have won six of their last seven league matches to climb to sixth.For the 30-year-old Brazilian striker, meanwhile, his display provided an eloquent riposte to those who had written him off as overweight and over-the-hill.'I don't have to say anything to my critics. I'll just shut them up with what I do on the pitch,' he said.He should have plenty of opportunities to impress between now and the end of the season.With Filippo Inzaghi injured, Marco Borriello suspended after failing a drugs test, and Ricardo Oliveira and Alberto Gilardino dogged by inconsistency, competition for places in Milan's attack is not as fierce as it was when Andriy Shevchenko used to automatically claim a starting berth.Leaders Inter, meanwhile, will seek to preserve their 14-point cushion at the top of the division by beating Catania on Sunday.Inter have won their last 16 Serie A matches, but suffered a midweek hiccup when they conceded a late goal to draw 2-2 with Valencia in the Champions League.Catania, who have lost four of their last six league games, look just the team to provide Inter with a much-needed psychological fillip.As if the gulf in resources between the two clubs was not enough, the odds against Catania upsetting Inter have been stacked even higher by the ban on their Massimino stadium following the rioting in which a policeman died this month.Sunday's game is taking place behind closed doors at the Manuzzi stadium in Cesena, 650 miles north of Catania and far enough away to deter even the most loyal fans from making the trip just to hang around outside the ground.Inter's nearest challengers, AS Roma, face a tough home game against Reggina, who beat them 1-0 earlier in the season.Third-placed Palermo have earned just four points from their last four games and need a win against Atalanta on Saturday to consolidate their position.
February 23, 200718 yr Zidane, Ronaldo headline Match Against PovertyMARSEILLE, France (AFP) - Football legends Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo will each captain a team in the fourth edition of the Match Against Poverty to be held at the Stade Velodrome on March 19.Former France captain Zidane and AC Milan striker Ronaldo, who are both Goodwill Ambassadors for theUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP), have been the driving forces behind this initiative since 2003.A statement issued by Marseille Town Hall promised that several "star footballers" would play alongside the pair, without giving details.The match will be the first played in Europe by Zidane since his international retirement after the 2006 World Cup final."I have retired from professional football, but I am determined to continue playing in my capacity as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for such a good cause, and to contribute to this annual gathering with my friend Ronaldo," said Zidane.Proceeds from the first three matches benefited anti-poverty projects ranging from support to female entrepreneurs to the construction of sports centres for street children in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
February 24, 200718 yr interview with Ronaldo about his transfer ftp://ftp.plus.es/deportes/DEP_070131_Ronaldo.wmv or ftp://ftp.plus.es/deportes/DEP_070131_Ronaldo.rm
February 24, 200718 yr ftp://ftp.plus.es/deportes/DEP_070125_RMadrid.wmv or ftp://ftp.plus.es/deportes/DEP_070125_RMadrid.rm There is no Ronaldo in this one movie. But it is about Ronaldo, and there is interview with Ruud.
February 24, 200718 yr ftp://ftp.plus.es/deportes/DEP_070123_Real_Madrid.wmv or ftp://ftp.plus.es/deportes/DEP_070123_Real_Madrid.rm There is also interview with Sergio Ramos
February 25, 200718 yr MILAN - SAMPDORIAKEEPERS: Dida, Kalac, Storari; DEFENDERS: Bonera, Cafu, Costacurta, Favalli, Grimi, Jankulovski, Oddo, Simic; MIDFIELDERS: Ambrosini, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Kakà, Pirlo, Seedorf; STRIKERS: Gilardino, Inzaghi, Ricardo Oliveira, Ronaldo.
February 26, 200718 yr Ronaldo: My strengths and weaknessesRonaldo looked back at the 1998 World Cup Final, his past and future as Il Fenomeno. “But I’m still terrible at headers!”“It’s been 10 years since I first wore the Inter jersey in Serie A. I’m still very motivated and eager, which is why I came to Milan. This is my biggest challenge and that’s what makes football such a passion,” he told Sky Italia.Many doubted whether Ronaldo’s move from Real Madrid in January was a good business decision by the Rossoneri, as he had become more famous for his weight and string of glamorous girlfriends than his sporting achievements.“It’s true I have lost some of my pace, but I can still do some pretty good stuff in a brief sprint. I’m still a disaster at headers, though. I train on it so much, but I can’t seem to improve!”In the interview he also looked back on perhaps the darkest moment of his career – the mystery illness that struck him just before the 1998 World Cup Final.“I remember all of it. I came back to my room after lunch and I felt ill. I fainted for around five minutes, I believe. Then the doctors arrived and Leonardo was there too,” he explained.“I was out cold and didn’t know what was going on, so when I came to it was as if nothing had happened. I remember Leo was walking with me towards the restaurant, as we needed a snack before the game, and I couldn’t understand why he was telling me a World Cup Final wasn’t all that important.”The striker had originally been left out of the squad to face France in that Final, but was put back in at the last minute just hours after he had been knocked unconscious by a seizure that to this day remains unexplained.“I was wondering why he was telling me all this, seeing as we were going to play that evening. ‘It’s not so important, in life there are so many other wonderful things like family and love,’ he kept saying. I asked why and Leo answered I would find out later, he’d explain it all.”
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