“Beckham is a nice man and I’m sure he will reach 100 appearances for England. But he is just a good player, nothing more. He has a good long-range shot, but he’s not a great player – he doesn’t belong to the superior group of players. There are hundreds of Beckhams playing soccer all over the world.”
— Diego Maradona, who in the same interview apologized for his “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup. (The Sun)
“If it had been one or two balloons then it would not have been a problem. But the point is that there were 20 or 30 balloons, all more or less in the same place, and the referee should have stopped the game to sort it out.”
— Manchester City coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, who is protesting his team’s 2-1 FA Cup loss to Sheffield United because its first goal came after the ball evaded defender Michael Ball when it deflected off a balloon. (The Guardian/VIDEO)
“Throughout his career, Gallardo has been a dynamic attacking midfielder known for remarkable technique, impressive speed and quickness, and an uncanny knack for providing service to his teammates. He has led teams to major championships in Argentina and France, and has been a star at every level for the national team of Argentina, including playing in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups. We are thrilled to have a player of his caliber joining D.C. United.”
— D.C. United President Kevin Payne on the club’s acquisition of 32-year-old Marcelo Gallardo. (MLSnet.com)
“Pato is very young and we, the team and the coaching staff, need to look after him to keep him relaxed. He’s an intelligent kid, but it can be very dangerous to be that famous at his age.”
— Dutch player Clarence Seedorf, trying to downplay 18-year-old Pato‘s impact after the Brazilian scored two goals in AC Milan’s 2-0 win over Genoa on Sunday to give him three goals in his first four Serie A games. (AFP)
“In Italy the referee whistles as soon as a defender brushes against you. In the Premier League you don’t get a free kick even if the defender runs you over with a tank.”
— Italian forward Rolando Bianchi, who is leaving Manchester City for Serie A club Lazio after a six-month stint. (Reuters)
“Brad is the money. He would have no problem playing in the SPL right now. There’s no doubt Brad can be the next big American goalkeeper to play in Europe. I’ve nothing against Brad Friedel or Tim Howard, but this guy is a great size and is a fantastic athlete, as well. He throws himself about, he’s really brave and he already has some good international experience. He played really well in a game against Sweden last weekend and that clean sheet raised his profile further. No disrespect, but if you are performing well on the international stage, then I’m pretty sure you can handle playing in Scotland.”
— Scotsman John Spencer, the Houston Dynamo assistant coach, on Chivas USA keeper Brad Guzan, who is on trial at Scottish champion Celtic and whom Spencer believes can become the best of the American keepers playing in Britain. (Daily Mail)
“That’s what it said in the papers — let’s hope the papers are right!”
— New Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan when asked if it was true he had $60 million to spend during the winter transfer window.
“The money is frustrating, but I understand that this is all part of it. Hopefully I will be here long enough to see an increase in the salary cap that will allow us to go and look in different markets to help bring the level of MLS higher.”
— New York Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who says he’s identified a central defender, a left-footed midfielder and a playmaker – reportedly Argentine World Cup vet Marcelo Gallardo – but that the salary cap may hinder his shopping spree. (New York Times)
“For us it’s a good way to start the year. This camp is always a challenge because guys have been off for a while, but we felt throughout the camp that things we worked on throughout last year were coming back, especially working as a team.”
— U.S. coach Bob Bradley after his team started the year with a 2-0 friendly win over Sweden.
“I thought about Europe, but I felt that MLS would be a great place for me to develop and gain experience, and then we will see what is in store in the future.”
— Ghanaian Patrick Nyarko, touted as a No. 1 pick in Friday’s MLS SuperDraft, on his decision to join MLS after his junior year at Virginia Tech instead of heading to Europe. (Washington Post)
“I got him a pair as a present, and he took a picture and sent it back to me, and I was like, ‘They look cool!’… We are talking about making a slipper together. So when I stop rapping and he stops soccer we can kick back and slip on a house shoe.”
— Rapper Snoop Dogg announces plans to design house shoes with pal David Beckham. (MTV UK)
“This is open-heart surgery. We’re hemorrhaging.”
— Martin Stringer, coach at Santa Ana Mater Dei in Southern California, where high schools are losing star players to elite clubs competing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. (Los Angeles Times)
“All managers have sentiment but they also need to take decisions. Beckham is important for England and can still give a lot, but as everybody knows, all the players are equally important to me and start from the same position, including David Beckham.”
— England’s new coach Fabio Capello warning David Beckham that he won’t be influenced by sentiment when he decides if the England midfielder deserves to win his 100th cap against Switzerland on Feb. 6. Beckham would be the fifth England player to reach the milestone, along with Billy Wright, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton (Ticker)
“When I ask MLS, they say the Revs rejected it. When I ask the Revs, they said it was MLS. Look, you’re not going to get more than that for a guy like me, who is not always with the national team. It’s a good offer. Anytime a team wants you that bad, of course you want to go. … I’m everywhere from confused to mad because I don’t know where we are on this.”
— New England’s Taylor Twellman, who told the Washington Post ‘s Steven Goff that MLS and/or New England rejected a $2.5 million offer from England’s Preston North End for the 27-year-old forward.
“If Pato continues to do what he does in training, he will get 30 goals by June.”
— AC Milan president (and former Italian prime minister) Silvio Berlusconi — before his team’s latest signing, 18-year-old Brazilian Alexandre Pato (“Alex the Duck”), has even played his first game. Alexandre Pato is eligible to play his first game for Milan on Sunday against Napoli. (He turned 18 two days after Europe’s summer transfer transfer, making him ineligible to officially move from Internacional to Milan until January’s transfer window.) (uefa.com)
“[Tuesday] I got offered the job in Chicago, accepted it and sat down to try and negotiate a contract, but we couldn’t come to terms. It wasn’t much more money than I [was making] here with the Dynamo, and I felt that to move my family to another state and all the upheaval and such, I just didn’t think it was worth it, so I turned it down.”
— Houston Dynamo assistant coach John Spencer explains why he’s not the Chicago Fire’s next head coach. (Houston Chronicle)
“The players in MLS have worked very hard and sacrificed a great deal to build the league. I look forward to working for the players to help them achieve a better life for themselves and their families.”
— Eddie Pope, the new Director of Player Relations of the MLS Players Union. Pope, a U.S. veteran of three World Cups, played in each of MLS’s first 12 seasons for D.C. United, the MetroStars and Real Salt Lake before retiring after the 2007 season. (MLSnet.com)
“They’re the three people I’d trust with my wife naked. That’s how good they are as friends.”
— David Beckham on former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville, his personal manager Terry Byrne, and his pal Dave Gardner. (The Sun)
“If soccer in Nigeria was organized as in Germany the team would be unbeatable. Even Brazil would have to watch out for Nigeria.”
— Nigeria’s German coach Berti Vogts, who hinted that he may leave his post before the African Nations Cup kicks off in two weeks because of delays in paying salaries. Vogts took the job last March. The Super Eagles won the African Nations Cup in 1980 and 1994. They’re in Group B with Ivory Coast, Mali and Benin for the tournament that begins Jan. 20 in Ghana. (AFP)
“Some people think having a rabbit as a mascot gives off the wrong message in terms of the side being a soft touch.”
— A fan of Scunthorpe United, which is in the relegation zone of England’s second-tier league, backing a movement to switch the team’s mascot from Scunny Bunny to Iron the Lion. (uefa.com)
“To have to go to the United States, to have to make a big spectacle of playing in InterLiga to select two [teams], I don’t like it.”
— UNAM Pumas coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti complains about the USA-based eight-team InterLiga tournament for Mexican clubs that serves as part of Mexico’s Libertadores Cup qualification. Pumas opened Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Monterrey in Frisco, Texas. On Thursday, Toluca faces Atlas and Morelia clashes with Club America in Houston in games aired on Fox Sports en Espanol beginning at 8 pm ET. (Los Angeles Times)
“In hindsight, I probably made the wrong decision.”
— Texan Tom Hicks, owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team and Dallas Stars ice hockey team and co-owner of Liverpool, on his decision to not purchase Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas. (AP)
“We didn’t play so direct. It was like a weight lifted off our shoulders. We were able to express ourselves a bit more and the guys enjoyed that. We weren’t able to get the win, but we were the better side.”
— Clint Dempsey, who scored for Fulham in its 1-1 tie with Wigan Saturday, its first English Premier League game since Manager Lawrie Sanchez was fired. Assistant coach Ray Lewington took charge while the Cottagers search for a new manager. (London Times)
“Becks pulled into a hotel. The window came down and in 15 seconds he was gone.”
— Eyewitness to the end of an investigation into an alleged car theft in the English town of Epping. The driver was David Beckham, driving through Epping, near his childhood home, in his Range Rover on Wednesday. Just to be sure, Essex Police later confirmed they checked ownership of the car. (Sun)
“The Orange Bowl site connects with the soccer public in the city and we believe a MLS team in Miami could serve a part of the community that is not necessarily served by other sports at the moment.”
— MLS spokesman Dan Courtemanche on the massive omnbus package for downtown Miami that includes the demolition of the Orange Bowl and its replacement by a new baseball park for the Florida Marlins and a soccer-specific venue. Miami Dade County backed the plan on Tuesday and is ready to put aside $50 million for the new soccer stadium that could help persuade MLS to grant Miami an expansion team. (Reuters)
