Robinho is one of the Seleçao’s players who have been wearing Brazil’s jersey for 8 years or more. At 27, Robinho holds remarkable achievements.
Never to be ignored
Robinho has been in the spotlight on several occasions in the past for his actions off the field. Being known to be a figure with the ineligibility to serve as a model for rising stars, the forward made sure his name was not ruined on the field overtime.
Starting his career under the aspect of an extremely promising player, Robinho kept striving for fame and success, and somehow, his hard work paid off. The Scudetto winner, who has had spells in the Brasileiro Serie A, La Liga, as well as in the Barclays Premier League, also has good memories associated to his contributions in the Brazilian national team.
Neymar is arguably the hottest striker in World Football right now. The youngster is fresh from his heroic exploits with Santos in the Copa Libertadores and he’s been tipped to move mountains during the 2011 Copa America.
AC Milan forward Robinho believes that the club do not need any new faces in attack ahead of next season. Milan currently have a fantastic line-up upfront with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexander Pato pulling the strings. Nevertheless, Robinho believes that the current set-up is adequate enough for them to achieve triumphs.
Robinho has only starting to make an impact at the San Siro since he was signed from Manchester City for €18M in August 2010. The 27-year-old winger struggled to win a regular place in AC Milan’s starting XI during the first few months but he has now made 28 appearances in all competitions for his new club. His 10 goals in Italy’s Serie A have also helped Milan’s Scudetto aspirations.
Gone are the days where Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho and Ronaldo were the driving forces behind Brazil’s machine gun. Ronaldo has retired whereas the international career of Ronaldinho, Kaka and Robinho is mysteriously becoming a story of the past – although these three players are yet to draw a line between their football for Brazil and retirement.
Tonight, Spurs have the chance to do what fellow English side Arsenal couldn’t do: to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But will Milan bow out from Europe like Roma did on Tuesday?
Tottenham Hotspur And Their Italian Miracles
Harry knows how to do it against Italian teams. At least, that’s what he’s proven so far. The story of his success against Serie A’s top two giants started with Gareth Bale’s famous hat-trick at the San Siro against Internazionale. On that night, which occurred during the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur didn’t take a single point from the game.
However, they left Inter’s ground having found a treasure: an elixir to keep them alive in Europe’s biggest club tournament where they appear as inexperienced soldiers engaging in thrilling battles. As of now, Coach Harry Redknapp can be satisfied about Tottenham Hotspur’s UEFA Champions League campaign.
Both Milan and Spurs will meet each other tonight in the second round of the UEFA Champions League and with Harry Redknapp signaling their intent to attack; it could be a feisty encounter at San Siro
Milan claimed a courageous 1-0 win over Inter as they keep hold of the Serie A leadership for another week. Their win also leaves Inter six points behind the summit.
Inter have recently had jurisdiction over the Derby della Madonnina, as they have won their last three encounters against Milan.
We ask ourselves 5 big questions ahead of this European fixture and by what else would we start but something around the "Special One", Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho?
1) Can Jose Mourinho Continue His Perfect Record Against AC Milan?
When Jose Mourinho first played against AC Milan as the head coach of rivals Inter, the result wasn’t the best; Ronaldinho’s lone goal left “Mou” with a lot to think about. However, his next three matches against the Rossoneri explained that the “Special One” had understood his lessons.
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo: Completely Aware
Well, it would seem fair to admit that Cristiano Ronaldo had a rather poor start to the 2010/2011 season. But just as Portugal started to experience a positive change at the international level, the Portuguese superstar winger found his sparkling form once again. 6 goals and 4 assists have taken Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the charts in La Liga. Statistics also reveal that the former Ballon d’Or winner has netted 6 times in his last four matches for Portugal and Real Madrid.
So ahead of Tuesday night’s mega clash between Real Madrid and AC Milan, the public is expecting Ronnie to finally enjoy a great game in the Champions League this season. Most importantly for the player himself, who hasn’t yet opened his goal scoring account in Europe this term, Los Blancos have to avoid a repeat of last year’s 3-2 defeat to AC Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Italian football has always proved protean to those attempting to define its most salient and defining characteristics. In many circles, the anachronistic belief that Italian football is dull and defensive still has currency despite Italy's 2006 World Cup triumph, during which the daring Marcello Lippi fielded four forwards at one point in the semi-final win over Germany. Milan's 2007 Champions League win--which left Manchester United battered and bruised in its wake--has done little to sway opinion. The most cogent counter-argument to the facile and misinformed characterizations could also be Arrigo Sacchi's Milan, which was a team that knew how to attack and defend equally well.
One would think that if positive qualities do not change opinions, negative ones may. That is, contrary to what many believe, Italian football currently has a chronic lack of quality defenders, a worrying reality for not only incumbent national team coach Cesare Prandelli, but for other coaches to come. Looking around, there are no Baresis, Maldinis, Nestas or Cannavaros. Yet, this fact, which is plainly evident for Italian fans and pundits alike, barely registers for parochial followers of the game.
Just when it seems Milan's season is about to take off, they do all to defy expectations. After beating Genoa 1-0 over the weekend, Ajax was supposed to be a prime opportunity to notch up two wins in a row. However, as has become their wont, Milan scraped a draw, earning a valuable point in the process but doing little to dispel doubts.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri fielded a 4-4-2, but it was more of a diamond shape formation, which positioned Clarence Seedorf behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho. Ronaldinho was rested.
Despite a rather bold formation, it was Ajax who took the lead. In the 23rd minute, Luis Suarez eluded Alessandro Nesta with a brilliant move, and he passed for Mounir El Hamadoui to finish after a quick shot on the turn.
Milan travel to Amsterdam to take on Ajax amidst uncertainty over who exactly is going to start the match. Many expect Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri to drop Ronaldinho and opt for a 4-4-2, which would see Clarence Seedorf behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho. Filippo Inzaghi may also come on to play a role, but what is almost certain is that midfielder Kevin Boateng will get a rest after his committed outings for the club.
Though Milan defeated Genoa 1-0 over the weekend, the sceptics are still suspicious of the effectiveness of the team. The same old problems of lapses in concentration at Milan persist, as the Lazio game exemplified. After taking the lead against Lazio, Milan relaxed and allowed the equalizer, which had an air of inevitability about it.
In a rare moment of candour, Milan vice-president and CEO Adriano Galliani revealed in April that he would be supporting Inter in the final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich. Of course, his reasons were not rooted entirely in sentimental nationalism; rather, they were motivated by self-preservation. “I will be supporting Inter because of the UEFA rankings,” said Galliani.
When Robinho made his surprise switch from Real Madrid to Manchester City, the forward was meant to take the Sky Blues by storm. In his first interview as a Manchester City player, the Brazilian international made the mistake of replacing his new club’s name with “Chelsea” – a side he wanted to join in a “dream move” during his last “tough days” as a Real Madrid player.
Sky Blues supporters got perplexed only for City’s biggest ever signing to reassure them with words marking his commitment to the team. As football pundits had tipped the ex-Real Madrid star to rock the English Premier League with his samba moves, Robinho went as far as infuriating Cristiano Ronaldo fans by challenging his rival in terms of stardom, performance and success.
According to the Brazilian play maker, Manchester City were the perfect club to help him achieve his dream of ranking among football’s greatest legend.
Robinho, who was repeatedly linked with a possible move to FC Barcelona earlier on, has finally been transferred to AC Milan after the English club accepted an offer of 15 million Euros. This signing however does not give any financial benefit to the Citizens who bought the attacker from Real Madrid for 42.5 million Euros, in the final day of the Premier League summer transfer window back in 2008.
Robinho - Times in Manchester City
As the man marking the beginning of a new era for the big spending club, Robinho expressed his gratitude on his debut by scoring a cracking free-kick in Man City’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea. Weeks after, he scored a hat-trick against Stoke City to reach a new level in his career; yet, his second season in England did not turn out to be as impressive as his first one.
On Wednesday, the entire pressure will be on the visitors to deliver…
Before the qualification campaign resumed last week, Chile were on a high and seating second in South America’s ten-team table.
However, after being held 2-2 at home by Venezuela, the Chileans suddenly find themselves between assurance and anxiety.