As Ed Woodward and Jose Mourinho try and piece together a Manchester United team packed to the rafters with Galacticos, today marks the birthday of one of football’s greats – one who himself rejected a move to the Theatre of Dreams.

Back in 2003, the world awaited Ronaldinho’s next move as the Brazilian superstar, who captured the hearts of the global footballing family thanks to his majestic performances during the 2002 World Cup, geared up to leave Paris Saint-Germain.

With Sir Alex Ferguson preparing to sell David Beckham, the Red Devils needed a marquee name to replace the England captain and it seemed as if the Selecao samba star was set to move to the Premier League. Incoming Barcelona president Joan Laporta had promised to bring Beckham to the Camp Nou, though he would later spring a surprise in the transfer market, one that would ultimately change the landscape of European football.

Laporta joined forces with former Nike executive Sandro Rosell in order to win the presidential election at the Blaugrana and, not to be disappointed by Beckham’s decision to join arch-rivals Real Madrid, the latter relied on his friendship with Ronaldinho to steal him away from United’s grasp.

The rest is history. He became the focal point of Frank Rijkaard’s Barca side, a transformative presence that saw the Catalan giants return to the forefront of continental football. A talent of earth-shattering ability, he was the precursor to Lionel Messi, helping the Argentine prepare for his meteoric rise to previously uncharted summits of the beautiful game.

His time at the very top was reasonably short-lived, though. Never one to shy away from the glamorous lifestyle those in his position can so easily command, Ronaldinho’s discipline ultimately let him down. Even during his time in the French capital, concerns over his lifestyle would emerge.

Despite boasting a talent that saw him win a World Cup, league titles in Spain and Italy, the Champions League and two Ballon d’Or crowns, it seemed as if his head was only in the game for a few years. After achieving so much so quickly, he would easily become disinterested.

In 2008, Simon Baskett of Reuters described him as a ‘toothy-grinned wizard who had the club under his spell for three glorious seasons’, but the Brazilian would leave as a bloated version of himself that year, let go by Pep Guardiola as the current Manchester City coach took Barcelona to new levels.

Elvis had left the building. In fact, he never really returned from the 2006 World Cup, a tournament in which Brazil were widely expected to retain their crown, though one that eventually proved to be a pivotal few months in his decline.

In stark contrast to his performances four years earlier, he failed to register either a goal or an assist over in Germany as the holders fell to France at the quarter-final stage as style consumed substance amid rumours about nightclubs and women swelled as a result of his escalating excess.

It seems a little harsh to suggest a man who won so much and had such a profound impact on one of the world’s most traditional footballing institutions never really fulfilled his talent, though it’s more indicative of just how good he actually was than it is overly weighty expectations.

Interestingly enough, Neymar – the latest superstar to hail from the most romantic footballing country in the world – has recently suggested he would be open to a move to the Premier League. Admitting he respects Manchester United (among others), the Barcelona forward’s signing would be a landmark one on these shores.

The current captain of Brazil and Messi’s heir-apparent, Neymar is undoubtedly one of the most marketable athletes in the world. Sure, there’s an element of the flash style that goes hand-in-hand with top footballers these days, though backed up by a substance not apparent in Ronaldinho.

A family man, the former Santos prodigy is a devout Christian, seeming to sway towards the Kaka mould, rather than the sort of lifestyle that derailed the likes of Ronaldinho and Adriano before him.

[ffc_insert name=”The Word” title=”Arsene Wenger’s 1999 Nicolas Anelka message rings truer today than ever before” image_ link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/features/the-word/the-word-arsene-wengers-1999-message-truer-today-than-ever-before” link_text=”Read More” ]

Although the intense levels of drama surrounding it would have you believe it, rarely do players plying their trade for the likes of Real or Barcelona leave for Premier League in their prime. However, the sort of money plundered into the Pogba deal only a few months ago shows what a financial powerhouse such as United can do in the market these days.

Though United are struggling to recapture the imperious aura that surrounded the Theatre of Dreams during Ferguson’s famed tenure in charge, Neymar’s comments only show what a huge club they still are. Two titans of Brazilian football, with entirely different personalities, have waxed poetic about their pulling power. After all, as former defender Gordon McQueen so aptly quipped even back in 1978, ”ask all the players in the country which club they would like to join and 99% would say ‘Manchester United’. The other 1% would be liars.”

Having missed out once, perhaps United should learn from the Ronaldinho saga and make Neymar a priority. They came so close before, but missing out again could cause further regression on the European stage.

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Phil Neville has claimed that his former club Everton should prioritise their defensive targets when jumping into the transfer market this summer.

The ex-Manchester United player, who spent eight years at Goodison Park after leaving Old Trafford in 2005, was asked for his thoughts on Twitter.

During an online Q&A, the 40-year-old received a question about which one player Everton should target.

The Liverpool Echo recently reported that Hull City defender Harry Maguire and Burnley centre-back Michael Keane are both being tracked by the Merseyside outfit, and those are the names that Neville brought up.

The retired footballer believes that the arrival of either defender would boost Everton’s back line.

Interestingly, he selected the pair over a potential attacking target, despite uncertainty continuing to surround Romelu Lukaku’s future.

With regards to current matters on the pitch, the Toffees’ were beaten 3-1 by arch rivals Liverpool on Saturday, which has left them eight points adrift of the top four.

They remain in the hunt for a Europa League place, though, as the club reside three points behind fifth-placed Manchester United.

There’s nothing in football quite like when the green and white hoops of Celtic face-off against the light blue shirts of Rangers. That’s true whenever they meet but never more so than this Sunday when they go head-to-head in a massive Scottish Cup semi-final that will go a long way towards deciding who has the bragging rights between two sets of supporters throughout the summer ahead.

Celtic are unbeaten in domestic competition this season and go into the match-up as hot favourites, despite only drawing with Rangers in the last meeting between two sides.

In fact, almost all of the matches between the two this season have been close and while the 5-1 thrashing of Rangers lives long in the memory of everyone, it is in fact the anomaly in recent history of the fixture.

Brendan Rodgers and his side can have no complacency about this one and we’re sure they’ll treat Rangers with more respect than most sides they’ve come up against season.

How do they ensure they live up to the favourites tag and get the win?

This is how we see the Hoops getting the job done…

The Big Selection Calls: Forrest & Sviatchenko out, Roberts & Boyata in

It’s vitally important Brendan Rodgers gets his team selection spot on this Sunday and while the majority of the starting XI almost picks itself, for us the big calls revolve around four players.

James Forrest has had a consistent enough season but we reckon switching in Patrick Roberts in his place is the way to go at Hampden. The wide open expanse of the national stadium suits the tricky Roberts, who will fancy his chances of exposing the inexperienced Myles Beerman at left-back. Beerman has performed admirably for the Light Blues since coming into the team and may even cope well against the pace of Forrest. However, up against the skilful Englishman, that lack of experience could be exposed. Roberts has actually made more direct goal contributions to Celtic this season than Forrest despite playing way less and the scene is set for him to put in one of the last big performances for the Hoops before heading back to Manchester City.

Erik Sviatchenko has been shaky in the Hoops backline for a while now and again against Ross County last weekend didn’t look at his best. His distribution was below par and he was caught underneath the ball to allow County to equalise the first time. Dedryck Boyata has been mostly solid since returning to a regular appearance for Celtic and alongside Jozo Simunovic should have enough about him to shut out the Gers.

The Threat: Kenny Miller

Kenny Miller has been a thorn in Celtic’s side for decades and loves scoring in this fixture, even netting for Celtic against Rangers once upon a time.

He’s the big threat that Rangers hold in front of goal this Sunday. Recently against Aberdeen at Pittodrie we saw again that if given a sniff, he’ll take a chance, especially when the pressure is on and the eyes of Scotland is on the fixture. He loves to turn it on, on the big occasion and if Brendan Rodgers can build a game plan to ensure he is snuffed out across the 90 minutes, Rangers don’t have many other options that they can comfortably rely on to find the net.

Martyn Waghorn has been inconsistent, scoring mostly from penalties. Joe Garner has not lived up to his price tag last summer. Even Barrie McKay has been off the boil for months now.

Miller is the one man you feel can get something against this Celtic side and the Hoops must be very aware of that or risk having to score a few to get the result they so desperately want.

The Key: Tom Rogic

Missing for the last two derbies between the two sides, Tom Rogic is again fit and available for selection this Sunday. Getting a starting spot is not guaranteed with the likes of Callum McGregor in good form and Brendan Rodgers perhaps preferring a more defensive minded midfield but we reckon, if given the opportunity, Rogic can be a man to actually be the key to the entire Celtic performance.

Without Rogic, as good as they are, Celtic can at times look a little one dimensional with the ball more than likely being fed through the left hand side and Scott Sinclair. Teams have found if they can isolate the English winger that they can effectively shut down the Hoops attack.

With Rogic, they have another quality option and not on either wing but through the middle. He has the skill and poise to find space between the midfield and defence in the central areas and provide passes that would unlock the best defences around, never mind Rangers’ inexperienced and ropey set-up.

He may not last the full 90 minutes but if they can get him on the ball in the first hour of the game, Tom Rogic can punish Rangers. He scored in last season’s semi-final after all and even got on the scoresheet the last time Celtic played at Hampden, in the Scottish League Cup Final against Aberdeen.

The Big Battle: Brown vs Hyndman

Sunday’s game is going to be won and lost in the midfield areas and set to go head-to-head there are Emerson Hyndman and Scott Brown. Hyndman has been a key figure for the Light Blues since joining on loan from Bournemouth in January.

Along with Jon Toral, he’s made the central midfield area perhaps the strongest area of the pitch for the Gers across a 90 minutes. He’s powerful, skilful and knows when to commit himself forward into the final third.

Scott Brown will be massively important in countering that. The Celtic and Scotland captain is having one of the best seasons of his career and if he can be the midfield spoiler that ensures the Rangers midfield doesn’t get a foothold in the game then Celtic will win.

Of all the tussles across the pitch on Sunday, this may be the most important.

Celtic face a long trip to the Highlands this Easter weekend, facing Ross County on Sunday in a lunchtime kick-off. With the league done and dusted there isn’t too much tangible on the line, although the Hoops are still gunning for that unbeaten domestic season.

The Hoops’ most important match left this season, apart from a potential final, is next weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers and Brendan Rodgers has already admitted he is trying to build the fitness and form of the squad to that peak.

Trips up north to face either Ross County or Inverness Caledonian Thistle are rarely easy. It’s a long journey, they play on tight pitches and they always get a physical and robust game from the home side.

Supporters of course would like to see an unbeaten season but the most important thing is ensuring the treble and as such, some squad management may be at play against County.

Is it time to give some talented Celtic youngsters vital game time ahead of next season?

Here are three such players on the brink of regular first team action that should get the nod in Dingwall…

Jack Aitchison

Brendan Rodgers clearly believes in the ability of young Jack Aitchison. While he’s not yet made his first start at the Hoops, he has made three substitute appearances and two of them have come under the current Celtic boss.

The most recent was just last week when he came on in the second half during the home draw to Partick Thistle. He was on the scoresheet for Celtic’s Development Side just this week too, so is in good form, and we’re sure a full match in the highlands would do wonders for his development.

His potential came to the fore at the tail-end of last season of course, when he came on against Motherwell to become Celtic’s youngest ever player and goalscorer.

Is it time for him to hit the headlines again?

Eboue Kouassi

Eboue Kouassi, still just 19, got his first start for the Hoops last week in the match against Partick Thistle, one of four total appearances for Celtic since making the switch from Russian side Krasnodar in January.

While he still looks raw and is most certainly getting used to the game in Scotland, the match against Ross County represents another chance to get some vital minutes on the pitch.

He’s unlikely to feature in either of the two upcoming Rangers games and so his next playing time may not come until we’re well into the month of May.

Giving him a game on Sunday will allow him to experience an away match from the start in the Scottish top-flight and provide the Hoops with some physicality in the middle of the park.

If he’s to have a say in this summer’s UEFA Champions League qualifiers, he needs as much action on the pitch as possible in games that don’t matter all that much.

Calvin Miller

Calvin Miller has one solitary Celtic appearance and it came from the start in a win against Partick Thistle in December. He performed well that night, one of the Hoops top performers in a pretty turgid match.

He’s had to wait to get another chance in the side with Kieran Tierney and Scott Sinclair in such good form on the left. He has the ability to play in attack on the wing or, as we saw against Partick, at left-back.

If Rodgers decides to rest either of his left-sided stars then it opens the door for Miller given Emilio Izaguirre’s time at the club is coming to an end.

He’s featured regularly for the Development Squad since that debut and deserves another chance to show what he can do in the first team. At 19 years of age, he’s approaching a critical time in his development if he’s to make the transition into Rodgers’ plans going forward.

Leeds United fans have given differing opinions over a suggested return to Elland Road for Jermaine Beckford.

The 33-year-old striker spent four years playing for the Whites between 2006 and 2010.

Since then, Beckford has donned the colours of Everton, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers and more recently Preston North End, where he played for the past two years.

On Monday, the Lilywhites confirmed that Beckford will not be offered a new contract, meaning that he will be a free agent this summer.

After hearing the news, some fans suggested that Leeds should try to bring him back to the club.

Others, though, were not convinced that he is the type of striker they need to help launch a serious bid for Premier League promotion next season.

Garry Monk’s side seemed destined for the playoffs a matter of months ago, but they ended up slipping out of the top six, losing their spot to Fulham.

Sunday marks the last match at White Hart Lane and is of great importance to the man dubbed ‘the King of’ – as Glenn Hoddle says a fond farewell to the ground where he made his name and formed his reputation.

The former Tottenham player and boss has laid down his memories in an exclusive interview with Harry Harris on ZapSportz where he highlights his greatest moments, goals scored and general memories of his times at The Lane – a must read for all Spurs supporters

One of the great parts of the interview is Hoddle deciding what his greatest goal was at N17 and it is clear there were plenty to choose from, as these two didn’t even make the cut…

Who can forget his last goal at White Hart Lane v Oxford United…

Or this absolute banger against Nottingham Forest…

Find out the goal Hoddle chose and more of his memories at White Hart Lane by clicking here.

According to reports in his homeland, Croatian star Lovre Kalanic is attracting significant interest from Everton, who are expected to be on the prowl for a new first team goalkeeper this summer.

What’s the Word?

Sportske Novosti are claiming that Everton are prepared to offer €20million (£17.4million) for the Gent goalkeeper.

No more than 18 months ago, Aston Villa were reported to be interested in signing the giant Croatian, who was plying his trade with Hajduk Split at the time. However, this failed to transpire and the 6ft7” international moved to Belgium in January of this year.

Now, with Everton seemingly searching the market for a new number one, Kalinic is reportedly on their radar and would undoubtedly be interested in a move to the Premier League.

How good has Kalinic been this season?

In short – fantastic. In just four months at Gent, the 27-year-old made an incredible impression and helped the team to reach the Pro League play-offs. His contribution for just one half of the season saw him voted the Gent player of the year by fans.

The Croatian conceded less than one goal per game domestically and was a truly dominant ‘keeper, especially when it came to set pieces and crosses.

 Would Kalinic be a good signing for Everton?

While Kalinic, who holds eight caps for Croatia, may not be the marquee signing that Evertonians hoped their new goalkeeper would be, the imposing stopper is experienced at both international and European level and still has his prime years ahead of him.

However, the Premier League is an unforgiving competition and there would undoubtedly be questions as to whether Kalinic is up to the exceptionally high standards of England’s top flight.

Although he remains on the books at Manchester City, Joe Hart is very much a man without a club.

There’s been hardly any talk of him signing for Torino permanently after spending last season there on loan, but his career with the Citizens appears to be dead in the water as well.

A readily available 71-cap England international would usually set pulses racing but Hart’s increasing tally of costly goalkeeping errors appears to have swayed a significant chunk of public opinion against him.

Earlier this week, the Hammers were linked with a loan swoop for the 30-year-old, so we asked Irons supporters whether they’d back such a deal – something that seemed more than likely following underwhelming form from Adrian and Darren Randolph.

And although the majority of West Ham fans would be in favour of a loan swoop, it’s perhaps more significant that 41% voted against it, showing how the 6 foot 5 shot-stopper would actually be quite a controversial signing in east London.

Arsenal have been heavily linked to highly rated, 18-year-old French forward Kylian Mbappe recently, a rumoured £121m bid has been made by the Gunners in an attempt to lure away the player from his current employers Monaco as reported by French media outlet L’Équipe.

The deal would not only smash the north Londoners current transfer record but it would also smash the world record transfer fee, set by Manchester United in the summer of 2016 for Paul Pogba, as the Red Devil’s forked out a whopping £89m on their own youth product they let leave to Juventus on a free transfer a few seasons before.

Mbappe would be an expensive acquisition by Arsene Wenger and would be the most expensive in the club’s history but can you name the Gunners’ current top 10 most expensive signings in Arsenal’s history?

Have a go at this quiz and see how much you know about Arsenal transfers…

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Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has admitted that he is “surprised” that Wayne Rooney’s future at Old Trafford has not already been resolved.

Rooney, 31, has been widely tipped to leave Man United this summer after struggling for first-team football during the 2016-17 campaign.

A move to former club Everton has been suggested, while it is understood that teams from the Chinese Super League and MLS are also interested in the England captain.

Rooney is still a Man United player less than two weeks before the start of pre-season, however, and Neville has claimed that the club’s pre-season preparations now risk being “clogged up” due to the speculation that will continue to gather pace.

Neville told the BBC:

“You don’t want to create voids for speculation around such big players. I am surprised it has not been dealt with.

“You don’t want that speculation to hang over a pre-season because every single press conference and media session will be clogged up with the issue of whether he is staying or going.”

Rooney has scored 253 goals in 559 appearances for Man United following a 2004 move from Everton, although only eight of those efforts came under Jose Mourinho last season.

Indeed, last term was the only season that Rooney has failed to hit double figures for the Red Devils, but as it stands, the experienced attacker will travel on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States next month.