The Most expensive football transfers of the last decade

The evolution of football from just a sport to a commercial juggernaut has been fascinating and interesting to fans.

Once upon a time, when footballers played the game of soccer, they usually do have a regular day job.

Presently however, footballers are among the richest sportsperson in the world, and a look at how the transfer fees have escalated over the years is amazing.

Even so, four of the ten most expensive signings in the last one decade involved the purchase or sales of English Premier League players.

Spanish La liga clubs have spent the most on top talents, signing six of the top 10 most expensive players of the last decade.

In 2017/18 season, the league secured a record revenue of 4.48 billion pounds.

Here are the shortlist of Players that made it into this list;

10. Cristiano Ronaldo 

The superstar joined Real madrid from Manchester United for the then world-record fee of 80 million pounds in July 2009.

He became a legend at the Bernabeu with over 450 goals scored, alongside winning numerous titles and awards in his glittering career.

In July 2018, he joined Juventus from Real madrid for a fee of 88.3 million pounds at the age of 33 years.

So far in Turin, he has scored 46 goals in 70 games till date and has won a scuddetto title to add to his many laurels.

9. Paul Pogba 

He returned to his boyhood club, after leaving as a free agent in his teenage years.

Manchester United had to coughed out 89.3 million pounds to Juventus in August 2016 to signed Pogba.

The fee paid for him remains the highest fee paid by an English club for a player.

He has 168 appearances with 31 goals so far, and he has won the league cup and the Europa league with the red side of Manchester. 

8. Eden Hazard 

The Belgian playmaker cost more than double of what was paid for the 10th priciest footballer signed between year 2000 and 2009 - Ronaldo Nazario cost 40.5 million pounds then.

Despite having just a year left on his contract, Real Madrid paid a fee of 90 million pounds to Chelsea in 2019 to obtain the service of Hazard.

So far, he has played 21 games with 2 goals and 

2 assists to show for it.

7. Gareth Bale

The Welshman's transfer to the galaticos from Tottenham cost a fee of 90.9 million pounds back in 2014.

In Real Madrid, he has made 245 appearances scoring 104 goals and contributing 67 assists. A league title and 4 champions league titles are the laurels he has won so far with the team.

6. Ousmane Dembele 

He was signed from Borussia Dortmund to replace Neymar in Barcelona for a record fee of 105 million pounds, plus a reported 40 million pounds add- ons on August 25, 2017.

With his buy-out clause set at 400 million pounds.

Despite not shining the light as expected yet, the former Rennes forward has played 81 games for the catalonia side, scoring 20 goals and making 14 assists.

5. Antoine Griezmann 

The 208 World  Cup winner was signed by Barcelona on a fee of 107.6 million pounds from Atletico Madrid in July 2019.

Since joining in the summer, the French jewel has made 26 appearances with 10 goals and 4 assists as his contribution.

4. Joao Felix 

Atletico Madrid 's massive outlay of 126 million pounds in July 2019 for Benfica wizkid Felix is the second most expensive fee paid for a teenager after Mbappe in history.

He is regarded as one of the best talents in world football at the moment but has so far played 13 games and scored just 3 goals.

3. Philippe Coutinho 

The Brazilian playmaker moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for 130.5 million pounds in January 2018.

He played 54 games and scored only 11 goals for the catalans before joining Bayern Munich on a loan deal for 2 years in the summer of 2019.

2. Kylian Mbappe 

He is the most expensive teenager ever after joining Paris Saint-Germain on a loan deal from rival club Monaco in 2017. PSG later paid 165 million pounds to complete the deal.

So far with the Paris based club, the teenage World Cup star has played 114 games and has scored 82 goals.

1. Neymar Jr 

At the moment, he is the most expensive player ever at 199.5 million pounds.

His 2017 transfer from Barcelona to Paris  Saint-Germain cost 236% of Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid fee.

So far, he has been a decent player for the French giants, scoring 55 goals in 63 games.

His career in France though has been marred by controversies and injuries, which might be interpreted by some in certain quarters as being a wrong signing by PSG.

Which players will break the transfer record in the coming years?

Let's have your comments below.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Greatest Superstars of all-time

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are arguably the best footballers of this century.

They have scored a combined 704 league goals during the 2010s - the exact same number Arsenal FC scored in the English Premier League this past decade.

They've shattered countless records in the footballing scenery for years, a combined total of 11 Ballon D'or awards between them isn't enough to sum it all up.

Italian Serie A's best players of the last decade

Juventus has won 8 straight scudetto titles in the last one decade.

The Old Lady of Turin also won 4 consecutive domestic doubles between 2015 to 2018 under 

Massimiliano Allegri - the only coach to achieved this feat in the top 5 European leagues till date.

We look at some of the best players that has graced the pitch of Serie A in the last decade (2010 - 2019)

Andrea Pirlo

He lived a golden era when he played at AC Milan during the  2000s. Pirlo is the epitome of coolness and gracefulness in football.

He hoovered up 4 Scudettos with the Old Lady and made four Serie A team of the year appearances. Also winning three Serie A footballer of the year awards in that circle.

The Change of Fortune and Turnaround in the Pensioners history

In July 2003, British businessman Ken Bates sold Chelsea FC to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for 140 million pounds.

Since 2003, Abramovich has spent a whooping 92.9 million pounds on managerial compensations.

The Best Boxers of the Decade

The contact sport called boxing is one of the most entertaining sporting events presently in the universe.

The beauty of boxing is that either win or lose fighters smile to the banks after each bout.

Here is a shortlist of boxers with fantastic  career records in this decade.

Manny Pacquiao 

PAC-man made history in July 2019 with a win over Keith Thurman to become the oldest fighter in history to win a welter weight world title at the age of 41 years.

He had 71 fights, 62 wins (39 KOs), 7 losses and 2 draws. The Boxing Writers Association(BWA) named him fighter of the decade for the year 2000s (2001-2010). He is the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing and also the first boxer to win the lineal championship in five different weight classes.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The Moneyman holds the record for most world titles held simultaneously - 5 belts ( WBC, WBA, WBO Welterweight titles, and WBA and WBC Super Welterweight titles. Ranked #1 pound for pound by the ring from July 2005, until his first retirement in June 2008, and from December 2012 until his second retirement in September 2015. One of his belts was stripped off him - the WBO 147 pound title, because of his lack of compliance.

He defeated MMA fighter Connor McGregor in 2017 to hold a perfect record 50 wins (27 KOs) in 50 bouts.

Canelo Alvarez

The Mexican super star is a four - division world champion.

He has held the unified WBA(super), WBC, the ring and lineal middleweight titles since 2018, the IBF middleweight title from May to August 2019, and the WBA(regular) super middleweight title since 2018.

He previously held the WBA(unified), WBC and ring light middle weight title between 2011 and 2013. The W.B.C ring and lineal middle weight titles between 2015 and 2018. The WBO light middleweight title from 2016 to 2017 and the WBO light heavyweight title from November to December 2019.

He has had 56 fights so far, 53 wins (36 KOs), 2 draws, 1loss. He  has won awards in each categories.

Wladimir Klitschko 

Himself and his brother held the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles as the undisputed champions from 2011 to 2015. Wladimir lost to Tyson fury in November 2015, which was his first defeat in 23 fights in over 11 years.

In April 2017, the Ukrainian legend lost to Anthony Joshua in London which was his last fight in the ring.

Vitali Klitschko 

The current mayor of Kiev held the WBC heavyweight title between 2003 to 2004 and 2008 to 2012. He had 47 fights, 45 wins and with only 2 losses in his entire boxing career. 

The record books will show him as one of the most dominant champions in boxing history.

Samuel Okon Peter

The Nigerian boxer won the WBC heavyweight title in 2008, after defeating Oleg Maskaev in the 6th round in Germany. His greatest rivals are the Klitschko brothers who defeated him 3 times and he eventually lost his title to Vitali Klitschko in 2008. He had 46 fights, 38 wins and 8 losses to date.

Andy Ruiz

He was an interim IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion after defeating the holder Anthony Joshua in April 2019 but he lost the rematch in December 2019 in Saudi Arabia.

Anthony Joshua

The current IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO inification champion of the world. The Nigerian-born British boxer has fought 25 bouts so far , 24 wins ,21 KOs and 1 loss

Tyson Fury 

In 2015, he won the unified WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles after defeating long reigning world champion Wladimir Klitschko. The victory earned him fighter of the year award and the upset of the year award by the ring. He has 30 fights so far with 29 wins(20 KOs) and 1 draw.

Deontay Wilder

He has been defending the WBC Heavyweight title which he won in 2015. In doing so he became the first USA world heavyweight champion in 9 years, which was the longest in USA boxing history.

The premier boxing champions gave him - knockout of the year award in 2016 /2017.

He has 43 fights so far with 42 wins and 1 draw.

Watch out!

In 2020 Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder might face each other.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Match that broke the Myth

A Brazilian born Roberto Firmino 99th minute goal broke the jinx for the reds at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final in Doha.

For over three decades, South American clubs have been a torn in Liverpool FC flesh when it come to tournament such as this.

In the Intercontinental Cup final that was played in December 1981, Zico led Flamengo side defeated the Liverpool team that had Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish and co, and was managed by Bob Paisley.

Zico was the player with the magic in that team as the game was practically sealed after the Brazilian side raced to a 3-nil upfront within 40 minutes of the first-half.

The reason for flamengo's superiority in the game was their quality, as Nunez scored a brace and Adilio's goal put a gloss on the scoreline. 

Liverpool had refused to participate in the Intercontinental Cup after winning the European titles in 1977 & 1978, worried about the potential brutality on the part of the South Americans.

In 1984 an Argentinian side, Independiente beat Liverpool by a lone goal to win the Intercontinental cup. And in 2005, Sao Paulo defeated the merseyside giant in the newly found FIFA Club World Cup.

Now in 2019, the current European club champion got a win that has so far eluded them for decades. After going through 90 minutes of regular football without a goal on either side against the Copa Libertadores champion Flamengo, their Brazilian import scored in the first-half of extra time to claim the title for them. 

The title win is their third trophy in six months and made them the first English club to hold the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup at the same time.

On  the European scene, Liverpool have won 6 UEFA Champions League titles (1977 ,1978, 1981, 1984, 2005, 2019); with only Real Madrid and AC Milan having won more.

Congratulations to the latest World Champion in club football.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Championship of the Champions

In 2005, the Intercontinental Cup was merged with the FIFA Club World Championship, and it was renamed as FIFA Club World Cup in 2006.

This competition was founded in the year 2000 (19 years ago). 7 teams usually participate in the tournament annually from 6 continents namely - Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe and the Oceania region.

Any team that wins her confederation championship is eligible to compete in the FIFA club world cup.

Value of the Competition

The winner of the club world cup receives the trophy, a FIFA world Champions certificate, and 5 million euros while the runner-up receives 4 million euros.

Stats of Competition

Auckland City FC has played the most games - 15 in 9 different editions.

Mohamed Aboutrika, Hossam Ashour and Wael Gomaa (all played for Al-Ahly of Egypt) have the most appearances - 11 games apiece

All-time Top scorer - Cristiano Ronaldo (7 goals)

Most goals scored - 32 goals by Real Madrid

Most Decorated player

Toni kroos has won the the tournament 5 times - 1 title with Bayern Munich (2013) and 4 titles with Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).

Most Successful club

Real Madrid  with 4 titles and 7 club world championship in total (1960, 1998, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017 & 2018).

Real Madrid won the 2018 edition, to become the first team ever to win it three years in a row and 4 times in the competition history.

The final of this year FIFA club world cup will involve UEFA Champions League Liverpool and Copa Libertadores champion Flamengo .

Which team will win this 2019 edition?

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst 

The League of the Century

The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) 2019/20 season began in a grand style with a lot of surprises.

The League Management Company (LMC) just signed a multi-million Naira agreement with a foreign company for television coverage of matches,but presently the games are not on air.

After 9 rounds of games Plateau united is leading the NPFL table with 18 points - a ratio of 2 points per game by a former champion. Plateau won this title in 2016, can they emerge champions again this season?

The Stats

Games played so far - 70 

Home wins - 41

Away wins -10

Games drawn - 19 

Goals scored -139

Top scorers 

Isreal Abia (Sunshine Stars) - 7 goals

Victor Mbaoma (Enyimba Intl.) - 5 goals

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

The Transformation and Transition of the Etihad Faithfuls

Manchester City on Wednesday evening breezed past Oxford City to the semi- final of the 2019/2020 EFL Cup - a title they have won back-to-back in the past two seasons - where they will meet local rival Manchester United.

In light of these recent successes that is being recorded by the Cityzens, let's take a quick look at how it all began for the Etihad faithfuls.

In 2008 Manchester City was bought by the mega rich, Abu Dhabi United Group.

Under the Sheik Mansour's leadership, 5 different managers have tutored the team; Mark Hughes (2008 - 2010), Roberto Mancini (2010 - 2013) Brian Kidd ( interim basis 2013), Manuel Pellegrini (2013 - 2016) and Pep Guardiola (2016 till date).

Transfers 

Since 2008, the Blue side of Manchester have spent a whooping amount of over 1.5 billion pounds in the transfer market on players like Robinho, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Kun Aguero, Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling, Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez to name but a few.

Stats

In the last one decade, Man City have played 379 games with 250 wins, 65 draws, and 64 losses. Scoring a total of 841 goals and 502 goals difference - 129 goals more than the nearest rival Chelsea.

Trophies

FA Cup - 2 titles

English League Cup - 4  titles

FA Community Shields- 3 titles

English premier league - 4-times champion

Conclusion

Manchester City is the most successful English team of the decade on the domestic scene.  Although in European continental competitions, only one semi- final ( in 2016) and two quarter-final appearances can be shown for their spending spree.

Ridwan Fabiyi

Sports Writer and Analyst 

THINGS FALL APART

Arsenal lost 3-nil at home to champion Manchester City on Sunday in a very embarrassing manner.

It is Arsenal FC worst run in 42 years (since 1977). They are currently 10th on the English Premier League log - 7 points above the relegation zone.

In their next 4 games the die may be cast - with mouthwatering ties like Everton, Bournemouth, Chelsea & Manchester United line-up on the trot. The gunners are sleep walking to relegation.

   

Arsenal has conceded first goal in their last 6 games in the league, which is the longest run in the competition's history.

The causes of the Gunners poor form can be attributed to these factors

    

Absence of owner

Stan kroenke's priorities lies with the L.A Rams and his sofi stadium project in Inglewood, which will be the most expensive stadium ever built.

To Kroenke, Arsenal is a mere cash cow. He has never put any of his own money into the club, yet the worth of his revenue is increasing by hundreds of millions of pounds every season.

When Stan Kroenke joined Arsenal in 2007, the club had just been in the UEFA Champions League final - 12 years after, the team's European ambitions are bleak.

 

Other causes of this dampening in form are;

Lack of leadership in the team

Arsenal's previous captains are rebels.

Contracts mismanagement and a spiralling wage bills

Some great players left the club with lesser transfer fees.

Wasted millions and poor squad management

Some players have yet to live up to expectations, while some didn't at all.

Ridwan Fabiyi

Sports Writer and Analyst

FINA WORLD CUP: Nwora invites 15 Players for last window of Qualifiers

Oni Afolabi

D’Tigers Head Coach, Alex Nwora has invited 15 players for the last window of the 2019 FIBA Men’s World Cup qualifiers taking place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire starting on the 18th of February

The team is dominated by players who missed out of the last phase of the qualifiers campaign hosted in Lagos.

Jekiri Tonye will likely make his debut for D’Tigers after missing out of action in the last window due to administrative reasons while Christopher Obekpa, Obinna Emegano and Efevhera Michael will also be making a return.

Ekene Ibekwe whose last appearance was at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and 34 year old Michael Umeh (2015 Afrobasket) with Italian serie A side Virtus Bologna have both been recalled to the fold.

Team captain and Sichuan Blue Whales player, Ike Diogu alongside, Stanley Okoye, Alade Aminu, Iroegbu Ike, Ike Nwamu, Ayodeji Akindele, Mbamalu Bryant, Zana Talib and Braxton Ogbueze complete the list of players invited

Nigeria will battle host- Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic and second placed Senegal with 16 points.

Currently ranked 33 in the world and first in Africa, the D’Tigers on a 9 match unbeaten run according to Nwora will hope to finish the campaign on a high a boost the team’s rating before the World Cup draws.

Alex Nwora said the preparation for the 2019 World Cup in China has started in earnest and it was imperative to give more quality players equal opportunity to fight for shirts.

“We were the first country in the world to qualify for the World Cup and it is very important that we start our preparation early.”

“The journey to get the team ready for the World Cup is a long one, but I am happy with the progress we have made so far.”

According to the Secretary General of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Chimezie Asiegbu, players and Technical crew are expected to fly straight to Abidjan from the clubs for logistics reasons.

INVITED PLAYERS

Iroegbu Ike (Science City Jena, Germany)

Michael Umeh (Twarde Pieniki, Poland)

Ike Nwamu (Wisconsin Herd, USA)

Ekene Ibekwe (Levallois Metropolitan, France)

Efevhera Michael (Homemtmen Basketball Club, Lebanon)

Stanley Okoye (Tecynconta Zaragoza, Spain)

Diogu Ike (Sichuan Blue Whales, China)

Alade Aminu (Hapoel SP Tel Aviv, Israel)

Christopher Obekpa (Al Riyadh, Lebanon)

Ayodeji Akindele (Fuerza Regia Basquetbol, Lebanon)

Jekiri Tonye (Gaziantep, Turkey)

Obinna Emegano (Rouen Basket, France)

Mabamalu Bryant (CD Vildivia, Chile)

Zana Talib (Montakit Fuenlabrada, Spain)

Braxton Ogbueze (Basquet Coruna, Spain)

Julen Lopetegui sacked by Real Madrid

Real Madrid have sacked Julen Lopetegui as manager of the club after four and a half months in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It is the second time Lopetegui has been sacked this year having been dismissed by Spain two days before the World Cup.

The Spaniard succeeded Zinedine Zidane in June but the crushing 5-1 El-Clasico defeat by Barcelona on Sunday - their fifth loss in six games - put the final nail on the coffin.

They have amassed a meagre 14 out of a possible 30 points in the league this season and have taken only one from their past five matches - their worst run since they went pointless in the final five games of 2008-09 season under Juande Ramos.

They are currently six points above the relegation places in La Liga and seven behind leaders Barcelona.
The three-times back-to-back Champions League winners are ninth on the La Liga table, and enduring their worst start to a league season since 2001-02.

The 52-year-old is provisionally replaced by former Argentina and Real's player, Santiago Solari who is the coach of the Castilla.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT | 2018-10-29

The Real Madrid C.F. board of directors, which met today, 29 October 2018, has made the decision to terminate Julen Lopetegui's contract as the club's coach.

This decision, which was taken with the utmost responsibility, seeks to bring about a turnaround in the first-team's fortunes at a time when all of this season's targets are still achievable.
 
The board considers there to be a large disparity between the quality within the Real Madrid squad, which boasts eight nominees for the next Ballon d'Or award - an unprecedented number in the club's history - and the team's results to date.
 
The club places on record its thanks to Julen Lopetegui and all of his coaching staff for their efforts and work and wishes them all the best in their future careers.
 
Santiago Solari will take temporary charge of the team, assuming his role as first-team coach from tomorrow (today) , Tuesday.

Gernot Rohr Unveils the Eagles that will fly over South Africa in AFCON 2019 Qualifier

Nigeria football national team Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr has called up 23 players for next month’s crucial 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between the Super Eagles and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in Johannesburg.
The same set of players will prosecute the friendly encounter against the Cranes of Uganda few days later.

Former U-17 World Cup star forward Victor Osimhen returns after a long time out, with another U-17 World Cup left-footed dazzler Samuel Chukwueze earning his first call-up to the senior squad.
Midfielder Mikel Agu, also gets a recall as well as a surprise call-up for home-based defender Adeleye Olamilekan Aniyikaye.

Nigeria tops her group with nine points, one ahead of second –placed South Africa, their foe in the upcoming game at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg on Saturday, 17th November.

The Super Eagles will fly from Johannesburg to Asaba on 18th November for the friendly with the Cranes on 20th November.

All the invited players are expected to report directly to Asaba, Delta state from Monday, 12th of November.

THE 23-MAN LIST IN FULL:

GOALKEEPERS
Francis Uzoho (Elche FC, Spain); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba FC); Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United, South Africa)

DEFENDERS
Olaoluwa Aina (Torino FC, Italy); Adeleye Aniyikaye (FC IfeanyiUbah); Semi Ajayi (Rotherham United, England); Bryan Idowu (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia); William Ekong (Udinese FC, Italy); Leon Balogun (Brighton & Hove Albion, England); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany)

MIDFIELDERS
Oghenekaro Etebo (Stoke City FC, England); John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Israel); Mikel Agu (Vitoria Setubal FC, Portugal)

FORWARDS
Ahmed Musa (Al Nasr FC, Saudi Arabia); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Moses Simon (Levante FC, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Royal Charleroi SC, Belgium); Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai, China); Alex Iwobi (Arsenal FC, England); Samuel Kalu (Bordeaux FC, France); Isaac Success (Watford FC, England); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain)

STANDBY
Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray SK, Turkey); Chidozie Awaziem (FC Porto, Portugal); Nyima Nwagua (Kano Pillars FC); Sunday Adetunji (Enyimba FC); Junior Lokosa (Kano Pillars FC)

AWCON CAMP UPDATE: Thomas Dennerby cut out some players from the Super Falcons Camp

Super Falcons’ Head Coach, Thomas Dennerby has cut the number of home-based professionals who have been training at the impressive Jubilee Chalets & Resort Epe, Lagos for the 11^th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals holding in Ghana.

The Swede, who graciously allowed the players to feature for their respective clubs in the Nigeria Women's Football League (NWFL) at the weekend recalled a handful of those he feels can give the invited overseas-based professional players good fight for places in the final squad.

Among those retained in camp for the second phase camping which will commence immediately are four goalkeepers- Toochukwu Oluehi, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Christy Ohiaeriaku and Onyinyechukwu Okeke.

Others are Anam Imo, Rasheedat Ajibade, Peace Efih, Glory Ogbonna, Chioma Wogu, Alice Ogebe, Amarachi Okoronkwo and Chidinma Okeke. Also retained are Ugochi Emenayo, Sarah Nnodim and Nneka Julius.

The Super Falcons are the defending champion of the Africa Women Nations Cup, a tournament they have won for a record eight times.

Accreditation for 2018 AITEO Cup Grand Finale

NFF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

This is to respectfully call on Editors/Managers of the nation’s sporting media to send in requests for media accreditation for the 2018 AITEO Cup Men’s Final holding at the Stephen Keshi Stadium on Wednesday, 24th October 2018.

The Men’s Final will see Rangers International FC of Enugu tackle Kano Pillars FC.

Also, please be informed that the 2018 AITEO Cup Women’s Final will hold at the Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa on Tuesday, 23rd October 2018. Applicants should indicate which of the two venues they intend to be, or if they intend to attend both matches.

Please be informed that in consideration of the size of the Media Gallery at the venue, no media organization shall be accorded more than one slot for Press and Photo –Journalist.

Media organizations are to send in their request to this email between 5pm on Friday, 19th October and 5pm on Sunday, 21st October 2018. No request will be entertained after 5pm on Sunday, 21st October 2018.

Accreditation cards will be issued at each of the venues four hours before each match.

Kindly accept the very warm sporting regards of the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation, and sincere appreciation for your usual support, understanding and co-operation.

Send your accreditation here ademola.olajire68@gmail.com

SportBetting: How to win football bets across the four major leagues

Tobi Adesina

Unlike casino & virtual bets; football or soccer (like the Americans call it) comes with some level of certainty. To a higher degree, risk could be measured via antecedents leading up to the game.

98% of my bet money goes into football. Within a calendar year; i spend a little above 500ground in staking bets. For someone who stakes that high on sportbetting, it is important you monitor 'your teams' week in week out so as to keep tabs on their form and performance.
Note: "Your teams" are those clubsides whose present form is consistently yielding profit.

For that reason alone, i select games ONLY from the four major leagues (EPL, LaLIGA, SERIE A, Bundesliga). Every sunday night, i make sure to get replays, highlights & stats of 'my teams' regardless of the outcome.

STEPS...
1. Bet early.
2. Don't select games through your bookmakers platform.
3. Have numerous bet account with various Bet companies.

Bet early: Always bet 3-4days before the game KO. Odds drop as KO time approaches. This act by bookmakers lure Punters into ACCUMULATING several games in a single ticket.
Remember, "the longer your ticket -the farther your pay-day".

Don't select games through your bookmaker's platform: This is where psychology come to play in betting. The Bet companies will always try to mess with your thinking by projecting "funny" cheap odds. If you fall prey, all your selection will be based on odds and third-party opinion. Instead, you select games from livescore portals and other fixture portal you have. Afterwards, login to your preferred Bet portal/Bet shop and play the games regardless of the odds.

Have numerous bet account with various Bet companies: With this, you can easily compare and contrast which bet company is offering you the highest return for the exact same event.

Bet Advice: Don't accumulate more than 2event, each of 2odds[max]. Total shouldn't be more than 4-5 odds combined. Revise your bet slip if you have more than.

How many people to watch Russia 2018 World Cup

Tobi Adesina

 

According to the final figures from FIFA, over one billion people tuned in to watch the final match of the 2014 edition. A total of 3.2billion people gained access to view the summer competition via in-house tv. The figure is expected to increase by 20% this summer.

Meanwhile, an estimated 280million people stream-live the world cup final from the internet.

This year (2018), it is expected that 4.1billion people will gain access to the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, internet live stream is expected to skyrocket to a staggering 350million views.

9 Paris Saint Germain Players make the Top 10 of the Highest Paid Players in French Ligue 1

Tobi Adesina

Arab millionaires as most call them have gone a step further in flaunting their spending prowess. Away from acquiring the most expensive player in the world (Neymar Jr.), PSG now boast of 90% top-ten highest paid players in the French Ligue 1; with only Monaco’s Radamel Falcao making the top ten.

The figures below are based on gross weekly earnings for these players;

1.      Neymar Jr.: Who else could sit comfortably at top spot if not the man who shattered the most expensive record previously set by Welshman, Gareth Bale. Neymar moved from Barcelona for a record transfer fee of 200m pounds. He is on a weekly wages of 708k euro, placing him at par with the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

2.      Edinson Cavani: After being unsettled by the arrival of Neymar Jr., Cavani keeps racking up goals while earning 355k euro, a figure that appears to be half his Brazilian colleague.

3.      Kylian Mbappe:  Here comes the man that completes the deadly attacking trio of the “unstoppable” PSG attack. The 18year-old attacker switched from Monaco after an impressive season; earning 346k euro on weekly basis.

4.      Thiago Silva: The rock solid defender earns 300k euro a week. Being the captain of this star-studded team, the Brazilian central defender’s position in this order is justified.

5.      Angel Di Maria: The Argentine earns €258k every week at the capital. Having switched from Manchester United after a rather disappointing season, he currently sits as 5th highest earner in the French league.

6.      Marquinhos: The Brazilian defender ties with Angel Di Maria at 5th position. He also earns €258k per week at the Parc des Princes.

7.      Thiago Motta: The Brazil-born Italian international and a constant selection in the PSG midfield when fit also earns €202k per week.

8.      Javier Pastore: Been devoid of playing time is something no footballer wish for leading up to a world cup year. But Pastore has well adjusted to his place on the sidelines after the arrival of Mbappe and Neymar. The Argentine earns €178k a week.

9.      Radamel Falcao: The only player not plying his trade for the Paris outfit club, Falcao left Manchester united after a rather poor season going by his lofty standards. He currently earns €173k at Monaco and well justifying that figure with over 20goals per season.

10.    Dani Alves: The older the wine –the sweeter. In truth, Alves had his best performance wearing the Barcelona shirt but nothing has changed over the years for the adventurous right-back player. Left Barcelona for Juventus; played a pivotal role to the Scudeto winning side. He currently earns €162k a week at PSG.

SUPER FALCONS: NFF release names of 35 Players for WAFU CUP

Thirty five players have been invited to the camp of the Super Falcons ahead of the upcoming WAFU Women Cup of Nations taking place in Cote d’Ivoire, 10^th– 24^th February 2018.

The list, which also has veterans Joy Jegede and Mariam Ibrahim as well as junior internationals Gift Monday, Anam Imo and Mary Ologbosere, was released less than 24 hours after the unveiling in Abuja of new Super Falcons’ Head Coach, Thomas Dennerby.

The WAFU Women Cup of Nations provides a first opportunity for Dennerby and assistant Jorgen Petersson, alongside their Nigerian assistants Oni Olanrewaju Wemimo, Maureen Mmadu, Taiwo Omobolanle Tundun and Precious Dede to bond with the players they will be working with going forward.

Eight –time African champions Nigeria will tackle Benin Republic, Senegal and Togo in Group B of the WAFU Women Cup of Nations, with host Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic to battle it out in Group A.

All the players have been advised to report at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Wuse, Abuja on Thursday, 1^st February 2018 with their international passports.

THE FULL LIST OF INVITED PLAYERS

GOALKEEPERS
Onyinyechukwu Okeke (Inneh Queens); Rita Akarekoh (Delta Queens); Chioma Nwankwo (Nasarawa Amazons); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Rivers Angels); Oluwaseun Bello (Police Machine)

DEFENDERS
Ayomide Ojo (Police Machine); Kemi Famuditi (Confluence Queens); Glory Ogbonna (Ibom Angels); Opeyemi Aiyeniberu (Sunshine Queens); Mary Ologbosere (Rivers Angels); Sarah Ilodubah (Osun Babes); Joy Jegede (Delta Queens); Lilian Tule (Bayelsa Queens); Uju Okafor (Delta Queens)

MIDFIELDERS
Osas Igbinovia (Bayelsa Queens); Ihuoma Onyebuchi (Sunshine Queens); Oluwakemi Toriola (Police Machine); Ogechi Ukwuoma (Delta Queens); Folashade Ijamilusi (WAFA League); Peace Efih (Inneh Queens)

FORWARDS
Mary Anjor (Osun Babes); Mercy Amanze (Rivers Angels); Juliet Sunday (Sunshine Queens); Aminat Yakubu (Bayelsa Queens); Chinaza Uchendu (Rivers Angels); Rasheedat Ajibade (FC Robo Queens); Anam Imo (Nasarawa Amazons); Mariam Aluko (Confluence Queens); Rofiat Suleiman (Rivers Angels); Gift Monday (FC Robo Queens); Alice Ogebe (Rivers Angels); Precious Edewor (Ibom Angels); Chioma Wogu (Rivers Angels)

Ronaldo admits he's only Human

Isaac Williams

There are no doubting Ronaldo's credentials - his achievements are staggering; there is no doubting his passion for the game and there is no doubting his love for the mirror also.

This time the doubts come from Ronaldo himself, whose initial plan of playing football at top level till 41 seems like no picnic for the Portuguese star. Ronaldo speaking on his retirement plan says: “Now my plan to retire at 41 will probably be a bit more difficult to achieve and now we live in the moment”. 

Though a legend in his business; Ronaldo in his statement has identified with his frailties. Of course Ronaldo’s doubts over how much longer he can cope with the physical demands of the game are reasonable.  It's hard to imagine a 32 year old player keeping this sort of fitness level for another decade. 

Whether Ronaldo’s employers are interested in keeping him is yet to be known as there has been no commitment of any kind from the Real Madrid owners coupled with rumours of Real Madrid’s supposed interest in Neymar, Eden Hazard and Harry Kane. This brings us to another question: “would Real Madrid be interested in keeping Ronaldo any longer than his current contract which runs out in 2020?”

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has made his intentions to stay at Real Madrid clear, he’s quoted as saying: “Of course I want to stay at Real Madrid, I love this club, and I love the weather and the people. I've lived in this city since 2009. It’s close to Portugal and you can get there by car – Spain is a great country. I love it."

It’s not hard to imagine Ronaldo taking road trips from Madrid to Portugal often nor would it be hard to predict he'll take more in the nearest future – at least till the end of his current contract. One thing is certain, at the moment; we have not seen the last of record breaking Ronaldo.

[Editor: Tobi Adesina]