James Rodriguez is leaving Real Madrid

The 25 year year old might be leaving Real Madrid this season as he has struggled for game time under Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid head coach. The Colombian starlet is one of the talented attacking midfielders in the world of football currently and many didn't know him until his splendid performances during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where he won the Golden Boot and scoring the goal of the tournament against Uruguay. He was one of the star players of the tournament alongside Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina) and Neymar Junior (Barcelona and Brazil).

source: Google

According to the biggest soccer publication in Africa, Soccer Laduma, James Rodriguez waved goodbye to Real Madrid fans on Sunday night. The talented forward started on Sunday night when Real Madrid prevailed over Sevilla on Sunday night and came off after 61 minutes when he was substituted by Casemiro. According to Express.co.uk, the Colombia international took his time to ackknowledge the Bernabeu crowd.

The playmaker, became one of the most expensive players in the world of football when he was bought by Real Madrid from Monaco on the 24th Of June 2014, making him the most expensive Colombian football player ever in the history of football for a fee of €80 million. There has been a lot of speculation regarding his future at the Bernabeu due to his limited game time. Zinedine Zidane prefers the likes of Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez, both players being born in Spain.

Source: Google

Many believed that the talented midfielder would be a solution to Neymar junior, his compatriot from Barcelona and that is the supreme reason why Real Madrid signed him from Monaco so that he will compete with the talented Brazil winger for the FIFA baloon'd OR award that has rotated between Lionel Messi (5) and Cristiano Ronaldo (4) for the past nine years.

Old Trafford is the possible destination for Real Madrid's number 10. Daily Star has reported that Mourinho has £400 million to spend, it is likely that the talented versatile midfielder will end up at Old Trafford with the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although it is reported that the Manchester City, Chelsea and Juventus are also interested with the services of the Colombian International.

Source: Daily Mirror

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Los Blancos will only entertain offers from £60 million or above, as they look to make profit after signing him from Monaco in 2014. Red Devils are believed to be the favorites to sign him with Jorge Mendes having the huge role to play. Mendes represents both James Rodriguez and Jose Mourinho.

As stated by Express.co.za, Zidane has played down the incident when he was asked after the Sevilla match that was James bidding a farewell to fans, Zidane replied: "No, James is at Madrid and we have a lot left to do". "We are thinking about the final stretch, I don't want to talk about other things".
According to Bleacher report.

Source: Google

James Rodriguez has scored 11 goals this season with eight assists although he has started a scanty 13 times in La Liga.

Greizman a wanted man at Old Trafford

Antoine Griezman is a wanted man at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho's side are still a work in progress and many believe that the Portuguese man can bring back the glory days at Old Trafford. The Premier league giants have struggled to remain consistent in the top level of football since the departure of Alex Ferguson the most successful coach at Old Trafford ever. Manchester United have been able to attract big name players with the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic under Jose Mourinho.

Red Devils have made Paul Pogba a most expensive player in the history of football with 89.3 million British Pounds surpassing the former record holder Gareth Bale with 85.3 million British Pounds from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid on 1 September 2013. Manchester United and Paul Pogba have won the FA cup in 2016 defeating Crystal Palace on the 21st of May 2017 and he has also helped his side to reach the UEFA Europe League final. Red Devils are currently sitting on the 6th position on the log having played 35 games with 17 wins, 14 draws, 4 defeats and 65 points.

It is believed that "the special one" is the big admirer of the French forward Antoine Griezman and he is willing to meet his buy-out clause just to bring the talented forward to Old Trafford. Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezman are friends and many believe that can be the main reason why Griezman may decide to join the Red Devils. According to Daily Star,  Jose Mourinho has 400 million British pounds to spend and it is reported  that Antoine Griezman will cost Mourinho's side 85 million British pounds.

The French forward is one of the best strikers in the world of football currently with the likes of Luis Suarez (Barcelona and Uruguay), Pierre Emerick Aubemeyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon), Robert Lewandoski (Bayen Munich and Poland), Alexandre Lacazette (Olympiques Lyonnais and France), Sergio Aguero ( Manchester City and Argentina), Karim Benzema ( Real Madrid and France), Edin Dzeko (Roma and Bosnia), Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan and Argentina), Romelu Lukaku (Everton and Belgium), Diego Costa (Chelsea and Spain), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspurs and England), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal) Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina).

The 26 year old was the top scorer and Player of the Tournament at the UEFA Euro 2016 were the french were runners up in home soil after a 1-0 defeat to Portugal. He was later shortlisted for FIFA baloon d'O award finishing in the third position with Cristiano Ronaldo claiming the first position and Lionel Messi coming second. The talented French forward has scored 26 goals in all competitions so far for the 2016/2017 season.

According to Mundo Deportivo a football publication in Spain, Griezman will be joining the Red Devils this summer unless he breaks the agreement he has with his camp. "The special one" will be looking to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer following the knee surgery which is likely to rule him out for the majority of the year. Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata have both been linked with the Old Trafford outfit but the French forward is Mourinho's top attacking target.

It is no secret that if Manchester United are successful in the Greizman transfer that would really distract the talented young star's progress Marcus Rashford. The 19 years old has shown in the last recent games that he can be the man for the big occasion helping his side to reach the UEFA Europa League finals on the 24th of May 2017 against Ajax Amsterdam where Thulani Serero is currently playing at.

Marcus Rashford has scored eleven goals with three assists for the 2016/2017 season and many believe that with his ability to run off the ball and to take players on one on one situations, the 19 years old might one day be the best player in the world of football and most vitally he has an eye for goal.

Iniesta's replacement revealed?

Spanish giants, Fc Barcelona have identified the replacement for one of their playmaker Andres Iniesta. The 33 year old is one of the best final passers in the world of football and with age not on his side it is very likely that he will leave the Spanish giants at the end of the season. The talented midfielder has won 8 La Liga tittles, 4 Spanish cup, 3 Fifa Club world cup, 6 Spanish SuperCup, 2 Uefa SuperCup, 1 player of the year in Euro 2012, 1 footballer of the year in Spain 2009, 2 European Champion and one world cup winner with Spain in 2010 scoring the winning goal against Netherlands.

The talented midfielder is considered to be the best  midfielder of his generation and one of the greatest midfielders of all time. Since 2009 he has been choosen in the UEFA team of the year six times and has been voted into the Fifa World XI on eight occasions. The veteran midfielder is a product of FC Barcelona youth academy, La masia  that produced the likes of Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, Hector Bellerin and Thiago Alcantara just to name a few.

Phillipe Coutinho has been identified to be his successor. The Liverpool playmaker has commited his future with Liverpool when he signed a new 5 year extension contract that led him to be the highest paid player at Anfield. There has been a lot of speculation linking the Brazilian midfielder with the Spanish giants. The 24 year old is a close friend of Barcelona duo Luis Suarez and Neymar junior. Many believe that the talented midfielder would instantly adapt to the Blaugrana's style of play with his ability to dribble, score and most vitally he is the final pass machine and that would benefit the most dangerous trio or the best trio that the world has ever seen, "MSN", namely Messi, Neymar and Saurez.

Barcelona superstar Neymar has said that he would like to see the talented midfielder joining the Spanish giants. "A premier league player that I would like to have in Barcelona is Coutinho", he told Daily Mail."I believe Phillipe Coutinho is the player that would totally fit in Barcelona".
The Brazil starlet would have to fight for his place in the team but it is believed that Barcelona have guaranteed the talented midfielder a starting place in the first eleven.

"There is something funny, we all compete with each other somehow" he said. "I play on left side and I am right-footed. "Messi plays on the right side and he is left-footed and then Suarez is our scorer. So I do believe we complete each other and we always try to help each other on the field. We have a nice friendship outside and we bring it inside. It is easier when you try to work with your companions". quoted by Daily Mail.

According to Soccer Laduma the talented midfielder is believed to have agreed terms with Spanish giants FC Barcelona ahead of a potential move. According to Daily Star, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said that Coutinho is going nowhere despite ongoing exit rumours and the club owners Fenway sports group, will back him to hold on his key man this summer. "What our owners say is the absolute opportunity not to sell anybody if we do not want to.
"That means we can bring other players and it is a good situation. We have a stable squad with a good basis"
"We want to bring a few in with fresh blood but nobody will leave us without our say so I am completely relaxed about this."

Coutinho has played 34 games in all competitions this season, scoring 11 goals, assisting a further 8 strikes and he has helped his national team to qualify for the FIFA World cup in Russia next year.

Time for Mahlambi to move abroad?

Phakamani Mahlambi is one of the exciting players to watch in the PSL and what makes it more interesting is that the boy is still young so he has a lot of time to improve and be one of the best players the country has ever produced.  The 19 years old talented attacking midfielder can be one of the best players in the world if he can remain consistent in the top level of football. This is the right time for "Mshini" to move abroad so that he can have enough time to adapt to the playing style in Europe.

Phakamani Mahlambi is a product of Transnet school of Excellence from 2011-2013. He joined "the clever boys" junior side in 2013 and he was promoted to the first team in 2015. Lungisani has a lot of time to improve as a player, he must not be big headed now and think that he has arrived because when you have arrived in a certain destination the next thing you do is to go back.

He must set his foot on the ground and focus on his games. With Gavin Hunt on his side "Mshini" might one day be compared with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Brazil and Manchester City player.
Lungisani has helped Amajita to qualify for the World cup this month in South Korea. The Johannesburg born player has suffered from Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury before and it threatened to end his football career but he came back strong.

According to Soccer Laduma, Gavin Hunt saw the potential in the player and has said what the player needs to do in order to have a successful career in Europe.
 "He has got great potential. He has a long to go, but he's not there yet, and that's something you've got to take seriously as a player. He has lot of work to do, but he certainly has potential there is no doubt about it" the 52 years old added. "You never know how far he will go".

What is left for "Mshini" now is to remain consistent and try to win domestic tittles with Bidvest Wits. Mahlambi can be the first South African player to compete for the best player in the world award if he can keep his head on the ground, help his team to win the league and focus on improving as a player. Mahlambi is included in the 20 man Amajita squad that will compete in the world cup this year at South Korea.

Zungu's performances to lead him to one of the big fish In Europe?

The Tsakane born starlet has been in outstanding form for his current team in Portugal Vitoria de Guimaes. According to Soccer Laduma, the Portuguese based outfit have already given "Ben ten" a new contract following his outstanding performances for his first season with the club. The 24 year old has picked up three Man of the Match awards for his side so far in 2017 and he has helped the club reach the Portuguese cup final and he will be hoping to get a gold medal in his first cup final in Portugal.

The talented midfielder has proven that he is one of the best midfielders in the country currently and some of the fans have said that he can be likened to Yaya Toure with his abilities to attack and defend on the field of play. With his recent performances, according to Soccer Laduma, "Gwabini" has attracted the likes of Benfica, Sporting Clube de Portugal, Mainz, Hoffenheim and Southamton.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns man has said that he was not aware of the interest from the Premier League but it is every players dream to play in the Premier League although a move to one of the best league's in the world it's not likely to happen at this point due to his little appearances with his national team.

"I've only heard about it in the media,"  he told Soccer Laduma. I think it is every player's dream to play in the Premier League but my focus is here I just want to finish the seaon here strongly"

"My mind is not focused on the media and all that," he continued. "I just want to finish the season strongly"
"It has been a dream for me to play in the Europa League or the Champions League. It is very important to our players and the club"

The main question for Bongane Zungu now is that can he remain consistent on the top level of football?. Many South African players don't make it in Europe due to the different style of play compared to South African football. In Europe there's no one to spoon feed you it is every man for himself.

Stuart Baxter To End Bafana Bafana's poor results

Many football fans were caught by surprise when  South African Football  Association (SAFA) appointed former Supersport United coach Stuart Baxter as the new head coach. Baxter is a good coach but many fans were expecting to see the likes of Gavin  Hunt, Pitso Mosimane or Ruud Krol taking the reins in one of the hot seat in South African football.

According to the Times Media Group, the 63 year old made it clear that he will accept the offer if they allow him to choose his backroom staff. It is believed that Stuart Baxter wants his son Lee baxter to be the new Bafana Bafana's goalkeeper coach. The former Kaizer Chiefs manager was previously in charge of the national team from May 2004 to November 2005, when he was sacked for failing to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World cup.

SAFA have finally found a replacement for Shakes Mashaba after he was relieved of his duties in November last year, with Owen Da Gama having been appointed as an interim coach. According to Sport 24, SAFA have failed to name a new coach after the number of coaches were linked to the job with the shortlist announced that included names such as Carlos Queiroz, Herve Renard and Hugo Broos. After failing to land those targets due to various reasons, SAFA decided that the former Supersport United coach was the man to lead the national team

Baxter has reportedly been offered R1 million a month to take over the reins as national team coach which Supersport United have found hard to counter. Meanwhile Bafana Bafana are on a record of 17 games unbeaten run after international friendly fixtures against Guinea- Bissau and Angola. At least now we have found the correct combination in our national team and all the right players are all available for selection unless they going to be injured at that point of time. Our attack at this point of time is promising because players like Keagan Dolly, Bongani Zungu, Andile Jali, Thulani Serero, Phakamani Mahlambi, Percy Tau Kermit Erasmus and Luther Singh are all in the same generation and with this talented players in our attack  available for selection, we believe that we will qualify for the FIFA World cup next year in Russia.
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Mamelodi Sundowns to decide on Teko Modise's future next month

The Soweto born starlet's contract at Mamelodi Sundowns is coming to an end next month and it is up to the Cloorokop based outfit to decide whether they want to keep him or not. Many believe that the African champions can cope without "the general" and Sundowns may try to reduce their wage bill with releasing Teko Modise with approximately R450 000 salary a month.

Many believe that "the navigator" has a father and son relationship with Pitso Mosimane and that could be the only reason why "ka bo yellow" may extend his contract with one year. If Mamelodi Sundonws decide not to renew Teko's contract he would have to agree to a salary cutoff if he still wants to play football in the Premier Soccer League. According to Soccer Laduma, there's interests in the midfielder from Kaizer Chiefs and Cape Town City but both of the teams will not be able to pay him what the Cloorokop based outfit has been able to do from the 27th of January 2011 when he joined them.

Tsholofelo is one of the best players that the country has ever produced and many will remember him for his individual performances that led him to be recognized and won him individual honours. He won Mvela Golden League player of the season with City Pillars in 2005/2006 season, he also won PSL player of the year two times in a row in 2008 and 2009  with Orlando Pirates and he was also a player of the tournament for COSAFA Cup in 2007 with the national team.

Many believe that Teko has bought fame with expensive cars, clothes, watches and expensive house in Ruimsig Johannesburg and the main question for football players after football career is that will they be able to live the same lifestyle after the football career has come to an end? We must remember that "the general" was the first PSL player to buy Aston Martin and there were also rumours that Teko Modise was in dept for his house at Ruimsig although he was earning approximately R450 000.

"The general" will forever be thankful to Pitso Mosimane for giving him a chance to play in the Premier Soccer League and most crucially for contributing in his professional career that only needed tittles to be complete. With the Cloorokop based outfit Teko has won the most vital trophies, he has won PSL two times during 2013/2014 and 2016/2017 season. He also won the Nedbank cup and Telkom Knockout in 2015 and most vitally he won the CAF Champions League in 2016 and the CAF Super Cup in 2017.

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosiamne has a lot of respect for Teko Modise's achievements. "You have to respect Teko" said Mosiame after winning 5-0 against Supersport united last month. "He has done exceptionally well at Sundowns and has contributed so much and Sundowns has also been good to Teko. I am happy that if he retires he would say I have won international tournaments".

"I am happy he can do that. He played in the world cup with the national team. He played in the Africa cup of nations with the national team".
"He played in the champions league and won. He played in the Confederations cup and what else is missing? he ticked all the boxes, he won the footballer of the year twice you should not forget that".
"I am happy that I identified that. I said he must come to the PSL because that quality must come to the PSL and he came to the PSL when I was still at Supersport United".
"Look what we have achieved together at PSL and also here. It has been a good relationship. I have also given him game time in the last two or three games but you got to always manage the legs".
"He is not young, playing three games in a row is always a problem".