Football news

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is aiming to return from an ankle injury before the La Liga club play champions and arch-rivals Barcelona on Nov. 29.

"There are matches before then, against Racing Santander (in La Liga) and FC Zurich (in the Champions League), that are very important," Ronaldo said at the presentation of Real's new sponsorship deal with Saudi Telecom (STC).

"To be able to play against Barcelona would be the best and of course I want to be fit for this game but I want to come back sooner."

Ronaldo suffered the injury in late September and aggravated it in Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary 10 days later. He has not played since.

Barca rejected Inter bid for Messi

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed that he rejected an attempt from Inter to buy Lionel Messi this summer.

Messi is a leading contender for the Ballon d'Or after leading Barca to a Primera Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble.

When asked by Corriere dello Sport if Inter president Massimo Moratti had expressed an interest in buying Messi, Laporta said: "Yes he did.

"But there is nothing to talk about.

"Messi is not for sale, he (Moratti) must forget about it."

The 22-year-old forward recently signed a two-year contract extension with Barcelona until 2016.

Nani plays down Fergie row

Manchester United winger Nani insists he has "no problem" with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Remarks published in Thursday's The Sun saw Nani describe Ferguson as "a very complicated man".

The Portugal international went on to indicate that the uncertainty over his place in the first team has affected his confidence, but has now sought to play down the row.

"I often speak with the coach about my performance. I accept Ferguson's decision but I want to have more minutes on the field," he said.

"After Cristiano Ronaldo left, I wanted a bigger role, but the coach picks the team. Against Chelsea I wanted a chance but it didn't come.

"You need to accept bad moments, I have no problem with the coach."

Juve monitoring' new Voeller'

Juventus are understood to be monitoring the performances of Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling.

The blond forward, labelled by pundits as the new Rudi Voeller, has caught the attention of some of Europe's top clubs after a fine start to the season. With eight goals in 12 Bundesliga games, the 24-year-old is an early contender to become hot property over the summer.

Juventus are expected to sign a new forward to increase their striking options, probably as a replacement for David Trezeguet who looks like he could leave Turin.

Kiessling, a former Under-21 international who has also appeared for the full national side, joined Bayer in 2006 from Nuremberg.

Lampard out for three weeks

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is likely to be out for three weeks after tearing a muscle in his left thigh, the Premier League leaders said yesterday.

Lampard picked up the injury on Thursday while training with England ahead of today's friendly against Brazil in Qatar.

"The midfielder reported back this morning having flown back from the Middle East," the club said. "The Chelsea medical department's initial impression is he may take three weeks to recover."

If confirmed, the absence will be less than initially feared after some media reports suggested Lampard could be absent for up to seven weeks.

City warn Brazil not to play Robinho

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has warned Brazil against playing his recovering forward Robinho in their friendly with England today.

Robinho, who is recovering from ankle injury, has joined up with his national squad in Doha with the English side's approval.

"They (Brazil) felt they wanted him to be involved in the squad and... the decision was made that he could stay with them under the proviso that he doesn't take any part in the game," Hughes said.

"He may benefit from training with the quality of the squad that Brazil has, but frankly we would be disappointed if he played in a full international because he would compromise himself."

Give Pellegrini time says Scolari

Former Brazil and Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari believes under-pressure Real Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini needs to be given time to show what he can do at the helm of the Spanish giants.

Pellegrini has only been in the post since the summer after five successful seasons at Villarreal, but the Chilean is feeling the heat following a recent loss of form that included seeing Madrid dumped out of the King's Cup 4-1 on aggregate by third-tier neighbours Alcorcon.

Asked if he would say yes to Madrid, Scolari told Spanish newspaper AS: "I'd say to Madrid that they should give Pellegrini the conditions to show what he has already done at Villarreal. If Madrid want to win the league and be a great team they must follow the initial plan."