Brazilian striker Neymar admitted that a move to Paris Saint Germain would be a dream come true for him.
“To play at PSG, maybe, it would be a great honour,” the Santos player said.
“It would be a dream to play with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it’s a dream to play with great players and he’s one of them,” said Neymar.
“The city of Paris is wonderful ... but I’m at Santos, we’ll see,” he said.
Neymar has been linked with top clubs including Barcelona, but his agent Wagner Riberio insists the 20-year-old would be staying put for the next two years.
Heskey fires blanks on debut
Former England striker Emile Heskey struggled to make an impact on his Australian A-Lea-gue debut as Adelaide United gave his Newcastle Jets team a losing start to the new season yesterday.
Heskey, who has 62 caps for England, put in a 70-minute shift in his first A-League game as Adelaide put behind their draining travel schedule to win 2-0 in Newcastle.
Heskey, 34, only arrived in Australia 10 days ago but started for the Jets and showed some good touches. Still, he looked lethargic at times and is likely to benefit from his first hit-out.
Magath feeling the pressure
Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has admitted he is feeling the pressure with his side inside the bottom two after seven games of the season.
The Wolves were beaten by Schalke on Saturday and the coach says his side’s form is causing him a few sleepless nights.
“Of course I am sleeping worse when my team are remaining below the expectations. It worries me and then of course there is an hour here or there at night or in the early hours when it is bothering you,” Magath said.
The 3-0 defeat to Schalke leaves the Wolves with the prospect of another season of struggle, having started with the minimum aim of qualifying for Europe next season.
Kieran Gibbs set to miss qualifiers
Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs is set to miss England’s World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland after being injured in his club’s 3-1 win at West Ham on Saturday.
Gibbs limped off with a thigh problem in the 56th minute at Upton Park and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed the left-back is unlikely to recover in time to link up with England this week.
“He has a thigh problem just above his knee, I think he will be very doubtful for England,” Wenger said.
Cardiff’s iceman keeps his cool
Cardiff boss Malky Mackay hailed striker Heidar Helguson, who celebrated with an ice bath after keeping the side leading the race to reach the English Premier League.
Cardiff came from behind on Saturday to snatch a 2-1 victory at Ipswich and stay a point ahead of Leicester. Icelandic Helguson scored two minutes from time for Cardiff.
“He’s sat in a bath of ice after running himself dizzy,” Mackay said.
“He’s an absolute credit to himself and his profession. People were questioning his lack of goals but no-one can fault his effort, work-rate and energy.
“Youngsters should look up to him because he was still chasing balls at the end.”
Del Piero: I need to do better
Alessandro Del Piero admitted he was short of the form he hopes to bring to Sydney FC after being unable to prevent the team losing 2-0 to Wellington Phoenix on his debut.
The ex-Juventus forward was recently recruited by the A-League outfit, becoming the biggest name to play in the Australian game.
Del Piero, 37, was praised for showing intermittent “fabulous quality” by manager Ian Crook, but the Italian knows he must sharpen up.
He said: “I played 90 minutes but I need to do better. I need to improve physically and (playing) with the team and I have to do it soon.
“I’m not satisfied because we lost. But it’s the first match. We need to improve.”
Ronaldinho keeps leaders in check
Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick as Atletico Mineiro crushed Figueir-ense 6-0 to keep Brazilian Championship leaders Fluminense in their sights last weekend.
Former FIFA player of the year Ronaldinho opened the scoring for Mineiro, who had not won in their previous four matches, with a shot from outside the box into the top corner that looked at first like a cross.
Ronaldinho, who joined Mineiro from Flamengo this year, added a free-kick and completed his treble with a penalty. He also laid on goals for defender Rever and striker Bernard before Carlos Cesar completed the rout.