Luis Suarez is by some distance the best player Steven Gerrard has played with at Liverpool and one who the England captain believes has shown his true character this season.
“I’ve been privileged to play alongside some great players during my years at Liverpool but nobody comes close to Luis,” the Reds skipper said.
“He’s not only the best, he’s the best by some distance.
“Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two best players in the world and have been for the last four or five years, but Luis is tucked right in there behind them now.”
Deschamps sues Nasri’s girlfriend
France coach Didier Deschamps sued the girlfriend of Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri yesterday for insulting him on Twitter.
Deschamps’ lawyer told Reuters that his client had filed a legal complaint for “public insult” against Anara Atanes for messages she posted after Nasri was left out of the French provisional World Cup squad.
Deschamps cited as reasons for not choosing Nasri that he was not performing well enough and that his behaviour could weaken team spirit during six weeks together at the tournament in Brazil.
Luis Enrique to leave Celta Vigo
Luis Enrique has stepped down as Celta Vigo coach midway through his two-year contract amid speculation he is poised to replace Gerardo Martino at Barcelona.
“The time has come to announce that I am not staying in Vigo next season,” Luis Enrique told a news conference yesterday.
A former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, Luis Enrique took over from Pep Guardiola as coach of Barca’s B team in 2008 before a brief and troubled stint at Serie A club Roma.
Celta hired him to replace Abel Resino in June and the Galician club have had a fine season under the 44-year-old. They are eighth with one game left.
Capello drops Pogrebnyak
Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has been cut from Russia’s World Cup squad after coach Fabio Capello yesterday trimmed his provisional 30-man selection.
Pogrebnyak, 30, who has yet to appear for his country under Capello, had been a surprise inclusion on Monday.
Artem Dzyuba, the second leading scorer in the Russian Premier League this season with 17 goals for Rostov, was put on a reserve list along with defenders Alexander Anyukov and Alexey Berezutskiy and midfielders Vladimir Bystrov and Yury Gazinskiy.
Russia have been drawn in Group H along with South Korea, Belgium and Algeria.
Messi agrees new Barcelona contract
Barcelona and Lionel Messi (picture) have agreed an improved contract for the four-times World Player of the Year, the La Liga club said yesterday.
Local media reported Messi would be tied to the club a further year, to June 2019, and would be paid €20 million a season plus a possible five extra in performance-linked bonuses.
“FC Barcelona has reached an agreement to adjust the terms in the contract binding Leo Messi to the club as a professional first team player,” Barca said in a brief statement.
“The revised and updated contract will be signed over the next few days,” they added.
Ronaldo fit to face Espanyol
Real Madrid’s top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from a series of niggling injuries and is fit to play in today’s La Liga game at home to Espanyol, coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
The Portugal captain limped out of the 1-1 draw at Real Valladolid on May 7 with an apparent thigh strain and missed Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Celta Vigo that ended Real’s chances of winning La Liga.
With the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on May 24 looming, his return is good news for the club as they chase a record-extending 10th continental crown.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is fine, available, and tomorrow he will play the match,” Ancelotti told a news conference yesterday.
UEFA to probe empty seats
UEFA will investigate why nearly 6,000 seats were left unoccupied at the Europa League final between Benfica and Sevilla in Turin.
Fans jeered when an official attendance of 33,120 was announced during Wednesday’s match at the Juventus stadium, although UEFA said it had sold all 39,000 tickets.
Benfica and Sevilla were allocated 9,000 tickets each for Wednesday’s game and another 9,500 were sold to fans worldwide via UEFA’s official website.
The remaining 11,500 tickets were allocated to the local organising committee, national associations, commercial partners and broadcasters, and for the corporate hospitality programme.