Higuain happy at Napoli despite Chelsea links

The former Real Madrid striker says that he loves plying his trade in Naples and enjoys the challenges of Serie A, despite speculation he could move to the Premier League

Gonzalo Higuain says he is loving life in Napoli despite rumours of a January move away from the Stadio San Paolo, with Chelsea rumoured to be interested in his services.

The Blues are keen to bolster an attack that has struggled this season, and Jose Mourinho is thought to be considering a swoop for a player that scored 48 league goals in three seasons under his stewardship at Real Madrid.

The Argentina striker, who was also the subject of intense interest from Arsenal after announcing his intention to leave the Santiago Bernabeu last summer, has scored 13 goals in 21 appearances for thePartenopei.

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Despite his recent arrival, the 26-year-old  continues to be linked with a big-money January transfer to Stamford Bridge, but Higuain insists he is happy in Italy, saying that his experiences are helping him to develop as a player.

"For someone like me, who loves this sport, Naples is a wonderful place," he told Ole. "This is an incredible city where football comes first, followed by everything else. The fans live for football. Thank God they loved me straight away because the Neapolitans are very passionate and I find that enchanting.

"The Neapolitans have a special affection for Argentines. They are similar to us as well as having Diego Maradona in their hearts.

"In Italy, the game is more tactical, so it is harder to find space. I am sure my own game is improving by playing in Serie A."

Higuain insists that he has no doubts over choosing to join Napoli in the summer and is determined to win trophies at the San Paolo.

The 26-year-old remarked: "[Club president] Aurelio De Laurentiis convinced me straight away about his project with a top coach like Rafa Benitez. I want to help Napoli to grow and make history for this team."

What to expect from B-town in 2014: New directors, new pairs, big films

Vidya Balan and Farhan Akhtar will be seen for the first time together in Shaadi Ke Side Effects. PHOTO: FILE

Now that everyone is done with their New Year’s resolutions, let’s dive into things that will actually happen. Bollywood has quite a line up for fans this year, with new directors, on-screen romances and movies, according to the Times of India.

New directors

Sajid Nadiadwala will be making his directorial debut almost two decades after turning producer. His first offering under director’s hat will be Salman Khan-starrer Kick.

Samar Shaikh, who has worked as an illustrator on films like Chak De! India and Tashan, will be directing Bobby Jasoos, which will feature Vidya Balan as a detective.

Screenwriting duo Farhad-Sajid, known for masala films such as Golmaal and Chennai Express, will be working with Akshay Kumar, Tamannaah and Sonu Sood on It’s Entertainment.

After assisting KJo on My Name Is Khan, Abhishek Varman will now be sitting in the director’s seat for Johar’s next co-production 2 States.

New on-screen pairings

Salman Khan will be wooing Jacqueline Fernandez in Kick, for the first time, this year.

Saif Ali Khan will be co-starring alongside fresh faces this year, such as Ileana D’Cruz inHappy Ending and Tamannaah in Humshakals.

Tamannaah will be a recurring face this year. Akshay Kumar will be starring alongside the Southern import in It’s Entertainment.

Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma will be paired together for the first time in Bombay Velvet. The movie will see Sharma playing two characters, one of which is a jazz singer, and Kapoor will be a street fighter.

Farhan Akhtar is a lucky man! His leading ladies this year include Kareena Kapoor Khan inBombay Samurai and Priyanka Chopra in his sister Zoya Akhtar’s next film.

Arjun Kapoor has an interesting line-up of women in his films. He’ll be teaming up with Deepika Padukone for the first time in Finding Fanny, and will be romancing Alia Bhatt in 2 States.

Big Movies

Here are the top 5 Bollywood movies to watch out for this year

1.Gunday:

Starring Ranveer Singh & Arjun Kapoor, the film tells the story of the inseparable life of Bikram and Bala, who grew from being small time coal thieves, to becoming powerful mafia men.

2.Bombay Velvet:

The first of a trilogy, Bombay Velvet is the story of how the city became a Metropolis, set against the backdrop of love, greed, violence and jazz.

3.Bewakoofiyan:

The story of a couple’s survival through a recession in Delhi. The film sees a new pair on screen in the form of Sonam Kapoor and Ayushmann Khurana.

4.Gulaab Gang:

This feminism-fuelled Madhuri offering is based on a group of female Indian activists fighting against social injustice, clad in pink saris.

5.Humshakals:

Starring Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor for the first time in triple roles, this movie promises to be a riot

STRIKER AND MIDFIELDER SHINE IN QATAR

Jesé and José, the dynamic duo

PABLO POLO · DOHA 01/03/2014

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Carlo Ancelotti used the friendly against PSG to test his young guns against Champions League opposition. The outcome was good in the cases of Casado, Llorente and Jaime Romero, and outstanding in the case of his Rodríguez double act, Jesé and José.

The young forward is a gift for Real Madrid. Ibra, Cavani, Lavezzi, Verratti, Thiago Silva, Alex, Matuidi, Motta, Van der Wiel... Laurent Blanc threw everything he had at Real Madrid in his attempt to pull off an impressive win, then up pops this 20-year-old to eclipse the host of big-name players on the pitch.

He even eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo and scored a goal which adds fuel to a debate that is becoming a bigger talking point with every game: does he deserve to start?

José Rodríguez - who made his debut under Mourinho last year - was the best of the Castilla boys on the day. The midfielder played in front of Xabi Alonso and Illarramendi, in a more advanced position than where he usually features for Castilla. He showed his strength and offensive prowess, and was completely unfazed by Motta, Verrati and company.

He could have even scored a brace of his own. First, when Cristiano's pass found him, but his shot crashed into the post and then, when his curling shot from the edge of the box went just over the bar. The academy player also played a part in the build-up to Jesé's goal.

SAYS TEAM WILL DO "EVERYTHING POSSIBLE" TO WIN IT

Cristiano Ronaldo wants 'Décima' as "icing on the cake"

01/02/2014

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Portugal's 'Record' newspaper published an interview with Cristiano Ronaldo in which he is quoted as saying that winning this year's Champions League would be the "icing on the cake".

Everyone at Real Madrid is hoping that 2014 will be the year that the 'Blancos' win their tenth European crown, and the Portuguese player has agreed with statements already issued by Florentino Pérez, Carlo Ancelotti, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos on the club's official website expressing their desire to claim the Champions League.

The magician from Madeira, who came through the youth ranks at Sporting Lisbon, has an extra little bit of motivation: the final will be held at the Stadium of Light, the home of his boyhood club's arch-rival, Benfica.

"Winning the Champions League at the Estádio da Luz would be the icing on the cake", said CR7. "Everyone at Real Madrid wants to win the 'Décima' and it is providing us all with a lot of motivation. We're going to do all we can to try and win it in 2014", he added.

Cristiano Ronaldo also talked about Portugal's qualification for the coming World Cup: "We never thought that we wouldn't make it to the Brazil World Cup".

On the subject of the Ballon d'Or, and the recent statement by Diego Armando Maradona that CR7 "deserves the prize", the Real Madrid player said: "It's an honour that Maradona would say that".

CESC FÀBREGAS OPENS UP TO MARCA

"I'm glad Özil joined Arsenal"

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Cesc spoke to MARCA earlier and was quick to praise Tata Martino: "He's a very intelligent person and is well aware of what is around him. He came from the Argentinian league where the fans put you under pressure and there are massive games. He can handle the pressure. He's done a lot of very positive things over the last few months".

On Neymar and Messi, the former Arsenal player said: "They're both great players who like to take control of the game and play a key part. Now Neymar is scoring goals and this gives him a bit more confidence".

"Bale is a very strong player, who can strike the ball well and run fast with the ball under control. He moves well into space. He's made for Real. I'm not surprised by the high level of his performances because he's always been a great footballer", said Fàbregas, who knows all about English football.

"I was surprised by Özil's move to Arsenal. He was the second best player at Real Madrid behind Ronaldo and it was surprising that he left. I'm glad he joined a club like Arsenal", Cesc added.

"I know Manchester City well. Barça is always the favourite when it plays, but we'll have to be very aggressive and play at a high intensity. It will be very important to control the game to stop them attacking. It will be a tough and exciting tie", Cesc concluded.

Bale, working out with the group

Real Madrid's first training session of the year brought with it good news for Carlo Ancelotti, as both Bale and Coentrao returned to the group and trained under normal conditions.

The Welsh forward trained with a leg guard for his left leg, but kept up with the pace of his teammates without any problems, and it looks like he will be ready for the upcoming league game this Monday (19:00h) against Celta. Bale has had an injury to his left thigh and was out for the match against Valencia at the Mestalla stadium and the Copa game against Xàtiva at the Benabéu.

Modric, Arbeloa and Marcelo, meanwhile, exercised inside the Real sports installations, while Casillas, given his new status as a father was given the day off to be with his family. Frenchman Raphael Varane continues to exercise apart from the group.

WWII-era bomb explodes in Germany, kills one

A picture of a WWII bomb found in Munich that was defused earlier in December. PHOTO: REUTERS

COLOGNE: The driver of an excavator was killed and eight other people injured when a World War II-era bomb blew up during earthworks in Germany on Friday, police said.

The blast wave from the sleeper bomb blew out the windows of surrounding buildings and could be felt for several kilometres, said police and residents.

The accident, in which two of the wounded suffered serious injuries, shook an industrial area in the town of Euskirchen near the former capital Bonn in western Germany.

“During earth works an excavator hit a World War II bomb which exploded,” a local police spokesperson told AFP.

“There was a huge blast wave. In the vicinity of the accident site and surrounding streets, home windows shattered and garage doors were pushed in.”

The ground below many Germany cities still contains unexploded ordnance dropped by Allied and Soviet forces in the Second World War, but most is safely defused when found.