I Want to continue at Real Madrid - Ancelotti

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will discuss his future with the club after Saturday's final La Liga game of the campaign at home to Getafe and said he wants to stay on despite a season without a major trophy.

Speculation that Real president Florentino Perez is poised to discard Ancelotti, a year before his three-year contract expires, has been rife since the holders were eliminated from the Champions League and Barcelona secured the La Liga title last weekend.

Ancelotti's post-training news conference on Friday had the air of a farewell, with journalists applauding the Italian at the end, but he insisted he is ready and willing to continue.

Ancelotti led Real to a record-extending 10th European title last term, as well as a King's Cup triumph, and they went on to win the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup before their form tailed off after the turn of the year.

"I understand that this is a key moment for the club because they are taking an important decision," Ancelotti told reporters.

"If I don't carry on I will have spent two fantastic years here and each will go their separate ways, the club one way and me the other," he added.

"We have had some very happy moments, perhaps the happiest in the history of Real Madrid.

"I won't be sad as I will have the feeling that I gave everything I could.

"I have the confidence and the desire and the excitement to carry on because I like this club and these players and I like this city."

Spanish media reports have suggested Napoli coach Rafa Benitez, who had a stint working in Real's academy in the mid-1990s, is the front runner to replace Ancelotti.

There has also been speculation that Ancelotti could continue but without his long-term fitness trainer, Giovanni Mauri, and goalkeeping coach Villiam Vecchi, who would be replaced.

Ancelotti dismissed a suggestion a lack of fitness had scuppered Real's trophy chances and defended his assistants.

"I have a lot of confidence in them and they have been working with me for a long time," Ancelotti said.

"What I have achieved in my career I have achieved with this staff and I still think they are the best in the world."

Real are assured of second in La Liga and a Champions League berth for next season.

I Won't Give Medal Away Again - Mou

Jose Mourinho will receive a third Premier League winners' medal on Sunday but the Chelsea manager is not feeling so charitable this time – meaning no surprise souvenir for a lucky fan at Stamford Bridge.

After claiming a second English title in 2006 following a 3-0 win against Manchester United, Mourinho launched his medal and blazer into the crowd.

Chelsea host Sunderland in their final game of the season on Sunday where they will be presented with the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2010.

"My son now is collecting all my stuff," the Portuguese told a news conference on Friday. "He keeps everything.

"At that time (2006) he was too young, but in this moment he is collecting everything. Shirts, medals – he steals everything from me."

Mourinho was named Premier League manager of the season for the third time following previous triumphs in 2005 and 2006.

"I was not waiting for it, I was never manager of the month, but I'm happy with it," he said.

"It's a club trophy, not an individual one. It's for me, my assistants, my players, everybody who works with me. It's something you don't just get by yourself.

"It's the icing on the cake but I work for the cake. The Premier League is the real cake but obviously to be the manager of the season is nice."

Forward Eden Hazard, who has played in all 37 of Chelsea's league fixtures, is unlikely to feature against Sunderland after undergoing emergency dental surgery on Wednesday to have three wisdom teeth removed.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech is struggling with a muscle injury but Mourinho said the 33-year-old, who could leave at the end of the season after being used as back-up to Thibaut Courtois, will play some part against Sunderland.

Young defender Andreas Christensen and 18-year-old attacking midfielder Jeremie Boga will be given a taste of first team action.

Xavi To Start Final La Liga Game

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique confirmed that Xavi Hernandez will captain the side on his 505th and final La Liga appearance for the Catalans at home to Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday.

The 35-year-old announced on Thursday that he will leave the club for Qatari side Al-Sadd after a 17-year playing career that has already seen him win 23 trophies at club level.

And he could yet leave with two more trophies as Barca face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final in Xavi's last ever match at the Camp Nou next weekend before meeting Juventus in the Champions League final on June 6.

"Xavi will start tomorrow," Enrique told a press conference on Friday.

"Without him in the dressing room it will obviously be different. He has taken the decision that he believes is best for him.

"The years go by and everyone gets older. We have all spoken about what he has meant, continues to mean and will mean in the future for the club. He still has the chance to win two more titles."

Former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen will also make his debut after an injury-ravaged season as Enrique admitted he will make a number of changes with the upcoming finals in mind.

Keshi Throws Open Super Eagles Door To 'Goal Poacher' Taiwo Awoniyi

Nigeria senior team coach Stephen Keshi has given U20 striker Taiwo Awoniyi the green light to lead the Super Eagles attack when he finishes with the U20 World Cup in New Zealand.

Awoniyi, a top talent in the Flying Eagles squad, is expected to light up the youth championship that starts next week with his eye for goal and impressive physique.

The 18-year-old scored a brace for Samson Siasia’s U23 squad in a recent All African Games qualifier in Lusaka, Zambia, and it would be only a matter of time before he makes his senior team debut.

Keshi told Goal that Awoniyi is ripe enough to lead the Eagles attack but must indicate his readiness to take that responsibility on the field of play.

“If you will recall, I gave Awoniyi his first call up to the Super Eagles sometimes ago because I know that he has the quality of a goal poacher who can deliver the goals when needed,” Keshi told Goal.

“But like I have always explained, playing for the age grade national teams is different from the Super Eagles.

“Taiwo Awoniyi is young and talented and has the quality of a good striker. So who says he can’t lead the Eagles attack?

“He just needs to be ready for the task and show it on the field of play which I believe the boy is capable of doing.”

The 53-year-old wished his future lead man a good time at the Fifa tournament where Nigeria have never won despite reaching two finals.

“I pray that he continues to wax stronger with the Flying Eagles at the World Cup. His performance in New Zealand will be good for his confidence level and will also help prepare him for the Super Eagles task.

“Like I said, the boy is a good player,” he said.

The Nigeria U20 side will begin their title challenge with a game against Brazil on June 1 in New Plymouth.

Man Utd Should Sign Cech If De Gea Quits, Says Scholes

Manchester United should sign Chelse's Petr Cech if David De Gea leaves to join Real Madrid, according to Red Devils legend Paul Scholes.

The Spanish side have identified De Gea - who will soon enter the final year of his current contract with United and has so far declined to sign an extension - as the ideal replacement for Iker Casillas and have issued the 24-year-old an ultimatum to persuade him to join this year.

Cech, meanwhile, is ready to leave Stamford Bridge after being displaced as Chelsea No.1 by Thibaut Courtois this season and his agent, Viktor Kolar, on Tuesday revealed that his client would be open to joining United or Arsenal.

Scholes sees Cech as the outstanding available candidate to replace De Gea should he depart and believes the 33-year-old could have a similar impact at Old Trafford as Dutch goalkeeping great Edwin van der Sar.

"If De Gea does go, United should sign Petr Cech," Scholes wrote in his column for the Independent.

"I remember the effect Edwin van der Sar had on the club when he arrived in 2005. United had struggled since Peter Schmeichel to find a really commanding goalkeeper. Fabien Barthez was the closest we got.

"Edwin came ready-made. He was a Champions League winner, he had four years’ Premier League experience with Fulham, and in the end our manager got six extremely successful years out of him.

"Edwin was almost 35 when he joined United. Cech has only just turned 33. He could potentially play another six years for United.

"There would be no concern about having to give him time to play his way into the position or the demands that the Premier League makes of a goalkeeper new to the country. United won’t want to lose De Gea but there is a solution in the offing."

'Irreplaceable' Xavi Quits Barca

If you ask Barcelona and Spain fans about their most cherished footballing memories over the past decade the chances are they will involve an exquisite intervention from midfield maestro Xavi.

Widely regarded as one of the best playmakers the game has produced, Xavi has been the tireless dynamo at the heart of a glittering run for his club and country, effortlessly controlling play in the central areas and able to pierce even the most stubborn defences in a heartbeat.

The 35-year-old from Terrassa announced on Thursday he was leaving Barca after more than two decades with the Catalan club he joined aged 11, during which he has won 23 titles, including three Champions League crowns and eight La Liga trophies.

With Spain, he helped end a 44-year trophy drought at Euro 2008, sending Fernando Torres clear to score the winner against Germany in the final, and went on to lead La Roja to their first World Cup success in 2010 and another continental crown two years later.

Spain destroyed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev, when Xavi created two of their goals including another for Torres, and the general consensus after the news emerged he had agreed a three-year deal with Qatari club Al Sadd was that Spain is unlikely to see a player of his quality again anytime soon.

"Xavi has been a key man in the run we have had in Spanish football," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said on Wednesday. "It's hard to find a player coming through who can replace him. He is irreplaceable."

Age, of course, was finally starting to catch up with Xavi, while the prospect of a lucrative stint in the Middle East will also have played its part in his decision.

He was close to leaving Barca after they ended last season without winning a major trophy and decided to retire from internationals following Spain's flop at the 2014 World Cup.

New Barca coach Luis Enrique, a former teammate, persuaded him to stay on and he has made a vital contribution, mostly from the bench, to their charge towards repeating 2009's treble of Champions League and Spanish league and Cup titles.

The La Liga triumph Barca secured with victory at Atletico Madrid on Sunday was Xavi's eighth and he was given a standing ovation by fans of both sides at the Calderon when he replaced Andres Iniesta in the second half.

He can win another two trophies before he departs, with Barca through to the Champions League final to play Juventus on June 6 and set to host Athletic Bilbao in the King's Cup final a week earlier.

TRUE PLEASURE

Iniesta has largely assumed Xavi's role this term, although with him having turned 31 this month Barca face a fiendishly tough task in finding an effective long-term replacement for the playmaking role.

Candidates Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara have both moved on, while Ivan Rakitic, who joined from Sevilla last year, has potential but still much to prove.

Iniesta paid tribute this week to Xavi, with whom has he has won pretty much everything there is to win in soccer.

"I have run out of words of praise, I can't find a compliment that does justice to what he represents, what he means as a person and a player," Iniesta said on Barca's website (www.fcbarcelona.es).

"He is a unique, once in a lifetime player who has been fundamental in almost everything good at his club and with the national team.

"For me it has been ... a true pleasure and honour to have played my whole career by his side."


Xavi Factbox:
* Born Xavi Hernandez Creus on January 25, 1980 in Terrassa.

* Joins Barca's academy in July 1991. Scores on his first-team debut seven years later in a Spanish Super Cup match against Real Mallorca.

* Makes first appearance for Spain in a friendly against the Netherlands in November 2000.

* Suffers a cruciate knee ligament injury in Barca training in December 2005 that sidelines him for five months.

* Returns to action the following April but has to watch from the bench as Barca beat Arsenal 2-1 in Paristo win the 2006 Champions League.

* Voted player of the tournament as Spain end 44 years without a major trophy at Euro 2008. Xavi sendsFernando Torres through to score the winner against Germany in the final.

* With Pep Guardiola in his first season in charge in 2008-09, Xavi helps Barca win an unprecedented treble of Champions League, La Liga and King's Cup titles.

* Xavi's floated cross is headed in by Lionel Messi to make it 2-0 against Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome.

* Barca go on to win the Spanish and European Super Cups and the Club World Cup for a full house of six trophies in 2009.

* Xavi finishes third in the 2009 Fifa Ballon d'Or, the first of three straight third-place finishes.

* Helps Spain to their debut World Cup triumph in July 2010 in South Africa.

* In January 2011, equals Migueli's Barca appearance record of 549 official matches.

* Makes superb assist for Pedro to open the scoring as Barca beat United 3-1 in London to win the 2011 Champions League.

* Spain defend their continental title at Euro 2012 and Xavi sets up two goals in the final, including another for Torres, as La Roja thrash Italy 4-0.

* Spain are eliminated from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after losing their opening two games and Xavi announces his international retirement after 133 appearances, a record for an outfield player.

* Barca last weekend wrap up their seventh La Liga title in 11 years, and Xavi's eighth, and he announces he is leaving at the end of the season to join Al Sadd.

* Xavi won 23 titles with Barca: eight in La Liga, three in the Champions League, two King's Cups, two European Super Cups, six Spanish Super Cups and two Club World Cups.

He has a chance for two more in the King's Cup final against Athletic Bilbao on May 30 and the Champions League final against Juventus a week later.

Hodgson Sympathises With Sterling

England manager Roy Hodgson expressed sympathy for Raheem Sterling on Thursday over the Liverpool forward's increasingly unseemly contract stand-off with his club.

Sterling has rejected a new deal worth £100 000 a week and Liverpool are reported to have cancelled a meeting with his representatives after his agent, Aidy Ward, was quoted by the London Evening Standard newspaper as saying that Sterling was determined to leave.

Sterling, 20, has come in for criticism from Liverpool greats including Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness, while he was booed during the club's end-of-season awards ceremony, but Hodgson believes allowances should be made for the player's tender age.

"I worry for all these young players, to be honest," Hodgson told reporters at Wembley Stadium.

"They become stars very quickly. Their period of potential stardom doesn't last for very long these days. Sometimes, a few games in the Premier League and you are a star.

"We should never forget we're dealing with very young people. I believe from what I know of Raheem that he's strong enough to compartmentalise his life –- from this side to what happens on the field of play, which is what interests me."

Hodgson added: "I trust him implicitly. I think he's a very important person and a very important player for England going forward.

"I'll be very disappointed if he doesn't continue to kick on and get even better as he gets older.

"And I really do sympathise with these players who, if you like, have got to live their lives under scrutiny -– sometimes of their making, sometimes of other people's making –- and they've got to deal with it."

GREALISH 'VERY TALENTED'

Sterling was included in the squad that Hodgson named for next month's friendly against Ireland and 2016 European Championship qualifier against Slovenia, along with uncapped trio Charlie Austin, Jamie Vardy and Tom Heaton.

One name absent from the 24-man list was Aston Villa's 19-year-old playmaker Jack Grealish, who was born in the English city of Birmingham but has represented Ireland at youth level.

Hodgson confirmed that the Football Association has informed Grealish of England's interest in him, but said it was up to the player to decide which country he wants to represent at senior level.

"He's fully aware that if he wants to play for England, we'd be very happy to take him," Hodgson said.

"He's a very talented footballer. In my opinion, at this young age, he's showing the qualities that will make him a very good future international player.

"But I don't want to put pressure on him to play for us if he wants to play for Ireland.

"There will be an Irish connection in his family as well as an English one and it's up to them to decide what they really want to do.

"And when they decide, whoever is the 'loser' in that because he's chosen one over the other, they should respect that, wish him all the best and allow him to get on with it."

Explaining his decision not to select Grealish, Hodgson said it would have been "inflammatory" to do so given that England's next opponents are Ireland.

Sick Hazard Misses Award Show

Chelsea star Eden Hazard was unable to collect his Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award on Thursday after having emergency dental surgery to remove three wisdom teeth.

Hazard topped the poll of journalists with 53 percent of the vote, ahead of second placed Tottenham striker Harry Kane, and was set to collect the prestigious accolade at a gala dinner in London.

However, the 24-year-old Belgium midfielder, who played a key role in Chelsea's Premier League title triumph this season, was unable to attend in person as he is recovering from the dental procedure.

"Big thank you to the English Football Writers for naming me their player of the year. I am sorry I cannot be there tonight but please know I am very proud of this big award," he wrote on Twitter.

A statement from the FWA read: "2015 Footballer of the Year Eden Hazard has had emergency dental surgery and will be unable to collect his award in person.

"Hazard tried to delay the surgery but had to have three wisdom teeth removed on Wednesday and is still in considerable pain."