'Football Has Lost' - Figo Hits Out At Blatter Re-Election

Luis Figo says "football has lost" after Sepp Blatter was re-elected as Fifa president on Friday and again called for him to quit his post.

The 79-year-old beat off competition from Jordan's Prince Ali to hold on to his position, which will see him serve a fifth term as the head of the game's governing body.

Blatter polled 133 votes to his rival's 73, which would have been enough to take the contest into a second round of voting, but Ali opted to withdraw.

His victory comes as Fifa is embroiled in a major investigation that began earlier this week, which saw US authorities make seven arrests and charge 14 senior executives on suspicion of bribery and corruption.

Figo - who originally intended to run for presidency before withdrawing in a bid not to split the vote and aid Blatter's campaign - said he was devastated by the result.

"Today was another dark day in Zurich," said the Portugal legend. "Fifa has lost, but above everything, football has lost and everyone who truly cares about it has lost too.

"Mr. Blatter had a very cynical reaction when he said that he couldn't control everyone. It offends everyone's intelligence. These persons, whom Mr. Blatter has promoted through years, turned, with him, Fifa in to a decadent organisation.

"If Mr. Blatter were minimally concerned about football, he would have given up of the re-election. If he has a minimal of decency, he will resign in the next few days."

Arteta Hints At Arsenal Contract Extension Despite Limited Influence

Mikel Arteta insists that he intends to remain at Arsenal despite the emergence of Francis Coquelin and his limited game-time at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta, the Gunners' captain heading into Saturday's FA Cup final against Aston Villa, has made just 12 senior appearances for the club in 2014-15, with injuries limiting his influence on the team.

The Spaniard last appeared for Arsenal in the Premier League in the 2-1 loss to Manchester United on November 22 and says that he has enjoyed having an "input from outside" despite his troubles.

And the 33-year-old has hinted that he is set to sign a contract extension after this weekend's clash with Aston Villa.

"I will discuss my future after the final, it's been a strange season for me since November, with my injury," he told reporters at the club's London Colney training headquarters.

"I had some really tough times. But I have learned a lot. My aim is to be on the pitch as much as I can.

"I would love to stay. The indication is we are both very clear on what we want and we will announce something after the final."

Coquelin has enjoyed a stunning rise since he returned from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic in December, with Arteta full of praise for his young team-mate.

"I think it was probably the nicest surprise of the season because he had to go on loan and I don't think he was really happy to do that," he added.

"But he put a really good impact to it, the way he adapted to the game and the way he gave something to the team that we were missing. He was great, he's given balance, he has competed as well as anybody else in the team, and he's been really consistent. He will be here for a good few years.

"I've always liked Francis and I like him a lot now."

Aaron Ramsey has previously outlined his desire to see Arsenal win the Premier League title next season and Arteta echoed the Welshman's sentiments, though he says that investment this summer is necessary as the club "missed something" in 2014-15.

"We want to push and win the Premier League, that's for sure, and it's up to the manager and board to decide what's the missing ingredient," he said.

"There's something we missed, whether it's that we didn't have the full squad ready for the biggest part of the season, with a lot of players out, whether we were missing that final bit of quality to win it or deepness in the squad, I don't know what it is, it's up to them to analyse that.

"Everybody's up for it and I'm sure they are as well."

Wenger: Arsenal Will Not Sell Wilshere

Arsene Wenger has dismissed talk of Arsenal selling Jack Wilshere and hinted at a possible contract extension.

The midfielder recently made his return after yet another injury setback, which has restricted the 23-year-old to just 13 Premier League appearances this season.

In his absence, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey have shone in midfield has while Francis Coquelin established himself in the first team, with Wilshere recently admitting he is yet to discuss his future with his manager.

Wenger, though, insists he has never entertained the idea of selling Wilshere and is not about to start, pointing to the loyalty shown by the club during the England international's many injury troubles.

"I made Jack Wilshere start at 17 years of age," Wenger told reporters. "That means that you cannot show a bigger desire of wanting a player.

"We have always extended his contract and we have been very patient with all his injuries. At some stage I think he must feel wanted.

"We always stood by him through every difficult moment. Does that mean we want him to stay here for a longer period? Yes, as we would like to benefit from his talent now."

Di Maria Has Flopped But Manchester United Can't Afford To Lose Him - Scholes

The British-record signing has not scored a Premier League goal since October in a tough first season in England, but the former midfielder is confident he will come good

Paul Scholes acknowledges Angel Di Maria's first season in the Premier League has been a "disappointment", but insists Manchester United should keep faith with him.

The Argentine joined from Real Madrid last summer for a British-record fee of €83.4 million, scoring three goals and assisting a further six in his first 10 games, but failed to score again in the league all season.

Scholes has sympathy for Di Maria amid reports of struggles to settle into life in England, but feels United cannot afford to sell a player of his ability after securing a return to the Champions League after a year out.

"A good start but, for €83.4m, the hope was that he would give United much more," he wrote in The Independent.

"I accept he has had problems off the pitch settling into life in Manchester, but there is no way he can see the season as anything other than a disappointment.

"This was, after all, the best player in last season's Champions League final.

"Nevertheless, the quality is there and I don't think United can afford to lose him. They need that kind of player if they are to compete in the Champions League. Let's see what next season brings.

Juve Need To Be Better Than Perfect To Beat Barca - Tevez

Carlos Tevez fears Juventus will need to be "better than perfect" to beat Barcelona, whom he thinks they have the best strikeforce in football.

The Scudetto winners face a Barca side boasting Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez as a front three in the Champions League final on June 6.

The trio have scored over 100 goals between them in all competitions this season and Tevez acknowledged the devastating threat they will pose to Massimiliano Allegri's backline.

The forward told SportMediaset: "I think they are the best team in the world. They have the three best strikers, so we’ll have to work hard to give a performance which is more than perfect."

Tevez also dismissed the significance of him facing Argentina team-mate Messi, who he thinks has bigger fish to fry than worrying about tackling the ex-Manchester United man.

"I think Messi will be focused on the game, not on playing against me," he added. "We’re team-mates for the national team, but I want to win the Champions League too, playing against him isn’t the priority."

Tevez has enjoyed one of the most prolific seasons of his career, scoring 29 goals in all competitions to help fire the club to the European final and seal Serie A and Coppa Italia glory.

One Touch, One Goal - Meet The New Cristiano Ronaldo

Sixty-one goals in 54 games represents a career-best return for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid forward scored goals galore in 2014-15 to better his 60 strikes from 55 appearances in 2011-12. Overall, the stats seem similar, but he has in fact become a very different player.

When Madrid signed Ronaldo for a world-record fee of €94 million in 2009, they bought a winger with blistering pace, dribbling ability and tremendous technique - a player who could score from anywhere.

Six years on, Cristiano is still scoring. His 48 Liga goals means he will win the Pichichi award again this term and also claim the European Golden Shoe for an unprecedented fourth time. But the Portuguese has had to change his game in recent times as he gets older and at the age of 30, he is a different footballer to the one Madrid signed from Manchester United.

The Ronaldo running from deep and dribbling past defenders as a talented 24-year-old is now something of the past. The 2009 Cristiano set up chances for his team-mates; these days he finishes them off. And a look at his recent strikes against Sevilla, Espanyol and Getafe are proof of that. Although he still starts on the left, the 30-year-old is much more of a centre-forward these days.

Of the 48 goals he scored in La Liga this term, 41 of those (85 per cent) were netted with a single touch, while 43 of the 48 (90%) were converted inside the box. Ten (21%) were penalties, while 12 (25%) were headers - a career high for Ronaldo - and only two were scored from free-kicks (4%). And both of those came in the last few weeks of the Liga season as well, following a frustrating few months from dead-ball situations - once a speciality of the Portuguese.

Looking solely at the stats, CR7 looks much more like CR9 - a traditional centre-forward. But back in his first season at Madrid, when he actually wore the number 9 because Raul was still at the club, the numbers were different. In 2009-10, Ronaldo scored 26 times in La Liga, with only 61% of those coming from his first touch, while just 12% came from headers. That season, Ronaldo also netted eight times from individual strikes he himself had created - something now virtually redundant in his game, even if he has converted almost double the amount of goals in 2014-15.

In 2009-10, Cristiano played under Manuel Pellegrini, before featuring for three seasons with compatriot Jose Mourinho on the bench and then two more for the recently sacked Carlo Ancelotti.

With Rafa Benitez now set to take over next week at the Santiago Bernabeu, it will be interesting to see the evolution of Ronaldo's game in 2015-16 as he closes in on Raul's record of 323 strikes for Madrid. One thing, however, seems certain - there will be plenty of goals. 

Transfer rumours and paper review - Thursday, May 28

Here's the top transfer-related stories in Thursday's newspapers...

Rafa Benitez wants to make Liverpool star Raheem Sterling one of his first transfer targets for Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror)

Burnley striker Danny Ings has made it clear to Tottenham Hotspur that it is his preference to join Liverpool this summer in spite of the London club’s continued attempts to muscle in on the deal. (Evening Standard)

Mario Balotelli’s agent has placed a potential obstacle in the way of Liverpool’s transfer plans by insisting the striker will not be leaving Anfield this summer, although the club remain determined to cut their losses on the Italy forward. (The Guardian)

Bayern Munich want Angel Di Maria - but Manchester United will demand most of his record £59.7million fee. (Daily MIrror)

David De Gea has been urged to sign for Real Madrid by this No.1 rival - Iker Casillas. (Daily Star)

Roberto Mancini is expected to make a personal call to Yaya Toure to assess what the midfielder's plans are after a move to Inter Milan stalled this week. (Daily Mail)

Striker Darren Bent is expected to be Derby County's first signing ahead of next season. (Derby Evening Telegraph)

QPR are considering making a bid for Liverpool and England striker Rickie Lambert. (Evening Standard)

Sevilla Players Will Beg Emery To Stay - Carrico

Sevilla's players will beg Europa League-winning coach Unai Emery to stay amid reported approaches from across Europe, according to defender Daniel Carrico.

The Spanish outfit clinched a record fourth Europa League crown on Wednesday with a 3-2 victory over Dnipro in Warsaw, successfully defending the title they won with victory over Benfica in Turin 12 months ago.

And the consistent successes have led to interest in Emery from the likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid and West Ham United in recent weeks, but Carrico is hopeful that the players will be able to persuade him to stay now that Champions League football has been secured.

"I think he is the key for us. He is our leader, a very important coach. We hope he will stay with us for next season but it is difficult because he is one of the best coaches in the world," Carrico told Goal.

"But now that we are going to play in the Champions League I hope that will help to persuade him to stay with us.

"We will beg him to stay. Of course nobody can ask more than to play in the Champions League. We are going to play in the best competition and that might help us when we ask him to stay."

The Rojiblancos were backed by around 10,000 in the Stadion Narodowy, and Carrico was quick to praise their impact throughout a season which also saw them finish in fifth place in La Liga.

"The fans are crazy. You should see at least one game in our stadium because it is unbelievable how they help us to win games. Sometimes we are losing and when they start to sing it is unbelievable. We just keep winning for them.

"We went 34 games one year without losing a game in our stadium, and in that you can see how important our supporters are."

And with Champions League football to come, the 26-year-old says there is no reason why they cannot succeed in the showpiece competition.

"We don't know what more we can do, but we have great ambitions and next season we will play in the Champions League. It's the biggest competition in the world and we want to do something in this competition."

‘Balotelli Staying At Liverpool’

Misfiring Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli will remain at the club next season, his agent Mino Raiola claimed on Wednesday.

Balotelli, 24, struggled in his debut campaign at Anfield following his £16 million move from AC Milan last year, scoring just one league goal and four in all competitions.

It has prompted speculation that Liverpool, who did not qualify for the Champions League, will look to move the Italy international on in the close-season transfer window.

But Raiola told Sky Sports: "We have talks with Liverpool and he will stay. I spoke many times with the club and they were happy with his input as a professional."

Asked if Balotelli and Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had successfully adapted to working with each other, Raiola replied: "I think Mario did. I cannot talk for Brendan Rodgers.

"Obviously we're pretty confident it'll happen next year."

Wenger: Benzema? Vidal? Arsenal Not Thinking About Transfers

Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is a fan of Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal and has refused to rule out the possibility of signing the Chilean and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema in the summer.

The north Londoners were considering an ambitious summer swoop for Benzema and are convinced that the former Lyon star would be keen on a switch.

When asked about Arsenal's interest in the France forward and Vidal, Wenger told reporters that his concentration remains solely on the upcoming FA Cup final, not on summer moves:

"I like Arturo Vidal. You can suspect that at the moment I'm not in a transfer mode.

"We'll deal with transfers after the FA Cup final. It's all suspicions, nobody knows if its true or not."

The Frenchman was similarly quiet when quizzed about Arsenal's interest in Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling on May 19, with the 20-year-old expected to tell Brendan Rodgers he wants to leave the club when the transfer window reopens.