Real Madrid announces transfer of Ronaldo to AC Milan

From: Xinhua News Agency

Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid on Tuesday announced the transfer of its Brazilian star striker Ronaldo to Italian Serie A powerhouse AC Milan.

In a statement, Real Madrid thanked Ronaldo, 30, for his work, and wished him professional success with Milan and luck in his personal life.

Ronaldo was the second superstar to leave Real Madrid in less than 30 days, following former England captain David Beckham who had decided to join the U.S. club the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Milan club president, Adriano Galliani, told media that the team had paid 7.5 million euros (9.75 million U.S. dollars) for Ronaldo's contract, which runs out on June 30, 2008, and that if Milan qualifies for the Champions league, it will pay another half million (650,000 dollars).

"It is breaking my heart, but that is life," Ronaldo told media, leaving Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, after ending his contract with Madrid. "All I wanted to do at Madrid was to please the fans, the people who supported me, all my teammates and my managers."

He added that he had succeeded in pleasing all these audiences, except for one person: current Madrid manager, Italy's Fabio Capello.

Spain's sporting press said that Real Madrid's bosses had been looking for a way to get rid of Ronaldo for some time.

'Rooney prostitute' claim dismissed

From: The Press Association

A grandmother suing The Sun over claims that she had sex with Wayne Rooney while working as a prostitute has had her 750,000 damages claim thrown out of court.

Mother-of-seven Patricia Tierney, 52, denied the claim published in the paper in August 2004 that she was a sex worker at a Liverpool brothel used by the England and Manchester United star.

But at Manchester County Court, it was revealed that Mrs Tierney, from Whiston, Merseyside, had admitted working as a prostitute in a statement to police two years earlier.

She claimed libel damages after saying her photo and the Sun article, headlined 'Don't fancy yours much Wayne' was 'horrible lies' that had destroyed her reputation and her life.

Mrs Tierney, a grandmother of 16, launched the legal battle claiming she had only ever worked as a receptionist at Diva's massage parlour in Liverpool - and had never worked as a prostitute.

Rooney, 21, had been put on notice by the court that he might be called as a witness. But Anthony Hudson, The Sun's barrister, showed the court a police witness statement from May 2002. In it, Mrs Tierney told officers she had sold herself for sex because she needed the money - but kept her job a secret from her family.

She told officers she had a 'dual role' at the parlour, as a receptionist with housekeeping duties. But she added in the statement: 'On other days I would act as a sex worker. My role would be to provide sex services to clients.'

Mr Hudson said Mrs Tierney's claim amounted to 750,000 - 250,000 damages for her and 500,000 legal fees, which the Sun would have had to pay if she won her case. He added: 'Mrs Tierney has deliberately and knowingly engaged in fraudulent conduct, has deceived, and clearly been involved in an attempt to pervert the course of justice.'

Her solicitors withdrew from the case on Friday, after the statement came to light, advising her she could not now win her case.

Mr Justice Christopher Clarke dismissed an application by Mrs Tierney, who represented herself in court, to adjourn the hearing while she sought alternative legal representation. Instead the judge dismissed the case.

Welcome!

Hello Guys,

My name is David and this is my new blog. Let me tell you a little bit about my self: I'm 28 years old. I live in Sweden and I'm truly a soccer fan. My team in England is, how not, Arsenal. I don't miss a game - no matter what is the weather and where it is played. I even flew once to africa just to see Henry and his magnificent friends play on the field. For every game I prepare myself like I'm the one who is going to play. There is no need to say that I spend a lot of money on those games - tickets, flights, accessories etc, but I don't care. Everything for this team!.
My family accept the unusual 'fever' I have. Maybe this is the time to tell you about my family: I have 2 kids - Don (5 years old) and Monica (3 years old) and there is my beatiful wife - kate (27 years old).
In addition to the Premier league I try to follow the Spanish league (my favorite is Barcelona), which I believe is the best in the world.
Basically, I built this blog in order to publish the most important news about the English and the Spanish leagues I find on the net. Enjoy!

Yours,
David