Gareth Bale must follow Neymar’s lead to become the best player in the world

The Brazil forward followed his ambition this summer with a move to Barcelona and if Bale wants to reach the footballing summit then he must leave White Hart Lane.

Gareth Bale is not yet the best player on the planet, but he's getting there. Former Tottenham Hotspur favourite, David Ginola, agrees. "Well what can I say about him?," . "Young Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, one of the best players in the world." 
Beneath the immovable top two, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, there is a group of contenders for the consolation prizes. Robin van Persie and Franck Ribery are among them. So too is the Welshman. What separates Bale from all the others now is on-field success and, crucially, a place at one of Europe's biggest teams. 

Both Ronaldo and Messi were Ballon d'Or winners by the time they were Bale's age, 24, and both had won the Champions League as well as any number of league prizes. Bale? He's had one season in the Champions League. His honours list is an insult to his talents. 

He has just enjoyed his best season to date on a personal level. Bale scored 21 Premier League goals from midfield and went within a hair's breadth of qualifying Tottenham for the Champions League, deservedly winning all the individual accolades on offer and reaching No.6 in the Goal 50 list. But his Herculean efforts were not enough for Spurs on the collective level. Andre Villas-Boas turned to him at every moment of difficulty. He didn't let his coach down. But it could be argued Spurs let him down. 

The club have been good to him. He's developed well there since shaking off his horrid winless curse and delivering on the potential he showed at Southampton. But it is apparent now that Bale is considering a career away from White Hart Lane. 
He knows he should be playing in the Champions League. Moreover, a player of his calibre deserves to be winning it. He should be challenging for league titles not for fourth place. He will not become the best player in the world at Spurs. He will do so at the Bernabeu. 

One of the most challenging periods in any young player's career is the one that Bale has just gone through. From emerging onto the club scene it is a deceptively long, precipitous road to the top. There are no guarantees that just because a player was effective at 19 he will be at 25. But Bale has outgrown Spurs, such is his dizzying trajectory. He has grown up too fast for them. The best players have to play at the best clubs. 

Neymar, for example; a prodigiously gifted young player and by the time the 2013 Brasileirao kicked off it was widely agreed that he had become too good for his native league and for his beloved Santos. To continue to make an impact and grow and develop would have been impossible at Vila Belmiro. He needed to take that next step. 
And he has done so by taking on a hugely challenging but potentially rewarding transfer to Barcelona. His time came and he took his chance. After winning the Copa Libertadores and going to the final of the Club World Cup there was not an awful lot more he could do with Santos.  No-one could blame Gareth Bale for seeing things similarly. Spurs will not challenge for the league so what is the best he can hope for by staying there? 

Thomas Muller has just won the treble with Bayern Munich and looks like he will be among the most highly-regarded players in the world for the next decade. The perfect physical specimen, just like Bale, Muller is a throwback to some of the great lung-busting German midfielders from the seventies and eighties. Compatriot Mario Gotze is no longer 'promising' having established himself as a top-class attacking midfielder at Borussia Dortmund. Something far more exacting is now demanded of him: proving himself at Bayern. 
Gotze's ex-colleague Ilkay Gundogan continues on his quest to marshal the Germany midfield alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger and hold the fort for Dortmund in the Bundesliga and abroad. The 22-year-old oozes class in the centre of the park. Thibaut Courtois has another season to show Jose Mourinho he is ready to dislodge Petr Cech at Chelsea. The Belgian is tipped by many as potentially the best goalkeeper in the world in the future. 

Meanwhile, Isco and Raphael Varane lead the best young generation at Real Madrid for over a decade after exploding onto the scene last season. The former possesses every attribute needed for an attacking midfielder - skill, creativity, dribbling, a fine shot. The latter has every quality required for a modern defender - pace, power, height, tackling, as well as an old-school intelligence and reading of the game.

Those players, all younger than Bale, have moved on; moved up. This is the new generation, taking their first significant steps in the game and bringing with them the adulation, hopes and expectations of millions. Some will fall down the pecking order. Others will come from nowhere, blooming late. Excellent prospects will continue to be produced. 
What they need, thereafter, is the right club, the right environment for their football to grow. And the right environment for Bale is Real Madrid.

I know I have to kill a lion every day and continue to prove that I deserve a spot in the Brazil team

The Brazil international is No.13 on the Goal 50 after a 'magical' season and is determined to retain his starring role for the Selecao at next year's showpiece.

Confederations Cup hero Fred has used a choice Brazilian phrase to describe his burning desire to play at next year's World Cup, vowing to "kill a lion every day".
The 29-year-old enjoyed a "magical" 2012-13 campaign, topping the Brasileirao goalscoring charts to lead Fluminense to the title before striking twice in Brazil's Confederations Cup final victory over Spain.
“Of course, the closer the World Cup gets, the more the anxiety rises," Fred told Goal.
"I’m very happy to have been part of this winning group at the Confeds, but I know I have to kill a lion every day and continue to prove that I deserve a spot in the Brazil team for the next 10 months.
“Last year was magical. Fluminense’s Brasileirao campaign was amazing.  And so was my time with the Selecao. Both [coach Luiz Felipe] Scolari and [Team Director Carlos Alberto] Parreira supported me, kept me relaxed and trusted my ability, which allowed me to show my very best.
"We are on a great run with Brazil and we won this Confeds by beating some of the top international sides in the world - Spain, Italy and Uruguay."

"I know I have to kill a lion every day and continue to prove that I deserve a spot in the Brazil team"

Fred was joint top-scorer at the Confeds with five goals, and with the dress rehearsal having been an unrivalled success, he’s determined to retain his starring role at the main event.
In order to do so, he’s targeting more trophies at club level. Since returning home from Lyon in 2009, his goals have helped catapult Flu from relegation candidates to league champions in 2010 and 2012.
“It was very intense at the beginning,” he admits. But not anymore.
“Now we always want to win, and earn more titles. Every player needs that competitive spirit, which is something that never should be lost.
“The affection shown by the fans is very moving and makes me realize what I represent for this team. I’ll only fully understand it once I retire and see all of this from a certain distance. But I’m very happy at Fluminense. The club has adopted me as a son.
"The opportunity to wear the shirt of such an enormous club is a natural motivation."
Fred's performances in the Fluminense shirt have earned him a number of suitors. He has never been one of football’s nomads and insists he is happy where he is, but admits he cannot rule out a potential return to Europe.
“I’ve only played for four clubs. A lot of players much younger than me have already featured for 10 or 15 teams," he notes.
“I have no reason to think about leaving. But I don’t know if one day president Peter [Siemsen] and Mr. Celso [chairman of Unimad, the sponsor responsible for paying the club’s top earners] will call me and say that there is an offer that can’t be turned down.”
Fred's exploits saw him finish 13th in the Goal 50, above compatriot Neymar and stellar names such as Robert Lewandowski, Edinson Cavani and Andres Iniesta.
“It’s an honour to be on a list with such great players,” Fred enthused.
“I’m very happy that I’ve been remembered like this. It shows that my work and that of my club and country was well done. It’s hugely satisfying.
“It’s no surprise that the big European clubs come to Brazil to look for talent. This Goal 50 nomination shows that.
"I want to thank the Fluminense faithful for their affection and also the Brazilian fans for all their support during the Confederations Cup. A big hug to all of you - I hope that together we can win big things for bothFlu and the Selecao!"

Ecuador striker Benitez dies aged 27

The South American forward, who had enjoyed spells at Birmingham, Santos Laguna and Club America, was confirmed as having passed away on Monday.

Ecuador international Christian Benitez passed away on Monday age 27, his club El Jaish have confirmed.
The forward began suffering with severe stomach pain and was rushed to hospital in Qatar but suffered a deadly cardiac arrest.
The striker, nicknamed Chucho, had recently completed a move to the Doha-based outfit from Club America but he has passed away before making his debut."The club sends its condolences to Ecuadorean Christian Benitez, a professional footballer who died thismorning," El Jaish wrote on their official Twitter account.
Ecuadorian team-mate Antonio Valencia of Manchester United expressed his condolences having been informed of Benitez's death.
"You'll always be my brother. This pain is hard, my brother, but we love you," the winger, who also played alongside the 27-year-old at El Nacional, posted on Twitter.

Cleber Chala, another former team-mate of Benitez's at El Nacional, tweeted: "You will live in our hearts forever, Chucho."

The ex-Santos Laguna and Birmingham City forward appeared 58 times for Ecuador during his career, scoring 24 goals.

Dortmund show Guardiola they are ready to fight bayren

Jurgen Klopp's side secured the DFL-Supercup with a 4-2 win over the Bavarians and proved that they are ready to do battle with the treble-winners all the way this term.

And so the honeymoon is over. After a barnstorming pre-season, Pep Guardiola took charge of his first competitive Bayern Munich game on Saturday and was brought back to reality by a brilliant Borussia Dortmund performance.

Since the Spaniard's move to Germany was confirmed in January, with BVB star Mario Gotze following him in May, the whole world has been predicting a one-team Bundesliga, with the Bavarians streets ahead of the so-called competition.

But Jurgen Klopp's side have responded. From the first minute of their 4-2 victory, they were at their rivals, chasing them, harrying them, bullying them, and it certainly paid off.

On the back of their Champions League final loss to Bayern, Dortmund have been rebuilding, bringing proven quality to the club in the form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, ready to take their fight against die Roten's hegemony in Germany into the new season.

They thoroughly deserved their victory and their trophy and have got their season off to the perfect start.

For Pep, meanwhile, there is plenty to mull over. Bayern's signing of Thiago Alcantara raised some eyebrows, given the wealth of talent they already possessed in midfield, but his deployment as the sole defensive midfielder was a disaster - particularly given some of the brilliant passing he showcased when further up the pitch.

Time and time again, Dortmund were able to tear through the centre of the park with the boundless energy of Ilkay Gundogan and Sven Bender and punish their rivals. How the visitors missed the security Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger provided last term.

Had Guardiola wanted to play a recognised holding midfielder, he had Luiz Gustavo, a proven performer who was on song for his country during the recent Confederations Cup, sitting there on the bench. 

His 4-1-4-1 formation looks to be fraught with problems too. Thomas Muller found himself limited by his more conservative role, Arjen Robben, despite his two goals, was marginalised by his deeper starting position for much of the game and the full-backs struggled to find space until Dortmund grew a bit more tired.

They looked vulnerable on the break - just as they did during Wednesday's pre-season friendly with Barcelona. It was a far cry from the defensive brilliance that propelled them to a record-breaking Bundesliga campaign last term.

While it takes time for a team to learn a new formation, the potential pitfalls of this gameplan are there for all to see and they will need a more solid foundation against Germany and Europe's finest.

"The winner is always happy and the loser does not care too much - this is the great thing about the Supercup"

(Jurgen Klopp)

For BVB, they will feel vindicated. They failed to overcome Bayern on any of the five occasions they met last term and, though Klopp was quick to emphasise that he was not viewing the Supercup as a revenge mission, they have a much-needed win to give them some momentum ahead of the new season.

Last term, following a 2-1 win over BVB in the Supercup, Bayern were the quicker out of the blocks in the league, with Dortmund playing catch-up for the whole season until Jupp Heynckes' side's inevitable title triumph in April.

"It was an amazing game. I think you could see that both teams really wanted to win," Klopp said after the game. "The winner is always happy and the loser does not care too much - this is the great thing about the Supercup." And they will carry those high spirits into the season.

Of course, Bayern were missing key men in the form of Manuel Neuer, Dante, Martinez, Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Gotze, but the hosts were without the services of Lukasz Piszczek and Henrikh Mkhitaryan - key players in their own right.

German football is back after a two-month absence and far from having a walk in the park, Guardiola's Bayern will be pushed all the way by the Schwarzgelben this term.

Defeat to Dortmund would be inexcuseable,claims pep Guardiola

The 42-year-old insists he will be his own harshest critic should he fail to win the DFL-Supercup at the home of their closest rivals on Saturday.

Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola says he will have no excuses if he fails to beat Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup at Signal Iduna Park this weekend. The former Barcelona coach will secure his first piece of silverware as the Bavarians with a triumph over last season's Bundesliga runners-up, but although the tie is on Dortmund home turf, Guardiola insists a defeat would be inexcusable for a club of Bayern's standing.

He told reporters: "It is the first time I will coach in Signal Iduna Park. I have been told it is a very special experience, but a final is always special.
"It is a title and a title is always important. It is an honor to challenge for this trophy but if you are Bayern coach, you have no excuses or apologies if you lose."
Bayern edged out BVB in last season's Supercup before beating them in both the DFB-Pokal last eight and Champions League final, but Guardiola is under no illusions as to how tough it will be to beat Jurgen Klopp's men this weekend.
"Klopp has done a super, super job with BVB. They are two-time Bundesliga winners and it is a good experience for me to play against his team," he continued.
"Dortmund have a very good goalkeeper with [Roman] Weidenfeller. [Mats] Hummels and [Neven] Subotic will be excellent like they were before and [Marco] Reus is very intelligent.

"They also have danger on the flanks, and up front there is a very good striker in Robert Lewandowski."
Much has been made of Mario Gotze ahead of the tie after his €37 million switch from Dortmund to Bayern, but Guardiola has confirmed the Germany starlet is part of a group of stars sidelined through injury.
"Manuel Neuer and Franck Ribery are injured so they will not play," he said.
"Bastian [Schweinsteiger] has barely played. We are also missing Mario Gotze and Holger Badstuber."

Saturday's Super Cup clash is scheduled to kick-off at 20:30 CET

Barcelona prepare €29m bid for chelsea’s David Luiz

The Brazil international is the Spanish champions' primary centre-back target, while Jose Mourinho is unconvinced about the 26-year-old's defensive capabilities

Barcelona have stepped up their defender search by preparing a €29 million move for Chelsea's David Luiz,

The Catalan giants are readying a bid for the Brazilian after making him their primary centre-back target.
It is believed that Barca have enquired about Luiz’s availability and have been given encouragement that Chelsea could be willing to sell the 26-year-old.
The Spanish champions, who have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign the Brazil international in the past, are putting together a lucrative package to entice the Brazilian to Camp Nou and informal discussions have already started with his representatives.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is unconvinced about Luiz’s defensive abilities and is ready to cash in on the defender and sign a new centre-half, with Doria, an 18-year-old Brazilian who plays for Botafogo, among those on his target list.
Barca want to reinforce their back four by signing a left-sided centre-back to provide competition to Carles Puyol, 35, after releasing Eric Abidal.

 The Spanish club targeted Thiago Silva and Arsenal pair Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen earlier in the summer, and also offered €20m to Roma for Marquinhos before being trumped to his signature by Paris Saint-Germain.

Barca have now turned their attention to landing Luiz, who has developed into a fans’ favourite at Stamford Bridge since moving from Benfica in January 2011.
The player was a regular first choice under Rafael Benitez last season and was frequently picked ahead of club captain John Terry.
However, new boss Mourinho has misgivings about Luiz’s defensive aptitude and wants to use the money from selling him to buy a replacement..