Liverpool still perfect this season

(CNN) -- When the English Premier League season began, Liverpool wasn't thought to be one of the title contenders.

The Reds might be changing the minds of a few after beating Manchester United, traditionally its fiercest rival, 1-0 at Anfield thanks to another goal from birthday boy Daniel Sturridge.

Liverpool owns a perfect 3-0 record in the league -- its best start in nearly 20 years -- and has yet to concede.

And this without still suspended forward Luis Suarez.

"I think we've been working hard as a team since the start of the season," Sturridge, who turned 24, told Sky Sports. "In pre-season the manager emphasized that.

"It's about the team, not about individuals, and it's showing on the field the dedication we've put in on the training ground."

Sturridge reacted quickest to Daniel Agger's headed flick off a corner kick in the fourth minute Sunday and Liverpool was mostly comfortable thereafter.

New keeper Simon Mignolet was indeed rarely tested despite United having most of the possession, with United striker Robin van Persie squandering his team's top chance in the dying minutes.

"It is a great win for our belief," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was quoted as saying by the BBC. "Last season we drew too many of the big games and we lost both times to Manchester United."

The visitors' cause wasn't helped beforehand when Wayne Rooney was ruled out after suffering a head injury in training. He is set to miss England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Sturridge could be the man to fill the void in the starting lineup, already netting five times in all competitions, although he continues to carry a slight thigh injury.

While Liverpool has started the campaign strong, Manchester United fell to one win, one loss and one draw under new manager David Moyes.

"I thought we played really well," Moyes was quoted as saying by the BBC. "We had long periods of the game but couldn't score."

The slow start will likely increase Moyes' desire to land a new player or two ahead of Monday's transfer deadline in England.

United has been quiet in the market in the off-season, thus far failing to lure midfielder Cesc Fabregas away from Barcelona. A bid for Everton pair Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini was also rejected.

"We will keep working for what's left of the window but I've got to say I was really happy with the performance here," Moyes said. "Maybe in the next few hours we will get a chance to do something but we couldn't give you a heads-up on anything."

There was a minute's applause for legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly on the eve of what would have been his 100th birthday and the atmosphere seemed to lift the home side.

Agger beat United defender Rio Ferdinand to the ball on the corner and then Sturridge poked it into the net with his head.

"I just anticipated the header from Dan," said Sturridge.

Unable to create much going forward, United's frustration grew and van Persie exchanged angry words with Steven Gerrard.

Mignolet was comfortable in keeping out Nani's drive in the 77th minute and then van Persie shot wide -- with his right foot -- from a tight angle off Javier Hernandez's through ball in the 87th.

Another hot striker

Sturridge isn't the only hot striker in the Premier League.

Olivier Giroud matched him by scoring for the third straight time in the league and Arsenal blanked a Tottenham without Gareth Bale 1-0 at the Gunners' Emirates Stadium.

Giroud, bought last year to help fill the void created by van Persie's move to United, converted Theo Walcott's low cross in the 23rd minute.

Both keepers had to be sharp in an open North London derby but especially Tottenham's Hugo Lloris, who denied Walcott and Giroud.

Tottenham poured forward in a frantic finish, though couldn't find an equalizer.

Spurs and Arsenal now have identical records in the league at two wins and a loss.

While Tottenham has made seven signings this summer in anticipation of Bale's probable transfer to Real Madrid, Arsenal has merely brought in two free transfers even with ample funds available.

Manager Arsene Wenger, however, hinted it could be a busy Monday.

"Maybe we'll have a good surprise for you," he told Sky Sports. "We're working very hard."

In the lone other game in the Premier League, Swansea recorded its first league win by downing still-winless West Bromwich Albion 2-0 away.

French striker Nicolas Anelka returned for West Brom after taking time off due to the death of his agent.

Via: Liverpool still perfect this season

Relief for Man City boss

(CNN) -- It was far from convincing but Manchester City beat Hull 2-0 in the English Premier League to bounce back from a defeat against another newly promoted side.

Second-half substitute Alvaro Negredo netted the winner when he beat keeper Allan McGregor in the 65th minute and Yaya Toure made sure of the victory with a stunning free kick in the 90th.

Although still early in the campaign, Manchester City was under pressure following a 3-2 loss at Cardiff City on Sunday after taking the lead.

Read: Cardiff stuns City

Had Hull converted any of its three good chances in the opening half Saturday, the result might have been different and more pressure would have been felt by new City boss Manuel Pellegrini.

"It was hard work," Pellegrini was quoted as saying by the BBC. "Every match is going to be hard work. Hull defended very well.

"We know you have to give 100% to win every match but I think today that we were more concentrated in defense than" against Cardiff.

Manchester City, the champion two seasons ago and expected to contend for the title this campaign with Manchester United and Chelsea, improved to two wins and a loss.

Chelsea has seven points through three games while United faces Liverpool on Sunday after registering a win and draw in its opening two fixtures.

Hull slipped to a win and two losses but manager Steve Bruce must have felt his side deserved better at the Etihad Stadium.

"The way we played, against one of the best teams in Europe, gives us enormous confidence," Bruce was quoted as saying by the BBC. "I think we have proved to a few people that we can play at this level."

Still without injured captain Vincent Kompany, City's defense looked shaky and Hull striker Sone Aluko should have done better when he was in alone on struggling keeper Joe Hart.

He shot wide.

Danny Graham had a goal disallowed for offside after a stunning cross from Robbie Brady and Robert Koren's low drive fizzed a yard wide.

"We cannot come here and have chances like we have had and not take one," said Bruce.

McGregor, meanwhile, tipped over Joleon Lescott's header.

Pellegrini brought on Negredo for Edin Dzeko to start the second and the move paid dividends when the Spanish international headed home Pablo Zabaleta's fine cross.

City failed to add to the lead until Toure's effort. It was his second goal from a free kick this season following a strike versus Newcastle.

Respite for Pardew

The Magpies scored their first league goal of the season to beat Fulham 1-0. Hatem Ben Arfa's late strike eased some of the pressure on relieved Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.

"You can't predict when you are going to score but what you can predict is your performance and in the second half we were terrific," Pardew was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Cardiff followed up Sunday's victory by holding Everton 0-0, the Toffees' third consecutive draw.

Newly promoted Crystal Palace won its first league game, beating slumping Sunderland 3-1, and Stoke recorded a rare away win, 1-0 at West Ham. Norwich blanked Southampton -- which isn't easy -- 1-0.

Via: Relief for Man City boss

Yet another hat-trick for Lionel Messi

(CNN) -- On the day that Gareth Bale commanded headlines by joining Real Madrid in a big-money move, Lionel Messi made news by scoring a hat-trick for Barcelona in a 3-2 win against Valencia.

Messi's treble was his 23rd in the league for Barcelona and handed the away side a 3-0 advantage within 41 minutes at the Mestalla.

Barcelona then had to hang on at times after Helder Postiga netted a brace just before halftime. The home side also had a pair of penalty appeals waved away by the referee.

"We could have ended with a 3-3, 2-3 or 2-5," Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino told the club website. "Regardless of what could have happened I would leave here very pleased with how the team played. We found what we were looking for."

Read: Bale deal finally done

Cesc Fabregas set up Messi's first two goals after good work from holding midfielder Sergio Busquets, and summer signing Neymar linked up with the Argentine on the third.

Brazilian forward Neymar and Messi started together for the first time in the league after neither found the net in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup last week.

"There was concern about how Neymar and Messi were going to interact on the pitch after they played their first match together," Martino said. "They fixed that in less than 24 hours."

Barcelona has won all three of its league games, like arch-rival Real Madrid.

Several hours before Bale's deal was announced, Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal -- Messi has five -- with a header from Angel di Maria's perfect cross.

But it was 21-year-old Spanish international Isco and Bale's former teammate at Tottenham, Luka Modric, who earned praise from Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Isco, a summer arrival from Malaga, accounted for the two other goals and Modric impressed with his work rate in midfield.

"He was fantastic," Ancelotti told Madrid's website, referring to Modric.

Switching to Isco, Ancelotti added: "He is playing very well and he makes it look like he's been here for years. He has character and ability and that is very important for us."

Dortmund on a roll

Only one team in the Bundesliga remains unbeaten through four games -- and it's Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 thanks to a double from midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Mkhitaryan scored his first two goals for Dortmund after his $35 million transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk.

It wasn't a vintage display by the Champions League runner-up but manager Jurgen Klopp wasn't arguing with the result.

"We have to play better football, there's no question," Klopp was quoted as saying by AP. "I've seen a few weaknesses in our build-up play and ideally we need to defend better. Still, with 12 points after four games, this is complaining at a high level."

Defending champion Bayern Munich trails Dortmund by two points.

In Ligue 1, Monaco moved atop the table with a 2-1 win over previously unbeaten Marseille. Marseille led 1-0 at home before Radamel Falcao and Emmanuel Riviere scored in the second half.

Falcao and Riviere have already combined for eight goals this term.

Via: Yet another hat-trick for Lionel Messi

Messi makes further payment in tax case

(CNN) -- Four-time world soccer player of the year Lionel Messi and his father have paid Spanish authorities $6.6 million after allegedly committing tax fraud between 2007 and 2009.

The "reparatory" payment was made on August 14 and includes interest, the High Court said in a statement sent to CNN. It covers the period between 2007 and 2009, Spanish media reported.

The move comes more than two months after Messi paid $13 million in taxes to cover the tax period of 2010-2011.

Messi is due to appear in court on September 17 but one of his lawyers is requesting to "suspend" the date of his testimony, according to the statement.

A decision is expected within two days.

When it went public that he was under investigation, Messi said on his Facebook page that he had done nothing wrong.

"We are surprised about the news, because we have never committed any infringement," he said in June. "We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants, who will take care of clarifying this situation."

The off-field issues haven't affected the Argentine international's performances for Barcelona.

He scored all three goals for Barcelona in its 3-2 win at Valencia on Sunday and has netted five league goals in his two games.

Via: Messi makes further payment in tax case

Real Madrid don't do austerity

(CNN) -- Real Madrid doesn't do austerity.

While recession-hit Spain continues to wrestle with the financial crisis, Real has spent big again by making Gareth Bale one of the most expensive football players -- if not the most expensive -- in history. The clubs didn't reveal the official fee Sunday when his switch was confirmed.

Europe's most illustrious club has previous experience in this regard and since the turn of the century, Real has broken the world transfer record on at least four occasions, with two-time president Florentino Perez eager to recruit what he refers to as "Galactico" star names.

But even Perez, the man for whom money is no object, momentarily winced at the fee commanded by Tottenham Hotspur for Bale earlier in August.

"100 million seems a lot to me," Perez told ESPN Deportes.

Eventually, he refused to blink and in a country where unemployment is at 26.3%, the nine-time European champion has once again raised the bar in the transfer market.

"Bale's a very good player," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino told reporters a week ago when asked about Real's pursuit of the Welsh winger. "But the numbers are a lack of respect to the world in general."

At a time when most of Spain doesn't have two euros to rub together, you'd have thought Real's level of spending might also rile Madridistas -- but not a bit of it.

The view among many Real fans is that the club is a private enterprise and can do what it likes with the money that it has.

Their disdain is for Spain's political and financial establishment, rather than Perez and Real.

"What is truly immoral is how our leaders and banks steal from us, although if I think about it I'm not sure why I am surprised. They are just a reflection of the society in this country," 34-year-old warehouseman Enrique Gil told CNN.

"I consider it entertainment, something far removed from my day to day. I've never been interested in the financial aspects of football and it hasn't impacted on my support for Madrid," added Ignacio Servan, a psychologist and long-term season ticket holder at Real's Bernabeu stadium.

"Nothing must change your hobbies," added 36-year-old journalist Pablo Garcia Reales, who is back working having been unemployed for four months.

Read: Does football's transfer fee need fixing?

Servan and Reales are not alone in their views.

Fellow Real fan Antonio Velasco, who regularly attends the team's home matches, detaches the frivolity of football from the financial hardships faced by most Spaniards.

"It's important to contextualize and not mix both," explains 32-year-old marketing manager Velasco.

"As high as the fee may seem, I'm sure that the decision makers in Real Madrid would not spend this sum of money without being sure of a return on the investment."

However, Velasco was keen to explain how the Spanish people have had to adjust to living in unsettling times.

"It's hard to not be affected by things; one cannot help but be moved by families being removed from their homes by force, family and friends being laid-off, social cutbacks and an uncertain economic future," he added.

"The doubt is not good for the general state of mind but we've learned and are learning to cope with uncertainty."

Not every fan finds it so easy to turn a blind eye to football's excesses.

Spanish professional football has combined debts of $5.4 billion, while according to Spanish economist Jose Maria Gay de Liebana, Real's debts are approaching $800 million.

"As a Spanish citizen I think it is absolutely immoral," said marketing manager Javier Santos Martinez.

"I don't believe a football club can stop paying millions but a small family company must pay or they will have to close the business. If you take a look you'll be able to find every Spanish team owes a huge quantity."

Another Real supporter, Miguel Angel Lopez, who is currently unemployed, goes to Madrid's matches when he can.

Although unsettled by the huge sums of money involved in the transfer, Lopez understands that, ultimately, Real is free to operate as it pleases.

"It's a hell of a lot of money and it makes me uncomfortable that a sports person can generate this type of transfer fee," said Lopez.

"But with the club being a private company they can offer what they want, with a view to recouping the fee over time and turning a profit with the money generated by Bale."

Read: Death of Serie A exaggerated

Telecommunications worker Patrica Manzanares Lopez, 31, who has been forced to rent two hours from Madrid due to the economic crisis, added: "Florentino is a businessman and knows he will win twice with advertising, because Bale is a good player."

Jose Coria Fernandez is a worker on the Madrid underground who has not had a pay rise in six years. He thinks the money spent on the Bale deal is symptomatic of widespread financial irresponsibility in Spanish football.

"There are degrees of immorality about this fee and the money being generated by the bigger teams in the modern game," said Fernandez.

"Most clubs in Spain live financially beyond their means and as long as the football governing bodies turn a blind eye, and they get special treatment from the Spanish revenue system, this won't change.

"The banks seem to be happy to lend the major clubs these sums of money and they are treated in a way other companies aren't."

Bale's arrival is the latest example of Real and archrival Barcelona importing expensive, top-level players, while other less wealthy La Liga clubs try and keep pace.

Many of these smaller clubs are seeing the best Spanish players depart for foreign leagues.

The situation within Spanish football has become so dire that Juan Ramon Canadas, an armchair Real fan who attends games sporadically, finds himself drawn to city rival Atletico Madrid.

"I watch less and less Spanish football as the league is a competition between just two teams," reasoned Canadas.

"I tend to watch more Champions League football. I've started to become fond of teams such as Atletico Madrid who do well with inferior financial resources."

He considers the enormous Bale fee to be "an embarrassment and a shame."

"It does nothing to promote true sporting values and does nothing to add to community spirit, it's pure business," he argued.

"If they pay this fee it's because they know that it will be profitable via TV rights, image rights, etc.

"It turns me off Real Madrid."

Real hope the signing of Bale will help the team win a record 10th European Cup, the fabled, sought-after "Decima."

If the Welshman scores the winning goal in the final of this season's Champions League, would Canadas be able to put aside his price tag and celebrate?

"Inevitably I'll celebrate it," he conceded. "Once the money has been paid, one has to take advantage of the situation."

Via: Real Madrid don't do austerity

Bale mania as record signing unveiled

(CNN) -- Real Madrid Football Club has unveiled world-record transfer signing Gareth Bale to thousands of fans inside the Bernabeu Stadium.

The former Tottenham Hotspur winger, who cost the Spanish giants a reported $132 million (85 million), was officially welcomed by Real Madrid President Florentino Perez at a press conference on Monday.

The 24-year-old said it was "absolutely amazing" to have joined the Spanish giants adding he hoped to help the team to success and win a 10th European Cup this season.

A suited Bale then changed into his new kit before stepping out on to the pitch to greet hoards of adoring Madrid fans.

Earlier, Perez praised the Welsh Intenational who has been named Footballer of the Year in England twice and scored 26 goals in 44 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur last season.

Read more: Bale becomes latest 'Galactico'

"We are in this temple of Real Madrid to incorporate a new man who knows very clearly what are the values of this club," Perez said.

"A man who has been chosen as the best player in the Premier League last season. A young footballer but with great qualities, committed to the sport and whose dream has been to be a Real Madrid player.

Read more: Transfer deadline day latest

"Gareth you are going to help us to make the legend of this club even greater and stronger. This is your stadium, your shirt, your badge and your fans. From today this is your home."

The Welshman passed a medical on Monday morning with flying colors according to the head of Real Madrid's medical team, Carlos Diez.

Read more: Award-winner Bale destined for greatness?

"As always, we follow a protocol and we have done all the investigations and all the cardiorespiratory and biomechanical studies and the truth is that he is in excellent physical condition and available for the coaching staff when they see fit.," Diez said in a statement on the Real Madrid website.

"I highlight the physical condition he is in. He arrives at the club a physical marvel and we think he will serve the club well," he added.

Bale's unveiling at the Bernabeu concludes this summer's most high profile and protracted transfer saga.

The Welshman has made no secret of his desire to join Madrid admitting it was a "dream come true" on Tottenham Hotspur's website on Sunday.

Blog: Is Bale money distasteful?

"I am not sure there is ever a good time to leave a club where I felt settled and was playing the best football of my career to date," Bale's statement read. "I know many players talk of their desire to join the club of their boyhood dreams, but I can honestly say, this is my dream come true."

Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy said it was never his wish to sell Bale, but the club were forced to bow to the inevitable.

"Such has been the attention from Real Madrid and so great is Gareth's desire to join them, that we have taken the view that the player will not be sufficiently committed to our campaign in the current season," Levy told Tottenham's website.

Bale has agreed a six-year contract with Madrid which will see him reportedly earn around $13.2 million a year after tax.

The reported $132 million (85 millon) fee sees Madrid break their own world transfer record set when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for $124.6 million (80 million) in 2009.

Via: Bale mania as record signing unveiled

Spanish lessons for Gareth Bale

(CNN) -- It might be better to travel than arrive, but in the case of British footballers succeeding abroad the journey has all too often been painful -- and all too frequently they have returned home after barely arriving.

Quite what Gareth Bale's $134 million journey to Real Madrid brings is open to conjecture, but with his painfully protracted transfer now concluded, the hard part really begins.

The spotlight on a British footballer on a global stage has never been greater, with the 24-year-old having eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo as the world's most expensive player of all time.

But there are no guarantees that Bale will live up to the price tag nor shine in La Liga. After all, many of the great and good of British football have faltered away from home.

Read: Bale mania in Madrid

"Why are there over the last 40 years only about five English players who have done well abroad?" said Dutch great Johan Cruyff, who both played for and coached Real's rivals Barcelona. "There's something going on there, something strange."

Herbert Kilpin was the first British footballer to ply his trade overseas professionally in 1891 and he was a founding member of Italian club AC Milan eight years later.

There have been others to have made their mark since: John Charles at Juventus, Gary Lineker at Barcelona and, most recently, David Beckham at Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

But for the successes, there have been under-performances and failures, ranging from Ian Rush, who was famously but falsely quoted as saying his spell in Juventus was "like playing in a foreign country," to fellow striker Mark Hughes, who managed just four goals in 28 games at Barcelona.

The language barrier is often given as the main reason for the initial struggle for Brits who have failed to settle.

It is no surprise that among those to shine were the players who swotted up on the lingo early on. David Platt began Italian lessons while still at Aston Villa -- a move to Bari then just a possibility -- while Steve McManaman mastered Spanish quickly to become at ease almost instantly with Real Madrid teammates and fans alike.

Looking back on his foreign sojourn, Lineker recalled: "I looked at British players who went abroad and were successful. They were the ones who learned the language and adapted to the culture. The ones that didn't tended to be home pretty quickly."

One of the current crop of Britons on the continent is Kris Thackray, currently with German side Alemannia Aachen, who has also had spells with Italian sides in five seasons away from home so far.

"Leaving home and settling in was difficult," he said of the early days abroad. "The complete change of culture from food, people, climate and mainly the language was challenging.

"The language is the most important thing, not knowing it isolates you and stops you from expressing your personality and prevents you from understanding simple messages on and off the pitch."

Read more: Bale becomes latest 'Galactico'

Rush never really mastered the language and, as a result, felt a lonely figure in the Juve dressing room while Paul Gascoigne made no secret of being homesick while in Serie A with Lazio as he never managed more than a few token phrases of Italian.

Chris Waddle, who won three league titles in France with Marseille as well as reaching the 1991 European Cup final, said that it took three months to learn the language and, after that, he slotted right in.

But language is not the sole barrier, the cultural differences as a whole are a more deep-rooted issue for many, and, like with Gazza, plain old home sickness.

Rush used to get his family to bring over digestive biscuits while former England goalkeeper Scott Carson, who spent two seasons in Turkey with Bursaspor, repeatedly bemoaned a lack of baked beans.

Jamie Lawrence is a young English player who has been in Holland since the age of 16. He initially joined Ajax in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam and now, aged 21, plays for RKC Waalwijk's under-23 team.

His advice for Bale would be to immerse himself in the Spanish culture, which in turn will help him settle into the Madrid way of life.

"The great thing about moving to a new country is all the new experiences," London-born Lawrence told CNN. "If you don't put too much pressure on yourself, you can really enjoy it.

"I would say learn the most you can about the Spanish culture and become a part of it. I lived in an English culture for 16 years, moved here and it's completely different. It's so great the culture here, I'm involved in it."

Read: Award-winner Bale destined for greatness?

For others, the issue was of being the virtual alien in the midst of a new bunch of players.

Kevin Keegan was a huge success story abroad with a spell at Hamburg, which resulted in two Bundesliga titles and with him twice being named European Footballer of the Year.

But things started far from well, with reports that some players would not even pass to him in training, unhappy he had been brought to the German club.

So, playing abroad -- for a Brit or otherwise -- takes a certain strength of character. Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore admitted he wasn't up to such a culture shock, leaving Spanish side Real Oviedo after just three appearances for the club.

So how exactly does Bale avoid falling into the trap of some of his esteemed predecessors? After all, Real fans can be a heartless bunch, whatever the price tag. One former player, Jonathan Woodgate, another Brit, was voted the worst signing of the 21st Century in a poll by Spanish newspaper Marca.

"The world has been littered with English players who haven't adjusted to being a big player at a European club," journalist Michael Calvin, who has regularly crossed paths with Bale during his meteoric rise over the past three years, told CNN.

"He knows he is a disposal commodity. If he doesn't perform he is toast."

Making sure he does not fall by the wayside particularly with the size and variety of expectation -- from what he does on the field to off it -- is the big trick.

"Real Madrid and Perez are looking at him as helping them launch into a completely different commercial market," added Calvin, author of the recently published "Nowhere Men," which looks at football's unknown football talent spotters -- a club's scouts.

"They want him to do a Beckham and his world is going to change irrevocably. He is right up in the upper strata.

"Is this a top three player and can he drive that commercial momentum? Can he operate in the same side as Ronaldo? Is he Ronaldo lite? Will he have physical weaknesses? It is unique opportunity and unique challenge.

"He will need that foundation stone of his family and his friends. It is a huge leap from being the boy at home playing FIFA to being the hope of world football."

Calvin, though, also makes the point that Bale is no innocent bystander in all this.

"The whole scorpion dance of a big move comes in," added Calvin. "He understands his clout. He is not an innocent. People in his situation aren't innocent. They are products of an occasionally brutal world."

Read: Real Madrid doesn't do austerity

In Spain, there is the goldfish bowl aspect for Bale to encounter along with his partner Emma Rhys-Jones, bigger at Real than at most clubs in the world.

Already, Bale has made about a third of Spanish newspaper Marca's front pages in August alone.

On the issue of the media spotlight, Calvin said: "His parents are model parents and helped him get through an academy system, which is predisposed to producing bad Dads and mad Mums.

"That value structure will come under unprecedented scrutiny and he will have to quickly get used to the current absurdities of that world. That's where he is going to have to readjust and recalibrate his life."

It could go a number of ways.

He could become Charles, nicknamed the gentle giant and voted Juventus' greatest foreign import above Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini, or else McMamanan, who is still talked favorably about by the Madridistas after winning the Champions League in his first season with Real.

Or else he could do down the Woodgate route, of being reviled rather than revered. The eyes of the world will be watching which way it goes.

Via: Spanish lessons for Gareth Bale