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The striker left the Bianconeri for pastures new on Thursday and the Italian revealed he had little option but to sanction his exit in a bid to balance the books
Antonio Conte has revealed Juventus were forced to sell Alessandro Matri to AC Milan for financial reasons after he moved to the Rossoneri in an €11 million deal.
The Bianconeri have enjoyed a productive summer transfer window, with Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tevez and Angelo Ogbonna all arriving at the club, but those deals have left a sizeable dent in the Old Lady's balance sheet.
In a bid to balance the books, Conte sanctioned Matri's exit on Thursday, having already sold Emmanuele Giaccherini to Sunderland, but admitted he did so with a heavy heart.
The 44-year-old told reporters: "Matri's departure was a painful decision for us but the current economic conditions in Italian football mean we're forced to sell.
"The sales of Matri and Giaccherini were painful decisions to make. I hear everyone say that the gap over the chasing pack has increased, when in reality we’ve been forced to lose an Italian international and a player who scored the most goals over the past two years and was also an important figure in the dressing room.
"This should represent a clear sign that the current economic conditions in Italian football also apply to Juventus. Aside from certain exceptions such as Napoli, clubs need to sell if they want to buy and we needed to recoup the €20 million spent on Tevez, Llorente and Ogbonna.”
Juve face Lazio on Saturday just a matter of weeks after dismantling the Biancocelesti 4-0 in the Italian Super Cup, but Conte is expecting a completely different encounter this time around.
"Tomorrow will be a different game entirely. A trophy was handed out in Rome and we’re happy to have won it, but the final score doesn’t reflect the difference between the sides.
"As I said after the Supercoppa game, the result didn't mirror the gap between the two teams, there isn't a gap and I'm expecting a very tough game.
"We know very well that the game two weeks ago against Lazio was for the Supercoppa and we won it and we're very happy about that.
"Having said that, the chapter is over. Tomorrow's game will be different, from any point of view."
Reigning Serie A champions Juventus face their first home game of the season in a potentially tricky encounter with Lazio on Saturday.
The fixture is a repeat of the Supercoppa Italia meeting between the sides earlier this month, which Antonio Conte's side won 4-0.The Turin club began their quest for a third successive Serie A title with a 1-0 success over Sampdoria thanks to a second-half strike from new signing Carlos Tevez last week and will look to build on that against Vladimir Petkovic's men.
But they will be wary of Lazio's confident 2-1 performance against Udinese in their season opener.Juventus will be without midfielder Claudio Marchisio (knee), while winger Simeone Pepe is stepping up his comeback after a series of hamstring injuries have kept him out of first-team action since Juventus' fixture against Lazio in November last year.
The 29-year-old said he is hopeful of featuring soon, and in the meantime warned his team-mates not to take Lazio lightly."I feel good and everything's going well at present," he told the club's official website. "We'll keep assessing my condition with the backroom staff on a daily basis, but I'm training well and that's the most important thing."The team put on a perfect performance in the Super Cup and when they play like that it's tough for the others. However, last year's games against Lazio were difficult encounters and our opponents will also have the bit between their teeth, so we must remain alert."
Elsewhere on Saturday, Rafael Benitez will look to build on his perfect start as Napoli manager when his side travel to the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi to face Chievo.The Naples outfit ran out 3-0 winners over Bologna through a double from Marek Hamsik and one from new signing Jose Callejon.
Milan completed a 4-1 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven to qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stages in midweek, and they are looking for a swift response to their disappointing 2-1 loss away to Serie A new-boys Verona on the opening day when they welcome Cagliari to San Siro on Sunday.
Other fixtures see Atalanta and Bologna welcome Torino and Sampdoria, while Livorno and Parma are on their travels to Sassuolo and Udinese respectively. Walter Mazzarri's stint as Inter manager began with a 2-0 win over Genoa, with late strikes coming from Yuto Nagatomo and Rodrigo Palacio.
And the former Napoli boss will look to continue his winning start when his new side face-off against Catania at the Stadio Angelo Massimino.Also on Sunday, Roma play host to Verona at the Stadio Olimpico, while Fiorentina face a difficult away fixture at Genoa.
Milan close to completing deal to re-sign former world record transfer Kaka from Real
By JOHN DRAYTON PUBLISHED: 20:18 GMT, 1 September 2013 | UPDATED: 00:16 GMT, 2 September 2013
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani is attempting to bring Brazilian forward Kaka back to San Siro on a free transfer - but the Real Madrid player is yet to agree terms with the Italian club. The 31-year-old last week admitted he wanted to leave the Santiago Bernabeu after four years - having joined from Milan for a reported £56million in 2009 - and Rossoneri chief Galliani has moved quickly to try and bring the Ballon d'Or winner back to Serie A. Kaka is set to sign a reported two-year contract with Milan - on greatly reduced terms - while Real president Florentino Perez is not asking for financial compensation, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport.
Former world record signing: AC Milan have agreed a deal with Real Madrid to take back Kaka
Speaking to reporters from the Italian newspaper outside Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, Galliani said: 'He hasn't signed with Milan, therefore he is not a Milan player.'Kaka won the Champions League and one Scudetto during his six years in Milan and lifted the Primera Division trophy with Real in 2012. But when speaking after scoring twice for Madrid in Thursday's 4-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna in the Trofeo Teresa Herrera, Kaka said in AS: 'I want to go.'I think now is the right time for me and for the club to leave amicably. I've spoken with (Madrid coach Carlo) Ancelotti and with the club, they all know.' My father is talking now with the club to try and resolve this situation.'Things are now difficult for me in the team and the club know what I want. It's my obligation to work hard and continue training, but my father is already working to see if something comes up. I think that it's best for me and for the club.'Kaka has also scored 29 goals in 87 appearances for Brazil and has represented the Selecao at three World Cups.
Recovered: Kaka has found it difficult to break into the Madrid side after suffering several seasons of injuries
Serie A Wrap: Juventus, Napoli hit four in comfortable wins
1 September 2013
Juventus and Napoli each hit four to continue their fine starts to the Serie A season on Saturday.
The Turin outfit continued their Serie A title defence with a 4-1 home win over Lazio.
Antonio Conte's men got off to a solid start as they set out to attack from kick-off and opened the scoring 14 minutes in. Paul Pogba spotted the advancing run of Arturo Vidal and picked him out with an exquisite lofted pass into the area allowing the Chilean to bring it down and poke into the goal.
Vidal’s bursts from midfield were proving unstoppable and he doubled his tally just before the half-hour mark as he broke the offside trap, controlled Leonardo Bonucci's long pass and stroked the ball under a helpless Federico Marchetti.
Lazio replied less than a minute later as Gianluigi Buffon could not hold on to Hernanes' powerful shot and Miroslav Klose slid in to bury the rebound, but Mirko Vucinic eventually re-established the two-goal advantage four minutes after the break as he latched on to another long pass from Bonucci and slotted home.
A red card for Hernanes soon followed as he attempted to knock a cross towards goal with his hand and was shown a second yellow card, before Carlos Tevez wrapped up the win for Juventus with a placed shot.
Napoli remain top in the embryonic Serie A table, after they thrashed Chievo 4-2 away from home.
Rafael Benitez's side took the lead in the 13th minute as Lorenzo Insigne cut in from the left and laid the ball off for Marek Hamsik who found the net from the edge of the area. Their lead did not last long, however.
Eleven minutes later Perparim Hetemaj brought down a lofted ball on the right flank before volleying a low cross into the area and Alberto Paloschi diverted the ball past Pepe Reina.
Chievo had not been level for five minutes when Gonzalo Higuain surged into the left-hand side of the hosts' penalty area and squared for his former Real Madrid teammate Jose Callejon to tap into an empty net, but Paloschi hit back again before half-time.
After the break, however, Chievo would not prove to be so resilient as two goals in the space of six minutes settled the match.
Hamsik grabbed his second of the game in the 64th minute, a goal which saw him become the first player to score twice in each of the first two Serie A matches of the season since Alessandro Del Piero managed it in 2002-03, while Higuain rounded off the win soon after.
Serie A Wrap: Inter, Milan impress with fine wins
2 September 2013
Milan and Inter won convincingly against Cagliari and Catania respectively to send a strong message out to the rest of Serie A on Sunday.
Goals from Robinho, Philippe Mexes and Mario Balotelli helped Milan to a 3-1 victory over Cagliari, for whom Marco Sau netted.
The win capped off a week that began with a shock defeat against Hellas Verona and saw Milan book their place in the UEFA Champions League group stages.
City rivals Inter made it two wins from two with a resounding 3-0 success over a struggling Catania side now in the bottom three.
Rodrigo Palacio opened the scoring for Inter after 19 minutes before setting up Yuto Nagatomo to double his side's lead.
A spectacular Ricky Alvarez strike 11 minutes from time completed the scoring as Inter put down a marker ahead of the upcoming clash after the international break with champions Juventus, who also have maximum points.
Udinese responded to their Europa League exit in midweek by beating Parma 3-1 thanks to goals from Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Thomas Heurtaux and Luis Fernando Muriel.
Antonio Cassano opened his Parma account in reply.
Fiorentina smashed five past Genoa in a 5-2 win.
Mario Gomez netted his first Serie A goals following his switch from Bayern Munich with a brace, including a late penalty, with a Giuseppe Rossi double and an Alberto Aquilani effort making all the difference.
Roma swept aside Hellas Verona 3-0 to continue their impressive record over them at Stadio Olimpico.
An own goal from Fabrizio Cacciatore and further goals from Miralem Pjanic and Adem Ljajic made it six consecutive Serie A wins over Verona in Rome.
Elsewhere, Sassuolo search for their first Serie A point continues as they lost to 4-1 to Livorno, Atalanta beat Torino 2-0 and Bologna drew 2-2 at home to Sampdoria.
Moratti: Milan signing Kaka an excellent move The Inter supremo has welcomed back the experienced midfielder with open arms following his return to the Italian top flight
Sunderland seal late loan moves for Borini and Dossena The Liverpool forward and Napoli full-back have joined on year-long deals to link up with fellow Italian Paolo Di Canio at the Stadium of Light
Verona sign Iturbe from Porto The recently promoted outfit have confirmed the capture of the 20-year-old Argentine on a loan deal with the right to make a permanent transfer
Aston Villa complete signing of Libor Kozak from Lazio The Czech Republic international penned a four-year deal with the club and expressed his delight at fulfilling a dream move to the Premier League
Arsenal secure Viviano arrival on loan The goalkeeper officially joins the Gunners for the remainder of the season from Palermo after passing a medical at their London Colney training ground on Monday morning
Astori & Nainggolan going nowhere - Cagliari The Sardinian club's president has told reporters that he will not sell the fan favourites, despite significant interest in both players
Kaka eyes iconic Balotelli partnership The Brazilian is hopeful he can forge a partnership with the striker during his second spell at AC Milan
Disappointed El Shaarawy rules out deadline day move The AC Milan forward says he will fight to reclaim his spot in the first team and is delighted to be able to play alongside idol Kaka
Juventus sign wonderkid Berardi as Marrone leaves The Serie A champions have snapped up the Italy Under-19 star, while the holding midfielder has moved to Sassuolo as part of the deal
Milan loan Petagna to Sampdoria The Genoa-based club have confirmed they have secured the services of the talented attacker on a temporary basis
Kaka: I'm returning home to AC Milan The Brazilian midfielder is happy to be back at the Serie A giants after spending the past four years at Real Madrid
Official: AC Milan sign Kaka The Serie A giants have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with the attacking midfielder over a two-year deal
Mazzarri demands Inter improvement The Nerazzurri coach believes his side are "on the up" but need to work on certain aspects of their game to challenge for Serie A
We need to work on our concentration, says Allegri The Rossoneri coach says his side have some psychological issues to address if they are to improve defensively
Catania 0-3 Inter: Nerazzurri maintain perfect start Rodrigo Palacio, Yuto Nagatomo and Ricky Alvarez were all on target as Walter Mazzarri's men followed up last weekend's win over Genoa in fine style
AC Milan 3-1 Cagliari: Balotelli on target as hosts claim first Serie A win Massimiliano Allegri's side cruised to a convincing win over Sardinians to pick up their first three points of their domestic season
Gargano 'couldn't have made a better choice' than to join Parma The midfielder has sealed a season-long loan switch from Napoli after admitting that the Stadio Ennio Tardini side worked hardest to sign him
Bonucci hails 'Conte's Juventus' after Lazio win The Italy defender feels his side applied their coach's tactics to the letter during their thrashing of the Biancocelesti, but admits Gianluigi Buffon was given too much work
'Nani has signed new Manchester United deal' Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta reveals that the Italian giants have called a halt to their pursuit of the winger, insisting he agreed new terms with David Moyes' side
It's a unique feeling to be back at Milan, says Matri The new Rossoneri signing expresses his delight at securing a move back to the club where he began his career after completing his transfer from Serie A rivals Juventus
Del Piero: Juventus can overcome Real Madrid The Sydney striker backs his former club to progress into the knockout stages of the Champions League, believing their progress will not be hindered by los Blancos
Kovacic set for positional switch The Croatian has impressed in a deep-lying midfield role since arriving at San Siro in January but could now take up an attacking role
Benitez compares Hamsik to Gerrard The Slovakia international scored twice on Saturday and his coach admitted there are similarities between the midfielder and the Liverpool star
Juventus 4-1 Lazio: Tevez on target as Conte's men cruise The Bianconeri gave Vladimir Petkovic's men their second thumping inside a matter of weeks on Saturday night
Callejon backs Napoli title charge The Spaniard believes his side have the right mentality to challenge champions Juventus this season, but Rafa Benitez has warned they face a gruelling campaign
Garcia: Too late for Manchester United to buy De Rossi The Giallorossi boss claims that both player and club agreed not to sell past a certain date and that the midfielder will remain for the season, despite the Red Devils' overtures
After a number of moves were thrashed out on a typically frantic transfer deadline day, we round up the biggest deals in Serie A.
Kaka was undoubtedly the headline arrival in the Italian top flight, as he ended a disappointing three-year spell in La Liga with Real Madrid in order to return to Milan.
"I'm coming home," he told Sky Italia after finalising his switch. 'I'm very happy and now I get to live lots of new joyous moments with Milan."
There was also a departure from the San Siro, with 18-year-old striker Andrea Petagna joining Sampdoria on a season-long loan with the option of co-ownership.
Sampdoria also acquired Birkir Bjarnason from Pescara on a permanent deal.
Hellas Verona enjoyed a successful end to the window, bringing in two highly rated loanees in the form of Juan Iturbe from Porto and Marco Donadel from Napoli.
Bologna and Catania were also busy in the loan market, signing Jonathan Cristaldo from Metalist Kharkiv and Jaroslav Plasil from Bordeaux respectively.
Meanwhile, young Inter midfielder Joel Obi will play his football for Parma this season, after agreeing a switch for the entirety of the 2013-14 campaign.
Juventus and Sassuolo were in negotiations for much of the day, as midfielder Luca Marrone joined the latter on a co-ownership deal while young striker Domenico Berardi joined the Serie A champions - though he will be loaned back immediately.
Serie A also saw a high-profile departure as goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano left Palermo to join Arsenal on loan for the season.
In other moves, Genoa captured Ricardo Centurion, Chievo Verona signed Tomasz Kupisz and Alessandro Bernardini and Livorno brought in Luca Anania.
Milito scores in return from injury The Inter striker insists he is nearing a first-team return after netting in a 2-2 friendly against Lugano on Saturday
Buffon: I'll finish my career at Juventus The veteran shot-stopper says he has no plans to quit the club and is looking forward to the prospect of equalling Fabio Cannavaro's Italy appearance record in Turin
Mourinho lost Madrid dressing room, reveals Albiol The defender has lifted the lid on the final few months of the Portuguese's reign at the Santiago Bernabeu
Wenger: Juventus are Champions League contenders The 63-year-old believes the Italian champions are a strong team that can do "great things" and should not be considered a surprise package in Europe this season
Juventus on a par with Real Madrid, says Tardelli The Republic of Ireland assistant coach is optimistic about the Old Lady's chances in Europe and has hailed their transfer dealings
Iturbe rubbishes Messi comparison The playmaker has laughed off suggestions he plays like the Argentina forward but revealed his admiration for another Albiceleste great
Lucescu tips Juventus for Champions League final The Shakhtar Donetsk coach believes the Turin outfit are now a more complete side and praised AC Milan for securing Kaka's return
Britos: Higuain can score as much as Cavani The Uruguayan defender has praised the former Real Madrid man for 'doing great things' already at the San Paolo - even though he is not yet fully fit
Llorente thanks Juventus fans for continued support The Spaniard has yet to score a goal for the Bianconeri and is currently behind Carlos Tevez and Mirko Vucinic in the striking pecking order
Lichtsteiner: Juventus have won 31 titles The Bianconeri were stripped of two Scudetti as a result of the 'Calciopoli' scandal but the Swiss feels that both triumphs still stand
Galliani: 'Milan are not a team of bums' The San Siro giants have not won the Scudetto for three seasons but the 69-year-old has pointed to the Uefa rankings as evidence that they remain the top club in the country
Prandelli 'undecided' over Italy future The 56-year-old admits he has not yet made up his mind if he will continue as coach of the Azzurri or make the move back into club football following the expiration of his deal
'Don't blame Mourinho for my Madrid form' - Kaka The 31-year-old has refuted suggestions that the Portuguese is culpable for his disappointing displays throughout his four-year stay with los Blancos
Gomez: I rejected Real Madrid The Germany international has claimed that he could have joined the Liga giants but preferred a move to Serie A instead
Leaving Juventus was hard, admits Giaccherini The midfielder insists he has made the right decision to move to the Premier League as he looks to secure regular playing time ahead of the World Cup
Allegri dreams of Italy job The AC Milan boss has set his sights on coaching the Azzurri, although, he has no immediate plans to leave the Rossoneri
Mazzarri right for Inter, insists Moratti The Nerazzurri supremo is confident the former Napoli boss can guide them back to the top, made it clear Samuel Eto'o was never a transfer target and he wanted to sign Kaka
The former Italy boss believes that the influx of overseas players is hindering the development of promising Azzurri youngsters
Former Italy coach Marcello Lippi has urged Serie A sides not to overlook homegrown youngsters in favour of foreigners who have little added value to the team.
Lippi feels there are too many overseas players plying their trade in Serie A who are not significantly better than Italian youngsters and fears this development could hurt Italian football in the long term.
"There are too many foreigners in Italian football. I agree with Cesare Prandelli on the matter," Lippi told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I don't have any problems with it if a team buys an important foreign player. But if they're buying someone foreign just because he has a different passport, I cannot support it.
"It's just wrong that over 50 per cent of the players in Serie A are foreign. There will be no room any more for promising youngsters such as Manolo Gabbiadini, Marco Verratti and Lorenzo Insigne if this continues.
"I remember when Ciro Ferrara was in charge of Italy Under-21 and he had no other options but to call up players from Serie B and C. We risk returning to that situation again and I wonder why we'd go there."
The 65-year-old Lippi guided Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and is currently in charge of Guangzhou Evergrande.
The Nerazzurri boss feels the Serie A side are on the right track to build a new team for the future after signing several young players during the transfer window
Inter president Massimo Moratti has defended the Nerazzurri's transfer dealings this summer and backed his side's policy of focusing on bringing in young talent.
The Giuseppe Meazza side signed the likes of Mauro Icardi, Ishak Belfodil and Saphir Taider prior to the close of the transfer window and Moratti is confident they are on the right track to build a successful side in the future - especially with new coach Walter Mazzarri at the helm.
"We are looking to the present as well as the future. That was our aim in the transfer market," Moratti told Inter Channel.
"Players who, though young, are already clearly talented and with the potential to grow even further. And I think we got it right.
"But when you decide to adopt a policy like that you also need a coach who agrees with it, and, more importantly, knows how to make the most out of it."
Inter have started the 2013-14 campaign with two wins from as many Serie A games and sit joint first in the league table.
Serie A - Cagliari move closer to stadium solution
Serie A club Cagliari moved closer to ending their stadium nightmare when the Sardinian city's local council approved a project to redevelop the Stadio Sant'Elia, which had been the club's home since 1970.
Reuters – 07.09.2013
Eurosport - Sant'Elia (Imago)
The Unione Sarda newspaper reported on Saturday that the club and local authorities would work together to make the stadium fit to host Serie A matches by Sept. 21, while they have agreed on a period of 60 days to complete refurbishments.
Final approval will not be issued until the project is endorsed by the Italian National Olympic Committee, which is the country's overall sporting authority.
Once that has been achieved, the city council will approve the plans plus any modifications requested by CONI, before the provincial authorities give the definitive green light. However, as the Cagliari province has reportedly already given their unofficial go-ahead, the club are effectively waiting for CONI's word before starting work.
The move would end a long-running saga which has seen Cagliari play its "home" matches on the Italian mainland after abandoning the dilapidated Stadio Sant'Elia last year due to disagreements with the local authorities and safety concerns.
Last season, club president Massimo Cellino was arrested and charged with embezzlement and false representation over the rebuilding of the ill-fated Is Arenas stadium, where Cagliari had planned to relocate before the campaign kicked off.
The mayor of Quartu Sant'Elena, where the ground is located, and a councillor were also arrested for their involvement in the case.
In May, Cellino was banned from the sport for four months by the Italian Soccer Federation for allowing the sale of tickets for last September's match with AS Roma that was supposed to be played behind closed doors.
After a series of rows, the club eventually had to temporarily relocate to the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste, which is 1,000 kilometres away from Cagliari and near Italy's border with Slovenia.
Cagliari are due to host Sampdoria in their next home match on September 21.
Bonucci: Gilardino wanted Juve move The defender has claimed that his international team-mate was keen on a move to the reigning Italian champions
Giovinco ready for Juve battle The forward has not been put off by the number of new arrivals at the club this summer and has accepted the challenge he faces to win a regular starting slot
Kaka's already improved Milan - Allegri The Italian has lauded the return of the Rossoneri favourite after four years away and revealed he could tinker with his formation to accommodate his new signing
Gervinho slams Wenger tactics The forward believes he would've been a success at the Emirates had he operated in his preferred role
Pato happy he left AC Milan The forward believes that leaving Italy has given him the chance to play regular first team football and to establish himself in the national team
Pogba eyes Ballon d'Or The midfielder is clear about his ambition of becoming the world's best, but insists he will be keeping his feet firmly on the ground
Kaka: I'm almost back to my best The Brazilian is confident he can recapture the form that made him one of the best players in the world
Vidal set for new Juve deal Club director Beppe Marotta says the Chilean deserves to be rewarded for his performances for the Bianconeri since joining the club two years ago
Caceres injury blow for Juventus The defender picked up the problem on international duty and will now be missing for over a month
Inter out to stun Juve, says Zanetti The Argentine defender is looking forward to the upcoming Derby d'Italia and hopes the Nerazzurri can cause an upset
Marchisio wary of 'fierce' Inter threat The 27-year-old, who will miss Saturday’s Derby d’Italia with an injury, believes victory over the Nerazzurri would grant a timely boost of confidence
'Racism forced Boateng out of Italy' The Ghana international joined the Bundesliga side for €10 million this summer after reportedly reaching a pre-agreement with AC Milan to allow him to leave
De Sciglio suffers injury setback The defender is set to go under the knife after tests showed a tear in his cartilage and is likely to miss games against Torino, Napoli and Celtic
The Japan star has confirmed that he will leave CSKA Moscow in the winter but has hinted that he could snub long-standing interest from the Rossoneri
Keisuke Honda has confirmed that he will leave CSKA Moscow when his contract expires at the end of December, but has hinted that he might not move on to AC Milan.
The Rossoneri have long been linked with a move for the Japan international but ultimately failed to lure him to Serie A this summer.
They have been vocal in their intentions to sign the 27-year-old when he becomes a free agent in January, but Honda has hinted that he could go elsewhere.
"I have many choices, but I want to compare as much as possible," he said.
"I don't think there's a chance I will stay in Russia. I just need to focus on the Russian league and the Champions League, so I don't want to talk about this right now."
Honda moved to the Russian capital from VVV in 2010.
Neymar is the best player in the world, says El Shaarawy
By Stefan Coerts200
Sep 10, 2013 9:35:00 AM
The Italy international has taken the time to praise the Brazil star, while revealing that Kaka, Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti were his idols as a boy
AC Milan attacker Stephan El Shaarawy has voiced his opinion that Brazil international Neymar is the best player in the world at the moment.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery are seen as the favourites to win this year's Fifa Ballon d'Or, but El Shaarawy believes Neymar is even better than the aforementioned trio.
"I'd say Neymar is the best player in the world at the moment," El Shaarawy told reporters.
"I played against him in Geneva with Italy back in March and he was simply incredible on the ball."
The young forward then went on to voice his admiration for Serie A greats such as Kaka - who recently completed his return to Milan after a four-year spell at Real Madrid - Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti.
"I had a number of idols. It was great to see players such as Kaka and Del Piero week after week. Totti was another of my biggest idols. It's crazy to be playing against him now."
Quagliarella rejected Juve exit The player's representative has claimed his client turned down the opportunity to leave the Serie A champions and remains committed to the club
Buffon a true champion, says Marotta The Juventus director has praised the veteran keeper's professionalism and says he would like to see him retire with the Turin giants
I wish I never bought the club, admits Bologna chief
Sep 11, 2013 8:36:00 PM
President Albano Guaraldi is ready to part ways with the Serie A club just two years after rescuing them from bankruptcy
Bologna president Albano Guaraldi has confirmed that he is trying to sell the club, just two years after saving them from bankruptcy.
Guaraldi took the helm at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in April 2011, just three months after Sergio Porcedda had took over, and has since invested €11 million in the club to become the majority shareholder.
However, the 54-year-old has come in for criticism from fans after selling key players and admits he now regrets rescuing the Rossoblu and is hoping to find a buyer.
"The club is for sale if somebody serious and reliable presents an offer which would cover all of the money my partners and I have invested, which is around €11m," he told Radio International.
"I can confirm that I do receive a salary as president of Bologna, but this often only covers the mortgage on the hotel in Carloforte which was left over by Porcedda and has turned from being an asset into a liability.
"If I could go back in time, I would probably not have gained the majority of the club.
"I accepted the presidency because I was pushed to do so by the euphoria of my partners without even considering that I would have created too many expectations among the fans who are now insulting me."
Bologna sit 17th in Serie A, having taken one point from their opening two games. They travel to Udinese on Sunday.
Sep 12, 2013 10:38:00 AM
The Bianconeri director has laughed off suggestions that the successful coach could leave the Scudetto holders
Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta has insisted that coach Antonio Conte will not leave the Serie A champions any time soon.
A number of recent reports suggested that the 44-year-old is unsure about his future at the Turin giants, but the club official has dismissed rumours that the ex-Siena boss could be on the move in the foreseeable future.
"There’s no chance that Conte will leave Juventus," Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.
"He loves the team and it’s an experience that he's living in the best of ways."
Conte, who made 327 appearances for Juve in his playing career, took over at the club in 2011 and has led his side to back-to-back Serie A titles.
