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Falcao proud to have joined Atletico New Atletico Madrid striker Falcao has spoke of his joy at signing for "one of the biggest clubs in the world".
Atletico finalised a €40million move with Porto for Falcao's services last week, and the Colombian arrives as a perfect replacement for the recently-departed Sergio Aguero. Speaking to 15,000 Atletico fans at his unveiling on Monday, Falcao declared himself ready to contribute to the club's push to reclaim their place among the big boys in La Liga.
"Obviously I'd like to be top scorer, but I'm not putting my personal goals above the team," said Falcao. "Atleti are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I have come here to contribute. "It does not seem right to put a roof on [the potential] of Atleti. This is a big challenge, and a great challenge for me [personally].
Despite arriving at the Vicente Calderon with a hefty price tag, Falcao is determined not to be burdened by suggestions that he will be the club's saviour. "I do not feel any pressure because this club is made up of many people. I was raised from a young age to be a focused person and so I have my priorities right.
"I am very happy. Happy with the effort made by Atleti to sign me, and happy with the reception I have been given. "I am feeling very positive and will play with my heart." Falcao netted an astonishing 72 goals in 87 appearances during his three-year spell with Porto.
Inter Milan hoping for Kaka swoop Inter Milan are still clinging to hope that they can snap up Kaka from Real Madrid this summer.
According to Marca, the Serie A giants have been linked to the Brazilian star, who has insisted he wants to stay at the Santiago Bernebeu and challenge for a place in Jose Mourinho's squad.
His current deal stretches to 2015, but the La Liga giants could be tempted by a €30 million offer.
Inter are desperate to find a replacement for Samuel Eto'o, who is expected to complete his transfer to Anzhi Makhachkala on a big money deal, and are keen to bring in Kaka to bolster their attack.
However, they will have to fight off competition from Inter Milan and Paris St Germain, who have also been linked to the Ballon d'Or winner.
Sahin close to making Real debut Real Madrid have received a boost ahead of the new La Liga season after Nuri Sahin resumed training following an injury layoff.
Following an outstanding season with German Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund, Sahin moved to Real for a fee of €10million but has so far failed to feature for the club in pre-season.
He was initially hampered by a knee injury suffered while he was still at Dortmund, but was expected to return in time to feature in Real's tour of Asia.
However, a further setback ruled him out for a further three weeks, but the club's official website revealed on Tuesday that Sahin had returned to full training with the rest of the Real squad.
While coach Jose Mourinho is yet to reveal when Sahin will be thrusted into first-team action, reports from Spain suggest the Turkish playmaker is a chance to feature in Wednesday's Santiago Bernabeu Trophy clash against Galatasaray.
Sahin has earned 26 caps for the Turkish national team, and also made 152 appearances during his time with Dortmund.
Pique injury blow for Barcelona Barcelona defender Gerard Pique will miss the European Super Cup against Porto on Friday after being ruled out for three weeks with a calf problem.
The 24-year-old was injured during training this afternoon, and his absence will likely force coach Pep Guardiola to play someone out of position on Friday night in Monaco.
Eric Abidal, Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano are all candidates to play in defence along with Andreu Fontas.
Mourinho facing 15-match ban After a tempestuous 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is facing a lengthy ban for his antics.
The Portuguese was caught on camera for reaching out to gouge the eye of Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova, and has been charged by Royal Spanish Football Federation for his actions. According to reports from the Sun, Mourinho is facing a ban that could very well extend to 15 matches for his behavior. At the very least, the self-proclaimed "Special One" could face a ban of four matches, which would still hit the La Liga giants hard.
This has sparked reports that the ex-Chelsea manager was tired of all the controversy in Spain, and considering quitting Real Madrid, but most recently he has refuted the notion, saying: "That's impossible." "Only those who don't know me can dream, make up or believe I may leave Real Madrid at this stage..." Mourinho wrote, in a letter to his club's supporters.
"I believe many people were surprised by the quality football showcased by Real Madrid during the pre-season and it would be surprising news to them if I left the club now. Impossible! "I have a fantastic president who is very intelligent and with whom I have a great friendship. I also have a director general who works for the club 24 hours a day, so my motivation is enormous and my Madridismo is even greater than that of some pseudo-Madridistas...
"There is no way I'm leaving. No way! "I also wish to apologise to Madridistas, and only to them, for my attitude in our last game. Some people are better adapted to the hypocrisy in football than I am, and they hide their faces and speak in whispers deep inside tunnels. "I'm not learning to be a hypocrite, and I don't want to."
However, his behavior has been criticised by former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon. "The president of the club is Mourinho, because the true president [Perez] has not come out in a situation which required him to do so," the Spaniard said to COM Radio. "Florentino should come out to say that Real Madrid's history does not support this kind of acts, but he has not done that because of the dependence he has right now on Mourinho.
"The responsibility of this happening is not with the coach, who has not changed anything in the last years in the way he acts and it was logical he would not do that after arriving at Real Madrid. "The responsibility is on who hired him and does not mend his ways nor goes out publicly to condemn a conduct which all the sport's fans reject."
Reports in Spain earlier on Tuesday claimed Mourinho was considering leaving Real Madrid allegedly due to lack of support from the club's hierarchy. Calderon was also skeptical about Mourinho's long-term future at the La Liga giants. "He has not been more than three years at a club and has not left any of them on good terms, so nothing makes one think the same thing will not happen now," he concluded.
La Liga strike talks to continue Talks aimed at ending the players' strike which has delayed the start of the Spanish season will continue on Wednesday.
This after league and footballers' union representatives failed to reach an agreement late on Tuesday night. The sides will reconvene at the headquarters of the Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) in a bid to resolve the issue, which revolves around the issue of unpaid wages.
An LFP statement read: "On Tuesday the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) and Professional Football League (LFP) reconvened to continue negotiations in an attempt to find a solution to strike action called by the former. "Both organisations will study the proposals made and will hold a new meeting on Wednesday, at the LFP headquarters in Madrid."
The AFE announced earlier this month that players from the top two divisions in Spain would go on strike for the first two rounds of the 2011-12 season unless an agreement with the LFP was reached. The AFE want a guaranteed fund to protect players' wages in the event of their clubs being declared insolvent.
According to the AFE, clubs in Spain owe around 50million euros in unpaid salaries to more than 200 players from the end of last season. Discussions between the two parties last week failed to find a resolution, leading to the scheduled opening round of La Liga and Segunda Liga fixtures being postponed at the weekend.
The second round of La Liga matches includes champions Barcelona hosting Villarreal on Monday and Real Madrid travelling to Real Zaragoza on Sunday.
Liverpool's Pacheco heads for Atletico Liverpool have agreed a deal to send forward Daniel Pacheco on a season-long loan to Atletico Madrid.
The 20-year-old went to npower Championship runners-up Norwich for the final three months of the previous campaign and has now returned to his homeland in search of further first-team experience.
Pacheco made just seven appearances for Liverpool's senior side last season and has played only 14 matches overall.
"Liverpool have today finalised a deal to send Daniel Pacheco on a season-long loan to Atletico Madrid," said a club statement.
"The 20-year-old will stay in La Liga until June 30, 2012."
Forlan stays at home, anticipates move Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan has not travelled to Portugal for the Europa League clash with Guimaraes as he ponders a move away from Madrid.
The 32-year-old Uruguay international has been linked with a transfer to Inter Milan, who reached and agreement with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala for the sale of Cameroon frontman Samuel Eto'o.
The Rojiblancos take a 2-0 lead into the second leg of their play-off tie on Thursday but will be without Forlan, with coach Gregorio Manzano believing it was in the team's best interests for Forlan not to make the trip.
This is following a string of denials from the Uruguay striker, who has thus far insisted that no contact from Inter Milan has been made.
"Forlan asked Manzano this morning not to travel to Guimaraes because he is considering joining another team," Atletico said on their official Twitter feed.
"Manzano authorised him to stay in Madrid because Atletico have a lot at stake and need players who are 100%."
La Liga to kick off with strike end The La Liga season will finally get under way on Saturday after a second weekend of strike action was averted.
Talks between the Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) and Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) finally reached a resolution on Thursday. The AFE announced earlier this month that players from the top two divisions in Spain would go on strike for the first two rounds of the 2011-12 season unless an agreement with the LFP was reached.
The AFE wanted a guaranteed fund to protect players' wages in the event of their clubs being declared insolvent. According to the AFE, clubs in Spain owe around 50million euros in unpaid salaries to more than 200 players from the end of last season. A statement on the AFE website confirmed the matter was now resolved.
"The committee of the AFE and LFP have reached an agreement that ensured, through various means, the salaries of footballers," it read. "After the meeting today between the AFE and the LFP, the strike scheduled for Friday August 26, Saturday August 27, Sunday August 28 and Monday August 29 is off."
The statement continued: "Here at the AFE, we thank for their understanding and patience all those who have been affected. "Finally, and most importantly, we want to thank all the non-Spanish and Spanish players who play in our championship.
"We want to convey how proud we are of them all and the unprecedented unity and solidarity they have shown at a time when many of their colleagues were struggling." The second round of La Liga matches includes champions Barcelona hosting Villarreal on Monday and Real Madrid travelling to Real Zaragoza on Sunday.
Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has revealed he would be interested in joining European champions Barcelona.
The Catalan giants have been linked with the Dutchman, although the 27-year-old insists no bid from the Nou Camp has been forthcoming.The former Real Madrid and Chelsea winger is aware the club wanted him in the past, but has heard nothing recently from Barca.Robben is more than happy at the Allianz Arena and does not want to worry himself about speculation regarding a possible move.
"Barcelona are the only club where I would say: 'If they're interested, that would be a fantastic option'," he told Sport Bild."Whether they have ever made an offer for me? No, not as far as I know."There was something going on about three years ago, but they never made a bid. I'm not speculating about a summer transfer, though."I'm feeling very well here and am happy at Bayern. Don't go writing that I want to join Barcelona, because that's not the case."
La Liga newcomers Rayo Vallecano have signed former Spain international Raul Tamudo on a one-year contract, the club confirmed on their website.
The 33-year-old Tamudo spent 14 years with Espanyol before joining Real Sociedad 12 months ago, with whom he scored seven goals in 31 games last season.
For Spain, Tamudo has played 13 times and netted five times.
Rayo won promotion back to the top flight after an absence of eight years last season when they finished as runners-up in the Segunda Division.
Atletico to fight with Liverpool for Coates Atletico Madrid are reportedly ready to hijack Liverpool's pursuit of highly-rated Nacional defender Sebastian Coates.
Coates is reportedly on the verge of a move to Anfield after the Uruguayan outfit revealed Liverpool had made a bid for the 20-year-old.
And despite Coates reportedly being in England to finalise his move to Liverpool, Atletico are reportedly attempting a last-ditch attempt to prise him away from the Reds' clutches.
Ovaciondigital.com reports that Atletico, boosted by the summer sales of Sergio Aguero and David de Gea, are looking to flex their financial muscle, and are willing to better Liverpool's offer, rumoured to be in the region of €8million.
While Coates has previously admitted he would choose Liverpool over their Barclays Premier League rivals Manchester City, it remains to be seen if the lure of playing in La Liga will convince him to consider Atletico's offer.
Coates currently enjoys a growing reputation in world football, having impressed for Uruguay in their victorious Copa Americ campaign, where he was also named the Best Young Player of the tournament.
La Liga wrap: Soldado stars as action returns 28 August 2011
Roberto Soldado went from hero to villain and back again as Valencia beat Racing Santander 4-3 in La Liga on Saturday. Real Sociedad and Real Betis also posted victories, but the 32,000 fans at the Mestalla saw an absolutely brilliant match as the seven-goal thriller was only decided in the very last minute.
Soldado began his eventful match with a second-minute goal, although he then put the ball into the wrong net just five minutes later as Racing Santander drew level. Lautaro Acosta put Santander in front after 14 minutes and when Adrian netted 11 minutes into the second half, the visitors led 3-1 and looked like causing a big opening-day upset.
But French defender Adil Rami dragged Valencia back into the contest with his goal on 58 minutes before Soldado made a late, dramatic impact. Not only did he restore parity with his 88th minute equaliser, but he also managed to bag a winner in stoppage time to send the home crowd into raptures.
Sporting Gijon beat Real Sociedad 2-1 thanks to a double from Agirretxe in a match which saw both sides finish with 10 men. And there was more late drama in Granada as the La Liga newcomers were beaten by an 88th minute goal to Ruben Castro, which gave Real Betis a 1-0 win on the road.
La Liga wrap: Real Madrid make dominant start 29 August 2011
Cristiano Ronaldo started the La Liga season as he ended the last, netting a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 6-0 win at Real Zaragoza on Sunday. Ronaldo, who bagged an incredible 40 goals in 34 league matches last season, kicked off the 2011-2012 season in style as Jose Mourinho's side began their campaign in style.
It was Ronaldo who netted the opener after 24 minutes, courtesy of a Mezut Oezil assist, before Marcelo doubled the lead five minutes later. Zaragoza were able to hold out their opponents until midway through the second half, but Xabi Alonso's strike opened the floodgates as Ronaldo, who scored twice, and Kaka, both netted in the last 20 minutes.
Mallorca defeated Espanyol 1-0, with Dutch midfielder Jonathan de Guzman scoring the game's only goal on 62 minutes, while both Athletic Bilbao and Rayo Vallecano and Getafe and Levante played out 1-1 draws. In Bilbao, Movilla's strike cancelled out Iturraspe's opener to give Rayo Vallecano a point while Levante snatched a draw thanks to Juanlu's late equaliser.
Atletico Madrid and Osasuna played out a goalless stalemate while Sevilla defeated Malaga 2-1, thanks to Alvaro Negredo's first-half double.
Espanyol confirm Weiss loan move Espanyol have reached an initial deal with Manchester City to take Vladimir Weiss on loan for the coming season, the La Liga club announced on their website.
The 21-year-old Slovakia international, who has had loan spells at Bolton and Rangers during the last two years, has travelled to Barcelona on Monday morning in a bid to put the finishing touches on the switch.
An Espanyol statement read: "Espanyol and Manchester City have reached an agreement in principle for the loan of Vladimir Weiss for one season."
If all goes to plan and the deal goes through, Weiss, who will link up with Slovakia this evening for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Republic of Ireland and Armenia, will be presented next week following his international commitments.
Transfer wrap: Betis seal Santa Cruz loan, Forlan nears Inter exit 29 August 2011
Spanish side Real Betis have secured the services of out-of-favour Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz on a season-long loan deal. The 30-year-old Paraguayan international moved to Eastlands in June 2009 from Blackburn Rovers but has failed to impress in Manchester, falling down the pecking order in favour of Roberto Mancini's big-money acquisitions.
Santa Cruz previously spent seven years at Bayern Munich after beginning his career with Paraguayan club Olimpia. "After intensive negotiations, the club have managed to finalise the addition of Roque Santa Cruz, who will play the coming season on loan at Betis," a statement from the Spanish club read.
"A Paraguayan international, Santa Cruz arrives from Manchester City, one of the best teams in England in recent years." "Real Betis continue to strengthen their first-team squad for the coming season with only a few days to go before the end of the transfer market." Santa Cruz will be unveiled by Betis, who won Spanish football's second division last season, at a media conference on Tuesday.
Cameroon midfielder Jean Makoun also became a Premier League departee on Monday, leaving Aston Villa for Greek champions Olympiakos on a one-year loan deal. Makoun, 28, joined Villa in January from Lyon on a three-and-a-half year deal but has struggled to hold down a regular starting place at Villa Park.
In the Serie A, Inter Milan are closing in on the signature of Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan. The 32-year-old Uruguayan has agreed to terms with the Italian giants on a two-year deal. Inter are seeking a high-quality replacement for Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o, who moved to Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala last week.
Forlan farewelled Atletico fans during a press conference on Monday. "It's difficult to say goodbye after four years here and three years at Villarreal," said Forlan. "I am sad to leave Spain. I feel a great affection to the people and I will never forget it." "The experience at Atletico has been incredible.
We have won many titles but not only that, I've met great people at the club." "I leave as an Atletico fan. These people will remain in my heart." Juventus have completed the signing of Paraguay international Marcelo Estigarribia, who will head to Turin from Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonadoon on a season-long loan.
Valencia complete Ruiz signing Valencia have signed centre-back Victor Ruiz from Napoli on a five-year deal.
The 22-year-old arrived in Valencia on Monday night and put pen to paper on his contract this morning. He will undergo a medical at 1800 local time (1700 BST) on Tuesday.
Valencia technical secretary Braulio Vazquez believes the acquisition of Ruiz, who helped Spain win the European Under-21 Championship earlier this summer, will prove to be "an important step forward" for Los Che.
He told www.valenciacf.es: "[Ruiz is] of the highest level in Europe. He has great technique, positional sense and strength. "He will help to complement our existing defence and offer something different to our squad.
"He is a player with a big future ahead of him, and will definitely shine in the present. "We are proud to have him here, and to have reached an agreement for his signature after a difficult negotiation process, because Napoli valued him very highly.
"I think that with Victor on board, we have taken an important step forward."
Getafe sign Leon on loan from Real Getafe have signed former winger Pedro Leon on loan from Real Madrid for the season with a view to a permanent transfer.
Leon, who played for Getafe in the 2009-10 season before moving to the Bernabeu, has also played for Murcia, Levante and Valladolid.
A statement issued by both clubs read: "Real CF and Getafe CF have reached an agreement for the transfer of Pedro Leon.
"Getafe CF may exercise the right to buy the player at the end of this season."
The 24-year-old Leon, who scored one goal in six appearances for Real Madrid last season, has six Spain Under-21 caps.
Barca's Hleb joins Wolfsburg on loan Wolfsburg have signed Alexander Hleb on a one-year loan from Barcelona, the La Liga club have announced on their website.
The 30-year-old Belarus international has been sent out on loan the last two seasons, at Stuttgart and Birmingham, having played 36 competitive games for Barca during the 2008/09 campaign after joining the Catalan club from Arsenal.
A statement on the Barca website read: "The player, currently recovering from an injury, will be incorporated into the German team in October, (Barca vice-president) Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed."
Hleb becomes the 12th new arrival at Wolfsburg this summer.
