Sergio Aguero has signed the most lucrative sponsorship deal in English football by becoming the face of Puma in a contract worth £5m.
The Manchester City striker was persuaded to quit Nike after his stunning start to life in the Barclays Premier League. Aguero will wear Puma apparel for all promotional shoots after signing the three-year deal.
The Argentina striker, who has scored six goals in fives games for City, will pick up a basic deal of £1.25m a year just for being their worldwide icon.
He will pick up substantial bonuses for topping the goalscoring charts in the Premier League, the Champions League and for scoring for Argentina.
Although the deal is the most lucrative contract in England - worth more than Wayne Rooney's reported £1m-ayear deal with Nike - he is still short of the game's top earners.
Lionel Messi (adidas) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Nike) receive £2m a year each from their clothing contracts.
Mario Balotelli 'won't be affected by Mafia trial', claims Roberto Mancini
Mario Balotelli's tumultuous career continued in familiar fashion this week when the 21-year-old was called to give evidence as a witness in a Mafia trial in Italy.
The 21-year-old is reported to have been taken on a guided tour of Naples' notorious Scampia district by gangsters and flew back to his homeland after the 1-1 draw with Napoli on Wednesday.
It is thought that the young striker took the same flight as the Napoli team, but has now returned to training, with Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini confident that he will be unaffected by the latest controversy surrounding him.
'I'm not worried about Mario. In the last four weeks he didn't play but he's worked very well. I'm sure that he can have a good season,' the manager said.
'I've been impressed with his attitude. I'm not sure he can change in four weeks but he's worked very well even though he hasn't played.'
.Balotelli has had a controversial start to his career in English football. He was widely criticised for missing an almost open goal in a preseason friendly when he attempted a cheeky back-heel when it would have been easier to pass the ball into the net.
Mancini urges Manchester City to be as ruthless as Manchester United
Roberto Mancini has thrown down the gauntlet to his free-scoring City side – by demanding they become as clinical as cross-town rivals United in front of goal.
Last season, the Blues had a reputation for erring on the side of caution, a tag they have shaken off by netting 15 goals in their opening four Premier League matches.
Yet despite a 100 per cent record they still sit behind the old enemy at the top of the table, the Reds having scored three more goals so far. When City underlined their title credentials with a 5-1 win at Tottenham last month, United bettered them by thrashing Arsenal 8-2.
Mancini’s men impressed again by beating Wigan 3-0 last week, only for United to hammer Bolton 5-0.
Mancini said: “Man United are a top team, they have been used to winning for a long time. They have strong players.
“When they played against Arsenal, when they scored two or three goals, they continued trying to score.
“We need to have this mentality. If we have a game like Tottenham where we can score, we need to continue to try to play.”
And the Blues boss insisted the responsibility does not rest squarely on the shoulders of his frontline alone.
Even with expensive talents such as Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli to call upon, he accepts the forwards will not fire every time.
The Italian said: “I think they have played very well, the strikers, but it is impossible to score every game.”
Dzeko and Aguero have done the business so far, while it’s been a frustrating start for Tevez and Balotelli.
Still, Mancini is convinced both will shine throughout the course of a long campaign.
On Tevez, he said: “In this moment there are players that are better than him but Carlos is here training.
“Carlos will have a chance to play. I don’t know if he is happy but every player that can’t play is not happy, this is normal.
“In this moment it is like this but he will have his moment.”
Jol vows to attack Man City
Fulham manager Martin Jol has pledged to fight fire with fire when high-flying Manchester City visit Craven Cottage on Sunday.
The west Londoners have struggled so far this season in the Premier League, whereas opponents City have started in scintillating form.
Fulham only have two points on the board after four matches and Jol admitted earlier this week his side need to start turning draws into wins.
The Cottagers have drawn three out of their last four home games and the Dutchman believes the best way to change their fortunes against City will be to press from the offset.
"I plan for us to attack on Sunday," Jol said. "They play attacking football but still with two defensive midfielders and four players at the back.
"They don't take a lot of initiative but they've got four quality players that try to get behind your midfield.
"They have a lot of quality. We have to come up with something to stop that and still get goals.
"If we would have won the first two home games (against Aston Villa and Blackburn) we would have six points and this game would be a different matter.
"Now you have to gain your own spirit, your own confidence for the game."
Manchester City come into the match off the back of their Champions League debut, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Napoli at the Etihad Stadium.
Fulham also had European exertions to contend with in midweek, drawing 1-1 with Jol's former club FC Twente at Craven Cottage.
The Dutchman highlighted in his programme notes his belief that the competition could act as an important platform to build confidence, and he thinks it is paying dividend already despite Thursday's frustrating result.
"I felt the first half we played very good football," he said.
"One-touch, two-touch football with five or six different players and we did well.
"In the second half it is always the same - if you try to force something you give away space.
"But I couldn't gamble on a draw against Twente as I need to get everybody back in shape.
"If you see Thursday, for example - it is a different matter to last Sunday [against Blackburn].
"Bright points were Pajtim Kasami at 19 years of age played well and I thought Chris Baird too did well, playing for the first time in the centre.
"Of course he has done that before in his career but it was a little bit of a gamble and he did well.
"The only negative thing is you don't score the goals you need."
Baird could again feature for Jol's side on Sunday with Aaron Hughes struggling with a knee injury and new signing Zdenek Grygera still bedding in.
The Northern Ireland international is excited by the prospect of facing Roberto Mancini's side and believes Fulham can secure a positive result against the odds.
"Our thoughts now turn to the game with Manchester City on Sunday and we all know that we need to get that first win," Baird said.
"City are doing extremely well at the moment so people will say that may be easier said than done.
"They are a top quality side but we're playing them at Craven Cottage and we all know that we are capable of taking three points off any team there.
"Hopefully that will be the case because it would give us a massive boost.
"We're looking forward to getting out there with them and we'll make sure we are firing on all cylinders."
[spoiler]
OTHER BOLLOX
Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the shock name on Blackburn's list of managerial targets, as current boss Steve Kean fights to save his job. Daily Mirror
Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers have been joined in the race for David Beckham's signature by French side Paris Saint-Germain. TalkSport
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp admits the White Hart Lane club should have snapped up Luis Suarez before his £22.8m move to Anfield in January, but were put off by his price tag and concerns that he was too similar to Rafael van der Vaart. Daily Mail
Sunderland striker Nicklas Bendtner, who is on loan from Arsenal, has insisted he has no plans to return to the Gunners. Daily Mirror
Welsh international defender James Collins has been offered a two-year contract extension by Aston Villa after a string of impressive early-season performances for manager Alex McLeish. Daily Mail
Chelsea are reported to be interested in putting in a bid for Real Madrid defender Raul Albiol in the January transfer window. Inside Futbol
QPR boss Neil Warnock has told playmaker Adel Taarabt he must earn the new deal he is reportedly seeking. Metro
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is planning a £5m January bid for Southampton striker Rickie Lambert. the Sun
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits time is running out for him to turn the Gunners back into trophy winners. Daily Mail
Andre Villas-Boas has hit back at Manchester United over taunts that his Chelsea side are too old to win the title. the Sun
Ex-Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has blasted England's "mollycoddled and pampered" stars and claimed they have no chance of winning a trophy. Daily Mirror
Aston Villa's England striker Darren Bent has revealed he is doing yoga every day to prolong his playing career. Daily Mirror
FULL FAT BOLLOX TO BE ADDED SHORTLY ...
