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90 days since Vincent Kompany held the Barclays Premier League trophy aloft, the champions commenced the defence of their crown in muscular style at St. James’ Park.
More efficient than spectacular, more workmanlike than brimming with attacking flair; it was a solid performance from Manuel Pellegrini’s men that has earned them heaps of praise in the first media post-mortem of the 2014/15 campaign.
Man of the Match Edin Dzeko put in a serious shift against the Magpies and the Mirror reckon that the Bosnian hitman could be the next City player to commit his long-term future to the club, adding to the recently announced new deals for Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Samir Nasri and Aleks Kolarov.
“Dzeko is close to agreeing terms on a five-year deal at City and could sign this week” reports David Anderson.
“Manuel Pellegrini confirmed the striker will become the latest big name to pledge his future to the club and is delighted with the Bosnian.
“Dzeko had a hand in David Silva’s opening goal for City and boss Pellegrini said: “It’s not strange for me to see him play like that, he finished last season playing very well.
“"He has grown as a player. He’s a team player and I’m very happy for him. He is renewing his contract here because he has a very important duty in our team.”
“Dzeko was outstanding for City as the champions racked up an 11th straight win over Newcastle.
“He made the first goal with a clever backheel and was a handful all afternoon for Fabricio Coloccini and Mike Williamson as he led the line with power and panache.
“Big goals: Dzeko has scored some important goals for the champions
“Dzeko is happy to commit his future to City and will follow Samir Nasri, Silva, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero in signing a new long-term deal.
“With Dzeko in such form, City did not need last season’s top scorer Sergio Aguero, although he came off the bench to score their second in stoppage time.
“This was a clinical and efficient display by City and it was the hallmark of a title-winning side.”
Arsenal legend Alan Smith saved special praise in his Telegraph column for new boy Fernando whose debut showing was bursting with power, athleticism and grit. Three traits that the former Gunners striker believes City will need in abundance in order to retain the title.
“He seems the type, after all, to revel in the ugly side, the messy parts of the job that form part of any team's successful campaign. Taking one for the team could become his catchphrase in the matches when City do what they must to win all three points.
“Spectacular Fernando is not. Neither will he threaten the opposition goal. One look at his statistics confirms that well enough. six goals in 236 appearances for Porto point to a player who does not tend to wander forward very often.
“Still, that does not really matter when you look at City's formidable attacking arsenal. Horses for courses. Fernando knows his place. As does Pellegrini who had been chasing the player, along with Eliaquim Mangala, for quite some time.
“So with Javi García surplus to requirements, sold to Zenit St Petersburg, and Jack Rodwell departed to Sunderland, Fernando takes his place as a key member of City's game plan, one that incorporates great power as well as great talent.”
Edin Dzeko to get FIVE-YEAR contract at Manchester City, Manuel Pellegrini confirms
MANUEL PELLEGRINI confirmed that Edin Dzeko will be the next Manchester City star to sign a new long-term deal after seeing his champions make a winning start to their title defence.
Bosnia striker Dzeko looked on the way out under former boss Roberto Mancini but Pellegrini has offered him a new five-year deal which is set to be signed this week.
After seeing him make City's first goal for David Silva in their comfortable 2-0 win at Newcastle, Pellegrini said: "It's not strange for me to see him play like that - he finished last season playing very well. He has grown. He's a team player. I'm very happy for him.
"That's why he is renewing his contract here - he has a very important duty in our team. I don't think it's 100% finished - but, yes,he will renew his contract. He's a very important player for us.
“Today he was one of our best players, not just because of the way he created the first goal and worked hard but because he won a lot of headers and duels and held the ball up well. It was a complete performance."
Dzeko, who joined City from German club Wolfsburg for £27m in January 2010, follows Samir Nasri, Vincent Kompany, Aleksander Kolarov and Sergio Aguero in committing his future to City this summer. City are also hoping to tie up deals for England pair Joe Hart and James Milner.
Aguero came on to score City's second goal in added time and Pellegrini believes if they show the same appetite and application every week they can win back-to-back titles.
He added: "Last season a lot of people doubted us because it was my first season in England. Now we are a year on, we all know each other a lot better. We have a strong squad but as always in the Premier League, there are five or six who are contenders.
“We only need to have the same attitude as we showed today and the same hunger for titles and glory that we have started the season with to have a chance. I am sure this squad can fight for the title again."
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was encouraged by his team's performance despite the defeat.
“A lot of things about our performance today that bodes well for the other 37 games coming up. I thought the new guys were all solid today."
"There was a good spirit there, we really worked hard and we had to.
"City's individual quality is such that they’re going to create time and they can almost make the game look like it’s standing still at times."
Blues quartet told they can leave City.
Edin Dzeko will this week become the fifth City player of the season to sign a new five-year deal.
But manager Manuel Pellegrini has sounded the death knell on the City careers of Matija Nastasic, Micah Richards, Scott Sinclair and John Guidetti by confirming the club will sell them all if reasonable offers come in.
Bosnian strike ace Dzeko celebrated his new deal with a fine performance as the Blues began their title defence with a 2-0 win at Newcastle, setting up David Silva's opener with a brilliant backheel.
But his all-action display brought rare praise from Pellegrini, who pointed out that he has changed from a goalscorer to an all-round team player, and that is why he has joined Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Samir Nasri in getting big new deals.
"Edin played really well," aid Pellegrini. "That is not strange for me because he finished last season playing very, very well.
"He has grown in all senses, not just as a goalscorer, but as a player he works for the team, recovers and prepares the play.
"I am very happy for him. That's why he has renewed his contract here, because he has a very important duty in our team.
"It is not 100 per cent finished but he will renew with us for some more years. He is an important player for us, and we need a strong squad."
While that was happy news for Dzeko, his pal Nastasic is set to leave in this transfer window, with Pellegrini confirming there are offers on the table for him.
Pellegrini has picked Dedryck Boyata as the Blues' fourth centre half, ahead of the Serb, even though Nastasic would still be a "free" under-21 player in the Blues' Champions League and Premier League squads this season.
M.U.E.N. Sport revealed last month that Nastasic, along with Javi Garcia and Alvaro Negredo, were in the firing line as City looked to trim a squad over-burdened with foreign players.
But Pellegrini finally confirmed it: "Matija needs to play. We already have important players here with four full backs, Demichelis, Kompany, Mangala and Boyata," he said.
"So we will see in the next few days what happens with Nastasic. He is an important player, but he has offers and I think the best thing for him is to play.
"We will see what happens, but we have until the end of August to see what kind of offers we get for Matija.
"That also goes for Micah Richards, who didn't want to continue here because he wants to play more - he had a contract to renew but didn't want it.
"So we have three or four players extra - Scott Sinclair and John Guidetti are also important players, but I don't like to have so many in the squad.
"I think 22 players is enough and they are all players who have a lot of quality. It is good for them to play."
Pellegrini was delighted with his players' attitude at St James' Park, and he said he has looked in their eyes and seen the hunger to win another league title.
"We must continue with the same hunger for titles and glory, but stay humble, work to recover the ball and then try to play as well as we did last season.
"The players are ready to do it again. You remember moments like last season for the rest of your life. The team won the title two years ago and the next year was a disaster, not a useful year for anyone.
"Manchester United were the champions, and that was a disaster. So it was important from the beginning to understand why we won the title last year.
"We knew exactly we needed the hunger to win it again this year."
SNUB COUNT BOLLOX
Remarkably low on 21 at present with just 2 weeks of the window to go
Why Stevan Jovetic Is Under Most Pressure for Man City After Win at Newcastle
Stevan Jovetic is under the most pressure of any Sky Blue who played in Manchester City's nervy 2-0 win at St James' Park because he did not score or factor into either City goal.
Yes, that sounds completely ridiculous. We can agree on that. The idea that an industrious striker like Jovetic, who took five shots without putting one on goal, could already be under pressure after a win seems implausible.
But this is the reality of playing for a club like Manchester City. Opportunities for players who are not demonstrably among the best 14 or 15 men on the roster come infrequently and must be converted when they arrive
Jovetic entered this season as the presumptive third striker behind Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko while Alvaro Negredo nurses both an injury and a months-long goalless streak. City boss Manuel Pellegrini gave Jovetic a rare Premier League start against Newcastle alongside Dzeko with Aguero not fully fit.
It was clear from Jovetic's play that he knew all of this. The Montenegrin striker played with energy and desire and seemed on the verge all afternoon of creating a chance or finding the net himself.
As the match wore on, though, Jovetic began to press the action. On more than one occasion Jovetic had the ball in the attacking third with teammates in support only to desperately wheel toward Newcastle's goal and fire wildly. After one such misplay, Jovetic turned to the City touchline to acknowledge his error.
You really cannot fault Jovetic for such selfishness, though. Dzeko's place is secure, so when he corralled Yaya Toure's long ball and beautifully back-heeled it to David Silva for City's first goal (eschewing a scoring chance for himself) it was altruism born of no pressure to score to justify his place in the XI.
Jovetic has no such assurances, and seeing Sergio Aguero score during an 11-minute cameo at the end of the match surely did Jovetic's spirit little good. Aguero's goal, which really came from nothing, smacked of the Argentine tacitly instructing Jovetic that "this is how it's done."
City's next match is a Monday night spectacle with Liverpool at the Etihad. If Aguero is fit, he will almost surely start instead of Jovetic. Certainly Dzeko did nothing against Newcastle to lose his starting spot.
And so it goes for Jovetic, who through little fault of his own saw his prolific summer of scoring dissipate like smoke in a stiff breeze in 73 minutes.
None of this is intended as an indictment of Jovetic or an obituary for his chances to contribute at City this season. Neither Aguero nor Negredo is the healthiest footballer you have ever seen. Jovetic will have more chances in 2014-15.
Still, it has to be sort of a miserable feeling for Jovetic to know that if he plays and does not score, City's constellation of stars is such that he could find himself buried on the depth chart and largely forgotten as he was last season.
City have played one match and won one match. But Jovetic could be excused for coming away from that match feeling as though he lost something he may not soon have a chance to regain.
Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala is ready to take the pressure
Eliaquim Mangala, the defender with the big price tag, is eager for the chance to prove himself at a buoyant Manchester City
Eliaquim Mangala is the most expensive defender in England at £32m, yet the former Porto centre back admits it may be a while before he gets a game. An unused substitute with France at the World Cup, the 23-year-old arrived at Manchester City a little short of match fitness, and even when he is ready he still faces the task of displacing Martín Demichelis or Vincent Kompany, two centre halves who did appear for their countries in Brazil.
City’s keynote signing of the summer is not the most physically imposing of stoppers either. Centre halves have slimmed down quite a bit since Bill Shankly invited local journalists into the Liverpool dressing room to be shown round Ron Yeats, but even so Mangala is willowy. At just under 6ft 2in his weight is a mere 11st 9lb, which makes him around the same as Sergio Agüero and lighter than Samir Nasri. Signed for his pace and mobility as much as his defensive awareness, Mangala realises the Premier League will be a particular challenge.
“Obviously it is a lot more physical style of football to what I have been used to,” he says. “In England there are more one-on-one battles with the strikers and duels in the air. The style in Portugal is a lot slower, it is a more intricate passing game with a more deliberate build-up to attacks.
“Here it is faster, I think, more physical and more intense. A game in England is 90 minutes of effort, you can tell that from watching on television. The other thing that stands out about the English league is that if you go away to someone low down, bottom of the league for example, you can’t take anything for granted. Each team can beat anyone else, and that is quite unusual. That aspect is different.”
It will be interesting to see how quickly Mangala adapts to the Premier League style, as well as whether the reputation he gained in Portugal for alertness and anticipation survives the transition to the more knockabout English game. José Mourinho obviously thought it would, since interest from Chelsea was one of the factors that pushed his price so high. In fact, Mangala was quoted in French newspapers over the summer saying he would prefer to live in London than Manchester. Where Mangala has ended up that is close to an arrestable offence, though it is a charge he does not attempt to deny.
“I did say that, I was put on the spot at the end of a French TV programme,” he explains. “The guy said to me ’Manchester or London?’. I did not want to answer the question but in the end I said London, because it was the capital. It was nothing to do with football.”
Perhaps understandably, Mangala is now keen to stress that he always wanted to come to City and is happy to be here now after some fairly protracted negotiations involving third-party ownership.
“When City expressed their interest, I had conversations straight away with the coach and the sporting director,” he says. “That didn’t happen with anyone else, they were the only club I talked to at that level. I did not become worried. I was in contact with the club all the time, they kept me informed on all the twists and turns, so I was never sweating too much. There were lots of other reasons: City were the champions, I had a chance to develop my career by playing alongside other quality players, and I felt straight away there is a real positive energy about the place. Now I have been involved in a few training sessions I feel even more certain I made the right choice.
“There are some really big targets to aim for this season and every session is intense. There is pressure on everyone to perform and to succeed, but you feel that pressure in a positive way. It feels like all the preparation is really important. Even though City have won the title twice in three seasons there is still potential at the club to do more. There’s just an incredibly positive atmosphere around the place.”
Mangala speaks generously of Kompany and Demichelis, and how much he is looking forward to learning from them, although City’s present centre-back pairing could have been bought three times over, with a few million to spare, for the size of the fee handed to Porto.
“The amount of money City paid was not down to me,” he says. “There was nothing I could do about that. Like everybody else I had certain dreams when I started out. I wanted to grow up to be a professional footballer, I wanted to play in the Champions League or to try playing in England, but I never thought: ‘one day I will be the most expensive English defender’. It’s not something you set out to achieve, and right now it’s something I am trying not to pay attention to too much. I know it’s something the fans and the press will talk about, but I’ve got to remove myself from those thoughts and concentrate on what I am being paid to do. You could say it’s an extra pressure, but if you can’t live with that sort of pressure football is probably not the job for you. You should be staying at home and doing something else.”
Coolness under pressure is what City supporters can look forward to seeing when Mangala, twice a champion in Portugal, is ready for action. Until then they can only be encouraged by his attitude to the challenges ahead.
Asked about his ambitions for the season, City’s new signing proves far from shy, or behind the door as they say in his new parish. “What do we want to win? Basically, everything,” he says. “Obviously the first target for current champions is to hold on to the title and not let that out of your grasp, and it would be fantastic to win the Champions League, but at a club like City you can go into every match and every competition with the mindset of going all the way and winning it. I’m very happy to be a part of that.”
City set to reject loan switch
Manchester City Anderlecht are believed to be keen to take Dedryck Boyata on loan, but Manchester City may stop any potential deal. The 23-year-old has struggled to make an impact at first-team level so far, making just 11 senior appearances to date, and was sent out on loan to both Bolton and Twente in recent years. But despite being born in Brussels, Boyata is on the home-grown quota at the Etihad and that's part of the reason why Manuel Pellegrini will look to keep him at City. The Belgian defender, who joined the City youth ranks in 2006, could well feature more this term, with a heavy fixture schedule ahead of the Premier League champions this season. Boyata was selected in the match-day squad for the league opener at Newcastle on Sunday, but was a unused substitute in the 2-0 success at St James' Park. - See more at: http://www.sportinastorm.com/Premier-Le ... K02WV.dpuf
GOAL DIFFERENCE BOLLOX
CITY +2 UNITED -1
Newcastle Fan Who Now Supports Manchester City 'Trolled' By Telegraph
Manchester City will have no trouble filling their stadium when its expansion is completed if there are more people like Edward Mellor. You see, Edward used to support Newcastle but is now a City fan after he put his black and white memorabilia up for sale on eBay.
The Telegraph's readership have not responded well to their story, though. Published by the ubiquitous Project Babb, the microsite drew the ire of the more traditional Telegraph readers on Facebook.
"He's a kid.. Your article makes him look like a criminal - Get a grip!!" was the most liked comment on the newspaper's Facebook page.
The majority of Telegraph readers did not like this
"This is a new low for The Telegraph," reads the second most liked. One of the responses to that? "Increasingly more often I think I'm paying £1.20 for an overpriced oversized tabloid!"
"I hope you guys take responsibility when the kid gets bullied at school!!" was another.
Mellor, from Prestatyn in Wales, asked his parents to place his 20 Magpies shirts, five pairs of shorts and two pairs of socks on the site.
The boy's mother, Kate, wrote online: "Genuine reason for sale as my son now supports Manchester City!" Edward's kits have attracted a bid of £85 at the time of writing.
Manchester United are preparing a £100m package to bring Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, 26, to Old Trafford, which would cover the Argentina international's £50m transfer fee and wages. (DSSC)
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman wants to make Lazio midfielder Alvaro Gonzalez, 29, his eighth signing of the summer and is preparing an £8m offer for the Uruguay international. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester United have reignited their interest in Roma's Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman, 28, with Juventus confident they will hold onto 27-year-old Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal. (Daily Express)
Tottenham are willing to listen to offers for Lewis Holtby, who they signed from Schalke for £1.5m in January 2013, as QPR and Crystal Palace line up moves for the 23-year-old midfielder. (DSSC)
Manchester United are preparing a £24m bid to beat Chelsea to the signing of Roma's 27-year-old Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia. (Express)
The Old Trafford side have been asked to include winger Nani, 27, on a loan deal if they are to have any chance of signing defender Marcos Rojo, 24, from Sporting Lisbon. (Times)
Tottenham will make a third offer for Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, 24, but could face competition from Arsenal for the France international. ( Mirror)
Liverpool are still interested in signing Monaco striker Radamel Falcao, 28, but the Colombian international would prefer a move to Real Madrid. (DSSC)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has held talks with Paris St-Germain's £10m-rated French midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 19, to try and persuade him to join the Gunners over Chelsea. (Express)
Former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o is hoping that Wenger revives his interest in him because the 33-year-old is desperate to play for the Frenchman. (Sun)
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has told Manchester United and Arsenal that Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, 26, and Germany midfielder Sami Khedira, 27, are not for sale. (Daily Star)
Aston Villa midfielder Karim El Ahmadi, who signed for the Villans from Feyenoord in 2012, wants a transfer back to Dutch football because the 29-year-old is homesick. (Sun)
Olympiakos centre-back Kostas Manolas, 23, is undergoing a medical at Arsenal ahead of an £8m move to Arsenal. (Goal)
Liverpool are willing to spend £59m to sign Barcelona's Cameroon midfielder Alex Song, 26, and Paris St-Germain's Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani, 27, next week. (CaughtOffside)
Arsenal face competition from Spanish side Valencia to sign £9m-rated Chile forward Eduardo Vargas, 24, from Napoli. (Daily Star Sunday)
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes, 51, who left the club last season, says he was not given time to succeed at Old Trafford. (DSWSC)
The Scotsman labelled the job "impossible", after being sacked less than a year into his six-year contract in April. (Mail on Sunday)
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has axed Nani, Anderson and Wilfried Zaha from the first team, forcing them to train at different times to the main squad and eat away from the first team. ( People)
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, 41, says many British players fail at the top level because they are paid too much too young in comparison to their peers from other countries. (DSSC)
Rodgers has told striker Raheem Sterling, 19, that he will have to wait to triple his wages from his current £35,000 a week deal. ( Mirror)
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes summer signing, Diego Costa, 25, is better than Sergio Aguero, 26, at title-rivals Manchester City and the Spain striker has also brought some grit to the the Blues. (People)
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew says his team are stronger than last season, especially up front, after making seven new signings in the close season - with more still to come. (Telegraph)
Crystal Palace caretaker manager Keith Millen is keen to speak with chairman Steve Parish about taking the job on a permanent basis following the surprise departure of Tony Pulis before their opening game of the season. (Observer)
West Bromwich Albion defender Joleon Lescott, 32, responded to a tweet from the club wishing him a happy birthday by mocking former Manchester City team-mate Yaya Toure over his infamous birthday strop.
Queens Park Rangers debutant Rio Ferdinand, 35, tweeted following the Hoops' 1-0 home defeat against Hull that he was culpable for the decisive goal.
Manchester United and their new manager Louis van Gaal received the full meme treatment on Twitter following their 2-1 defeat by Swansea City on the opening day of the Premier League season. (Metro)
Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are on alert after Paris St-Germain's contract talks with their 29-year-old Argentine winger Ezequiel Lavezzi broke down. (Daily Star)
Manchester United are eyeing up a move for AC Milan defender Philippe Mexes, 32, as a cheaper alternative to Roma's £24m-rated centre-back Mehdi Benatia, 27, according to Corriere dello Sport. (Football Italia)
Celtic are closing in on the one-year loan signing of winger Mubarak Wakaso, 24, from Rubin Kazan. (Daily Record)
Marseille midfielder Morgan Amalfitano, 29, is eager to secure a move to West Ham United following a training ground bust-up with coach Marcelo Bielsa. (Sky Sports)
Napoli appear to have beaten Swansea City to the signature of Dutch midfielder Jonathan de Guzman, 26, who has spent the last two seasons on loan at the Liberty Stadium from Villarreal. (La Gazzetta - in Italian)
Tottenham are ready to reject a £10m offer from Southampton for 23-year-old England winger Andros Townsend, who is also attracting interest from QPR. (Daily Express)
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique says he is still in the market for new signings despite spending £115m on five players, including £75m on 27-year-old Luis Suarez this summer. (Marca)
Chelsea are looking at AS Roma striker Mattia Destro, 23, in case Fernando Torres, 30, decides to leave the club. (Le Figaro)
Bayern Munich could make moves for defenders Mehdi Benatia, 27, and Diego Godin, 28, who play for AS Roma and Atletico Madrid respectively. (L'Equipe)
Arsenal are in advanced negotiations with Italian side Napoli for the loan transfer of 24-year-old Chilean forward Eduardo Vargas. (Tuttosport)
AS Monaco had offered their striker Radamel Falcao, 28, to Barcelona, but the Catalan club declined the proposal as they had already signed Luis Suarez. (Mundodeportivo)
Liverpool will look to make a move for Paris St-Germain forward Edinson Cavani, 27, if they fail to recruit Colombia striker Radamel Falcao. (Bild)
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 28, is Real Madrid's preferred candidate to succeed veteran Iker Casillas at the Bernabeu. (Bild)
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has said that the club is not looking at making any transfer moves. (Marca)
Inter Milan could face stiff competition from AS Monaco for FC Porto's Brazilian defender Ronaldo, 28. (Le Figaro)
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, 41, received a text message from Suarez wishing him and his former Reds team-mates luck ahead of their opening-day win over Southampton. (Telegraph)
Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood, 45, has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Tony Pulis at Crystal Palace after a favourable interview. (Guardian)
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, 30, believes the side need to rediscover the fear factor that they had over teams to help them improve after an opening day Premier League defeat against Swansea at home. (Daily Star)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger faces defensive problems in the build up to the first leg of his side's Champions League qualifier at Besiktas on Tuesday and could recall centre-back Per Mertesacker earlier than he wanted because of a foot injury to Laurent Koscielny. (Daily Telegraph)
Sunderland striker Connor Wickham, 21, is attracting interest from other clubs and Black Cats manager Gus Poyet says the summer transfer window should be shut before the start of the top-flight season. (Independent)
QPR, who lost 1-0 to Hull City on their return to the Premier League, will have to learn hard lessons if they are to survive in the top flight, says Hoops midfielder Joey Barton, 31. (Times )
Brazil forward Neymar, 22, who scored four goals in five games at the 2014 World Cup, will not be a true footballing star until he wins the tournament, says Brazil coach Dunga. (DSSC)
Everton manager Roberto Martinez is eager to take the pressure off the club's £28m record signing Romelu Lukaku, 21, who failed to score in the opening day 2-2 draw with Leicester City. (Guardian)
Senegal striker Demba Ba, 29, who left Chelsea to join Besiktas in the summer, insists he only struggled at Stamford Bridge because manager Jose Mourinho picked players on reputation rather than performance. (Sun - subscription only)
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, 29, stripped down to purple underwear to take part in the Ice Bucket Challenge craze on Twitter and raise money for charity.
Liverpool match-winner Daniel Sturridge tweeted to declare himself "a happy fella" after the 2-1 win against Southampton and thanked his team-mates for helping him to his first goal of the season.
An over-eager fan ran onto the pitch and kissed Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero after he sealed a 2-0 win at Newcastle United and then asked for his shirt. (Daily Mirror)
A Real Madrid fan, dressed as Ronaldo, infiltrated Los Blancos' 2-1 friendly loss to Fiorentina and chatted with striker Karim Benzema, 26, on the pitch. (Marca)
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