Cristiano, Cristiano...

You might have heard of

Ronaldo
David Beckham
Luis Figo
Zinedine Zidane

These have been the best players in the world in the last decade. At the moment, the best player in the world says he wants to leave the best club in the world. That's laughable, I tell you!

Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon five seasons ago, has scored a massive 42 goals this season as United won the Premier League and the Champions League. He is, no doubt, the best in the world at the moment. He'll only get better, they say. He is valued at around 70 million pounds. Yes, you read it right. In 2001, Zidane cost Real Madrid around 45 million pounds, which is still the world record transfer. Seems like Ronaldo's transfer, should it happen, will shatter it to pieces.

Even though news reports are still shaky, I really fail to understand why Ronaldo wants to leave. He is at the best club in England and in Europe at the moment. Why would someone want to leave? He is among the highest paid footballers in the world. Why would he leave? To get more money? Maybe. He said a while back that it is his dream to play for Madrid.

I think that it is the face value that you get at Real Madrid that players enjoy. If you've noticed all of the above players in that list have played for Real Madrid when they were crowned World Footballers of the Year. Ronaldo has achieved that feat at United itself. Even David Beckham reached his peak at United before he joined Real Madrid. Why Ronaldo would take this decision is beyond me.

At the end of the day it is the club that own the player. If Manchester United say Ronaldo is not for sale, and they have, then he is going nowhere. I don't think the richest club in the world would be awed by a 70 million pound price tag, no way! I'm sure United will not sell him. But then I hope Cristiano doesn't do something stupid like hand in an official transfer request.

The gossip continues anyway.

Glory!

Champions

Final day drama it was! With Man Utd needing a victory to win the league, they produced the goods on the final day of the premier league against Wigan in familiar fashion.

But just the Premier League crown isn't enough. For a squad this talented and mature, the Champions League should be the ultimate target. Again, their main rivals will be Chelsea. I must take my hat off to Chelsea, by the way. After the departure of the "Special One" - Jose Mourinho, I thought they would free fall. But their new manager Avram Grant has managed to put up a fight on all fronts after the initial slump in form.


I also need to congratulate Bolton, a club that I have great respect for. I didn't want to see them relegated to the lower division. They fought well till the end and managed to survive.

Another team that should get accolades is Everton, who have consistently managed to grab fifth place below the top four and qualify for the Uefa Cup.

This seasons Uefa Cup final will be an special one for me. Zenit St.Petersburg are finally where they belong, in the final of a major European competition. I just wish I was cheering for them at the final. I will be, but at the edge of my seat in front of my TV set. I hope they win. I hope they show the world the beauty of Russian football.

Zenit for the Uefa Cup!

Man Utd for the Uefa Champions League!

The things people say

Here is the transcript of the pre-match and post-match text messages that people have sent via the 606 and 81111 networks in Britian. Courtesy of BBC Sports, people can message their opinions and comments which are then added onto the live text commentary of the match.

from red_head_devil on 606: "I awoke this morning next to my not-attractive-enough girlfriend, to travel to my not-paid-enough job before I return to my not-big-enough house to watch United on my not-good-enough telly - but if we win at Barca tonight - well, today would be one hell of a good day."

from Sp0rtsFan23 on 606: "In return for going to bingo last night with the missus, we are having steak in front of the match with The Apprentice lined up on Sky Plus for afters. I'm a Gooner but am massively looking forward to this clash."

Anonymous: "When Solskjaer scored the winner in Barcelona in 1999 I jumped out of my chair, my socks slipped on the carpet, I fell backwards and hit my head on the floor, giving myself concussion."

from Phil in Manchester via text: "If United lose another game this season, nevermind tonight, I will buy a hat and then eat it."

from Matt via text: "I'm sitting in my pants in my dingy student house, writing my dissertation, while my tutor is partying in Las Ramblas with a bunch of merry Catalans. There's something wrong here."

from craidski_MUFC on 606: "I'm sat at work clock-watching. I can't wait for the day to end so I can drag the missus down the pub to watch what is going to be one of the best European games of the year."

"Park marking Messi? Jinkies!"
Tom, Manchester, via text on 81111

I'm in an open exam at the minute for my finals, and I'm watching the match, without beer, as a compromise. Sort your priorities out!"
Jez in York, via text on 81111

"The script has already been written, Henry to come off the bench and score the winner."
Darrell via text on 81111

"United have played like a boxer willing to take a barrage of body-blows. They haven't been very adventurous but limited the damage Barca could have dealt."
Mathew, London, via text on 81111

United

I have been a Manchester United fan for almost 14 years now. They were the first club I started supporting as a kid, and they will be the last. Manchester United is not just a football club. It is a dynasty, which has taken decades to build. One man who has devoted his life to this club is Sir Alex Ferguson. He's been at the helm for 21 solid years now. Considered the most successful manager ever in the English Premier League, the 67 year old has created an era of entertaining football, talented players and continues to go strong.

As you might see on the bottom right tab on my blog, Man Utd just defeated AS Roma in the quarter finals of the Champions League. They now face Barcelona in the semis which promises to be a mouth watering clash of the titans. One of the top Spanish sides against the reigning English Champions. A game where names like Thierry Henry, Lionel Messy, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Samuel Eto, Paul Scholes and Deco share the spotlight for two 90 minute encounters.

Man Utd last won the Champions League in 1999. It was one of the most breathtaking climax ever. Man Utd score won 2-1 after Bayern Munich had taken an early lead. Man Utd scored 2 goals in the space of 3 minutes at the end. What drama!! You can check out the match highlights by clicking here. With one of their strongest squads ever, I believe this year they will go all the way. They will triumph in both the domestic league and the European.

The Premier League had been dominated by Man Utd for a long time up until 2002. Then Arsenal won a couple of titles. Then, entered Chelsea with the help of the Russian Roman Abramovich's billions. They won back-to-back titles in 2005and 2006 when Man Utd's team was in a transitional rebuilding phase. Last season, Man Utd bounced back. They won the league, reached the finals of the FA cup and progressed till the semis of the Champions League where they lost to the eventual champions, AC Milan. One of the most memorable matches of last season was the quarter final clash against AS Roma where thanks to some excellent football Man Utd won 7-1 which you can watch by clicking here. It's a real coincidence that they faced AS Roma again this year at the same stage. But I'm happy that they have overcome the hurdle because Roma have improved a lot since last season.

I desperately await the semi final clash with Barcelona, like Sir Alex, and hope that Manchester United can put up a performance in both legs and set up a final meeting with either Liverpool or Chelsea. The final will be played in Moscow on May 21st. I've been waiting for the final to be held in Russia for 5 years. Perfect timing!

Check-in with kick-off

Hello. It's been a while now and I've been back and forth many times about starting my own blog. I always knew I would, it was just a matter of time. The main question in my mind was, 'should I reveal my identity or no?' I still don't have the answer to that question, which is why I'll try and mix things up in here. I don't think I should be writing anything personal, so people won't throw eggs and tomatoes at me on the street. My posts will be more of a general nature, stuff that people speculate about, stuff that goes on everywhere, from football to dating, from shopping to leisure, from travel to psychology.

Final Approach is an unsual title, most would think. Not to me though. Aviation is, and will always be, something close to my heart.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank one of my very good friends, Pragni, who is also a blogger. Check out http://pragsdreamz.blogspot.com/
She's been an inspiration to me from the start and this blog wouldn't exist if she wouldn't have believed that I could do it.

Being a football fan isn't easy. But then, it isn't difficult as well. I've been a childhood England fan. That's mainly because my favourite club, Manchester United FC, hails from England. Yesterday, England visited Moscow, a place not too far from where I am at the moment, to play Russia. The game was a qualifier for the European Championships in 2008, what everybody calls EURO 2008. I can't imagine how homo sapiens can play in temperature close to 0 C. According to me, they are nuts. They even played on an artificial surface, as the sub-zero temperatures affect grassy pitches. So, as a result, if you fall awkwardly, that could be it for your career. I remember playing football a year ago when it was +15 C outside. I had to wear a jacket over my jersey and two sets of gloves and still wasn't comfortable. But I guess this is what playing for your country does to you. England scored in the 29th minute, but in the second half, Russia came back to score twice in four minutes. Russia 2 England 1. My russian friends really got me. It was like ten against one. I guess that's what you get when you dare to support the away team. My frustration was building up, and ultimately I decided to take it out here, in writing.

The thought of international football always makes me wonder if India will ever make an impact ever. I don't think it will happen in my lifetime. It isn't that we don't have talent. The problem lies within. No academies. No big tournaments. No promotions. I would like to see my country in the World Cup someday, I would. But it's hard to keep your hopes alive when they can't even qualify for the Asian Cup most of the time. Even today, I would love to play for India, but honestly, would rather play for a lowly third-division football club in England. Not because of the salary, but because of the conditions and facilities the club will provide you and more importantly, because of the place football holds in that country. Indians are bound to choose cricket over football any day of the week. Being the second largest population in the world, I think India should realize that priority can't be given to one sport all the time. For the people who don't follow Indian football, India were trounced 7-0 in Japan by the Japanese during the world cup qualifications for 2006. I thought India might at least salvage a draw on home soil. Yes, that's what it is soil, not grass, on football pitches in India. But a few months later, when Japan visited, they won 4-0. That tells you the whole story. But, if compared, the scene in Indian football is much better than it was five or ten years ago. There is improvement, but there isn't enough. Maybe one or two million rupees can be used to rebuild the infrastructure, instead of using billions for cricket. Agian, just a personal opinion, always open for speculation.