It is not normally the policy of uefa.com
to comment on transfer gossip. After all, right now that would not leave
any room for, well anything else until the window closes as the end of
August. But Off the Ball could not resist this one.
King of the Orient?
Flash back four years to just after the last but one FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo, fresh from emerging as top scorer in Korea/Japan, was a prized
asset and in the end completed a €45m move from FC Internazionale Milano
to Real Madrid CF. Forward again to 2006, and with changes sweeping
through Madrid the Brazilian has been linked with a return to Inter. But
the Serie A side face a rival for Ronaldo's signature, Leyton Orient FC.
The east Londoners are riding high - they gained promotion to England's
third-level League One last season - and who better to spearhead their
bid for another jump in status than the experienced South American? Of
course money could be an issue, but enterprising fans have found a
solution.
Donations welcome
A group of enterprising supporters have launched the "Ronometer" on
their website, calling for online donations to push the cash pool up to
the required £20m (€29.2m). The ultimate goal? "To get Leyton Orient FC
into the Premiership and what better way than to sign one of the world's
top strikers. We aim to raise enough money to sign a top class player
for the O's." However, only then comes a sheepish admission that "in the
unlikely event that we fail to raise £20m or that Ronaldo doesn't want
to relocate to E10 [the local London postal district], all money raised
will go to the club".
Andriy takes aim
Orient chairman Barry Hearn, among his many other enterprises, runs a
professional darts organisation and manages 13-times world champion Phil
Taylor. Something another established international striker recently
transferred to London may want to note. Andriy Shevchenko is settling
down in the English capital having been bought by Chelsea FC, who
incidentally did not need to launch a donation drive to stump up the fee
for AC Milan. But no matter how many goals he scores when the season
starts, if he wants respect in the squad he will have to master the art
of hitting treble 20.
Treble chance
Under the auspices of club captain John Terry, Chelsea's players have
become addicted to their post-training darts matches. Ukraine is not
noted as a darts-crazy nation comparable to England or the Netherlands,
from where Arjen Robben often attends tournaments and local champion
Raymond van Barneveld has given exhibitions to Marco van Basten's squad.
But Shevchenko is ready for the challenge. "I played darts when I was
much younger," he told Chelsea's official magazine. "I look forward to a
game at the training ground."
Bent in agony
Maybe it's the heat in London, because that's not all that's going on in
the home of the brash, outrageous and free. With a chance of an England
call-up after missing the World Cup, luckless Charlton Athletic FC
striker Darren Bent has suffered a rather unfortunate injury. He was
chopping bread ahead of selecting a tasty filling when (and look away
now if you are squeamish) he cut open his finger with the errant knife.
Luckily he did not sever a tendon but could still miss the start of the
season. Bent said: "I had a kitchen accident. I just cut it when I was
making a sandwich. I don't even know what kind of sandwich it was. I
didn't get to try it."
Daddy cool
But we cannot end on a ghastly tale like that, so here's a quick
hardwarming punchline. Lilian Thuram's move to FC Barcelona from
Juventus may of course have been influenced by the Italian side's
enforced relegation, but at his unveiling he stated that there was
another, more pressing reason. "I went to the UEFA Champions League
final with my boys [five and nine] last May in Paris. They really
appreciated Barça's stars. And when I told them Dad could play with
Ronaldinho and [Samuel] Eto'o, they were over the moon. To please my
children was one of my motivations to move." Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.