Mancini Interest Is Over

Rafael Benitez today revealed Liverpool’s interest in Roma winger Alessandro Mancini is over, despite claims of a fresh bid from the player’s agent.

Liverpool did show an interest in the Brazilian earlier in the summer, but Benitez opted to sign Ryan Babel instead.

Now, with Mancini negotiating a new deal with the Italian side, his representative is claiming Benitez is still pursuing the 27-year-old.

But Benitez said today: “I was reading stories about Mancini. I can say that Liverpool will not be offering any money for this player.”

There are suspicions the player’s agent is using the Reds to improve terms at the Olympic Stadium.

Benitez and his 25-man squad arrived in Switzerland yesterday.

Youngster Jack Hobbs and Stephen Darby are among those included in the party, as well as all the recent recruits.

Fabio Aurelio is also with the squad and training again, although Benitez says he won’t be able to play for a month as he nears recovery from a ruptured Achilles.

Scott Carson, who enjoyed extra time off due to the Under-21 European Championships, is also back in training.

The manager hopes the documents to allow both Lucas Leiva and Sebastian Leto to feature in the pre-season games will arrive during the course of the week.

The Reds play their first Swiss game against Werder Bremen tomorrow.

My Say: I never thought that Mancini would be good enough to challenge Ryan Babel or Jermaine Pennant for a regular starting place in the Liverpool squad. Should Benitez is interested to look for pacy, nippy winger, look no further than Aiden McGeady who currently plays for Celtic in Scotland.

Liverpool Eye Chiellini Swoop

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini could be on his way to Liverpool after stating that the Bianconeri have neglected him.

The former Italy Under-21 captain claims that he is worried about his future in Serie A and is waiting for club officials to clarify their plans.

“No one has called me or tried to contact me,” he revealed. “They have focused on renewing the contracts of the important players and this is logical.

“However, they haven’t considered the players who gave their all to bring the team back to the First Division. I believe I might risk playing only 30 per cent of next year’s matches and I cannot agree to this.

“I have plenty of opportunities, but I only hope someone will call me to explain what the plan is. Unfortunately no one has done this so far.”

Reports in Italy suggest that Liverpool have offered £5m for the defender, although it is understood that the Old Lady value him at £7m.

The Premiership club is focusing on Chiellini after the deal to bring Manchester United left-back Gabriel Heinze – a former Juventus target – to Anfield stalled.

My personal comment: This left back is highly rated....although some of you might not heard of him before, I actually found him when I was playing Championship Manager 2007. Definately a good investment for the longer term.

Crewe 0 - 3 LiverpooL

Rafael Benitez was full of praise for new boy Andriy Voronin after the striker's impressive debut in the 3-0 friendly win at Crewe.

Voronin carved out game's opening goal for youngster Lee Peltier (21) during an impressive 45 minutes on the field.

Peter Crouch (24) added a second three minutes later when he turned in John Arne Riise's cross.

And Youth Cup hero Ray Putterill added the Reds' third after 58 minutes with a shot from the edge of the box.

"We know that Voronin is going to be another option for us," Benitez told the club's website. "He has good game intelligence, he plays well between the lines and he has a lot of quality.

"He played well today in what was a good game for us. We used 22 players and I saw a lot of good things on the field.

"Two of the young lads scored as well which is good for them. They need to be involved in these kind of games to show what they can do."

Heinze Set To Buy-out United Contract To Clinch Liverpool Move

Gabriel Heinze is locked in a £6.8 million tug-of-war with Manchester United because they refuse to sell him to their bitter rivals Liverpool.

Anfield boss Rafa Benitez has been given the green light by the club's American owners to swoop for the Argentina defender.

But despite giving Heinze the all-clear to find a new club after losing his first-team spot to Patrice Evra last season, United have made it clear they have no intention of allowing him to move to Anfield.

Heinze is now weighing up whether to buy out the remaining two years of his Old Trafford contract in order to seal a dramatic switch down the M62 after admitting his desire to move to Liverpool.

New FIFA rules allow players to pay off the final two years of contracts and £65,000-a-week man Heinze knows it will cost him a whopping £6.8m to trigger his exit from United.

No player has moved between the clubs since the unheralded Phil Chisnall left Old Trafford for Anfield in 1964.

If the 29-year-old does buy out his contract, the Champions League finalists would then get Heinze on a free transfer, handing the player a hefty signing-on fee and salary package to compensate him for his United buy-out.

Aurelio Doubt For Reds

Rafa Benitez has confirmed that Fabio Aurelio may not be fit for the start of the new season.

The Brazilian full-back suffered cruciate ligament damage last season and had been expected to be fit in time for pre-season training.

However, Benitez has admitted there is a major doubt over Aurelio.

"Fabio isn't fit yet. It could be another month before he is recovered, but we knew it would be a long time when he suffered the injury," said Benitez.

"He is improving, but it's not easy when you have this kind of injury."

Meanwhike, Benitez has also confirmed the appointment of a new goalkeeper coach with Spaniard Xavi Valero replacing fellow countryman Jose Ochotorena.

"Xavi is an important addition to our backroom staff and I'm looking forward to working with him," said Benitez.

LiverpooL Make Mancini Contact

Liverpool are mulling over a move for Roma's Alessandro Mancini, according to the player's agent.

Mancini enjoyed a superb campaign last season and has reportedly attracted the attention of several clubs, including Juventus and Liverpool.

His representative Gilmar Veloz claims he has talked with Rafa Benitez about a possible transfer, although he admits the two clubs have yet to enter negotiations.

"There has been interest from Liverpool and I have spoken with Benitez," Veloz told Radio Centro Suono Sport.

"I replied that they must talk with Roma, but if the Giallorossi were to sell him I'd have no trouble striking a deal."

Mancini's current contract runs out in 2009 but Veloz insists his client would like to remain with the club.

However, the Brazilian has yet to agree a contract extension and Veloz admits his future remains uncertain.

He explained: "On Monday I'll be meeting with Roma sporting director Daniele Prade to talk about contracts, I don't know what their offer is yet."

"Does Mancini want to stay? Surely if he didn't he would have already left."

Reports in the Italian press suggest Mancini will consider leaving if he is not offered a substantial pay rise.

Benitez On The Attack

Rafael Benítez yesterday introduced Liverpool's latest two summer signings after a busy week in the market and then claimed he is ready to throw off the defensive mind-set which has held the club back in the past few seasons.

Liverpool have struggled badly for goals in the Premiership during the Spaniard's three-year spell as manager, scoring only 166 league goals compared to Manchester United's 213 in that time. It is a statistic that Benítez now says he wants to put right.

"We needed to be quick in the market and with the players that we have we can also be quick on the pitch," the Spaniard said as he introduced the £11.5m signing Ryan Babel, a 20-year-old forward, and then Yossi Benayoun, the 27-year-old wide midfielder from West Ham.

"Defensively the team was good, but really we wanted to attack," Benítez added. "Last season we were having a lot of chances, crossing and shooting more than anyone. But we needed to improve. Maybe with these players the crossing will be better and also the finishing.

"At Valencia I had three or four players, all of whom could score 10 or 15 goals a season. If you have a player who can score 20 goals a year, it's good. But he could get injured and the other team knows he is the only one who can score. It's then easier for the opposition to control. When your team attacks I prefer to have four or five players getting to the box."

The arrivals of Babel and Benayoun take Benítez's spending this summer to around £40m, and the £26m record signing Fernando Torres is expected to play his first game for the club on Tuesday against Werder Bremen in Switzerland.

Babel becomes the third most expensive player in Liverpool's history (Djibril Cissé is the second at £14m) and will receive in excess of £2m of the fee after Ajax agreed he would get 50% of the difference of any fee above €9m (£6.1m). He has scored four goals in 14 appearances for the senior Holland side and is looking forward to playing with Torres.

"I don't want to go into exactly what Rafa said, but he said I could play in a lot of positions and after a couple of months he can see what the best position is for me," said Babel, who had been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal earlier in the summer.

"My favourite position is striker but I can play in a number of different ones. This is a very great club and it was an easy decision to come here. I didn't actually know Liverpool had signed Torres because I was away on holiday. But of course he is a striker that I admire. If you want to learn how to score goals easily then he is one of the players to show you. There was never a proper interest from Arsenal."

Benayoun, who claims he was offered more money to stay at West Ham, is the third Israeli to play for Liverpool and hopes to follow in the footsteps of Avi Cohen and Ronny Rosenthal, both of whom won the title while at Anfield.

"Hopefully I will be the next Israeli to bring luck to Anfield and win the league again," said Benayoun, who has signed a four-year contract.

"Joining Liverpool is the biggest step of my career. It's a big dream. West Ham are a big club and I've had a very good two seasons there. But I told West Ham from the beginning if I was ever going to leave them then it would be for a club like Liverpool.

"I had two or three offers from other clubs, but I told them I would never leave unless it was for Liverpool because it's my dream. It's got nothing to do with money. I simply want to accomplish my dream."

Liverpool Stadium Plans Submitted

The stadium plans for Liverpool’s new ground have been submitted and will now have to be passed for approval by the city’s council before work can begin.

The proposed stadium at Stanley Park will hold 60,000 fans and would cost around £270million to build, with work starting before the beginning of 2008.

The Liverpool Echo have reported that there could be the facility to expand capacity to 80,000 in the future, which would make the Liverpool ground the largest in terms of capacity in the Premiership.

Currently, Manchester United’s ground, Old Trafford, holds that record, holding a maximum of just over 76,000, although there are plans in place to increase this to a mammoth 96,000.

There are sure to be mixed reaction from Liverpool fans at the news of a stadium move. Anfield, like Highbury, Maine Road and countless other iconic stadiums of yesteryear, is synonymous with the club.

The atmosphere created at Anfield is world-renowned, something that new Liverpool co-owner is willing to keep in mind with the new stadium, saying recently: "It is all centred around the Kop - it will be the symphony stage that plays to the symphony hall.

"I think our fans will love it. It's very creative architecture, very contemporary but also unique to Liverpool."

Hicks Promises More As Reds Net £11.5m Babel

Liverpool's co-owner Tom Hicks believes the club's heavy-spending summer programme is not over even though the manager, Rafael Benítez, has invested about £40m overhauling his squad, with Ryan Babel last night confirmed by Ajax as the latest arrival.

The exciting 20-year-old Holland forward accepted a five-year contract after the Amsterdam club agreed to sell him in a deal worth £11.5m, about £2m less than they originally wanted. West Ham's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun is expected to follow Babel into Anfield in time to fly out with the squad on Sunday to a training camp before two friendlies in Switzerland, where the record signing Fernando Torres is likely to get his first game.

Benítez, who has also signed the striker Andriy Voronin from Bayer Leverkusen since the Champions League final defeat in May, has been one of the busiest managers in the market this summer, but Hicks does not expect the spending to stop.

"I wouldn't rule Rafa out for one more [transfer]. I know the team is going to be a better team," said the American, who with his compatriot George Gillett has helped fund the eye-catching recruitment drive. "Part of the plan Rafa explained was that we needed to have more depth as it is a long season, particularly in the Premier League.

"He explained to George and me that we were able to compete better in the Champions League because of the format than we were in the nine to 10 months of the Premier League. We tried to add to that depth and I think we have."

Hicks believes Liverpool's spending sends out a strong signal to Premiership and European rivals about their intent to win trophies. Only Manchester United have flexed more muscle in the market, although Spurs are pushing them close.

"United are always going to be a top side and we just have to compete as best we can," he added. "Rafa has done a great job. We talked to him about a plan and it has gone pretty much how we agreed it would go. The first was to get existing core players on our team to sign extensions - it was critical to get those guys locked up. Then we started with the process of getting new players in."

Babel, one of the stars of Holland's European Under-21 championship win last month, is a product of the famed Ajax youth academy and broke into the senior side in the 2003-04 season. He has since scored 14 goals in 73 league games, was picked for Holland's World Cup squad last summer and is rated as one of the country's most promising talents.

He said he had been won over by Benítez's expectations for the future. "I've spoken to Rafa Benítez and that was when I knew everything would be signed," he said. "He has a clear vision of what he wants and said I'd be competing with six others for four positions in the forward line."

Liverpool Complete Babel Transfer

Liverpool have completed the signing of Ajax's Ryan Babel in an £11.5m deal.

The 20-year-old Dutch striker has agreed a five-year contract as Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez continues a major overhaul of his squad.

"I listened to them and I got a great feeling about the club," said Babel. "I have made my choice with my heart and the coach has big plans for me."

Yossi Benayoun, a reported £5m signing from West Ham, was also unveiled by Liverpool on Friday.

Babel admitted it was a tough decision to leave Ajax, where he made his debut aged 17 in 2004 and scored five goals in 27 Eredivisie matches last season.

He said: "I have met Rafael Benitez and my conversation with him was the moment I knew the deal would get done.

"He is like the ideal father-in-law. He has a lot of football know-how and he told me that I would be challenging with six other players for four positions. I have a good feeling about things.

"I met Dirk Kuyt at training, who I knew from the national team. At that moment he did not feel like a rival but I suppose that is what will happen.

"It was very important how the coach spoke to me, how I would fit in his team. After that conversation I knew it was the right decision."

Babel was a member of the Dutch team that won the European Under-21 Championship in June and he has been capped 14 times by the full Dutch team.

Liverpool manager Benitez has also signed forwards Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin this summer.

Babel Kops £3M Deal

Ryan Babel will receive a £3million windfall from his big-money move to Liverpool.

The Dutch whizzkid will arrive at Anfield today to complete his move to Merseyside after his club Ajax finally agreed terms on the transfer that will eventually net them £12m.

But canny 20-year-old Babel will personally receive more than £3m of that money after negotiating a clause in his contract giving him 50 per cent of any fee the Dutch club received above £9m.

The agreement to take the exciting young striker to England could eventually top £18m with add-ons effectively giving him a quarter of the transfer figure.

The Dutchman, who was the star of the recent European Under-21 Championship, will also get a £2m signing on fee from Liverpool and a salary of around £60,000 a week.

That will earn him a potential £20m over the course of his five-year deal with Liverpool - a staggering amount for such a young player.

But the Merseyside club believe that he is worth it given his massive reputation in the land of total football, and the promise he has shown so far in breaking into the full Holland side in the last year.

He has been described by Marco van Basten as Holland's next superstar, and a striker who could eventually be better than Thierry Henry.

Yet Liverpool first want to use him in a wide position as they hope to give him experience in the frenetic world of the Premiership, filling in vacant spots on the left and right flanks.

The youngster is expected to be unveiled publicly this afternoon, and he could not contain his delight at the prospect of the move yesterday when he said: "It is a dream for me.

Liverpool are a serious club, and to have them make an offer for me means so much.

"I listened to what they had to say and I got a great feeling about the club. I have made a choice with my heart. Rafa Benitez has big plans for me."

LiverpooL Agree Price For Israeli Midfielder

Sky Sports News understands Liverpool have agreed a fee to sign Yossi Benayoun from West Ham United.

Benayoun has emerged as a target for Rafa Benitez's in recent weeks, despite agreeing a new five-year contract at Upton Park.

But the delay in signing the deal has allowed Liverpool to steal in with a suitable offer for the Israel international.

Benitez revealed last week that the Hammers had said 'no' to his club's original offer, but a fee now appears to have been settled upon.

Reports have mooted a price of £4million for Benayoun, who has made 72 appearances for West Ham since joining from Racing Santander two years ago.

His impending switch to Anfield follows the completion of the £7.5million deal which took Craig Bellamy in the opposite direction.

When quizzed on Liverpool's interest last month, Benayoun admitted he was 'honoured' to be wanted by the UEFA Champions League finalists.

The player's agent Ronen Katzav said: "It should be completed in the next 48 hours.

"Everybody would be happy to play for Liverpool. West Ham will always be in his heart, but he is looking to move up a level."

Babel Will Cost Liverpool £13.5m

Liverpool will have to pay £13.5m for 20-year-old Ajax winger Ryan Babel.

Ajax technical director Martin van Geel says talks have taken place between the two clubs, but no fee has been agreed.

"Liverpool are willing to pay a huge sum for Ryan," he said. "We have told them what we want, and that's 20m euros (£13.5m). That is our price."

Reports have suggested that Liverpool have made an improved bid after an initial £10m offer was rejected by the famed Dutch club.

"We would like to see Babel play here next season, it's not for nothing that we have extended his contract until June 2010," added Van Geel.

"But if these kind of clubs want to pay us these figures it says something.

"We will see if we can reach a deal in the coming days."

Babel helped Holland win the European Under-21 Championship this summer and had been linked with a move to Arsenal.

But the Reds appear to have stolen a march over their Premiership rivals and Babel said: "I had heard that there were some stories on the internet but that happens quite often.

"Liverpool's interest is serious news to me.

"I haven't thought about a transfer for a minute, I will do that soon though. That such a big club is interested is of course very nice."

BBC Five Live Sport football correspondent Jonathan Legard has been told a deal could go through on Wednesday after Craig Bellamy's £7.5m switch from the Reds to West Ham was confirmed.

He revealed: "Babel was strongly linked to Arsenal but Liverpool have made their move and it seems they will use the money from Craig Bellamy's move to West Ham to bring in one of Europe's finest young talents."

Liverpool boss Benitez signed striker Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid last week and admitted he was looking to sign wide players to help supply his new acquisition.

Babel made 27 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax last season, scoring five goals.

But Babel's agent Winnie Haatrecht has issued a note of caution as he considered any possible impact a move may have on the winger's career.

"The route is very clear," said Haatrecht. "First Liverpool and Ajax need to get an agreement about a transfer, that's step one.

"After that we want to know what the technical staff of Liverpool has planned for Ryan.

"The sporting perspective must be totally clear. Only then can Ryan make a good choice.

"Of course Liverpool is a great club. But it must not be that he needs to fight with eight strikers for two positions. We must also look at the development of Ryan."

Bellamy Joins West Ham United

West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy for a club record fee of £7.5 million.

Bellamy, 28 next week, agreed a five-year deal at Upton Park after it was made clear he had no future at Anfield following the arrival of Spain internationalist Fernando Torres.

The transfer was agreed on Friday but was delayed over the weekend as Bellamy thrashed out contractual issues with Liverpool.

The Wales captain is West Ham's fourth summer signing and takes manager Alan Curbishley's spending since he arrived at Upton Park in December to nearly £40m.

The deal for Bellamy breaks West Ham's previous transfer record of £7.25m, which the Hammers paid Norwich for Dean Ashton in January 2006. Bellamy joins midfielders Scott Parker and Julien Faubert plus goalkeeper Richard Wright in signing for the Hammers this summer.

Benitez Eyeing For Two More Players

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has said he is in the market for "two new faces" during the summer following his successful pursuit of top priority Fernando Torres.

The highly-rated forward joined the Reds for a club-record £25 million last week but the Spanish tactician claims he is not quite finished in the transfer market and is particularly targeting wingers.

"We don't need a lot of new players, maybe two new faces," he said.

However Benitez has also sought to reassure the club's existing squad-members – particularly winger Jermaine Pennant – that any new signings will not threaten their places in the Liverpool squad.

"Jermaine is the type of player I like, a winger who goes forward and puts crosses in," Benitez continued.

"He can do this job perfectly but we do need other players in wide areas.

"He played really well in the Champions League final and he has also done really well in pre-season."

Pennant has scored just once in his 52 appearances in all competitions for the Anfield club but has impressed on a number of occasions.

His career had seemed to take several backward steps in recent years, following his inauspicious departure from Arsenal in 2005 and his drink-driving conviction later that year while a Birmingham City player, which saw him serve a 30-day prison sentence.

Pennant was signed by Liverpool in July last year on a four-year contract for £6.7 million.

Liverpool Make £10m Bid For Babel

Liverpool have made a £10m bid for highly-rated Ajax winger Ryan Babel, BBC Five Live Sport understands.

However, the Dutch club are thought to be holding out for £13.5m for the 20-year-old, who has also been linked to Arsenal.

Babel's agent told Sportweek magazine: "Liverpool have made a bid for Ryan but he hasn't spoken with them.

"We can only speak when Ajax say the clubs have an agreement, and phase two can start, but it's not that far yet."

But Five Live football correspondent Jonathan Legard has been told a deal could go through on Wednesday.

He said: "Liverpool have bid 15m euros (£10m), Ajax want 20 million euros (£13.5m) so there's a gap of about £3.5m.

"He was strongly linked to Arsenal but Liverpool have made their move and it seems they will use the money from Craig Bellamy's move to West Ham to bring in one of Europe's finest young talents."

Babel impressed as part of the Holland Under-21 team that won the recent European Championship.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez signed striker Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid last week and admitted he was looking to sign wide players to help supply his new acquisition.

Babel made 27 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax last season, scoring five goals.

Transfer Speculation: Ricardo Quaresma To LiverpooL

The biggest transfer rumour of the weekend is The News of the World splash (08.07.2007) that Liverpool have offered nearly £14m for Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma. This is the first sign of a price for the Portuguese - although this story has previously appeared in all of the News Corp papers.

Firstly in The Times (05.07.2007) and then in The Sun (06.07.2007) - who bundled interest in the 2005 and 2006 Portuguese player of the year with two other high-stepping crowd pleasers, Roma's Alessandro Mancini and, err, Man Utd's Gabriel Heinze.

Quaresma is an understudy for Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portuguese national side, as they are both nominally right wingers and both has a similar style. This is partly the explanation for Quaresma only picking up nine additional caps since his debut four years ago.

Other contributing factors have been the presence of Luis Figo (what a production line of wide men there is in Portugal) and Quaresma's spats with Frank Rijkaard during his dismal season at Barcelona. Quaresma would offer a quality outlet on the right for Liverpool replacing Luid Garcia and suggesting that Jermaine Pennant would be reduced to a squad role.

But despite some fantastic YouTube clips, signing the mercurial Quaresma is a risk. His inability to adapt to a squad role at Barcelona lead to his rapid departure after barely 20 games; 29 goals in 180 league games suggest that he is not going to improve the fairly dismal, Gerrard aside, goalscoring options from midfield; at 5'8" and fairly slight he will be treated fairly robustly by Premiership full-backs; and at £14m he seems fully priced for his abilities and experience.

On the plus side he is 23 years old and adaptable enough to play in all the support forward roles; both wings and at number ten. If the price were around £10m then Liverpool would have a bargain, but even at £14m a motivated Quaresma would improve the team and add points in Rafa Benitez's most important season as a Liverpool manager.

World's Top 50 Footballers

After going through piles and piles of statistics, here's my list of the world's top 50 footballers:

1. Kaka (Milan)

The top four are incredibly tight, but he just edges it for one simple reason: he combines Brazilian flair with European directness like nobody else. He truly is a product of two footballing cultures, a man who has all the virtues and none of the vices of either. Speaking of vices, he really, really doesn’t have any. A committed Christian, he announced proudly that he was a virgin on his wedding night. He likes to parade around in his favourite T-shirt, the one that reads “I belong to Jesus” (thereby opening a whole can of worms regarding third-party ownership). And that’s another reason he tops the list - with Kaka in your team, odds are, the big fella upstairs will be on your side as well...

2. Ronaldinho (Barcelona)

There’s a reason he’s always smiling. You’d be smiling all the time too if you knew that you were the best player on the pitch and you were about to make some poor defender look a jackass. He is the poster child for Brazilian football, the proud heir of those who came before him. He didn’t adapt to the European game, he forced it to adapt to him. Put him on the team sheet, sit back and enjoy the show.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

In the P.C. era (pre-Cristiano) wingers were slight, nippy and small. He redefined the position marrying size and brawn with pace and trickery. You get the sense that, when he’s running at defenders, he could go around them or straight through them. As an added bonus, he’s also an aerial threat on set pieces.

4. Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona)

He’s tired of playing second fiddle to Ronaldinho and with good reason. If he were anywhere else, people would be writing odes and sonnets to him. Eto’o is freakishly quick, an outstanding finisher, with a supernatural eye for goal. Plus, he’s happy to do the dirty work when the other side has possession. Just make sure you continue to massage his ego.

5. Michael Essien (Chelsea)

A one-man wrecking crew. Is there anything he can’t do? You could probably let the rest of the team go off for a fag break in the middle of the game and let him man the fort in midfield. Terrifyingly gifted already and, if given more responsibility, likely to get even better.

6. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Simply put, he’s a freak of nature. No man his size should be so athletic. His agility belies the laws of physics and he is about as unflappable as they come. Having a guy like him in your side means that defeats turn into draws and draws into victories. That alone is worth an extra ten to 15 points at the end of a season.

7. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Speaking of heroics, he’s done it so many times, it’s easy to lose track. If Gerrard were a few inches taller and a few pounds more slight, we would marvel at his pure technical ability. Instead, we focus on his bruising workrate and other more obvious qualities. Don’t worry about fitting him into your side. Just do what Rafa does. Line up your nine other outfield players and let Gerrard do whatever he likes.

8. Carlos Tevez (West Ham)

A single-minded winner, who has carried whole clubs on his back in Argentina, Brazil and England. Tevez’s contribution isn’t measured in just goals and assists, but in self-sacrifice and heroism. With a season of European football under his belt, there is no telling how much better he’s going to be next year.

9. Leo Messi (Barcelona)

Leave Maradona out of it for a minute. Focus instead on that when the ball is at his feet, unless you’re Nostradamus, you have absolutely no idea what will happen next. There is no legislating for unpredictability in football and Messi has bags of it. Plus, his 14 Liga goals last year show that he has added a healthy scoring dimension to his game as well.

10. Francesco Totti (Roma)

His job is to create, not finish, and yet he won the European Golden Boot this season with 26 league goals: a total made all the more remarkable when you throw in the fact that he uncharacteristically missed six penalties along the way. (At least he made the ones that mattered in the World Cup.) That alone should get him on the list - his vision and phenomenal range of passing are bonuses.

And the list continues…….

11. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

12. Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

13. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

14. Petr Cech (Chelsea)

15. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)

16. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

17. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter)

18. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

19. Daniel Alves (Seville)

20. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)

21. Carles Puyol (Barcelona)

22. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

23. Ronaldo (Milan)

24. Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea)

25. Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham Hotspur)

26. Michael Ballack (Chelsea)

27. David Villa (Valencia)

28. Mahamadou Diarra (Real Madrid)

29. Andrea Pirlo (Milan)

30. John Terry (Chelsea)

31. Florent Malouda (Lyons)

32. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)

33. Javier Zanetti (Inter)

34. David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy)

35. Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

36. Dejan Stankovic (Inter)

37. Daniele De Rossi (Roma)

38. Paul Scholes (Manchester United)

39. “Lucho” Gonzalez (Porto)

40. Juninho Pernambucano (Lyons)

41. Alessandro Nesta (Milan)

42. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax)

43. Hernan Crespo (Inter)

44. Rino Gattuso (Milan)

45. Diego (Werder Bremen)

46. Rodrigo Palacio (Boca Juniors)

47. Phillip Lahm (Bayern Munich)

48. Jefferson Farfan (PSV Eindhoven)

49. Clarence Seedorf (Milan)

50. Gary Neville (Manchester United)

Liverpool Star Quits England

Jamie Carragher is ready to quit the England team after being left out of the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia last month.

The Liverpool centre-half, who played in four of England's five games at the World Cup last year, has made just five appearances under Steve McClaren.

He has never started in his favoured position in a back four, even when John Terry and Rio Ferdinand have been injured, despite winning rave reviews as he helped his club to a second Champions League final appearance in three years.

His likely decision to retire from international football, which mirrors Paul Scholes' self-imposed England exile,was brought to a head when he was left out of the side who defeated Estonia 3-0 in Tallinn.

A source close to the 29-year-old said last night: "Jamie does not want to sound like a big-time Charlie. He just feels that at this stage of his career it would be better if he concentrated his efforts on helping Liverpool become the No 1 team in England again.

"He has always regarded it as a tremendous honour to represent his country and he has happy memories of pulling on the shirt. But things have to end some time and he thinks this might be a good time to bow out."

Against Estonia, the euphoria surrounding David Beckham's England return overshadowed Carragher's huge disappointment at being dropped to the bench.

He had accepted the fact he was behind the likes of Terry, Ferdinand and Jonathan Woodgate in the central defensive pecking order but, in a match when both Ferdinand and Woodgate were unavailable, McClaren's preference for the injuryprone Ledley King came as a bitter personal blow.

The situation was made worse when the England manager picked Wes Brown at right-back, a role Carragher has filled in the absence through injury of Gary Neville.

McClaren, having failed to talk Scholes into returning to the international scene, has not given up on persuading Carragher to reverse his decision and has been in constant touch with him. He will seek to meet the player on his return, before he names the squad for the friendly against Germany on August 22 at Wembley.

Carragher has collected 34 England caps since he made his debut as a substitute against Hungary in April 1999, ironically in the game that also signalled Brown's nternational arrival. In that time, the Anfield favourite has earned a reputation for being a wholehearted player who rarely let the side down, despite being asked to play all across the back four.

Eriksson once tried him as a holding midfield player, but McClaren has used him at right-back, left-back and as one of three centre-halves in a 3-5-2 formation, as well as, briefly, in his favoured position.

Carragher won 27 caps during Eriksson's reign, but his appearances have been restricted to just three starts since McClaren took over.

Teenage Striker Scores Hat-trick In Liverpool Victory

Austrian teenager Besian Idrizaj scored an impressive 19-minute hat-trick as Rafael Benitez's squad of promising youngsters opened Liverpool's pre-season in some style at Wrexham.

Both sides fielded completely different teams in each half of their friendly at the Racecourse ground, which attracted an 11,000-plus crowd.

The 22 Liverpool players on show comprised of the bulk of their FA Youth Cup-winning sides of the last couple of seasons, plus an array of prospects signed in Benitez's three years at Anfield.

And it underlined that the battle for recognition outside Benitez's increasingly expensive senior squad will be fought out between local Academy products and newcomers from across Europe.

How many of them eventually make it when the club are spending the likes of £20million on Fernando Torres, with plenty more to come, remains to be seen.

The only big names on show for Liverpool were Steve Finnan, Jermaine Pennant, Mohamed Sissoko and Alvaro Arbeloa. And Benitez watched with interest as the young pretenders did their best to impress.

And 19-year-old Idrizaj did just that, with plenty of help from Pennant. His first came on five minutes when Jordy Brouwer nodded down a Pennant cross for Idrizaj to crash past Tony Williams from six yards.

Two more Pennant crosses saw Idrizaj, who had a spell on loan at Luton last term, got the better of Wales international defender Steve Evans with two fine headers.

The second period saw a much more even contest with Wrexham having 10 players with league experience on the pitch against a predominantly Liverpool youth team.

And the Welsh club pulled one back on 61 minutes when substitute goalkeeper Martin Hansen made a hash of a clearance and presented Eifion Williams with a gift chance.

Liverpool gave their two new Hungarian youngsters, Krisztian Nemeth and Andras Simon their first taste of British football, but they conceded another goal with three minutes to go when Hansen punched away a cross and Williams hooked home his second from 25 yards.