Birthday boy Ronaldo must grow up after red rag

The forward has been sent off four times for Real Madrid, most recently on Sunday, and now needs to add maturity to his talents as he celebrates turning 29 on Wednesday

 COMMENT
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

Cristiano Ronaldo was not in a good mood. The Portuguese turned up for training at Real Madrid on Monday with a steely glare etched on his face, still seething from what he believes was an unjust dismissal at Athletic Bilbao the night before.

But as he celebrates his 29th birthday on Wednesday, he must begin to take responsibility for his actions.

Ronaldo's red card in the 1-1 draw at San Mames has been widely condemned by Madrid. Coach Carlo Ancelotti claimed the decision was "a bit exaggerated", while Marcelo called it "unfair". But midfielder Xabi Alonso was probably closer to the mark when he admitted his team-mate had also been culpable for raising his hands to both Carlos Gurpegi and Ander Itturaspe. "It was not a sending-off," Alonso said. "But Cristiano shouldn't have done what he did."

It wasn't the first time, either. Ronaldo has now been dismissed on eight occasions throughout his career and four of those red cards have come at Madrid. The first came against Almeria in December, 2009; another at home to Malaga in January the following year; a third in the defeat to Atletico in the final of the Copa del Rey last May; before Sunday's display of indiscipline at Athletic.

The first of those - in Ronaldo's debut season at Madrid - was the most ridiculous of them all. The Portuguese had been desperate to score as Real came from behind to beat Almeria at the Bernabeu, but was left frustrated by a rare penalty miss. When he did finally find the net, he removed his shirt in an over-zealous celebration which brought a booking and, three minutes later, received another after lashing out at Michel with a cynical kick.

His next dismissal was perhaps even more needless. Having scored twice in a home fixture against Malaga, Ronaldo swung his elbow wildly in the direction of Danish defender Patrick Mtiliga and ended up breaking his rival's nose. The referee was left with no alternative. 

After that, more than three years passed before the Portuguese was sent off again, this time in the final of the Copa del Rey against Atletico last May. Already booked, the forward aimed a boot at Gabi's face in a retaliatory reaction to a crunching challenge by the midfielder. Real were a goal down and, with six minutes still left on the clock, Ronaldo's red ended any hopes of a late comeback.

Madrid meet Atletico again on Wednesday in the cup competition, with Cristiano in the spotlight once more following his dismissal at the weekend. And as against Almeria and Atletico, it had come when things weren't going his way.

Madrid had gone ahead in Bilbao when the Portuguese found Jese with an unselfish pass when previously he may have shot. But he subsequently saw a volley (correctly) ruled out for offside and was irked by a lack of goalscoring opportunities in the hard-fought fixture.

Nothing new there. Since picking up the Ballon d'Or last month, Ronaldo has scored just three times in seven games (which is well below his usual ratio) and signs of his irritation were apparent in his side's 1-0 win over Espanyol last Tuesday, when he also picked up a yellow card for a needless and somewhat cynical foul on Sidnei and could have seen red as he met the decision with mock applause for referee Fernando Teixeira Vitienes.

When things aren't going his way, Ronaldo is much more inclined to get himself booked or even dismissed - as he did again on Sunday.

"That may be the case," former Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Paco Buyo told Goal. "But Cristiano puts up with a lot: he gets kicked, he gets provoked and sometimes he is judged differently because of who he is, because he plays for Real Madrid, because he is the Ballon d'Or [winner] and because he is the best player in the world. He is under a different spotlight."

Much of that may well be true, but provocation is a part of football and at 29 Ronaldo could still do with adding some more maturity to his tremendous talents in order to avoid retaliation and, more importantly, red cards. Madrid's success may just depend on it.

BREAKING NEWS: Ronaldo handed three-game ban

The Portugal international will miss three matches following his dismissal at the weekend, but will be available for Wednesday's Copa del Rey game against Atletico

The Spanish football association (RFEF) has decided to hand Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo a three-game ban following his red card against Athletic Bilbao at the weekend.

The Portugal international received his marching orders in the 76th minute of Sunday's La Liga encounter after an altercation with Athletic's Ander Iturraspe and Carlos Gurpegui.

Ronaldo consequently risked a suspension that could cover anything from one game to in excess of three and the RFEF has now opted to keep him out of action for three matches.

The attacker was slapped with a one-game ban for the incident with Iturraspe, while getting an additional two games for his offensive gesture after his dismissal.

The 29-year-old will miss the Liga games at home against Villarreal (February 9) and Elche (February 23) as well as the away match versus Getafe (February 16).

However, Ronaldo will be available for both legs of the Copa del Rey semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid, with the first leg to take place at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Ameobi, Dike, Anichebe: Who should be Keshi’s Plan B?

The Big Boss seems to be looking to include a physical presence among his World Cup-bound forwards. Dike & Ameobi are in pole position, but should Anichebe be considered instead?

ANALYSIS
By Ed Dove
Evidence over the last 18 months seems to indicate that Stephen Keshi has realised the need to incorporate a target man into his Nigeria collective.

Under the Big Boss, the Super Eagles have developed a competitive and effective approach, often with three midfielders supporting a fluid three frontmen. The likes of Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emenike, Ahmed Musa, Victor Obinna and Ideye Brown have proved to be useful components in this mobile, speedy forward line, but Keshi appears to be aware that this may not be enough to succeed in Brazil.

Ahead of the 2013 Cup of Nations, he first indicated a desire to diversify his attacking options. Both Shola Ameobi and Bright Dike were drafted into the team and the pair made their debuts against Venezuela in a friendly in November 2012.

During that match, and the subsequent friendly against Catalonia, both men made a fine impression and could realistically have been confident about their chances of featuring in the AFCON elect. Ameobi had made an assist on his debut (for Ogenyi Onazi) while Dike scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw with the star-studded Catalonians.
It was to the surprise of some that Dike was ultimately overlooked, while Ameobi didn’t take part in the triumphant tournament due to a clause in his Newcastle contract which denied him involvement.

Ameobi | In Pole Position?

It took a while for either man to return to the fold following the Cup of Nations. Neither was selected for the Confederations Cup, and it wasn’t until the Mandela Challenge match against South Africa in the middle of August that Ameobi was reintegrated into the side, with Dike following three months later.
Ameobi has featured in four of the last six games for the national side, while Dike has appeared in two of the last four, starting in friendlies against both Italy and Burkina Faso.
If we believe that Keshi is considering one of the pair as a potential ‘Plan B’, then their pattern of appearances for the Super Eagles becomes quite hard to rationalise.

In that friendly against Venezuela, one could explain Keshi’s vision; as Dike departed, Ameobi appeared. In recent fixtures, however, both men have started together (against both Italy and Burkina Faso). This is a hard one to understand; the Big Boss is highly unlikely to start both men in the World Cup—but playing them together means that neither player is truly receiving the opportunity to impress as a sole target man amidst several more mobile talents.

At this point in time, it is hard to say who has the upper hand between the two. Ameobi has featured more often, but Dike has scored more (three in his last two games compared with Ameobi’s two in two). Ameobi travelled with the squad to Addis Ababa for the first leg of the World Cup play-off against Ethiopia, while Dike stayed at home. The roles were reversed for the second leg in Calabar, as Ameobi remained in England while Dike watched on from the bench.

Dike | In danger of being squeezed out at Toronto?

I witnessed, first hand, the players’ powers against Italy in a recent friendly at Craven Cottage. Both men displayed fine, astute movement to trouble the Italian defence, Ameobi operating as more of a static target man and Dike as a wider forward on the right-hand side.
If we assume that Victor Moses will play on the left of the forward three, we are left with a battle for authority for a number of fine striking options. In truth, it’s hard to see Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa being left out for one of Dike or Ameobi. Victor Obinna should also be confident of travelling, following his fine finish in the Calabar clash with the Walias and his ability to adapt to the demands of the team.
Looking ahead over the coming months, I am inclined to suggest that Ameobi is the better placed of the two to secure a ticket to Brazil. With Papiss Cisse devoid of both confidence and quality at the moment, and the departure of Yohan Cabaye taking another key influence out of Alan Pardew’s squad, Ameobi should enjoy a prominent stage at Newcastle over the coming months.

A key criticism still levelled against the forward, however, is his dismal record in front of goal. Ameobi has qualities, certainly, and can be a fine addition to a forward line as a support forward, however, he has scored nine goals in his last 95 Premier League appearances for Newcastle…he is almost a novelty act among the elite of British football.

Dike, on the other hand, has fallen down the pecking order at Toronto FC following the club’s activity in the January window. Brazilian forward Gilberto arrived at the club from Internacional while the prolific Jermain Defoe will join the squad in February.
Despite been linked with a move to Celtic during the window, Dike stayed in Canada—it remains to be seen how many minutes he will manage between now and the World Cup.

Big Vic | Back on the scoresheet

Could West Bromwich Albion forward Victor Anichebe be an option both more deadly and more convincing than the other two?
‘Big Vic’, at 25, is younger than both Dike (27) and Ameobi (32), he has, however amassed more Super Eagles caps than the other two put together.
His relationship with the national side has been troubled, but the player’s desire to stay away from the squad are a result of a desperate injury record, and one he has been keen to overcome, rather than an indifference or an apathy towards the cause.
At 6’3, he is taller than Dike and the same height as Ameobi, but he is more mobile than either man and has also played on the right wing in the past, a versatility that might appeal to Keshi.
Finally, as his weekend goal against Liverpool proved, he is also a fine finisher when given the opportunity (i.e. not playing in support of a poacher). If he can overcome his injury woes, and it is a big 'if' considering that he has already missed a month of this season with a groin complaint, he could bring more to the table than either Ameobi or Dike.

Costa Rica 2014: Flamingoes wallop Black Maidens in friendly

The visiting team left the Ghanaian federation with many questions about their readiness for the World Cup after being thrashed by Nigeria’s female cadet team in a warm up

Nigeria U17 Women emphasized their readiness for the 2014 FIFA U17 World Cup in Costa Rica after thrashing Ghana 3-0 in an international friendly at the FIFA Goal Project Centre in Abuja on Sunday.
Goals from Mary Ologbosere, Chiwendu Ihezuo and Yakubu Aminat ensured that coach Bala Nkiyu's wards secured a gallant win over the Black Maidens.
Sensational right-back Mary Ologbosere powered home a 25-metre bullet for an opener to hand Flamingoes the lead with just three minutes into the encounter.
Despite the early lead for Nigeria, Evans Adotey's Ghanaian side posted a nice stunner, forcing Flamingoes goalkeeper Okeke Onyinyechukwu to deny Kuzagbe Vinoria early on.
Nigeria’s free-scoring lanky striker Chiwendu Ihezuo fired home the second in style after receiving a through ball from Uche Kalu to clinch her fourth goal in five matches in the 77^th minute.
However, the Ghanaians resumed the second half stronger than the first but failed to find a goal despite posing lot of threats failed to secure a breakthrough against the well composed defence of Nigeria in their chase for a comeback.
The troubled defence of the Black Maidens were left devastated after their goalkeeper hacked down Ikechukwu Vivian in the goal area, an act that handed Nigeria a penalty, which was then converted to goal by Yakubu Aminat for a Flamingoes’ victory.
The return fixture of the two-leg international friendly is scheduled for Sunday, 9^th February and would be played at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana.

Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia have qualified as African representatives to the 4th FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup that will take place in Costa Rica between March 15 and April 4.

Keshi: What Blatter Told Me

Super Eagles head coach Stephen Keshi has revealed that he is motivated to making the Eagles perform very well at the World Cup by the encouraging words FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave him after the finals of the 3rd African Nations Championship in South Africa on Saturday.

Blatter,who was a special guest at the finals had a chat with the Big Boss during the presentation of bronze medals to the Super Eagles in Cape Town last Saturday.

"I feel really motivated to work harder and make the Super Eagles a force at the World Cup. He told that I am doing a great job and that he has been following my progress as a coach and that he is happy with me,'revealed Keshi who led Nigeria to her third African Nations Cup triumph eraly last year in South Africa before qualifying Nigeria for the FIFA World Cup holding this summer in Brazil. 'He (Blatter) also expressed his joy with the performance of indigenous coaches and urged me to ensure that the Nigerian team come to Brazil as the surprise team.'

Asked to assess the performance of the team he took to CHAN, Keshi expressed satisfaction with the players adding that they may not have been the best from the domestic league but that they represented the country well.

He said that some of the players would certainly be invited to fight for places in the World Cup team but would have to do better than they did at CHAN to displace their foreign based counterparts.