Cristiano Ronaldo wins Ballon d'Or 2014 - Relive the ceremony!

The 2014 Ballon d'Or will be decided in Zurich on Monday, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer all battling for the top prize.

Ronaldo, who is the current Ballon d'Or holder, scored 17 goals as Real Madrid won their 10th Champions League title, overcoming Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra-time in the final in Lisbon. Messi meanwhile scored four times as Argentina reached the World Cup final, only to be defeated by Germany and a Mario Gotze goal in the Maracana in Brazil. Manuel Neuer was on the right side of that result, his stellar performances for Germany guiding his nation to their fourth World Cup crown.

Other awards handed out at the ceremony include the Coach of the Year, where the three candidates are Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti, Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone, and Germany boss Joachim Low.

The Goal of the Year award will also be decided, with Stephanie Roche taking on the might of Robin van Persie and James Rodriguez.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

The making of Cristiano Ronaldo: how the 2014 Ballon d'Or winner grew to be the best in the world

As the Portuguese returned to the summit of world football on Monday with his third Golden Ball victory, Goal takes a look at his long and arduous road to the top

SPECIAL REPORT
By Ben Hayward in Zurich

Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly emotional as he was crowned the world's finest footballer for a third time, but for those who saw him growing up in a poor part of Madeira's capital Funchal, it was a familiar sight. 

Raised in the mountainous outskirts of the island's largest town in an area called Santo Antonio, Ronaldo's childhood was anything but easy. The fourth child born to Dolores and Dinis, his arrival had been unplanned. His mother, a cook, and his father, a municipal gardener who lost his long battle with alcoholism in 2005, struggled to put food on the table.

Given the name Cristiano by his mother and Ronaldo by his father after Ronald Reagan (Dinis' favourite actor and then President of the United States), the young boy soon sought distraction on the football field. And after accompanying his father to local side Andorinha, he went along as a seven-year-old to play with his cousin Nuno - and never looked back.

Francisco Afonso, a primary school teacher who was Ronaldo's first coach, was impressed from the outset. "He was something special from the start - you could see that," he told Goal. "He was small but so determined. He started as a defender but soon moved up the pitch because he wanted to be involved in everything. He was good with both feet and fast, with good technique because he never stopped practising - and he always wanted the ball. Football was everything to him and if he couldn't play, he was distraught."

Made in Madeira | An image of a young Ronaldo at his first club Andorinha

Rui Alves, a childhood friend who remains close to the Real Madrid forward, says Ronaldo only ever wanted to play football. "We would go out and play all day, but Cristiano kicked his football all the time," he said. "I tried to get him to play other games, but he only ever wanted to play football. We would go to the bakery at the end of the day to wait for the cakes that hadn't been sold as a treat, but everywhere we went, he took his ball with him."

And at Andorinha, the now three-time Ballon d'Or winner soon made his mark. Ricardo, a team-mate of the Portuguese who still works at the club's bar, remembers Ronaldo's competitive streak. "He was streets ahead of the other players," he said. "You could see that, even at such a young age. But if he didn't get the ball, he was upset - and when we lost, he cried."

But so talented was the young Cristiano that in one match, he fired a hat-trick in the first half to give Andorinha a 3-0 lead at the break, only to take a blow to the head late in the opening period. He was carted off to hospital for examination at the interval and when he returned later on with his head all bandaged up, he was devastated to learn that in his absence, Andorinha had capitulated and lost 4-3.

Ronaldo's performances began to make waves on the Atlantic archipelago and he was soon snapped up by the island's biggest team, Nacional. At the age of 12, he was due to sign official terms as a youth player, but by then, many had realised that the skinny youngster was built for bigger and better things and a Madeiran magistrate named Joao Marques de Freitas got in touch with a scout at Sporting Lisbon, Aurelio Pereira, to discuss a possible trial for Ronaldo on the mainland.

Ball in hand | Ronaldo (bottom right) in an image proudly kept by his old club

"I met Ronaldo when he was 11 years old," De Freitas told Goal. "His godfather introduced me to him and told me he was a very good player. He was very, very small - very slight and fragile.

"I got in touch with the man who was in charge of Sporting’s scouting and I told him: ‘There is a kid who they say is extremely good.’ But he said: ‘That’s very young’ and he told me we couldn’t send a boy that young to Lisbon.

"So I spoke to Cristiano’s mother, who was a very humble and very poor person. And she authorised it. So we got him a return ticket to Lisbon and Cristiano went with a sign around his neck made of cardboard, with his name on it to identify himself. Mr. Aurelio was there to meet him at the other end and he spent four days in Lisbon."

Sporting's scouts were indeed impressed with the young Madeiran and a deal was soon struck. Nacional still owed Sporting €25,000 for formation of a player they had signed previously and they told the capital club that if they pardoned that debt, they could have Ronaldo for free. Nevertheless, that was still a lot of money for an 11-year-old, and the two teams vowed to keep the details of the deal a secret.

Change of scenery | Ronaldo's family now live in a more exclusive area of Funchal

Sporting's academy is the finest in Portugal and had a knack of developing world-class wingers, like the great Luis Figo. Ronaldo's mother, a big Figo fan and Sporting supporter, was happy with the idea of seeing her son in the famous green and white and, at the age of only 12, the youngster made his move to the mainland.

Times were tough at first as the young Cristiano grew homesick and was bullied by other boys because of his thick Madeiran accent, which they found funny. "He had problems early on but he triumphed because of his very unique personality," De Freitas added. "He is a winner and he had that fearless determination from a young age.

"He was a fighter, a street kid. His father was a very unhappy person and died some years ago. So Cristiano had a very difficult childhood, but he always knew how to respond and he grew when times were tough. So when [Fifa president Sepp] Blatter made those remarks about him [calling him a 'commander' in 2013], he said: ‘I respond on the pitch’ - and he did. In that respect, Blatter was right. He is a commander."

Childhood friend Rui added: "People don't know him. They think they do but when you are with him he is such a kind and generous person. He doesn't come back here [to Santo Antonio] because many of these guys don't work and they ask him for money, so he stays away, but he is still the same person today.

"We are still in touch and he always has time for us," another friend - Ricardo - explained. "It's funny, when I was younger I used to watch Pauleta, who is from the Azores (another group of islands in the north Atlantic) playing for Portugal and think 'why can't we in Madeira have a player like that?' And it turns out we had one who was even better!

"For many people, Cristiano has put this island on the map and we will always be grateful for everything he has done for us."

So as the 29-year-old roared in delight upon collecting another Ballon d'Or, you can bet that many in Madeira were boisterously shouting at their televisions also. Both in nostalgia and pride for the man they saw grow from poverty to again win football's greatest individual prize.   

Source: http://www.goal.com/

'Lies, all lies!' - Messi lashes out at Barca mayhem reports

Chelsea and Manchester City have both been heavily linked with a move for the Argentina superstar but he insists that he does not want to leave Camp Nou

Lionel Messi insists has launched a scathing attack on "lies" suggesting he wants to leave Barcelonahaving fallen out with head coach Luis Enrique.

The Argentina superstar has been heavily linked with both Manchester City and Chelsea in the past week, with the Catalans in behind-the-scenes turmoil following the sacking of the club's sporting director, Carles Puyol's departure and early elections being called.

Messi and Enrique's relationship was believed to be broken beyond repair after the 27-year-old was benched against Real Sociedad - a match Barca lost 1-0 - and it is suspected that the forward was pushing for the coach to be dismissed. 

But Messi has hit back at such claims, insisting that he has no "rivalry" with the former Roma boss, and lashed out at sections of the media for throwing "sh*t" at the Catalan club.

"I never demanded anything to stay, as I have no intention of leaving," he told Barca TV.  "It is not good to look for rivalry between Luis Enrique and me, because there is none.

"We must be more united than ever. They should not throw sh*t at us. We just want to achieve things for the club.

"I never demanded anything to stay, as I have no intention of leaving.

"It is said that my father spoke with Man City, with Chelsea. It's all lies, it's all lies."
Messi scored once as Barca ran out 3-1 winners over Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday ahead of Monday's Ballon d'Or presentation when he is competing for the best player in the world prize with Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer. 

But Messi is relaxed heading into the ceremony - which takes place on January 12 - and has praised the respective seasons of his rivals. 

"Whoever wins the Ballon d'Or will deserve it, whether it is Neuer or Cristiano, who had incredible year," he added.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

'Luis Enrique doesn't talk to his players'

Former Barcelona player Bojan has criticised the Spaniard's style of management, while offering his support to Lionel Messi

Luis Enrique is "an uncommunicative coach" who doesn't talk to his players, according to former Barcelonaforward Bojan Krkic.

The Spaniard, who now plays his football in the Premier League with Stoke City, worked under the current Blaugrana boss when he was in charge of the club's 'B' side.

Luis Enrique has come under-fire for dropping Lionel Messi in the defeat Real Sociedad and Barcelona's inconsistency in performance levels in the first half of the season.

And Bojan has added further fuel to the fire by hitting out at his style of leadership. "He is a very uncommunicative coach," he told L'Esportiu.

"Luis Enrique lacks understanding with the players. He has also been a player and he should know what it feels like to be in a locker room. At the end of the season we will see if his way of managing things is successful or not.

"He has a clear idea, working with his staff daily away from the players and there is little dialogue. Everyone has a different type of training and this is his."

Bojan, 24, played alongside Messi on a number of occasions when he broke through at Camp Nou back in 2007 and offered his support to his former team-mate.

"When I shared the dressing room with him, things were going well so there were no conflicts or problems. I do not know if this has changed now.

"Every player needs certain stimuli to perform and Messi wants to feel important and be in good company. He has earned the opportunity to choose when to play and when not to, because he is the leader of the club on the field."

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Xavi: Barca have been screwed by CAS decision

The Barcelona captain criticised the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold a transfer ban for the Camp Nou club until 2016

Xavi has blasted the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision to reject Barcelona's appeal against a Fifa transfer ban placed upon the club.

The Blaugrana were initially handed the two-window sanction as a result of signing underage players from outside of Spain and appealed to CAS, but had their argument turned away.

The decision renders the Blaugrana unable to make any signings in 2015, and the club captain feels it is an unfair punishment.

"We have all been screwed by the CAS decision. I expected them to be more lenient," Xavi told Sport.

"As a 'cule' I find it a huge injustice because no club in the world takes better care of their young players. This will make us even stronger."

However, the midfielder believes the team still have more than enough talent to be a threat in every game, labelling Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi as 'beasts'.

"It’s not just the trident because now Pedro is also scoring goals, or Munir and Sandro. The top three are three beasts," Xavi said.

"The attack has potential for very good games. Neymar is performing brutally, you will see Luis Suarez increasingly improve and Messi has returned to give his best."

The Barca captain reflected that 2014 had been a difficult year for both him personally and his club, and was adamant they cannot go without a trophy again in 2015.

"It has not been an easy year. It was very difficult, both personally and in sport. The only good decision was to stay here one more year," Xavi added.

"We cannot afford another year without a trophy. It is our main goal. The season has started well, we are working flat out.

"I feel that [we are on the right path]. There is enough room to recover the points that have been lost so far. Also, do not forget that Real Madrid have to come to Camp Nou. There are good vibes in the changing room, we are united."

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Ipswich Town - Southampton Betting: Pelle and Tadic to march the Saints into the next round

Following a draw at St Mary’s at the start of January, The Tractor Boys and Saints meet in a FA Cup 3rd round replay, with our tipster backing the Premier League side to progress

Championship high-flyers Ipswich Town host Southampton this evening with a place in the fourth round at home to Crystal Palace awaiting the winner.

A week and a half ago these two met at St Mary’s, with an early Darren Ambrose strike cancelled out by Morgan Schneiderlin. Mick McCarthy’s side held their own against the Premier League surprise package this season, with the Saints struggling to turn their 69% possession into chances.

Ronald Koeman’s men come into this match off the back of a superb result away to Manchester United, beating them 1-0 at Old Trafford. 

In a match which Fraser Forster didn’t have a shot on target to save, the Saints put in a professional performance to claim their first victory against United away for 27 years. bet365 price them at 17/20 (1.85)to win this evening and progress.

Ipswich Town put in a poor performance at the weekend, losing 1-0 to rivals Derby County at home. This saw McCarthy’s side beaten for the first time in 13 matches, with the Tractor Boys going on a fantastic run to propel themselves up the Championship into third position. 

McCarthy's side don’t have a fantastic record in thus competition in recent years, exiting the FA Cup at the third round stage for the last four seasons. bet365 price them at 7/2 (4.50) to win and 11/4 (3.75) to draw and take the match into extra time.



After losing five games on the spin from the end of November to the middle of December, the Saints have looked back to their early season best, staying unbeaten in their last six matches, winning four of those games, including wins against Everton, Arsenal and United.

Koeman will be keen to go deep in this competition, with the Dutch manager understanding the importance and history of the FA Cup. 

The Saints managed named an extremely strong starting 11 in the first meeting and you can expect the same again. It’s worth backing them to overcome Ipswich this evening, with the home side maybe having one eye on their vital fixture away at Millwall at the weekend in the Championship.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Ballon war! Simeone, Diego Costa and Atletico Madrid deserve Real recognition

COMMENT: Despite producing one of football’s biggest miracles last season, Diego Simeone's warriors received little acknowledgement in Zurich – unlike their city rivals

By Carlo Garganese

Real Madrid dominated the awards at the 2014 Fifa Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday to cement their status as the best team in club football.

Cristiano Ronaldo roared his way to yet another Ballon d’Or in the main category – becoming only the fourth player in history to win the prize three times. James Rodriguez scooped the Fifa Puskas Award for best goal of 2014, Carlo Ancelotti took silver in the Fifa World Coach of the Year, while four Madrid players were selected in the FIFPro World XI (including Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria). A further three Madridistas made the FIFPro reserve XI.

Despite clinching a stunning Liga title win on a limited budget, Real’s city rivals Atletico - who they welcome to Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday in the Copa del Rey - enjoyed next to no recognition in Zurich.

Only two Atletico-related players, Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois, were chosen on the Ballon d’Or’s original 23-man shortlist, both of whom went to Chelsea in the summer. The striker received just 1.02 per cent of the vote and finished in 11th position. The goalkeeper earned only 0.51% and was down in 20th place. 

Diego Godin, Miranda and Filipe Luis were all ignored when Fifa and France Football drew up their long list, despite forming the best club defence in Europe last season. The omission of Godin, in particular, is inexplicable after he eliminated Italy at the World Cup, scored the goal that won La Liga, and also struck in the Champions League final. Midfield masters Arda Turan and Koke were also overlooked.

All of these above players were also snubbed for the Fifa FIFPro World XI, with only Courtois making the reserve selection. The FIFPro XI is one of the most democratic awards in football - voted for globally by over 23,000 professional footballers. Contrary to public opinion, it is not influenced by Fifa or politics at all and there is no shortlist to steer players. Yet Godin and Miranda were shunned, while David Luiz - part of the Brazil team humiliated by Germany at the World Cup - made the cut.

The Atletico defensive pair's omission for Luiz was a point of ridicule shared both by fans and pundits. Arda and Koke must be raising the same question about the inclusion of an ageing Andres Iniesta. Could it be that Atletico’s cynical style of play wins them few friends in the football fraternity? Or simply that many in football vote on reputation, not achievement?

This certainly seemed to be the case when FIFPro later presented the World XI as voted for in each of the participating 58 countries. Fifty-three nations didn’t select an Atletico player. Spain, Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe included Diego Costa in their best XI, Uruguay selected their captain Godin. That equates to five out of 638 players.



In the Fifa World Coach of the Year award, Atletico were also left disappointed. Diego Simeone at least managed to make the podium, but he was well beaten into third place by Germany’s Joachim Low and Ancelotti – taking 19.02% of the ballot.

The lack of acknowledgment for Atletico in Zurich after such an incredible 2013-14 season is hard to digest.

A handful of super-clubs boast such a financial monopoly today over the rest of the competition that it is almost impossible for teams like Atletico to even dream of winning major trophies. Yet they did it anyway, and are in the mix again this season.

"What's the difference between Real Madrid and Atletico? About €400 million," Simeone once correctly noted.

As revealed in the 2014 Deloitte Money League, Real are the richest club in the world with a total revenue of €518.9 million from the 2012-13 season. Barcelona were second when Deloitte released that list with €482.6m. Atletico, meanwhile, just scraped into the top 20 with €120m – less than the likes of Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Hamburg.

This fact alone should have been enough for Simeone to take the coach’s gong. "Simeone is the best coach in the world and if he’d won the award I’d have been as happy as if they’d given it to me," Arda Turan tweeted, complaining that his vote had been changed in favour of Jose Mourinho.

Before last term, the Clasico duo had shared every Primera Division since 2004 – usually creating a gap of 20-30 points over third place. Low and Ancelotti’s achievements must be applauded, but history aside there was nothing unique about their victories. Atletico winning La Liga ranks as one of the greatest achievements of all time.



Atletico were consistent throughout the calendar year and excelled in the big games. In 2014, they beat Real at the Bernabeu and drew at home. They finished the season having not lost to Barcelona in six games, with Messi failing to score a single goal.

And Simeone so nearly clinched the Champions League, too. Having gone unbeaten throughout the competition and defeated the world’s seventh richest club Chelsea in the semi-finals, his men were heartbreakingly denied at the death in the final by Sergio Ramos.

The total cost of Real’s squad ahead of the showpiece was €521.9 million. Atletico’s was €79.05m – considerably less than the price the Blancos paid for either Ronaldo (€94m) or Bale (€100m).

And to prove last season was no fluke, Atletico immediately began the current campaign in style – despite selling Diego Costa and Filipe Luis to Chelsea, who also brought Courtois home from his extended loan. They overcame Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and have since defeated their city cousins on two more occasions. They topped their Champions League group and are again proving to be a nuisance in La Liga.

Last week’s 2-0 success over Real in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last 16 tie was just further proof that Atletico deserved to share more of the Ballon d’Or awards with their city rivals. 

Simeone and his troops will be keen to avenge this injustice on Thursday when Ronaldo parades his trophy.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

David Luiz and Iniesta named in FIFPro World XI alongside Ronaldo and Messi

The Brazil defender and Spanish midfielder were surprisingly selected in the best team of 2014, along with Ballon d’Or trio Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich dominated the 2014 Fifa FIFPro World XI, but there were surprise inclusions including Andres Iniesta and Paris Saint-Germain centre-backs David Luiz and Thiago Silva.

Champions League winners Madrid have three current players in the team - Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos - as well as their former star Angel Di Maria, now at Manchester United.

Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich provide World Cup winners Manuel Neuer and Philipp Lahm, in addition to Dutch attacker Arjen Robben.

PSG duo David Luiz and Thiago Silva both make the backline, while Barcelona are represented by Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

The Fifa FIFPro World XI is the best team of the year as voted for by professional footballers all over the world.

Each voter picks 11 players and after collating the votes from FIFPro members, a shortlist of 55 names is released in late November - consisting of five goalkeepers, 20 defenders, 15 midfielders and 15 forwards.

The returned ballots are counted, and the players with the highest number of votes are chosen for the final XI which is arranged in a 4-3-3 formation. Despite the formation, there is no distinction between specific positions within the lines of play. For example, a player may choose four centre-backs in their vote, rather than two central defenders, a right-back and a left-back.

This year, 23,383 votes were cast from 58 countries.

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Bayern, Barcelona & Juventus have Europe’s best defences

Goal teams up with Huawei to provide you with all the key statistics Europe’s five biggest leagues have to offer in 2014-15

Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus have Europe’s best defences, with the reigning Bundesliga champions leading the Huawei Team Ranking ahead of the Liga giants and Massimiliano Allegri’s outfit.  

The Allianz Arena side have conceded just four times in 17 league games - an average of 0.24 per match - with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer – who came third in the vote for the Fifa Ballon d’Or - keeping 13 clean sheets in the process.  

Juventus and Barcelona, meanwhile, have been impressive at the back as well with an average of 0.50 goals conceded per match so far this season.  

Both sides have conceded nine goals in 18 appearances, with the Serie A champions’ defence proving unbeatable on 10 occasions, while the Camp Nou side shut out their opponents 11 times.  

Saint-Etienne somewhat surprisingly have France's best defence with an average of 0.65 goals conceded per game, while Southampton hold that title in England with an average of 0.71 goals conceded.  

Roma sit sixth in the ranking with an average of 0.72 goals conceded per game, with Valencia occupying seventh place with 0.83 goals conceded per game.  

Olympique Lyonnais, Paris Saint-Germain, Nantes and Lille complete the top 10 with an average of 0.85 goals conceded per encounter.  

At the bottom end of the table, Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen have the worst defence of Europe’s top five leagues, conceding 39 goals in 17 games so far, averaging 2.39 goals conceded each match.  

Furthermore, Parma have Serie A's worst defence with an average of 2.17 goals conceded per encounter, with Elche (1.94), QPR (1.76) and Evian (1.70) have the biggest problems at the back in Spain, England and France, respectively.  

Source: http://www.goal.com/

Bayern not the new Chelsea, insists Reschke

The FCB director has taken a dig at the Premier League outfit and has made it clear the German champions will judge each case individually

Bayern Munich technical director Michael Reschke has defended the Bundesliga champions' transfer policy, saying that when it comes to loaning out players they have a different attitude to Chelsea.

The Premier League giants have received their fair share of criticism in recent years over their tendency to stockpile talent, only to send new signings out on loan again right away.

Players such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are examples of new signings who eventually left Chelsea again after loan spells elsewhere, without making much of an impact at the Blues.

Bayern, however, have stressed that they never bring in players with the intention of immediately sending them out on loan again, but will judge each case individually.

"Sending players out on loan is not part of our philosophy. It's a decision we make case by case," Reschke told SID.

"We always make a well-considered decision what's best for a certain young player in his situation. For example, a temporary spell with Augsburg is a great solution for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. 

"But there's no policy or clear philosophy behind it like at Chelsea.

"There are a number of paths that could help a player reach his goals. [Bayer Leverkusen midfielder] Christoph Kramer needed his loan [at Borussia Monchengladbach]. Marco Reus needed to develop at Borussia Dortmund, Ahlen, Gladbach and then Dortmund again. 

"At Bayern, Philipp Lahm needed some time at Stuttgart..."

As well as Hojbjerg, Bayern have currently loaned out Jan Kirchhoff (Schalke) and Julian Green (Hamburg).

Source: http://www.goal.com/

If Reus leaves, that's life - Dortmund

The winger is yet to commit his long term future to the club and BVB admit there will be little they can do if he decides to move on

With Marco Reus' future at Borussia Dortmund still yet to be resolved, the club's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted they will be powerless to prevent him from departing if he chooses to do so.

The winger's current deal expires in 2017 but a €25 million clause inserted into his contract upon signing for BVB in 2012 means the 25-year-old will be allowed to leave this summer if a club meets that valuation.

"My big hope is that he will stay here for a long time," Watzke said on Wednesday. "If he decides differently, that's the way it is. One of the challenges in football is to benefit from staff changes in any way and create new things."

Reus is out of action for the foreseeable future after tearing ankle ligaments in the 2-2 draw with Paderborn on November 24 and has stated he wants to return to fitness before making a decision regarding his future.

Watzke added: "Of course I can understand that he wants to get fit, play again and look in which direction we're heading, first. Some time he will take his decision. It it the most normal thing in the world and it will happen soon. Whether it is in four or eight weeks, this won't be the fact that makes a big difference."

Reports in Germany have also claimed Dortmund have issued an ultimatum to midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, warning him to sign an extension to his current deal, which expires in 2016, or leave Signal Iduna Park.

However, the club insist no conversation has ever taken place, with Watzke stating: "There is no ultimatum for Ilkay Gundogan about a contract extension."

BVB endured a terrible first half of the season, losing 10 of their opening 17 games to leave them second from bottom of the Bundesliga over the winter break.

That shock start has brought the future of coach Jurgen Klopp under the microscope, though he still retains the unanimous backing of Watzke and the BVB hierarchy.

"I still consider him an excellent coach. And it would be strange to work successfully together for six years and then change your mind in a minute. I am 100 per cent sure he is the right man for Borussia Dortmund.

"Our situation is unusual and difficult. But when you have success after success for six straight years, it may happen that it goes completely the other way around for a change. Now it is up to us do deal with it.”

Source: http://www.goal.com/