More transfer announcements from AC Milan

GALLIANI: 'Robinho is a wonderful gift from Berlusconi'

8/31/2010

MILAN - Adriano Galliani's words quoted by Sky: 'The acquisition of Robinho cost us € 18 million plus bonuses. He's a wonderful gift from president Berlusconi to the Milan fans.'

Stupidest Transfer Rumor Ever.

Next In Line?
Milan are expected to announce the signing of Manchester City attacker Robinho on Tuesday, adding even more talent to what could shape up to be a very dangerous team in the attacking third. Fellow Brazilian Ronaldinho is already hitting his form for Milan and was named Goal.com World Player of the Week.

Milan 4 - Lecce 0: Milan are in first place! Here are pictures.

Above: Thiago Silva scores.

Below: Inzaghi is excited after scoring late to make it 4-0.

Below: This photo is from last season, against Napoli, I believe.

Below: They haven't assigned Ibrahimovic a number yet. He got to watch the match up in the stands with Berlusconi and Galliani. Unfortunately, no photographs seem to be available at this time.

Click here to read more.

More announcements from AC Milan

SILVIO BERLUSCONI’S ANNOUNCEMENT

8/28/2010

MILANELLO – President Silvio Berlusconi arrived at Milanello by helicopter at 19.30 CET, met coach Massimiliano Allegri and his staff. Then he visited the players and informed them about the acqusition of Ibrahimovic. Later on President Berlusconi was called by Adriano Galliano, who then handed over the phone to Ibrahimovic, too, thus the President could talk to the Swedish player personally. After their conversation all the players applauded their new teammate. At 20.20 CET the President left Milanello.

A.C. MILAN OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

8/28/2010

MILAN – A.C. MILAN announces the acquisition of the player Zlatan Ibrahimovic from F.C. Barcelona, through a free loan with the option to purchase the athlete’s playing rights for € 24 million at the end of the season 2010-2011. The Swedish champion will go through the medical exams tomorrow morning, before signing the contract that will tie him to the Rossonero club for four years.

What I have been listening to lately #59

Itchycoo Park - The Small Faces

More official announcements from Milan

Regarding the UEFA Champions League draw, in which Milan grouped with Real Madrid, Ajax, and AJ Auxerre:

ALLEGRI: ‘Group of death’

8/26/2010

MILAN – Milan coach Massimo Allegri’s comments about the Champions League draw: ‘Our group and that of Inter is certainly the most difficult one. Both of us will face tough and well-prepared teams. Obviously, playing against Real Madrid is exciting, it’s a fascinating match-up. The San Siro and the Santiago Bernabeu will be sold-out as a spectacle is guaranteed. Ajax and Auxerre advanced through the preliminaries making a great impression, they are opponents to be feared. We have to play all these games always maintaining high concentration and full fitness. It’s a group of death, but we’ll play like Milan.’

Regarding the possible transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic:

GALLIANI: ‘We postpone everything until tomorrow’

8/26/2010

MILAN – Milan CEO Adriano Galliani’scomments after the meeting held in Barcelona with blaugrana president Sandro Rosell: “We have been chatted and discussed the terms. We know Barcelona’s position and now we’ll consider it. We postpone things until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, after all the transfer window is open until Tuesday. I’ll stay here, I won’t go to Monte Carlo and I think I won’t come to the San Siro for the match on Sunday evening, either. Our position and that of Barcelona is very clear. We’ll go to the bitter ends for Ibrahimovic. I’d say now we have a 50% chance of getting him. In the meantime the eventual alternative would be Robinho I’d like to point out that Borriello will stay at Milan, while as for Huntelaar, we are in negotiations with another team. We’ll see. Now I’ll talk to Ibrahimovic, as I was authorised by president Rosell’.

One more transfer rumor

WE WILL TRY

8/25/2010 8:23:00 PM

Adriano Galliani has been speaking from Barcelona on the negotiations to bring Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Milan which are ongoing.

(In the photo: ADRIANO GALLIANI IN BARCELONA TODAY)

MILAN – Speaking to Milan Channel from Barcelona, Adriano Galliani takes stock of the situation on the meeting with Barcelona and the negotiations that are underway for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“Negotiations will continue tomorrow. Tomorrow at noon I have an appointment with the president of Barcelona. Let's see. The negotiations are very complex, very difficult, very expensive, but the relationship with Sandro Rosell is really good and he is very nice. The will of Barcelona is to sell the player to Milan, the availability of the player also like that. There is a lot of money to overcome and this is the difficulty.

“But I would point out that there are not any other moves being made by Milan. There is Borriello, there is Huntelaar. I often see in the papers that they are part of the transfer, but there is no truth in that. We are here to try to take Ibrahimovic to Milan, that’s all. There are other hypotheses on the table.

“I will not deceive anyone but I will not even say that we do it for sure. I will try and that’s why I am here, I do not move, even it means not going to Milan against Lecce on Sunday. I do all that is in my ability and capacity to try to bring this great champion to Milan. It is very difficult.

"What effect has made me to see Ibra at the stadium? The effect is as great as always, a great champion who has absolutely given his willingness to come to Milan. Now we must solve the problem.”

Transfer news: Kevin Prince Boateng is coming to Milan

A.C.MILAN OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

8/18/2010

A.C. MILAN announce that the club has signed Kevin Prince Boateng on loan from Genoa Cfc.

Top photo: Boateng playing for Ghana at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Bottom photo: Boateng failing to score a penalty kick against Chelsea at the FA Cup back in May. Additionally in the same match, Boateng injured Chelsea's Michael Ballack which prevented the German from appearing for his country at the World Cup.

Transfer news: Mario Balotelli joins Manchester City

After weeks of rumors and news, Inter Milan's Mario Balotelli has finally officially joined Manchester City.

In case you've forgotten the details of Balotelli's career in Italy, we have provided this helpful link.

Brazil's Worst TV

While I'm on a blog writing role, and since TV is such an inspiring topic, I'm going to give you a review of Brazil's worst TV (and don't worry, there was plenty of bad TV to pick from!). My suggestion, if moving to Brazil, invest in Sky Gato (Brazil's hijacked version of cable) so you can watch Friends with Portuguese subtitles to your heart's content...

I guess I'll just start off with the worst and get the shock over with. Maybe it's a Brazilian thing, but foreigners will NEVER be able to ajust to Panico... Maybe we just get kind of uncomfortable with the 10 second butt close ups. Or maybe we're just too mature for poop fights. Or maybe we no longer have the sense of humor of a five year old and like to see people hitting each other, making fun of each other, making fun of other people, and eating whatever they can blend together. But to a lot of the Brazilian's that I met, puke is fun! So, after that flattering introduction, I hope it can stand up to the expectations!Give it up for your favorite, 12 year old boy humor style show, PANICO!



I hope you're all as disturbed as the rest of Brazil was when we saw that... But if that wasn't enough, how bought a little beach action with Antonio Nunes?



So yeah... Panico is just... bad.


My next show on Brazil's Worst, will have to be ... our very own... Woody Woodpecker! Otherwise known as the national hero, Pica Pau! It's not really any worse in Portuguese than in English, but it's still... Pica Pau...




Next up is " Vai da Namoro! " The thing about this show, is that I rather enjoy watching it, but even I can admit that it's just a very, very stupid show. It's a dating show that's inherently pretty simple. Pair them up, make them kiss, with little intervals of the presenter dancing in women's clothes.


Then, when you pass the five good channels, you will enter the territory of the truly wretched. This includes, almost exclusively, religious TV, and "rural tv." And I have an example of the latter right here: The "Virtual Auctions" show almost 24/7 and are a great chance to get a view of the local livestock! They can be yours, with just one call! And it is essentially this for ... all the time.



And how about some of that religious tv for ya'? Basic Idea: (Ex): Man is chronically ill, preacher preaches for him, he is cured. Hint on how hokey this is? Not even the Brazilian's believe any of it.



Okay, I think with that I'll leave you for the night, but now without letting you see my personal least favorite, often shown on any give 5/30 of the "working channels" during any given moment:



But don't worry! It's not all THIS bad!

Brazilian Soap Opera Openers!

During my year in Brazil, I was exposed to almost 20 different (and all eagerly followed by the local population) soap operas, called Novelas! In Brazil, Novela is a way of life, and by living there, you will hear their theme songs enough to have them permanently ingrained in your soul. So these following clips are songs that will stay with me forever- for better... or worse. :S

This first is from the novela, Viver a Vida (Live Life), which was the evening novela, and therefore the most popular, during my most important TV watching months (aka, the last few, when I actually understood the stuff they said) :

This Novela, was replacing one from earlier on in the year, called Caminho das Indias (translated by the International Soap Opera awards- or whatever they're called - as " India, a Love Story." But I'd called it "The Indian Way." ). I got to Brazil when this Novela was in it's heyday. And I hated it... being that I couldn't actually understand a single word that they said. But the Indian style music is pretty catchy!



Now we have my personal favorite, a Novela that was actually shown for the second time, Alma Gemea. This one really represented my growth in the Portuguese language, because I started watching her when I first arrived and didn't understand a word, and by the end, I was hanging on every word. This is a "spritualist" novela, so (spoiler alert!) ends with the lovers dying, but being reborn as other couples in the future, and the villain bursting into flames and seeing images of her wrong deeds among the flames. Oh well, all's well that ends well.... And I can sing the whole theme song!



And here is the next Spiritualist Novela... Esctiro nas Estelas (Written in the Stars), which I would watch under NO circumstances... It's like... Dude, I'm sorry your son died and is watching you, but can we like... get over ourselves now?



Okay, this next one is really tough for me. This Novela, Paraiso, (I'm sorry I'm missing the accents), was one of the worst things I saw on Brazilian TV. And that is a REALLY impressive thing... I mean, the opening scene is about horses in love... which is cute, but misleading, because the show is mostly about middle aged people's romantic difficulties... But on the other hand, I LOVE this song by Vitor e Leo! So normally, I'd just watch the opening and then turn the TV off!



And finally, (though not the last of the Novelas, but a long run!), my personal favorite song: the theme from Caras e Bocas (Faces and Mouths). This Novela was pretty silly (okay, downright stupid. I mean, it ended with monkeys falling in love....) it had it's dramatic moments (picture this: blind lady's fiance takes her out to a river, falls, hits his head, and she is now left to find a way home and save them both!) and I found it watchable when Everybody Hate's Chris (Todo Mundo Odeia Chris) wasn't on.

Shevchenko steals some reporter's wallet

Last month, Dynamo Kiev beat KAA Gent in a Champions League qualifying round match. After the game, Dynamo's Andriy Shevchenko (who had earlier scored a goal) picked this reporter's pocket. Or, as the description on the video says: "Shevchenko after game has stolen purse at the journalist."

What I have been reading lately #49/Abandoned books and/or movies #10

Two books that I finished:

Law of the Jungle: The Hunt for Colombian Guerrillas, American Hostages, and Buried Treasure-- John Otis

Pretty much what it sounds like-- three American contractors (spies) crash in the Colombian jungle and are captured by guerrillas from the FARC. The soldiers from the Colombian army sent out to rescue them get distracted by a large stash of money they find buried in the ground. I won't give away what happens next.

War by Candlelight-- Daniel Alarcon

Above: The cover of the US edition, which I read

Below: The much better cover of the UK edition

Daniel Alarcon is originally from Peru but apparently grew up in Alabama. This collection of short stories is written in English and is his first book. I enjoyed reading this book, but now, just a couple of weeks later, I can't remember much about it.

One book that I did not finish:

Endless Horizon: A Very Messy Motorcycle Journey Around the World-- Dan Walsh

At first I was really enjoying this, but then I wasn't. So I stopped reading it.