THE BEST SOCCER PLAYERS

Liverpool's players will stride out into the muggy heat of the Olympic stadium this evening with one final rallying cry from their captain ringing in their ears. "We do not want to leave Athens upset and with regrets that we have not brought the European Cup home," said Steven Gerrard. "We want to make history, be heroes and come home as winners." Memories of Istanbul two years ago will abound at kick-off tonight as Gerrard, the inspiration behind Liverpool's comeback at the Ataturk, leads his team out against a Rossoneri line-up primed for revenge. The midfielder usually revels on such stages, having been instrumental in claiming the Champions League and the FA Cup under Rafael Benítez, and any notion that the Merseysiders' motivation is any less in pursuit of a sixth European Cup was dismissed. This team may have enjoyed consistent successes in cup competitions in recent years but the hunger remains. To win one final was absolutely magnificent but to d

Samuel Eto'o has rubbished newspaper speculation linking him with a £30m summer move to the Premiership by insisting he will "definitely be at Barcelona next season". During the last few months Eto'o, the three-time African footballer of the year, has looked increasing unhappy at the Nou Camp. He has a brooding, often distant relationship with Ronaldinho, and he fell out with coach Frank Rijkaard after refusing to come on as a late substitute against Racing Santander. During the last few months Eto'o, the three-time African footballer of the year, has looked increasing unhappy at the Nou Camp. He has a brooding, often distant relationship with Ronaldinho, and he fell out with coach Frank Rijkaard after refusing to come on as a late substitute against Racing Santander. But despite regularly dropping hints that he'd like to play in England - in March he openly flirted with the idea of a move to Liverpool in FourFourTwo and the Daily Mirror - Eto'o now insist

Paolo Maldini is seeking a fifth European Cup tonight before the years finally catch him up. Column by Richard Williams At the back of the room, behind the row of television cameras, there is a small commotion as a door opens. Il capitano, someone says. And as Paolo Maldini walks in, the smiling master of all the surveys and the very embodiment of la bella figura, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that he may be the only footballer currently active whose entrance can provoke the instinctive urge to rise to one's feet. A month away from his 39th birthday, Maldini is the living symbol of a club he joined when he was 10 years old. Now Milan's leader on the pitch is looking forward to his eighth European Cup final, a run which began in 1989, when he was still a teenager. He has been a winner on four occasions and a loser on three. "I don't intend to equalise the score in Athens," he says. Over the last three weeks he has been undergoing daily treatment for the long-

By: James Ducker Premiership defenders received the news that none of them will have wanted to hear yesterday: Kaká wants to play in England. But not before the AC Milan playmaker has tried to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to join the Italian giants. Manchester United’s Champions League semi-final against Milan had been billed as a battle between the world’s two best players, but while Kaká won that contest hands down as he inspired the Serie A team to a 5-3 aggregate victory, the Brazilian is keen to play in the same team as the United and Portugal winger. “He should transfer to Milan, then we could play together,” Kaká said yesterday. “You never know.” Seemingly more likely, however, is the prospect of Kaká playing in the Barclays Premiership, although to judge from his performances — and three goals — over the two legs against United, that spells bad news for defenders. “I love the competition, the challenge. There are many big teams,” he said. “Three English teams made the last four o

Argentina international Carlos Tevez has hinted that he could stay with West Ham United next season and says he has been delighted with the support he has received from the club's fans. Tevez and his compatriot Javier Mascherano moved to Upton Park in a controversial deal last August that prompted a Premier League investigation because of their association with the MSI group. Although the Hammers were last week found to have been guilty of irregularities surrounding the transfers, they avoided a points deduction. Tevez has played a key role in the team's recent good form which has lifted hopes that Alan Curbishley's side could still avoid the drop. "There is a possibility I could stay," he told the club's official website. "It is a case of sitting down with the directors of West Ham to sort out a few things, but certainly there is a chance I could stay with the club. "The fine and everything surrounding my transfer is something for West Ham and the l