THE BEST SOCCER PLAYERS

Dutch international midfielder Rafael van der Vaart will "almost certainly" be Real Madrid's only new signing of the season, the president of the Spanish champions, Ramon Calderon, said Tuesday. "Rafael van der Vaart is the first recruit of this year and he will almost certainly be the only one," Calderon said during the 25-year-old's official unveiling at Real Madrid's Santiago-Bernabeu stadium. His comments come amidst growing signs that Real Madrid's bid to recruit Manchester United's Portuguese international winger Cristiano Ronaldo have stalled due to the English side's refusal to sell the 23-year-old player. Van der Vaart, whose mother is Spanish, signed with Real for five seasons in a deal reportedly worth 13 million euros (20 million dollars). "This is a family dream. I want to win many trophies," said van der Vaart who becomes Real's fifth Dutch player, the others being Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder

Barcelona want Samuel Eto'o's future to be decided before next week's Champions League qualifier. Eto'o has been told that he will be allowed to leave the Nou Camp over the summer, but has yet to reach an agreement with any clubs. The Cameroon striker has been linked with moves to both the Premier League and Serie A, and is wanted by "four or five" teams, according to Txiki Begiristain. However, Begiristain is keen for the matter to reach a quick resolution ahead of Barca's game against either Beitar Jerusalem or Wisla Krakow in a week's time. "The date limit we have set to decide the future of Samuel Eto'o is the 12th August," Begiristain told reporters in New York. "The days are going past and the market closing. "If there is a decision, the best solution would be to do so before the Champions League preliminary. "We are looking at reactions and above all watching to see how Pep (Guardiola) sees himself with the group and

Andriy Shevchenko insisted Tuesday he can still be a Chelsea legend if he avoids the injuries that have plagued him since his move to Stamford Bridge. Shevchenko has endured a miserable two years in west London following his 30 million pounds (37 million euros) move from AC Milan and has repeatedly been linked with a switch back to Serie A. The Ukraine striker scored 173 times for Milan but has only recorded nine league goals for Chelsea, yet he has no intention of throwing in the towel. "During these two years at Chelsea I had two operations and a serious back injury," Shevchenko told the club's official website. "If I will have the opportunity to train and play without injuries, I would like to leave my mark on the history of Chelsea. Injuries constantly kept me out of action. "I have trained with the team only a week. The process of recovery is taking place normally and the injury doesn't bother me." Shevchenko hopes to thrive under new manager Luiz

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claims the club could sign Hamburg star Rafael van der Vaart this weekend. The Holland international has repeatedly been linked with Madrid throughout the summer after some fine performances at Euro 2008, and the Primera Liga champions have already had a six million euro bid rejected. Reports in Spain suggest an improved bid of 10million has been accepted and, with the two clubs set to meet in London this weekend at the Emirates Cup, Calderon is confident Van der Vaart is only days away from becoming a Madrid player. 'That's certainly a possibility and we are waiting to come to an agreement with Hamburg,' he told Spanish sports daily AS. 'It's an operation that isn't causing difficulties. 'He's a player that (coach Bernd) Schuster likes a lot and he is within our range, that's true. But what we are not going to do is sign a centre-forward. This I can definitively declare. 'We have four extraordinary strikers.

Sulley Ali Muntari has confirmed he is close to joining Inter Milan after revealing the offer was too good to turn down. Inter have agreed a deal with Portsmouth to sign Muntari after being frustrated in their attempts to lure Frank Lampard away from Chelsea. Muntari is highly-rated in Italy after a successful spell at Udinese before joining Portsmouth for £7million last summer. The Ghana international established himself as a key member of Pompey manager Harry Redknapp's side helping the club win the FA Cup. Inter chief Jose Mourinho is thought to be a big fan of Muntari and Inter are believed to have offered the 23-year-old a four-year deal to return to Serie A, with reports suggesting he will undergo a medical on Friday morning. Inter Milan has shown interest to buy Muntari last year. Italian Press reported that time, Inter were preparing offer for the highly rated midfielder. Injuries to Esteban Cambiasso and Patrick Vieira underlined just how short of ball-winning midfielders

Arsenal's summer woes have been compounded by the news that Kolo Habib Toure has been diagnosed with malaria. It's thought that the defender contracted the disease while on holiday in his native Ivory Coast. After flying out for Arsenal's pre-season tour of Austria and Hungary, the 27-year-old was sent to hospital in Vienna where malaria was diagnosed. Although an Arsenal spokesperson described Toure as "being in good spirits", it seems unlikely he will be fit for the start of the new season. That leaves Arsene Wenger with only Johan Djourou or Philippe Senderos as potential partners for William Gallas after he decided against recruiting any new defenders this summer. Kolo Toure was born at March 19, 1981 in Bouake, Ivory Coast. Touré is renowned for his pace, strength, athleticism. He is the older brother of FC Barcelona midfielder Yaya Touré and Ibrahim Touré of Metalurg Donetsk. He is deployed by Arsène Wenger at centre-back, as well as anywhere In Defence. He

Cristiano Ronaldo is continuing to remain coy over his future despite Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's optimism the forward will remain at Old Trafford. Ferguson met Real Madrid target Ronaldo for clear-the-air talks on Monday and insisted he was confident the player would still be at Old Trafford next season. But Ronaldo -who is on holiday in America as he recovers from ankle surgery- has still to make a firm decision on his future. 'I've had hundreds of questions about Manchester United and Real Madrid,' he told ESPN. 'What do you want me to say? That I'm going or I'm staying? 'I don't know about the future, only God knows it. I can't say any more. 'Great players are always hounded by great clubs. It's a normal situation. There are other great players who are in the market who are good and who other clubs want. 'I have always been hounded, not only this year. It's not strange for me, to see what happens.' Madrid

Barcelona could be set to table a shock bid for Real Madrid star Robinho, according to the player's agent Wagner Ribeiro. Speculation has been rife that the forward is on his way to the Premier League, with Manchester United and Chelsea favourites for his signature. Ribeiro claimed on Tuesday that the Blues were winning the race, with Robinho attracted by the idea of linking up with their new boss, fellow Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari. Reports in Spain suggest that Madrid's bitter rivals Barca could be preparing a bid, with both club president Joan Laporta and coach Pep Guardiola in favour of the idea. And Ribeiro insists the notion is not a surprise to him. "It's only logical that a club like Barcelona want Robinho," he told Spanish sports daily El Mundo Deportivo. "He is also wanted by Chelsea and Manchester United. "Chelsea have presented a big offer for Robinho to Real Madrid, but it seems as if the club don't want to sell him." Chelsea have

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo is hoping to return to action as soon as possible after undergoing ankle surgery last week. The Portugal international is facing three months on the sidelines after having had the operation in Amsterdam. Ronaldo, who has been strongly linked with Real Madrid this summer, has endured a frustrating summer after Portugal lost 3-2 to Germany in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008. However, Ronaldo, speaking ahead of attending the 2008 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, is looking forward to a return to action despite only recently undergoing surgery. "I'm injured now, but I hope to come back soon," he said on Sky Sports News. "I love to play and I love football. I miss the ball now." Ronaldo has admitted he would like to play in the MLS one day, a league he believes is on the up, although he is keen to remain in Europe for the moment. "I prefer to play in Europe at the minute, but in the future, who knows?" he continued. &qu

Alexander Hleb has been officially presented as a Barcelona player following his move from Arsenal. The Belarusian has been linked with Barcelona for much of the summer and he travelled to the city on Wednesday to undergo a medical. A deal with the Gunners had already been agreed, which was reported to be in the region of 15million euros (£11.9 million). The transfer has now been finalised and Hleb has put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal at Camp Nou. He becomes Josep Guardiola's fifth signing as Barca boss following the arrivals of Martin Caceres, Gerard Pique, Daniel Alves and Seydou Keita. Winning silverware The 27-year-old, who scored seven goals in 89 appearances for Arsenal, has set his sights on winning silverware with Barcelona. He earned rave reviews for his stylish displays in London after joining from Stuttgart in 2005,and played a key role again last season as Arsene Wenger's side fell just short in their pursuit of the Premier League title. Fellow midfielder Math