Mourinho asks me to play as I did with ?

The 27-year-old completed a move to the Spanish capital for a fee in the region of €40 million during the summer, and Modric says he is delighted to be playing for the La Liga champions under the Portuguese tactician. "Mourinho asks me to play as I did with Tottenham, but at a higher level," he told reporters at a press conference. "My favourite position is as midfielder, playing with Xabi and Khedira. You can't compare it with Tottenham." He continued: "This is the best club in the world. Santiago Bernabeu is the best stadium I have ever played in. I enjoy every minute on its pitch. "I think everything is going well," he added, but also noted that the "Spanish League is very tough, especially away matches." Modric also says that Los Blancos have a good chance of winning the Champions League if they can build on the performance from Saturday when they defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0. "If we continue playing as we did against Atletico Madrid we will be favourites to win the Champions League. We must keep that passion. I feel good and I think I'm improving." Modric added that he expects a tough game when Ajax travel to the Spanish capital on Tuesday for their CL tie. "Ajax are a great team," he said, "and they [will] come to win and get the qualification for the Europa League."

Ricky Ponting says walking away from Australia 'easy decision'

Cicky Ponting says he has no regrets about retiring after his final game for Australia ended in a heavy defeat to South Africa in Perth. Ponting scored eight runs in his final appearance at the crease for his country to end a glittering Test career with 13,378 runs in 168 Tests. "The decision to walk away was a pretty easy one," said Ponting after South Africa's series-clinching 309-run win. Australia captain Michael Clarke said the game had lost a true great. Play media Ricky Ponting's final innings "I'm a realist and I realise now that my best cricket is probably past me," added Ponting, the second highest run-scorer in Test history behind Sachin Tendulkar, after South Africa secured victory on the fourth day. "As hard as I have tried over the last couple of years to find my form again and re-establish myself, I haven't been able to do that." On a highly emotional day at the Waca, Ponting was given a guard of honour by the South Africa team as he walked to the crease, instigated by captain Graeme Smith. The 37-year-old, who announced his retirement before the match, lasted just 23 deliveries and 39 minutes before he was well held by Jacques Kallis as he attempted to force a shot off the back foot from Robin Peterson's bowling. Tributes to Ricky Ponting Former England captain Michael Vaughan on Twitter: "The best batsman I had the privilege to play against was Ricky Ponting. Australian cricket will not be the same without him. Punter played better against me than Sachin Tendulkar did. Both are incredible players, but if I had to pick one it would be Ricky." England wicketkeeper Matt Prior on Twitter: "Congrats to Ricky Ponting on an amazing career. One of, if not the, best batsmen I've ever played against and a fierce opponent." The South Africa players shook Ponting's hand as he left the field, and he turned to wave his bat to the crowd as the big screen showed the words "Thanks Ricky". After the game, he received a standing ovation during a lap of honour as he was hoisted aloft by team-mates Michael Clarke and David Warner. Ponting's wife, Rianna, and daughters Emmy and Matisse, were among the crowd of 7,166. "It would have been nice to have played one more Test but the decision has been made and I'm disappointed not to have contributed more this week," added Ponting, who ended the match with a total of 12 runs. "It's probably been the toughest Test match I have played." Clarke urged Cricket Australia to use three-time World Cup-winner Ponting's vast knowledge and experience to help the country in the future. "He's one of the greatest players I've been lucky enough to play with," he said. Ponting in numbers Born 19 December, 1974, Launceston, Tasmania 168 Test caps & 13,378 runs 375 ODI caps & 13,704 runs 71 international centuries Highest Test score: 257 v India in 2003 Won three World Cups "I've said before I hope Cricket Australia do everything in their power to keep him involved in this great game because he's one of a kind and I think the game needs him." Meanwhile, Smith explained the decision behind South Africa's guard of honour for Ponting. "It was just a sign of respect for someone who has given the game so much," said the South Africa captain. "I'm sure we're all going to miss Ricky as an opponent. "I just told him he deserved everything that comes his way and can be proud of everything he's achieved."

Victoria Pendleton did not expect to make SPOTY shortlist

Venue: ExCel London Date: Sunday, 16 December Time: 19:30 GMT Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website Victoria Pendleton said she was not surprised she did not make the BBC Sports Personality shortlist and said compiling it must have been an almost "impossible task". Pendleton, 32, who won Olympic track cycling gold and silver this year, missed out on the final 12, as did double champion Laura Trott. Sports Personality shortlist (in alphabetical order) Nicola Adams Ben Ainslie Jessica Ennis Mo Farah Katherine Grainger Sir Chris Hoy Rory McIlroy Andy Murray Ellie Simmonds Sarah Storey David Weir Bradley Wiggins "I've never made the shortlist so I didn't expect to make it," she said. "I don't know how they've done it. It would've been a near impossible task." She added: "I've got no doubt in my mind that Laura will have another chance at that because there's no way she's going to win fewer than two golds next time around, maybe more." Pendleton won gold in the keirin and silver in the sprint, while Trott, 20, won the team pursuit and omnium titles in London this summer. Meanwhile, British Olympic triathlon gold medallist Alistair Brownlee said he was a "little bit sad" not to make the Sports Personality shortlist. "I think the list is kind of fair on the whole, I think everyone knew it was going to be a very, very hard year for British sport and what a fantastic year it has been so it's hard to pick the list," said the 24-year-old from Leeds. "Of course I'm a little bit sad not to be on it but someone picks that and it's up to them whether they leave you on or off. There's nothing I could have done about it so I'm not bothered." The athletes were speaking at a ball held on Friday for the Britons who competed at London 2012. BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2012 will take place at London's ExCel at 19:30 GMT on Sunday, 16 December. The show will be live on BBC One, the BBC Sport website and BBC Radio 5 live.

Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid boss dismisses quit report in paper

Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid boss dismisses quit report in paper Jose Mourinho has dismissed a report in Spanish paper Marca that he will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season. The Real coach has been jeered by the club's fans following a slow start to the season that has seen them fall 11 points behind Barcelona after 14 games. Marca's report said the relationship between Mourinho and Real president Florentino Perez had become "exhausted" and "cannot continue beyond 30 June". Mourinho said: "I am not speaking about this", adding "there's no story". Madrid-based paper Marca, which is known to have strong links with Real, ran its story under a picture of a broken heart. In it, Marca related that Perez believes Mourinho is "committing suicide" after the Portuguese chose to appear at the side of the Bernabeu pitch to hear the frustrations of supporters 40 minutes before Saturday's 2-0 win over second-placed Atletico Madrid in the Primera Liga. Mourinho's major trophies Porto: Primeira Liga (2002-03, 03-04); Uefa Cup (2002-03); Champions League (2003-04) Chelsea: Premier League (2004-05, 05-06); FA Cup (2006-07); League Cup (2004-05, 06-07) Inter Milan: Serie A (2008-09, 09-10); Coppa Italia (2009-10); Champions League (2009-10) Real Madrid: La Liga (2011-12); Copa del Rey (2010-11) However, Mourinho, who was speaking at a news conference before Real Madrid's Champions League game against Ajax on Tuesday, said: "I came on the pitch before kick-off because I prefer for people to protest at me before the match starts." Perez is also reported to be concerned over Mourinho's handling of Sergio Ramos, who put on Mesut Ozil's shirt under his own in a move that the Spanish defender claimed was showing support for his team-mate but was widely perceived as attempting to undermine his manager. Ramos was later dropped. Mourinho also had a public spat with reserve-team coach Alberto Toril, accusing him of focusing too much on results rather than producing players for the first team. When asked whether he was leaving at the end of the season, Mourinho, who is in his third year at Real, said: "Speak to your colleague about it, the one who has written the story. "Organise a meal with that person. I am not saying a single word." Mourinho went on to say that he had a "good relationship" with Perez and that he would not comment further on the story because he did not want to add to it. The 49-year-old, who has also managed Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan then batted away questions linking him with French side Paris St Germain, saying: "The only thing I'm thinking about regarding PSG is the fact they could face us in the Champions League. "An assistant of mine is going to watch PSG play Porto on Tuesday. One will be first, the other second in their group. They are both possible adversaries in the last 16." Real have qualified for the last 16 in second place in Group D behind winners Borussia Dortmund, who host Manchester City in their final group game. Meanwhile, in a documentary that will be broadcast on ITV4 on Monday, 3 December at 22:00 GMT, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Mourinho has the qualities needed to succeed him at Old Trafford. "I'm not going to put any forecasts on what is going to happen at this club. I won't last forever, but Jose can manage anywhere," said the Scot. However, Mourinho does not expect Ferguson to leave United in the near future. He said: "His succession isn't near. It should be in 10 years or so. He is getting better and better. He is stronger all the time. Why should he retire?"

How Fast Can Cristiano Ronaldo Run in the 100m?

Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who is reportedly worth 130 millions in USD has been said the fastest elite football player in the world. Many observers have been predicting that the Portuguese has a potential to run around 10.6s in the 100m. But some people have claimed he can do 10.5s. Next, they exaggerated the time to 10.3s and then lowered again to 10.2s. But those who don't know track and field or silly guys believe that he could run as fast as the fastest man on the planet, Usain Bolt. Yikes..! However, a study conducted by Germans in 2009 found that Cristiano Ronaldo reaches an average speed of 33.6 kmh. They also indicated Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Arseanl’s Robin Van Persie has recorded 32.6kph and 32.1kph respectively, thus slower than Ronaldo. Last time, in a training session I recorded a 5.5s (FAT 5.74) on a flying 60m test which translated to 0.9567s per 10 metres segments. Thus, my average speed in kilometer per hour (Kph) was about 37.63. My fastest time over 100m at the time was 10.6s. Usain Bolt, in the 2009 World Championship in Berlin recorded 9.58s and reached a top speed on the 60-70m segment with +- 0.805s, therefore 44.72kph. How fast can Ronaldo run in the 100m? Okay just a comparison, I was collecting data for a flying 40 meters among junior sprinters for my research entitled “dynamic VS static stretching…” in 2009. One of the sprinters has a PB of 11.17 in the 100m (but my project was held during off season) and he recorded a 4.29s (for dynamic stretching). This equates to about 33.57kph, exactly the same to Ronaldo’s average speed. So, will Ronaldo run an 11.17 or 10.9 in the 100m?

Soccer-Champions League disciplinary situation

LONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Champions League disciplinary situation ahead of the sixth round of group stage matches: Playing on Tuesday Group A Dinamo Zagreb v Dynamo Kiev Misses next match if booked: Arijan Ademi (Zagreb); Betao, Ognjen Vukojevic, Denys Garmash, Artem Milevskiy (all Kiev) - Paris St Germain v Porto Misses next match if booked: Nene, Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti (all Paris St Germain); Abdoulaye Ba (Porto) - - Group B Montpellier HSC v Schalke 04 Misses next match if booked: Jermaine Jones, Joel Matip (both Schalke) - Olympiakos Piraeus v Arsenal Suspended: Jose Holebas (Olympiakos); Misses next match if booked: Pablo Contreras (Olympiakos); Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny (both Arsenal) - - Group C Malaga v Anderlecht Suspended: Martin Demichelis (Malaga), Bram Nuytinck (Anderlecht); Misses next match if booked: Sergio Sanchez, Weligton (both Malaga); Guillaume Gillet (Anderlecht) - AC Milan v Zenit St Petersburg Suspended: Philippe Mexes (Milan), Vladimir Bystrov (Zenit) Misses next match if booked: Riccardo Montolivo, Daniele Bonera (both Milan), Roman Shirokov, Viktor Fayzulin, Alexander Anyukov, Bruno Alves (all Zenit) - - Group D Borussia Dortmund v Manchester City Suspended: Yaya Toure (Manchester City) Misses next match if booked: Vincent Kompany, Javi Garcia (both Manchester City) - Real Madrid v Ajax Amsterdam Suspended: Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid) Misses next match if booked: Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos (both Madrid), Daley Blind (Ajax) - - Playing on Wednesday Group E Shakhtar Donetsk v Juventus Suspended: Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus) Misses next match if booked: Tomas Hubschman, Olexandr Kucher (both Shakhtar), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) - Chelsea v Nordsjaelland Misses next match if booked: David Luiz, Ramires (both Chelsea), Patrick Mtiliga, Ivan Runje (both Nordsjaelland) - - Group F Lille v Valencia Suspended: Djibril Sidibe, Benoit Pedretti (both Lille), Roberto Soldado, Antonio Barragan (both Valencia) Misses next match if booked: Lucas Digne, Rio Mavuba (both Lille) - Bayern Munich v BATE Borisov Misses next match if booked: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez, Dante (all Bayern) Maksim Bordachev, Vitali Rodionov, Artem Radkov (all BATE) - - Group G Barcelona v Benfica Misses next match if booked: Alex Song, Javier Mascherano, Pedro (all Barcelona), Bruno Cesar, Andre Almeida (Benfica) - Celtic v Spartak Moscow Suspended: Victor Wanyama (Celtic) Misses next match if booked: Marek Suchy, Kim Kallstrom (both Spartak) - - Group H Manchester United v CFR Cluj Misses next match if booked: Rafael Bastos (Cluj) - Braga v Galatasaray Suspended: Douglao (Braga) Misses next match if booked: Custodio (Braga) - - (Editing by Toby Davis)

Soccer-Ethiopia wants neutral venue for clash with arch foe Eritrea

* Ethiopia says not willing to travel to Asmara * Matches will be first between foes since 1998-2000 war ADDIS ABABA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Ethiopia has asked African football's governing body to move its African Nations Championship qualifiers with arch-foe Eritrea to a neutral venue, with the neighbouring countries still embroiled in a bitter border row, its FA said. The Horn of Africa neighbours are set to lock horns in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, around January 14-16 with the return tie in Addis Ababa set for two weeks later. But Ethiopia said it would not travel to the Red Sea state. "We want the matches to take place, but we're not willing to travel there and it is obvious their government won't allow their team to visit Addis Ababa," said Melaku Ayele, the Ethiopian Football Federation's spokesman. "So we've proposed an alternative venue, neighbouring Sudan, for both matches to be held in." Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war between 1998-2000 that killed tens of thousands of troops. A Hague-based independent border commission ruled that the flashpoint town of Badme belonged to Eritrea but the village remains in the hands of Ethiopia and the spat remains unresolved. Asmara is yet to respond to Ethiopia's request, Melaku said. The African Nations Championship, played every two years, is the continent's second biggest tournament in which only domestic-based players can take part. Ethiopia, nicknamed the Walyas, recently sealed a spot at the more glamorous African Nations Cup finals set for January after a three-decade absence. Ethiopia and Eritrea were last pitched against each other in 1998 in a qualifying round for the 2000 African Nations Cup, just months after fighting broke out along their sun-blasted border. Ethiopia declined to take part in those matches. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Richard Lough and Justin Palmer) Reuters