The Great Porto Gravy Train

By David Lee Wheatley

Portuguese giants FC Porto could well be the most economical club in the whole of Europe having raked in approximately £614m through transfer fees over the course of the last ten years, yet still continue producing teams capable of competing at the highest level.

A largely unknown Jose Mourinho led a vibrant young squad to UEFA Cup glory in 2003 when defeating Martin O'Neill's Celtic 3-2 after extra-time in the final, which took place in the Spanish city of Seville.

He managed to keep the bulk of his burgeoning side together and out of the clutches of interested clubs who had begun to circle over Mourinho's stars like vultures searching for prey. That ability to fend off bids for his best players paid handsome dividends twelve months on when the Oporto-based outfit defied all the odds to win the Champions' League 17 seasons after their last taste of glory in the competition.

Mourinho was hot property and he duly switched to west London club Chelsea that summer, therefore placing a huge amount of uncertainty over the futures of his players. That's where the great sell-off truly began, with the prudent directors at the club able to identify targets to bring in who could replace any of the outgoing stars sufficiently.

Internationals Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho had been integral cogs in the defensive wheel for Porto during that historic period under Mourinho and they followed their mentor to Stamford Bridge in 2004 for a combined total of £34m. The exodus had begun in earnest, with midfield magician Deco also leaving for a lucrative £18.5m move to European giants Barcelona.

Fast-forward to 2007 and the biggest incoming money involved Pepe heading to Real Madrid for a remarkable £26.4m and promising midfielder Anderson signing up with Manchester United in a deal worth around £20m. Those two agreements highlighted FC Porto's extraordinary ability to locate talent from across the globe and develop them into world-class footballers over a relatively short space of time.

Pepe had joined the Dragons for a paltry sum of £1.7m from the Madeira-based Maritimo in 2004 and spent three years honing his game before netting Porto a whopping £24.7m profit. Meanwhile, Anderson left his Brazilian homeland and Gremio for just £4.4m in 2006 and was on the way to Old Trafford 18 league appearances later for almost five times that amount.

Jose Bosingwa and Ricardo Quaresma were the stand-out sales in 2008, moving to Chelsea and Internazionale respectively for large fees. French clubs then came in for Lucho Gonzalez and Lisandro Lopez a year later, while Bruno Alves left for Zenit St. Petersburg in a £19.4m switch in 2010.

One of the most successful Porto buys of recent times has to be deadly Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, who cost only £5m from River Plate in 2009 and scored better than a goal per game in helping the blue-and-whites to Europa League glory in 2011. That outstanding form prompted Atletico Madrid to part with £41.4m for his services to hand the Portuguese giants yet another massive injection of cash.

And, it goes on, with the wonderfully-named Hulk joining big-spending Zenit for over £48m in 2012 and the impressive creative pairing Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez exiting for the bright lights of Monte Carlo in a reported £62m double-deal.

The latest on this long list of top names to have left the Estadio do Dragao continued earlier this transfer window with Manchester City's capture of Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala in two separate moves which totalled a mind-blowing £45.2m. Mangala set Porto back just £6m when swapping Belgium for Portugal in a 2011 when sold by Standard Liege - yet another supreme piece of business from the boys in blue.

In summary, an unbelievable 15 players have been sold for more than £15m each over the last ten years and no doubt more will follow with the likes of Jackson Martinez and Juan Quintero next on the radar of several renowned sides around the continent.

Porto's scouting network must take the majority of the credit for the conveyor belt of talent that keeps coming through the door at the Dragao. Their work in South America especially must be commended as that has proved a particularly happy hunting ground for the club on so many occasions in the past.

All of this upheaval would cause problems for most teams, but seemingly not Porto. They've claimed their domestic league title on seven occasions throughout the decade since Mourinho departed, as well the Portuguese Cup four times and a solitary UEFA Europa League crown.

It's even more surprising that Porto have enjoyed such ongoing success when taking into account the relatively meagre outlay of £293m has been utilised in the ten-year period between 2004-2014 while the incredible income of £614m has been rolling in.

To keep such a tight hold of their budget without compromising the quality on the pitch is simply remarkable and who would bet against FC Porto continuing that trend while battling for further honours at the top table of European football for many years to come?

As long as they maintain this philosophy which has served them so well, there'll be no stopping them as they attempt to fight off rivals Benfica and Sporting at home, while aiming for a repeat of that golden day in 2004 when they held aloft the most sought-after trophy in European football.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Xavi: The International Years

By David Lee Wheatley

Xavi, the master craftsman of the Barcelona midfield, announced earlier this week that his time had arrived to bow out at international level. Having won everything available with both club and country, I take a look back at the huge impact made by one of the finest footballers of his time on the astounding successes achieved by the Spanish national team within his 14 years of loyal national duty.

Making his senior international debut for Spain in 2000, the same year he helped the under-23 side win Olympic silver in Sydney, Xavi went on to amass an incredible 133 caps up to and including the 2014 World Cup. Though he and his team-mates suffered terribly in Brazil when being dumped out of the tournament at the group stage, it certainly cannot be allowed to tarnish the immense legacy left by the Barca star on his nation's footballing history.

Having featured at the ultimately disappointing 2002 and 2006 editions of the World Cup finals, as well as Euro 2004, Xavi and his peers were under great pressure to deliver thanks to the feverish clamour from the Spanish public to see an end to their agonising wait for major honours. The closest they'd come to global glory was placing fourth at the 1950 World Cup, despite possessing a plethora of top-class players over the course of many years since. Meanwhile, they'd last claimed victory in continental competition when hosting the 1964 championships.

In 2008, eternally optimistic Spain fans believed they finally had a crop of outstanding individuals capable of evolving into winning team. Their faith wasn't misplaced for once, with a vibrant squad led by hugely experienced coach Luis Aragones sweeping all before them on their march towards the final.

A slightly weak group comprising of Russia, Sweden and Greece were no match for the Spaniards, while a tight quarter-final clash saw La Roja advance on penalties against fierce rivals Italy.

Surprisingly, Russia made it all the way to the last four and in doing so booked a return match with Spain in the semi-finals. Yet again, Aragones' men proved too strong for their Eastern European opponents when trouncing them 3-0. Xavi was instrumental in the downfall of a Guus Hiddink-inspired Russian side, including grabbing the opening goal of the game after 50 minutes.

The final in Vienna was another close encounter against Germany and it was won by a solitary strike from Fernando Torres just beyond the half-hour mark. Spain were 'Kings of Europe' for the second time and deservedly so; cool, calm and collected midfield lynchpin Xavi taking away the 'Player of the Tournament' award in recognition of his sublime performances.

Everyone already knew about Xavi's supreme passing accuracy, vision, movement and unerring ability to locate space which mere mortals simply wouldn't spot. Post-Euro 2008 though, the La Masia academy graduate was being hailed by many observers as the greatest midfielder on the planet. His instinctive understanding of the possession game practised by both FC Barcelona and Spain allowed him to dictate the pattern of play to such an extreme level that nobody on the opposition team could even hope to put a halt on whatever Xavi intended to happen. He literally never gave the ball away and every single pass seemed choreographed due to the Barcelona star being one step ahead mentally at all times.

Spain entered the 2010 World Cup as firm favourites for the title, even if such an outcome required a European team to lift the trophy away from their own continent for the first-ever occasion in tournament history. South Africa was the venue, but there was a growing sense of Spain's entitlement to the Holy Grail of a World Cup triumph, albeit on foreign soil.

Again, Xavi played a pivotal role in Spain's continued prosperity with new man Vicente Del Bosque now at the helm. Overcoming a shock 0-1 reverse at the hands of Switzerland in the first group game, the Spanish banished all doubts about their overall superiority in the 32-team competition by beating Honduras and Chile in order to safely make the round of 16.

Portugal provided a tough, hard-fought encounter for Spain in the knock-out phase and pushed the European champions to the very limit. Despite seeing a large majority of the ball, it took until the 63rd minute for David Villa to latch on to a Xavi backheel before making the breakthrough and deflating Portuguese hopes in the process.

Villa was on the scoresheet once more to settle another one-sided affair against Paraguay at the quarter-final stage, with the South Americans holding out until seven minutes from the end. Del Bosque's men wore them down with their relentless possession play until they finally caved into the inevitability of the situation.

In a repeat of the Euro 2008 final, the German powerhouse clashed with Spanish artistry in Durban. Xavi turned out to be key to the result when sending over a fine cross for club-mate Puyol to head home the winner.

The final through up a meeting in Johannesburg with Holland, which was expected to provide a feast for viewers relating to the traditional footballing styles of both nations. Unfortunately, the Dutch threw the usual play-book out of the window when deciding to kick and foul their way through the game, thus creating a terrible spectacle for those watching on. Eventually, the persistence of the Spanish told late into extra-time when Iniesta fired home to seal victory in spite of the roughhouse tactics employed by Bert van Marwijk.

To most, it was a triumph for beautiful football due to the strange tactical plan put in place by the Netherlands. Spain, the disciples of 'Tiki-Taka', had managed to withstand a furious physical assault from the Oranje, thus enhancing their own reputation while being intimately linked to the day when the often classy Dutch temporarily forgot all about their long-held 'Total Football' principles.

With an overall passing accuracy of 91%, the tremendous Xavi proved his worth once again when driving the side towards their ambitious goal of world domination from the middle of the park. Additionally, the wonderful inter-play and innate understanding between the Barcelona-based trio Xavi, Iniesta and David Villa had been central to each and every victory along the way.

So, it was on to Euro 2012 and a chance to defend a major trophy in an event co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Spain stuttered to a 1-1 draw with old foes Italy in their opening fixture, but soon slipped into top gear when dismissing the Republic of Ireland 4-0 and Croatia by the only goal of the game. Amazingly, the combined passes made by Xavi and Iniesta totalled more than the entire Irish XI when taking them apart in the second group match.

The holders saw off France with ease to reach the semi-finals, where they were drawn with Portugal. It took a penalty shoot-out to settle matters, which went in the favour of Spain by 4-2 following a dour 0-0 draw after extra-time had been played. Over in the other semi, Italy knocked Germany out to recreate the billing for the Group C opening match featured at the beginning of the European Championships which ended all-square.

This time, however, Spain were a different animal altogether and two assists from Xavi helped the team to record a resounding 4-0 win to defend the trophy in great style. With that result, Xavi inked his name in Spanish football folklore as the most successful player in the history of the national side and therefore cemented his status as one of the very best players to pull on the famous red jersey.

True, the World Cup earlier this summer saw a waning Xavi claim only one more cap to make his final tally up to 133, second only to Real Madrid 'keeper Iker Casillas who sits on a highly commendable 156 caps for his country. Spain lost to a rejuvenated Holland and exciting Chile side, before regaining a modicum of respectability by putting Australia to the sword. However, it was too late by the time they tasted victory in Brazil and they returned home without the golden trophy they travelled across the seas to defend.

It came as no great shock to hear of 34-year-old Xavi's decision to step down from national team duty, while many either have or will follow his lead in announcing their retirement from the international stage. The fantastic generation that brought immense joy and happiness to millions of Spanish supporters have all-but ran out of steam; now they're ready to stand aside and allow the next wave of talent to emerge.

As for Xavi, he will continue running the show at Camp Nou for at least another season under the tutelage of new head coach Luis Enrique, safe in the knowledge that his lasting impact on the sport shall never be forgotten.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Ancelotti must fend off Angel interest

By David Lee Wheatley

Rumours abound of Real Madrid's imminent intentions to sell influential wing-man Angel Di Maria, with Paris Saint-Germain currently favourites to secure his signature alongside Manchester United who're also said to be sniffing around. However, after the former Benfica star shrugged off similarly intense speculation last summer to embark upon a fabulously successful season, could the sanctioning of such a transfer represent the first major mistake by head coach Carlo Ancelotti since his arrival at the Bernabeu?

It was reported widely that an €80m offer from the ambitious Parisian club had been accepted by the Spanish giants just two days ago, but proceedings have stalled since amid strong interest from United boss Louis van Gaal. Furthermore, Ancelotti has been giving mixed messages to the media over the course of a few weeks now, thus leaving Di Maria's future completely up in the air.

Reading between the lines, it would appear that Real's recent splurge on outstanding World Cup performers James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos for a combined total of €105m has forced the club's hierarchy into looking at feasible ways of recouping a large proportion of that eye-watering outlay. Hence why they seem so utterly determined to offload Sami Khedira to either Arsenal or Chelsea in alliance with their apparent willingness to find a solution for the release of Di Maria. However, Italian tactician Ancelotti is reluctant to part with a player who delivered a hugely significant amount of goal assists for his side throughout the last campaign and could soon find himself at loggerheads with those who appointed him over this thorny issue.

Even if Real Madrid do possess an embarrassment of riches to call upon in terms of attacking talent, in comparison with Di Maria none can boast as impressive a record when it comes to assists in La Liga during 2013/14. The sought-after star created 17 goals for his team-mates, while Gareth Bale managed 12 and Ballon d'Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo helped his colleagues to 10 strikes in league action overall. Not only that, but the Argentine is incredibly versatile in the sense that he can comfortably play anywhere across midfield, plus he is incredibly hard working. He sacrifices himself for the good of the team, as opposed to chasing personal glory and that is a rare commodity to locate in the modern day footballer.

The 26-year-old had one foot out of door twelve months back, only to quickly prove himself to the new manager and cement a regular place in the starting line-up amongst a team of Galacticos. That consistent form ensured his place in the Argentina squad for the World Cup where he helped his country reach the final in Brazil, as they ultimately fell just short of lifting the trophy due to a narrow defeat against Germany in Rio. It also alerted several big guns of European football to exactly what kind of contribution the unselfish, tireless Argentine could possibly give to their teams should any deal be possible.

Yes, Ancelotti can select from a plethora of extremely high calibre options with or without Di Maria's presence in his squad, but can he guarantee that any of those potential alternatives will be able to provide the same standard of commitment in conjunction with their abundant natural ability as he? Di Maria boasts a level of craft, guile and constant threat when in possession that many of his peers simply don't offer.

Should Los Blancos decide to part ways with the winger, then it'll be up to the remaining members of the side to shoulder the burden of creating chances for forwards Benzema and Ronaldo in particular. It'll be no easy task to supplant the Rosario-born magician in the line-up and match his superb showing of last season.

He is a wonderful player entering the prime of his career and Ancelotti could be left to rue any action which allows Di Maria an opportunity of moving on to pastures new before the end of August. He may not be the one who eventually pulls the trigger, but he will indeed be the man held solely responsible for any adverse effect such a sale has on the effectiveness of the team in their relentless pursuit of domestic and continental glory next term.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Time for MLS to shine?

By David Lee Wheatley

The advent of a new MLS franchise based in New York, backed by the combined billions of Manchester City and the Yankees baseball team, would appear to herald a new dawn for soccer in the United States.

New York City FC have set about their early transfer business with great tenacity by sealing the signatures of world stars David Villa and Frank Lampard already, with another six months remaining before pre-season training begins for the 2015 campaign in America. Furthermore, the promise of more to follow shortly has soccer fans across the five boroughs salivating at the prospect of witnessing such big names in action on their own turf.

Additionally, former USA international and current NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna has secured deals for three home-grown players in the form of goalkeeper Josh Saunders (an American-born Puerto Rican international), midfielder Andrew Jacobson and defender Jeb Brovsky, thus giving the club a pretty handy five-a-side team!

Frantic work behind the scenes will ensure a strong squad is assembled in time for the March 2015 kick-off of the new campaign, when the Bronx-based side make their bow as the 20th franchise competing in the ever-expanding MLS.

An astonishing 109,000 tickets sold out in less than 24 hours for a prestige friendly in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which is due to take place later today between European powerhouses Real Madrid and Manchester United as further evidence of the burgeoning popularity of soccer in a country that seemingly delighted in witnessing the US national side’s exploits during the World Cup this summer.

Fan parks were filled to the brim with supporters willing their team on to success throughout Brazil 2014 and those people - whether new to the sport or established fans - represent a huge target audience pool for the administrators of football in the States to exploit. Add to that the obvious strategy of many top teams from around the globe to claim their own piece of the pie from an emerging market and you have an apparently winning formula for the longevity of the US league.

An ideal opportunity afforded over the last few years to those interested in the game has been the chance to get up-close and personal with the biggest names with friendly matches held across the nation, which will only serve to fuel their passion for football.

Those observers who point out that it’s still foreign footballers in the twilight of their careers joining up with MLS outfits have a point to some extent. However, in the cases of David Villa and Frank Lampard, they both had myriad options elsewhere to continue featuring in what most would deem to be top competitions in Europe and instead settled upon a move to the Big Apple.

There is something special in the process of creation within the country and there is little doubt in my mind that we’ll see a US men’s national side reach the latter stages of a World Cup tournament in the not-too-distant future.

Twitter: @davewh1980