Hart: Title win no laughing matter

Joe Hart is still trying to get his head around Manchester City's title success - something he knows is no laughing matter for Wayne Rooney.

Roberto Mancini's side looked set to let slip a first title in 44 years on the final day of the season, with bitter rivals Manchester United on course for a record 20th crown as City struggled against embattled QPR.

However, things at the Etihad Stadium are never straightforward and late goals from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero helped turn round a 2-1 deficit to rescue City - much to Hart's relief.

Mulumbu in Spurs and Toon talks

West Brom midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu claims to have held discussions with Newcastle and Tottenham regarding a possible summer switch.

The former Congo international appears set to leave The Hawthorns once the transfer window re-opens and says his agent is already in talks with potential suitors.

He is prepared to leave the matter in the hands of his representative, but admits he would be open to the idea of trying his luck elsewhere in 2012/13.

"We have already started talking to teams like Newcastle and Tottenham," Mulumbu told Mercato 365.

"For now, I'm leaving it all in the hands of my agent and I hope to have good surprises on my return from vacation."

Mulumbu joined West Brom in January 2009 on an initial loan deal, with the Baggies making the agreement permanent that summer.

Bellamy: I'm in Team GB

Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy has revealed he will be in the Great Britain squad for the Olympics, according to reports.

Along with the likes of fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs and England's David Beckham, 32-year-old Bellamy has been seen as one of the favourites to to take one of three overage slots in Stuart Pearce's squad.

He told The Sun: "I am in the Olympic squad - but I was supposed to keep it quiet.

"It's a different challenge. I had a difficult season with Liverpool but the Olympics is a one-off."

Mancini denies Zlatan interest

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has ruled out a summer move for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and declared himself happy with his strikefore.

Reports in Italy have suggested that AC Milan's Ibrahimovic is a target for the Premier League champions.

Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi and Bologna striker Gaston Ramirez have also been linked with the Eastlands club, but Mancini is content with his lot.

"Ibrahimovic is a champion," Mancini told Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I already have four very strong strikers.

"I just need them to compete in the Champions League. We are okay up front."

City boast rich talent in attack with Sergio Aguero, who scored the dramtic injury-time title winning goal against QPR, Mario Balotelli, Carlos Tevez and Edin Dzeko vying for places.

Vertonghen has Spurs doubts

Jan Vertonghen has reiterated that Tottenham are his first choice after meeting Daniel Levy, but conceded Arsenal are still an option.

Spurs chairman Levy was pictured at the Amsterdam ArenA earlier this week and Vertonghen has confirmed he has spoken with all the club's 'key' people.

However, after Spurs missed out on qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League, the Belgium international is concerned the club will be unable to agree a fee, with Ajax demanding €15million (£12.5m).

The 25-year-old has just one more year to run on his current contract with Ajax and will not cause any ructions with the Dutch champions if a deal cannot be reached.

Vertonghen, though, also concedes that joining Spurs' arch-rivals Arsenal is a possibility after talks over a move to White Hart Lane failed to progress.

United near to Kagawa swoop

Borussia Dortmund insist they are still to finalise a deal with Manchester United for Shinji Kagawa - though the switch should go through soon.

It is widely reported that the two clubs are set to agree terms on a deal worth an initial £12million rising to £17million.

Kagawa himself is also yet to agree personal terms, but that looks unlikely to be a barrier to the 23-year-old Japanese midfielder sealing a move to Old Trafford.

The move is expected to be completed in the coming days, but Dortmund's sporting director Michael Zorc said: "There are some details still to be confirmed."

Kagawa, who has emerged a key figure for Dortmund in their recent successes, has just a year left on his current deal and he has already told the club he will not be extending his deal.

Messi surprised by Pep exit

Lionel Messi has revealed he was surprised by Pep Guardiola's decision to quit Barcelona at the end of last season.

Speaking for the first time on Guardiola's exit, Messi said he was saddened to witness the end of the 41-year-old coach's four-year reign, which delivered an astonishing 14 major trophies - the last of which came with victory in last weekend's Copa del Rey final.

Messi remains optimistic, however, that Guardiola's assistant Tito Vilanova will be able to keep the good times rolling as he takes on one of the biggest jobs in world football.

Rio pledges support to England

Rio Ferdinand has pledged his support to England's Euro 2012 campaign despite the controversy that has surrounded his absence from the squad.

Victoria Azarenka

The WTA No. 1 dropped her first set of the tournament, and looked shaky and frustrated in her early matches. In the biggest upset of the tournament, Azarenka fell to Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round.

Andy Roddick

The only American man in the draw with a Grand Slam title took an early exit, losing to Wimbledon marathon man Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the first round.

Maria Sharapova

Self-described as a "Cow on ice" when she plays on clay, No. 2-ranked Sharapova was one of the hottest players on the dirt coming into the French Open. Her form has continued: the Russian won by double bagel (6-0, 6-0) in the first round, double breadstick (6-1, 6-1) in the second round and won 6-2, 6-1 in the third. Not bad for a cow on ice.

Roger Federer

It hasn't been the usual smooth-sailing for the Swiss Maestro in the early rounds. Federer dropped a set to Adrian Ungur, Nicolas Mahut and David Goffin, all matches he should have won in straight sets.

Serena Williams

For the first time in her career, Serena lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event. No. 111 Virginie Razzano stunned the 13-time Grand Slam champion in three sets. Serena also lost in the first round of mixed doubles with partner Bob Bryan.

Euro 2012 : Kroasia (Player - Luka Modric)

Permainan Kroasia di Piala Eropa 2012 akan diotaki pemain bertubuh kecil ini -- tingginya 173 cm. Luka Modric akan melakoni peran itu karena sudah terbukti piawai melakukannya bersama Tottenham Hotspur di Liga Inggris.

Gelandang 26 tahun itu memiliki visi yang bagus dalam bermain, dinamis sepanjang pertandingan, dan sering muncul di waktu yang krusial dari lini kedua. 

"Dia pemain yang luar biasa, impian setiap manajer. Dia berlatih seperti 'setan' dan tak pernah mengeluh. Dia akan bekerja dengan atau tanpa bola di lapangan, dan bisa mengalah seorang defender dengan sebuah trik atau umpan," demikian testimoni dari mantan pemain Inggris dan Spurs, Jamie Redknapp.

Permainan Modric semakin matang, sampai-sampai Tottenham harus berusaha keras untuk mencegahnya pindah ke Manchester United atu Chelsea, yang memang sempat ngebet ingin merekrutnya.

Di musim 2010/2011 Modric bermain di 32 pertandingan Premier League, mencetak tiga gol dan dua assist, dan menjadi pemain dengan passing rata-rata tertinggi untuk timnya, yakni 62,5, dengan akurasi 87%. Tak heran jika di musim itu ia dipilih sebagai pemain terbaik Spurs oleh fansnya.

Euro 2012 : Kroasia (Manager - Slaven Bilic)

Orang mengenal Slaven Bilic sebagai salah satudefender terbaik yang pernah dimiliki Kroasia. Ia pernah bermain di Jerman dan Inggris, serta dinilai sebagai salah satu bek paling konsisten dari negara tersebut.

Reputasi sebagai pemain top berlanjut ketika dia berkarier sebagai pelatih, yang dimulai dengan menukangi klub tanah kelahirannya, Hadjuk Split, dan kemudian timnas Kroasia U-21.

Ketika ditunjuk sebagai pelatih timnas senior menggantikan Zlatko Kranjcar yang tak sukses di Piala Dunia 2006, Bilic bahkan langsung menjadi manajer termuda yang pernah menukangi timnas negara tersebut.

Buah tangannya sukses membawa Simunic dkk. ke putaran final Piala Eropa 2008, di mana Kroasia baru terhenti di babak delapan besar. Dari situ ia kembali menorehkan sebuah rekor sebagai pelatih termuda yang pernah meloloskan sebuah tim ke babak knockout turnamen besar.

Akan tetapi Bilic gagal di babak kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2010. Timnya hanya finis nomor tiga di bawah Inggris dan Ukraina. Meski begitu ia memutuskan bertahan di tempatnya dan melanjutkan misinya memimpin pasukannya di babak kualifikasi Piala Eropa 2012 -- dan ia berhasil walaupun harus melakoni playoff melawan Turki (menang 3-0 secara agregat).

Euro 2012 : Kroasia (Grup C)

Karena selalu melahirkan pemain-pemain berbakat dan menjadi komoditas buat klub-klub Eropa, Kroasia sepertinya akan selalu menjadi kuda hitam di setiap turnamen besar.

Meski demikian, tim peringkat tiga di Piala Dunia 1998 itu sedang mencari konsistensi. Buktinya mereka absen di Piala Dunia 2010 dan harus mengikuti playoff untuk bisa lolos ke Polandia-Ukraina.

Pelatih Slaven Bilic punya tantangan besar untuk mengoptimalkan setiap talenta yang dimiliki timnya. Setidaknya ia pernah cukup sukses saat membawa Kroasia ke putaran final Euro 2008 dan masuk babak kedua sebelum kalah adu penalti dari Turki.

Gawatnya, di Piala Eropa tahun ini Kroasia berada di grup keras karena harus bersaing dengan juara bertahan Spanyol, Italia, plus Republik Irlandia.

Dari sisi materi pemain, Kroasia memiliki skuad yang mumpuni. Mereka dihuni pemain-pemain yang sangat berpengalaman di liga-liga Eropa. Sebut saja Luka Modric, Josip Simunic, Vderan Corluka, Ivan Rakitic, Darijo Srna, Niko Kranjcar, Mario Mandzukic, Ivica Olic, Eduardo da Silva, dan Nikica Jelavic.

Dengan nama-nama beken tersebut, Bilic perlu mencari formula terbaik supaya hal terbaik dari timnya dapat keluar dan mereka bisa melanjutkan "tradisi" mereka sebagai tim kuda hitam dari Balkan.

Euro 2012 : Irlandia (Player - Glenn Whelan)

Glenn Whelan mungkin bukan sosok sentral di timnya, tapi kontribusinya sangat besar, baik untuk Stoke City maupun timnas Irlandia di babak kualifikasi Piala Eropa 2012.

Pemain 28 tahun itu memang bukan gelandang yang terbiasa mencetak gol, tapi ia adalah penyeimbang tim dengan determinasi tinggi dan kemampuan fisik yang mengagumkan.

Stoke, yang sudah diperkuat Whelan sejak 2008, merasa puas dengan servis pemain yang juga pernah membela Sheffield Wednesday itu.

"Setiap kali Anda meminta Glenn untuk menapak ke level berikutnya, dia selalu melakukan itu," puji manajer Tony Pulis suatu ketika. "Ada darah Celtic di dalam dirinya, dan determinasi yang dia punya membuktikan bahwa kadang-kadang orang salah menilai dia, termasuk saya."

Di level timnas, Whelan mencapai cap pertamanya pada 20 November 2007 saat Irlandia bertanding melawan Skotlandia. Terutama sejak Irlandia ditangani Giovanni Trapattoni, ia menjadi salah satu pemain kunci.

Di babak kualifikasi Whelan tampil dalam 11 pertandingan berturut-turut. Dia mencetak gol keduanya di laga internasional dengan sebuah tembakan jarak jauh pada Oktober 2009, saat timnya bermain imbang 2-2 dengan Italia.

"Mungkin aku agak telat dalam merajut karier. Tapi aku tak pernah berhenti percaya bahwa aku mampu melakukannya jika memperoleh kesempatan," cetus dia tentang catatan 11 game berturut-turut untuk Irlandia itu.