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I wanted to leave Chelsea in the summer – Diego Costa

 
About six months ago, Chelsea player, Diego Costa was not convinced Chelsea was the right club to be in and almost left the club for Atletico Madrid in the summer. Another factor that influenced his decision to leave England was his family. The 28 year-old said he however changed his mind having seen the amount of affection showered on him by colleagues and fans.
The Spain international said “Could I have gone in the summer? Yes, yes. I was about to leave. I was about to but, well, I am happy here as well and that’s that.  I had the possibility to go to Atletico, because of a few things, the family, the life I have there.
“But not because of Chelsea, because, here, there is a lot of love with the supporters, with the people, so I am here very happy, I am very content.

“People love me a lot. There was one thing I wanted to change for family reasons but, well, it was not to be and I continue to be happy here. It was important too that the manager, from the very first minute, said he counted on me.”

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Sports

Oscar gets heroic welcome in China

 





Hundreds of fans and media men were on ground to welcome Brazilian midfielder, Oscar who got treated to a heroic reception in China. The former Chelsea footballer who completed his £60million switch from Stamford Bridge was given a bouquets of flowers. He also signed autographs of excited fans.  He wiearn more than £500,000-a-week

Oscar willacross the four-year deal he has penned in the Far East.
 

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Features

Your Paths Shall Drip With Abundance. Happy New Year!

 
Happy New Year Darlings!
Welcome to a brand new season and experience.
Some of us made plans in 2016 that didn’t come to fruition. Life happens. Something bigger and better is coming through for you.
 
So, forget about the lows of the past year and concentrate on the abundant pool of prospects 2017 will bring.
I will like to express my profound gratitude to my readers, contributors and clients. Thank You isn’t enough but I must say it.

You made the past year awesome for me. I am very grateful.
My prayer is that you shall have increased joy, unending blessings and your paths shall drip with abundance. Amen.
Please move closer to God, do what is right, be good to people and stay away from all forms of negativity.
 
Thank you!
Editor
Ololade Olatunji

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Sports

Loladeville Blog Exclusive: 16 defining football moments in the year 2016

 
2016 – A year littered with so many events that when recounting, it would inaccurate to ask ‘what happened in 2016?’. Instead, a more accurate question would be ‘what did not happen in 2016?’. And this is because across all sectors of life, everything happened! Britain voted to leave a union that they really didn’t want to leave, Americans elected a man that likes to grab women in an interesting region and sports witnessed the biggest upsets anyone can think of.
Zeroing on football, let’s do some retrospect and highlight some of the top 16 defining moments, shall? Oya, let’s go:
Leicester City winning the league:
With a manager that has never won a league title in his entire coaching career and a bunch of players that were hitherto factory workers and charger sellers somewhere around Ogba, Leicester City did the impossible. While Louis Van Gaal was ensuring that Manchester United’s display presented another cure for Isomnia, Chelsea were enduring a spectacular fall, Manchester City announced the sack of their coach mid-season and Arsenal, as usual, were doing PHCN with their form – someone had to win the league and Leicester City stepped forward. It was shocking, gob-smacking and every other big grammar you can think of.
Jose Mourinho losing his job at Chelsea
I mentioned Chelsea’s spectacular fall above, didn’t I? Well, it came at a price and a certain Portuguese paid it in full. Returned to the club as a hero, Mourinho led Chelsea to an instant league title but unfortunately, in the second season, he offended the powers that be (Step forward, Eva Carniero) and with just one visit to Baba somewhere in Abeokuta, they removed him from his seat. Again, for the second time, Abrahamovic pulled the trigger on the club’s most successful manager, and off he went to the city of Manchester.
Manchester City hiring Pep Guardiola
Staying in the city of Manchester, something really great took place in the months before summer. So great was the love the decision makers at Manchester City had for Pep Guardiola that they fired Manuel Pellegrinni right when he was in four competitions and hired Pep who was tired of winning the Bundesliga on Valentine’s day at Bayern Munich. It was a move many claimed would turn City to the next best thing since slice bread. Right now, they are still very much Agege bread and we are waiting for the transformation.
Paul Pogba joining Manchester United
Speaking of transformation, Paul Labile Pogba transformed from just an impressive kid turning hearts in Italy to the world’s most expensive player in a switch from Juventus to Manchester United. Life in Manchester is going on smooth for the lad who started out as an Instagram model but has recently now decided to actually play some football. Surely, this move was a defining moment in the year.
Zinedine Zidane winning the Champions League
England! England! England! I know you must be tired of events happening in England and quite honestly, I am also tired of writing about them. Let’s move on to some defining moments in other competitions, yeah? I will start from the manager who went from rookie to pro in a jiffy: Zinedine ‘bald head’ Zidane. He took over a disjointed team from Rafael Benitez and won the Champions League in his first try. In case you don’t know how great that feat is, ask Wenger. And please don’t look to me for his phone number, I don’t have it. But an informed guess says it should start with the number 4. 
Portugal becoming the kings of Europe:
Many predicted Germany, others tipped hosts France. I am not even sure anyone looked the way of Portugal in the days leading to the commencement of the European Championship but guess what? A steady performance right from the group stage took them all the way. They broke the hearts of many French Citizen and a good number of Spaniards/Argentines as they were crowned champions of Europe. 
Cristiano Ronaldo winning EVERYTHING
What didn’t happen in 2016, and what did CR7 not win? Okay, maybe the league title but beside that, the Portuguese won everything thanks a spectacular success recorded with club and country. He beat Messi to the Balon d’or, and conquered Europe with Madrid and Portugal.
Argentina’s continued final curse
A pity Ahmed Alasari is dead, if not one would have introduced the Argentina FA to him. In the space of two years, the Argentina National Team has lost three consecutive finals. Just when they were recovering from what Mario Gotze’s goal did to them in 2014, Chile denied them of another chance of clinching the Copa America title in 2016. 
Neymar and Brazil winning the Olympics gold medal
What Pele and Delima Ronaldo could not do, Neymar did. Brazil are believed to be the special disciples of football and it is almost shocking that they do not have an Olympic gold medal in the sport. All of that became history this year as Neymar sealed one for the team. That boy is increasingly looking like one that can do everything except, of course, pay his tax. One cannot have it all, right? 
Dream Team’s 30 days in Atlanta:
Since we are talking Olympics now, shall we revisit that unfortunate tour of Atlanta the Dream Team did earlier on this year? Thanks to poor logistics, Nigeria’s Olympic men team were stuck in ATL for several days and only had the benevolence of an airline to thank as they arrived the Olympics’ venue hours to their first game. With the Nigerian spirit and black man blood (As my good friend Okorodudu put it), they still manage to return with a Bronze medal.
The fallen stars:
Much as we had plenty fun watching football in 2016, we also had moments to sober and cry as the sport lost a good number of stars. Let’s start on the home front where we lost legends in Stephen Keshi, Shuaibu Amodu and Shooting Stars’ Izu Joseph. On the international front, the entire world was shaken by the loss of members of the Chapecoense football club in a plane crash while traveling to honor a game. May their souls rest in peace.
Falcons winning the Africa Women Cup of Nation
Number one in Africa! Our women national team did us proud by defeating Cameroon to become Champions of Africa for the 8th time. Even though the Sports ministry and the NFF ruined the celebration by ensuring that the ladies had to carry placards for their bonus and allowances on their return, we remain proud of their achievement. 
Enugu Rangers winning the Nigerian local league
After 32 years of endless trips to the dibia, Enugu Rangers finally took it one step further by shocking everyone to emerge Champions of the Nigeria Professional Football League. Their victory came at a time when Kano Pillars and Enyimba have recreated the duopoly in the La Liga over here by exchanging the title every season and Rangers represented a breath of fresh air. I am so proud of them but not the trailer they did their title parade with. 
The sack of Sunday Oliseh as Super Eagles’ coach
The Guardiola of Africa, instead of focusing on his job as the manager of the Nigeria National Team, decided to give Clarence Peters a run for his money by recording outstanding videos insulting the fans and his employees. In the end, he lost his job and Nigeria lost a place in the 2017 Nations Cup. NFF got themselves together and settled for Gernor Rohr who is presently on the brink of leading us to the World Cup. Ntoi, Oliseh!
The Chinese Revolution:
There is something going on in China that is reverberating across the major football leagues in Europe. Some billionaires who have plenty cash that they are not using again have decided to spend on the country’s football, attracting stars for a ridiculous fee. So far, they have been able to draw the likes of Oscar, Graziano Pelle, Demba Ba, Tim Cahill, Carlos Tevez and by the special grace of God, Ololade Olatunji (very soon). Or you think I don’t want to earn over half a million pounds every week too? I know some of you will want to beef me and say I can’t play football but if Marouane Fellaini can make it in this game, then I can too.

FIFA got a new president

Following the inglorious exit of Sepp Blatter in what many considered the end of an era, Swiss Gianni Infantino was elected the president of the world governing football body winning 115 of 207 votes in an extra-ordinary congress. The controversy and drama that surrounded Blatter’s exit and Infantino’s election surpassed that of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and at some point, many didn’t even want it to end.

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Health

5 Must-Make Health Resolutions for the New Year | By: Badewo Olurogba John

 
I’m sure we all make resolutions as we enter a new year. Some we get to fulfill, some others just stay on paper or in our mind. Including the health resolutions below and ensuring you stand by then will do you a lot of good. The journey to good health starts with giving these little things your attention.

  1. Eat Fruits and Vegetables Daily

Fruits and vegetables have lots of health benefits. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber. It’s recommended that we eat 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. While this may seem like a Herculean task for most of us because of our busy schedule, with conscious and deliberate plan we can make it and I can tell you on good authority that it is definitely worth it. Make that resolution to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables the coming year and your body will be eternally grateful.
On a general note, make sure you eat healthy so you can stay super!

  1. Stay Hydrated, Drink lots of Water!

One of the secret to avoid falling sick is adequate water intake. Water is necessary for proper functioning of our body cells. The amount of water you consume every day plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body. Experts recommend drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water each day. Water is an excellent agent to detoxify, as it helps flush out toxins from our body and get rid of waste primarily through sweat and urine. Water has no calories, no sugar, no starch, as such can greatly aid weight loss.
Make it a resolution not to starve your body with water in the new season, drink as much as you can especially when thirsty.
Adequate water intake refreshes the body and keep you in good shape.

  1. Be Physically Active

The need for a regular physical exercise cannot be over-emphasized for optimal health. The benefits of regular exercise extend beyond weight control. Research has discovered a reduction in risk of several diseases and an overall improvement of quality of life with regular physical activity. Our emphasis is on the word “regular” not on and off one. The full benefits of exercise are gotten when it’s done regularly. Your exercise may tailor to your body strength and needs, please talk to your doctor for guidance.
Register at the closest gym to you, visit your city’s stadium regularly, plan jogging with friends in the early morning, take a walk in the cool of the evening etc. Make it a resolution that you will be physically active in 2017.

  1. Be Happy!

Against all odds, choose to become happy always; a merry heart makes good medicine. Happiness can help to overcome any form of sickness which is the major reason family and friends can visit patients in the hospital.
Research has also confirmed that happiness and health are very connected; and that one’s level of happiness really can impact the level of one’s health. A sorrowful heart can make the smallest sickness to become a big issue. You can choose happiness irrespective of the situation and your body will be grateful to you.
Happiness researcher Robert Holden conducted a survey and found that 65 out of 100 people would choose happiness over health, but that both were highly valued. The good thing is: we don’t have to choose, happiness and health go together. As Holden stated, “There is no true health without happiness”. In the coming year, Choose to become happy always, no one can do it for you.

  1. Regular Medical Check-up

Check up is one thing most of us take granted.
It is essential that you have regular medical, eye and dental check ups if you want to live a long and healthy life. Doctors are able to spot issues early on as well as offer practical advice on healthy living.
If there is any way to practise “prevention is better than cure” is through regular check up. As you plan your budget, make sure to include bills for medical check up.
 
Health is wealth!!!
 
 Badewo Olurogba John is a  Public Health Enthusiast, MPSN
 
Reference:

  1. Holden, R. Be happy: release the power of happiness in you. Hay House Publications, 2009.
  1. Fruits and Vegetables; fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
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Arts

Short Story: New Perspectives | By: Jerry Chiemeke

“Hey, you want me to formally invite you first, right?

Nike turned her head away from my direction and continued walking towards the bathroom room……not like my eyes were focused on that part of her body anyway. Sure enough, she had nice eyes and her weave was properly fixed, but I was gazing at something else at that moment.

Nike’s butt cheeks bore that aura of perfection, and no, I wasn’t harbouring that opinion simply because I nibbled at it earlier on and watch the juices therefrom grace my jaws. There was that smoothness like none other, and now I was getting that full rear view, I could see how well formed it was. She had told me of her preference for walking around the house unclad, and I blessed the Lord for her fashion choices.

I looked to the table to the right side of this large bed where I was sprawled, totally unaware of where I had flung my briefs. On the table lay a copy of the book “Good Morning Holy Spirit”, but I loved to think that if those leaves had feelings, they would cringe upon feeling my touch, particularly considering where my fingers had been for the greater part of the past few hours. There was also a large frame on the wall containing a picture of Jesus and the twelve at the Last Supper, and while the photo didn’t bear the mystique of the Mona Lisa piece, I could feel Peter and John staring at me, frowning deeply. There would be no communion for me on the following Sunday for sure, unless her skin would serve as bread, and the liquid on my jaws be substituted for wine.

Her phone beeped. I checked out the Caller ID, which bore “Le Boo”. I knew better than to answer the call, so I let it ring and turned over the Infinix Hot Note. I was not about to reflect on the issue of fidelity in modern day (heterosexual) relationships. Then again, Nike had got the shower running, and as I slowly got up to join her at the other end of the door, I grinned as I recalled how different things were more than half a decade ago.

***************************
“Oh God!! This flat sef? Who don use my water again?”

The year was 2010, I was chasing my university degree at the time, and I had rented an apartment away from the main campus, apparently being fed up of sharing hostel bathrooms with rats and having fellow occupants stealthily hijack pots from electric cookers midway through cooking half-decent cuisines. Each habitat had its own peculiarities though, and with this 50,000-a-year apartment, I was faced the burden of fetching water quickly before our landlord locked the tap and access to water would be denied until evening. The widow in the next compound would not hear of “strangers” coming to her water tank since we were not “paying rent to her”, so I was understandably livid at being deprived of a bath; there were mid-morning lectures to catch up on, never mind that a slumberfest was in store.

“It’s Charles. He and his girlfriend are bathing together, as usual”, my roommate said, in response to my inquiry.

I knew the girlfriend in question; Imade, a plus-sized lady who would get battered by Charles by 9am and still come over by 8pm to tickle his pubic hairs with her tongue. She cooked for him, did his laundry, helped him out when his bank account was malnourished, and on some occasions (as this one), scrubbed his body.

Beyond the fact that my hard-earned bucket of water had been the sacrificial lamb for their fantasies, I was a conservative student fellowship leader at the time, and I considered joint baths totally disgusting. I viewed it as a precourse to fornication, and I didn’t mince words in stating my opinion.

“Those ones will just be committing sin in there”, I said.

“Oh, Charles and his babe? That one is a regular thing now. Sorry about your water o, something had to give”, my roommate replied.

“But this neighbour really needs to give his life to Christ sha. I will talk to him one of these days”, I went on.
And in my righteous anger, I prayed for Charles’ conversion, while mulling over the length of time expended in that collaborative shower, and my impending lateness for lectures. I would go online and update my Facebook status thus, with the aid of my Nokia 2690:

“Ladies, just because you bathe with him is no guarantee that he’ll marry you. Please, repent!”

**********************
All that felt like a lifetime ago. Nike was probably the eighth lady I would be taking a joint bath with, and there was nothing to indicate that she would be the last. I had long realized that people had various ways of expressing how they felt about one another, and that it was silly to judge others when one had not been faced with similar situations. My mind had become open to various perspectives over time, and I perfectly understood where Charles had been coming from years ago. I took one last look at the photo on the wall, and I turned the door knob so I could help Nike in her quest to conserve water.

****************************************************
Jerry is a sports enthusiast and future art collector who lives in Lagos. Unofficial brand ambassador for small chops, he lives for some good literature with rock music seeping from the headphones. You can catch up on his thoughts at pensofchi.com

 

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Sports

Kanu Nwankwo Named In 50 World’s Soccer Legends List

African soccer icon, Kanu Nwankwo has been named in The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS)’s 50 World’s Soccer Legends List. This honour comes 4 and 5 years after he hung his boots for country and club.

Football heavyweights also featured in the list are Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele), Diego Armando Maradona, Edson Arantes Do Nascimento (PELE) of Brazil.

IFFSH Top 50 list of Legends

Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Zico) of Brazil

‎Late Manuel Francisco dos Santos (Garrincha) of Brazil

Ronaldo Luís Nazário De Lima (Ronaldo) of Brazil

Franz Anton Beckenbauer (Beckenbauer) of Germany

GERD MÜLLER (Gerd) of Germany

Lothar Matthäus of Germany

Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (Johan Cruyff) of Netherlands

Marco Van Basten (Marco) of Netherlands

Ruud Gullit OON of Netherlands

Bobby Charlton (Bobby) of United Kingdom

David Robert Joseph Beckham (David Beckham) of United Kingdom

Late STANLEY MATTHEWS of United Kingdom

Diego Armando Maradona Franco (Maradona) of Argentina ‎

Late Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé of Argentina

HAO HAIDONG of China

Sun Jihai of China

Mahmoud El-Khatib (Bibo) of Egypt

Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt

Michel Platini of France

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (Zizou) of France

Antonio Carbajal (Tota) of Mexico

Hugo Sánchez Márquez (Sánchez) of Mexico

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (Eusébio) of Portugal

Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo (Luis Figo) of Portugal

Dino Zoff of Italy

Roberto Baggio of Italy

Mustapha Rabah Madjer (Rabah Madjer) of Algeria

Albert Roger Mooh Miller (Roger Milla) of Cameroon

Late Ferenc Puskás of Hungary

Baichung Bhutia (Bhutia) of India

Ali Daei of Iran

Hidetoshi Nakata of Japan

Cha Bum-kun (Tscha Bum) of South Korea

Jasem Yaqoub Sultan Al-Besara of Kuwait

George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (George Weah) of Liberia

Wynton Alan Whai Rufer of New Zealand

Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria

José Luis Félix Chilavert González (José Luis Chilavert) of Paraguay

Late Lev Ivanovich Yashin (Lev Yashin) of Russia

Majed Ahmed Abdullah Al-Mohammed (Majed Abdullah) of Saudi Arabia

Francisco Gento Lopez (Paco) of Spain

Tanju Çolak of Turkey

Oleh Volodymyrovych Blokhin of Ukraine

Late Juan Alberto Schiaffino Villano (Pepe) of Uruguay

Landon Timothy Donovan of USA

Lucas Valeriu Ntuba Radebe (Lucas Radebe) of South Africa

Ryan Joseph Giggs (Ryan Giggs) of Wales

Unarguably one of Nigeria’s most decorated footballers, Kanu kicked off his career in 1993 when he featured for the Golden Eaglets in a Fifa U17 World Championship qualifier in Kaduna.
He has laced his boots for teams like Ajax, Inter Milan, Arsenal, West Brom and Portsmouth.

His list of honors

U17 World Cup winner- 1993

Uefa Champions League -1995

Uefa Super Cup- 1995

Uefa Cup- 1998

Dutch League title- 1994, 95, 96

African Footballer of the year- 1996, 1999

English Premier League – 2002, 2004

English FA Cup -2002, 2003, 2008

Olympic Gold- 1996

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Sports

Sunday Oliseh appointed new coach of Dutch side Fortuna Sittard

Former Nigerian player and Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, has been appointed as head coach of the Dutch second tier club Fortuna Sittard.

The former captain signed an 18-month contract with the club with an option to extend the contract for another season. He is expected to start work on 2 January, 2017.

“With Sunday Oliseh we signed a young and ambitious coach with vision, one players look up to. We were looking for someone who plays attractive football combining it with the will to win. We think Sunday is the right one for this job,” The club’s owner, Isitan Gün, announced.

Before this appointment, the 42 year-old played for Ajax, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund during his career, had coached Belgian side Verviétois. He also managed Nigeria’s national team and resigned 10 months ago.

 

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Sports

Tevez reportedly becomes the world's highest-paid player – earning £615,000 per week

Is China now the choice destination for footballers?

Carlos Tevez has officially signed for Shanghai Shenhua from Boca Juniors. The Argentine will earn a reported £34.4m a season at Shanghai Shenhua, a deal that would make him the highest paid footballer in the world.

Boca Juniors wished him well at his new club saying, ‘Good luck Carlitos. You will always be in our hearts.’

A Breaking down of his reported wages at Shanghai Shenhua:

£2.86m a month
£660k a week
£94.2k a day
£3.92k an hour
£65 a minute

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