FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking

FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking

* All
* CAF
* CONCACAF
* CONMEBOL
* OFC
* AFC
* UEFA

Print Email my friend

* Grab this widget

prev Prev. rank (Jul 2010)

* Page
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5

Last Updated 11 Aug 2010
Next Release 15 Sep 2010
Ranking Team Pts
Aug 10 +/- Ranking
Jul 10 +/- Pts
Jul 10
1 Spain Spain 1883 0 Equal 0
2 Netherlands Netherlands 1659 0 Equal 0
3 Brazil Brazil 1524 0 Equal -12
4 Germany Germany 1464 0 Equal 0
5 Argentina Argentina 1288 0 Equal -1
6 Uruguay Uruguay 1152 0 Equal 0
7 England England 1125 0 Equal 0
8 Portugal Portugal 1062 0 Equal 0
9 Egypt Egypt 1053 0 Equal 0
10 Chile Chile 988 0 Equal 0
11 Italy Italy 982 0 Equal 0
12 Greece Greece 975 0 Equal 0
13 Serbia Serbia 969 0 Equal 0
14 Croatia Croatia 968 1 Up 0
15 Paraguay Paraguay 961 1 Up 0
16 Russia Russia 956 1 Up 0
17 Switzerland Switzerland 940 1 Up 0
18 USA USA 931 -5 Down -38
19 Slovenia Slovenia 917 0 Equal 0
20 Australia Australia 911 0 Equal 0
21 France France 890 0 Equal 0
22 Norway Norway 878 0 Equal 0
23 Ghana Ghana 874 0 Equal 0
24 Ukraine Ukraine 870 1 Up 0
25 Mexico Mexico 853 -1 Down -19
26 Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire 843 0 Equal 0
27 Slovakia Slovakia 829 0 Equal 0
28 Turkey Turkey 810 0 Equal 0
29 Denmark Denmark 785 0 Equal 0
30 Nigeria Nigeria 773 0 Equal 0
31 Czech Republic Czech Republic 769 0 Equal 0
32 Japan Japan 768 0 Equal 0
33 Algeria Algeria 759 0 Equal 0
34 Gabon Gabon 755 0 Equal 0
35 Sweden Sweden 747 0 Equal 0
36 Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland 734 0 Equal 0
36 Colombia Colombia 734 3 Up 9
38 Israel Israel 733 -1 Down 0
39 Peru Peru 726 -1 Down 0
40 Cameroon Cameroon 710 0 Equal 0
41 Scotland Scotland 699 0 Equal 0
42 Romania Romania 697 0 Equal 0
43 Bulgaria Bulgaria 672 0 Equal 0
44 Korea Republic Korea Republic 651 0 Equal -9
45 Burkina Faso Burkina Faso 646 0 Equal 0
46 Honduras Honduras 627 0 Equal -17
47 Venezuela Venezuela 592 0 Equal 0
48 Belgium Belgium 589 0 Equal 0
49 Latvia Latvia 579 1 Up 0
50 Bolivia Bolivia 577 3 Up 7

* Page
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* 5

Van Marwijk: Belief is crucial

Van Marwijk: Belief is crucial
(
His players describe him as being close to them and ready to listen, and after spending half an hour in the presence of Bert van Marwijk at the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) headquarters, it is easy to see why. “I like to be surrounded by people who want to improve,” the Netherlands coach told FIFA.com less than two months after leading his side to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Final.

Before taking the Oranje reins, Van Marwijk carved out a solid reputation in his homeland. His first coaching experience came at Maastricht in 1982, and after spending four years there he took on another five posts before being appointed by Feyenoord in the summer of 2000. The Rotterdam side provided him with an excellent platform and in 2002 he masterminded their UEFA Cup triumph, earning himself a move to Borussia Dortmund two years later. Van Marwijk failed to clinch any trophies with the Ruhr outfit but the experience proved invaluable, and after returning to Feyenoord he claimed the Dutch Cup in 2008 in his final campaign before replacing Marco van Basten.

With his charges soon to begin their UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying campaign against San Marino, Van Marwijk sat down with FIFA.com to discuss his philosophy on the game and coaching work, South Africa 2010 as well as the upcoming qualifiers.

FIFA.com: Bert, you are about to contest two important EURO 2012 qualifiers soon after losing the FIFA World Cup Final. How do you switch from one tournament to the next?
Bert van Marwijk: I've been feeling it out. When you get knocked out of a World Cup in the group stage or the last 16, the players want to play as quickly as possible again so they can move on. It’s a different situation when you lose in the Final. We had a friendly against Ukraine two weeks ago, which came too soon. The players had only had three weeks of holidays. They’d only had a week of training and the World Cup was still on their minds, so I played a B team. I told the players it wasn’t a preparation game but a chance to prove themselves. The motivation will start to come, though. It was too early before. It’s impossible to be motivated so soon after losing a World Cup Final, but the moment is right now and my players will be focused on the EURO.
When your opponents say afterwards that they felt you were almost unbeatable, I take that as a huge compliment.
Bert van Marwijk on the Netherlands' 1-0 defeat by Spain in the South Africa 2010 Final

What is the secret to your approach, given that you have turned this team into a machine for securing wins?
There are two factors in football: the technical and tactical side, and then the mental side. The question you have to ask yourself is if you believe in something. From the very first day, I tried to instil the feeling that we had to believe in our chances of winning the title in South Africa, and that when you believe it, you can do it. I told my players we had a mission. The Netherlands have always been able to beat anyone in a one-off match, but there we had to do it over six weeks.

What methods did you use to reach that goal?
A good team is one in which everyone is able to tell the truth. The players don’t need to all be friends - they need to accept that while respecting everyone else’s qualities. You need to have the guts to be honest. From the start, I spoke about stability. I love creative and attacking football, but the first step was to defend as a team. When you manage that, you allow your opponents fewer chances and that gives everyone on the team more confidence, as well as belief in their team-mates. The players understood my message from the very first day and they showed that in my first match on the bench. That was against the same Russia side that beat us at EURO 2008 and we played a very solid game. There was plenty of discipline and I saw our obvious potential that evening.

Looking back, do you think the Netherlands really showed their true selves in the Final against Spain on 11 July?
My team was different in the Final, it’s true. We weren’t ourselves in the first half, but you have to understand that it was the first time all of them had played in a World Cup Final. They were very nervous and that explains the very physical style and the fouls, because we were coming late into tackles. Spain had already won a EURO with pretty much the same team, so they were more used to this kind of occasion. We played more freely in the second half, as happened against Brazil in the quarter-finals. My regret is that we had to wait so long.

Did you still believe you could win towards the end?
After the match, the Spanish players told us that, in the second half, they were really afraid they were going to lose the Final. That says a lot about our strength. I was 100 per cent sure we were going to penalties because, after the red card, I felt that something had clicked in our minds and that Maarten Stekelenburg was having a great night. So I was optimistic. Spain deserved their triumph and they’re a fabulous team to watch, but we could have won it. We missed two one-on-one chances through Arjen Robben, and just lacked a finishing touch.

Was it frustrating to see your players struggle in the first half without being able to intervene?
We spoke about the pressure in our preparations for the match, but despite that it weighed heavily on us. That’s the beauty of top-level sport: you can’t control emotions like that, even when you try to anticipate them.

Would you agree that you have made the Netherlands more direct and pragmatic?
You have to take into account that this sport is changing, that the ingredients of the game are better, the players are faster, the play too, and that there’s less space on the pitch. During our preparations, we played three warm-up matches and scored 13 goals while conceding two. Our football was attractive. Then, in the World Cup, we came up against opponents who waited for us to make mistakes without really attacking. It’s more difficult to be constantly creative when space is very tight and you have much less time to execute things. You have to look at football differently and develop a different notion of creativity. You need more patience and you need to wait for the right moment, because your opponents are on the lookout for the slightest error. You have to adapt to the changes in football. In the semi-final, we won 3-2 but we could have scored five. Everyone praised our attacking play then. When your opponents say afterwards that they felt you were almost unbeatable, I take that as a huge compliment.
I teach the players to never feel satisfied with what they’ve achieved and to never feel like they’ve already made it. You lose when you become arrogant like that.
Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk

You spoke earlier about stability being an essential factor. Will we see the same team with the same strengths during the qualifiers for EURO 2012?
Stability on the pitch is the key. The players have to know each other 100 per cent. My philosophy is to get the ball to feet and be creative. In addition to that, however, I also teach the players to win, to never feel satisfied with what they’ve achieved and to never feel like they’ve already made it. You lose when you become arrogant like that. I had to instil that attitude: to stay focused on our mission and see only the next step to climb. That mustn’t change during the qualifiers, but I’m aware that it won’t be easy.

During the FIFA World Cup, you explained that you were using methods learnt in the Bundesliga. What did you mean by that?
My style of play has been my philosophy since the start. My beliefs haven’t changed. After that, you always learn from your different experiences. In Germany, I learnt how to win a match even when you’re not playing well or how to get a draw on an off-day, knowing that going after victory could result in defeat. But the Germans could also learn from the Netherlands. You know, the difference between Spain, Germany, England and ourselves is that in the three other teams, almost all the players play in their national championship. They have the same calendar and the same training styles. In my case, I have to deal with players from Italy, Spain, England, Scotland and so on – and I have to do it our way, with our own philosophy.

Ecuador's fishermen get in line

Ecuador's fishermen get in line


One sight that leaves a lifelong impression is watching the fisherman of Ecuador playing football on the beaches alongside the Pacific Ocean. It is after long hard nights fishing and facing the elements you can observe the artisan fleet heading homeward bound for their fishing villages and ports along the thousand kilometers or so of Ecuadorian coastline. They come ashore with their catches of sea bass, dorado and fresh sole that later on will be served up as part of exotic menus and dishes around the country. Once the fishermen’s work is done and the boats pulled onto the beaches it’s time for football, making use of the wide and long beaches as their natural football pitches. A couple of markers are placed on the sand as goal posts, afootball is positioned in the centre and the game is on. Amazingly there are literally hundreds and even thousands of fishermen doing the very same thing all along the coastal region of Ecuador, every single day.

In Ecuador you can find organised beach football competitions throughout the year being played in the main coastal cities, but one very important thing is missing, everybody has been playing under local rules, far away from the rules and regulations set up by FIFA for Beach Soccer. Recognising that this needed to be addressed the Ecuadorian Football Federation requested the presence of FIFA instructors to correct and align Ecuador’s Beach Soccer during a coaching course organized from the 16 to 20 of August in Guayaquil.
Imagine what we will be able to do and how far we can go once we have organised beach soccer in the country.
Francisco Acosta, General Secretary of Ecuador's FA.

The Ecuadorian Football Federation’s general secretary, Francisco Acosta commented: “We have been aware that many people play soccer on our beautiful beaches, all over the country, and that it was time to bring this under the federations’ jurisdiction and in turn under the FIFA umbrella. This is a great opportunity for many young players living in the coastal regions of Ecuador, just last year we missed out through a late goal to make it to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai, imagine what we will be able to do and how far we can go once we have organised beach soccer in the country.”

It is through the FIFA Beach Soccer course that the FEF have placed certain short and medium term objectives; the first objective is to organize an Ecuadorian beach soccer championship under FIFA rules. Ecuador is also in line to host the South American Beach Soccer championship in the city of Manta scheduled for December 2011.

Ecuador can already boast a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup referee, Gonzalo Villavicencio, who officiated at the last event in Dubai. There is also a regulation-size beach soccer pitch in the city of Guayaquil, in the past it had mostly been used for beach volleyball, but its future is booked to host beach soccer seminars and teaching clinics to spread the Beach Soccer word.

Two FIFA instructors Bolivar Montero from Costa Rica and Hector Petrasso from Argentina arrived in Guayaquil keen to exchange experiences and conduct the first ever FIFA Beach Soccer course in Ecuador. The course programme covered all the important topics to enable the participants to understand the history, rules, technical aspects, goalkeeping, tactics, systems, free kick situations and event organisation. This, of course, was apart from the referees classes going on simultaneously in the classroom and on the pitch in Guayaquil.

The participants came from the coastal provinces of El Oro, Esmeraldas, Santa Helena, Los Rios and Guayas to gather knowledge and the know how to take back home and pass this on to players, coaches and referees. All of this valuable information and content is to promote and create Beach Soccer’s popularity within the country, part of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter’s philosophy to grow the game.

SkipNavigation
LOGO

* FIFA World Cup™
* Tournaments
* World Football
* Classic Football

Search FIFA.com
Search the web

* EN
* FR
* ES
* DE
* PT
* عربي

* News Centre
* The Club
* About FIFA
* Store
* Associations

Login
Remember me on this computer
Forgot your password?
Register
My Games

* Club House
* Messages
* Comments
* Friends
* Football
* Games
* Edit
* Log out

My name

*
Social
*
Political
*
Cultural
*
Organisation
*
Official Documents

* Who We Are
* TV
* Marketing
* Media
* Technical
* Pitch and Equipment
* Women's
* Futsal
* Beach Soccer
* Refereeing
* Players' health
* Courses
* Grassroots
*

* Mission
* FIFA Statutes
* Associations
* President
* Bodies
* Confederations
* Administration
* Calendar
* Official Documents
* At the Home of FIFA

Ecuador's fishermen get in line
(FIFA.com) Monday 30 August 2010
Print
Email my friend
Share

One sight that leaves a lifelong impression is watching the fisherman of Ecuador playing football on the beaches alongside the Pacific Ocean. It is after long hard nights fishing and facing the elements you can observe the artisan fleet heading homeward bound for their fishing villages and ports along the thousand kilometers or so of Ecuadorian coastline. They come ashore with their catches of sea bass, dorado and fresh sole that later on will be served up as part of exotic menus and dishes around the country. Once the fishermen’s work is done and the boats pulled onto the beaches it’s time for football, making use of the wide and long beaches as their natural football pitches. A couple of markers are placed on the sand as goal posts, afootball is positioned in the centre and the game is on. Amazingly there are literally hundreds and even thousands of fishermen doing the very same thing all along the coastal region of Ecuador, every single day.

In Ecuador you can find organised beach football competitions throughout the year being played in the main coastal cities, but one very important thing is missing, everybody has been playing under local rules, far away from the rules and regulations set up by FIFA for Beach Soccer. Recognising that this needed to be addressed the Ecuadorian Football Federation requested the presence of FIFA instructors to correct and align Ecuador’s Beach Soccer during a coaching course organized from the 16 to 20 of August in Guayaquil.
Imagine what we will be able to do and how far we can go once we have organised beach soccer in the country.
Francisco Acosta, General Secretary of Ecuador's FA.

The Ecuadorian Football Federation’s general secretary, Francisco Acosta commented: “We have been aware that many people play soccer on our beautiful beaches, all over the country, and that it was time to bring this under the federations’ jurisdiction and in turn under the FIFA umbrella. This is a great opportunity for many young players living in the coastal regions of Ecuador, just last year we missed out through a late goal to make it to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai, imagine what we will be able to do and how far we can go once we have organised beach soccer in the country.”

It is through the FIFA Beach Soccer course that the FEF have placed certain short and medium term objectives; the first objective is to organize an Ecuadorian beach soccer championship under FIFA rules. Ecuador is also in line to host the South American Beach Soccer championship in the city of Manta scheduled for December 2011.

Ecuador can already boast a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup referee, Gonzalo Villavicencio, who officiated at the last event in Dubai. There is also a regulation-size beach soccer pitch in the city of Guayaquil, in the past it had mostly been used for beach volleyball, but its future is booked to host beach soccer seminars and teaching clinics to spread the Beach Soccer word.

Two FIFA instructors Bolivar Montero from Costa Rica and Hector Petrasso from Argentina arrived in Guayaquil keen to exchange experiences and conduct the first ever FIFA Beach Soccer course in Ecuador. The course programme covered all the important topics to enable the participants to understand the history, rules, technical aspects, goalkeeping, tactics, systems, free kick situations and event organisation. This, of course, was apart from the referees classes going on simultaneously in the classroom and on the pitch in Guayaquil.

The participants came from the coastal provinces of El Oro, Esmeraldas, Santa Helena, Los Rios and Guayas to gather knowledge and the know how to take back home and pass this on to players, coaches and referees. All of this valuable information and content is to promote and create Beach Soccer’s popularity within the country, part of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter’s philosophy to grow the game.
Add your comment
Rating: 3.0
12345

* User comments »

ECUMATADOR
31/08/2010 at 01:51
ECUMATADOR (Ecuador)
Great article. It makes soo happy to see The FEF take intrest in beach soccer. It's going to be a great 2011 for Ecuador!!!
Reply to this comment
(Total comments 1)
1
Beach soccer in Ecuador
(FIFA.com)
<<>>
1 2 3 4
News

* Beach soccer lays roots in Dubai »
* Beach soccer goes back to its roots »
* Beach soccer thrives in Oman »
* Qualifiers to kick off »
* Spaniards spread cheer in the community »

Links

* Dubai 2009 photos »

Documents

* #1220 - FIFA Beach Soccer Pitch Programme »
* #1144 - Amendments to the Beach Soccer Laws of the Game - 2008 »

More on...

* Ecuador »

Advertisement
FIFA [logo]

* FIFA World Cup™
* Tournaments
* World Football
* News Centre
* Classic Football
* The Club
* About FIFA

* Copyright ©1994 - 2010 FIFA. All rights reserved
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy
* Downloads
* Accessibility

* Contact FIFA

Victor: I want to earn my Brazil place

Victor: I want to earn my Brazil place


The last 14 months have provided a steep learning curve for Victor Leandro Bagy. As part of Brazil's triumphant FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009 squad, the man voted the best goalkeeper in his country in each of the last two years fully expected to realise the dream of a lifetime and represent the five-time world champions at the recent FIFA World Cup™. However, the Gremio No1 was left bitterly dissapointed when coach Dunga omitted him from the squad, a decision that provoked an angry reaction from the 27-year-old in the press.

Yet barely a month and a half later, Victor was back in the international fold as part of new coach Mano Menezes’s revamped Seleção. Time, it seems, has healed the wounds caused by missing out on a trip to South Africa, and the man from Santo Anastacio is focused on the future, as he told FIFA.com: “Yes, of course I was annoyed and disappointed, but that only made me work even harder. And now I think justice has been done. I don’t think I’ve been called up by accident.”
He wants to put a smile back on the fans’ faces and get back that sense of joy that Brazilian football has always had.
Victor on new Brazil coach Mano Menezes

However, that note of irritation is the only evidence of Victor’s disappointment. A new era in Brazilian football has brought about a more relaxed attitude on the part of the goalkeeper. Despair, it seems, has given way to patience and maturity.

“When the last squad was announced, I got my hopes up again, but when I saw that Jefferson and Renan had been called up, I took it badly as I thought that the coach was only going to name two keepers. And then I remembered.”

Victor’s more circumspect approach bore fruit, as he started the game against USA, becoming the first keeper of the Menezes era. It was a symbolic achievement perhaps, but no less significant for that as Brazil begins the countdown to staging the next FIFA World Cup.

The experienced shot-stopper, however, is well aware that the Europe-based players were not considered for selection. Both Julio Cesar, Brazil’s undisputed first-choice between the sticks over the last four years, and Gomes, who was initially called up for their training camp in Spain only to withdraw due to injury, will provide stiff competition for the coveted goalkeeper’s jersey. It is no surprise, then, that Victor is refusing to get carried away.

“To be the first starting keeper is important and that gives me confidence. But there is a long way to go,” he said. “I know what Julio Cesar means to Brazilian football. He’s a world-class goalkeeper and you only have to look at how many caps he has won to see that. But I want to earn my place in the squad alongside him and the other keepers.”

As much as Brazilian fans were surprised by Victor’s exclusion from Dunga’s squad, his return has raised few eyebrows. After all, it was Menezes who signed him for Gremio in 2008, just before the coach left to take up the reins at Corinthians.

So, despite never having worked directly with the 48-year-old, Victor had good reason to be optimistic. The mutual respect between the pair was evidenced further by the extra responsibility the latter was given, in spite of being almost as new to international football as novices like Ganso, Neymar and David Luiz.

“It’s a young team and I was probably one of the most experienced players there,” he said with a smile. “I know I haven’t been in the team for a long time, but I've been around a bit more than most! Because of that, it was my job to talk a lot, to help the defenders with their positioning and to make sure that everyone stayed calm. I could also pass on to the others the things I'd learned with the national team before in terms of group atmosphere, training and dealing with expectations, which is what Mano asked me to do."
I know what Julio Cesar means to Brazilian football. He’s a world-class goalkeeper. But I want to earn my place in the squad alongside him.
Victor

Victor was less forthcoming when asked to compare the old and the new Brazil, but he seems perfectly in tune with the philosophy of the former Corinthians coach. “He has a different way of going about things," the Gremio keeper said.

"With Dunga, it was all about discipline and keeping our shape. With Mano, it’s about changing things, giving young players a chance. He wants to put a smile back on the fans’ faces and get back that sense of joy that Brazilian football has always had, and he made it clear to us that that’s what he wants us to do.”

For now, Victor is happy to look back at his display against USA, and to have made an immediate impression on the new coach. As regards his future with the A Seleção, however, he is taking nothing for granted. “In football, you always need to keep a high profile and be consistent - and that means at your club as well," he remarked. "Whether or not you get picked for the national team depends on what you do with your club side."

Time will tell whether or not Victor’s disappointment back in May will be the springboard for a glittering international career, but he is certainly that little bit wiser for it.

Bradley signs new USA deal

Bradley signs new USA deal


USA coach Bob Bradley has signed an extension to his contract with the US Soccer Federation which would appear to end any prospect of him succeeding Martin O'Neill as manager of Aston Villa.

The 52-year-old has agreed a new deal which runs until the end of 2014 after reports circulated that Villa's American owner Randy Lerner could be prepared to offer him the chance to manage in the Premier League.
The agreement with Bradley, who guided the US team to numerous achievements including finishing in first place in their group at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ for the first time in 80 years, will keep him at the helm through the end of 2014.
Statement from US Soccer.

A statement on ussoccer.com read: "US Soccer has agreed to a contract extension with US men's national team head coach Bob Bradley. The agreement with Bradley, who guided the US team to numerous achievements including finishing in first place in their group at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ for the first time in 80 years, will keep him at the helm through the end of 2014."

Bradley's men were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the Round of 16 by Ghana. He led the team to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and to the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, where the team lost to Brazil.

Just over a week ago Bradley told BBC Radio Five Live: "I'd be honoured to have a conversation with Randy Lerner. I've had no contact with him. There have been talks with my representatives to find out the situation."

Schalke swoop for Huntelaar, Jurado

Schalke swoop for Huntelaar, Jurado


Klaas Jan Huntelaar has become the first big-name player to move clubs on the final day of the current transfer window after joining Bundesliga club Schalke from AC Milan, with the club also today confirming they have signed Jose Manuel Jurado from Atletico Madrid.

The Netherlands international, 27, has made a €13m switch to Gelsenkirchen - joining former Real Madrid team-mate Raul, who signed earlier this summer. Schalke boss Felix Magath told Bild newspaper: "Negotiations were tougher than expected. I am happy to have Klaas Jan. He will help us."

Huntelaar has failed to fully establish himself at first Real and then Milan since leaving Ajax in January 2009, scoring 15 goals in 50 appearances in that time. But he was prolific during his time in Amsterdam, finding the net 80 times in 104 games after joining from Eerste Divisie side AGOVV Apeldoorn.

"Klaas Jan wants to continue his career at Schalke. Schalke and Milan have agreed on a transfer fee of about €13 million," read an article on his personal website, klaasjanhuntelaar.com "It is true I never wanted to leave Milan but that changed when Zlatan Ibrahimovic came from Barcelona," he said.

Schalke have moved to liven up their side after losing their opening two Bundesliga games of the season.

Jurado move
Schalke have also agreed a fee with Atletico Madrid for Jose Manuel Jurado. Atletico confirmed following Monday night's 4-0 win over Sporting Gijon that they had agreed to sell the playmaker. No details of the deal were announced but Spanish media are reporting that Schalke will pay around €13m for the 24-year-old, who opened the scoring against Sporting at the Vicente Calderon.

An Atletico statement said: "Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement with Schalke for the transfer of Jose Manuel Jurado to the German team. The agreement between the two teams was closed on the night of 30 August.

"In the coming hours he will leave for Germany, where he will be presented by Schalke. Atletico Madrid want to thank him for his professionalism and dedication during the years he has been at the Vicente Calderon. We also wish him the best in this new stage of his career."

Jurado came up through the ranks at Real Madrid before moving across town to Atletico in 2006. He spent the 2008/09 campaign on loan at Real Mallorca before returning to Atletico last season, when he helped the Rojiblancos win the UEFA Europa League - the club's first trophy in 14 years - and reach the final of the Copa del Rey.

Speaking after the Sporting match, Jurado said: "I know that I'm leaving my home, my friends, but there are times in life when you cannot say no. I'm a little sad because this is my home and I've been treated very well here. I give thanks to my team-mates and all the staff at the club because they've been phenomenal with me. I hope that it will be a 'see you later' rather than goodbye. I hope Atletico Madrid continue like they have been doing and have lots of luck this season."