April Fools’ Day Roundup: Real Madrid Sign Lionel Messi For €500m; Rio Ferdinand To Replace Van Gaal As Manchester United Boss

Wondering how Lionel Messi’s €500 million transfer from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid fell through just ahead of El Clasico?

Well, that’s because it’s April Fools’ Day, and various media outlets are doing their best to play different pranks on their dedicated readers. This particular one was by Goal.com, who said that the Barcelona star decided to make the dreaded move from Catalonia to the Spanish capital, because Barcelona did not agree to sell the Camp Nou to meet his wage demands.

Watch out for the pig’s heads at the Camp Nou on Saturday night, Leo!

Manchester United to replace Van Gaal with Ferdinand

Speculations have been ripe about Louis van Gaal’s impending sacking for quite some time now. The English press had even declared (wrongly) that the Dutchman has been sacked more than a few times.

However, the wishes of thousands of Manchester United fans seems to have finally been granted, as Louis van Gaal was reportedly sacked on April 1st, with Rio Ferdinand being incredibly named as the Dutchman’s replacement.

This piece of news comes from the man himself… Rio Ferdinand!

Looks like the Red Devils have learnt absolutely nothing from Valencia’s disastrous stint with Gary Neville.

Barcelona, Real Madrid to renew rivalries in… cricket?

As if their rivalry in football and basketball wasn’t enough, the authorities at Real Madrid and Barcelona have decided that they will try to tap into the huge potential market that cricket offers by playing cricketicos over the summer, according to Spanish outlet AS.

In fact, the two clubs intend to field their football stars on the cricket pitches, in order to generate local interest in the sport.  Just imagine Funchal Express Cristiano Ronaldo running in at full speed to hurl deadly bouncers at the Little Master Lionel Messi! Yes, that is exactly the effect the club officials wish to have.

However, Real Madrid seemingly have an advantage over their arch rivals, as their Welsh winger Gareth Bale has played the sport in his childhood days.

According to the AS report, the clubs have already started to prepare pitches for their summer cricket match, and the stark changes can be seen at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Camp Nou.

Rooney terminates Manchester United contract to become a pro-wrestler

Frustrated with speculations about Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy replacing him in the England squad for the Euros, Wayne Rooney seems to have decided to quit football altogether. Instead, he has revealed that he will become a professional wrestler just in time to take part in WWE Wrestlemania.

If a report in the Daily Express is (not) to be believed, Rooney has already constructed a wrestling ring at his residence. The report also says that the 30-year-old is set to become the highest paid wrestler, earning around £13 million, which is double the income of current highest paid wrestler John Cena.

The Emirates to get a retractable sun-roof

Arsenal are quite conscious about how they spend their money, and it seems like they never had to pay a single penny for the April Fools’ Day prank video that they played on their fans. In fact, they even managed to earn some money in the process. They got a sponsor for their April Fools’ Day prank.

In this video, Arsenal show how they are planning to build a retractable sun roof over the Emirates, that reportedly closes in 11 seconds. They even claim that it is the first roof of its kind, as it is also able to regulate the temperature and humidity inside the arena, increasing player’s stamina by eight per cent. Looks like Arsene Wenger is looking for some ‘Fergie Time’ winners at the Emirates.