David Villa: I only signed for Barcelona as Valencia needed the money

David Villa says he would not have signed for Barcelona if Valencia had not needed the money from his sale.

Villa, 35, joined Barca for €40 million in 2010 after five successful years and 129 goals at the Mestalla.

However, the former Spain international, who now plays for New York City FC, has said he would have been happy to stay at Valencia if the decision was solely his.

"If Valencia hadn't needed the money, I would have stayed at the club," he told reporters. "I had a long-term contract."

Villa's...

Ryan Giggs has support to replace Bob Bradley at Swansea - sources

Ryan Giggs has influential support within the Swansea hierarchy as they seek to replace Bob Bradley, with Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins enjoying a good rapport with the Manchester United legend, sources have told ESPN FC.

Giggs, 43, has been installed as the early bookmakers' favourite to succeed Bradley -- who lasted just 85 days and 11 games -- at the Liberty Stadium.

And although Giggs was overlooked in favour of Bradley when he was interviewed by Swansea after Francesco Guidolin was dismissed at the start of October, the former Wales captain is prepared to discuss taking over the job for what would be his first full-time Premier League management position.

The club's American owners, led by Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan, decided to sack Bradley after the 4-1 Boxing Day home defeat to West Ham had supporters calling for his dismissal.

The pair remain open minded about the prospect of Giggs taking charge, while Wales manager Chris Coleman and out-of-work trio Gary Rowett, Alan Pardew and Frank de Boer are also in the running.

First-team coaches Paul Williams and Alan Curtis will take charge in the short term, with Swansea's next two games at home to Bournemouth on Saturday and away to Crystal Palace next Tuesday.

Swansea are four points from safety and the board -- who were also the target of angry fans on Boxing Day -- want to make a quick appointment, with the January transfer window due to open shortly.

The club are looking for their fifth permanent manager in under three years following Michael Laudrup, Garry Monk, Guidolin and Bradley.

Information from the Press Association was used in this report.

ESPN

CARRIE FISHER DAUGHTER WILL CARE FOR BELOVED DOG GARY

Carry Fisher cherished dog -- a 4-year-old pooch named Gary -- will now be cared for by Carrie's daughter ... TMZ has learned.

Family friends are telling us Billie Lourd will take custody of the French bulldog, which was by Carrie's side on the plane from London to LAX when Carrie's heart stopped. The pooch also visited Carrie at UCLA Medical Center.

Billie already has a French bulldog named Tina, that's best friends with Gary. We're told she wants to make sure the 2 get along in the long term and she's able to handle the added responsibility.

A family source told TMZ, Carrie always wanted Billie to take Gary if something happened to her. If, for some reason, Billie can't care for Gary for the long haul, the dog will remain in the family.

The dog was like a child to Carrie, who carted her best friend almost everywhere she went ... even interviews.

Gary was adopted as a service pet to help Carrie with her bipolar disorder.

Jerusalem cancels vote on settlement construction

The city of Jerusalem has canceled a vote Wednesday to approve the construction of 492 units -- such as homes, synagogues and other public buildings -- in East Jerusalem, a city council member said.
The decision follows a request from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said council member Hanan Rubin, who's also a member of the city's zoning committee.
It comes days after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution condemning Israel's settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It also comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry prepares to give a speech on the Obama administration's vision for Middle East peace.
"The municipality regards housing in Jerusalem as a municipal need rather than a political action, and therefore there is no need to vote on this on a sensitive day when John Kerry is to give a speech," Rubin said. "We don't want to be a part of a political controversy."
However, the mayor of an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, Oded Revivi, didn't hold back from blasting Kerry ahead of his address Wednesday at the State Department.
"John Kerry is a stain on American foreign policy who is ignorant of the issues. He has chosen to eternalize his legacy as the worst secretary of state in history that chose to stab his closest ally in the back while rivers of blood flowed like water across the Middle East," said Revivi, mayor of Efrat and chief foreign envoy of the YESHA Council, an umbrella organization that represents an estimated 430,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
"I can personally attest to the fact that he knows very little about the realities in Judea and Samaria and instead chooses to defame us from afar by repeating fictitious mantras against us," Revivi added.
In Hebrew, YESHA stands for Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Judea and Samaria is the biblical term for the West Bank, often used by Israeli politicians. Gaza is still included as a holdover from before Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.

Freed Chibok girls return home for joyful Christmas

It was a journey they had waited nearly three long years to take.

Ten weeks after being released by Boko Haram, 21 freed Chibok schoolgirls and a baby returned home this month to celebrate Christmas with their families for the first time since they were snatched by the terror group.

The April 2014 kidnapping of nearly 300 girls from a boarding school in Chibok sparked global outrage a #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media.

CNN accompanied the 21 girls as they made the journey from the capital Abuja, where they have been undergoing medical and psychological assessments since they were released by Boko Haram nearly two months ago in a deal brokered by an unnamed Swiss contingent and the Nigerian authorities.

On Friday morning CNN's Isha Sesay boarded a flight with the girls from Abuja to Yola in eastern Nigeria, where the girls would make a six-hour road trip north to Chibok.

The change in the Chibok girls from 10 weeks earlier was remarkable. Their tattered clothes were gone and they were clearly better fed after surviving for two and a half years on meager or non-existent meals.

After their release in October, one of them, Glory Dama, told the assembled media that they once went without food for 40 days in the bush.

"I did not know that a day like this will come, that we will be dancing and giving thanks to God among people," she said. "For one month and 10 days we stayed without food. I narrowly escaped a bomb blast in the forest."

'Beautiful and grateful'

Kidnapped as teenagers, the girls were now returning home as young women.

They have been taking English classes and playing outdoors, their caretakers told CNN. One girl, Agnes, added that they have been learning how to knit. Several have had surgery to remove shrapnel.

One of the girls, Rebecca Mallam, said they felt "beautiful and grateful."

The girls, Christians who were forcibly converted to Islam by their captors, prayed together before leaving Abuja Friday morning on the first leg of their journey home.

As they waited to board the flight to Yola they appeared tense. Their colorful clothes and bright smiles did little to mask the pain and anxiety behind their eyes. Some of the girls had confided in their Abuja caretakers that they were worried about how they would be received by the wider community due to the stigma of being held by Boko Haram.

Memories of that fateful April night were surely not far from their minds and one could only imagine the trauma they endured at the hands of their Boko Haram captors -- one of the world's deadliest terrorist groups.

At the crack of dawn on Christmas Eve, the girls hit the road, accompanied by a military convoy that escorted them to Chibok. As we entered the town six hours later, we were greeted by a crowd of locals, many waving excitedly.

Parents and other family members were waiting anxiously to see their daughters again.

The moment of reunion finally arrived amid scenes of unbridled joy. Parents and daughters embraced, the pain and relief of the past two and a half years etched on their faces.

But then, suddenly we could hear wailing and heart-rending screams. Some mothers had come expecting to see their daughters, only to learn they were still being held by Boko Haram.

These women had thought their girls would be among the group coming home for Christmas. Their moment of hope gone, they remained inconsolable.

There are 197 Chibok girls still in captivity, and talks are ongoing to free them. Sources tell CNN that negotiations only involve 83 of the girls.

More joyful reunions like the ones we witnessed here may soon follow. But they may also be tempered by the grief of parents whose daughters are never coming home.

Wishing Christians “Merry Christmas” Is Worse Than Fornication Or Murder – Islamic Cleric Tells Muslims

An Indian orator on Islam and comparative religion, Dr Zakir Naik, warned Muslims against sending wishes to Christians on Christmas Day.

The Islamic scholar categorically stated that it was a sin for Muslim folks to wish Christians ‘Merry Christmas.’

He made this known in a series of tweets on Christmas days.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan proud of 'best goal I've ever scored' in Man United win

Henrikh Mkhitaryan hailed his stunning goal in Manchester United's 3-1 Boxing Day win over Sunderland as the best of his career.
The Armenian, on as a substitute, met a Zlatan Ibrahimovic cross with a brilliant improvised finish, flicking a ball that was behind him into the net with his heel.

Although it appeared the goal should have been ruled out for offside, it put the seal on a convincing win for Manchester United's men.
Mkhitaryan said on MUTV: "That was the best goal I've ever scored.
"I was very excited. The first thing I did was look at the assistant and I saw it was not ruled as offside so I just started to celebrate.
"I was expecting the ball to be in front of me and then I realised I was in front of it. As the ball was behind me, the only thing I could do was a backheel so I did that and I succeeded."

Earlier, United boss Jose Mourinho had hailed Mkhitaryan for playing well overall, in addition to his "phenomenal" strike.
"I think he scored in the right goal, the Stretford End, with the people very enthusiastic just behind," Mourinho said. "It was a great moment and for him important because he was going up and up and then the injury comes.
"He was out of two matches and he's back. And to be back not just [with] the goal, I think he also brought quality with his performance. I am obviously happy."
Mkhitaryan was making his comeback from an ankle problem and insisted he had felt no ill effects ahead of the New Year's Eve clash with Middlesbrough.
"I don't have anything of concern from a past injury so I'm happy to be back to help the team," he added.

"I will try to do my best for the next game. It's very important that we're in good shape and to keep going like this."

N’Assembly to re-work N7.29tn budget –Reps spokesman

John Ameh, Abuja

The House of Representatives said on Monday that each item in the N7.29tn budgeted for 2017 would be subjected to a thorough review by the National Assembly.

It noted that until such a review was done by various standing committees and approved by the legislature, the budget remained mere proposals by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, who spoke with The PUNCH in Abuja, explained that lawmakers would ensure that the controversies, which nearly marred the 2016 budget, would not be replicated with that of 2017.

Namdas, a member of the All Progressives Congress from Adamawa State, stated, “We have received the budget proposals from Mr. President. We now have a duty as lawmakers to look at the items one after another.

“The first step is that every member will get copies of the budget to study and this will assist them in pointing out key areas for the attention of the House.

“As soon as we reconvene in January, work on the details of the budget will begin.”

Asked whether lawmakers would increase the budget size, Namdas replied that the size was already “huge.”

He added, “N7.29tn is a huge amount; increasing it is not likely the way to go.

“However, the budget is the document eventually passed by the National Assembly.

“Nigerians should be patient till we reconvene in January.”

The President had, on Wednesday, December 14, laid the estimates of the budget before a joint session of the Senate and the House in Abuja.

The budget of “economic recovery and growth” is 20 per cent higher than the N6.06tn budgeted for 2016.

Its total capital component of N2.24tn is also higher than that of 2016 by 30.7 per cent, a projection Buhari said was made to spend more on infrastructure, solid minerals development, agriculture and provide support for local manufacturing firms to speed up growth.

Spending on recurrent expenditure is put at N2.98tn.

Although the budget’s anticipated revenue of N4.9tn is higher than that of 2016 by 28 per cent, it has a deficit of N2.36tn, representing 2.18 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product.

The President told lawmakers that the deficit would be financed through a projected borrowing of N2.32tn, broken into N1.06tn (external) and N1.25tn (domestic).

punch news.

DONALD TRUMP JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Donald Trump won Florida by only a hair, but he slayed at a Palm Beach church during Xmas mass.

The Prez-elect and Melania made the short trek from Mar-a-Lago to the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, where they married in 2005.

Trump got big applause ... then joined the chorus for some hymns.

Kylie Jenner Strips Down with Tyga for Steamy, Nude Shower Video

Of course Kylie Jenner's "little surprise gift for the world" on Christmas Day would be a nude video.

The reality TV star and Sasha Samsonova collaborated on a provocative short video released on Sunday, showing the 19 year old in various states of undress while in the shower. Her real life boyfriend, Tyga, also shows up in the clip, as the two caress each other's bodies and passionately make out.

"The whole deal with this video is that it's a very personal experience," Samsonova told W magazine. "It's like you're watching this person from a point of view that has never been seen before."

"It's super raw footage," the photographer added. "As soon as my shoots with Kylie come out, so many people write on my page and rant about how it's all Photoshop, Photoshop, Photoshop. But the thing about this video is that there's no post-production work whatsoever. It's only cut together. It's very raw, and we tried to keep it that way—no skin retouching, nothing."

PARIS JACKSON:PACKING ON THE PDA

Versace Sued Secret 'Code' for Black Customers ... Fired Employee Claims

Versace secretly alerts staffers when an African-American person enters the store ... according to an ex-employee who claims the company also dissed his fashion sense and then canned him.

The man worked in a Bay Area store, and in a lawsuit says a manager told him about a store code called "D410," which was used to casually let co-workers know a black person was present -- as in, we got a D410 in menswear.

BTW ... that's the code for all black shirts in Versace stores ... according to the suit.

The employee says he shocked the manager by responding, "You know that I'm African-American?"

He says after that revelation they refused to give him rest breaks, and fired him after just 2 weeks. In the suit, he says he was told he was canned because he hadn't "lived the luxury life."

Translation: you got no swag, son.

He's suing for unpaid wages and damages. Versace denied the allegations, and has already filed a request for dismissal of the suit.

George Michael: World pays tribute to global superstar

He was "the kindest, most generous soul and a brilliant artist," Elton John wrote on Instagram, leading tributes to George Michael who died aged 53 on Christmas Day.
The singer is believed to have died from heart failure, his manager Michael Lippman said, according to the UK-Michael's death, which is being treated as "unexpected but not suspicious" by police, was also confirmed by the singer's family.
"It is with great sadness that we can confirm our beloved son, brother and friend George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period," said a statement from Michael's family.
In a career spanning four decades, Michael sold over 100 million albums and had 11 UK number ones with songs such as Careless Whisper, Faith, Outside and Freedom! 90.
After enjoying early success in the duo Wham! alongside friend Andrew Ridgeley, he built a solo career which catapulted him to further stardom, awards and riches.
Ridgeley, the other half of Wham!, was one of the first to react to the news, tweeting that he was "heartbroken".



Heartbroken at the loss of my beloved friend Yog. Me, his loved ones, his friends, the world of music, the world at large. 4ever loved. A xx https://t.co/OlGTm4D9O6— Andrew Ridgeley (@ajridgeley) December 26, 2016
Singer Bryan Adams tweeted: "Such an incredible singer and a lovely human being, far too young to leave us."



RIP George Michael. I can't believe it. Such an incredible singer and a lovely human being, far too young to leave us #georgemichael— Bryan Adams (@bryanadams) December 25, 2016
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres said Michael "was such a brilliant talent. I'm so sad."



I just heard about my friend @GeorgeMichael's death. He was such a brilliant talent. I'm so sad.— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 25, 2016
The two-time Grammy Award recipient "became one of the most beloved pop craftsmen and respected entertainers," said Neil Portnow, president/CEO of The Recording Academy, which awards the Grammys.
"From the enormous success he achieved with pop duo Wham! to his influential solo career, his extraordinary talent had a profound impact on countless entertainers worldwide, and his creative contributions will live on forever," Portnow said in a statement.

Music world in mourning
Reaction continued to pour in after the announcement of Michael's death.
George Michael 1963-2016
Boy George, who fronted British band Culture Club, said Michael's death was "devastating."
"I am thinking of @GeorgeMichael's family, friends and fans right now," he wrote on Twitter.
"He was so loved and I hope he knew it because the sadness today is beyond words. Devastating.
"What a beautiful voice he had and his music will live on as a testament to his talent. I can't believe he is gone. I hope the Buddha will hold him in his arms."
Holly Johnson, lead singer of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, said: "Sad to hear the news about George Michael, and so many great singers and songwriters we lost this year."
Music contemporaries Spandau Ballet said: "We are incredibly sad at the passing of our dear friend George Michael. A brilliant artist & great songwriter."
Michael's death comes at the end of a year that has seen the passing of several music superstars, including David Bowie, Prince and Leonard Cohen.
Simply Red said: "Its hard to take in. One of our most talented singer songwriters has left us. RIP George Michael. Such sad, tragic news. 2016 please end."
Matt Goss, singer in the band Bros, said: "George Michael was part of the tapestry of my life. His songs his lyrics & his melodies, True pop royalty! Heartbroken, RIP dearest George."

Darran Simon and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report.

Liverpool ideal club for talented young players to flourish - Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool are currently the perfect club for players to fulfil their potential as he prepares to recruit in the upcoming transfer window.

The Reds boss has previously admitted that he is open to making signings in January due to Sadio Mane's participation at the African Nations Cup and lengthy injuries suffered by Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings.

Klopp insists Anfield is the "best place" for any player looking to make the most of his talent, with Coutinho, Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and Divock Origi all improving under the German's guidance since his arrival last season.

"Maybe there are a few clubs in world football who can play better and if you can go there, these few clubs, yeah then do it," Klopp said in the Liverpool Echo. "But for all the rest this should be the best place to be.

"I would say at the moment that LFC is a really good place to be for a player to develop, to get the best out of your career and all that stuff. That is how we live.

"I said a few months ago, the biggest teams in the world they didn't change a lot, they developed together, then bring him in and that in and so on and improve a little bit and then in the end you have a wonderful team."

Roberto Firmino (left) and Philippe Coutinho are two players who have thrived since joining Liverpool.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Klopp questioned the footballing logic behind moves to the Chinese Super League as Chelsea's Oscar will complete a £60 million transfer to Shanghai SIPG in January, while sources have told ESPN FC that Boca Juniors forward Carlos Tevez has been offered a world-record wage to join Shanghai Shenhua.

Klopp is adamant that Liverpool will not make any moves for players who are simply motivated by a big payday.

"At the end the players should know they can earn really serious money here, reasonable money here, but we will not go nuts," he added.

"We believe that if someone needs to be convinced by money then at one point when you really need character you will not get it.

"We want to convince them with the way we go. We want to have players who are ready to develop and it's not a message for the winter transfer window, it's a message for the next few years.

"We have already really good players and if someone wants to be part, they are welcome.

"We want to convince players about the special character of the club. I have rose-tinted glasses but I would say it is the best place for a player to develop."

Glenn is ESPN FC's Liverpool correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter: @GlennPrice94.

KIM, KANYE, NORTH WE'RE HAVING A NUTCRACKIN' CHRISTMAS!!!

Kim, Kanye & North West put some culture in their Christmas Friday, with a real nutcracker.


The West crew made a stealth entrance at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center ... slinking into their seats just before the curtain opened for the XMAS classic, "The Nutcracker."


Kourtney and Penelope joined them in the back row.


This is interesting ... there was no entourage or visible security detail. Kim wore no jewelry and little makeup.


They had a good time for sure. North bounced on Kim's lap and danced along to the music.


Spoiler: The Mouse King dies.