The Argentine is now just five away from Gerd Muller’s legendary mark of 85 goals and his 2012 haul is greater than the total amassed by a host of clubs Messi played his part in Dani Alves’ brilliant opener before scuffing a second into the corner with his right and rounding the keeper for a […]
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How Pep Guardiola got the Barcelona players on his side
Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona were suffering an unstoppable decline into decadence, the dressing room lacking discipline and spirit. Ronaldinho had lost his status as the most exciting player on the planet, the president Joan Laporta had only just survived in office and Catalan self-esteem was at its lowest ebb for decades. At that point Pep Guardiola […]
Pretty football and the Nash equilibrium
Ignore Barcelona. Ignore Spain. Ignore 1982 Brazil, Total Football Holland, and the Invincibles. What if the real footballing lesson about aspiration and beauty lies not in art, but in economics? This I have learned from John Forbes Nash, the Nobel Laureate depicted by Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. In the movie version, Crowe/Nash advises […]
Qatar Airways to appear on Barça shirt
The contract signed by Qatar Sports Investment and FC Barcelona foresaw the possibility of including a new sponsor on the team shirt from the third season of the agreement Sandro Rosell has welcomed Qatar Airways, “an ambitious brand with global aspirations, always commitment to the utmost excellence in its field” The Qatar Foundation now becomes […]
Ballon d’Or – The case for Casillas
If one is to believe the headlines, only one of either Messi or Ronaldo deserve to win this year’s award for the best footballer in the world, the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Although other contenders such as Xavi, Iniesta and Falcao have also been mentioned, there is one highly successful player that should be considered – […]
How Argentina finally cracked Barcelona’s Messi code
Past Pele’s record of goals in a calendar year. Ten short of surpassing Gerd Muller’s record of 85 (the all time record), and currently tied with Batistuta for most goals for Argentina in a calendar year. One goal against Saudi Arabia and the Argentinian record will be all his. It would be an understatement to […]
Is Loyalty Barca’s Greatest Strength?
When Lionel Messi declared this week, at the relatively young age of 25, that he wants to spend the rest of his career at Barcelona, it provided an insight as to why the Spanish club has dominated world football in recent years. A hot favorite to be named the world’s best player for an unprecedented fourth […]
Disproportionate – The gap between Europe’s elite and the rest
Celtic’s 2-1 upset win over Barcelona on Wednesday prompted some to describe it as the “second greatest night in the history of the club” after — presumably — that night in 1967 when 11 men born within a few miles of Parkhead went out and became champions of Europe. That generated some interesting discussion, as you would […]
The way we play – An interview with Iniesta
They have seen better nights. Quite a lot of them, in fact. In a village of La Mancha, there is a bar. The village is called Fuentealbilla and has a population of just 1,864; the bar is called the Luján and it is run, as it has been for as long as anyone can remember, […]
Analysis: the evolution of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has under José Mourinho developed into a rare hybrid of a winger and a forward whose game relies on explosive movement rather than pure technical ability. That is a far cry from Manchester United where the Portuguese was renowned as one of Europe’s finest dribblers; a tricky winger often criticised for taking too […]
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