As one former Barcelona player puts it: “It is the game of the century, even if there are eight of them a year.” It is a comment not just on the excellence and the expectation that comes with Real Madrid v Barcelona but also on their eclipse of all else, on the dominance and potential dilution of a […]
Tag Archives: La Liga
Xavi: Enjoy him while you can
… Oh, Xavi. What a player he is, even now, aged 34 and with 250,000 miles on that refined dashboard clock. In fact there was something agreeably warm and nostalgic about seeing that familiar keep-ball trinity, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi once again in action against an English team. Although, with this in mind, […]
Latest injury a turning point moment for Messi
…”There’s fitness and conditioning, of course, but there are other things that might seem on the periphery, like sleeping in the right position, having the same pillow when you are away and training in different places. Do you really know how to clean your hands? Without leaving the bits between your fingers? If you do […]
Play for Brazil or Spain?
…Diego da Silva Costa is waiting for a call that could make him a World Cup-winning striker. He has two options for which national team he might represent next year during soccer’s showcase event. One is Brazil, where he was born. The other is Spain, where he plays professionally and where he was recently granted […]
Why Real Madrid had to sell Ozil
While Arsenal fans rejoice at the arrival of Mesut Ozil, Ben Hayward of Goal.com reveals why Real Madrid may have done the right thing in the end by selling one of their best players to Arsenal for the hefty sum of €50m. “Don’t sell Ozil,” they screamed. The fans had come along to the […]
Ancelotti’s Real Madrid shows signs of shedding histrionics
…. Throughout the entire evening, though, there were also increasing indications that Real are themselves aiming to return to a more historic, less histrionic approach. This was a Madrid arriving with all of the old class but very little of the recent bombast. Many would naturally put that down to the simple contrast between the […]
Football transfer spending rise steeply
BBC News: The amount of money spent on football transfers has risen sharply in the past six months, says Fifa, although the number of deals has fallen slightly. The number of transfers fell by 2% in the first six months of 2013, but their total financial value soared by 39%. The total income from 5,204 […]
The Unknown Transfer Targets – Who are they?
Thanks to the newspapers, TV channels and countless websites, we have all been kept updated on the major transfers and (mostly) rumours of the summer transfer window. Superstars such as Falcao, Neymar, Suarez, Rooney, Gotze and Cavani have captured our attention over the past few weeks and, in some cases, even months. There is […]
Does Mourinho want to get fired?
…The Real Madrid manager knows that he will have to negotiate his exit from the Bernabéu at the end of the season and he took advantage of his appearance before the media ahead of the visit of Málaga on Wednesday night to strengthen his hand and issue a warning: if Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, does […]
The World At Their Feet – Karachi United Football Foundation
In the poverty stricken slums of Karachi, Pakistan – the Karachi United Football Foundation are helping youth and communities through the unifying power of football. Editors note: I last went to Lyari when I was three – 27 years ago. Since then the security situation in that area means I have never ventured back. By […]
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