Tag Archives: La Liga

Looking for the next Michu? The top 10 Spanish bargains!

He’s the top scorer in the English Premier League with 12 goals this season. And he didn’t cost a fortune. Infact, the shrewd acquisition by Michael Laudrup, in buying Michu for £2 million over the summer, has proved to be a masterstroke. The stunning success of Michu, has fuelled speculation that many English will be […]

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Messi vs Muller

German striker’s record is under threat from Lionel Messi but his mastery of the scorer’s art should still be celebrated. Gerd Müller merits exalted place in history whatever Lionel Messi does Bayern Munich’s old Grünwalder Strasse ground. A cross loops in from the right. Standing in the penalty area, the home side’s No9 meets the […]

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Pep Guardiola the perfectionist

The former Barcelona manager would get guarantees denied others at Stamford Bridge but would he really fit there? The day Zlatan Ibrahimovic left Barcelona he walked out of the Camp Nou offices, gathered the media round him and let rip. “The philosopher broke my heart,” he spat. The philosopher was Pep Guardiola and the phrase […]

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More Goals Than Milan – Messi’s 2012 in numbers

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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David Beckham – Where next ?

The soon-to-be former MLS player will think about a move back to England, but Australia and China are the most realistic options. When David Beckham says he intends to take on one more challenge before hanging up his boots, we had better take him seriously. Since Sir Alex Ferguson ended his dream of staying at […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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 – […]

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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, […]

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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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