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 […]
Tag Archives: Lionel Messi
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 […]
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 – […]
Who is Charlie Austin?
Charlie Austin is a phenomenon. Last week the Burnley marksman became the fastest player to reach 20 goals in the English game’s history – reaching the haul just 17 games into the season. He is still currently outscoring both Messi and Ronaldo. It should come as no surprise that Liverpool have been linked with the striker. Austin […]
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 […]
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 […]
How Barcelona’s Great Start to the Season Masks Their Defensive Woes
The Blaugrana have suffered this term but have managed to turn it around in all but one game despite defensive problems which have already threatened to derail their campaign. … They looked assured enough against a Hoops side feeding off scraps in the early stages, but breakaway attacks brought moments of discomfort for the Catalans, […]
Lionel Messi: Here and Gone
Wright Thompson travels to Argentina to investigate Lionel Messi’s youth and the strange relationship between Messi and his hometown in Argentina. Thompson looks at his start from his old club Newell’s old Boys and his move to Barcelona. The article looks at how Messi is perhaps trying to re-establish his roots in Argentina, the country […]
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