All tihngs come to an end and for Barcelona Their ten-match winning streak came to an end. It was early December since Barcelona last played and not get the three points. Still based on their result at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera and the likeliness of Madrid winning at El Molinón... Barcelona will remain with a two-digit lead over Real Madrid.
Okay the Mad About Futbol World XI for 2008 isn't comprised of the men in the picture so lets get to it. Happy New Year to you and may 2009 be as exciting and intriguing as 2008. This past year was witness to some great moments and some truly historic performances from Liga De Quito's monumental Libertadores victory to Spain shaking off their underachievers label with their impressive Euro 2008 title to Argentina repeating as Olympic champions. Many great players kept us suspended to our chairs or sofas or bar stools and made us realize that soccer players are the true sports magicians. As a fan of offense the 2008 MAF World XI will have a 3-5-2 look to it. That said, here are the magicians the 2008 MAF World XI:
Goalkeeper:
Iker Casillas
This is a no brainer, Real Madrid's portero is the best in the world and my choice for Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, refer here. He was brilliant in the Euros as he anchored a Spanish defense that was not given enough credit for La Furia Roja's championship.
Defense:
On the right Barcelona's Dani Alves.
The Brazilian defender has been the best & most used of Barcelona's '08 summer signings. He is obviously an attack minded right back (what Brazilian defender isn't) but he is an underrated defender and for all his attacking, he is not a defensive liability.
In the middle is Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic.
Sir Alex's Serbian Minister of Defense, Vidic might be Fergie's best signing since he acquired Ruud Van Nistelrooy from PSV in 2001. It is quite possible that Vidic is Manchester United's most valuable player even more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only is he a rock in the back, he's shown a knack for scoring timely goals ask Hull City, Sunderland, and Gamba Osaka.
The Barcelona captain is a natural center back but he's so good that he can play any position on the backline and has. His partnership with Valencia's Carlos Marchena in the middle of the Spanish defense was critical in Spain's Euro success. Puyol managed to keep Barca's backline serviceable when Lillian Thuram & Gabi Milito were consistently getting burned during the 07-08 season. You can't have a a Best XI defense without Carles Puyol.
Let's begin with the central midfield and the men that back up the attacking players. They don't get as much attention as the attacking players but their teams would suck without them.
Xavi
The player of the tournament for Euro 2008 and many people's choice for the Ballon D'Or. He is not spectacular but he does everything well. He has been Barcelona's savior on many occasions and is mainly responsible for Barcelona being able to play in the Champions League despite the drama surrounding the team during the 07-08 season.
Boca Juniors were recently crowned Apertura champions after a dramatic 3-team playoff. The fact they made it to that point is a credit to coach Carlos Ischia and Battaglia. Without goal scoring icon Martin Palermo and public bickering amongst teammates, Battaglia helped to keep the team together on & off the pitch. With a young group of talent forced into action, Boca's #5 was the veteran presence in the midfield that helped Los Xeneizes become champions. El Pibe De Oro needs to include him for Los Albicelestes in World Cup qualifying.
