Spain coach Vicente del Bosque is very low-key by nature. That is why his press conference on Thursday was more about the players than about his decision.

Although the 23-man roster looks to be one of the most solid going to South Africa, there were doses of controversy in certain circles of the Spanish press.

If one begins to look at the roster, well over a third of the club come from two-time reigning champs Barcelona. Eight of the players come from the blaugrana, including new signing David Villa.

In addition to Villa, Spain will count with seven forwards: Future teammate Pedro, former teammates Juan Mata and David Silva as well as Fernando Llorente, Fernando Torres, and surprise callup Jesús Navas. The Sevilla man got the nod over Fenerbache striker and former Pichichi Dani Güiza where he scored 18 goals in 46 matches.

Zamora trophy winner Victor Valdés saw his dream of going to South Africa come true as Del Bosque made him, on paper, his third goalkeeper. Valdés was the Spanish goalkeeper with the least amount of goals conceded as Barcelona were en route to win their 20th league title.

Another big absentee will be Marcos Senna. The Villarreal midfielder will not take part in the World Cup although he was fundamental in La Furia's run to the Euro2008 title when it took place in Switzerland.

The Spanish national team will begin practicing on May 23rd and will have three friendly matches against the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, and Austria before their Group H debut against Switzerland in Durban on June 16th.


Spain list

Goalkeepers:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool/ ENG), Víctor Valdés (Barcelona)

Defenders
Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Midfielders:

Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fábregas (Arsenal/ENG), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Javi Martínez (Athletic Club), Xavi Hernández (Barcelona)

Forwards:
David Silva (Valencia), Jesús Navas (Sevilla), Juan Mata (Valencia), Pedro Rodríguez (Barcelona),
Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club), Fernando Torres (Liverpool/ENG), David Villa (Valencia).

Uncapped players highlight Spain final list

Barcelona made the first big splash of the transfer market, just a little over 48 hours after winning their 20th league title. Early Wednesday morning, Radio Catalunya was reporting that David Villa officially signed with Barcelona. So ends the long-distance flirtation between club and player for the past year.

According to Catalan daily, El Mundo Deportivo reports that "El Guaje" will be part of Barca's explosive offense for four seasons at a cost of €50 million. Villa, 28, has been one of the most lethal scorers in La Liga the past five years scoring 129 goals in all tournaments for Valencia. If you include his goals in Zargoza,the total goes up to 170. He ended the recently completed 2009-10 campaign in fourth place in the Pichichi race with 21 league goals (28 overall) after "struggling" with niggling injuries and the team's overall inconsistency.

Villa currently finds himself second all-time in goals score for the Spanish national team with 36 goals in 55 caps. Only behind Real Madrid legend Raúl (44).

According to several sources in Spain, Villa's official presentation will take place Friday afternoon at the Camp Nou.

The Blaugrana will not stop their spending spree there, as they are hot on the heels of former La Masia prodigy Cesc Fábregas. The Spanish international spoke with Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger about his intentions to return to Catalunya.

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Official: David Villa signs with Barca

Week 38 saw Real Madrid's dream of winining their 32nd league title go up in smoke. Barcelona dominated for well over 75 minutes despite missing Xavi in the midfield. Who needs Xavi, when you have Yaya Touré. The Ivorian international was fundamental in helping Barca hoist their 20th league title as they beat Valldolid at home 4-0.

La Liga season finale wrap

Well the big teams get bigger in Spain as Catalan news daily Sport reported early Tuesday that David Villa will most likely sign with the culés as soon as the season ends on Sunday.

For many this was going to be the present that club president Joan Laporta wanted to leave the Blaugrana faithful before leaving office.  It would cap off a presidency full of successes as well as controversy.   It could also be that proverbial sticking out of the tongue in the direction of Sandro Rosell in the event he wins the elections in the coming months.

Barcelona wanted to finalize this deal in the coming days in order to present him prior to the World Cup.   According to that same report from Sport, Villa is currently in the Condal City as part of an Adidas promotion alongside "future teammate" Lionel Messi.  He would also do his part in arranging some final details in the deal in order to be taking the first flight out of Valencia after their match against Tenerife on Sunday. 

According to sources within the club, the imminent signing of Villa all but seals Zlatan Ibrahimovic's fate in Barcelona.  The Swede statistically had a typical Ibra season, but it wasn't enough for him to full adapt to his new team.  More importantly it was not enough to get rid of the shadow left by Samuel Eto'o or the constant criticism of the player.  

 According to Sport, Villa's price tag is at €40 million as Valencia are looking to stop the bleeding economically and there is no other choice but to sell their top players in order to have the team stay afloat.  The press in Spain also mention that David Silva and Juan Mata will also follow suit and make their exit from Mestalla.

Villa is one of the most dominant forwards of the past decade in La Liga.  Since his arrival to the first division he has scored 204 goals in 367 matches for both Real Zaragoza and Valencia.  

***Check out our week-long feature next week on The Laporta Legacy ***

Villa to become Blaugrana in the coming days

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the dominant teams in Spain and they proved it by being the two teams that monopolized nearly half of the spots of La Furia's 30-man roster. Barcelona ended up on top as seven of their players earned call ups. There were some surprises in Vicente Del Bosque's list, but for the most part the players that were expected to be on, were.

The majority of the team that won the European championship two years ago and played in the Confederations Cup last summer will be back.

Barcelona's Victor Valdés will have at least a fighting chance to enter Del Bosque's 23-man roster as he was considered part of his 30-man list. Valdés will most likely win yet another Zamora trophy and was among the five goalkeepers called up by the Spanish coach. His level during the past two seasons have been worthy of recognition and should be on the fast track to be in South Africa.

None of Real Madrid's players were named Guti or Raúl as Albiol, Arbeloa, Ramos, Xabi Alonso will follow national team captain Iker Casillas to South Africa.

One of the big surprises was Atlético Madrid's young goalkeeper David De Gea who has become one of the revelations of the tournament. Another surprise call up was that of Osasuna defender César Azpilicueta. He has become a stalwart for the Rojillos. Sevilla's Jesús Navas also got some recognition from Del Bosque.

One player that was left off the squad was Getafe's Roberto Soldado. He was being considered to be a viable replacement for Fernando Torres. His 14 goals for the season have him in La Liga's top ten in scoring.

Some players that were left off the list were Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop as well as Athletic counterpart Gorka Iraizoz. Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic, who decided to not go to Euro2008, was snubbed in favor of teammate Pedro Rodríguez who became one of the revelations of the tournament. Pedro was the first player in football history to score in all six competitions this season. He is also the team's third leading scorer behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic and soon-to-be Pichichi winner Lionel Messi.

Spain will be participating in Group H alongside Chile, Honduras, and Switzerland.


Goalkeepers:Iker Casillas(Real Madrid CF), David De Gea(Atlético Madrid),Diego López (Villarreal), Pepe Reina (Liverpool-ENG), Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)

Defenders
: Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid)
, Alvaro Arbeloa(Real Madrid),
 César Azpilicueta (Osasuna)
 Joan Capdevila (Villarreal)
, Carlos Marchena (Valencia),
 Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona)
 Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona),
 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Midfielders:
 Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)
 Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona)
 Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal FC-ENG)
 Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona)
 Javi Martínez (Athletic)
 Marcos Senna (Villarreal)
 David Silva (Valencia)
 Xavier Hernández (FC Barcelona)

Forwards
: Santi Cazorla (Villarreal),
 Jesús Navas (Sevilla),
 Juan Mata (Valencia CF),
 Pedro (FC Barcelona)
, Dani Güiza (Fenerbache SK-TUR)
, Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club),
 Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla FC)
, Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC-ENG)
, David Villa (Valencia CF)


Callup by team
Barcelona- 7
Real Madrid- 5
Valencia- 4
Villarreal- 4
Athletic - 2
Liverpool- 2
Osasuna- 1
Atlético- 1
Arsenal- 1
Sevilla- 2
Fenerbahce-1

Del Bosque announces Spain's 30 players

F.C. Barcelona has reached an agreement with Valencia on the transfer of the Spanish International David Villa. The 28 year old had been tempted by Real Madrid this past summer but no agreement was reached. The announcement will be made after the completion of La Liga and it will be the last signing of Joan Laporta as president of the Institution.

It was mentioned that the operation was sealed for 40 Million Euros, however, rumors state that Barcelona paid 30 Million Euros, plus Bojan Kric and Alexander Hleb.
The main reason behind this signing is that Ibrahimovic has not yet displayed the desired level, and Barca have not ruled out the opportunity of selling him (Manchester City made an inquire).

Barcelona opens the transfer market

Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a brace against Villarreal (AP)

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The biggest question coming into week 35 was how Barcelona would recover from their midweek shortcomings against Inter in the Champions League semis. They were also facing one of the hottest home teams in La Liga in Villarreal.

Well that answer came quickly and often as Barcelona showed everyone why they are the best road team in La Liga hands down.  They will also try to improve their home record (tops in La Liga as well) as they host Tenerife midweek.  The ball is now in Real Madrid's court as they will face a tough Osasuna side on Sunday and then head to the Ono Estadi in a match that could decide La Liga.

Lionel Messi continued with his trend of responding when needed.  He continued his trend of not being shut out in more than three consecutive matches.  The Argentine international earned yet another brace and saw his goal total reach 29 for the season.

Xavi scored one of the best goals of the weekend with his freekick and Bojan Krkic proved once again his worth in the starting lineup as he scored yet once again in La Liga.  His performance as of late has started to put Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench and possibly out of Catalunya as many speculators are starting to mention the Big Swede's exit as David Villa is in the cards for the Blaugrana.

David Villa was not a factor at Cornellà-El Prat against one of the toughest home teams around.  Instead the big man, Nikola Zigic was the difference maker as Los Che have almost assured themselves of a Champions League spot next season after their win in Catalunya 2-0.  With Sevilla playing on Sunday, Valencia could find themselves anywhere eight points clear of Sevilla with nine points left to dispute.    There should be a likely easy match for the Andalusians as Los Colchoneros will take a reprieve as they prepare for their Europa League final in Hamburg against Fulham. 
 
Relegation race

If the race for the title is red-hot, then what adjectives can be used to describe the race to stave off relegation.   Valladolid had a solid chance to make a serious move, but failed to do so as they played to a scoreless draw against Getafe.  Xerez is still dreaming with a chance to stay in the top flight after they beat Alméria 2-1 thanks to an dramatic injury time goal by Bermejo. 

Tenerife is now starting to give Málaga, Racing, and Zaragoza nightmares.   They were able to beat Racing at home 2-1 and put the Montañeses in the thick of the relagation race. The bad news for the boys from the Canary Islands is that they will head to the Camp Nou on Tuesday.  Zaragoza were able to maintain their distance as they got an important victory over a Deportivo side that has been in free fall since early March. 

Miguel Ángel Lotina's side is now winless in their last ten matches and haven't scored a goal in 449 minutes. 

Saturday 
Deportivo 0-1 Zaragoza
ZAR: Colunga (50')

Málaga 1-1 Sporting
MAL: Camacho (43')
SPO: Caicedo (79')


Tenerife 2-1 Racing
TEN: Martínez (45'), Ayoze (56')
RAC: Xisco (71')

Valladolid 0-0 Getafe

Xerez 2-1 Almería
XER: Armenteros (26'), Bermejo (90'+4')
ALM: Soriano (33')

Espanyol 0-2 Valencia

VAL: Zigic (61', 74')



Villareal 1-4 Barcelona 
VIL: Llorente (67')
BAR: Messi (18', 88'), Xavi (33'), Bojan (41')

Sunday 
Real Madrid - Osasuna


Athletic- Mallorca


Sevilla - Atlético

Barca bounce back from Champions League heartbreak

Barcelona defeated Madrid not once, but twice. Blaugranas and Pericos defeated their rivals from the Spanish capital in week 31, thus benefiting their respective causes.

Barca were successful in making history defeating Real Madrid 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Lionel Messi and Pedro scored both goals as Xavi lit the way for a Culé side that at times looked overwhelmed, but when the chips were down they were able to find their way to Iker Casillas. Barca won four straight against los Merengues for the first time ever.

Meanwhile things start to heat up for the upcoming Catalan derby, barring a possible strike next weekend. Espanyol manhandled a toothless Atlético side that were still recovering from the grueling Europa League match against Valencia midweek.

Victor Ruiz, Pablo Osvaldo, and Ivan Alonso scored for an Espanyol side that are just a step away from salvation, while Atlético's European dreams are starting to depend on other teams- specifically Sevilla.

The Andalusians are at 51 points after a tough win at La Rosaleda against Málaga. The same thing goes for Mallorca who defeated a Valencia side that is slowly starting to fall apart. Unai Emery's side were not match for Mallorca at the Ono Estadi and the islanders were able to snap a three-match winless streak.

Scores
Osasuna 2-0 Zaragoza
Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona
Tenerife 0-0 Valldolid
Málaga 1-2 Sevilla
Deportivo 1-1 Racing
Villarreal 1-0 Sporting
Athletic 4-1 Almería
Espanyol 3-0 Atlético
Mallorca 3-2 Valencia
Xerez 0-1 Getafe

Standings

Positions
2010-11 Champions League:  x-Barcelona, x-Real Madrid
2010-11 Champions League qualifiers: Valencia, z-Sevilla
2010-11 Europa League: Mallorca, Athletic, z-Sevilla, y-Atlético
Relegation: Tenerife, Valladolid, Xerez

x- clinched berth
y- Copa del Rey finalist
z- Champions League qualifier and Copa del Rey finalist

Pichichi Race
Lionel Messi BAR             27
Gonzalo Higuaín RMA      24
David Villa VAL                 20
Cristiano Ronaldo RMA    18
Zlatan Ibrahimovic BAR   15
Fernando Llorente ATB     13

La Liga week 31 wrap

Lionel Messi celebrates with Dmytro Chygrynskiy against Athletic (AP)

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Barcelona and Real Madrid did what they had to do in order to remain equal in points prior to next week's clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Blaugrana steamrolled over Athletic in a match that was a testament to the muscle that the club's youth system has. Of the 14 players that Barcelona fielded on Saturday, 11 came from the La Masia.

There was a negative to the Blaugrana's performance as Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered a muscle tear in his calf and will be out for the midweek Champions League clash against Arsenal.

When a door closes a window cracks open and Bojan Krkic was able to take advantage of the situation by scoring a brace for the first time this season.   Lio Messi and Jeffren Suárez also scored for Barca while Susaeta would score the lone goal for the Basques. 

Meanwhile Real Madrid were very effective as they defeated a struggling Racing Santander 2-0.  Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín scored yet once again for Los Merengues as they will rest and wait for the Blaugrana to visit the Spanish capital at the weekend.

Valencia asserted themselves in third place as they defeated Osasuna 3-0 in a match that was closer than the final score indicated.  David Villa scored a brace and Joaquin would add another tally for Los Ches.

Sevilla ended their six-match winless streak beating Tenerife at hime 3-0.  Frédéric Kanouté and Luis Fabiano scored for the Andalusians in the first half and José Castro scored his first goal of the season as the Nervionenses entered Champions League spots after Mallorca were tripped up as they earned only one point on the road against Almería. 

Saturday
Sevilla 3-0 Tenerife
Barcelona 4-1 Athletic
Zaragoza 2-0 Málaga


Sunday 
Valladolid 0-2 Villarreal
Getafe 1-1 Espanyol
Almería 1-1 Mallorca
Sporting 2-2 Xerez
Racing Santander 0-2 Real Madrid
Valencia 3-0 Osasuna
Atlético 3-0 Deportivo


Standings

La Liga Week 30 wrap

Gonzalo Higuaín celebrates after Arbeloa's goal vs. Atlético Madrid (AP)

---

Things remain the same in La Liga as Real Madrid answered Barcelona by winning the capital derby 3-2 against Atlético Madrid. After falling behind in the first half courtesy of a goal by José Antonio Reyes, Los Merengues settled down and were able to answer back with goals by Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Gonzalo Higuaín.

The Argentine international scored the eventual game-winner after Tiago made a terrible blunder and the bounce fell in front of the Madrid forward and slotted it past David De Gea. Forlán's penalty kick made it 3-2 but that would be as close as Los Colchoneros would get and their winless streak against their city rivals would reach 11 years; 20 years since they last beat Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Barcelona in the meantime won in Mallorca as they beat the islanders 1-0. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the hero offensively as he pounced on a rebound from Dudu Aouate to score the only goal of the match.

Zaragoza scored the biggest upset of the week trouncing third-place Valencia at La Rosaleda 3-0. Carlos Diogo scored the first goal of the match hitting a scorcher from outside the box beating César Sánchez. Javier Arizmendi and Jiri Jarosik would round out the scoring for Los Maños.

Zaragoza would also get some help as Valladolid lost to an inspired cellar-dweller Xerez and Tenerife snuck out a point from Málaga.

Meanwhile, in some Monday Night Fútbol action, Athletic came out of San Mamés with a big win against Racing Santander in the most exciting match of the round. Fernando Llorente earned a brace and increase his season tally to 12. Racing would fight back but it would not be enough as the Basques now find themselves just two points from a spot in the Champions League and will have to look for more points at the Nou Camp against historic rivals Barcelona.

Scores
Saturday
Mallorca 0-1 Barcelona
Zaragoza 3-0 Valencia
Málaga 1-1 Tenerife

Sunday
Xerez 3-0 Valladolid
Osasuna 1-0 Almería
Deportivo 1-3 Getafe
Villarreal 3-0 Sevilla
Espanyol 0-0 Sporting
Real Madrid 3-2 Atlético

Monday
Athletic 4-2 Racing Santander

Standings

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La Liga Week 29 Wrap

The first edition of this Europa League will have some captivating matchups in the quarterfinals as the road to Hamburg heats up.

Valencia - Atlético
The all-Spanish affair will have a great deal of fanfare east side of the Iberian penninsula. Both sides are out of the La Liga race and their respective form has been suspect to say the least. Unwilling to be overshadowed by Barcelona, Atlético are poised to finish an inconsistent season with a double. Something that Colchonero fans haven't seen since 1995 when they last won the league and the Copa del Rey. For Atlético they will have a hectic run as they will play the final of the Copa del Rey against Sevilla just four days after they return from Hamburg, should they get that far.
Valencia want to be the first Europa League winners. They would become the first team to win the tournament in its three formats. They won the tournament twice when it was called the Fairs Cup (1961-62, 1962-63) and when it was called the UEFA Cup (2004).

Benfica vs. Liverpool
It's been 20 years since Benfica last were in a final of an international tournament; 48 since they last won one. Not since the Eusebio glory years have Benfica lifted silverware outside of their own country. This current side under Jorge Jesus have demonstrated that they are one of the most explosive young teams in all of Europe. With the Argentine trio of Javier Saviola, Ángel Di María, and Pablo Aimar leading the way along with Paraguayan international Oscar Cardozo, As Aguilas are about to run away with the Portuguese SuperLiga and they are hungry for more.

Liverpool might savor this trophy a little more than usual for two reasons:

• They would become the first team to win this tournament four times (the Fairs Cup is not considered an official event by UEFA). They alongside Juventus and Inter are the only teams to have won this event three time under the old UEFA Cup format.
• It would salvage the season. Liverpool have gone through a nightmarish season to say the least in the Premiership. This win could take the sting off of the domestic drought in which two generations of Reds fans have not seen a Premiership trophy lifted at Anfield.

Hamburg-Standard
For well over the past decade Belgian football has been down in the dumps as far as their level in Europe is concerned. After an eternity of not making it far in the Champions League and not reaching the UEFA Cup

Hamburg look to return to prominence after not having won European silverware in over 27 years. They could be one of the frontrunners if you take into account the fact that they have one of the most fearsome forward tandems in Ruud Van Nistlerooy and Paolo Guerrero.
Fulham-Wolfsburg
If there is an affair that could be exciting, it is this one. Fulham are coming off an incredible come from behind win against Juventus at Craven Cottage and that could be the match that light the fire under them. With an in-form Zoltan Gera and a brilliant Bobby Zamora as well as Clint Dempsey coming off the bench, Roy Hodgson's side could become the darlings of this tournament.

The reigning German champs have been able to avoid the relegation shadows after they were eliminated from the Champions League. Now with a revived Obafemi Martins along with the usual cast of characters, Wolfsburg could be up to their 2009 tricks again.

Europa League quarter draw

Valencia star David Villa (Somos Che)

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The Philadelphia Union announced on Wednesday that the Spanish side will begin touring the United States in the summer over in the City of Brotherly Love.Soccer fans in the States were like this when news of Valencia coming to America this summer...

Well many anti-soccer were probably, too. Nonetheless, it is a huge step in the right direction for La Liga to market sides outside of the Real Madrid and Barcelona abroad. The club also realized the immense potential that there is in these tours in order to generate money that will allow them to get out of their financial woes.

The big question of this issue is whether David Villa and David Silva will be present since they are once again on the transfer radar of the two Spanish giants as well as other big European clubs.

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Valencia coming to America

The top two contenders for the La Liga title. These two teams had to recur to their stars to solve their particular problems.

La Liga week 26 wrap

Barcelona are now five points clear as they were able to win by a convincing 4-0 result against Sevilla and tok advantage of Real Madrid's loss in Bilbao. Lio Messi became the 16th player in Barca history to score over 100 goals with the Blaugrana and became the lone Pichichi for at 24 hours. He also became the youngest to ever score 100 goals surpassing Patrick Kluivert. The win helped Barcelona clinch the the mythical winter title and historically gives them the precedent to win the league title.

La Liga week 18 wrap

The 2009-10 La Liga season is nearly upon us and we here at Mad About Futbol will breakdown the chances and player movement of all 20 teams in Spain's 1st division for the 2009-10 season. This time we will breakdown the team also known as Los Che.



LAST SEASON (2008-09):
Valencia was the only team other than Barcelona to be on top of the La Liga standings for more than 1 week. The strong start turned into a massive midseason slide as injuries and poor form saw the club hit a surprisingly low 8th place. A late season charge and a Malaga collapse in the last 3 weeks of the season allowed Los Che to sneak into a Europa League spot and finish 6in 6th place.

KEY PLAYER ADDITIONS:
For the 2009-10 season Valencia will be looking for Serbian forward Nicola Zigic to show the same form he showed for Racing Santander on loan. The 6 ft. 6 inch striker scored 13 goals for Racing last season. He should provide the big body in the box for Valencia's aerial attack and should have a lot of space to operate along side star striker David Villa.

Jérémy Mathieu is another big man acquired during the summer transfer window. The 6ft. 3 inch Frenchman helped Toulouse to a surprise 4th place finish in France's Ligue 1 as TFC finished with the best defense in the league. He is a left back and will replace Italian Emiliano Moretti who was sold to Genoa.

KEY PLAYER SUBTRACTIONS:
Raúl Albiol's sale to Real Madrid helped ease some of the club's financial burdens but the 23 year old was a versatile & durable performer in defense. Albiol's place as a defender & sometimes holding midfielder now falls to Hedwiges Maduro. The Dutchman's performance will be critical in Valencia's success as coach Unai Emery will look to him to display the same characteristics that made Albiol a valuable commodity.

PLAYER TO WATCH
When you talk about Valencia, it is always about David Villa but this year Nikola Zigic is the one to keep an eye on. Villa scored 28 of his team's 68 La Liga goals. That's 41%, one person scoring 41% of the goals will not fill your trophy case with any silverware. Zigic must score 15-20 goals to take pressure off Villa if they are to win any silverware this season.

FINAL ANALYSIS:
Despite the transfer speculation surrounding Juan Mata, David Silva, and David Villa they are all still wearing the Valencia shirt. The core of Valencia's attack is intact and should continue to terrorize defenses in La Liga and Europe. If Hedwiges Maduro can fill the role of Raul Albiol well and they can avoid major injuries, Valencia is a Top 4 team. Los Che are the best threat to challenge Real Madrid & Barcelona for a Top 2 place.

2009-10 LA LIGA PREVIEW: VALENCIA

If there was a jersey that could border on the ridiculous I think Valencia would be the one. Let me get something straight, the kit in and of itself is very typical of what Valencia has to offer. So now, with that in mind, Valencia's blandness through the years with Nike could be now considered genius through simplicity now that Kappa have taken over the reigns.

For starters, the sponsor seems way too high for my taste. Still I will take that. There are very few defects in Kappa's Valencia kit. Yet when you look at the picture above, there is one jersey that you have no choice but to look at. Like breasts with glitter, you are attracted to them. Although unlike those personal attributes, the Valencia jersey on the far left draws you towards it for all the wrong reasons. Let us count the ways.

Ok. Look they were trying to do something different for their 90th anniversary. They were trying to list all of the names of the most important individuals in the club's history. they were listing them in the shape of a bat, the most symbolic symbol of the team and in the region as well. A in effort, yes. But as far as the final result you have to give them a failing grade. A complete shame as the debut kit for Kappa is decent. It's just a simple case of the rotten apple ruining it for everyone else.

Holy Horrid Jersey, Batman!!!

Prior to Lionel Messi even capturing the spotlight of the entire football world, there was a young man from the province of Jujuy that was making a big splash in the then-vaunted River Plate youth system. He was poster child of River Plate's youth system in the early 90's. He completely skipped that process and made his debut with River's first team on December 14, 1991 against Platense. His performance left the Argentine news media amazed as to what "Orteguita" could do with a ball "tied" to his feet.

Ariel Ortega was going to be the promise that would help Argentina make the transfer from the Diego Maradona era. He had the potential to be the player that took over the baton and become one of the most talented players of the decade. There was no doubt he had the tools to become that and possibly exceed whatever expectations set for a player like him.

"Orteguita" had everything any player could ask for- pace, dribble, change of direction, a shot, he had a future. at his footballistic apex, there was not a player that could match him. Not one player could defend him. He was also called "Burrito", but that was more of a reference to... well let's leave it at two words so you can get the idea. Donkey Show. If you don' t get it, well I really can't help you. He beat you from the outside, beat you going to goal. He was a player that marked a generation in South American football. Had he been successful outside of Europe. Daniel Passarella was credited for bringing this gem of a player to the ranks of River Plate. Some credited him with "saving" his life... or at least extending it.



At the same time he had to fight with various internal demons that hindered his progress. Until recently, he was still known as "Orteguita". That is not a good thing. For a player in his 30's to still be referred to in a diminutive status, that meant that he had not grown into the man or player that everyone expected him to mold into. His explosive personality was part of the deserved "Orteguita" tag he was not able to shake off. His personality was always a complicated one, thus not helping him obtain stability with any club that he was a part of during his career after 1996. That was a very important year in his career. That year he helped win River third consecutive league title as well as we the Copa Libertadores. He was also part of the Argentine side that had to settle for the silver medal in the 1996 Olympics when they fell to a Nigerian side that had players like Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Sunday Oliseh, Celestine Babayaro, and the eccentric Taribo West.

He then arrived at Valencia where his relationship with Claudio Rainieri was tempestuous to say the least. Despite his disappointing stay in Spain he did have one moment of brilliance at the Nou Camp.

He would then move to Sampdoria and eventually Parma, but the damage was already done. As a player, people knew that he had incredible talent, but his temper had gotten the best of him. This was demonstrated in the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup against Holland. Him "headbutting" Edwin van der Sar left the Albiceleste with a man down, eventually with Dennis Bergkamp's brilliant strike at the death.

Like every hero in every movie, there is one weakness that he has. In Ariel Ortega's case, it was alcohol. One has to remember that some parts of the Latin America, alcohol and football go hand in hand. On occasion, people play football with alcohol in their hand.

Some say that Ortega was in the middle of that culture and there was no way out until Passarella found him. Reporters and people that were close to this situation. Some say he was illiterate when he arrived to Buenos Aires. But as he grew older and adapted to life in the capital and realized the importance of playing in a big club like River Plate. Unfortunately, his demons overcame him and started to get the best of him. His bouts of truancy were front page news in the Argentine media. Passarella was looking for ways to help his protegé, but there were no quick solutions. He had to go away and try to fix his issues.


This is why Diego Simeone was the only man that saw him for what was. If it were any other professional situation, Ortega would be gone. He had unlimited chances such as the huge money that he earned at Fenerbahce. He was already etching a place in the fans' hearts, but never wanted to adapt. He left and was gone for a year. Américo Gallego took him in at Newell's Old Boys and won a domestic title. He would then go into his well-documented drama at River Plate and eventually would go to Independiente Rivadavia in Argentina's second division.

So whose fault is it that his situation has gotten to this point? The media? The coaches? The fans that enable him when he is out on the street? To be honest, it's everyone's fault. We all are to blame because his problem was never an issue when River was winning titles. Ariel Ortega would have been Lio Messi before Lio made the leap across the pond. Ariel had the potential to be one of those players that would have described a generation, which makes his slippery slope down into the abyss all the more tragic.

Ariel Ortega: The Anti-Messi

Wednesday

Betis 0-0 Mallorca

(MLL adv. on 0-1 agg.)
Sporting 1-2 Athletic

SPO: Carmelo (1')

ATB: Gabilondo (41'), David López (51')

(ATB adv. on 1-2 agg.)

Thursday

Sevilla 2-1 Valencia

SEV: Kanoute(35'), Squillaci (90')

VAL: Marchena (7')

(SEV adv. on away goals)

Barcelona 3-2 Espanyol

BAR: Krkic (34', 48'), Piqué (57')

ESP: Coro (58'), Callejón(69')

(BAR adv. on 3-2 agg.)

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Semifinals

Sevilla-Athletic

Mallorca- Barcelona

Copa Del Rey Quarters- Return Leg

Nikola Zigic will make a second stint in Santander after becoming one of the most promising forwards in La Liga last season. Racing president Nicolás Pernía was able to get his man back on a six-month loan basis. He will once again wear the green and white until June 30th. He will once again unite with Pedro Munitis to make up the other part of the duo sacapuntos (The Point-Taking Duo) that wasone of the most feared in all of La Liga in 2006-07.

Zigic Returns To Racing