We are only 45 minutes away from one of the most important games in the world cup for Argentina. Kids have their opinion too, and at simply futbol we value their opinion.

Sunny-Age 14-

A KIDS EYE VIEW OF THE WORLD CUP

Watching the games at school is what I like most. We get to meet a new side of the teachers every time a goal is scored. The excitement grows and for the first time we get to yell and cheer at school without getting in trouble.

On the days of the match, we are allowed to show our team colors. We have put up fags in the halls and every class room has white and light blue ribbons hanging from the walls.

I would have to say that my favorite players are Messi, Palermo and the goalie, Romero. Messi is just fun to watch. He hasn’t scored yet, but I think his goal will come when we’re in desperate need of it. Palermo is an idol. The ball seems to be called towards his feet so that he can push it into the goal! Romero is really good.
Up to now I have been enjoying watching Argentina play, and I’m excited for the up coming game against Mexico. This game is going to be far from boring. My prediction of the game is a WIN. I’m not sure if it’s going to be 2-0, or 2-1, but we are at least going to score 2 goals.

We kids still don’t know much about soccer. Some girls don’t even know the names of the players, but when it comes to the world cup, each goal becomes an A+ on our report card....worth celebrating.

Argentina v Mexico: A KIDS EYE VIEW OF THE WORLD CUP

Argentina defeated South Korea 4-1 and established a new national record of consecutive games without seeing a defeat during world cups. The Argentine national side holds an undefeated record of 8 consecutive games.

The record was started by Marcelo Bielsa in Korea-Japan 2002, when Argentine tied 1-1 with Sweden in the last match of the group stages. Jose Pekerman continued the record in Germany 2006; during the group stages Argentine defeated Coat d’ Ivore and Serbia & Montenegro and tied against Holland. In the Round of 16, Argentina defeated Mexico 2-1 with a fantastic goal by Maxi Rodriguez, who can forget that shot that left a whole Nation breathless. In the quarterfinals Argentina was eliminated after a 1-1 draw against Germany. Diego Maradona is now the coach, and victories over Nigeria and South Korea increased the number to 8.

The previous record, of 7 games, was established during the world cup of 1986, in Mexico; year that Argentina obtained their second world cup. Ironically Maradona was in that team as well, he was only 2 years older than Lionel Messi.

The side coached by Diego Maradona proved to be highly superior in every aspect of the game, that was reflected in the result. For this match, Diego made one substitution in regards to the squad that defeated Nigeria on Saturday. Veron, with a muscle strain was replaced by “La Fiera” Maxi Rodriguez.

Right from the start we could observe that it was not South Korea’s intention to attack Argentina. Head coach Huh Jung-Moo, who is remembered by the Argentina public for the brutal fouls against Maradona during the 1986 world cup, lined up the squad in a defensive formation, crowding the midfield in an attempt to control Lionel Messi, Obviously the attempts were in vane.


South Korea attempted to stop Messi in every possible way, even with rugby-like tackles

16 minuted was enough for Argentina to get ahead on the scoreboard. Once again the goal came through a set piece. Lionel Messi executed a free kick from the left side and Park Chu Young deflected the ball into his own net.

In the 24th minute of the match, Walter Samuel was forced to leave the match with what seemed to be a hamstring problem, We are still waiting to hear the official medical release from AFA. Nicolas Burdisso entered the match in his replacement.

The Albicelestes attacking trio (Messi, Tevez and Higuain) was a constant threat to the South Korean defense. Argentina increased the lead in the 33rd minute through Gonzalo Higuain. Once again, the goal came through a set piece, Lionel Messi played the ball short to Maxi Rodriguez, who dipped the ball into the box. Nicolas Burdisso flicked the ball into the far post to find the head of Gonzalo Higuain.


As the half was coming to an end, Demichelis took his eyes of the ball and gave Park Chu-Young the chance to put the match 1-2. Park was the same player who minutes earlier had scored a goal into his own net.After the match, Javier Mascherano defended his teammate saying “The noise inside the pitch is incredible, is almost impossible to communicate”. Demichelis attributed the mistake to the so controversial “vuvuzuelas”, and went a step further by saying “The goal was unfair, they did not deserve it”.


The second half started with no changes in either squad. Jonas Gutierrez was yellow carded short after the beginning of the half, and will miss out the next match against Greece.

Maradona once again received a stand up applause from the crowd, when he trapped a ball that escaped the field. The Dona showed he hasn’t lost his skills with the ball.


As the half progressed Maradona saw the need for a change, and replaced Carlos Tevez with Sergio Aguero, and we must agree the substitution paid its dividends. Aguero gave the team some fresh air, and played a very important role in the Argentine offense.

3o minutes into the second half, Lionel Messi did what he does best, dribble opponents using his speed. He entered the box and placed a shot that was deflected by the goalkeeper, the rebound fell short and Messi once again attempted on goal, but this time the post denied him a goal, the rebound fell right to the middle of the goal to give Gonzalo Higuain his second goal of the match.

Three minutes later, Argentina created one of the best collective plays in the match. Higuain received the ball near the edge of the box, he played it to Lionel Messi and quickly moved into space. Messi chipped the ball over the defense to find Sergio Aguero, who slightly dipped the ball over the goalkeeper to assist Gonzalo Higuain on his third goal of the match. The Real Madrid Striker was always in the right position, and became the third player in Argentine history to score a hat-trick in a world cup. The two other players to reach such mark were Guillermo Stabile (1930: Argentina 6 – 3 Mexico) and Gabriel Batistuta in two occasions (1994 – Argentina 4 – 0 Greece, 1998 – Argentina 5 – 0 Jamaica).

Argentina played well, was effective and created hopes in the Argentine Public. The atmosphere in Argentina is incredible, schools admitted students to arrive late, government buildings were closed for the day and highways were empty. The hope to bring the cup back increases as the games go by. We have the best player in the history of football in the bench, and his successor wearing the #10.

Argentina will face Greece on Tuesday. The rivals for the round of 16 are yet to be determined, but it could be Uruguay, Mexico or France. The Argentine public would rather not face Mexico in the round of 16, the first choice would be France, followed by our neighbors, Uruguay.

Argentina defeats South Korea 4-1

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.

Real Madrid in the meantime had to depend on some last-minute heroics by Cristiano Ronaldo to come away with the three points against a scrappy Osasuna side.  Ronaldo scored a brace as Madrid had to come from behind twice in their 3-2 victory at the Bernabéu.  Ronaldo scored his 20th and 21st goals of the season as they were able to come from behind against Osasuna in a match that saw some skillful goals on both sides of the pitch as well as probably the miss of the season by Macoud as he missed a wide open net.  And we all know that goals that you don't score... are scored on you.

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. 

Positions
2010-11 Champions League:  x-Barcelona, x-Real Madrid
2010-11 Champions League qualifiers: Valencia, Mallorca,
2010-11 Europa League:  Villarreal, y-Sevilla, y-Atlético
Relegation: Tenerife, Valladolid, Xerez
Promotion: Real Sociedad, Levante, Cartagena

x- clinched berth
y- Copa del Rey finalist

Pichichi Race
Lionel Messi BAR             29
Gonzalo Higuaín RMA      25
David Villa VAL                 21
Cristiano Ronaldo RMA    21
Diego Forlán ATM            17
Zlatan Ibrahimovic BAR   16
Fernando Llorente ATB     14

La Liga Week 35 wrap

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. 

Barca bounce back from Champions League heartbreak

Jose Mourinho seems to have the formula to win the UEFA Champions League, or at least make it to the finals. In 2004 he won the UCL with F.C. Porto, in 2003 he also won the UEFA cup (Europa League).

This year he will be part of another final, this time with Inter Milan facing Bayern Munich in the Santiago Bernabeu.

After the 3-1 defeat at San Siro (The Stadio Guiseppe Meazza), Barcelona needed a 2-0 victory at home to make it to the finals. Barca Tv aired a commercial in which players like Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Victor Valdes and Lionel Messi used the slogan “We will leave our skin behind in the field to reach the finals” to pump the crowd.

98,000 Blaugranas we present at the Nou Camp in what I called an anticipated final.
Lineups:

F.C. Barcelona: 1. Valdes; 2. Alves, 3. Pique, 18. Milito; 6. Xavi, 15. Keita, 16. Busquets, 24. Yaya Toure; 09. Ibrahimovic, 10. Messi, 17. Pedro.

Inter Milan: 12. Julio Cesar; 4. Zannetti, 6. Lucio, 25. Samuel, 13. Maicon; 26. Chivu, 8. Motta, 10. Sneijder, 19. Cambiasso; 9. Eto’o, 22. Milito

The most notable absents from this match are Carles Puyol, Pandev and Iniesta. The first one suspended, and the last two out with respective injuries.

Inter played a man short for nearly 60 minutes when midfielder Thiago Motta was red carded for an aggression against midfielder Sergio Busquets.

The side coached by Jose Mourinho sat deep and flooded the last line, a good tactical approach considering the 3-1 aggregate score. In the first half Barca did not trouble Inter; the clearest chance was a shot by Lionel Messi that Julio Cesar deflected.
Things changed in the second half; most of it was played on Inter’s defensive side. However players like Xavi, Messi and Pedro didn’t really challenge the goal defended by Julio Cesar, part of this goes to Walter Samuel, the Argentine International played a good match and showed stability in the back.

Barca missed a very clear chance when Bojan headed the ball wide uncontested. If the young forward had headed the ball straight instead of turning his head, the outcome would have been different.

When everyone’s hopes were almost vanished, Gerard Pique broke the deadlock and put Guardiola’s side 1 goal away from the finals; the goal was a true work of art. Pique received a clinical pass from Xavi, the Spain international trapped the ball and turned inside as he was being confronted by Ivan Cordoba and slipped the ball into the far post.

The 98,000 local crowd ratified their presence as the 12th man and pushed the team forward for the last 10 minutes in the match.

In the last minutes of the match Barcelona could have left with a victory. Yaya Toure trapped the ball and found Bojan on a scoring position; the canterano took this chance and put the ball in the back of the net. However, the referee denied the goal for an alleged handball, a clear mistake by the Belgian referee Frank de Bleeckere. The ball struck Toure on the belly, and even thou his hand was near there was no contact with it.

Inter reached a European final for the first time since 1972; Mourinho has a chance to win his second UCL and it could be a special final against one of his great tutors, Louis Van Gaal. Inter reached a dream final. And according to a previous statement by Jose, Barcelona’s hopes for a Bernabeu final was not a dream but an obsession.

Jose Mourinho ends Barcelona's Bernabeu's Final obsession

El Clasico: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

This is the most important match of the season for Real Madrid and Manuel Pellegrini. When the newly elected president Florentino Perez started his second “Galactico” project he never imagined that the word “failure” would be linked to it. After almost 250 Million Euros spent in signings (Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Arbelo and Albiol), Real Madrid was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League on the hand of the modest French side Lyon and took part of an epic fail when they were sacked of the Copa Del Rey by third division team Alcorcon.

On Saturday Madrid needs to win, if they don’t want to end the year empty handed. Now it is too early to say that losing this match could cost the team the league, but who expects Barcelona to lose if it is not to Real Madrid? And things could get worse if Barcelona wins the UEFA Champions league in the Bernabeu (home of Real Madrid). If this were to happen, we will probably not see the same coach next season, and half of the squad would most likely be negotiated.

Saturdays match will have in the field the two best players in the world: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. We will also have the chance to see most of the Spanish National team: Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Albiol, Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta, all we need is Fernando Torres (Liverpool) David Silva, (Valencia) and David Villa (Valencia) and we have the starting XI.

Madrid’s main concern is how to stop Lionel Messi. After an stunning performance against Arsenal, scored 4 goals and got the attention of the press worldwide. Arsenal head coach Wenger said “He is a player from the playstation”, describing his incredible qualities.

Pellegrini has decided to place Arbeloa (a natural right footed) on the left back, to avoid Messi from moving inwards, he has also reinforced the left wing with Brazilian Midfielder Marcelo. However, Pellegrini is not taking measures to cover Xavi and Iniesta, And what about Dani Alves and Maxwell?

Madrid’s hopes lie in the hands of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain, one of the most feared attacking couples in Europe. Guti is playing his last derby, and Pellegrini is putting his job on the line.

It’s the “group” of stars of Real Madrid against the Team of F.C. Barcelona.

El Clasico: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

Guti confirms he will be playing his last “Clasico”
During an interview with Onda Madrid, Madrid’s playmakers said that he has a feeling this will be the last time he plays against Barcelona wearing the Real Madrid jersey.

Guti said “I don’t have a clear idea about my future. Surely I will be my last Clasico. As of today I have no chances to continue, I have one more year in my contract but I hope to reach an agreement. I know they will understand, my choice is leaving the club”. He mentioned that he does not want any kind of drama, that is something that was coming and the best thing is to leave the club in a decent manner.

Guti, will finally say goodbye to the club that saw him grow, both as a player and individual. Guti first made his debut in the first squad in 1995, 15 years later he could be saying goodbye. His numbers with Real Madrid:

UEFA Champions League: 1997–98, 1999–00, 2001–02
UEFA Super Cup: 2002
Intercontinental Cup: 1998, 2002
Spanish League: 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08
Spanish Super cup: 1997, 2001, 2003, 2008

Guti began his career with Real Madrid in 1984, as a forward during his years in la cantera, but soon was moved into the midfield. He made his official debut on December 2 1995, in a match that Real Madrid won 4-1 against Sevilla.

Guti has guaranteed that he will not retire from football, instead he wishes to continue his career somewhere else, maybe England, Italy or the Emirates.

Joking during the conference he said, “Xabi Alonso wants my number 14, I think he will do honor to the number”. He also recommended the club to sign Cesc Fabregas and David Silva, both players would bring a lot of quality to the club.

Guti could have been a better player if it wasn’t for his night life and repeted issues with different coaches through his career. To finish the interview he said “ My heart will always remain with Madrid”.

Personally, I will miss seeing Guti in Madrid. To me, he is one of the best players in his position, sure, he is not constant, but when he feels like playing, he does it and very well.

Guti could say goodbye after "El Clasico"

This team never ceases to amaze me. When they are doubted the most, they come up the greatest.

It seems like a lesson I never learn. Despite all the odds not being in favor of the Blaugrana, they still stepped on to the pitch and defeated Arsenal 4-1 at the Camp Nou on Tuesday night.

People talked about the Wolfgang Stark Factor prior to the game. They talked about Barca missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gerard Piqué, and Carles Puyol; but the one factor that no one thought would make THAT much of a difference.  The difference-making factor was as subtle as a Flea in the room.

Pep Guardiola rubbed his magic bottle of Messi-dependency and what he got was a can of whoop ass as the Gunners were outgunned by the Argentine international.

From the third minute of the match Messi shot on Manuel Almunia's goal and was the only true option on offense.

After Nicklas Bendtner scored the first goal of the match on the counter, Arsenal knew that they had a chance at making history in Catalunya were rekindled; but were quickly extinguished in the 20th minute when Messi scored the first of his four goals.

Messi recovered the rebound on the top of the box and hooked it to the right as Almunia must have thought that he was going the other way and was beat equalizing the affair.

The second goal came in the 37th minute when Éric Abidal's cross was deflected in the box.  Pedro recovers the ball and dishes it off to a dashing Messi in the box, and finishing the play making it 2-1 for the Blaugrana.  One detail, Messi started that play.

Barcelona remained faithful to their usual style and monopolized the ball with a whopping 69% over Arsenal and had Messi was not only the finisher, but he was the link between Xavi and any threat in the Arsenal defensive third and the question mark of having Diego Milito (who was solid today) and Rafa Márquez in the back.

The hat-trick would be sealed just five minutes later when Abidal heads the ball to Messi and he rushed to the goal; chipping the ball over Almunia for the 3-1 score going into the dressing room.

The second half, Barcelona slowed the pace down, although they did have some sporadic threats.  Pedro found himself on a one-on-one with Almunia and the teardrop that he placed over the Arsenal goalkeeper, but the ball went wide.

Arsenal had some opportunities in the second half, including a header from Nicklas Bendtner that hit the woodwork despite being offside.  In the 86th minute Messi would show that he was not satisfied with just a hat-trick and became the sixth player in history to score a poker (that's four goals) in Champions League history- the first to ever do it in the quarterfinals.

This epic performance puts Barca in the semis for a third consecutive year and a step closer to the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabéu.  Their next obstacle is none other than Inter, who defeated CSKA Moscow 1-0 at Luzhniki Stadium, and advanced on a 2-0 aggregate.   This will be the anticipated rematch for Jose Mourinho as well as for former Blaugrana Samuel Eto'o.

"We lost the game to the best player in the world. For me, Messi is the best player by a distance,"hailed Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger after the match.   '"On the run, he is just unstoppable.  He's the only player that can change direction at such a pace and still be a threat."

In Spain, El Clásico will be now front and center as Barcelona will have their team ready to go for the most part. If there was a dose of bad news, it was the Abidal came out of the match reinjured and will miss El Clásico against Real Madrid.

For Barcelona, they are now 12 wins away from a historic treble-double.

Related Articles

• BBC: Wenger hails Messi as best player in the world
• Sport: Don't say football, say Messi (ESP)
• A Bola: Messi: Will be difficult to repeat 'poker" in Madrid (POR) 
• The Sun: Leo Slayer
• Diario AS:  Messi Club Barcelona (ESP)
• El Mundo Deportivo: Madrid press bows to Messi after performance (ESP) 
• Olé: The King of the quartet (ESP) 

Messi...Do I need to say anything else?

Pepsi starts to flex their muscle in the advertising campaign as we are 96 days away from the World Cup.

Reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi joins 2007 winner Kaká, Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, Arsenal's Andrei Arshavin, and Barcelona teammate Thierry Henry in one of the first World Cup promotions around.

New Pepsi World Cup commercial

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

Lionel Messi is a unique story outside of what he does on the pitch. People were bracing for his arrival onto the world football scene since he was 11 years old. When he arrived he was one of those players that was ready to change the face of the game forever. He was going to go beyond establishing himself as one of those players that was going to mark a generation and eventually sit among the football gods.

He was going to mark the game forever. He was going to be transcendental. One of those players that would shine on any team in any moment in history. His Hollywood movie script was already written. There was just one problem... he didn´t want to go by it.

A victim of circumstance? A child of globalization? A stroke of luck?

Well yeah, a little of all that and the some. As a child he stood out because of his size and talent. He was the smallest kid every time he stepped on those dirt pitched in Rosario yet he was bigger than all them in terms of natural talent and technical ability.

read more...

Messi's Identity Conundrum

In the latest edition of the New York Times soccer blog, many of the writers in are split between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.



What writers like Ian Hawkey, Christopher Clarey, and Erik Bielderman talked about what were mostly obvious attributes that made the two the best players in the world hands down.

Messi was described as "fearless" and "hungrier than Cristiano Ronaldo" while his counterpart was mentioned in equal measure but there is always the "selfishness" factor that sets in with the Portuguese international.


But there was one that really stood out- Santiago Segurola.

Many in the United States might not know who this guy is, but around in various media outlets he is "Mr. Anti Culé". Segurola is the Editor in Chief of Marca. Marca is the one of the leading sports publication and his comments were gracious but shocking at the same time knowing who the source was.


"Messi is the bravest player in the world. This year, he has scored more goals than ever: 37 in three major competitions (23 in La Liga, 8 in the Champions League and 6 in the King’s Cup). Those are extraordinary numbers for a wing, very similar to what Ronaldo accomplished last season," said Segurola in the New York Times Blog.

Messi Lauded By Marca Boss

This is how we see Sergio Ramos.

This is how Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Messi, Eto'o and co. see him.

Doodle Of The Day...

Speed. Skill. Power.

Those were the three things that hit both Real Madrid and Ricky Hatton on Saturday. There were three things that these two had in common- they did the lion's share of the talking, their dominance lasted very little, and the battle was done when they least expected it.

Ricky Hatton had no answers for the left hook, the speed, or the precision that Pacquiao brought to the MGM in Las Vegas.




Barcelona had those same ingredients against Real Madrid. For Barcelona that left hook was undoubtedly Thierry Henry who torched Sergio Ramos on various occasions. It was like Ramos was always a step behind of the French international and was able to capitalize with the precision of Roubilliac, the symbolism of Moreau, the realism of Bonheur, and the short hook of Pacquiao. His first goal was symbolic of what was going to happen. His almost Picasso-like wayin which he received a millimetrically precise pass from Xavi and face the world's best goalkeeper with coldness when he went to the far post when his body went near. His second goal was classic and will remain etched in the minds of Blaugranas and Merengues. He caught Sergio Ramos-once again- sleeping in his laurels. He just scored a goal off a set piece and was pumping his team up to go for the draw. Madrid's backline pushed up too much and they paid for it much like Hatton did when he went after Pacquiao in uncontrolled fashion. Xavi went deep and Henry adjusted himself and waited for the right moment to strike the ball past Iker Casillas. The Madrid keeper scrambled 10-15 yards out of his box and found himself doing the only thing he could do- and it was not enough.



Barca's fourth goal was the deal-sealer. There was no more wind in the Madrid sails. There was no more water in the well. Barca controlled the ball and kept the ball away from the home side. The fans knew it. The press knew it. More importantly, the players knew it.

I always have a saying regarding big games- necessity always trumps history. But in both of these cases, the side that is on the verge of history comes in with a does of necessity. There were people coming in to Saturday knowing that it wasn't just their season that was on the line- it was their legacy. Players like Messi, Henry, Xavi, Puyol, and yes Pacquiao, knew that their legacies would become greater based on what they did on this May evening.

Pacquiao And Barca Synonymous On Saturday

Last year, Barcelona were in one of the most embarrassing situations for a professional team that there could be.



To have to escort your arch-rival with an honor guard type of entrance onto their own pitch is beyond humiliation. They then stepped on to the pitch and received a sound thumping. For fans around the world it was anticlimactic. There was nothing being fought over at this stage of the season- only pride- and Barca had little of it by then. That little bit that remained never allowed them to forget that moment and that was part of the reason why it simmered in the minds of these players.

While the press in Madrid clamored for this match expecting the complete capitulation of a team that was no longer battling for first or second place- they were face-to-face with destiny. For Barcelona it was not just a match, it was a moment almost a year in the making for them. Everytime they stepped onto any pitch in the world, they saw the Merengues, they saw that bully and they were getting ready to take them on.

People outside of that intimate circle looked at the next match against Madrid and said, "this could be the one". We all wanted Málaga, Deportivo, Espanyol, Atlético, then Sevilla to knock them off of their torrid win streak so Barcelona could look at bigger things. That was not to happen, and to be honest, that was the way they wanted it. If you want things done right... you have to do them yourself.

The panic lasted three minutes for any Barcelona fan. Gonzalo Higuaín's goal made people uncomfortable; but that was all gone when Thierry Henry answered in almost clinical fashion in front of Iker Casillas. Carles Puyol would then put them ahead, and it was a release of pent up anger that he had. It was a release of pent up anger that all Barcelona fans had. In the 35th minute, Xavi would literally pickpocket Lass Diarra (one of the "promised ones" alongside Julien Faubert and Jan-Klaas Huntelaar that would lead Madrid to the title) and Messi would get the ball and slot it past Iker Casillas.

The rest of the match was a concerto. It was a combination of skill and desire. There was no doubt who wanted it more. If there was one goal that displayed that it was Gerard Piqué's. He was rejected by Casillas, but still had the will to chase the ball down and contort his body so he could shoot the ball and beat an already broken Fabio Cannavaro. It shut people's mouths in the Spanish press that were starting to use terms like "chorreo" (getting the shits), "Villarato" (reference to RFEF president José María Villar and his relationship with Joan Laporta). All of those suppositions of Barca en route to winning the title due to "decree" were silenced. All of those statements and blazing headlines that pointed out preferential treatment by referees because, of course, Fernando Hierro wants Barcelona to win.

All of that was extinguished. All of that ended.

Is payback a bitch? Well ask Real Madrid. They will let you know.


I guess that was the source of inspiration that Manny Pacquiao received on Saturday night when he knocked out Ricky Hatton. Could it symbolic?

Historic Karma, Historic Payback For Barcelona

The FIFA World Player of the Year is the greatest individual honor a footballer can win in the sport. As it is well known, the ‘08 award was won by Manchester United’s Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. After the award presentation, attention shifted to who could win the 2009 FIFA POY Award. Almost immediately, the 1st person that sprung to mind was the 2nd place finisher in 2008, Barcelona’s Argentine stud Lionel Messi.

The brilliant La Pulga is the clear cut favorite to win the ‘09 honor and would be the 1st Argentine to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award. Messi is probably going to win and deservedly so after consecutive 2nd place finishes in 2007 & 2008 but I would like to name a new front runner to the award. Its a fellow Culés, he doesn’t score a lot of goals but he is arguably Barca’s most important player and its not who you think I am thinking of.

His name is Andrés Iniesta

He’s not as explosive or dynamic athletically as Lionel Messi but he is just as effective in his position. Iniesta has the best vision on the team and is Barca’s sharpest passer. That’s saying a lot considering that Barcelona has Xavi on its books. Maybe I’m a little drunk from Iniesta’s performance against Sevilla where he was the Man of the Match and single-handedly sliced Sevilla’s defense like a Samurai does an intruder in a 4-0 win that saw Messi on the bench resting.

Iniesta has missed a few games this season due to injury and Barca is not the same team when he’s out. The 2 game losing skid that Barca suffered losing to Espanyol & Atletico Madrid, Iniesta was out for both matches. Even Barca’s 2-0 victory over Real Madrid earlier in the season was sloppy, if Iniesta had played Barca’s possessions would have been cleaner and the offense would have been sharper leading to a larger margin of victory versus Real.

Iniesta is also an underappreciated part of La Furia Roja’s amazing 31-game unbeaten streak. Spain’s national team is a beast right now. However his presence cannot be underestimated, besides name a current Spanish midfielder not named Xavi that’s better than Iniesta. He possesses a deceptive combination of speed, dribbling, patience, hustle, passing, and attitude that has lead to him being called El Anti-Galactico. That’s a compliment.

Andres Iniesta isn’t going to win the Pichichi or Golden Boot but football is a sport where the numbers don’t always measure the greatness or importance of a player. Ask Real Madrid how The Galacticos struggled without Makelele and Hierro. Iniesta is the difference between a possible historic treble and an already seen double.

Andres Iniesta is massively important for the best club team in the world and the best national team in the world. Based on those things, El Anti-Galactico is my new front runner for the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year.

New Nominee For ‘09 FIFA World P.O.Y.

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.

Betis Ends Barca Run

Week 22 saw Barca and Real Madrid slip away even more from the other 18 teams with contrasting styles of play. Barcelona played with total style and Madrid played a bit more aggressively and had the game mucked up in the middle. Samuel Eto'o scored his 21st goal of the season and Dani Alves stated his case as one of the early front runners that will have to be next to Herculean in order to catch up to Lionel Messi. The Barca right back could be in that pack right now that might be looked at as the second best player in the world right now.

Meanwhile the latest edition of Andalucian derby saw Manuel Chaparro save his job after the Verdes beat Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuan. Ricardo Oliveira paid dividends in his debut with the club as he equalized in the 83rd minute en route their 2-1 victory.

Saved is also Osasuna who emerged out of the relegation zone after beating Valencia at the Reyno de Navarra in one of the tighter games you would have seen this weekend. With their win and Mallorca and Espanyol's draw as well as Numancia's defeat; they leapfrogged out of relegation on goal difference.

Saturday

Real Madrid 1

Higuaín (48')


Racing 0


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Sevilla 1

Kanouté (90'+2')


Betis 2

Sergio García (70'), Oliveira (83')


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Sunday
Villarreal 2

Rossi (15', 67')


Numancia 1

Aranda (39')


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Getafe 1

Soldado (7')

Espanyol 1

Iván Alonso (25')


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Mallorca 1

Aduriz (56')


Deportivo 1

Verdú (77')


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Valladolid 2

Victor (38', 58')


Athletic 1

Orbaiz (65')


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Recreativo 0


Atlético 3

Agüero (2'), Forlán (27', 34')


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Málaga 3


Luque (48'), Salva (64', 72')


Almería 2


Uche (25'), Negredo (44')


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Barcelona 3

Eto'o (22', 39') , Dani Alves (65')


Sporting 1

Kike Mateo (68')


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Osasuna 1

Flaño (57')


Valencia 0

La Liga Week 22 Roundup

For those ney-sayers trying to find a reason to knock the league leaders, the game against Racing on Sunday was the ammo that they needed. Their ability to diagnose the Barcelona attack with a chronic case of "Messi-dependency" became obvious as Pep Guardiola's lead over Real Madrid was about to be trimmed to nine.

Enter Messi.

With Racing ahead 1-0 and Messi coming off the bench, the dynamic of the match changed. Nikola Zigic put the boys from Santander ahead in the 56th minute courtesy of a penalty kick that opened up the scoring in a match that was quite tight. Barcelona was not able to move with their usual fluidity especially when they were facing such a hard-nosed side at El Sardinero. Messi came in and gave them also the scoring punch and openness they needed in front of the Racing goal. Messi gave that to them and 65th minute equalized. In the 81st he would score the game-winner and he etched himself in the Barcelona history books. His second goal was the club's 5,000th. So 492 games after Guillermo Amor scored the club's 4,00th, Messi joined him in blaugrana lore.

But Barca would pay for their defensive sins of the first 59 minutes eventually. eventually came at a price. Both Rafa Márquez and Gerard Piqué would be sent off leaving Barcelona with nine men on the pitch in the final minutes of the match, but that would not be enough for the home side as they were already fatigued and lacked ideas with the ball. Yes, the blaugrana achieved their ultimate objective- the three points; but it came at a very important price. Barca's backline suffered a huge blow when both Rafa Márquez and Gerard Piqué were sent off in a span of two minutes and left the middle with a huge hole in the middle and they held on for the bumpy ride.

For Barca now their mission will be to continue their streak against a hapless Sporting Gijón defense. They will have to do it with only one central defender with experience in Martín Cáceres. Diego Milito is still recovering from his knee injury while Carles Puyol will most likely be unavailable after the injury he suffered against Espanyol at midweek. That will all depend on his recovery during the next few days. It would be wise to save him for this match as they will have to face Betis at the Ruiz de Lopera de following week. An injury to Puyol would be risky especially with their knockout stage clash with Lyon drawing closer.

Piqué and Márquez will be serving a one-match suspension as well as Dani Alves. The Brazilian international was shown his fifth yellow card and will have to sit out against Sporting. The good news is that they will face Sporting and Messi will mostly likely play prior to joining the Argentine national in France. So there could be a great possibility of seeing a shootout. Barca looks right now to have to play a 2-6-2, but that would trump any defensive scheme that Sporting would throw at them. To be more realistic, expect to play with a patched up backline consisting of Sylvinho, Abidal, Cáceres, and possibly Barca youngster Victor Sánchez. Guardiola will also have to delve into his youth system to maybe have one of his diamonds on the bench ready for action just in case.

We will talk about these options as the week match draws nearer.

So is there such a thing as Messi-dependency? I guess you can say so. But to be honest, which team wouldn't want to be dependent of the world's best player?

Messi Saves Barca And Scores 5000th Goal

After Lio Messi plays on Sunday in Pamplona, he will head to Switzerland to sit alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. On Saturday, FIFA.com made a poll and the Barcelona superstar over his Manchester United counterpart.

If you are a betting man and base your investment on precedent, chances are that the Portuguese international will come out on top. Although there is evidence that Messi has a better shot at obtaining the award. Although Ronaldo obtained the Balon D'Or which is given out by France Football based on a group of writers that vote for the award.



He also has the blessing of a poll that was set up by Barclays (they are the main sponsor of the Premier League... surprise, surprise!) that has Ronaldo ahead of Messi by more than two to one. I am not surprised of that result. FIFA's poll has Messi ahead of Ronaldo 47-34.

The FIFA World Player of the Year bases their award on the votes of national team coaches and captains. In the Saturday's Gazzetta dello Sport, they are reporting that Messi is the winner.

Messi Is The People's Champ