TV Preview: Atletico Madrid v Sevilla: the Bundesliga is back after a month off although most German sides were busy during the sabbatical. Chicharito did what Chicharito does, scoring goals in Florida of all places and with 19 goals in 22 appearances, the Mexican National player is getting glances from English sides once more.
Gerard Pique is from Barcelona, so he knows full well the political and social divides that define the rivalry between the city’s two local clubs: FC Barcelona and Espanyol.
A moment's silence for Cristiano Ronaldo, if you would. Lost in the hullaballoo of all things Lionel Messi, the revival of Wayne “The Boy Wonder” Rooney and our own personal dreams of winning the Powerball jackpot is the sad tale of Cristiano Ronaldo's past week.
Located on the Basque threshold, the range between the Cantabrian and Pyrenees mountains, is the historical port city of Bilbao and its corresponding club, Athletic Bilbao. An evolving service city that has experienced a massive boost in tourism thanks to the opening of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum – a stunning museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Frank Gehry – Bilbao is a fascinating crossroads of deep-rooted history and progressive renewal.
Everyone knows the names of the greats who have taken the field for FC Barcelona over the years, from Messi to Cruyff, from Ronaldo to Iniesta, from Luis Suarez (both of them!) to Neymar, just to name a few. But all too few know the name of the man to whom these legends and all fans of Barcelona owe a huge debt of gratitude: Patrick O’Connell.
S*** really hit the fan during Barcelona and Espanyol’s Copa del Rey match, and Luis Suarez talking trash played no small part.
It has been roughly 24 hours since the final whistle blew and ever news outlet with at least a passing focus on football is printing various quotes from the post-game interviews, dissecting the official match report, and lip reading what the stars said during the match.
Social media is filled with salty Barcelona fans, gloating Barcelona fans, and people dissing Espanyol (sorry Espanyol, but your fan base is simply dwarfed by Barcelona’s).
We're 6 days into 2016 and Leo Messi has already made the play of the year. In today's Copa del Rey match vs Espanyol, Los Blaugranes secured a 3-1 victory behind the brilliance of La Pulga. Messi netted a brace and added an assist, but his second goal was one that comes with almost complete normalcy for the Argentine. The four time (let's be honest, soon to be five time) Ballon d'Or winner struck a 25 yard free kick off the crossbar and into the back of the net showing us all the brilliance we've been lucky to see for the past 11 years. 2016? More Messi free kick golazos? Can't wait.
Commenting on Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stéfano once said, “he dominates the ball, he is a walking spectacle and he plays as if he had silk gloves on each foot.” Zidane, World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Champions League winner, took a little time out of his day to effectively demonstrate these observations on some unsuspecting French amateurs.
Although, during the last six weeks of 2015, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said he supported the permanence of Rafa Benitez as coach his club, just four days into 2016 Perez changed his mind. Now Zinedine Zidane is the new man in charge of Los Blancos.
So, The18 presents 18 facts about the life of Zidane, a former excellent player who is beginning his coaching career in a difficult moment for Real Madrid. If he fails will be Benitez and Perez’s fault, but any positive result would be his individual achievement.