All the talk surrounding this weekend's Clasico has centered, as it usually does, around Lionel Messi.
Thie difference this year is the talk has centered around whether Messi will play. Messi sustained a knee injury earlier this season, and has been out since September. The date aimed for as Messi's return has been Saturdays match against Real Madrid.
All eyes will be on Spain as the world’s biggest club football match is played on Saturday. The first El Clasico of the season will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid hosts Barcelona.
Rafa Benitez is one of the first names you think of when you think of successful managers in Europe. Valencia, Inter, Liverpool, Chelsea, Napoli and Real Madrid are the big name clubs he’s had the luxury of managing, and he has led these teams to many trophies in his time with them.
What makes a rivalry? Does it have to be fueled by hate, or could a rivalry just be the acts of greatness shown by the two involved, where each pushes the other to reach heights they may have never achieved without that competitive adversary? In the NBA, Magic Johnson had Larry Bird; in the NFL, Peyton Manning has Tom Brady; tennis has Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer. Right now in the world of soccer Lionel Messi has Cristiano Ronaldo.
Injured shoulder? Psh. This Sergio Ramos bicycle kick shows that the Madrid captain care more about scoring epic golazo's then some ailing shoulding. Ramos had already missed six games due to the injury and has played in a handful of matches (Atlético, Celta, Sevilla and Champions League games against PSG) thanks to taking cortisone shots before matches. That only makes this goal more badass considering Ramos the fact that it sounds like Ramos should is about to fall off.
Lionel Messi hasn't played for Barcelona since September 26th. But in that time, Barcelona has rallied off a 7-1-1 record in all competitions, and it's thanks to the performances from Neymar and Luis Suarez. This past weekend illustrated just that, and it wasn't hard to see after watching Neymar's ridiculous goal to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead vs Villarreal. The comparisons of Neymar and Ronaldinho have long been going on in the soccer community, but this goal really showed that Neymar could be as special as the former Barcelona #10.
In September, Lionel Messi injured his knee in Barcelona's 2-1 win against Las Palmas in La Liga. According to media reports, his recovery has suffered setbacks and he will not be fit for El Clasico — Barcelona's clash against fellow La Liga titans Real Madrid — on Nov. 21.
As the sun sets on New York’s Hofstra Stadium, 11,000 fans will bear witness to a testimonial that deserves a global audience. Raúl González Blanco, after a career approaching 1,0000 professional appearances and 400 goals, will solemnly say goodbye to the game he left an indelible mark upon.
The last remnants of sunlight streaking across the FieldTurf, Raúl will bid adieu from Long Island, somehow fading away into one of the most densely populated regions in the United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo has a new pair of boots coming out, and, consequently, Nike and Ronaldo are really ramping up the advertising campaign. The Nike Mercurial Superfly was supposedly inspired by Ronaldo's home island in Portugal, Madeira, as this video shows.
What troubles us is the phrase "these boots have goals." We don't know what it means. It could mean any number of things.
Welcome to The18’s La Liga guide, the highest level on the Spanish football pyramid and arguably the best league in European and world football. Despite what you may have heard, it’s not just Real Madrid and Barcelona; there are 18 other clubs that compete with the two giants for the Spanish title. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about La Liga’s history, top players, and current season. Vamos!