Since 2013, the CIES Football Observatory has annually been releasing a list of the top 100 valued footballers from Europe’s “Big-5” leagues. It’s a fascinating concept because rather than just saying “Messi is the best, he’s No. 1. Ronaldo is second-best, he’s No.
Barcelona took full advantage of Atletico Madrid and Sevilla’s 1-1 draw earlier today (as well as Real Madrid’s shock defeat to Real Sociedad) to open up a five-point gap at the top of LaLiga. Goals from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez inside the first half — although the lead was cut by Jaime Mata shortly before the interval — proved enough for the Blaugrana.
As if you needed more proof, the left foot of Lionel Messi is an otherworldly thing. Even if Pele’s right (he’s not), and Messi only has one leg, one skill and doesn’t head the ball well, this clip from Barcelona’s recent open door training session at the Miniestadi just goes to show that who cares.
Thank you @StatsBomb. Thank you, thank you. When it comes to statistics, dribbles, key passes and xG tell us some, but they don’t tell us enough — namely, (Ronaldinho, Ronaldinho on the wall) who is the filthiest of them all?
But thanks to StatsBomb.com, we can now discern which footballer earns his keep in a metaphorical pigsty, living amongst the grime and fetid squalor like Jack London in “The People of the Abyss.”
It’s hard to remember Lionel Messi sporting anything other than the famous No. 10 for Barcelona, but before he assumed the mark of the talisman, he made his debut in the No. 30 and then spent a few seasons sporting the No. 19.
It wasn’t until Ronaldinho left the club before the 2008-09 campaign — at which time Messi had already scored 42 goals for the senior side (including 31 in LaLiga and eight in the Champions League) — that Messi assumed his iconic number.
In-depth interviews with Barcelona captain Lionel Messi are a rare thing, but they continuously reveal a humble, cerebral and analytical individual who refuses to be drawn into the trappings of fame and modern society. With LaLiga entering its winter break (Barcelona last played on Dec.
Stars — they're just like us! (Except for David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic — they're celebrating the holidays like only they can.) Here's a collection of how some top footballers celebrated Christmas.
Lionel Messi and family
The winter-break period separating the first half and the second half of the season in Europe’s top five leagues is a great time for clubs to reflect on a club's season (although winter break doesn’t exist in England). Even before Christmas, but Europe’s top clubs are preparing for their second half of the season push. Here are some New Year's resolutions for Europe’s top clubs in the big five leagues.
No one is going to deny Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest footballers of the last 20 years — perhaps even all time. But what if they didn’t play for the best clubs in the world? What if they played in smaller leagues? What if Messi and Ronaldo played in Ligue 1 and Liga NOS?
Well, they’d be Hatem Ben Arfa and Bas Dost, respectively.