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Within the Mexican men’s national team, you’ll notice that there are two distinct groups that make up the team. The first group, “Los Europeos”, consist of players that are plying their trade throughout Europe. This group includes Bayer Leverkusen's Chicharito, Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela and PSV’s Andres Guardado. Fans, coaches, media pundits, all put a lot of emphasis on the importance of this small band of players. Their importance to the national team is justified considering how difficult it is to succeed in the best leagues in the world.

The footballing wheel of fortune knows no reverence for history, pedigree or sheer support. One moment you’re champion, the next you're out of a job. Just ask Jose Mourinho. For the spoilt supporter, this typically means having to wait another year for a trophy. For those who are less fortunate, this can mean watching your team plummet down the ladder to the dark depths of the footballing. 

Brazil and Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos may be coming back to Madrid to help coach at the Academy level. Boasting four Spanish titles, three Champions League trophies and a World Cup, there are few players who know more about Real Madrid and winning than the Brazilian. So if he is appointed, it will surely be a great learning experience for the baby Galacticos. With that in mind, we decided to take a look back down memory lane.

On the surface, soccer seems to be strikingly different from other sports such as American football and rugby, but 19th century soccer actually shared more in common with these sports than you might think. Here are five surprising traits from the early version of the game. 

1. You could catch the ball

The magisterial dribbling skills of players like Neymar, Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria are revered the world over. These players are commonly heralded as masters of the ball, dribbling wizards who require the attention of multiple defenders in order to be stopped or at least contained. 

After any given weekend, social media will be crawling with vines and GIFs of these superstars flat-out embarrassing opposition. Outside of this prevailing common knowledge, who are some of the world’s best dribblers? 

Big news in the world of football off and on the pitch during the week as Lionel Messi won his fifth Ballon d’Or while both his rivals in Madrid were handed a harsh transfer decision by FIFA.

1.    Oleg Salenko vs. Cameroon 1994.

Photo: @eldeportereyweb | Twitter

Lionel Messi, fresh off winning his 2015 Ballon d’Or award, will no longer grace the cover of the EA Sports’ popular FIFA game for this upcoming year. It’s been reported by multiple outlets that Messi’s contract with EA, which he signed in 2012, will expire later this year and there is no interest between both parties to renew the relationship. So no Messi on the FIFA 17 cover.

Often I wonder what would happen if high-profile, top-spending managers were forced to manage for small, budget-minded sides. Wouldn’t this be a fun exercise? I see it in my dreams: Louis van Gaal slumming it in on a Thursday night in Ligue Deux, scouting unknowns like Riyad Mahrez instead of delivering briefcases of cash to PSV-Eindhoven for lab-sculpted Memphis Depay. Arsene Wenger taking over recently-bankrupt League 2 side Portsmouth and trying to teach the boys about the benefits of going to the French opera.

Real Sociedad has had a gem in their midst since 2011. A gem that Arsene Wenger failed to recognize at Premier League giants, Arsenal. Carlos Vela has had a tumultuous professional career thus far. He’s been one of Mexico’s shining lights in Europe ever since he finished top-scorer in Mexico’s U-17 World Cup win back in 2007. That light has dimmed every once and a while and most recently has been shining bright at Real Sociedad. The Cancun native has had 167 appearances for Sociedad and has scored 59 goals since his loan from Arsenal became permanent at the La Liga side.