Opinion

When it comes to soccer, the words and opinions of Sir Alex Ferguson are nothing if not respected. The man guided Manchester United to a dynasty and developed numerous world-class talents along the way.

Arguably the best talent Ferguson ever managed was Cristiano Ronaldo. Ferguson took the young Portuguese from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United at the age of 18 and turned him into a star. You could even go so far as to say Ferguson laid the foundation that allowed Ronaldo to become what he is today: one of the greatest players of all time.

With the La Liga season officially over, it’s time to consider the contributions of aruably the best collection of players on the planet and see who deserves to be known as the best player in La Liga this year, in The18’s esteemed eyes. 

This article only takes into account La Liga action. So, for instance, Antoine Griezmann’s ice cold goal against Bayern Munich counts for nothing here. Without any further ado, let’s get started. 

As the 2015-16 Premier League season draws to a close, it’s time to honor and award those whose performances have captivated us over the course of the last nine months. It’s also a great time to shame those whose performances call into question the morality behind million dollar contracts and the myth of the sporting superhuman. These are the players whose performances will stick with us for all the wrong reasons; the biggest underachievers and flops of the 2015-16 Premier League season. 

Leicester City lifted the Barclays Premier League trophy this past weekend. Their achievement of transforming from a bottom half side in the league to Champions of England in just one season is the stuff of magic, fairy tales, heroic feats, and any other oft-used sports and literature related cliche. However, and I don’t mean to burst the Leicester City underdog bubble already, it’s unlikely to happen in any of the tops leagues in Europe again for awhile, and the main reason is of course, money.

It’s relegation season in the Premier League and there are three teams living on the edge of the drop: Sunderland, Newcastle United, and Norwich City. 

Each of the three teams control their own fate to a degree. 17th place Sunderland has the most clear cut fate: with two games left to play, including one today, if they win out they stay up.

A week after Bayern Munich was knocked out of the Champions League, ending their hunt for the one trophy capable of satisfying them, the club has announced they have signed both Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund and Renato Sanches from SL Benfica. The transfers, both reportedly worth around €35 million, are a reminder that Bayern Munich are still the kings of Germany, and arguably the highest profile club in the world. Order, you could say, has been restored.

We’ve all heard the critique before, we’ve even been a party to it. Is Major League Soccer a retirement home for European stars seeking one final paycheck and the benefits of living in North America? 

The answer to this question is clearly important with regards to the national, as well as global, perception of MLS. 

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Neymar is 24 years old, and it’s just as easy to forget just how immature that age really is. Yes, there are plenty of footballers around the world who show maturity beyond their years at that age, but unlike Neymar they aren’t really worth mentioning. Neymar is ungodly talented, that much is clear, but he is the finished product. 

Chelsea’s meek title defense resulted in Jose Mourinho losing his managerial position back in December. Now, Cesc Fabregas has opened up about the reasons behind Jose Mourinho and Chelsea’s failure on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

Things became clear in the 45th minute of Barcelona vs Valencia. The league leaders, Barcelona, were already down 1-0 and Valencia were in the middle of a string of passes in Barcelona’s defensive third.

It was exactly the kind of thing you’d expect Barcelona to do to Valencia, and it drove home the point that things weren’t right at the Camp Nou. At the end of the move Santi Mina scored Valencia’s second goal of the game. Barcelona would never recover; they had been beaten at their own game.