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La Liga
Eric Abidal is What Makes Football Great
Apr 10th
While a player is on the ground after an obvious dive, waving frivolously for the stretcher…we forget about why we watch football. When a football powerhouse steals a young starlet away from his hometown club and ends up ruining his career…we forget about why we watch football. But, as soon Eric Abidal started warming up on the sideline to come in and play for Barcelona during a 5-0 win, our love of football came flooding back.
For those of you that do not know about the French defender, Abidal has already had one miraculous recovery under his belt and he fought cancer for several months. After the cancer had finally gone in remission, he was told that it would be a long time before he was able to play top level football again. However, three months later, he was on the pitch for Barcelona as they took home the Champions League title at Wembley Stadium.
As if his story was not inspiring enough, the tale does not end there. In March of 2012, Abidal was told that his liver issues had worsened and that he would need a liver transplant to live out a full life. At the time, his ability to ever return to the game he loved seemed like impossibility and his story seemed destined to have a slightly sour ending.
But, if there was anything that we had learned about Abidal, it was that he should never be counted out. After receiving a liver transplant from his cousin, Abidal began the recovery process. Of course, despite the fact that this man had to recover from MAJOR SURGERY, he is now back in the fold at Barcelona. Not to be redundant, but it is not like Adibal recovered enough to play charity matches in France with local intermediate players. Abidal is playing for a team that is largely considered to be one of the best club teams of all time.
So, the next time there is a player waving the fake yellow card at the referee. Or, the next time that a coach pitches a toddler-esque fit on the side of the pitch. Or, whenever any black spot tries to take away the joy that we all get from the beautiful game, remember the amazing journey that Eric Abidal has been on and remember why we keep tuning in every weekend
Written by: Andrew McCole, Soccerprose.com
Barcelona is cruising in La Liga
Feb 4th
Barcelona had their point lead atop La Liga reduced over the weekend after a 1-1 draw against Valencia. It took a Lionel Messi penalty to save a point for the league leaders. While Barcelona dropped points, Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis 1-0. Despite having their lead reduced, Barcelona still has a nine point lead over Atletico Madrid in La Liga and a 16-point lead over rivals Real Madrid.
Part of the reason Barcelona are cruising in La Liga is because of Messi’s fine run of form. Messi has scored 34 goals while adding 8 more assists in 22 La Liga matches. With those goals and assists, Messi has contributed or scored more than half of Barcelona’s goals this season in La Liga. That is incredible with a team like Barcelona, where there are world-class players all over the field.
With a solid lead in La Liga, Barcelona may start looking to their Champions League match-up against AC Milan. Barcelona will want to reclaim the Champions League trophy after Chelsea won it last season. Barcelona has a favorable match-up against AC Milan in the Last 16. AC Milan currently sits in fourth in Serie A, 12 points behind league leaders Juventus.
The way the season has gone so far, it is hard to find a team that could beat Barcelona in either La Liga or the Champions League. Not only has Messi scored a large amount of goals in La Liga, he has also scored five goals and added two assists in the Champions League. Barcelona looks set to reclaim La Liga and the Champions League this season. Let us know who could possibly beat Barcelona in either La Liga or the Champions League.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Is Cristiano Ronaldo on the way out?
Jan 10th
Cristiano Ronaldo, once again, caused a stir with recent comments regarding a possible transfer. Ronaldo has been sensational on the field for Real Madrid, scoring an absurd amount of goals during his time at the club and winning La Liga. However, in September, the Portuguese star said he was sad at Real Madrid.
“I’m sad – when I don’t celebrate goals it’s because I’m not happy. It’s a professional thing. Real Madrid know why I’m not happy,” Ronaldo said.
Now, Ronaldo has left his future at Real Madrid in doubt. Rumors have circulated recently about a possible transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
“I am fine with Real Madrid, I have a contract until 2015. But in life, anything is possible. My intention is to win a lot of titles with Real, but I repeat, in life, all is possible,” Ronaldo said.
Even though he somewhat denies the rumor, he definitely leaves the door open for a transfer away from Real Madrid. It seems strange to emphasize, “all is possible” multiple times if Ronaldo’s real intention is to stay at Real Madrid.
PSG director Leonardo said that PSG is a club that could attract a player like Ronaldo.
“When we are discussing a possible transfer for a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, there are only four or five clubs that can be taken into consideration. Paris Saint-Germain are one of those clubs,” Leonardo said.
It will be interesting to follow transfer rumors surrounding Ronaldo and Real Madrid. As several media outlets have reported, rumors are circulating around Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho and whether or not he will return to the club after this season.
Real Madrid is currently third in La Liga, 16 points behind league leaders and rival Barcelona. They are also likely out of the discussion of repeating as La Liga champions.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
And the Balloon d’Or goes to…
Jan 7th
As many of you may have known, the Balloon d’Or presentation happened today. Also, as many of you may have guessed, Lionel Messi won the award again. However, this is not the only award Messi took home today. He also won the award for worst dressed at the award presentation, wearing a strange polka dot tux with a matching polka dot bow tie. It was interesting to say the least. But when your team wears a jersey that resembles the sun when they travel away from the Nou Camp, maybe style isn’t what Barcelona is best at.
Now, let’s get back to the award. With the win today, Messi has now won the prestigious award four consecutive times. To put that into context, we’ll quote what ESPNFC wrote earlier today.
“The fact the tiny kid who came to Barcelona with his determined dad looking for a chance all those years ago has now gathered more individual trophies than Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini or Marco Van Basten is certainly incredible,” according to ESPNFC.
It’s no real surprise that Messi took home the Balloon d’Or Monday. Messi scored 91 goals in 2012, breaking a record. It is hard for someone to put up numbers like that and not take home the award. Messi enjoyed receiving the award, but was quick to share credit with his teammates.
“To tell you the truth this is really quite unbelievable. The fourth award that I have had is just too great for words,” Messi said. “I would like to recognize my other colleagues from Barcelona. Andres, it has been great to train and play alongside you.”
Messi then continued with praise for others.
“I would also like to recognize all of my friends in the Argentina national team, everyone that has worked with me, coaches and staff and my family and my friends. Also, my wife and my son. Thank you,” Messi said.
Even though Messi was the highlight of the event, there were other rewards given out, including an American winning. Abby Wombach was voted FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Good times for Barcelona
Dec 18th
Barcelona has had a pretty good week so far. On Sunday, Atletico Madrid traveled to the Camp Nou to face Barcelona. Atletico Madrid is currently second in La Liga, and came into the game trailing Barcelona by only six points in the league. However, Madrid left the Camp Nou trailing Barcelona by nine points, a much more substantial margin. Barcelona not only beat their closest competitor, they handled them quite comfortably. They ended up winning the game 4-1, with Lionel Messi scoring two of the goals.
As Barcelona cruised to victory, their rival, Real Madrid, stumbled to another draw, tying Espanyol 2-2. This latest draw leaves Real Madrid 13 points behind Barcelona and likely out of the title race. Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho even believes it will be difficult to win La Liga for a second straight season.
“’I think it is almost impossible,’ [Mourinho] told reporters after the match. ‘What we have to do is play every match to win without worrying about whether we are first, second or third or whether our direct rivals won or lost,’” according to ESPNFC.
Even though Barcelona now has a comfortable lead at the top of La Liga following the weekend’s results, Barcelona fans may be more excited about what happened off the field. Lionel Messi has agreed to a new contract with Barcelona, which will keep him at the club through 2018. Barcelona also signed both Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez to extensions. Their contracts will go through 2016.
Barcelona fans will be rejoicing that their Argentinian star will remain at the club and continue to help Barcelona win trophies while scoring an outrageous amount of goals. So far this season, Messi has 25 goals and five assists in 16 La Liga games. He also has scored 90 goals to this point in 2012. Things are looking pretty good for Barcelona at the moment and their fans should be very excited.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Real Madrid Struggling
Nov 26th
Thirteen games into the La Liga season and the table looks pretty predictable. Barcelona is currently at the top of the table with 37 points, winning all their games except for one draw. Three points behind Barcelona is a team from Madrid. However, it’s not the team from Madrid that you would expect. Atletico Madrid has won 11 games, losing once and drawing once. So where is Real Madrid, the team that won La Liga last season? They sit in third, 11 points behind rival Barcelona. So everything in La Liga is not as predictable as usual so far this season.
The poor start to the season has some people questioning Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho.
“I am simply an employee of the club, like everyone else. I do my best. At the end of the season, we can make calm judgments,” Mourinho said in an ESPNFC story. “It is possible that at the end of the season the club are not happy with my work, and see things they would like to improve. I am here giving my all as always.”
Until Real Madrid’s Nov. 24 loss to Real Betis, the club had been on a good run, winning all five of their games since they drew against Barcelona Oct. 7. However, things change fast in professional sports and with Madrid’s most recent loss, the pressure is back on.
An eleven-point deficit is not impossible to overcome, especially with so many games left in the La Liga season. However, when you are chasing a team as talented as Barcelona, the challenge is much more difficult.
The rest of the La Liga season should be entertaining to watch and keep an eye on Madrid to see if they can claw their way back into contention for La Liga. Their next game is against Atletico Madrid on Dec. 1, which will be no easy task. Mourinho’s seat could get even hotter if Real Madrid fails to win.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Ronaldo v. Messi Part II?
Nov 2nd
Lionel Messi and his girlfriend Antonella Roccuzzo welcomed a son today in a Barcelona hospital. This is Messi’s first child and the couple named him Thiago. Now the question becomes, is Messi’s child going to live up to his father’s greatness and lead Spain to hoist the World Cup? (Since he was born in Spain.) Messi took to Facebook to share his feelings on the birth of his son.
“Today I am the happiest man in the world, my son was born and thanks to God for this gift! Thanks to my family for the support! A hug to everyone,” Messi posted.
An interesting side note to this story is the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo welcomed a son in 2010. As many of you may know, Ronaldo is two years older than Messi. Ronaldo is 27-years-old while Messi is only 25-years-old. Could we have the beginning of a new rivalry?
Who knows, many years from now, Thiago and Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. (It would have been awesome if Messi named his son Lionel Messi Jr., then we could have a legitimate second generation rivalry) could be scoring hundreds of goals a season in La Liga instead of the mere 50 and 46 goal performances their fathers had in La Liga last season.
With the arrival of Messi’s son, the Ronaldo v. Messi rivalry can live on even after the two stars have retired, assuming that both of their sons pursue a career in soccer. We will keep our eye on this story for the next 18ish years so stay tuned!
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Can Real Madrid reduce Barcelona’s La Liga lead with a win this weekend?
Oct 5th
This weekend provides soccer fans with the chance to watch two of the best teams in the world compete in another exciting segment of a classic rivalry. Real Madrid will travel to the Camp Nou on Sunday to face Barcelona. This match is always exciting and the intensity has gone up since Jose Mourinho took over as manager of Real Madrid.
Real Madrid has not started off the season too well. This season, the team has accumulated 10 points from six games and they currently sit in sixth place in La Liga. This low point total also leaves Madrid eight points behind first-place Barcelona.
Even though Mourinho claims El Clasico is just another game, there must be a little worry in the Madrid team before this game. A loss would extend Barcelona’s point advantage in La Liga to double digits, which could be hard for Madrid to make up, even though it is early in the season.
A positive note for Madrid could be the good performances from Cristiano Ronaldo and the positive results from the last few games. Madrid beat Deportivo la Coruña 5-1 in La Liga Sept. 30 and then beat Ajax 4-1 in the Champions League on Oct. 3. Ronaldo scored a hat trick in both of these games to help lead his side to victory. For Madrid, Ronaldo will need to have a good game if they are to win El Clasico and reduce the point gap on Barcelona.
That task will be no easy feat. Barcelona is perfect in the league thus far, winning six out of six matches in La Liga. They have scored 17 goals while conceding just five. At home they have conceded only one goal this season, which is an impressive accomplishment.
Barcelona had a tough season last year, failing to win La Liga or the Champions League. They also lost their head coach, Pep Guardiola, in the off-season. However, the team looks focused and ready to take back their La Liga title this season from their fierce rivals.
As with all Clasico’s, the focus is not only going to be on the two teams, but also on each team’s superstars. Both Ronaldo and Messi have six goals in La Liga, but Messi leads Ronaldo in assists. Messi has three assists while Ronaldo has none. It is always fun to be able to watch not only two of the best teams in the world, but also two of the best players in the world.
Written By: Eric Stoyanov, Contributing Writer, soccerprose.com
Diego Godin Runs Down the Pitch Scores Pearler Against Valladolid…(Video)
Sep 24th
Uruguayan center-half Diego Godin scored a lovely goal for Atletico Madrid last weekend as he ran the length of the pitch and stuck one in the back of the net. Falcao may get the credit for most of the attacking play, but it seems the talent runs deeper than that at Atletcio. I’d look forward to seeing this fellah score a few more like this during season.
