Archives: Lionel Messi

The sprinklers rose up from the pitch and sprayed the Inter Milan players and staff.  The Barcelona anthem, “Cant del Barça,” blared through the loudspeakers as the Culés did not know whether to clap off their Blaugrana heroes or vehemently … Continue reading →

Throughout Barcelona’s two-year run of groundbreaking excellence, Josep Guardiola i Sala role as a tactician tended to be undervalued.  He reinstituted the “Total Football” concept that Johan Cruyff, Guardiola’s former manager at FC Barcelona, instilled when he was a player … Continue reading →

A gigantic banner covered one end of the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu before the match.  On this banner, the Grim Reaper and other scary creatures from movies and stories past sprawled across, and there was a message for their Madrid neighbors … Continue reading →

While Real Madrid and Barcelona run away from the rest of the field in the struggle for the La Liga title, the tussle for the next four European spots is just as fascinating.  The mix of teams truly runs the … Continue reading →

With the advantage of the away goal, Sevilla looked in prime position to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.  Unfortunately, Manolo Jiménez’s team played as though they were already in the next round.  A 0-0 score line … Continue reading →

A ridiculous question with what should be a simple answer.  First, a cursory investigation.  Is Barcelona on top of the standings in La Liga?  Yes.  Has Barcelona obtained sixty-one points from twenty-four matches, one more point than it had at … Continue reading →

A festive atmosphere enveloped the Camp Nou on Saturday evening as the boys of the Blaugrana celebrated their unprecedented six-trophy year with their Barça faithful.  Villarreal was a mere afterthought as the Barcelona players deservedly received their plaudits for a … Continue reading →

This could lead to a heated debate as the implications transcend beyond choosing the best club to include the competitive nature of some of Europe’s top leagues (namely the English Premier League, the Spanish la Liga and Italian Serie A). … Continue reading →

Barcelona’s star Lionel Messi has capped his great week with two goals to lead the Catalan side to a 3-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna. Several days ago he was named the Ballon d’Or winner after a stunning year during … Continue reading →

The hype, the pomp, the circumstance.  All of these rose to a higher level for this episode of El Clásico at the Camp Nou on Sunday evening.  Coming into this match, FC Barcelona turned their fortunes around in the UEFA … Continue reading →

In American sports, pundits and journalists throw around the phrase “trap game” when describing a game that would be looked over in anticipation of more important matters in the immediate future.  With a pivotal UEFA Champions League fixture with Inter … Continue reading →

After a workmanlike 1-0 victory against Almería and a mediocre showing in their 0-0 draw at the Mestalla against Valencia CF on Saturday, FC Barcelona looked to reverse their form in the Champions League against a supposed weaker team in … Continue reading →

Tuesday and Wednesday brought about Match Day 2 in the UEFA Champions League, and the four representatives from Spain had interesting ties that helped shape their respective groups.  On Tuesday, Sevilla FC visited Rangers FC at the Ibrox Stadium, where … Continue reading →

Writer’s Note: Unfortunately, WordPress does not recognize the “c” with an accent mark, so Bojan Krkic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s names will not include an accent mark above the ” c.” It is easy to overreact and overanalyze after one match … Continue reading →

Since we are approaching the end of a decade, and since it’s summer,I thought I would offer up my La Liga Team of the decade. I set my team based on the best actual season had by a player in … Continue reading →

The FIFA World Player of the Year is the greatest individual honor a footballer can win in the sport. As it is well known, the ’08 award was won by Manchester United’s Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo. After the award presentation, … Continue reading →

All tihngs come to an end and for Barcelona Their ten-match winning streak came to an end.  It was early December since Barcelona last played and not get the three points.    Still based on their result at the Manuel Ruiz … Continue reading →

Who will win the FIFA World Player of the Year? ( surveys)