Tag Archives: Cristiano Ronaldo

I appeared on a CBC TV news program in Canada Monday night and was asked to defend the theatrics of soccer. The diving and the cheating that are so woven into the fabric of soccer and are most evident to … 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 →

Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United. Drawn by Nicholas Buchel, using a Sharpie for the red lines and a fancier pen for the yellow.

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 →

The Almería – Barcelona match had not concluded when Real Madrid took to the pitch, but a few minutes into their match with Sevilla, they knew that Barça slipped at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos and dropped two points … Continue reading →

Brazilian Kaka has been the subject of criticism due to his performances which can be described as inconsistent at best. There are a number of issues to be considered before judging whether Kaka’s season has been a failure or a … Continue reading →

A half-empty stadium.  A running track surrounding the pitch that places the fans further away from the action.  Supporters that create less noise and din than those at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, where the Olympic Curling competition is contested.  The … Continue reading →

The latest reports in the Press have indicated Real Madrid are growing impatient with striker Karim Benzema despite the fact he has yet to complete his first season in Spain. The Spanish giants signed the Frenchman in the summer for … Continue reading →

As expected Lionel Messi succeeded Cristiano Ronaldo as the winner of the Ballon d’Or award. The Barcelona star comfortably won the prize but he admitted his surprise at the margin of victory as he received 240 points more than Cristiano Ronaldo who finished … 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 →

AC Milan’s 3-2 win in Madrid on Matchday 3 lifted them to the top of Group C and a repeat success on home soil would take them a step closer to the first knockout round. The Matchday 3 win was a big … Continue reading →

In terms of the football played on the pitch, the Sevilla – Real Madrid clash qualified as the best match of the young La Liga season.  Honorable mentions to Athletic Bilbao’s 3-2 victory over Villarreal CF in Round 3 and … 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 →

Villarreal 0-2 Real Madrid 0-1 Ronaldo, 2’ 0-2 Kaka (pen), 73’ With four wins in four league games and three clean sheets in the bunch, it’s statistically difficult to find fault with Real Madrid’s early season performances. They have ostensibly … Continue reading →