I´d say one of the most important storylines that all the major papers are talking about in Spain this week is the idea that CR7, one of the great footballers of this and any age is taking the brunt of the criticism for having lost all but one encounter with FC Barcelona since his time at Real Madrid. Even Marca and As.com were ganging up on the Lusitanian. He’s Real Madrid´s #7, one of the great numbers that have ever [...]
La Liga Weekly would like to point the spotlight at our own Arch Bell, master of the Segunda division here on the site, who was featured prominently at Marca.com in their build-up to this weekend´s clásico. They interviewed journalists from around the world and asked them how the game will be welcomed in their little part of the world. I really think that journalists in Spain are still somewhat bemused by the attention that La Liga gets all over the [...]
Gerard Pique received his fifth card of the season in the dying moments of Barcelona´s clash against Rayo Vallecano. He will miss the coming match at Levante, but there are movements afoot, as Sport.es is reporting, that are very much considering extending the one-match ban for time-wasting to include the following round´s match against Real Madrid. It´s a bone of contention every year. Everyone does it, players want to clear their dance cards before rushing into an important match, Pique [...]
I´m not usually in the business of covering internationals, let alone friendlies, but since this is one of these storied match-ups, set in mythical Wembley even if it is the reconstituted version of the fabled stadium made of reinforced concrete and costly litigation. Even if it has been half a century since the mother country, birthplace of football, dominated all competitions, everyone, even European Champions and World Cup winners Spain measures itself against the English. Regardless of history, this match [...]
The Santos forward, Neymar da SIlva Santos Junior, who was expected to sign with Real Madrid next Summer has signed for another contract extension with his current club Santos until after the 2014 World Cup in Brasil. Coincidence? What is pertinent here is that both the player and Santos have reneged on the gentlemen´s agreement that would have allowed the starlet to sign with Real Madrid. It´s important. Everyone thinks so, even Mourinho hasn´t nixed the deal completely, but why [...]
There have been whispers around, in the media and amongst us the twitterati, that the powerful Barça dynasty, that dominance that they have enforced over the last 6 years is running its course, that lesser clubs are testing them and have found them out or at least that they themselves have finally managed to lose the war of attrition that all clubs succumb to: age strikes at all clubs, and all of them lose sooner or later. I think FC [...]
Ronald v Messi, Messi v Ronaldo, it´s a tiring debate. Clubs go on an international break and we get the endless arguments about whether or not one is better than the other, and whether either of them are better than the greats that have played the game. It depends on your affiliation, your cultural background, your instincts really as to what makes a complete footballer. The individual flair of a top athlete at his best, running in space, or the [...]
The strange case of shirt sponsorships in La Liga, where many of the clubs in Spain are playing without one, has gotten just a tad stranger. A few outlets in Spain are reporting, El Mundo is one of them, but it all seems to have originated with journalist Alejandro Bascoy at Vavel.com, that a mysterious company called The Doyen Group has become one of the primary sponsors for not one, but three Spanish sides. At first it was strictly an [...]
I know that we are still inside the bubble, José Mourinho still runs the ship at the Santiago Bernabéu and they are still developing their legacy, trying to break the Guardiola/Barcelona hegemony in La Liga, but is there anyone who believes that Mourinho´s stay in Spain is long-term? I mean, does anyone have a bet to make that the ¨Special One¨ will run out the end of his contract at the Bernabeu? He´s stated he wants to return to England, [...]
Interesting matches abound this week even if there are no intense matches on paper amongst equally matched teams. The most competitive match may well be Athletic hosting Real Betis. Athletic are coming off a decent showing midweek and their confidence is much higher than where they were last week to have lost to Espanyol at Cornellà despite playing much above their Barcelona rivals. This week they host Real Betis who are flying high, unpredictably third on the table with two [...]
