Gareth Bale’s stunning solo goal late last night won Real Madrid the Copa del Rey, disposing of arch-rivals Barcelona in the most dramatic of fashions.
It was a goal to remind the world of Bale’s effortless genius; a goal to add to his growing number of special strikes; and a goal to permanently endear him to the army of Madrid faithful, who may have even begun to doubt him since his move to the Spanish capital.
But how does it compare with some of his previous efforts for the Spanish giants?
Villarreal defender Mateo Musacchio is a summer target for both Barcelona and Liverpool, Italian sources have claimed. Click here to check out my report
Manchester City were beaten 2-0 by Spanish giants Barcelona tonight at the Etihad , with goals from Lionel Messi and Dani Alves all but securing the Catalan side’s progression to the quarter finals of the Champions League.
The match hinged on a hugely contentious penalty decision given against City early in the second half. Leo Messi was clean through on goal, albeit slightly to the right of the box, and Martin Demichelis took the gamble of trying to sweep his leg around the his compatriot, and save the day for City.
The veteran defender clearly mistimed his challenge, and brought the Barca star down illegally, but was it in the box?
Today I am blogging live from the centre of London, endeavouring to bring you the very latest news, gossip and information in the final chaotic hours of the January transfer window.
There will be casualties, such is the predicted pandemonium, but I am wholly confident of staying on top of the writhing transfer beast, and surviving the day!
Be sure to send me all your tip-offs, and the most interesting will be posted and vigorously discussed!
Arsenal’s move for Real Sociedad winger Antoine Griezmann looks to have hit a dead end, with the Frenchman stating his desire to remain in Spain until the end of the season. Click here my latest report - on Soccerlens.com
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona played out a highly entertaining 0-0 draw in the Spanish capital, with the result keeping the Catalan side just ahead of their fierce rivals at the top of La Liga.
Barcelona winger Pedro has insisted he wants to remain in the Camp Nou, dealing a potentially fatal blow to Liverpool’s hopes of luring the Spaniard to the Premier League in January.
With Christmas nearly here, Jose Mourinho will surely be contemplating the gifts he could receive from Roman Abramovich come the January transfer window.
The Blues are in need of reinforcements, having struggled in a number of areas of late.
According to the Sun, Real are looking to snap up the England man for only £20m in the summer, with Rooney’s contract only having 18 months left to run.
Man City striker Sergio Aguero has reportedly told the club that he is ready to join Barcelona; with Spanish reports indicating that the
Catalan outfit already have an agreement with the player.
According to reports across Europe, Barcelona’s
young forward, Antonio Sanabria is close to signing for Roma; but Gunners
boss, Arsene Wenger is refusing to accept that the race is over.
According to reports from Spain, Barcelona’s Pedro
is interested in a move to the Premier League, having lost his first team place
in the Catalan side.
Manchester United look to have failed in their bid to
bring Benfica’s Argentine defender, Ezequiel Garay to Old
Trafford in January; with the player saying he is ‘very happy’ in Portugal.
According to the Mirror, Chelsea are close to
securing the services of Porto’s Colombian striker, Jackson Martinez.
The newspaper - running
with a story first found in Portuguese paper, ‘A Bola‘ - reports that Martinez’
agent, Henrique Pompeo, flew to London this week for secret talks
with Roman Abramovich’s personal aide, Marina Granovskaia.
Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho is going to
extreme measures to keep Thibaut Courtois out of the clutches ofBarcelona, reports
Spanish newspaper, Marca.
As a devout football fan, it is always a sad day
when my heroes retire from the game. They seem to be indestructible, but we all
know in the back of our minds that the day will come for even the most ageless
of idols to hang up their boots. Similarly, loyalty and decade long consistency
must eventually come to an end, and club legends gracefully, or even abruptly,
pass into club folklore, moving to obscure new horizons for one last blaze of
glory. It hurts when reality kicks in, and one realises that football is
finite.
Nike: The Mission - the best football advert? Check out Batistuta's below!
It is just this reality check that makes it all the
more sweet when the unthinkable occurs, and players triumphantly return to the
limelight, and perform, for however briefly, once more for an adoring crowd. We
have seen players come out of retirement to help their ailing club; players,
who have such a love of the game, continue plying their trade in far off
leagues, or even divisions far below the prying eyes of Sky Sports cameras; we
have even seen legends take up new sports, and succeed even further. It warms the cockles of my heart to such an
extent, that I feel it necessary to chronicle their exploits as and when they
happen – when the Footballing Gods redeliver such opulent figures of our
childhood.
1.Edgar Davids
The bespeckled Dutch terrier has jumped into the
papers recently, as he geared up for another bash at lower league English
football, this time with League 2 side, Barnet. After coming out of retirement
in 2010 to briefly turn out for Crystal Palace, we can now see him, at the age
of 39, haring around the Underhill Stadium in North London, ensuring that the ‘Pitbull’s’
legacy continues in the form of bumps and bruises to bewildered Football League
players.
Most recently, Davids inspired his new side to a resounding 4-0 win over Northampton. He played the 90 minutes, and even made
himself captain for the game. Davids was named man-of-the-match.
Speaking after the game,
he said, “I feel the man-of-the-match belongs to the whole group because it was a
team effort.
'We saw that they really had a lot of energy and I’m proud of them
because the tactical things we worked on all week they executed them."
Did you know: Edgar Davids wears his trademark protective glasses on the
pitch, as he suffers from glaucoma.
Juventus through and through, the Italian maestro
brought his 19-year association with the ‘Old Lady’ to an end this year, when
he joined Australian A-League outfit, Sydney Fc. The 37-year-old signed a two
year deal with the club, making him the highest paid player in the league.
Speaking about his last game and leaving his beloved Juventus, Del Piero
said, "The fans went above and
beyond that day, no one had actually told me that I would never play for Juve
again, but I knew that was the case. I saw the board go up with my number on it
and asked myself: 'Do I really have to say goodbye? Do I have to leave the
stadium for the last time?'
"I bowed to all four stands
and waved to my family. I wanted to take it all in but I remembered where I was
and told myself: 'Ale, get off, it's over'. But the fans made me come back out
on to the pitch. I did two laps of honour and they threw hundreds of scarves at
me. I saw people crying. I suppose it went well, but goodbyes always leave a
bitter taste in the mouth."
A true genius of the game, Del
Piero has continued to delight, scoring twice in his first three games – with
one a wonderful free kick.
Did you know: When Juventus were
relegated to Serie B in the Italian match fixing scandal in 2006, Del Piero was
one of their high-profile players that stayed with the ‘Old Lady’ to help win
immediate promotion. On his decision to stay, he said, “A true gentleman never leaves his Lady” And...even though I cant speak Italian, these advert outtakes with Totti are brilliant.
3. Gabriel Batistuta
‘Batigol’ was one of those players with a shot like
a bolt of lightning. Goalkeepers risked losing an arm if they attempted to get
near one of Batistuta’s pile-drivers! Retiring in 2005 after breaking the
record for most goals scored in a season in the Qatar league (he ended his time
there with 25 goals in 21 games, aged 36), Fiorentina legend Batistuta was last
seen on the sporting scene in 2009, trying his hand at polo! Procuring his own
polo club, it seemed as if his insatiable hunger for success would never leave.
It was short lived
however, realising that his great talent lay with the football. "I was
awful!” he said after his first polo match,“The important thing is I'm learning and I'm having fun, but you cannot
change who you are, and I want to do things well even if I'm not a
professional."
Did you know:
Batistuta currently runs his own construction company in Argentina and works as
technical secretary to Argentine club, Colon.
Pep
Guardiola has been universally hailed as a visionary manager; transforming
Barcelona, and by association, Spanish football into an unstoppable force
comprised of technique, skill and potency. The world looked on in enviable awe
as Spain swept aside all who came before them at Euro 2012, taking Barcelona’s
now famous ‘Tiki-Taka’ style of play to a whole new level of intricacy and
sheer brilliance.
With Guardiola now departing and the relatively unknown Tito
Vilanova faced with the ominous task of succeeding him at the Catalan club, the
mind casts back over the last decade of Barca dominance, and falls upon a name
swept unceremoniously aside in the wake of the Guardiola era; Frank Rijkaard; the
Dutchman who has found himself lost in transition managing the Saudi Arabian
national team, after creating the original beast, and setting into motion the
era of Catalonian and overall Spanish dominance.
Branded
with the same scalding iron as past greats such as Zinedine Zidane and Rivaldo;
as a player, he is generally remembered for non-footballing reasons, namely his
fluid ridden altercation with the sponge haired Rudi Voller. But, Frank Rijkaard was an exceptional player; a brutal defensive midfielder, with a dash
of class and obvious pedigree.
Originally a centre-back at his first club Ajax,
he was also deployed as a right midfielder, and also in centre-midfield.
Finally settling on a defensive midfield role with AC Milan and on the international
stage with Holland, he complemented his defensive game with lung bursting runs
from deep, latching onto loose balls, and burying powerful headers. He was a
footballer with the ability to play almost anywhere on the pitch, something
that he surely took from his playing days and attached to his ‘complete football’ ideal upon entering management.
After
taking Holland to the semi-finals of Euro 2000 in his first managerial role,
followed by an ill-fated spell at Sparta Rotterdam in 2003, Rijkaard took over
as Fc Barcelona manager in 2004. It was deemed as a period of transition for
the Spanish club, with new President Joan Laporta looking to usher in a new era
for the club; while finally conquering the famous ‘Galacticos’ of Real Madrid,
their eternal rivals.
Rijkaard inherited a team which had not won a trophy
since 1999, and many of the superstar names within the squad were not
performing.
After
a haphazard opening season, which saw Barca initially flirt with the relegation
zone, Rijkaard won over his critics and secured a second place finish, with the
emerging talent of Ronaldinho a particular shining light.
It was in the next three years that the
Dutchman really took Barca by the scruff of the neck, and create a malleable
squad brimming with confidence and unshackled ability that brought Europe to
its knees. Shrewd pieces of business saw players like Deco, Rafael Marquez, Ludovic Giuly, and
a raw Samuel Eto’o brought in; youth team players such as Andres Iniesta,
Victor Valdes and Oleguer were promoted; and the aging squad reinvigorated.
Fuelled by the boundless energy of Ronaldinho, a new looking Barcelona emerged
in the wake of the decline of Real’s glamorous ‘Galactico’ era, and won their
first La Liga title in six years in 2004.
By 2005, Rijkaard’s Barcelona had earned the fear and
respect of their peers with their Dutch style fluidity, and comfort on the
ball. Devastating in attack, and calm at the back, it was to be the birth of
the Spanish Tika-Taka, and the start of a four year journey that would see
Spanish football become an unparalleled form of football.
2005 saw Barcelona
not only retain their league title, but also add the Champions league trophy to
their growing trophy cabinet. Rijkaard was instrumental in the final, bringing
on the two goal scorers Henrik Larsson – who he had procured the summer before
on a free transfer – and full-back, Julliano Belletti; not renowned as a
goalscorer – his winning goal was his first and only for the club. It was also
the year where the magical ‘Velcro-Gnome’ partnership of Xavi and Iniesta began
to take form.
Rijkaard had made few changes to his La Liga winning
squad that year, keeping faith in the talent already at his disposal. The only
addition of real note was another promotion from the youth setup, a promotion
instigated by Rijkaard that may be the most important in the club’s history – a
promotion in the form of a young Argentine forward named Lionel Messi.
Messi was given the chance to showcase his undeniable talents the previous season, and his promotion to the first team was arguably
the finishing touch to Rijkaard’s single greatest achievement. The brilliant
Argentine said of his then former coach in 2009, "I'll never forget the fact that he launched my career, that he
had confidence in me while I was only sixteen”.
Unfortunately for Rijkaard, Barca’s fortunes began to
wane after the highs of the 2006-07 season. An early exit at the hands of
Liverpool in the Champions league raised eyebrows; and a slow slip down the
league table saw Rijkaard experience increasing pressure. Players that had the
trust of Rijkaard began to lose their zest, none more than the great
Ronaldinho, who had become a constant party-goer and often failed to turn up for training.
The attitudes of several player were called into question,
attitudes that bred laziness, and a nonchalant playing style – arguably the
ugly face of what was to be Tiki-Taka. It ultimately cost
Rijkaard his job, with Guardiola taking over for the 2008-09 season. Messi, who by
then won his first World Player of the year award, commented after Rijkaard’s
sacking, saying, "Guardiola
(Rijkaard’s successor) is more strict while Rijkaard gave us more freedom, but
unfortunately we couldn't handle it."
It was to be an abrupt end to the first great era for the
modern Barcelona team, as Rijkaard’s trust in the enigmatic backfired. It was
to be Guardiola who took Rijkaard’s near perfect blueprint, and molded it with
more discipline and greater emphasis on possession.
He went on to mastermind a
14 trophy haul in just four years at the club – making small, but decisive
changes; changes which did not include an overhaul of Rijkaard’s original
squad, or attacking style. None can deny the Dutchman’s enduring legacy. He
came so close to taking that last step, and making Barca the world’s most
dominant team – but the plates began to fall, and there was to be no second chance.
But having succeeded in bringing glory back to Catalonia,
glory which included beating Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu in two
seasons for the first time in their history, collecting the European Cup,
reclaiming La Liga, introducing players that have and will continue to rewrite
the history books - Rijkaard should be not be forgotten while he toils, to the
confusion of many, in the undeveloped footballing nation of Saudi Arabia.
In
his creation of a beautiful, attacking ideal – an ideal that will undoubtedly
be altered and warped to suit the manager at the time, it was an ideal that
will exist at the heart of Barcelona, and the Spanish national team for decades
to come.
Links: Youtube, BBC Sport Pictures: www.collider.com, www.live4lfc.blogspot.co.uk, wallp4pr.blogspot.co.uk, foro.lionelmessi.org, forzaitalianfootball.com, guim.co.uk
