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?
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!
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been awarded the 2013 Ballon d’Or, beating Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery to the crown of world’s best player.
Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso has ended speculation linking him with a move back to the Premier League by finalising a two-year contract extension with Real Madrid.
The saga of Xabi Alonso may have taken a decisive turn, with ‘The Daily Express‘ claiming that Real Madrid have made the Spanish playmaker available this 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.
Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso’s proposed contract renewal
at Madrid has been the talk of Spain for the past few months. The
play-maker is out of contract in the summer, and can walk away from the Spanish
giants for free; something Real are reportedly loath to let happen.
But despite their best
efforts, Carlo Ancelotti’s assurances to the press, and the speculation
surrounding a deal being signed by Christmas; it now seems that Xabi Alonso is
to leaveReal
Madrid.
According to the ‘Daily Express’, Arsenal have
secured a six-month loan deal with Real Madrid’s young striker Alvaro Morata;
and yet, conflicting reports in the Spanish press claim that no deal has been
agreed.
According to ‘The Sun’, Man City’s Sergio Aguero is now the
top ‘Galactico’ transfer target for Real Madrid; with the Spanish giants
willing to pay colossal €57m for his signature.
Mesut Ozil's departure has brought intense resentment from all corners at Madrid, with a plethora of stars such as Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Khedira, Arbeloa, Isco, and even Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas piping up to voice their astonishment at the German playmaker’s exit.
National team coach, Joachim Löw cannot himself fathom the logic behind the transfer,
“For me, it’s incomprehensible that Real would sell one of their top scorers,” Löw said. “Many Real players like Sami Khedira or Cristiano Ronaldo are sad about the transfer.”
With echoes of the seismic Claude Makelele transfer ten years ago to be heard amidst the anguished cries of the 'New Galacticos', it is certainly not the comforting welcome Gareth Bale would have hoped for after his spectacular move abroad.
The Champions League is the best football competition in the world for
one simple reason: It brings together Europe’s elite football teams, teams full
of talent and tantrums, brilliance and barbarism, and pits them against one
another in a glorious battle to the death. Each year the competition showcases
the world’s greatest football players, tactics and managers. Players such as
Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Ribery, and Van Persie get to show off their
footballing gifts to millions of people, there is also the added bonus of Jose
Mourinho showing off his sociopathic dad routine, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s constant
‘wasp’ chewing.
This year promises to be a mouthwatering display of Europe’s finest, and
the footballing gods have delivered a Quarter final line-up of the highest calibre.
With matches such as Manchester United vs. Real Madrid and AC Milan vs. FC
Barcelona, football fans the world over are just waiting for January to tick
down.
Last year, the trophy was won by the least likely of winners, Chelsea,
who this year have already been knocked out of the competition, stopping them
from retaining the trophy for a consecutive year; a feat not achieved since, bar
AC Milan’s back to back victories in old European Cup format in 1989-90.
A Bit of History
Since the competition’s inception, there have been 22 different club
winners, with 12 winning the coveted trophy more than once. Real Madrid have
the highest affinity with the cup, with no less than 9 wins and 3 runners up
medals. AC Milan, interestingly, come a close second with 7 wins and 4 runners
up medals.
Madrid can lay claim to best goal scored in the final, with
Zinedine Zidane’s left footed volley from the edge of the penalty area against
Bayer Leverkusen in the 2001-2002 final.
2012/13 Competition
This season the competition has already knocked out a few possible
contenders for the trophy. Chelsea, as previously mentioned, were knocked out
in the group stages; and Manchester City, who were hoping to improve on last
season’s early knock out of the competition and finally mount a solid attack on
a first ever Champions League triumph, were once again an early casualty.
The once Dutch ‘giant’ Ajax were also knocked out during
the group stages, lagging behind Mourinho’s Real Madrid by a huge seven points.
Lille, last year’s Ligue 1 runners-up, finished bottom of Group F, winning only a
single match and losing every other.
This year’s last 16 will be a fascinating affair. With the reigning
champions already knocked out, and with the new footballing powers such as Shakhtar,
PSG and Dortmund attempting to
make the jump up the big boy’s table, who are flexing their muscles ready for
action - we will certainly be spoilt for choice come the 12th of Feb.
Links and Pictures: BBC Sport, The Daily Telegraph, talksport.co.uk, youtube.com, bleacherreport.com
