The faces of two young footballers have dominated the front covers of Spain’s two biggest-selling sports newspapers this summer. In just two months, AS featured Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (or Neymar for short) 28 times and Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero’s 20 times in their leading photograph and/or story. Neymar also battled Agüero for top spot on the front page of Marca, which led with the Brazilian 22 times and the Argentinean on 15 occasions. One or both players was prominent on the front page of AS and Marca 41 and 34 days respectively. AS readers were met with Agüero’s face five mornings in a row from June 9 to 13. Neymar matched that run with Marca from July 6 to 10. The fun began within … [Read more...] about Mourinho shuns headlines to underline Madrid’s new balance of power
cristiano ronaldo
Porto’s trophy-hungry boss insists he’s no Mourinho clone
The comparisons have been as predictable as they have been widespread. In Britain, the Guardian called him "Mourinho’s apprentice", while the Daily Mail anointed him as "Mourinho Mark II". The Spanish press followed a similar line - El Correo named him Mourinho’s pupil and even El País joined in, headlining their profile "Mourinho’s spy". The potential mini-Mou in question is FC Porto boss André Villas-Boas, whose achievements in his first full season in football management have been spectacular. Last month Villas-Boas's side secured the Portuguese title with five games in hand and this week he leads his team into the Europa League and Portuguese Cup finals. Records have tumbled along … [Read more...] about Porto’s trophy-hungry boss insists he’s no Mourinho clone
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Orwell and the evil conspiracy
Let’s forget, for the moment, the fact that Real Madrid and Barcelona had an absorbing 1-1 draw in their liga meeting on Saturday. Instead, let’s look inside the heads of two of the night’s protagonists: Barça midfielder Xavi Hernández and Real Madrid coach José Mourinho. “Everyone could see that Barça were the better team, that we totally dominated. Although that’s not so great given that it was them that gave us the ball and them that shut down at the back in their own stadium.” This was the verdict of Xavi after the game. He had a point in that Barcelona did dominate possession, during one phase enjoying 79 percent of it (according La Sexta television’s onslaught of statistics). … [Read more...] about Real Madrid, Barcelona, Orwell and the evil conspiracy
Everything’s at stake in Real Madrid and Barcelona’s quadruple clásico
Eighteen days, four games and the spoils of almost an entire season to be fought over. Barcelona and Real Madrid usually play each other twice over the course of a season, in their home and away liga fixtures. But due to a combination of luck and their own good form, the biggest rivalry in European football, with all its sporting, cultural and political undercurrents, will be played out four times in just over two weeks, between April 16 and May 3. There’s so much at stake and yet each encounter is loaded with slightly different significance. Of the three titles that these four games – a league match, the King’s Cup final and a two-legged Champions League semifinal – represent, the league … [Read more...] about Everything’s at stake in Real Madrid and Barcelona’s quadruple clásico
What, another reason to hate Cristiano Ronaldo?
For the neutral football fan, it seems it’s increasingly hard not to dislike Cristiano Ronaldo. Just witness the abuse he receives at virtually every stadium in Spain apart from Real Madrid’s Bernabéu. There are indeed some compelling motives to feel this way. How about his huffy indignation when a teammate fails to pass him the ball when he is in space, or those carefully rehearsed poses he strikes after scoring (or even after missing). Or the reckless use of hair gel. Or, rather more damningly, an insistence on putting his own glory ahead of that of his team (such as when he refused to celebrate a Karim Benzema goal last season, after the Frenchman followed up to sweep in Ronaldo’s own … [Read more...] about What, another reason to hate Cristiano Ronaldo?
Sergio Ballesteros
Not many teams beat Real Madrid these days and not many defenders outsprint Cristiano Ronaldo. But Levante and their club captain Ballesteros have managed both this season. Weighing in at 90 kilos (200 pounds), the 36-year-old not only still has his legs, but has also led his ageing teammates on an incredible run, defying pre-season predictions that his team were relegation fodder and topping La Liga for a few heady weeks. And they manage all this on a diet of pizza, beer and paella. Old school, in every way. … [Read more...] about Sergio Ballesteros
Farewell to football’s crunching tackle?
The debate over bad tackles in football has shifted in recent weeks from Spanish shores to the island where the sport was invented, with a recent spate of incidents eliciting comment from all corners of the game. A man who has played in both La Liga and the English top flight, Mark Hughes, held forth on the matter after one of his Fulham players, American international Clint Dempsey, was scythed down by Chelsea’s Michael Essien, who received a red card for his troubles. “Years ago, I think there were a lot more fouls and it was refereed in a different way,” the former Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea forward said. "Certainly in my day, I had the reputation -possibly wrongly, I … [Read more...] about Farewell to football’s crunching tackle?
Seeking the perfect leader for a two-horse race
The Spanish league season that has just ended may have been a thriller, with Barcelona only securing the title on the last day of the season, but in a couple of ways it has been an entirely predictable affair. Once again, only two teams were ever serious contenders; and once again, Real Madrid seems intent on replacing its coach. Manuel Pellegrini, the former Villarreal manager drafted in to mould a team from an expensive but disparate collection of summer signings at Real Madrid, is a man whose days are numbered; so much so that the Chilean can count them on one hand. There is little in the way of reassurance emanating from the Bernabéu boardroom that Pellegrini will be invited to see … [Read more...] about Seeking the perfect leader for a two-horse race
Guardiola’s masterwork is based on Cruyff’s art
Barcelona’s latest triumph on a seemingly inexorable march to another domestic and European double –a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Bernabéu on April 10– was described in the Spanish media as cartera ganado por cantera – roughly, the youth team beats the wallet. It has become one of Barcelona president Joan Laporta’s favourite jibes towards the team from the capital and the outspoken lawyer, who stands down from the stewardship of the club in the summer, is enjoying his personal finale immensely. “It was a victory for our mode of football and as a club,” Laporta told reporters after the match with thinly veiled glee. Of the two starting line-ups, Real’s contained one product of its … [Read more...] about Guardiola’s masterwork is based on Cruyff’s art
What now for Real Madrid’s €250-million flops?
Legend has it that on one of the several occasions that Real Madrid was wooing Arsène Wenger in the hope of persuading him to become the team’s new coach, he visited the Bernabéu to meet with senior club officials. After the meeting, as the unimpressed Arsenal boss drove away from the stadium, he said to his translator: “Real Madrid thinks it’s a big club, but it behaves like a small one.” When Real crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage after drawing 1-1 against Lyon at the Bernabéu, the gap between the club’s lofty ambitions and reality was plain for all to see. This year, of all years, was when the nine-time European champions were supposed to return to the top of the … [Read more...] about What now for Real Madrid’s €250-million flops?