REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA CLASHES TEARING APART THE SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM?

The below photo is the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM that made history & won the FIFA World Cup 2010 with great play, but more importantly,  with a solid friendship base, team mentality & solidarity. The picture shows only 11 of the 23 Squad members, but one can clearly see a divide: most are either REAL MADRID or FC BARCELONA players. Missing from this picture are Albiol & Arbeloa (Real Madrid) plus Victor Valdes & Pedro (FC Barcelona) players.

Spain Football Team

The intense & very competitive Real Madrid - FC Barcelona clashes this season has contributed in intensifying rivalries & putting on edge "friendships" on & off the field. Spanish National Football Coach Vicente del Bosque has already voiced certain concern that the intensity of the Club clashes is breaking the fabric of the National Squad & the "inner harmony". Spanish online paper "elconfidencial" has written an article that has "sounded the alarms". The Spanish National Team has broken up into two blocks, the Real Madrid players & the FC Barcelona players, with elements in both camps more "radical" than others with the latter looking for a more balanced & calming attitude.

The first signs of "friction" occurred in South Africa during the World Cup in a leisure "poker game" that did not go to more thanks to Coach Del Bosque & Squad Director Fernando Hierro, plus the fact that the World Cup title was up for grabs was also the solidifying glue. 




This video of Spain celebrating their World Cup victory in Madrid shows Pique making faces of Ramos behind his back, to which press insiders already spoke about friction between theses two heavyweights.

The local Club competition this season has added fire to the already hot coals, as the 5-0 FC Barcelona drubbing of Real Madrid showed last November with very aggressive play, tackles & even violence ( verbal & physically) as shown when Ramos was sent off not before "brushing aside" Spanish squad team-mates Puyol, Pique & Xavi. Barça defender Pique then added fire with his uplifting hand of 5 fingers ( 5 goals) to stick the finger into the Real wounds.

The Pique - Ramos relations worsened in a Spanish Team press conference when Ramos "exploded" to a press person when speaking in Catalan to Pique & he advising that he did not understand. This incident was "cover" with a Twitter photo together & smiling. However, as later episodes would prove this is just make-up.

The return Real Madrid - FC Barcelona Liga match weeks back would open more wounds after finishing 1-1, when Pique in the dressing room tunnel shouted that they had already won their "little" Spanish Liga title ( negative comment from a Catalan angle), that they would win their (disrespectful) Kings Cup as well...causing all sorts of verbal abuse between all players. Pique denies this totally as false, but Real Madrid player & Spanish Team Captain Iker Casillas confirmed it indirectly as true in an interview dismissing it as a "heated moment".

The frictions continued in the Final of the Spanish Cup, this time with other Spanish National Team members showing signs of strains. Arbeloa & David Villa had a serious encounter which naturally brought in all the others.

Iker Casillas, Xavi, Xabi Alonso & to some extent Carles Puyol attempt to maintain the balance as much as possible with diplomacy & professionalism. Some already mentioned are life long friends from junior levels & this situation is complicated.

The Spanish press is now talking about the Pique - Ramos parting, the breaking up of the Spanish team in two blocks, the worries of National Coach Vicente del Bosque & the possible effects mid to long term to the National Team.

Tonight the first of two head to head clashes between Real Madrid - FC Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals takes place. The atmosphere is highly tense as both Coach Mourinho & Coach Guardiola have already had a heated exchange of harsh words that can only be transferred to there respective players & on the field.

The winner will obviously one - either Real Madrid or FC Barcelona - but the big loser could be Spanish Football & its National Team. Lets hope this is all part of competition, healthy rivalry & that common sense prevail in the long run.

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SPANISH CUP FINAL RESULT FC BARCELONA 0 REAL MADRID 1

REAL MADRID won their 18th SPANISH CUP Title, plus 18 years later from their last,  after defeating FC BARCELONA 0 - 1 in a Final that went into extra-time. 

Iker Casillas with the Spanish Cup 2011

It was spectacular, intense, a war-zone in the midfield, posts, amazing saves & a physical effort from both teams that was superhuman. Marvellous Spanish Cup Final

Cristiano Ronaldo scores the winner of the
Spanish Cup Final 2011

It was a midfield mistake that allowed Real Madrid to find Di Maria who crossed & found a "floating" CRISTIANO RONALDO in the 103rd min into extra-time to find the back of the net with his header, after Barça goalie Pinto had stopped a couple beforehand in miraculous fashion.

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with team-mates

From the Real Madrid goal, the whole team worked together to defend solidly the rest of the remaining period as FC Barcelona went all out to attempt to equalize; Pique was even placed in the forward line. Real Madrid held out, won the Spanish Cup Final & their arch rival after suffering some heavy defeats in their past encounters.

It was tough in the midfield

The game started explosive with intense plays & head to head clashes in all field positions. Real Madrid used its strategy of defending to destroy the Barça play & counter-attacked when possible. Lots of the players from both teams share a place in the Spanish National Team, but tonight each with his own & experienced some very harsh moments in a brutally hard fought out match. Real Madrid had three to four clear chances - Pepe hit the post & Cristiano had shots- that they missed & they gave the impression that they would pay for these misses later on.

Messi tried all night 

The second half was all the opposite, with Barça taking full control over a tired & "disorganized" Real Madrid. Barça began to touch the ball, were very dangerous & as their rivals in the first half,  had four to five chances that they missed. Having said this Real Madrid goalkeeper IKER CASILLAS was superb & saved two vital opportunities that had "goal" written before the execution. 

Aerial work Barça - Real Madrid

The game went into extra-time with Real Madrid having Adebayor fresh on the field & the reference point in the foward line, but it was Ronaldo who scored the goal & shook off his shoulder the "chip" of not being a "decisive player"  in the big moments & against Barcelona. The rest of the period was a brilliant exhibition of team play, coordination & physical endurance that allowed Real Madrid to withstand the Barça onslaught.

To conclude, allow me to comment that FC BARCELONA was at their best tonight & should be fully congratulated, they were simply brilliant. From a Real Madrid perspective Pepe was huge along with Khedira, Carvalho was immense, Ramos intense, Iker Casillas a saviour, Di Maria a pure engine room ( red card in the 120th min) & Cristiano Ronaldo the goalscorer.

Now for the Champions League semi-finals about to dawn on us all again with two more Real Madrid - FC Barcelona clashes the will take all spectators to the highest level of World Football. Can´t wait for more.

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TEAM PHOTO | FC BARCELONA STARTING 11 2011

Thinking about all the FC BARCELONA readers & fans across the World. Here is a very latest starting 11 Team photo from the Spanish Football League 2011:

FC Barcelona Team Photo 2011

Top: L-R: Alves;Keita;Mascherano;Busquets;Pique & Valdes
Bottom: L-R:Adriano;Afellay;Villa;Iniesta & Thiago
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VILLAREAL 5 TWENTE 1 | EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER FINAL 1º LEG RESULT

Celebration was the word for Spanish Football & for VILLAREAL with their impressive 5 - 1 victory over current Dutch League leaders TWENTE. Don`t believe many would have bet before tonights Q/Final 1º st match of the EUROPA LEAGUE that the result was going to be so large & the game so one sided. 

Villareal celebrate one of their many goals

There is not muuch to say in terms of details except to give the scorers starting with Villareal players. Defender MARCHENA scored first in the 22nd min, followed by BORJA VALERO in the 43rd min, NILMAR with two in the 46th min & later in the 81st min, & finally ROSSI scored in the 55th min.

Twente got a consolation goal late in the 90th min via JANKO.

One can assume that Villareal has virtually sealed their ticket for the Europa League upcoming semi-finals & it looks that they are in a collision course with Oporto who also did well in their Q/Final clash. However, before shouting "victory",  Villareal will travel to Holland next week for the return 2º leg match. 

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ATLETICO DE MADRID STARTING 11 - ONE OF THE MANY - TEAM PHOTO 2011

Found this photo of one of the many starting line-ups this 2010 - 2011 season of ATLETICO DE MADRID. One of the characteristics of current Coach Quique Sanchez Flores is his high number of differing starting line-ups; up to 59 different since he took over.

Here is one of the most recent ones for all the global Atletico fans.

Atletico de Madrid 2011

Top: De Gea, Forlán, Mario Suárez, Ujfalusi, Filipe Luis, Perea & Godín. 
Bottom: Reyes, Agüero, Elías & Tiago

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MOTOGP 2011 | SEASON KICKS OFF IN QATAR | SPANISH RIDER NICO TEROL LEADER IN 125CC

Have to be honest, its been a too long a break & waiting for the start of the 2011 MOTOGP season. Tonight the season kicked off in Qatar under lights with mixed results for Spanish riders , but with an overall positive taste as we race through the summary of all catagories.

Jorge Lorenzo Qatar 2011: courtesy of motogp.com

The GP catagory saw Australian & new Honda rider Casey Stoner fly pass the checker flag to win & become the first GP classification leader for the new season. Honda has managed to "fine - tune" their machines in "lighting bolt" mode & it was a grand effort by second placed & current World Champion JORGE LORENZO to take his Yamaha bike into the silver position with some brilliant & outstanding driving as he was really pleased post-race. Spaniard & Honda rider DANI PEDROSA got in third after he felt some pain in his shouder as Lorenzo flew by him 3/4 of the way. 

Marquez crash: courtesy of rtve

Not so good news for Spanish riders in the MOTO2 catagory with the race finishing in this order: 1st German rider Bradl; 2nd Iannone & 3rd Luthi. The bad news was the spectacular crash from last years Spanish 125cc World Champions Marc Marquez. I have always believed that riders jump catagories too soon in the careers & these things happen. A 125 cc bike has nothing to do with a Moto2 bike as with a GP bike. It takes a lot of adaptation to get under control the new & more powerful bikes. The best placed Spanish rider in this category was Julian Simon in 10th place. 

Spanish 125cc rider Terol

The happy news for Spanish Sports was in the 125cc catagory with NICO TEROL winning ahead of Cortese & another Spaniard Gadea. Terol starts fantastically the season & looks great along with Gadea. The 125 cc has traditionally of late been a Spanish strong hold.

Next race: Spanish GP ( Jerez ) - 3rd of April

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LUIS FABIANO LEAVES SEVILLA FC FOR BRAZILIAN CLUB SAO PAULO

It was well known the Brazilian International & SEVILLA FC forward LUIS FABIANO thought his time at the Spanish Football Club had come to an end & was planning to leave. What has caught many off guard is the announcement tonight by Brazilian Football Club SAO PAULO that they have secured the services of Luis Fabiano from Sevilla FC for 8M€. The Brazilian player then confirmed the news via his Twitter account that effectively he was leaving the Spanish League Club.

Luis Fabiano Sevilla FC: Afp

The 30 year old  "O Fabuloso" ( called at Sevilla FC) leaves after 5 seasons, scoring 106 goals & winning six titles with Sevilla . A magnificent service to the Andalucian Club & to Spanish Football with his marvellous goal area prowess & skill. Luis Fabiano returns to the Brazilian Club where he started, he goes back "home".

Thanks for everything "O Fabuloso", lots of luck & may you get back that familiar smile on your face & score plenty of goals.  Tweet

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KAKA FED UP WITH MOURINHO, REAL MADRID & THE WORLD

The news coming out of REAL MADRID is that Brazilian midfielder & ex Golden Ball KAKA is going through his most difficult time at the Spanish Football Club. The 29 year old has been relegated to a secondary position spending more time on the bench than on the playing field after recovering from his serious knee injury.

According to media sources, KAKA has expressed to Real Madrid President Florentino Perez that he is fed up with is non participation & the little "attention" that Coach Mourinho has paid to him in the last few weeks. 

Mourinho substitutes Kaka : photo courtesy
of Susana Vera:Reuters

It must be difficult for a World Star that cost Real Madrid 65+ M€ in transfer fee to find himself out on the cold. The apparent "straw that broke the camels back" was his substitution against Deportivo with Mourinho shouting out to the player to "get off" & "quickly". Kaka took this as a public humiliation & was not pleased with Mourinho. Since then Kaka hasn´t counted & is morally devasted with no confidence & little training zeal to lift himself up again. His ambition of getting back into Champions League & against Lyon looks very far away at this point & we all know how vital the European (World) Football stage is for a player with his trajectory.

When Coach Mourinho named this weekends squad for the Spanish League match against Racing Kaka was not on the list, a "mysterious" injury had side-lined him for the next couple of weeks. Mourinho has commented that their is an "agreement" with Kaka that he will return when he is 100% fit.

What makes all the above interesting is :

1. Will this affect the dressing room? Kaka is a player with allies & there is already rumours that some "heavy weight" players are getting a bit sick & tired with the methods of Mourinho. The examples are his treatment of Pedro Leon ( disappeared long ago), the youngster Canales, Granero, Sergio Ramos...etc


2. Is this a clear sign that Kaka will be on the transfer market for next season?

Independently of the outcome, allow me to add my humble observations:
1. Kaka arrived to Real Madrid from AC Milan already injured. He knew it.
2. Kaka placed his participation with Barzil in last years World cup above his Club Real Madrid - this will always be denied, but circumstantial evidence does exist &local media has always hinted so. Just look at his poor 1st season performance at Madrid
3. The second point lead to his knee injury & thus Real Madrid was without his services for 4-5 months


But even if all of the 3 points are not true - perfectly possible - here are some facts:
1. Yes he has scored two goals in his comeback,  but nothing special to talk about & with "lesser" teams.
2. The player looks "overweight" from 4 months of being "laid out" & is very slow. Kaka cannot keep the rhythm of his team-mates & that is bad for the team, & lastly & perhaps the strongest argument,
3. German 21 year old International OZIL is playing at a marvellous level & his proving to be a great signing. He has earned his undisputed status.

Kaka maybe angry with Mourinho, Real Madrid & the World, but would anyone put on Kaka for Ozil at this moment?

Kaka has two clear choices, train harder physically & mentally to get back to his best - its a solitary job - look at Karim Benzema who has gone through it & got back better, or "cry"  & leave Real Madrid, an option not worthy of a player of Kaka´s proven class.

Let´s hope for the prestige of the Brazilian that he opts for the first & forgets about excuses.
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KOKE | ATLETICO DE MADRID 19 YEAR OLD PROMISE

ATLETICO DE MADRID does have a some positive elements, their improving youth teams & the flow of young players making a place for themselves in the first team. There is already present Defender Dominguez, Goalkeeper David De Gea & now midfielder JORGE RESURRECIÓN MERIODO alias “KOKE”.

Atletico de Madrid young promise Koke 

The 19 year old midfielder played his second straight game with the first team last weekend & scored his first goal in LA LIGA against SEVILLA FC. The youngster has caught the attention internationally being named in European Football French Sports paper “L´EQUIPE” in its Top Euro 11 for last week. This is a mighty effort & recognition not habitual for a player that a month ago was in the Atletico B-side.


Here is the first goal by KOKE in the Spanish Football League against Sevilla FC:



Keep an eye out for this promising talent which could give some joy back to the Atletico de Madrid fans in coming months & years.


Acknowledgement must go out to Coach Quique Sanchez Flores for his “Football eye” & his belief in the youngman. Without a Coach that “risks” & has “faith” there will be little hope of young lower side in-house players jumping up in the first team & showing their true talents. Tweet

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REAL MADRID CESC FABREGAS | PREPARING A 60M€ OFFER?

Guys, I just inform you & I suppose that many readers who are far away from Spain & Europe may appreciate to be informed of what´s "cooking" locally in Spanish Football. Below is the front page of todays Spanish Sports daily "Marca", a paper known for its over-zealous hype building & news scoops to marketing their imagined superiority over rival media. This strategy somethings leads to "over-selling" & too much smoke.

Having said this, the rumours of a REAL MADRID bid for ARSENAL FC Captain CESC FABREGAS are gaining strenght & is being backed by murmur from  Barcelona based Sports papers. This last point makes you sit down & at least read what being said at this moment.

This is the lastest. Cesc Fabregas is a prime objective of FC Barcelona & nearly managed to get the player last summer. Cesc Fabregas has said publicaly that his only desire is to return to Barça & there play his Football. This week FC Barcelona said that they only have budgeted 45M€ for a possible Cesc Fabregas operation & this has alerted Real Madrid.


Real Madrid was this week confirmed by financial consultancy firm Delliote as the "Richest Club in the World" &in their long term planning  need a creative midfield player to combine with XABI ALONSO & to be his future heir in the midfield. Therefore, the news is that REAL MADRID is preparing a 60M€ offer to Arsenal for their Captain.

• An attention grabber & publicity stunt by "Marca"? Could be.
• An attempt by Real Madrid to put obstacles in Barça´s path & increase the transfer price? Maybe.
• All totally bullshit. Not the first time.

I personally do not see Cesc Fabregas going to Real Madrid due to is strong ties - especially personal - with Barcelona. The cover of Barcelona Sports daily "Sports" today says "CESC SAYS NO TO REAL MADRID". However, said this, anything is possible in Football & I have been around too many years to discard anything 100%.

Stay tuned to developments, they could be really interesting.

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SPAIN BRONZE MEDAL HANDBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Proud day for SPANISH SPORT & SPANISH HANDBALL with SPAIN winning the home team Sweden 23 - 24 in the Handball World Championships 3rd place game to take the Bronze Medal.

Spain have had a wonderful tournament only being defeated by the mighty Danish team by 4 points in their semi - final clash. An excellent match with an extraordinary defensive effort that kept out Sweden & allowed the Spanish victory. Congratulations guys, everyone here is very proud.

Spanish Handball Team celebrate third place
in World Handball Championships

Match details:

23 - SWEDEN:
Sjostrand; Ekberg (1), Carlen (4), Karlsson (1), Jernemyr (-), Kallman (6) y Doder (2) -intial line-up- Andersson (ps), Gustafsson (-), Lennartsson (-), Arrhenius (-), Larholm (5), Jakobsson (1), Larsson (), Petersen (-) & Ekdahl du Rietz (3)
24 - SPAIN:
Sterbik; Rocas (-), Maqueda (1), Raúl Entrerríos (2), Cañellas (2), Ugalde (1) y Aguinagalde (4) -intial line-up- Hombrados (ps), Roberto García (2), Gurbindo (4), Chema Rodríguez (-), Alberto Entrerríos (3), Romero (4, 1p), Morros (-), Juanín García (1p) & Garabaya (-) Tweet

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CRISTIANO RONALDO ON RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS COURSE AT REAL MADRID

REAL MADRID player CRISTIANO RONALDO will play his 50th game with the Club in the Spanish League tonight against Osasuna. Apart from the congratulations the Portuguese is racing onwards towards record breaking numbers. Cristiano Ronaldo has 49 goals from 49 games ( some sources put 48 goals because a goal that hit Pepe on the back is doubtful) that calculates into a 100% average that not even legends like Di Stefano, Puskas, Pahiño, Hugo Sanchez, Ronaldo, nor Van Nistelrooy have managed with 50 games. 

Cristiano Ronaldo with Real Madrid : Ap

The player is currently the leading goal scorer of the Spanish League with 22 goals & with just 21 Rounds of La Liga being celebrated. His objective is to break the Spanish Football goal scoring Record of 38 goals in one season currently held by Spanish Soccer legend Zarra & ex Real Madrid number nine Hugo Sanchez.

If we were to include ALL COMPETITIONS ( Champions, Spanish Cup...), Cristiano Ronaldo has played 66 games & scored 66 goals, that is , an incredible percentage of 100!.

Will he score tonight against Osasuna? The statistics favour the player.  Tweet

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REAL MADRID | LOAN - TRANSFER - SIGNING RUMOURS

Woke up this morning & found some interesting news & specualtion concerning possible loans, transfers & signings coming out of Spanish Sports daily "AS" in reference to REAL MADRID CF. The "Winter Transfer Market" ends the 31st of January & Clubs are making their last minute moves & deals.

Apart from this, the mentioned Sports daily speculates on the future set up of the Real Madrid squad for season 2011 - 2012 which is interesting & will be better explained in point form below.

Chess: A game of strategy.

At REAL MADRID Coach José Mourinho seems to have won his personal "arm fight" with Club Director General Jorge Valdano & has greater influence & power in the Football - Sporting area. Thus his decisions will be important & decisive. With this in mind here are all the "juicy" speculations being written on the future of the Spanish Football Club:

1. CHELSEA FC has asked for the LOAN ( with an option of a buy ) of Real Madrid midfielder PEDRO LEON & the solicitation comes specifically from Carlo Ancelotti. It is expected that Real Madrid will give the English Club an answer during the course of the day. Lastly, staying with loans Greek Club AEK ATHENS has solicitated the loan of young promise & defender MATEOS


2. Cocah Mourinho has already planned to take up the option of the 17.5M€ buy of newly loaned player EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR. Barring unplanned circumstances ( Mourinho leaves, Adebayor drastically fails in coming months etc), the striker is here to stay & wil be the Clubs Number Nine. 


3. KARIM BENZEMA will be sold at the end of the season & thus raise money for a BIG "star" signing.

4. Atletico de Madrid Argentine forward SERGIO AGUERO will be that star & Real will pay his 45M€ contract release clause.


5. With Adebayor & Aguero at the Club , Real Madrid will not - obviously - sign Athletic de Bilbao forward FERNANDO LLORENTE

All these points have been published by the Spanish Football paper & at this point are PURE SPECULATION. Hundreds of unforseen variables may occur from here to the 30th of June that could throw all of the above into the rubbish bin. I insist,  this is one local media source looking into the future solely based on "insider" information that could be credible or could be just plain bullshit.

Therefore, stay tuned for further moves as this "CHESS GAME" continues in coming months.   Tweet

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DAKAR RALLY 2011 | SPANISH RIDER MARC COMA WINS HIS 3RD TITLE

Great news for SPANISH SPORTS after Spanish motorcycle rider MARC COMA proclaimed his 3rd DAKAR RALLY title after finishing 5th in todays leg & thus creating an unreachable points gap in the General Classifications Motorcycle Table.

Marc Coma 2011

The Spanish rider will be officially given all the winning honours tomorrow when the race ends in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina). From here, congratulations to Marc!

Another Spanish Sportsperson & motor-rider LAIA SANZ won the female catagory of the DAKAR RALLY 2011. No less important & spectacular feat for a first timer who has an enormous future ahead. Congratulations! Tweet

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FIFA WORLD RANKING | JANUARY 2011 | SPAIN REMAINS Nº1

FIFA has released its first “Top National Football Teams” ranking for 2011 with very little changes from the December 2010 list. FIFA took into account the last 35 International Friendly matches played to calculate the points where SPAIN retains the Nº1 World Ranking Position.

Spain 2010

Here is the Top 20 FIFA Football Nations for January 2011:
.1. Spain 1887 Pts.
.2. Holland 1723
.3. Germany 1485
.4. Brazil 1446
.5. Argentina 1338
.6. England 1195
.7. Uruguay 1152
.8. Portugal 1090
.9. Croatia 1075
10. Eygpt 1036
11. Greece 1016
12. Norway 995
13. Russia 982
14. Italy 965
15. Chile 950
16. Ghana 924
17. Slovenia 897
18. USA 867
.-. France 867
20. Slovakia 854 Tweet

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IFFHS NAMES THE SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE "THE BEST IN THE WORLD"

According to the FIFA backed IFFHS organization ( International Federation of Football History & Statistics) the Spanish Football - Soccer League has "knocked" off the English Premier League as the "Best Football League in the World" . The IFFHS calculates its points by summing up the total points obtained by the Top 5 teams of each League. A method that causes doubt in some but is the one used to classify each League. As we all know these types of classifications serve well to encourage debate.

Spanish League

Here is the Top 10 Football Leagues:


1. Spain 1092,0 pts
2. England 1039,0
3. Italy 1021,0
4. Brazil 982,0
5. Germany 932,0
6. France 884,0
7. Argentina 861,0
8. Portugal 789,5
9. Holland 787,5
10.Ukraine 709,0. Tweet

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | SPANISH LEAGUE - LIGA 2010 -2011 | ROUND 14 | DEPORTIVO 1 HERCULES 0

The last match of Round 14 of the Spanish League - La Liga Football was played tonight between DEPORTIVO - HERCULES. A very tactical game which looked more like a chess match with each side moving & countering their set pieces in a dsiciplined fashion. The Goalkeepers were both busy tonight & their interventions were important.

However, it was a Deportivo strategic piece that gave them the victory & the only goal thanks to LASSAD in the 72nd min.

Final Result 1 - 0. Deportivo continue their improvement after a nightmare start to the season which they are slowing forgetting with a string of positive results.

Hercules player claims a foul

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REAL MADRID 2010 | THE SECOND COMING OF RICARDO CARVALHO

Ten Spanish League - Liga matches & a few Champions League are enough for me to say that I WAS WRONG. When REAL MADRID signed 32 year old defender RICARDO CARVALHO from Chelsea FC  I thought that a younger ( Spanish ) player would have been a better investment - WRONG. The facts are the we have witnessed a totally "rejuvenated" player who has become - along with his defending partner Pepe - the cornerstone of the Real defensive line. Its been seasons since Real Madrid has looked so solid in the defence & the few relative goals scored against them pays tribute to this reality. 

First goal with Real Madrid - 2010

José Mourinho certainly knew exactly what he wished for when he solicited Carvalho; an experienced battle forged defender with a strong personality that exercises his profession with exceptional craftsmanship, discipline & vigour. The player looks happy, perhaps feeling that he is really part of something & he is even scoring goals! Yesterdays opener against Atletico de Madrid showed more a sheath forward mentality than a central defender.

Ricardo Carvalho defender

The player has become a vital member of this Real Madrid team & all simply doing what he does best. Ricardo Carvalho has it all very clear , his function is to contribute & allow the other "stars" to shine, but this contribution so far has been blinding & this is to congratulate.

An excellent Ricardo Carvalho is good for Real Madrid, but most importantly great for Spanish Football - Soccer & here is were I am glad to have been wrong. Hope Carvalho keeps up the excellent play.

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REAL MADRID PHOTO | SEASON 2010 - 2011 | IDEAL STARTING 11

Everytime  I check the blog stats, I see that the search for ( & download ) the REAL MADRID PHOTO is amongst the most popular. I am amazed at the amount of visits that are received from around the World in search of the latest image of the Spanish Soccer Team.


To keep the hungry fans happy, I have found this very latest picture of the REAL MADRID TEAM PHOTO season 2010 - 2011. The special element with this particular image is that it is the "ideal starting 11" that Coach Mourinho has found & is most comfortable with as it is the most used in mayor competitions.

REAL MADRID ideal starting 11 season 2010 - 2011

TOP, Khedira, Ramos, Pepe, Xabi Alonso, Carvalho & Cristiano. Below: Casillas, Marcelo, Di María, Özil & Higuaín.

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2010 - 2011 SPANISH CUP RESULTS 1º LEG WEDNESDAY MATCHES

A huge night of SPANISH CUP action with 11 games scheduled & still three games are down for tomorrow night before this 1º leg gets finished. Some interesting results, as with the characteristics of this competition, there have been some surprises. Here is a quick summary of the Wednesday night Spanish Cup results along with the goalscorers.

Sevilla FC celebrate a goal against Real Union

SEVILLA FC virtually wrapped up things with 4 away goals against REAL UNION. The goalscorers were NEGREDO with two in the 45th & 69th min, along with ALFARO in the 89th min & J.CARLOS in the 93rd min. Result 0- 4

MALLORCA defeated REAL SPORTING DE GIJON 3 -1 with goals for Mallorca from CAVENAGHI (12th & 33rd min) & RUBEN ( 90th min). The away goal from Sporting that keeps them bearly alive came in the 60th min via BARRAL.

HERCULES FC 0 - MALAGA 0. Totally opened for the 2ºleg match.

VALLADOLID lost 0 - 2 to RCD ESPANYOL & are on the ropes. Goals from ALVARO who scored twice in the 39th & 55th min.

Lower division Club PORTUGALETE held out GETAFE to a 1 - 1 draw. Goals via SARDINERO in the 6th min for Getafe, & the equalizer in the 52nd via BERGARA

High scoring game between XEREZ 2 - LEVANTE 3. The home goals were by JOSE MARI (33rd min) & BERMEJO ( 64th min), while the visitors scored via STUANI twice ( 60th & 81st min) & XAVI TORRES (90th min).

Logrones - Valencia CF: Spanish Cup 2010

LOGRONES lost 0 -3 to VALENCIA CF & is virtually knocked out of the Spanish Cup. The goals were scored by ADURIZ ( twice - 55th & 60th min) & VICENTE in the 80th min.

POLI EJIDO 1 (MORENO 90th min) - VILLAREAL 1 (ALTIDORE 43rd min).

Surprise result as CORDOBA defeated RACING DE SANTANDER  2 - 0. Goals by O.RIERA in the 25th min & DIAZ DE CERIO in the 75th min.

Sergio Aguero in action 2010

ATLETICO DE MADRID travelled to the Canary Islands to meet UNIVERSIDAD LAS PALMAS & won 0 - 5 to seal their pass to the next stage of the Spanish Cup. The star was SERGIO AGUERO who dazzled & scored two goals ( 41st & 53rd min), along with GODIN in the 24th min , DIEGO COSTA in the 48th min & FRAN MERIDA in the 84th min.

REAL BETIS lost 0 - 1 to REAL ZARAGOZA thanks to a penalty in the 62nd min converted by GABI.

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