FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 | CONGRATULATIONS GERMANY

Some may be experiencing already "Football withdrawal symptoms" after an intense & exciting month of FIFA World Cup games. A relatively strange World Cup were the best players did not shine as expected, although the goalkeepers took the centre stage.

From a Spanish point of view, the early elimination of Spain was the "shocker", although had they been able to qualify perhaps they could have gone a long way. The Football level was in my point of view, below the expected.

Germany National Team Photo World Cup Final 2014

From here I would like to congratulate Germany for winning the FIFA World Cup 2014 & gaining their 4th star. Deserved win as they played & demonstarted the better Football all tournament.

For those already suffering from the idea of "No Football" in coming weeks, relax, the big Spanish Football Clubs are beginning their pre-season. Real Madrid & FC Barcelona start today, while Atletico de Madrid, Sevilla & Valencia CF ...etc started last week. In the weeks ahead the TV & Press will be saturated with Summer tournament matches & continuing transfer news. We will all be back enjoying regularly "Football" before we know it. 

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THE LUIS SUAREZ BITING INCIDENT A PLAN TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL FC?

Everyone knows that Uruguayan International & Liverpool FC forward Luis Suarez wants to leave English Football. Football insiders comment that Suarez included a "listen to offers" clause on his renovated contract with Liverpool last year precisely to allow his wanted exit.

There is one place that Luis Suarez wants to play, & that is in Spanish Football. The only two Clubs that the Liverpool FC forward aims at are Real Madrid CF & FC Barcelona. The former has shown interest but is debating about Karim Benzema & if Suarez is really needed. Real Madrid is currently in tough negotiations with Benzema to renew contract & perhaps right now is not the best moment to make a move on another forward. FC Barcelona has thus taken advantage of the "vacuum" left by Real Madrid & has approached Suarez showing interest to sign him for next season. The "big brake" is the 85M€ transfer figure that Liverpool FC places on their player, thus Barça wants to included players like Pedro, Tello & Alexis into the operation.

In Barcelona the local press are already claiming that Luis Suarez has given his OK to FC Barcelona, however other Football insiders claim that the real desire of the player is Real Madrid CF & Suarez maybe pressuring the latter to finally make a move & get out of the shadows to proclaim their interest. 

Whatever the real reasons or negotiation strategies going on, the 85M€ price figure is a serious handicap for Luis Suarez & both Real Madrid & Barça have the advantage to wait until the 30th of August to make a move if they decide to do it.

But what about the "biting incident" with Italian defender Chiellini? It´s the third time, a repeated "disgusting" & unsportsmanlike behaviour that has capture the Worlds attention & seriously blemished the reputation of the player. Obviously, the mentioned Spanish Football Clubs will now reconsider if Luis Suarez is a risk, in fact FC Barcelona has already discussed this issue internally. 

But there maybe another explanation, a far fetched theory that although unlikely due to its risks cannot be discarded. What if the "biting incident" was "planned" to ease & accelerate his exit from English Football & from Liverpool FC. The reaction to the Suarez-Chiellini biting incident has been savage in the UK with hard criticism from the media, Football players & general public opinion. Liverpool FC now sees Luis Suarez as a "problem" for next season & are more receptive to help in the players exit than to hold on to & extend possible negotiations. Another season of English Football for Luis Suarez would be unbearable, thus an exit is now a certainty. 

Will all this lower that initially asked 85M€ by Liverpool FC? If both Real Madrid CF & FC Barcelona wait, it may well force a lowering of price to get the player out of England & Liverpool FC as soon as possible. A far fetched theory? 

I leave it for your thought & realise its "risk level" makes it unlikely. Apart it is very Machiavellian & I doubt that Luis Suarez or his representative (the brother of Bayern Munich Coach Pep Guardiola) would have the nerve to think it. But what about the pretending Clubs? As an idea?

While the Football World awaits the FIFA decision on Luis Suarez, what the "incident" in itself has achieved is to guarantee that the Uruguayan will not be in England next season, nor will he be playing at Liverpool FC. The Football asset for Liverpool FC has now become a "hot potato"  & Real Madrid CF & FC Barcelona know it.

LATEST: FIFA has just handed in an exemplary sanction for Luis Suarez:

• 9 match suspension
• 4 months banned from any World Football field
• 80.000€ fine

This could halt any idea of being signed by Real Madrid & FC Barcelona, as the Club that signs Suarez cannot count on his services until November.

Uruguay will appeal the FIFA decision.

If the above Luis Suarez "biting action" was a plan it has backfired enormously. The "X-File" theory goes out the window. Stay tuned!

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | THE WOUNDS REOPEN

Spanish International midfielder Xabi Alonso has always been a "no bullshit man". Characterised by his straight to the grain views & opinions his post Chile comments has caused bad feeling within the Spanish Team Camp.

When Xabi Alonso was asked by media, before leaving the "Maracana Stadium" after losing its second Group match 0 - 2 to Chile & thus being eliminated, to why he thought Spain sank & played so badly, the player said that basically the Spanish squad had lost its "hunger" & "motivation" apart from being physically under prepared.  Nothing controversial if you watched both the Holland & Chile games, it was obvious that Xabi said some honest truths.

Straight after his press appearance team-mates Iniesta & Torres came out to say the "contrary" claiming that the hunger "to win" was always present. Today in press Conference Santi Cazorla joined them to claim that the "motivation to win" is present.  

Spanish Sports journalists, who are following the Spain Football Team & have close access to players & staff, go further in their press stories to say that Xabi Alonso is isolated & that he practically has a non-existent relationship with Xavi Hernandez, Busquets, Pique , VIlla & Iker Casillas. One source claims a "player" made the comment that "Alonso has always gone his own particular way". Selector & Coach Del Bosque - as seen in the above picture - had some words with Alonso at training were we assume he too voiced his "disappointment" with his post-Chile comments & for perhaps not following the "team line". Saying the team is not in form & not motivated obviously affects the job of Del Bosque.

Already the there are direct (outside) effects & ripples, as Real Madrid team-mate & personal friend Alvaro Arbeloa place a tweet that said, the the truth hurts while lies are more useful to save admiration. Remember Arbeloa was dropped from the Spanish National Football Team for this World Cup , & insiders claim it was because players from the "Barça clan" had "black-banned" the player. 

Harsh accusations but there is nothing like losing & a Football disaster to undo the glue & make the shit explode. The crap within the Spanish Football Team has been smelling for sometime, while the RP experts of the team - Del Bosque included - worked hard to perfume the atmosphere & make us all believe it was all roses. 

It all goes back to the fierce Real Madrid-FC Barcelona clashes two-three years back under Coach Mourinho were the games were "on field battles". The FC Barcelona players & the Barça Spanish Internationals have never forgiven Xabi Alonso (nor Arbeloa) for the fierce tackling & defence of José Mourinho. The relationship between the mentioned players turned to ice,  while in the Spanish Football Team it was "for the good of the team", a practical rational. At the Club level, Real Madrid, Alonso (& Arbeloa) also defended Mourinho & his decision to sit Iker Casillas, & the later has never forgiven them for this. In fact, Arbeloa does not talk with Casillas & Xabi looks at Casillas as a "professional" obligation.

The truth is the Xabi Alonso detractors have very little arguments as they themselves played horrendously & are totally out of form. Xabi Alonso was not to good either & made his own crucial mistakes, but the events & the circumstances has reopened wounds & bad vibes with the shit flying around once again.

The remaining days at the Spanish Team HQ in Curitiba will be a "nightmare" for the squad. There is little motivation or desire to play their last match against Australia with most wanting to leave asap to fly back home & leave this World Cup behind. The fact is that profound changes within the Spain Football Team will came, & many of those wounded by the Xabi Alonso truths should perhaps do their service to the squad & leave their place to more ambitious & hungrier young Spanish Football Talents. Xabi Alonso is included in that list, but all that he voiced was what the Football World saw for themselves on the TV.

Selector & Coach Del Bosque perhaps should consider moving aside as he was a silent witness & "a sweeper" that placed all the shit under the carpet for so long. His management has not been enough & his motivational skills has not been on show.

Stay tuned for more flying shit coming out of the Spain Football Team in coming days & weeks. We will be surprised.

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SPAIN 0 CHILE 2 | SPAIN ELIMINATED FROM 2014 WORLD CUP

The first National Football Team to be eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is the reigning World Champions SPAIN which lost 0 - 2 to CHILE in today's Group B match. A devastating blow to the Spain Football Team & Spanish Football which ends their nearly 8 years of domination in World Soccer. Chile with this win seals, along with Holland, their pass onto the next phase of the World Cup tournament. Spain has a last Group match on Monday against Australia which will be a "bureaucratic" affair & perhaps serve to give a run to the "next generation" of players that will continue in the future, apart to win back some pride & heal the wounds.

Spain made chances from the disastrous Holland match putting in Javi Martinez (for Pique) & Pedro (for Xavi Hernandez) but the problems maintained themselves as Chile did all the damage in the 1ºst half with pressure Football & goals from Vargas in the 20th min & a second in the 43rd min Aranguiz.

Spain in the 2º half changed Xabi Alonso for Koke but physically fell apart as Chile could have scored a couple of more goals. The Spaniards watched as their luck along with their Football left the "Maracana Stadium". Coach Del Bosque put on Fernando Torres & Cazorla to find at least a goal but the newly signed goalkeeper for FC Barcelona & Chile Claudio Bravo stopped magnificently all the Spanish efforts.

The big chance for Spain came early in the second half when Busquets missed an open goal. It highlighted one of the biggest problems with this Spanish Football Team, the lack of goal, the lack of goal creating opportunities which was again blatant in this match.

Now is not the moment to give reasons for the Spanish Football Team World Cup disaster, no doubt rivers of ink will flow tonight & in the coming weeks from World & local Sports media to give their versions. What needs to be written here now is congratulations to Chile for the victory & moving on in the World Cup tournament, I personally wish them luck.

As for Spain, some veterans would have played their last game, while some "sacred cows" will need to look closely at their performance. The Technical team will need to accept that they did not take the "best players available" over to Brazil. What is obvious is that allowing 7 goals in 2 matches signals "huge problems", to be studied & solutions to be found.

An end of a glorious era, the exit from a "Golden period" of Spanish & World Football which is & will stay in History. Spain has plenty of young World class players ready to take over & begin a new circle with the next European Nations Cup & 2018 World Cup in Russia as objectives. 

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SPAIN 1 - HOLLAND 5 | WORLD CUP 2014 GROUP B RESULT

Not even in the Spain Football Team (or ours) worst nightmare would have they have thought that their opening FIFA World Cup 2014 Group B match against Holland would end in a 1 - 5 defeat. A devastating blow to Spain which had a horrific 2º half with unusual defensive mistakes & mental lapses that cumulated in a moral deterioration that will hurt & leave deep scares.

If Holland thought this to be a revenge match after losing the 2010 World Cup Final to Spain, the end result could not have been sweeter. A perfect start for them as this will certainly lift their spirits for the competition journey ahead. 

Some elements that were clear & illustrated by Spain tonight will need to be urgently solved. A blatant ineffectiveness in front of goal & lack of physical stamina that will put a question mark on some of the more veterans,  especially in the midfield like Xavi Hernandez. Spain has incorporated Diego Costa - who started - as a "solution" up front but the player still needs to understand the "Spanish National Team" way of play & is still "timid" with his new role. 

The first half was dominated by Spain which controlled the match & looked confident. The goal opportunities timidly arrived & in the 27th min XABI ALONSO put Spain ahead from the penalty spot after Diego Costa was fouled in the area. Minutes later David Silva had a golden chance but failed to convert & this later was paid dearly as Spain could not "knock out" the rival. Holland reacted in the 43rd min when VAN PERSIE brilliantly headed the equalizer after the Spanish defensive were caught "sleeping". A psychological goal that was to herald the tremendous 2º half the Dutch were to exhibit.

The second half was a nightmare & it was humiliating for Spain which dropped their heads as the goals went in. The steamy conditions drew the energy out from the players & the midfielders which could not recover spaces & left their defending team-mates under siege. The Dutch were physically superior & closed spaces to suffocate the Spaniards leading to mistakes. Errors which the Dutch capitalised on with their second goal coming in the 52nd min from ROBBEN. However it was the third in the 64th min by Vrij (possible foul on Casillas) that "killed" of a possible comeback attempt for Spain. Unlike Spain, the Dutch are effective with their goal opportunities & convert.

The disaster continued when Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas fumbled a back pass which allowed VAN PERSIE to pounce & score the fourth in the 73rd min. The nightmare continued when ROBBEN scored the Dutch 5th goal in the 81st min, which could had been more had not Casillas made some important saves. 

The Spanish midfield was broken in the  2º half & non-existent as Xavi Hernandez along with Busquets were physically nailed. Spanish Coach Del Bosque made changes bring on Torres & Pedro but it was too late & they too sinned not taking & converting their goal chances.

Holland are deserved winners which went in the this match with a clear "game plan" that worked marvellously for them. Spain will need to reflect on this encounter & solve a few important issues & areas. Remember that Spain also lost their first game back in 2010 & later went on to win the World Cup. However the result tonight was so humiliating that I wonder if the "Champs" can recover & comeback considering that their next game is against Chile & will be a final win or die situation.

Lastly, the man & player which leaves most wounded tonight is Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas. With Real Madrid he is the second keeper to Diego Lopez & while defended by all his supporters, team-mates & media all season demonstrated his 2 principal weakness as a goalkeeper: the aerial play & his foot work. Both were badly executed & both gave Dutch goals. Will Iker Casillas be able to psychologically recover from tonight's blow? Will Spain be able to shake off this disaster? It will all be answered against Chile, a win lifting the moral & a loss leading Spanish officials to find the return home flight tickets.

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POSSIBLE STARTING LINE-UPS SPAIN - HOLLAND | WORLD CUP 2014

The FIFA World Cup in Brazil kicked off last night with Brazil winning Croatia in controversial fashion. Tonight the defending World Champions Spain play Holland in their Group B opener. A repeat of the 2010 Final with Holland having 6 still in the team from last time. A very defensive Holland is expected with up to 5 defenders to halt Spain with perhaps the added "touch" of some physical Football. All is fair in love & "football"...

While Dutch Selector Van Gaal is pretty much open about his intentions, his counterpart Vicent del Bosque is keeping some cards up his sleeve. The SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM starting XI line-up looks settled except for the forward. The question remains will Spain start with a pure centre-forward or a false centre-forward. Three names are up for one possible position: Torres, Diego Costa or Cesc Fabregas. 

I will speculate on what I think could be the starting line-up for Spain against Holland tonight:

Casillas, Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Silva & Diego Costa. 

However, as said it is my speculation, as Torres or Cesc could take the place of Costa.

For Holland their starting XI line-up looks fairly clear:

Cillessen Janmaat, Vlaar, De Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind; De Guzman, Sneijder, De Jong, Robben, Van Persie.

Everything indicates that Holland will place a 5-3-2 system, if so, ultra defensive.

Good luck to Spain!

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SPAIN THE MOST VALUABLE TEAM IN FIFA WORLD CUP 2014

Have you ever wondered which Nation participating in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil is the economically most valuable? That is, if we sum up the current Football Market Prices of the individual players in their respective squads, which National Team would have the highest value?

The answer is the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM according to the prestigious American magazine "Time"

The Spain Football Team is worth 668M€ (916M US$), followed by Germany & third Brazil as represented in the above diagram. Said this if you were to add the total value of all 32 teams, that is, all 786 players that value would be 9.69 Billion $US. 

On the individual players front Nº1 is Argentina player Lionel Messi is estimated to be worth 177M $US while Portugal player Cristiano Ronaldo is close in second place with 147M $US. 

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SPAIN 2 EL SALVADOR 0 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY RESULT

Spain played its last International Friendly before flying off to Brazil to defend its World Champions Title against El Salvador in Washington DC (USA). The final result was a 2 - 0 result victory by the Spanish Football National Team.

Spanish Coach Vicent Del Bosque took the opportunity given by this match to give the Real Madrid & Atletico de Madrid members of the squad minutes to get themselves into the groove before facing Holland in the first Group B match of the World Cup. Plus it served to test Diego Costa under competitive conditions & see if the Spanish forward has managed to shake off his injury. The latter played 70th min & thus gave signals that he is recovered & just needs to fine tune himself with more playing time. 

The Spanish team dominated the match from start to finish & was far superior than the El Salvador eleven. El Salvador defended in block doing what most opponents do when playing Spain, limiting spaces & pressuring the Spanish forwards. The only real goal opportunity in the first half came when Diego Costa was fouled in the box & a penalty was given. Cesc Fabregas took the ball & the responsibility but missed shooting over the bar. From there on Spain dominated but could not break the crowded defence.

The second half started with Spain bringing on Villa, Silva & Cazorla & the goal opportunities began appearing with more frequency. The El Salvador goalie Hernandez was kept busy & made some important goal savers.  Spain finally managed to break through in the 60th min with David Villa scoring & he then managed the second in the 87th min. Before this Busquets hit the bar.  

Therefore, a comfortable win for Spain with good sensations appearing. Diego Costa looks good, no important squad member got injured (always a risk) & most players got some valuable playing time. The only negative element is the "lack of goal" opportunities for Spain when the opponent shuts themselves up in defence. Spain will need to come up with some new ideas on how to break defences if they are to go far in the upcoming World Cup competition. Most teams have studied Spain well & know that if they can defend & limit spaces they can "hurt" Spain & reduce their effectiveness.

Spain leaves Washington DC (USA) tomorrow & flies off directly to Brazil.
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SPAIN GOES INTO WORLD CUP Nº1 IN FIFA RANKING

SPAIN goes into the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil as the Nº1 Ranked Football Nation. FIFA has released its monthly rankings with Spain remaining Nº1 with 1485pts, followed by Germany with 1300 pts & hosts Brazil third with 1242.

The Spanish Football National Team are the current World Champions & will attempt to defend title, a feat that is very difficult as no Nation has won back-to-back FIFA World Cup Championships.

The Brazilians are the "hot" favourites, along with other countries like Germany. But Football observers mention that Belgium could be a "dark horse". Either way we will soon see as the World Cup kicks off the 12th of June with the opening match between Brazil & Croatia. Spain begins its campaign the following day against Holland.

Spanish Football National Team World Cup 2014 Squad

FIFA Ranking month of June 2014:

.1. Spain 1485 Pts

.2. Germany 1300

.3. Brazil 1242

.4. Portugal 1189

.5. Argentina 1175

.6. Switzerland 1149

.7. Uruguay 1147

.8. Colombia 1137

.9. Italy 1104

10. England 1090

11. Belgium 1074

12. Greece 1064

13. USA 1035

14. Chile 1026

15. Holland 981

16. Ukraine 915

17. Francia 913

18. Croatia 903

19. Russia 893

20. Mexico 882

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SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM SHIRT NUMBERS FOR WORLD CUP 2014

The shirt numbers of the members of the Spanish Football National Team for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 have been officially distributed & allocated. 

Following is the number & the assigned player:

1. Iker Casillas
2. Albiol
3. Pique
4. Javi Martinez
5. Juanfran
6. Iniesta
7. Villa
8. Xavi
9. Torres
10. Fabregas
11. Pedro
12. David De Gea
13. Mata
14. Xavi Alonso
15. Ramos
16. Busquets
17. Koke
18. Jordi Alba
19. Diego Costa
20. Cazorla
21. Silva
22. Azpilicueta
23. Reina.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM "PROTOTYPE" 11 PLAYERS

As one would expect the SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM takes up all the spotlight & most of the main pages of the Spanish Sports media. Part of those pages are about the possible Spanish Football Team starting line-up, or the "standard" prototype 11 expected to make up the team in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The majority of observers correctly point out that Spanish Football National Team Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque has had relatively little time to test & practice with his current squad. Added to this some players are under a "injury" cloud, or more correctly coming out of injury & are in their recovery phase. However, this still leads the technical team to stay cautious, for example with Diego Costa, who could easily full back if forced too early.

Thus local Football observers speculate that the below is basically the Spain Football Team starting line-up, the "prototype", given the current circumstances & conditions of the squad:

Casillas, Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Torres (or Cesc Fabregas).

Of course, Coach Del Bosque has another 12 players in his squad which obviously gives him options to "mix things up" & change things around according to the opponent, match conditions & circumstances. The FIFA World Cup tournament is long & many things can occur which forces the technical team to "pull" from what the have available. For example, a 100% fit Diego Costa would be a starter over Torres/Cesc, while Koke would take over either Xavi or Xabi Alonso if either were injured or suspended.

Either way, interesting foresight for the Football fans about the Spanish Team, & how the opposition rivals have it fairly "easy" to figure out beforehand the basic Spanish Football Team starting 11. 

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SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM LIST 23 PLAYERS FOR WORLD CUP 2014

Spanish National Football Team Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque has announced today the official & final list of 23 players that will make up the Spain Football Team squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil. 

The Real Madrid & Atletico de Madrid players are included & 7 names have been dropped from the 30 announced more than a week ago. Those eliminated include Jesus Navas, Moreno, Iturrespe, Carvajal, Delofeu...etc.

However, there could be a last minute modification. Spanish Football Team Selector Del Bosque will test Diego Costa - under a injury cloud - in the upcoming International Friendly game against El Salvador on the 7th of June to be played in the United States. If Diego Costa is not 100% Spain can call up a replacement as allowed by FIFA regulation. In this "extreme" case, a forward like Negredo or Fernando Llorente could be called up. Most believe however that Diego Costa will be OK by the time Spain plays El Salvador.

Final list of 23 players that make up the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL - SOCCER - TEAM:

- Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Nápoles), David De Gea (Manchester United).

- Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Gerard Pique y Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Javi Martinez (Bayern Múnich), Raul Albiol (Nápoles), Juanfran Torres (At.Madrid).

- Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández Andrés Iniesta y Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Koke Resurrección (Atletico de Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City), Juan Mata (Manchester United), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal).

- Forwards: Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Diego Costa & David Villa (At. Madrid), Fernando Torres (Chelsea).

There will be diverting opinions & many disappointments. I am surprised to see Mata, Torres & Villa in the final list, while I would have taken - personally - Isco , Jose Callejon & perhaps Fernando Llorente. However, I am not the Spanish Team Selector & trust the wise decision & Football experience of our World Cup & European Championship Coach.

Good luck boys!

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THREE SPANISH FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN TOP 100 WORLD CUP LIST

The English newspaper the "The Guardian" has elaborated & released its "List of Top 100 World Cup Football Players". Three Spanish Football Players are represented within the list:

• Xavi Hernandez Nº15
• Carles Pujol Nº64
• Andres Iniesta Nº65

The voting was done by 6 World Cup ex-players (Barnes, Khune, Matthaus, Oliseh, Smith y Zico), 20 journalists from "The Guardian" & 12 International journalists. The votes from the ex-players had greater weight than the rest.

List of Top 100 World Cup players:

 1. Pele   (3 World Titles in 4 World Cup appearances)
2. Maradona
3. Beckenbauer
4. Ronaldo
5. Zidane
6. Cruyff
7. Matthaus
8. Müller
9. Garrincha
10. Platini
.../...  

15. Xavi
64. Puyol
65. Iniesta
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SPAIN NATIONAL TEAM LIST OF 30 PRELIMINARY PLAYERS | WORLD CUP 2014

Spanish Football National Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque has handed in a Preliminary list of 30 players for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The final & definitive list of 23 players will be handed in on the 25th of May, day after both Spanish Football Clubs Real Madrid - Atletico de Madrid play the UEFA Champions League. There will be 7 eliminated & disappointed players but Coach Del Bosque has had to be careful because there could be injury in the Champions League Final to a Spanish international that would have caused problems.

Novelties are young Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal & Athletic Club Bilbao midfielder Iturraspe. Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea takes the spot of injured Victor Valdes, while there are notable absences (elimination) with Real Madrid & Spanish Team veteran Alvaro Arbeloa & surprisingly Real Madrid midfielder Isco not being included.

Spanish Football National Squad: Full Preliminary list of 30 players:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Nápoles) & David de Gea (Manchester United).

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Raúl Albiol (Napoles), Javier Martinez (Bayern de Múnich), Juanfran Torres (Atlético), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), César Azpiliciueta (Chelsea), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) & Alberto Moreno (Sevilla).

Midfielders: Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Santi Cazorla (Arsenal), Ander Iturraspe (Athletic), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Thiago Alcántara (Bayern de Munich), Juan Mata (Manchester United), David Silva (Manchester City), Pedro Rodríguez (Barcelona) & Jesús Navas (Manchester City).

Forwards: Diego Costa (Atletico), David Villa (Atlético), Fernando Torres (Chelsea), Álvaro Negredo (Manchester City) & Fernando Llorente (Juventus).

Who will be dropped from this list on the 25th May? Speculation is already on the way & they are surprises. Observers predict that barring last minute injuries names like David Villa, Fernando Torres, Iturrespe, Alberto Moreno, Raul Albiol & perhaps Negredo may be dumped. Remember no one knows expect Vicente del Bosque. Stay tuned!

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WORLD SOCCER | MESSI THE MOST VALUABLE ( MONEY ) PLAYER IN BRAZIL 2014

Once the 32 Nations were determined which will participate in the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup Final in Brazil, the financial firm "Pluri Consultancy" asked itself: what is the monetary value of each the 732 players that will be present & participating in Brazil 2014?

The results are no surprise, FC Barcelona player Lionel Messi is a current monetary value of 139,6€ putting the Argentine in the Nº1 position. He is followed by Real Madrid player Cristiano Ronaldo with 104,2M€ & fellow Barça team-mate Neymar with 67,4M€. 

The exercise was also done for countries & Spain takes the Nº1 spot with players worth a total of 185M€, followed by Argentina with 183M€ & third Germany with 149M€.

Here is the list of the Top 15 players in money value according to "Pluri Consulting":

 1. Leo Messi - 139,6 €
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 104,2
3. Neymar - 67,4
4. Edinson Cavani - 63
5. Falcao - 59,1
6. Mesut Ozil - 54
7. Andrés Iniesta - 53,7
8. Mario Goetze- 48,4
9. Wayne Rooney - 48,2
10. Franck Ribéry - 46,8
11. Thomas Müller - 46,6
12. Hulk - 46,2
13. Juan Mata - 46,1
14. Luis Suárez - 44,8
15. Eden Hazard - 44,3

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM | IÑIGO MARTINEZ - MICHU CALLED UP TO REPLACE INJURED ALBIOL - VILLA

Have been out in the countryside this weekend without Internet, mobile & TV. A sort of "technological detox" weekend. To the regular readers that come in for the regular Liga round-up all the scores of Round 8  are on the widget on the right side bar & with all the goalscorers as well.

What I would like to post now back home are the two new players called up by Spanish Football National Team Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque to replaced Raul Albiol & David Villa each respectively injured with their Clubs this weekend.

Real Sociedad defender Iñigo Martinez will replace Raul Albiol & Swansea forward Michu with replace David Villa. Golden chance for both, especially Michu who has been knocking on the doors of the Spanish National Team.

The "new" & full list of 23 players to make up the Spain Football Team against Belarus & Georgia in their 2014 Group World Cup qualifiers are:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Víctor Valdés (Barcelona) & Pepe Reina (Nápoles/ITA)

Defenders: Juanfran Torres (Atlético de Madrid), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Álvaro Arbeloa & Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Íñigo Martínez (Real Sociedad), Ignacio Monreal (Arsenal/ENG), Alberto Moreno (Sevilla).

Midfielders: Jorge Resurrección "Koke" & Mario Suárez (Atlético de Madrid), Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta & Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona), Jesús Navas & David Silva (Manchester City/ENG), Francisco Alarcón "Isco" (Real Madrid).

Forwards: Michu (Swansea/ENG); Juan Mata (Chelsea/ENG), Álvaro Negredo (Manchester City/ENG), Pedro Rodríguez (Barcelona).

Curious to observe that the majority of the forwards are playing in the English Premier League.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL | LIST OF 23 PLAYERS FOR UPCOMING BELARUS - GEORGIA WORLD CUP GROUP GAMES

SPANISH FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM Selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque handed in at midday his list of 23 players that will make up the Spain Team squad to play their two upcoming FIFA World Cup Group matches.

Spain hosts on Friday the 11th of October Belarus & then plays at home Georgia Tuesday the 15th of October.

The novelty is the call up of young Sevilla FC & Spanish International U-21 left back Alberto Moreno. Plus Atletico de Madrid right back defender Juanfran & Chelsea FC forward Juan mata have been recalled to the squad.

Spanish Team Selector Del Bosque mentioned that Atletico de Madrid dual nationality player ( Brazilian-Spanish ) & forward Diego Costa has let known that he wishes to play for Spain. But Brazil has "interfered" with bureaucracy that has delayed the final OK from FIFA. Diego Costa has played with Barzil two "Friendly Internationals" but no official match which leaves the door open for the player & Spain. However, paperwork has not allowed Vicente Del Bosque to include the Atletico player in this list. Diego Costa will have to wait until next time & maintain his extraordinary top form until then.

Alberto Moreno

Here is the full list of all 23 players called up the make the Spanish Football National Team squad:

GOALKEEPERS

Iker Casillas

Víctor Valdés

José Manuel Reina

DEFENDERS:

Álvaro Arbeloa

Juanfran Torres

Gerard Piqué

Raúl Albiol

Sergio Ramos

Ignacio Monreal

Alberto Moreno

MDFIELDERS:

Sergio Busquets

Mario Suárez

Xavi Hernández

Andrés Iniesta

Koke Resurrección

Francisco Alarcón "Isco"

Pedro Rodríguez

Jesús Navas

Cesc Fábregas

FORWARDS:

Álvaro Negredo

Juan Manuel Mata

David Jiménez Silva

David Villa

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