They often say that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The cynical would say that the poor who get poorer get themselves stuck in their own problems and should not be considered. This certainly seems to be the attitude of some in the Barcelona camp as things go from bad to worse. And the one person who apparently feels that the only way to be freed from problems is to escape them is Lionel Messi.
It is far from a happy new year for Real Madrid. The defending World and European champions have yet to win a single game in 2015 and have looked increasingly embarrassing over the last few matches. First it was a blunder in the second half against Valencia that saw the team lose its 22-game winning streak.And then on Wednesday, the team met with its seeming Kryptonite and lost 2-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey knockout round. Never mind that Atletico Madrid has not lost to Los Blancos in the four games since that fateful Champions League final last May. When Real Madrid plays its crosstown rivals these days, the team simply looks lost.So what is Atletico doing that brings out the worst in arguably the best team in the world?
A year ago, Real Madrid headed to Schalke 04 with a lot of question marks. Of the 25 games the team had played on German soil heading into this matchup, it had won one, drawn six and lost an appalling 18.This Madrid side knew that to make a deep run it would have to break the curse and did it ever. After plundering Schalke 6-1 on the road and running away with a 9-2 aggregate win, Los Blancos would overcome Borussia Dortmund 3-2 (though losing 2-0 in Dortmund) before making the statement of all statements in a 5-0 annihilation of then reigning Champions Bayern Munich (including a 4-0 win in Bavaria).So a year later, Los Blancos head into the tournament against a Schalke side that is arguably weaker this time around, while the reigning champions themselves look a cut above the squad that dominated last year. But is that sufficient to escape the round of 16?
The most popular soccer league in Spain, La Liga, is home to some of the best players in the world. However, some soccer fans believe that a playoff system should decide the ultimate winner rather than most wins. How do you think the Spanish Football Champion should be decided?
While most see it as a done deal that Cristiano Ronaldo will hoist his second straight Ballon d'Or and his third overall, there are some that view Manuel Neuer as the true contender to run away with the individual honor.Goaltending and the Ballon d'Or was analyzed in depth in a previous post, but one perspective is that Neuer's involvement in the World Cup winning side should have a huge bearing on the outcome for the personal award. In fact, many have been vocal about it.
The Los Angeles Galaxy announced that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will sign an 18-month deal with the club when he makes his move from Barclays Premier League to Major League Soccer in July.
It seems that anytime Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the topic during the transfer window, Manchester United surfaces as the top destination for the reigning Ballon d’Or winner
Manchester United are reportedly ready to resume their pursuit of Gareth Bale after the midfielder reportedly earned the ire of Real Madrid stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema for his “individualistic” acts.
In 244 matches, Fernando Torres scored 91 goals for Atletico Madrid, cementing himself as one of the top scorers of the team. He never managed to get into the top 10 on the team's scoring list (Ruben Cano sits in 10th with 97 tallies), but he will get a chance to break into that historical table in 2015 as he makes his big return to the club where he rose to fame.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi looked to get their respective 2015 campaigns off to a great start. Ronaldo finished the year with a bit of a slump as he struggled to score in the FIFA Club World Cup. Meanwhile his great rival had been finding new ways to consistently score for Barcelona. Heading into this week, Ronaldo had an 8-5 lead on his rival. Would he add to the lead? Or see Messi creep ever closer?
It was a rather uncharacteristic weekend in La Liga. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona lost to their opponents, but the defending champions Atletico Madrid won their game. Latin Post.com provides you with an updated standings and breakdown of the Spanish Soccer League.
Last year was a major breakthrough for Cristiano Ronaldo. After four straight years as number two in the world (and in one year he was not even in the top three), the Portuguese superstar is in the running to finish up 2014 as the top player in the world for the second straight year. That would put him in an exclusive group that includes Lionel Messi, Johan Cruyff, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten as the only players to win the award in back-to-back years. Moreover, his third trophy would unite him with Cruyff, Platini, van Basten and Messi as the only players to win the award three times.
Week 17 of the La Liga season kicks off with Barcelona looking to avenge their defeat to Real Sociedad. Barcelona is presently in second place in the La Liga standings behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid. Latin Post.com provides a full preview and schedule for Week 17.
The two best soccer players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, are both top 10 in all-time La Liga scoring. While Messi currently sits on top, Ronaldo is on a record breaking pace. Latin Post.com lists the top 10 La Liga goal scorers of all-time, and breaks down the statistics to see if Ronaldo can surpass Messi when it is all said and done.
On Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced that it would reject Barcelona's had its appeal to have its year-long transfer ban removed, thus leaving the team without the ability to make a single transfer in 2015. Barcelona had been found guilty by FIFA of signing underage overseas players and was thus sanctioned. So how exactly does this affect Barcelona over the long run and in the short run?
Everyone dreams of an all-star team. What would the best soccer players in the world working alongside one another look like? Without further ado, here is a look at the starting XI of 2014. For the lineup, Latin Post has picked a 4-3-3 formation because it is arguably the most balanced lineup in the modern game:
One of the best soccer teams in the world, Barcelona, has lost their appeal to overturn a 14-month transfer ban. Barcelona was previously found guilty of signing players under the age of 18. This could spell trouble for Barcelona in the near future.
