The 2014-15 edition of Champions League gets underway in a couple of weeks and Barcelona heads into the tournament in a rather uncomfortable situation. The Spanish side is coming off a year in which it missed the semifinals for the first since 2006-07. In that stretch, the team has won the tournament twice.
Lionel Messi did not have a great World Cup. He pulled off some heroic moments for Argentina in the Group Stage before slowly fading into the background as the competition grew stronger and the pressure mounted. With Neymar and Luis Suarez now added to his club team, Barcelona, will they surpass the four-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner?
Regardless of the reasons for Barcelona's defensive woes, the team has done its best to address these issues in hopes of reclaiming its former glory. But has the summer really be as great as many think it has? And will the additions really make a world of difference for Blaugrana?
Urban areas with large Hispanic populations tend to draw more Hispanic vacationers, compared to other destinations in the U.S. And when traveling abroad, Hispanics like to go where they have a semblance of kinship and relative roots.
The 2013-14 season was the first time in six years that Cristiano Ronaldo had bested Lionel Messi in terms of goal scoring. It was not even close this year with Ronaldo winning not only the goal scoring race, but also picking up two trophies to Messi's goose egg. Which of these star soccer players will have the better showing this coming season?
This summer has belonged to Colombian soccer. First the team excelled at the World Cup by finishing fifth overall and receiving rave reviews for its terrific attacking style. Then the top Colombian star at the World Cup, James Rodriguez made a record move to Real Madrid before goalie David Ospina made his move to London to play with Arsenal. But Colombians have continued to make headlines with more transfers impending.
The Champions League qualifiers are currently underway with a number of teams looking to find their way throughout the playoffs and into the group stage. While some of these sides could surprise, the likelihood of any emerging as major title contenders is unlikely at best. Latin Post.com predicts the top teams most likely to make deep runs in the tournament.
All this means is that the teams most likely to win it all are already qualified. Here is a look at the teams most likely to make noise at the European showcase.
There is probably no fiercer rivalry in world soccer than the one between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The two Spanish sides are not only renowned for their respective greatness but also for their tremendous spending habits during transfer windows.
For years, Messi has been the goal-scoring machine that Barcelona has relied upon but the arrival of Luis Suarez could undoubtedly spell trouble for the club and their "Mes que un club" (more than a club) philosophy with the addition the mercurial Uruguayan star known for his off-the-field antics as well as his feats on the pitch.
The soccer transfer market remained active during the World Cup and one of the biggest moves of the summer actually took place. Joining Lionel Messi and Neymar at Barcelona next year is the controversial Luis Suarez, fresh off his bite of Giorgio Chiellini's neck in the World Cup. He will surely become a threat to other Spanish league defenses, but will adding the troubled star to Barcelona's roster work?
Lionel Messi has Argentina in the World Cup Finals against Germany, but the young striker has made quite a name for himself by scoring some famous international goals in his career. Latin Post recalls the top five goals he's made.
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world, and has a chance to further his legacy Wednesday by getting Argentina into the finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup with a win against the Netherlands. But will a win help him stack up better against Maradona, arguably the greatest player to ever don an Argentina uniform?
While Uruguay's Luis Suarez finally apologized for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during their Group Stage game, the punishment does seem to fit the crime despite what Suarez's supporters - including Chiellini - may think of the nine-game and 4-month suspension of the polarizing 2013-2014 English Premier League (EPL) Player of the Year.
The FIFA World Cup will undoubtedly place great focus on a number of tournament favorites but another storyline that could emerge is the rivalry of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. This perennial debate over the best player in the world is usually a major conversation throughout the regular season due to the fact that the two titans of the sport play for rival clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. The rivalry between Portugal and Argentina is non-existent but there is a chance that these two superstars could wind up meeting up in the tournament. Here is a look at how Ronaldo and Messi look heading into the tournament.
While stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi compete on the pitch for the most prestigious soccer title on the planet, Nike is looking to continue at usurping Adidas' long-time marketing presence in the World Cup, despite being FIFA's longtime sponsorship partner with the quadrennial tournament since 1970.
For contemporary metal couture designer Manuel Albarran of Barcelona, Spain, designing Angelina Jolie's costume for the film "Maleficent" was the gig of a lifetime.
