Winning the Ballon d'Or is the dream of every soccer player in the world. And why wouldn't it be? To win the award is to be recognized as the finest soccer player in the entire universe.
But the problem is that the award is tough to get and the last few years have required superhuman feats to claim ownership of the trophy. Exhibit A: Lionel Messi. Exhibit B: Cristiano Ronaldo.
In essence, to win the award these days you have to overcome either of those two titans.
Which makes the follow proclamation from Mesut Ozil rather shocking.
Everyone loves to honor the individuals. But ultimately, the collective may be even more important in some cases and nowhere is this more apparent than in soccer. As part of the Best of Soccer in 2014 feature series, writers David Salazar and Edwin Molina now highlight their team of year.
Arsenal is in huge trouble. The team, which seemingly had some depth after a busy summer, is now lacking it greatly. And that is the result of what seems like an annual injury bug for the Gunners. The latest victim is Mesut Ozil, and it seems that he could be gone for approximately three months. Is Arsenal's roster deep enough to survive until he returns?
The final round of the Champions League playoffs get started next week and they will feature a familiar participant - Arsenal. The Gunners are notorious for finishing fourth in the Premier League and thus being forced to play in the playoff to lock up a spot in the Champions League. The team will take on Turkish side Besitkas. Latin Post.com takes a look at Arsenal's history in these playoffs and their hopes of overcoming their opponents.
Alexis Sanchez, fresh off his stint for Chile during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, is now a member of Arsenal. How will Sanchez's arrival change the dynamics of the team?
Germany will compete in its record seventh World Cup final, hoping to come away with their fourth title. The team won in 1954 before taking home the prize in 1974 and 1990, all on European soil, and are looking to become the first European side to win the Cup in South America.
Germany defeated Algeria 2-1 on Monday afternoon to setup a quarterfinals matchup with France next Friday. Here are some observations regarding the matchup.
Back in late September, Arsenal fans everywhere celebrated the arrival of Mesut Ozil. The transfer was essential for a number of reasons. It proved that manager Arsene Wenger was willing to spend money when the opportunity came. It also made Arsenal a major contender in the Premier League. For the following months after Ozil's arrival, the Gunners became the top team in the Premier League and seemingly never looked back.
