Without a doubt, Lionel Messi is the most decorated soccer player on Earth. However, after his team, Paris Saint-Germaine was eliminated by German side Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, the Argentinian took most of the blame.
Anytime that the idea of best player in the world is brought up the list starts and ends with two names - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. When looking at 2014, picking the top player between Messi and Ronaldo seems like a futile and uninteresting task. So instead, Latin Post.com's David Salazar and Edwin Molina, as part of our Best of Soccer in 2014 feature series, are looking at players not named Ronaldo or Messi, who deserve some credit in 2014.
There are hundreds of soccer games a year and it is virtually impossible to truly catch every single one. In a shocking turn of events both writers David Salazar and Edwin Molina picked the same game as the standout to kick off this year's "Best in Soccer" feature series. Here are their takes on the same event.
Manchester City, playing without Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and English Premier League (EPL) leading scorer Sergio Aguero, managed to defy the odds, defeating Series A club AS Roma to advance to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Luis Suarez helped Barcelona beat PSG with an assist to Lionel Messi -- scoring his 75th career Champions League, three ahead of Cristiano Ronald on the all-time scorers list -- and scoring his first goal with the Catalan club since his transfer from Liverpool.
Cristiano Ronaldo passed Raul on the UEFA Champions League all-time scorers league as he tries to catch Lionel Messi who currently holds the record. Meanwhile, Liverpool failed to qualify into the Round of 16 of the tournament, eliminated by FC Basel after 1-1 at Anfield.
After scoring a hat-trick to break Spain's La Liga all-time scoring record against Sevilla over the weekend, Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick on Wednesday against Cyrus champion APOEL FC on Tuesday to surpass Raul's all-time scorers record in UEFA Champions League history.
English Premier League (EPL) Chelsea added to Liverpool's woes, defeating them 2-1 on Sunday while Sergio Aguero had to play the role to eke out a draw against QPR. Meanwhile, Southampton continues their surprise running, going into the international break in second place in the EPL, four points behind Chelsea.
Lionel Messi made history when he scored his 70th and 71st career UEFA Champions League goals helping Barcelona beat Ajax Amsterdam 2-0, helping the Spanish club advance into the Round of 16. Barcelona will be joined by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, Ligue 1 champs Paris Saint-Germain and Primeira Liga club Porto in the next phase of the tournament.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who is one goal away from tying Raul's record for most career in UEFA Champions League competition, failed to score on Tuesday but came away with a victory at home against English Premier League (EPL) club Liverpool while Juventus' Andrea Pirlo scored in his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance helping the Serie A champions get by Olympiakos with a 2-1 victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo's amazing goal against Liverpool puts him one away from tying Raul for the UEFA Champions League career goals record, Olympiakos shocks Italian Serie A champions Juventus and Borussia Dortmund rolls to their third win in a row rolling over Galatasaray.
Forty goals were scored on Tuesday, a record for an eight-game night of UEFA Champions League's action that saw Shakhtar Donetsk' Luiz Adriano tie Lionel Messi's record for most goals in a game while Messi got closer to Raul's Champions League career record.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to face up in a few weeks in what will be one of the most hotly anticipated games of the 2014-15 season. Both sides seem to be finding their identity and nowhere is this more important than on defense. Which side possesses the better defense?
With concerns over how concussions were handled in the 2014 World Cup, the English Premier League (EPL), UEFA, and FIFA are implementing new protocols over how to handle head injuries.
Brazilian legend Ronaldinho signs with Queretaro of Liga MX and is met with both open arms and a racial slur by a former Mexican politician, Seattle Sounders clinch MLS Playoff berth and aim for the Supporters Shield, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber is interested in replay challenges for the league.
