Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton says that Spain captain Iker Casillas can break his record for World Cup clean sheets this year. Shilton, who also holds the record for number of England caps at 125, kept 10 clean sheets in his World Cup career and is tied for the record with France's Fabien Barthez. Spain's captain Casillas currently has 7 shutouts, but could potentially play in another 7 games if he makes it to his second consecutive World Cup Final in Brazil this year. "Personally I hope he doesn't break it!" Shilton said. "It is possible for him to get the record but I hope he … [Read more...]
Infographic: England’s Road Through The Group Stages
England face Italy on Saturday night in the jungle city of Manaus, which will look and feel like a very close encounter, not least because of the humidity! Apart from the stifling conditions and dodgy playing surface, what else do we know about the Arena Amazonia and England's other World Cup venues? Thanks to this handy infographic below from Hertz, you can find out all the details about each stadium Roy Hodgson's men will be representing the Three Lions in, so you can follow England in Brazil this summer. And, if you dare to dream, the graphic also shows England's potential route to the … [Read more...]
World Cup Group B Team Profile – Netherlands
In what will be a repeat of the 2010 World Cup Final, Spain face the Netherlands in their opening Group B game, with the 'Oranje' looking to exact revenge for the 1-0 defeat four years ago. After failure at Euro 2012, will the Dutch be able to hold Spain to a draw over 90 minutes again, or steam through the group like they did in qualifying? … [Read more...]
Promoted Eibar closer to relegation than La Liga
After beating local rivals Deportivo Alaves on Sunday evening, SD Eibar were promoted to La Liga following Las Palmas' defeat to Recreativo Huelva. The tiny club from the Basque Country has never featured in the top division against the likes of Barcelona, Real and Atletico Madrid in their 74 year history, but due to an absurd technicality, could be forced to wait even longer for their time at the top. Due to no fault of their own, the Basques could even find themselves demoted to the Segunda Division B if the rules stand. It is a rule which has sparked mass interest in Spain and across … [Read more...]
Champions League Final Preview
On the back of a historic week, Atletico Madrid must mount one final surge to cap off a season which has defied all expectations. Having won the La Liga title just seven days ago, Diego Simeone will lead his side out in a Champions League final against city rivals Real Madrid, who are gunning for their tenth European Cup. … [Read more...]
Five things we learnt about Spain at the Euros
If you haven't been living under a rock for the past twenty four hours you'd be aware of the fact that Spain have once again been crowned champions of Europe after an awe-inspiring 4-0 victory over Italy in last night's Euro 2012 final. In spite of arduous comments from the media that their 'Tiki-Taka' style of football had become boring, La Roja silenced their critics once again by retaining their European Championship under the lights of Kiev's Olympic stadium with a quite dazzling display of football. Here's five important things we learned about Spain after the successful defence of their … [Read more...]
The top 10 La Liga players of the 21st century
In football terms, few would argue that the 21st century has so far belonged to Spain. The national side has risen from the ranks of perennial under-achievers to become undeniably the dominant force in the international game, winning the European Championship and World Cup tournaments in succession. European football fans have drooled over the sublime technical skills of Spanish clubs featuring stellar line-ups of home-grown talent mixed with modern greats of the game. Catalan giants FC Barcelona developed a side which has not only won every possible major honour in club football, but they've … [Read more...]
My Spanish 2012 Olympics Squad
Tickets may not have completely sold out for the Olympic Football event, but once the hype gears into full throttle then you can be sure to see queues from as far away as Cristiano Ronaldo believes he can score from. Accumulating players from 4 countries is no easy feat and a draft of nearly 200 players have been murmured so it's unsurprising for us Brits to be perplexed as to what will materialise come August without a known squad as yet. Spain don't have to deal with that dilemma, and with their Under 21 squad winning the European Championships last year, the country … [Read more...]
The magic of the Copa alive and kicking in Spain
With the recent trend of top sides putting out weakened teams for their domestic cup competition, an act claimed to be devaluing the prize and taking away that cup magic. It couldn't be more different in Spain where last year’s Copa del Rey final was fiercely fought in Valencia's Mestalla stadium by the giants of Spanish football Barcelona and Real Madrid. Fuelled by Jose Mourinho’s desire to wrestle some trophies away from Pep Guardiola’s Barca, who it seems just want to win every prize put in front of them, a new found competitiveness had revitalised the Copa del Rey. … [Read more...]
The top 10 Spanish football players of all time
While England has always laid claim to being the home of football, in the last few years the beautiful game has definitely taken a holiday home in sunny Spain. The two countries' footballing histories have a lot in common. Great league and cup competitions, big-spending clubs, world-renound players, and one glorious international tournament triumph followed by years of expectation and disappointment – that is until recently. During the last five years, Spanish football has truly made its mark on the game. The current period belongs, and will forever belong, to Spain. The international side … [Read more...]