Madrid are on top form at the moment, two 5-0 wins in La Liga either side of the international break mean they are closing in on Barca who are in top spot. Carlo Ancelotti’s men strolled to victory against Levante. Another brace from Ronaldo takes his tally for La Liga this season to 15 goals, an incredible start which is almost unimaginable in the modern game. … [Read more...]
10 of the best Messi moments from his Barca decade
Lionel Messi celebrates 10 years since making his full Barcelona debut this week, having broken all sorts of records in the decade in between. His career has been littered with trophies, goals, scintillating play and the occasional bit of heartbreak. However, here are 10 of the moments that stand out most of all. Debut vs Espanyol The world was shown its first glimpse of Messi on this day ten years ago, when the 17-year-old was sent on by Frank Rijkaard in the La Liga game against Espanyol. Messi had come a long way to make his debut, despite becoming the youngest Barca player to appear in La … [Read more...]
The Irish-Spaniard
Who is the only Irish manager to manager successfully in Spain? That man is Patrick O’Connell, also known as Patricio O’Connell, who managed successfully at both Real Betis and FC Barcelona. But, who was he? Where did he make his name? Patrick O’Connell was born on the 8th of March 1887 in Westmeath, Ireland, playing the position of wing half. His playing career included playing for: Belfast Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City and Manchester United. As an Irish International, his honours include captaining Ireland to the British Home Championship in 1914. … [Read more...]
Are Valencia back?
After a hugely disrupted season which ended with two managerial changes, an eighth place finish in La Liga, missing out on European football and losing key players in the summer transfer window, no one had really expected Valencia to achieve much this season. Despite all this, the club currently sit 2nd in the Primera Division winning five of their seven league games and have yet to taste defeat. Last seasons’ struggles, both on and off the field, seem a thing of the past after Peter Lim bought a 70% stake in Los Che in August. New manager Nuno Espirito Santo came in relatively unknown to … [Read more...]
La Liga team of the week
Valencia were arguably the biggest winners of the round as they held on bravely for all three points in Saturday’s big La liga game against the champions, Atletico Madrid at Mestalla. Goalkeeper Diego Alves was surely responsible for keeping Los Che in contention for maximum points. The Brazilian time and again rose to the occasion to make crucial saves, including a penalty just before half-time that stopped Atleti from going into the break trailing by just a single goal (they were trailing by 3 goals after 13 minutes). … [Read more...]