From the outside everything about Spanish football is dominated by Barcelona and Real Madrid. This fact is backed up by the Championship records over the years, but followers of the game in Spain are only too well aware of the other quality teams in the league. It is almost ten years since Valencia dared to
Los Merengues face a season defining week starting from tonight. Three very important matches today, on Saturday and next week Tuesday are must wins if they stand any chance of claiming at least one title this campaign. One could argue that the Spanish League is a foregone conclusion given Barcelona’s healthy lead over their most
Getting the nation fit and active is a huge challenge. Sports leagues are a great way to do this, and one of the most popular sports is, unsurprisingly, football. Football is the worlds most popular sport with an enormous worldwide audience, as a result there’s a huge amount of money in the beautiful game. But
No soccer team can ever dream of doing well without a reliable goalkeeper. The goalkeeper forms the last line of a team’s defense. It is such a key position that it plays a crucial role in determining the result of a match. For instance, a team that is doing poorly in defense and is not
It is ten years since Real Sociedad missed out on La Liga by two points as the potent strike-force of Nihat Kavheci and Darko Kovacevic hit a combined tally of 43 goals to lead them to a runners-up spot. Xabi Alonso, the World Cup winner now with Real Madrid, won the Don Balon for 2003
30th January 2013. The Santiago Bernabeu. El Clasico - the biggest headline-grabbing fixture on the world football calendar. Barca are already leading 0-1. Lionel Messi has just played Francesc Fabregas in behind the Real Madrid defence. Fabregas is 1-on-1 with Diego Lopez. The Catalan shapes to shoot… Does he score to make it 0-2? Long
Robbie Rogers is not the most recognisable name in football but after he revealed his retirement from the sport aged 25 on Friday, he has suddenly become familiar with supporters across the world. Rogers was most recently turning out for League One Stevenage on loan after being released from Leeds United in January, a series
It was back in September when Cesc Fabregas went public with his dissatisfaction over a bit-part role he was assuming under Tito Vilanova. It was five games into the season and the midfielder had completed none, he was given just seven minutes against Real Madrid over the two legs of the Spanish Super Cup and
In recent years the outstanding right back in European football has been Daniel Alves. Since his move from Sevilla to Barcelona in 2008 he has won 14 major honours and has been an integral part of the club’s success. However, for the majority of last season and much of this his form has been somewhat
It is a big week for the teams of the Spanish capital of Madrid as Real prepare for their mammoth Champions League tie with Manchester United while Atletico continue their defence of the Europa League against Rubin Kazan. Neighbours Rayo Vallecano however, will have to wait until Sunday for their big trip to the Bernabeau
Considered as the king of thrill and excitement, football has always been one of the most popular among all games. Almost all the countries of the world welcome football with a lot of enthusiasm and passion. Apart from skill and techniques one of the most important things which is indeed the lifeblood of football is
There were few surprises when Spain retained the European Championship this summer but one player, not as well known, really stood out. Jordi Alba, who had signed for Barcelona prior to the tournament, put in some stunning displays during the early rounds and confirmed his growing reputation by scoring one and assisting another in the
Lionel Messi has signed a new contract with Barcelona. The Argentine penned a two year extension with the Catalan giants and is contracted to the club until 2018. “I’m very happy at Barcelona, I have always said so. It’s a great day…I don’t know how I will be when I reach 31. I just go
Every sport has unique benefits, and soccer is no exception. It’s more than just a great cardio workout with balance and foot-eye coordination exercises. It also has many additional benefits that you might be unaware of. Football naturally has a semi-circuit setup with bouts of walking, running and jogging which helps keep the body guessing
On Monday, Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, announced the results of an 18 month inquiry of match-fixing in football to a reaction of immense shock throughout the game. They revealed that a total of 680 matches across the world were fixed, including a Champions League tie that had been played in
Last month the Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes announced that he would not be renewing his contract with the club that ends in June 2014. He has been the first choice goalkeeper since 2003/4 and has won a staggering 19 titles with his beloved Barcelona. There has been a fairly mixed reaction to the news that
Booing is an issue which divides supporters of the same club let alone within the same country, and one that came into focus over the weekend. Some fans say ‘You make your choice, you pay your money, you can do what you like’, but when booing works against your side and consistently costs them points,
If you are looking for something to do at the weekend, a ticket to a local football game could well be top of your list. However, if you are looking for sporting excitement that you can enjoy during the week without having to take time off work or travel to a packed stadium, you may
On Sunday, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 3 v Getafe at midday. Hours later, Leo Messi went one better, scoring a quartet of goals against Osasuna in a 5-1 win. With 7 goals between them, this has set up one of the most exhilarating Clasicos of all time. Real Madrid have taken the CDR seriously especially after
The furore surrounding Real Madrid’s manager Jose Mourinho has reached boiling point over the last six weeks. With the reigning champions falling further behind league leaders Barcelona and the relegation of club captain Iker Casillas to the bench the Portuguese leader’s time at the Spanish capital looks to be coming to an end. It is
Football players do not only need physical fitness, powerful technique and perfect mental ability, but they also need to develop psycho-motor skills. This means that they need to improve their concentration abilities, multitasking, space orientation, the ability to comprehend, and enhancing memory capacity and so on. Barcelona’s midfielder, Xavi Hernandez has stated in an interview
Arsenal are reportedly moving closer to signing Spanish striker, Adrian Lopez, from Atletico Madrid in a deal that could see boss, Arsene Wenger, finally spend some of the cash he has been hoarding over the past six months. The Gunners are in severe need of firepower after their summer signings, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud,
Here we are with another transfer window, and once again Arsenal are being linked with almost every striker in the market. Today we’ll be focusing on Barcelona’s striker David Villa. The Spanish all-time top scorer has been linked lately with a move to the Emirates stadium. It’s no surprise that Villa is looking for first
The Ballon d’Or awards were announced on Monday and it proved to be a clean sweep for Spanish football; Lionel Messi lifted his fourth player of the year award in succession, Vicente Del Bosque was named coach of the year and the team of the year were all based in the Primera Division. It is
Over the years, many gaming companies have tried to cash in on the most popular sport in the world, football, and make a game that makes the player feel like he’s right there in the thick of the action. This has been attempted in many ways, from manager simulations to games where you control the