Champions!

This weekend marked the end of European football for this season. These were the champions of the major leagues:





Even though there are no more club games, soccer fans have the World Cup and transfers coming up. The first major confirmed transfer is David Villa for Barcelona. The team needs a striker after Ibrahimovic's poor season at the Camp Nou. There are many rumors for Fabregas, who said he is ready to return to Barcelona. Real Madrid are likely to hire Jose Mourinho. Transfer rumors include: Carlos Tevez, David Silva, and Maicon. In England, Manchester United and Arsenal want to spend the least amount of money possible. Manchester City and Chelsea are looking to sign many players, but there are no solid rumors yet.

I will be writing about the World Cup shortly, but today Spain's manager Vicente del Bosque announced his final 23-man squad. Spain are the World Cup favorites because of Euro 2008 and the squad. Here is the final list:

Goal Keepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), José Manuel Reina (Liverpool), Víctor Valdés (Barcelona).

Defense: Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Álvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Carlos Marchena (Valencia).

Midfield: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Xavi Hernández (Barcelona), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Cesc Fábregas (Arsenal), Javi Martínez (Athletic).

Strikers: Jesús Navas (Sevilla), David Silva (Valencia), Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Barcelona), Pedro Rodríguez (Barcelona), Fernando Llorente (Athletic).

Saint Messi

If you pull open the drawer of any hotel table, you will find a copy of the Bible. If you open to the index, you will find many devoted saints. You will find many, but not all. The most recent saint that has been performing miracles in recent years is Lionel Andres Messi. The young Argentine superstar is out of this world, and has shown to be talented enough to make the Bible at least a page longer. All over the world, the media can't stop acclaiming the recently baptized "Saint Messi". Forget about walking on water, what Messi does with a ball makes me wonder if he is God's second son. Behind his boyish face, there is a player filled with talent that spills from his left foot. It's not only talent that has paralyzed this world, but the character makes Messi even more unique.

Messi comes from a financially challenged family in the poorest part of Rosario, Argentina. What follows it thought to only happen in movies. At the age of twelve, his entire family was taken to Barcelona, so Messi could play in one of the greatest clubs in history, F.C. Barcelona. With the smell of old food around him, Messi signed his first contract on a napkin in the club's cafeteria. The club would finance the treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. What Messi was worth back then is not even a fraction to what another team would have to pay for his services. As time passed, Messi grew. He was taller, but there is no ruler to measure his growth as a player. What followed were record breaking seasons. Youngest player to play in Spain, youngest player to score, and youngest player to make you beg for more. In the 2006-2007 season, Messi exploded as a player. At the age of twenty, he was doing what no other veteran of the sport was able to do. This was only the beginning. Each year Messi was playing better. Maradona even called him his “successor”. Experts have tried to explain Messi’s in his early years, but words fail to complete the task. Successful? Talented? Out of this world? Not even close.

A hat-trick in the Santiago Bernabeu against archrivals Real Madrid, showed that Messi was a key piece to Barcelona’s squad. After Ronaldinho left Barcelona, Messi’s modern career started. He had the honor to carry the legendary number 10 on his back. Soccer history’s legends all wore number 10; just Pele and Maradona. Messi proved during the 2008-2009 season that he could be considered one of the greatest players in history. He wrote his name in capital letters for the history books to tell. Every minute he played was a spectacular show. He slid past players with ease; he dribbled with grace, and took shots with more power than a bolt of lightning. Even though last year was the best season Barcelona has ever had, Messi has been playing even better this season. How Messi could improve as a player is a secret that keeps God thinking all night. He not only has his numbers to prove his talent, but watching Messi play is entertainment at its peak. With the World Cup coming up next month, and Messi playing like a biblical figure; Argentina can cruise to a third World Cup. And there is no doubt that Messi can give Argentina many World Cups considering his young age and talent.

Lionel Messi has been performing miracles that go beyond turning water into wine. Goal after goal; match after match; Messi has a smile on his face. He is a boy that can do the impossible with his sacred left foot. Being role model for many, Messi has never been involved in scandals of any sort. With the Argentinean media calling him “God dressed as a soccer player”, the Bible can make room for one more saint. I don’t know the criteria for a saint very well, but what more can we ask from this young all-star?

World Cup

I think that the most superb event is the FIFA World Cup. Every four years there is a World Cup. Every four years, most of the planet forgets about their lives to focus on the World Cup. The World Cup is soccer’s biggest event, which is the sport that is played the most throughout the world. It is very special because it is a tournament played by nations, not clubs. So everyone can forget their club shirt, and join every countryman around them, to support their national team. Every single match is exciting, from the start qualifiers to the last whistle in the final. Millions of people travel to the World Cup, and many more watch it from the comfort of their homes. Not only is it superb because of the sport that is played, it is also amazing because of the way it is organized. These matches are more exciting because every single match is very important, because there are very few games played. Most countries lose in the early stages, but having played at least three games against the world’s best nations is a unique experience.

Why is Barcelona not the same as last year?

Every single person that has been watching La Liga BBVA lately has been asking themselves, why is Barcelona not the same as last year? The team has the same players except for Ibrahimovic who was very successful in Italy. They have about the same number of points they had last year in this point of the tournament. They share first place with Real Madrid, but the people are not convinced, and there are many explanations for what is happening.

Barcelona won every single tournament it competed in. The team had a beautiful passing game, and everyone will agree they were the best team last year. This is one of the reasons why Barcelona can't play like last year. Every single team they play against is very well prepared and cautious. Teams that play against Barcelona prepare harder this year than they did last year. Now that they know what Barcelona does, and how they do it; other teams are able to plan well, and play better. The perfect example is this weekend's match against Almeria which ended in a 2-2 draw that cost Barcelona the top spot. Almeria played very defensive, with fast players that could counter-attack. While Barcelona had the most possession and opportunities, Almeria defended very well, and took advantage of their counter-attack opportunities. Basically, teams are more prepared and play better against Barcelona, like Atletico Madrid who beat the Blaugranas 2-1.

Apart from the other teams damaging Barcelona's game, there is a noticeable difference in the squad. The defense has been having problems with constant injuries. Dani Alves and now Abidal, have made the wings vulnerable to counter-attacks. In the midfield, Keita has been injured for a long time and Busquetes isn't the same. While Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi are still playing very well, there are two key players who made a huge difference last year; Henry and Eto'o. More than half of Barcelona's goals last year came from Henry, Eto'o, and Messi. Barcelona lost two of three. Eto was swapped for Ibrahimovic who has been having problems adjusting to the squad. Henry is aging, and his game has been dwindling. He hasn't made many appearances or goals this season. Barcelona needs to recover these players or replace them in the next transfer season. Pedro has been a strong replacement for Henry, but there will never be a player like the Frenchman.

Another reason Barcelona is not the same as last year is because Barcelona is Barcelona. I know it sounds confusing, but it's true. Because of the team's achievements, everyone is expecting great things from them. If Barcelona wins 2-0, the team played horribly. Since everyone expects that Barcelona will win each match by more than three goals, many wins aren't appreciated. The team might also seem to be playing worse because of the league table. This year they have only one point less than what they had last year. The difference is Real Madrid have been having an extraordinary season. Since Barcelona aren't dominating La Liga, people think they are playing very bad. Even though the team isn't play like last year, the team is still one of the best. They have only lost one league game in the entire season. They are in the second round of the UEFA Champion's League. The team can definitely win La Liga and Champion's League. The squad problems can easily be solved in the transfer season, with numerous rumors for Fabregas, Villa and Rooney. After what Barca did last year, how can anyone expect them to it all again the next year?

Barcelona Surprise and Robben Glory

This week's first semi-final of the Champion's League brought a huge surprise. Barcelona was humiliated by Inter 3-1. Meanwhile, Arjen Robben scored again for Bayern Munich to beat Lyon 1-0 in the Aliianz Arena. At this point, nobody knows what is going to happen in the Champion's League. Most people thought Barcelona could win the cup again, but Inter and Robben created doubts.

The match between Barcelona and Inter was also a match between Ibrahimovic and Eto because they were both playing for their old clubs. Neither of them did very well, but Ibrahimovic did worse. Ibrahimovic has been having a poor season, and I think that Guardiola regrets trading Eto for Ibrahimovic. Even though Barcelona went ahead, the failed to stop Sneijder who scored one goal and set up another. Barcelona still has a strong chance of moving on, but Inter is a very tough team, and they have to score at least two goals.

The other match between Bayern Munich and Lyon belonged to Robben. Ribery received a red card at the start of the match. Apart from being in a poor form, Ribery might go to jail for a sex scandal with a minor. Meanwhile, Arjen Robben has been playing very well, and has scored Bayern's most important goals this season. He is in excellent form and has many expectations for the World Cup.

Real Madrid regret selling Robben and Wesley Sneijder because they were both able to achieve what Real Madrid failed to do this season, reach the Champion's League semi final, score against Barcelona, and score against Lyon. Maybe the millions of Euros Real Madrid invested actually made the squad worse for the Champion's League? La Liga has been great for Real, but the Champion's was a disappointment.

This is also great news for Holland because their players are in a great form just before the World Cup. They also recovered Van Persie. Holland has a great team, and if the players keep playing like they are playing this way, I think that Holland can improve Johan Cruyff's golden age, and bring the Cup to Holland for the first time.

New Leaders in England and Spain

This weekend, no leader of the major European leagues was able to add three points to their total. Barcelona now shares first place with Real Madrid. Bayern Munich was saved by Nurnberg. Inter couldn't take advantage of Milan's draw. Arsenal were leaders for a couple of hours, but Scholes took United to the very top. At this point, nobody can predict what is going to happen.

In Germany, Bayern tied with FC Koln 1-1. With this result, Bayer Leverkusen was only three points away from the top, but for the first time in the entire reason, Leverkusen lost. The only team to accomplish this feat is FC Nuremberg, who managed to win 3-2. The table in Germany now has Bayern, Bayer, and Shalke 04 in the title run. There is only a difference of three points between the first team and the third.

In Italy, there was a match that promised, Milan vs. Roma. The perfect match for Inter because the teams in third and second were going to play each other. Clearly, Milan had many more opportunities, but they were unable to score. The match ended in a 0-0 which brought smiles to Inter fans all over the world. Inter faced Genoa at the Giuseppe Meazza. The match ended in a goalless draw, 0-0. Inter lost their chance to extend their lead over Milan which is still four points. (See full table here).

In England, Arsenal played Burnley and won 3-1. This result made the Gunners reach the top, but it cost them Fabregas; who was injured and will miss tomorrow's game against Porto at the Emirates. Arsenal was in first place because Chelsea was playing Stoke City for the FA Cup quarter final and won 2-0. Manchester United played Wolverhampton after Arsenal's game. It seemed the Gunners would keep first place, but Paul Scholes gave United three points with the match's only goal; 1-0. The table's first three positions remains very tight. Even though there are only three candidates to win the league, there are three teams fighting to take fourth place to be able to play the UEFA Champion's league. Manchester City, Totenham, and Liverpool are very close in the fight for fourth place. Liverpool lost 1-0 with a goal from the Colombian player Hugo Rodallega.

In Spain, Real Madrid shares the top with Barcelona. Barcelona who haven't been playing very well in the past few games, managed to tie with Almeria in a forgettable match for the Catalans. Messi scored 2, tying the match on both occasions. Real Madrid had a tough match against Sevilla in the Bernabeu. At first, it seemed the Merengues were going to lose their first home game this season, but Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and Van der Vart turned the score around. Real had 31 shots, and deserved the win which was 3-2 with a very late goal by substitute Van der Vart. With these results, Real Madrid is back on top, and Barcelona goes to second because of goal difference. The match at the Bernabeu between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be very important, not only because of the points, but because it could decide La Liga. If there is a tie at the end of the season, the champion is decided by the two matches they played. Right now, Barcelona would be the champion because of their victory at the Camp Nou, but anything can happen.

Internation Friendlies

Today and yesterday we had international friendlies in preparation for the World Cup in South Africa. There were many promising matches all over the world. One of the most interesting matches was Spain-France, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Spain. Spain is the favorite in the World Cup, and they are still playing at an excellent level. France has great players, but the team doesn't play very well. In my personal opinion, I think that the manager should be sacked. It is unbelievable that a team with such great players plays so bad.

Speaking of a team with great players, and playing horribly is Argentina. Even though they were able to beat Germany 1-0, they still don't convince me. The fact that they almost couldn't qualify for the World Cup with such great players makes me doubt Maradona's ability as a manager. Argentina has Messi, Tevez, Higuain, Riquelme, and many other all-stars. With a good manager, Argentina can win the World Cup. With Maradona, the team doesn't play like it should. I think they beat Germany because of the player's talent, not Maradona's decisions.

England defeated Egypt 3-1. England has proved to be a strong candidate to win the World Cup with Capello leading the team. The players are playing very well together, and are getting results. The engine in the team is Wayne Rooney, who is one of the best in the world. England can go very far in the World Cup if they keep playing like they are playing right now.

Other teams that are candidates to win the World Cup are Brazil and Holland.They both defeated good teams. Brazil defeated Ireland 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium with an incredible goal from Robinho. Brazil's second goal can only be done by Brazilians, every day the team impresses me even more. Holland defeated USA 2-1.USA has already proved that they are a strong team after reaching the Confederations Cup Final. Holland has a great team, but they still don't reach the final level in their game.