Around La Liga 8.16

Valencian Community:
Valencia: after threatening to report Malaga for lack of payment on the sale of Isco, the deal has been consummated and have received the 8 million euros. Juan Bernat, one of the pearls of the youth system, has been renewed until 2015 to avoid another Isco situation.

Villarreal: Malaga have confirmed that the 19 million euros they paid for Santi Cazorla have been transferred. There was speculation that either Villarreal or Valencia would report Malaga for lack of payment.

Levante: the economic crisis has hit Levante hard over the past year. Season ticket sales are down by almost 10% from 9,200. In comparison, neighbors Valencia have seen a 7% loss in the same span.

Andalusia: 
Real Betis: Achile Emaná has signed a four year deal with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal for an undisclosed sum.

Sevilla: Rodrigo Rios, Rodri, has signed for FC Barcelona for 1.5 million euros and will join La Masia on a four year contract. He has a buy-back clause of 10 million euros and Sevilla have first rights to rebuy.

Malaga: could Wesley Sneijder join Malaga instead of clubs in England? Gazzetta.it reported it a few days ago. He fits the sort of player that Malaga have gone for recently.

Granada: 29 year old central-midfielder Jorge Ribeiro, brother of ex-Atléti midfielder and current Sporting Lisbon midfielder Maniche, joins Los Cármenes.

Madrid: 
Atletico de Madrid: it is looking more than likely that club will sell Diego Forlán to Inter Milan and use that money to buy Pablo Daniel Osvaldo from Espanyol but only if they have already signed Radamel Falcao García from FC Porto? Something does not add up here.

Real Madrid: Neymar has said that it would be fine to sign for either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Finally he´s learned. Get the two clubs in a bidding war and sign for the winner.

Getafe: South African defender Tsepo Masilela, who was set to join Leicester City on-loan from Maccabi Haifa in Israel, has instead signed with Getafe.

Rayo Vallecano: Arsenal defender Pedro Botelho has gone out on a season long loan move to Rayo. Rayo President Martín-Presa has dispelled rumors that José Ramón Sandoval, four players and his Sporting Director would not be fired for refusal to take a 70% drop in pay.

Asturias:
Sporting de Gijon: 24 year old defender Javi Ponces has decided to quit football. ¨The more you know about football the more you realise it is all about money, that it is rotten and this takes away your enthusiasm. What point is there is earning 800 or 1000 euros if you know that you are obtaining it through the suffering of many people."

Cantabria: 
Racing Santander: in a sell-first, then buy transfer strategy, the Cantabrians under Hector Cuper are looking at a few players. Reggina forward Cristian Stuani who spent last year on-loan at Levante and former Racing midfielder Antonio Tomas.


Pais Vasco: 
Athletic Bilbao: thinking that a Spanish holiday in Bilbao looking for a top-quality forward would come on the cheap, Harry Redknapp have looked at Fernando Llorente. Athletic however do not need to sell, they are in solid financial footing and if Real Madrid couldn´t prise him away from San Mamés, Spurs are going to? Even if they could reach his valuation and any club that Daniel Levy runs is always going to try to get players on the cheap.

Real Sociedad: Arsenal forward Carlos Vela has signed with La Real for one-year on-loan as the Mexican forward struggles to get his career back on track.

Navarra:
Osasuna:  Raúl García of Atlético Madrid will play, on-loan at Osasuna this year.

Aragon: 
Real Zaragoza:  Fernando Meira leaves Zenit for Real Zaragoza. Mexican forward Pablo Barrera is also an option from West Ham.

Catalunya:
Barcelona:  Cesc Fabregas finally signs with Barcelona. Arsenal apparently have first rights to buy him back if Barcelona grow tired of him?

Espanyol: Osvaldo to Rooma? Osvaldo to Atléti? Who cares. With Haedo Valdes gone to Russia, who do we buy if Osvaldo leaves who is of equal quality? Poor decisions continue at my beloved club.

Mallorca:  
Real Mallorca: Canadian midfielder Jonathan de Guzman looks headed for Villarreal.

Around La Liga: 7.22

Valencian Community:
Valencia:the club have stated publicly that they count on Juan Mata. The player expects to be at Valencia or so he says. Then why did the club omit him from a local advertising campaign to boost sales?

Villarreal: Capdevila heads over to Benfica for two years. Unwanted Jozy Altidore moves to AZ Alkmaar. Cazorla may yet be leaving, but the renewal is constant at El Madrigal: Camuñas comes from Osasuna and Cristian Zapata from Udinese? The best run club in Spain continues to show others how to run a football club.

Levante: the inevitable, annual purge continues: forward Felipe Caicedo, the Ecuadorian sensation who helped Valencia´s other club survive in his first year at the Estadi Ciutat, but if the club exercises a 1 million euro option to buy from his former employers Manchester City and then sells for 10 times that amount to Lokomotiv in Russia, then how do you say no to that?

Andalusia: 
Real Betis: central defender Antonio Amaya, who grew up in the Rayo Vallecano system and spent the last two seasons under contract at Wigan in England but failed to make even a single league appearance, has joined Real Betis in a three year contract after helping his former club Rayo Vallecano on-loan last year in their return to La Liga. Maybe he´ll even get paid this year.

Sevilla: after the disappointment of seeing Diego Capel leave the Sanchez-Pizjuan we were wondering if Marcelino García Toral and his sporting director Monchi would deal another player in, and it looks like 20 year old striker Hiroshi Ibusuki who played at Sabadell on-loan from Girona will fit nicely. He´s a tall-elegant striker and factors in as an emerging international. He´s tall and can handle the aerial game, but prefers the ball at his feet. The club are still in the hunt for Giovanni Dos Santos, but are looking at Koran midfielder Chu-Young Park from Monaco if that deal falls through.

Malaga: 18 million euros for Santi Cazorla from Villarreal? The way that Fernando Roig does business, it is always in their best interest to sell a player, especially when the price is inflated. Santi is certainly a great player and a champion nonetheless, but for 18 million euros you could buy a higher quality winger. I think this deal gets done.

Granada: Odion Jude Ighalo, the hero of last year´s promotion at Granada CF, will continue to wear the red and white kit of Granada after the Andalusían club came to an agreement with his Italian owners Udinese Calcio to remain another year at the Alhambra. Great to have a partner in Serie A who will let their players train and practice their technical skills in the Spanish league and then leave for Serie A when ready. Is there any wonder that Udinese have created something special at the Stadio Friuli?

Madrid: 
Atletico de Madrid: we can talk about players, that Kun Aguero may or may not be leaving for Manchester City or Tiago signing again at Atléti, but I think the greatest Atéti story of the week if not ever is the prospect of them being sponsored by internet dating/whoring site Ashley Madison. I think it´s a good thing. No one´s going to mock them, are we?

Real Madrid: the clouds are shifting, the Eye of Mordor is receding, and the skies over Los Angeles, well they continue to be covered in a veritable soup of noxious fumes, but at least Real Madrid are leaving. Maybe this site can actually breathe a little over the din of giddy madridismo. Other than that, the expected has come true, Zinedine Zidane is mainly Florentino Perez´s man-servant, as Jose Mourinho becomes head of Sporting Endeavors at Real Madrid. 

Getafe: Real Madrid´s answer to the Dalai-Lama, Pedro León, will likely make a move to Getafe Dubai Club, formerly known as the place where all great Real Madrid Castilla players go before getting a big contract elsewhere.

Rayo Vallecano: are Rayo planning a loan-move for Liverpool´s Spanish midfielder Dani Pacheco? Unless the Reds are going to pay his wages, how does that make sense for a club at the mercy of the Ley Concursal? Spainish football. Gotta love it.

Asturias:
Sporting de Gijon: forward David Barrál has extended his contract at El Molinón until June of 2015 with an optional year after that.

Cantabria: 
Racing Santander: the club have regained their ability to sign players on the transfer market after a Cantabrian judge lifted the ban that had been in place. Matías Gimenez of Boca Juniors is a likely target then.


Pais Vasco: 
Athletic Bilbao: the club have continued their new project under new President Josu Urrutia and new coach Marcelo Bielsa with a new philosophy, less direct and more ball-control, with high-energy defensive pressure. The long and sometimes incomprehensible pressers continue for El Loco. I can hardly wait for the season to start.  

Real Sociedad: La Real are in no rush to sell Griezmann to Atletico Madrid, but it looks about done that Raúl Tamudo, who was out a mere two months ago from Anoeta, may return.

Navarra:
Osasuna: te club have sold Nacho Monreal for 6 million euros to Málaga and now Javier Camuñas to Villarreal for 2.3 million euros. Celta Vigo´s Roberto Lago and Villarreal´s Jose Catalá were options at left-back at first, but the more likely option is for Fran Merida of Atlético Madrid or Salzburg´s attacking winger Johan Vonlanthen.

Aragon: 
Real Zaragoza: Mexican  coach Javier Aguirre was looking at bringing in countryman Pablo Barrera from West Ham´s but he looks to be going to Spartak of Moscow. Bruno Gama from Rio Ave of Portugal is the next signing, the fifth if you consider they brought in youth-team players from FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, for a club in bankruptcy.  

Catalunya:
Barcelona: after my self-imposed football holiday, I returned to find that Alexis Sanchez still hadn´t signed for the blaugrana. Well, now they have and Bojan, who was waiting for that to happen before accepting AS Roma´s bid officially, has gone. So what are we still waiting on? The rumor that would not go away is still on  the clock after years and years of mischief making. Bring on Cesc and let me enjoy the rest of my Summer holidays. Please

Espanyol: there´s a great piece on Dani Osvaldo in the Mundo Vomitivo today. Some highlights? We find out he´s an intellectual, a gourmand, and a musicologist to boot. He loves classical literature, poetry, art, and fashion. Guess I found my new bromance.  

Mallorca:  
Real Mallorca: Real Betis central defender Chicho has signed for the mayorquinos.

Friends of Forza Futbol 6.30

On today's episode of Friends of Forza Futbol, we give a proper shout-out to all our friends who have been with us on the Forza Futbol Virtual Spanish Pub.

On the World Stage: 

• If you are looking for some great candid pics and great coverage of the Copa America, step on by Futbolita where our friend Ash has some very interesting shots of Mano's boys. You can see Robinho clowning around, Lucas Leiva on a horse (He's on a horse!) and Alexandre Pato clapping at Thiago Silva. Boy, he's special. 
• Over at Global Footbal Today, Alicia writes about the inflated worth of English Premier League players and why that came about. Some interesting points, especially about the effect that the Big 4 clubs in England have on pushing fees and salaries in England, and therefore effecting every other league in Europe, Neat domino effect. 
• Over at La Celeste Blog, the preparations for Uruguay's Copa America is covered. Just a note, La Celeste is one of the best blogs on Uruguay and its players; no better site to follow la celeste.
• At Vaishali's Blog, she reviews the last bits of the season, she mentions her television and radio work, and she puts us right there on her blog. She mentions her appearance on our show. Nice.

In Spain 

• At Glasgow Sports Analyst, our friend Kieran writes about Spain and their addiction to winning. How much has changed for La Roja in just three years. Perennial underachievers for many, many years, they changed their approach and are now winners up and down.
• For anyone looking for the best coverage of La Liga Adelante, our friend and colleague Arch Bell writes a column about Segunda for our sister site La Liga Weekly. For his year end Segunda Awards, try this link.
• At Spanishfootball.info, our friend Gary from MadridAtleticos writes an in depth look at David DeGea as he signs for Manchester United. The Cat in the Hat, as we call him here, will be a great addition at Old Trafford. 
• Just to give a little more traffic Gary's way, try that MadridAtleticos link if you want to read coverage of the restructuring of Atletico Madrid and a very good interview with Gil Marin from ElMundoDeportivo.
• As for news sites, there is no better site on Los Che, Valencia CF than our friend Kyle's Locos 4 Los Che site. For the latest transfer news and contract talks from Mestalla, turn your browsers here.
• Last but not least this week, is from one of our favorite blogs: Oooh Betis! from our favorite pepino Adam Boyle. Read Tap Dancing, about the headline that Sevilla's Sports Daily Estadio Deportivo wrote about the tap-water being shut off at Er Beti (i.e. no more signings until players can be sold). Fun stuff from Joe Meemo.

Forza Futbol 149: A Financial Mess

On today's episode of Forza Futbol, Elisa and Ravi are joined by resident legal correspondent Jose Antonio and they talk about SAD's, La Ley Concursal which relegates administration and bankruptcy for clubs in Spain, clubs going through that process as we speak and what it means for La Liga, plus they talk about the general legal and financial climate in Spain.

   

   
   
   

  

Around La Liga 06.07

Valencian Community:
Valencia: ex-Real Madrid midfielder Dani Parejo is about to be signed straight-away from the grasp of Getafe Club Dubai. Fun to say that. Are they going to change the Burger King logo by the way?

Villarreal: In a weird bit of musical chairs, ex-Valencia keeper Cesar Sanchez has signed with Villareal as Almeria's former keeper Diego Alves is taking up Cesar's role with Los Che. Does this mean that Villarreal's keeper Diego Lopez will replace De Gea at Atleti with the youngster finally travelling to Man Utd.? I'm tired just typing that.

Levante: a local businessman, Eduardo Jarque, has come forward with a proposition, acting as a mediary with funding coming from "English money", to buy Levante for 70 million euros and eliminate the 68 million euros in debt that saddles the club. He even wants to compete for Europe and tried in vain to contact former coach Luis Garcia-Plaza from accepting his deal with Getafe Dubai Club. Love saying that. 

Andalusia: 
Real Betis: with Ghanaian keeper Razak Brimah not continuing with Real Betis, the club are studying an offer for either Fabri who is owned by Real Valladolid but is playing his time with Recreativo Huelva and/or Keylor Navas who plays for Albacete.

Sevilla: Marcelino Garcia Toral was publicly unveiled as Sevilla FC's new coach and offered these words, "We have a duty to fight for Champions League qualification and to get third place in the Liga. We have a real chance to do it and we are optimistic."

Malaga: Joaquin, Valencia's right winger, has one year left on his contract with Los Che who are baulking at extending his deal. Malaga are keen on signing him but are negotiating the 7 million euro price-tag. He would prefer to stay but would like a better deal this late in his career.

Madrid: 
Atletico de Madrid: with the former Barcelona B coach Luis Enrique formally accepting the AS Roma job in Italy, the lead candidate to walk the plank at the Vicente Calderon is not Athletic Bilbao's Joaquin Caparros, but former Sevilla and Mallorca coach Gregorio Manzano. Manzano is a tough disciplinarian. I wonder who cracks first. This would be his secon term in charge at Atleti.

Real Madrid: how credible are the Kaka-maicon swap between los blancos and Inter Milan? At this part of the silly season nothing seems implausible. More likely is the Fabio Coentrao rumor from Benfica who are trying to inflate the transaction and Lassana Diarra stating the obvious that his future lies in England. A center-midfielder with few ball-skills and a penchant for dirty play? Perfect for the Premier League.

Getafe: Luis Garcia-Plaza is the hot-ticket item in La Liga. He took the lowest payroll into permanency for at least another year (the yo-yo is stalled) but now takes over at a club with a much higher payroll and higher profile. How successful will he be? He won't be able to hide any-more. His paymasters expect a spectacle now.

Rayo Vallecano: another Lass, this time promising striker Alhassane Bangoura Lass who plays for Rayo and made his debut for Jose Ramon Sandoval is in Real Madrid's sights, as he is for Udinese, Villarrealand Sevilla FC whose new coach Marcelino knows him very well as his son Sergio plays in the Rayo Vallecano youth team.

Asturias:
Sporting de Gijon: the Jose Angel signing is officially dead. Barcelona have opted instead for negotiating with Jose Enrique of Newcastle Utd. if the Daily Mail are to be believed. In the end I still think the player makes it to the Camp Nou. Clubs are inflating prices to cheat Barca. As well they should, but in the end when the transfer window looms I think they'll settle.

Cantabria: 
Racing Santander: the club have asked the regional government in Cantabria and their previous ownership group to step in if current head Ahsan Aly-Syed of WGA does not meet his financial commitments (13.5 million euros owed to players and a tax debt of 9 milllion euros). Racing are unable to take legal action against Ali. We've said it here before. This is no surprise.


Pais Vasco: 
Athletic Bilbao: if Caparros does leave Athletic, either to the unlikely choice of Atleti or to some other club willing to spring for such a higher rated coach, the Daily Mail in England have tipped Wigan coach Roberto Martinez to take over. If that isn't strange enough for you, former Barcelona forward Sparky Hughes who left Fulham FC in a tizzy would be the next likely candidate. Enough Premier League nonsense for you?

Real Sociedad:with French boss Philippe Montanier arriving at Anoeta, rumors are flying that David Trezeguet and former txuri-urdin midfilder Nihat Kahveci are likely to sign.

Navarra:
Osasuna: former Espanyol and most recently CD Tenerife defender Marc Bertran Vilanova has signed with Osasuna for three seasons.

Aragon: 
Real Zaragoza: Mexican  coach Javier Aguirre is looking at bringing in countryman Efren Juarez. The little used Celtic midfielder is a full international and could land for around 3.5 million euros.

Catalunya:
Barcelona: the rich get richer. The club have apparently come to terms with highly touted forward Chilean Alexis Sanchez for around 3 million euros. His current club Udinese have not yet agreed to the deal but it is looking more and a fait-accompli.

Espanyol: President Daniel Sánchez Llibre has stated that as of July 2nd, he will be stepping down. Vice-President Ramon Condal looks the likely candidate to take over.


Mallorca:  
Real Mallorca: Valencia coach Unai Emery has stated he needs a central defender and a left-back. Mallorca players Ivan Ramis and Gonzalo Castro are in the mix.

Coaching Carousel in Spain

It was always bound to be an interesting off-season for coaches in La Liga. Atletico Madrid head Quique-Sanchez Flores had been falling out with players and with club functionaries since practically the season started. All this for the coach that had brought the Europa League trophy to the Vicente Calderon. At Sevilla, Gregorio Manzano on the other hand was quite the square peg at a club full of round holes. Even at Athletic Bilbao there were rumblings that the club were looking towards other people to head the project despite Joaquin Caparros's masterful period there rivaling his stint as the architect of Sevilla's recent golden age of players. Presidential elections were also coming and candidates were sounding out potential replacements. There were some good rumors there: Caparros to Sevilla. Ernesto Valverde returning to coach Athletic where he played six years and Rafa Benitez taking over at Atleti. It all sounded right, but could anyone have realized the chaos that has ensued?

Besides the sure openings at Atleti and Sevilla, Almeria lost Jose Luis Oltra as they were sent down and Esteban Vigo was let go at Hercules in a desperate attempt to stave off relegation and his replacement Dukic was fired when they didn't. Depor lost their coach at the end of the season, and not to be outdone, Real Sociedad fired Martin Lasarte, Getafe fired Michel, Levante lost Luis Garcia and now Racing has lost Marcelino. Even Barcelona's B-squad were primed to lose Luis Enrique when La Liga Adelante stopped.

With so many openings and so many potential candidates flooding the market it is difficult to keep it all straight. Where were they all going to go? Who were the clubs going to offer the jobs to; hire a retread or bring in someone new? Here's a break-down.

Deportivo La Coruña: Jose Luis Oltra, who guided Tenerife to promotion before they were relegated in 2010, and then couldn't keep Almeria from relegation this year, has been hired as Miguel Angel Lotina's replacement and almost as quickly as Lotina handed in his resignation.

Sevilla: after being turned down by ex-Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa and the uncertain position of Caparros at Athletic, Del Nido quickly moved to put in Marcelino Garcia Toral from Racing. The club tried to negotiate with Racing but were turned down. Marcelino will be introduced on Monday after paying out the rest of his contract.

Getafe: Luis Garcia-Plaza took Levante to promotion and finished 14th with one of the lowest payrolls in the Primera. He will pay the Valencia side one million euros to leave for Getafe. Taking over a side with new Middle Eastern money, one of the most active youth-teams, and an historical "agreement" with neighbours Real Madrid to train their young-players on loan, Getafe are a much better bet for an ambitious young coach than at lowly yo-yo club Levante.

Real Sociedad: the Basque club had fostered some delusions of grandeur, looking towards Bielsa and Marseilles coach Deschamps, but instead have hired Philipe Montanier from French club Valenciennes and for 500,000 euros in compensation.

Levante: Paco Lopez was Levante's first choice to replace Garcia-Plaza but signed for FC Cartagena this past week instead. On the expanded list was former Cartagena coach Juan Ignacio Martínez, former Hercules coach Miroslav Djukic, Eusebio Sacristán who will instead take the Barcelona B position and ex-La Real coach Martín Lasarte.

Almeria: 30 year old Argentine coach Luis Zubeldia, who was the youngest coach ever (at 27) to take the reigns of a first division club in Argentina with Lanus, will now guide the Andalusians next year in Segunda.

Hercules: rather than hire a new coach, the club from Alicante have instead hired a new Sporting Director Sergio Fernandez who guided Real Murcia. The club have not made it official as of yet but it is pending. The club have stated that they will place a higher emphasis on their youth-team, foregoing foreign imports and the manager will be chosen directly by Fernandez.

Racing Santander: Martin Lasarte's name was mentioned for a time as the first name on the list to replace Marcelino if the Asturian ever left the club. Apparently that is still the case.

Atletico Madrid: apparently the colchoneros are looking at one of three names on very short list. Joaquin Caparros is first. He has done an excellent job at San Mames but is not as well liked as people outside the club seem to think. Luis Enrique, the former Barca B coach was set for AS Roma with Ivan de la Pena as his second, but he would prefer to stay in Spain especially if Atleti come calling. Gregorio Manzano is also in the mix as is Diego Simeone.

Even with all the openings, I am still left disappointed. The best and the brightest Spanish coaches, Rafa Benitez, Quique Sanchez-Flores and the like, those that wind up with no jobs after the SUmmer, should be practicing their game at big clubs in Spain. It is a shame that the league cannot afford them. Even so, next year will be an exciting time with all these new tacticians guiding new clubs in Spain.

Around La Liga 5.31

Valencian Community: 
Valencia: Vicente Guaita has extended his contract with the club until 2016. Whether that means that he will be a starter or will continue to backup Cesar for one more year is still to be determined.

Villarreal: Signed for 7 million euros from FC Twente in Holland last summer, the yellow submarine are interested in Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic from Werder Bremen. The troubled player has been in the news for brawling in public, criticizing the Bundesliga club openly and by claiming in an interview that he could love no woman in the world more than he loves football. Step aside Balotelli, we have a new winner.

Levante: coach Luis Garcia is trying desperately to get out of his contract with Levante, as newly rich Getafe Dubai Club have offered him a contract.

Andalusia: 

Real Betis: coach Pepe Mel has signed a three year contract extension with the club until the 2013-2014 season.
Sevilla: Racing coach Marcelino Garcia Toral has emerged as the number one candidate for the vacant Sevilla FC position. An offer is on the table, now the ball is in Racing´s court if they are going to retain the Asturian´s services.

Malaga: the club have apparently offered 35 million euros to sign Palermo playmaker Javier Pastore. Signing the Argentine ahead of every other one of his suitors would be a coup for the club´s Arab owners.



Madrid: 
Atletico de Madrid: It might be the dysfunctional management structure or the fact that he is a life-long madridista but Rafa Benitez has turned down the offer to become the next Atletico Madrid coach in wait for a better opportunity in England. Former colchonero icon Diego ¨El Cholo¨ Simeone is apparently still in the running as is Gregorio Manzano lately of Sevilla.

Real Madrid: there will be no move for Sergio ¨El Kun¨ Agüero. Atleti have remained firm in their desire not to sell to their rivals. It is doubtful that this is a Mourinho move as he has been adamant that he would like fellow countryman Fabio Coentrao in his defense.
Getafe: Michel will not continue as Getafe coach. The split is apparently amicable. Now the search for his replacement continues. Luis Garcia of Valencia is front-runner.
Rayo Vallecano: the community of Madrid have come out en-masse in support of Rayo Vallecano for their success in returning to the first division. An homage was given today, Tuesday, by the mayor and a group of city functionaries.

Galicia:
Deportivo La Coruna: replacing Miguel Angel Lotina will be Jose Luis Oltra, one of the only coaches with a worse record last season than Lotina.

Asturias:
Sporting de Gijon: negotiations between Sporting and FC Barcelona for  Sporting left-back Jose Angel have broken down completely apparently because negotiations were leaked to the press.

Cantabria: 
Racing Santander: with Marcelino headed for Sevilla on a one-year contract, former Hercules coach Esteban Vigo looks likely to spurn offers from Almería and Xerez and stay in the first division with Racing as his replacement.

Basque Country: 
Athletic Bilbao:  Presidential elections are crazy, but challenger Josu Urrutia does not count on Joaquín Caparros as his coach. Instead he has four names to sit on the bench at San Mamés: Andre Villas-Boas of Porto, Marseilles coach Didier Deschamps and former Barcelona coaches Frank Rijkaard and Louis Van Gaal.
Real Sociedad: Valenciennes coach Philippe Montanier has been offered the role to become the next coach at Anoeta and replace fired Uruguayan coach Martin Lasarte.

Navarra:
Osasuna: the Iranian duo of Javad Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei will continue at the Reyno de Navarra stadium.

Aragon: 
Real Zaragoza: coach Javier Aguirre has signed a contract extension with Real Zaragoza until 2012 with an option year on top.

Catalunya:
Barcelona: Villarreal forward Giuseppe Rossi and his agent are negotiating with the blaugrana, and his price-tag apparently is in the 20-30 million euro range. Pep Guardiola is still pushing for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas but the price-tag is too high.

Espanyol: AC Milan are apparently sending defender Didac Vilá. Fulham have offered a 10.5 million pound offer for striker Pablo Osvaldo which has been rejected. Espanyol want 17 million for the Italo-Argentine.

Mallorca:
Mallorca:  Cameroon striker Pierre Webo is likely to join a club in England, with West Brom, Newcastle and Sunderland as likely candidates.

Around La Liga 05.24

Valencia
Valencia: Unai Emery has renewed his contract with Valencia CF for one year. Which means either that he capitulated, failing in his attempt to secure an extra year for finishing third, or that he won the battle to start selling the likes of Ever Banega, Chori Dominguez and David Navarro, players that he has had difficulties with in the past.

Villarreal: without stating his destination, Villarreal have essentially come out and confirmed that forward Giuseppe Rossi will be leaving the club shortly. Barcelona anyone? Is Real Madrid’s Sergio Canales his ultimate successor? Only Fernando Roig knows.

Levante: Manchester City reject Felipe Caicedo has spent a productive year in Spain and has been rewarded by a nomination for the best foreign player in Spain. Congratulations to Felipao. You dance so well.

Hercules: with Hercules relegated, many players are about ready for the big-time. Winger Kiko is on Villarreal, Espanyol, and Valencia's radar.

Andalusia: 
Real Betis: the fire-sale continues. Espanyol defender Javi Chica is about to sign a deal with Real Betis Balompie for 4 years at an undisclosed amount. How many ex-Espanyol players are shoring up the squads of clubs in La Liga? It is shameful.

Sevilla: ex-Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa and Lyon coach Claude Puel are front-runners apparently for the vacant Sevilla coaching job, because as expected, Gregorio Manzano will not return to the Sanchez-Pizjuan bench. Sevilla have also signed Piotr Trochowski from Hamburg SV and Manu del Moral from La Liga rivals Getafe.

Malaga: after an electric beginning to his tima at Malaga, former Arsenal and Ghana winger Quincy Owusu-Abeye has quit the squad after being dropped by the club for lack of discipline. There is a reason the 25 year old has played for Ajax, Arsenal, Spartak Moscow, Celta Vigo, Birmingham, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Al Sadd before Malaga: indiscipline. Hard to believe but he then launched an abusive rant at his critics on twitter.

Almeria: Roberto Olabe who finished his term as Almeria’s interim coach, after serving as Sporting Director during their promotion to the first division when Unai Emery was coach, will not return in either capacity.

Madrid: 
Atletico de Madrid: Kun Aguero has dropped the bombshell of all bombshells. After warning that he would leave the club at his decision and under his time-frame alone, Aguero has called an end to his colchonero career. Speculation is rife as to his destination. Consider this however. The manner in which he came out suggests that he needs to put public pressure on Atleti from the get-go because his desired club may not be palatable to the board. Is he indeed headed to Real Madrid? I never believe Marca, but this may the once in a millionth time when they may be right.

Real Madrid: while Benfica winger Fabio Coentrao is certainly likely to head to Real Madrid, the club are unwilling to go beyond the 25 million offered despite the player’s escape clause which rests at 30 million. Madrid have offered Garay as a make-weight, but the Portuguese club are uninterested.

Getafe: midfielder Derek Boateng is being eyed by Paris Saint-Germain.

Rayo Vallecano: need I say more? Rayo becomes the fourth club from Madrid to be in the Primera. A marvelous achievement considering all that they have been through this year.

Galicia:
Deportivo La Coruna: having descended to the second division for the first time in 20 years, Depor are also losing their coach as Miguel Angel Lotina has handed in his resignation.

Asturias:
Sporting de Gijon: FC Barcelona have delayed the 4 million euro signing of Sporting left-back Jose Angel until after the Champions League final. The 21 year old defender is looking to spend the next four years at the Camp Nou.

Cantabria: 
Racing Santander: the loan deal that brought Giovanni Dos Santos from Tottenham has ended. Dos Santos however looks not likely to return to North London. An extension of the current deal might be in the cards.


Pais Vasco: 
Athletic Bilbao: one of the bright lights of the Real Zaragoza academy, Ander Herrera has agreed to sign with his hometown club for a 7.5 million euro transfer fee. His buyout clause is about 40 million euros.

Real Sociedad: the club have pushed out Uruguayan coach Martin Lasarte despite still having a year left on his contract. The club are apparently also courting Marcelo Bielsa.

Navarra:
Osasuna: Josetxo and Walter Pandiani have both said their goodbyes to the Osasuna faithful. They are also high on bringing hometown boy Raul Garcia from Atletico de Madrid.

Aragon: 
Real Zaragoza: coach Javier Aguirre will decide this week if he will continue on as Real Zaragoza coach. He will meet with club President Agapito Iglesias but would like assurances that he will be given a free reign to continue on as Zaragoza coach.

Catalunya:
Barcelona: the club are considering leaving early for London as the effects of this new volcanic eruption is likely to effect travel plans for this weekend’s Champions League final against Manchester United.

Espanyol: Uruguayan forward Juan Albin has landed from Getafe despite late interest apparently from Newcastle United in England. It’s an interesting signing, but I wonder if he can replace departing Jose Callejon. A former Real Madrid youth-team product, it is no surprise that Callejon is returning to los blancos. The club have also invested in Uruguayan midfielder Adrian Luna from Sporting Lisbon.


Mallorca:  
Real Mallorca: following a disastrous second half of the season that saw Mallorca in real danger of relegation, the Mallorcan press have called on the club to fire coach Michael Laudrup.

Monday Morning Papers 5.09

Marca.com
Insatiable Cristiano: 87 Goals: Madrid strikes fear when they play the attack. With 47 goals, Cristiano launches himself towards the Pichichi, the Golde Boot and the record of Zarra and Hugo. His goals scoring form against Messi´s is the great embellishment of the last three rounds. Mou frees Higuain, Di Maria and Garay from playing in the last round.
Reaction: you have to love Marca. Like all great propaganda machines, it never strays far from the source. I guess if you want to be reminded that Cristiano is better than Messi despite the eight point differential in their teams, then I guess there will always be an avenue for delusion. Thank you Marca. At least there is a hint of criticism. Did you catch it? ¨Madrid strikes fear when they play in attack¨ It´s there even if no one is paying that attention.

Sport.es
Barça 2-0 Espanyol: La Liga at 1 Point: The Camp Nou has chanted Campeones, Campeones.¨ Iniesta and Pique score triumphantly in the derby and leave the title at no more than a simple draw at Levante.
Reaction: I am not a huge fan of Sport. Not because they themselves aren´t as much a propaganda unit for Barça as Marca are for Real Madrid, but because they aren´t half as entertaining. I know their party line, ¨Barça are great and Real Madrid aren´t, ignore Espanyol and hope they´ll go away¨, but can they do it with a little more panache? I´m just saying.

Madrid Morning Papers 4.28

Marca.com
Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona: ¨Why?¨: an exaggerated red to Pepe leaves Madrid with 10 for the fourth time against Barca. A genius Messi takes advantage of the superiority of Barca. A stingy first half for Madrid. Mou, thrown-out, sees it impossible to advance. Ramos will not play in the Camp Nou. Red card for Pinto for aggression. Mou: ¨If i say what I´m thinking to UEFA then my career ends.¨ CR7: ¨I don´t like playing this way but I have to adapt.¨
Reaction: the remarkable thing is how measured an relatively unbiased the front-page coverage is for Marca. Could they still be miffed at Mourinho?

As.com
Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona: ¨Why?¨: Mourinho asks himself again and again. Why do they send-off Pepe, Motta and Van Persie? Why don´t they call the four penalties at Chelsea? Why don´t they win with their footballing powers? You have to be a bad sort to enjoy winning in that manner equals winning in reality. I have won two Champions that I won with hard-work and Guardiola has one that would shame me. I don´t know if Barca´s power comes from UNICEF or because Villar gives orders at UEFA.
Reaction: This is precisely why some people loathe Mourinho. Does he see that the manner in which teams try to play Barca invites the sort of attention from refs that they don´t want? I know he loves Premiership football, but you can´t play that way in Europe. It´s a different style of football and you will get burned. While I´m ranting, does he recall how he won his first Champions League? Ask a Depor fan if he remembers how they lost that match at the Riazor, and if they think that they lost that squarely. The rest of his tirade is nonsense. 

Team Dubai in Spain: Getafe, Zaragoza, or another club?

For a league that was almost ludicrously devoid of foreign investment a mere 16 months ago, it seems that someone at the RFEF has opened up shop and has been inviting potential investors to offer their bids. First Malaga by the Qataris, then Racing by Ali Syed and now Royal Emirates Group, the investment arm of the Dubai royal family, have bought an unnamed club in Spain and are miracle of miracles, making us wait until a Thursday press-conference to reveal the identity of the club?

Speculation centered around Real Zaragoza at first and then just as suddenly it switched to Getafe, and even that seems to have been nixed in some circles. All that has been said is that it is definitely a top-flight La Liga team that has enjoyed modest success and has even tasted some European challenges in recent years. The Dubai group have paid around 90 million euros for a club that is also ¨not saddled with debt.¨ The most controversial part of the deal is the idea that the club would be re-branded to include Team Dubai in the name, as in [insert club name] Team Dubai, on their kits, on their stadium, in fact on every bit licensing that the club own.

What clubs in La Liga fit the bill then? Very few clubs run themselves at an equilibrium between costs and profits. Why also spend 90 million euros if your club is being tested by relegation? Real Madrid, Barcelona, Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao are out of the question because of ownership restrictions, are . Remove Atletico de Madrid, Valencia and Depor because those clubs are swimming in debt. Why also would successful ownership groups in Villarreal or Sevilla sell as well? In fact, it would be easier to name clubs that didn´t fit the criteria rather than the other way around.

You can turn yourself inside trying to solve the puzzle, but I couldn´t help but think of my own club: Espanyol. I know, it doesn´t really fit us either, but hear me out.

A few weeks ago there were rumors of Espanyol chairman Dani Sanchez-Llibre running off to the Middle East to secure funding. His destination? Dubai. Then, a very interesting editorial on Cronica Perica appeared. The author suggested that Espanyol were about to be sold. Here are the key elements: The club is in pretty dire financial straights. Debts aren't being paid for both players and employees in a timely fashion. The club began to amplify their capital, bringing in new members, but the supporter's groups were left out of the loop. Rumors were also circulating that some local business-men had been told that their shares in the club would ¨soon be worth much more.¨ The author stresses that this well could be just late-night paranoia, you could say about me as well, but he had some interesting points over-all.

You could make a case for it. I realize that Espanyol´s debt is also out of control, but much of that is from the new stadium at Cornellà; that is manageable debt over time. It is a big stadium and there is direct possibility for growth; a situation much further along than the Qatari group face with Malaga. Barcelona is a big city; it would be tough to compete for supporters with FC Barcelona but over-time it could work. Espanyol have had European success to a certain extent and (except for a few blips) they have been consistently mid-table for much of the decade. Most importantly, does it seem odd that they´re waiting until after the Copa del Rey final to announce the deal? Wouldn´t it create problems for Barca before tonight´s match if they had released the information sooner?

As much as I know that in the end it´ll probably be Getafe that wins the Dubai race, I have to say that it is a very interesting rumor to sink your teeth into if you are an Espanyol fan.

Monday Morning Papers 4.18

Marca.com
Real Madrid: Pepe: ¨With 11 we´ll win, certainly¨: The new leader in white: Mourinho will repeat the trivote in the Cup final. Ramos and Carvalho as central defenders. Arbeloa as left winger. Puyol: ¨the manner in which Real Madrid play is very respectable.¨ Madrid do not want another trap like this one: 1)Be left with 10 which is what happens to opponents who play against Barca, 2)Alves should have been kicked out for committing the penalty, 3)Messi got away with it after kicking a ball into the stands, 4) the fourth official marked Mou but let Guardiola move around. Espanyol 2-2 Atletico: Kun´s cheekiness maintains Atleti in Europe.
Reaction: Utter swill. Mourinho´s teams run the risk of expulsion because of the manner in which they play. Play a direct, physically challenging game and you will set yourself up to an arbiter´s radar.

As.com
Real Madrid: ¨Ozil, to dream in Mestalla¨: The German will be a starter in the final against Barça. Two Days Left: Puyol: ¨Our squad will not vary for  the Cup¨, Pepe: will form part of a trivote in Madrid, Guardiola: will align Mascherano and Keita in his starting eleven. 2,600 agents will ensure security in the Clásico. Espanyol 2-2 Atletico: Kun´s and Osvaldo score. The two argentines, protagonists in the draw at Cornellà.
Reaction: Much better from the Madrid papers. More about the game, less about Mou, most of it coincides with what we were saying here: Mourinho will stick with the game-plan and Guardiola will bring in more muscle.

Sport.es
Barcelona: Confidential: Guardiola to his players: ¨We´ll win the Cup, if we respect Madrid, if we don´t fall into provocations, and if we maintain our style.¨ Puyol, who was substituted at the Bernabéu for some niggling complaints, will be available to Pep for the final. Mourinho prepares another ambush: closes his training sessions and will prohibit (journalists) from flying with the team.
Reaction: Pedestrian. Just the facts. Not a lot of polemics here in Sport. You can bet there will be more if the Cup goes Barcelona´s way. Espanyol 2-2 Atletico: Osvaldo maintains the European dream.

ElMundoDeportivo.es
Barcelona: Ännoyed: Barca will arrive very motivated for the Cup Final: 1)for the excesssive hardness of Real Madrid, 2)for the permissive refereeing of Muniz, 3)for the cheeky tics of a certain player, 4)for the tricks of Mourinho, 5)TOP SECRET: Pepe spit on them in the dressing-room tunnel. Real Madrid: Mourinho closes in to Inter Milan. Has he preinscribed his chhildren ina nearby Swiss school in Italy? Espanyol 2-2 Atletico: they come back twice and they add a very positive point.
Reaction: this is what I was expecting from Sport, some nasty wrong-headed declarations from un-named sources, polemics, politics and anti-madridista flag-waving. Why else read these papers if you´re not going to get the goods.

Friends of Forza Futbol 4.12

A new feature here at Forza Futbol, FFF or Friends of Forza Futbol, will be a weekly article that publicizes the best blogs in English about the Spanish game.

First of all, we hope everything is alright for the guys at LaCelesteBlog.com, they are taking some time off and we wish them well. We also want to point your clickers to LaLambrettaradio.com, it is a bit self-serving, but Edu continues to have us on his bilingual show and we are very grateful. Any pericos out there? Mando has ramped up his side-project, Espanyolusa.info, and he is looking for people to sign up for the Los Angeles penya. At LaLigatheMidlands, they have an article called the Subbuteo pitch that tracks one player in a match, ex-Real Madrid player Javi Garcia (brother of Luis Garcia) and his time at Benfica. As usual too, the guys at Spanishfootball.info bring together some great pieces. Match reports hot off the presses, Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Barcelona in the Champions League today, plus a great piece on what Wayne Rooney could learn from Athletic Bilbao. Then again, Striker is always an option at Spanish Football & Sports. Try his piece on Cristiano Ronaldo being targeted by AC Milan. A fluff-piece in the news, slow news week and all, but well-covered by one of our oldest Friends of Forza Futbol.

On the Team front: Madridatleticos are covering the David De Gea transfer to Manchester United from the ground floor. Ooh Betis is flying the flag for the cucumbers and for Jonathan Pereira, who feels like Johnny Rotten, and Villarreal USA covers the debacle that was Valencia destroying the Yellow Submarine 5-0 at Mestalla.

Sunday Papers 10 Apr

Marca.com
Athletic 0-3 Real Madrid: "Like Motorcycles": Mou's 'planB' functions, too. Kaka resuscitates with two goals (from the penalty spot). Cristiano now has 40 goals this season: two shy of his Manchester United record. Pepe played as a central-midfielder. Granero will miss el clasico against Barcelona. 
Barcelona 3-1 Almeria: The leader suffers to beat the bottom club. Messi and CR7 equals at 29 at the head of the Pichichi.
Atletico Madrid: Atletico-Real Sociedad: the three-goal scorer Costa could leave Diego Forlan on the bench.
Mallorca 2-2 Sevilla
Reaction from Forzafutbol: I realize that it is imperative to maintain at least a semblance of a competition to maintain the illusion of a league race and to sell papers in the process, but no one really thinks there is a shadow of doubt as to whether or not the league race is decided. Next week's grudge match will finalize the deal.

Sport.es
Barcelona 3-1 Almeria: "With 8 points ahead to the Bernabeu": Barca maintain their league lead, although they suffered against a battling Almeria squad. Messi the goalscorer returned. With two goals and another that he served up for Thiago, he finished the comeback. Now, with 47 goals he equals his best season and is now Pichichi. From six to eight weeks, Bojan will effectively miss the rest of the season.
Athletic 0-3 Real Madrid: Madrid breathes, but through penalties.
Reaction from Forzafutbol: Does anyone bother to ask why most papers in Spain puts Lionel Messi as the pichichi with 29 goals followed by CR7 with 28, but Marca (who actually run the trophy giveaway), have them tied at 29? It's a conspiracy.

La Liga Strike Averted

According to Jose Ramon de la Morena, on his daily program El Larguero on Cadena Ser, there has been an accord reached between General Secretary in charge of Sport, Jaime Lissavetzky and representatives from the LFP and the League office to lift the proposed strike for this weekend as was originally proposed.

That is to say, if Judge Purificacion Puyol rules to suspend the next round of games, the league has called to member clubs supporting the strike to forgo the work-stoppage. The clubs, looking for negotiating leverage with media companies and asking for a higher percentage of money from the quinielas or betting pools, were told by league president Javier Tebas that they would look to make up the difference by other means.

It looks like worst case scenario, when this next round would have been forced to be played three weeks after the end of the season, has been averted and the strike is over until the next time we see greed rear its ugly head again.

Forza Futbol 138: Paul from La Liga UK

Today we are joined again by friend of the podcast Paul Wilkes of La Liga the Midlands, a rabid Liverpool FC fan from (inexplicably) the Birmingham area of England. Turned on to the Spanish League by the Costa del Merseyside era at Liverpool, when Rafa Benitez brought in the likes of Luis Garcia and Fernando Torres and other talented Spaniards. We talk Champions League, the race for the title and some of the more interesting bits of news coming out of Spain and the Primera League. By the way, Paul will soon be switching over to his new moniker La Liga UK.

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Monday Morning Papers 3.28

As.com
Real Madrid: 'We play more than Madrid and we're not tired': Van der Vaart: dismisses the calendar complaints of Mourinho. Mourinho: 'I am neither for nor against the strike disagreement. Atletico de Madrid: Mario Suarez: 'the season is not what we expected.' Spain: 'I am well, I know the goal will come.' Torres sidesteps the critics for his failure at goal. Spain arrives at Kaunas and today will know if they'll play on this potato-field.
Reaction:  Not a lot to disagree with. The English League has an extra competition, the League Cup to contend with, and Spurs have played more games. Mourinho played the right card, it's none of his business to comment on league squabbles, and Atleti are a disappointment. This is why, if I want to read a Madrid paper, I try Diario As. Marca? Don't be silly.

Marca.com
Real Madrid: The Desired One: The socios want a tall, strong, goal-scorer:  Marca Poll, Sigma 2, Madridismo speaks: Fernando Llorente is, overwhelmingly, the preferred signing at 70%. Only 38.6% support the signing of Kun Aguero. Mourinho: 'Nothing would happen if we lose to Barcelona in three competitions. Spain: the French referee Duhamel will inspect the potato-field today. all he needs to do is protest and the game will be suspended. Atletico: Juanfran: 'I don't feel like a substitute, even though I play little.' Rayo Vallecano 1-0 Real Betis: they don't get paid, but they're leaders again. Rayo ultras burn a police car in protest.
Reaction:  I have a suspicion that madridistas will be disappointed with the fact that Fernando Llorente signs with a team outside of Spain, rather than moves to the capitol. In other news: Love Rayo. Support Rayo.

Sport.es:
Barcelona: Wanted: Central Defender: Sport Investigates: the central defenders that Barcelona controls: Vertonghen, Ajax, 23 years old, 10 million euros. Thiago Silva, AC Milan, 26 years old, 23 million euros. Sakho, PSG, 13.5 million euros. Brasil: Neymar, a future signing (for Barcelona) shines for Brasil. The young crack scores two goals in a victory against Scotland. Cesc Fabregas: exclusive interview with Fernando Torres: 'Cesc would be a grand signing for Barcelona. He has blaugrana DNA, but if he want to leave he needs to get his feet wet.'
Reaction: Sport are much better situated than their competitors. Thiago Silva would be best, but Sakho is younger. Better bang for the buck.

El Mundo Deportivo
Barcelona: Neymar and Rossi: Barcelona are looking for a striker and a Brasilian and an Italian are in their sights: Neymar: The crack from Santos demonstrates his skill and shines with two goals against Scotland. Rossi: the Villarreal playmaker's agent points out that "No players says no to Barca". Real Madrid: 'If we don't win a game against Barcelona, nothing will happen." Spain: in Lithuania: Iniesta defends the right to not play. UEFA and the ref will decide today. RCD Espanyol: Dani Sanchez Llibre asks for a much fairer partition of television money.
Reaction: Barca do not need more forward help. They need to buy defenders first, midfielders second, and maybe in two or three years, replenish their forward line when the inevitable drop happens for Villa.

Sunday Morning Headlines 2.13

As.com
Sporting Gijon 1-1 FC Barcelona: Hay Liga! (There is a League): Preciado: "We left our lives. This draw should be valued at more than one point." Mourinho: did not train and went to France to spy on Lyon.

Marca.com
Sporting Gijon 1-1 FC Barcelona: A Gift from Preciado to Mou: 2 points: Blaugrana flat against a disciplined and combative opponent. Los blancos can put themselves at 5 points. Barca waste 75% possession. El Molinon ended indignant at referee Perez-Lasa for not whistling numerous fouls in favor of Sporting and adding 5 minutes.

Sport.es
Sporting Gijon 1-1 FC Barcelona: Vaselina (Chip) of Gold: A golazo (a great goal) by Villa served to tear-off point at El Molinon against a good Sporting side. The FiFa virus takes its toll again on the blaugrana and ends their run of form.

ElMundoDeportivo.es
Sporting Gijon 1-1 FC Barcelona: Two Faces: The FiFA virus, changes in the side, and a bad first half shortens the record run of form for Barca. A genius connection between Messi and Villa wrestled a point that could be vital if Madrid are flat today.

Forza Futbol's Reaction:
This isn't news by the way. Not in the classic sense and yet it is a valuable exercise to watch how propaganda is run. One side provides the attack, the other the excuse, and vice-versa if need be, but the talking points should always lead back to the fact that this is a league of two giants, that the efforts of the small clubs while impressive should always reflect in some way the duopoly, and that the goal is as always to maintain the status-quo. In a perfect world we celebrate Sporting de Gijon and Manuel Preciado, but in this top-heavy world, it is and forever shall be amen, about the successes and/or failures of Real Marca and FC Sportalona.

Forza Futbol 130: Focus on La Liga Talk

Andy Pineda La Liga Talk

On today's episode of La Liga Talk, I mean Forza Futbol, I mean wow, it's like going back to the schoolyard or something, like going back to an old hangout or a high-school reunion. We welcome Andy Pineda from La Liga Talk where we used to write and produce podcasts. We talk La Liga transfers, rumours, trends and games. Enjoy.

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Monday Morning in Contrast 2.07

Marca.com
Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad:  A Festival of Kaka, Adebayor, Ozil and CR7: The DiStefano of the 21st Century: Pique Cristiano - Messi: the lusitanian recovers the Pichichi after his double. Kaka celebrates hist start with a goal. Adebayor scored his second in three games. Ozil returns to dazzle. Atletico: much closer to relegation than to Champions. Sevilla 0-0 Malaga. Valencia 2-0 Valencia.


Sport.es
Barcelona: Messi Impact: The greatest crack of all-time. At his age, Leo leaves Maradona, Cruyff and DiStefano behind in his wake. Only Pele, thanks to Brazilian selection, can compare. Exclusive: Wednesday he'll play against Portugal: We travel with him to Geneva. He has 12 bodyguards. His hat-trick against Atletico and Barca's record rounds the world.

Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad: Cristiano's pulse stops for the Pichichi and Mourinho complains that they don't hit him enough.

Forza Futbol Reacts: For Marca: Please. This selling of Cristiano Ronaldo as the second coming of Cruyff, Pele, and now DiStefano combined for the digital age is a load of crap. He's a great player, but only one can define a generation. That ship has sailed. This is Messi's world and all us are living in it. For Sport: See how the two papers are mirror images of each other? The real story for the week isn't even Messi or Ronaldo, it's the fact that Barcelona surpassed a record that DiStefano's Madrid had held for 50 years. 15 games without a loss. Impressive. Too bad neither newspaper can follow through on some basic journalistic procedures and cover the sport the way it ought to be covered.