La Liga « ONELOVE FC – Art and Apparel

Posts Tagged ‘La Liga’

“EL PICHICHI”

Monday, May 17th, 2010

By Rick Minars

(ONELOVE correspondent)

This weekend the Spanish league came to a close and there could only be one top goal scorer awarded the prestigious “Pichichi.” The award went to Barcelona star and Argentina international Lionel Messi. Barça’s top forward finished this season in La Liga with a total of 34 goals.

Messi tied former Barcelona and Brazilian international Ronaldo. Many believed that Lionel would tie Ronaldo’s season high, but most do not know that Ronaldo scored 34 goals in 44 games as compared to Messi who scored 34 goals in only 40 games.

During the Ronaldo era, La Liga had 22 teams. Currently there are only 20 teams participating in fewer games per season, which means that Lionel Messi scored the same amount of goals as Ronaldo with four games in hand.

Also to be noted, Lionel Messi scored a total of 47 goals in all competitions this season and is on his way to being awarded the European Golden Shoe (formally known as the European Golden Boot).

*The Pichichi is awarded annually by the Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ to the highest goal scorer in La Liga.

Tags: Argentina, Golden Shoe, La Liga, Lionel Messi, Messi, ONELOVE FC, Pichichi, Rick Minars, Ronaldo
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

HIGUAIN RUMORED TO LEAVE MADRID!?

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

by Rick Minars

UUUUUUUUHHH! Looks like both Machester Utd and Manchester City are looking to bid on the forward. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other teams jump all over this opportunity and bid for his services. Can anyone say bidding war?! OH YEAH!

Too bad, though. Real has a tendency to treat quality players poorly. Examples: Cambiasso and Robben. Look at these guys now! And the list goes on! I mean come on!

For them to let Higuaín go is a huge mistake especially since fellow Argentina international Angel Di Maria is set to join Real after the World Cup. These two work very well together. Just purely a huge mistake and a reason why it is very difficult to build a base and a collective Real when you have club members purchasing and transferring players rather than letting the coach (in this case Manuel Pellegrini) do what they are supposed to do.

But I don’t blame Gonzalo Higuaín. Real is Real for its history and quality players. Quality players on paper, that is. In truth, it’s been a while since they have been able to prove anything in Europe and even La Liga to any extent since Barcelona’s current dominace in La Liga.

It’s funny that Real is willing to pay bench players more than Gonzalo who is the team’s leading goal scorer, provides tons of good play, and trails only Lionel Messi for the Pichichi*.

About the Author:

Rick Minars is a ONELOVE Ambassador and a coach at Beverly Hills High in Los Angeles, CA. He is an Argentine-American who joined the ONELOVE movement during our early pickup sessions in 2007.

*The Pichichi is awarded annually by the Spanish newspaper ‘Marca’ to the highest goal scorer in La Liga.

Tags: Argentina, Gonzalo Higuain, La Liga, Manchester City, Manchester United, One Love Soccer, ONELOVE FC, Real Madrid, Rick Minars
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

EUROPEAN LEAGUE LEADERS

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Seasons are drawing to a close rather dramatically across Europe. Here is what we’re seeing in each of the top leagues.

* many thanks to Marc Roseblade for the stats.

Tags: AC Milan, AS Roma, Auxerre, Bayern Munich, Calcio, Celtic, FC Barcelona, Football, Inter Milan, La Liga, Lille, Marseille, OLFC, One Love Soccer, ONELOVE FC, Rangers, Real Madrid, Schalke, Serie A, Soccer, SPL, Valencia
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

SPANISH GIANTS ARE STARVED FOR COMPETITION

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

You’ve got Barcelona and Real Madrid, and a few mid-table contenders, but what has happened to Spanish football!?

Today’s 5-1 victory over Tenerife was almost unfair. Coming off of a loss to Lyon, you have to wonder if Madrid is suffering from a lack of competition in La Liga. Here are highlights.

Barça’s 2-1 victory over Málaga was more conservative, though a 1-1 tie to Stuttgart in the UCL begs a similar question about the quality of their competitors.

The two Spanish giants are expected to win everything, but the quality of their play will almost certainly suffer if they can’t be challenged. All across Europe the title races are getting tighter and tighter with many teams competing for top spots. In turn, we see stunning performances from Lyon, Bordeaux, Stuttgart, and Panathinaikos in the Champions League.

Here’s a look at Barça vs Málaga…

Tags: Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo, FC Barcelona, Kaka, La Liga, Lionel Messi, One Love Soccer, ONELOVE FC, Real Madrid, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

THE BEST OF EUROPE: Barcelona vs Stuttgart

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

By Yoni Ginsberg

Before the game, Belarusian midfielder Alexandr Hleb, who is on loan from Barcelona to Stuttgart, figured his team had a 10 percent chance of winning. I figured it was more like zero. However, an enthusiastic performance from the Germans, complemented by a bleak showing from the Catalans, landed Christian Gross’s side a respectable 1-1 tie.

Although they now have to score at the Nou Camp, the Germans proved that they can play with the big boys. Despite a ninth-place position in the Bundesliga, the Germans (fairing much better under new management) looked upbeat and ready to play, controlling the majority of the first half and scoring a wonderful goal through the head of Cacau.

But honestly, did you ever doubt Barça? Of course you didn’t.

Down a goal, the Spaniards bounced back and, immediately following the break, leveled the score through their big Swede, Zlatan. The game finished on a low note as fans booed an unsportsmanly Sergio Busquets who, after a mild foul, took his sweet time getting back into the game.

Stuttgart fans should be pleased with the team’s current form. Just this past Saturday they defeated FC Koln 5-1, with Cacau registering 4 goals to his name. The Spaniards were just as good over the weekend, thrashing Racing Santander 4-0. Although it wont be easy, Barcelona should advance to the quarter finals in a matter of two weeks.

VfB Stuttgart v Barcelona
Uploaded by gauillardo. – More professional, college and classic sports videos.

Tags: Andres Iniesta, Bundesliga, Champions League, FC Barcelona, La Liga, Lionel Messi, One Love Soccer, ONELOVE FC, Stuttgart, Thiery Henry, Xavi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

LIONEL MESSI TOPS CASTROL RANKINGS

Monday, February 15th, 2010

By Jake Glavies

With a new month comes the newest set of Castrol Rankings. After a series of calculations fit for a college calculus teacher, the giant Castrol calculator has turned out Barcelona’s Lionel Messi as the world’s top performing footballer.

First Messi took Cristiano Ronaldo’s place as FIFA World Player of the Year and now he’s dethroned him in the Castrol Rankings as well. With an eye-popping nine goals since the previous Castrol list was released in December, Messi’s Castrol Index total has knocked rival Ronaldo to the No. 2 spot. Messi’s best performance of the stretch came when he netted a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over Tenerife on Jan. 10.

Overall, Barca placed five players in the Top 20, more than any other team in the five leagues the rankings follow. The players include: Thierry Henry (No. 4), Gerard Pique (No. 5), Dani Alves (No. 9) and Carles Puyol (No. 19). Barcelona has dominated the rankings, claiming the top spot in three of the four months they’ve been in existence. In October Henry topped the list before giving way to Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic (No. 32).

Though the list might be top heavy with La Liga stars, it’s a Premier League player that made the strongest push to become one of the world’s top performers. Behind a staggering 11 goals in two months, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney shot from No. 25 to No. 9 where he’s tied with Alves. With the move, Rooney joins goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar as the only Red Devils in the Top 20. The rock-solid striker has also earned the Castrol EDGE Performance of the Month for his four-goal thrashing of Hull City on Jan. 23.

Midfielder Toni Kroos of German Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen is perhaps the biggest mover of this month’s ranking, though. Kroos shot up 359 spots from No. 422 to No. 63, while helping Werkself to a 5-0-2 mark over the past two months.

While some players have seen their place rise this month, others have watched it fall. Bremen defender Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues fell 20 places from No. 21 to No. 41; United’s Nemanja Vidic went from No. 21 to No. 47; and Barca midfielder Seydou Keita dropped from No. 14 to No. 35.

Liverpool’s Fernando Torres (No. 3), Valencia’s David Villa (No. 6), Daniel van Buyten of Bayern Munich (No. 7) and Chelsea’s Didier Drogba (No. rounded out the rankings Top 10.

The next Castrol Rankings will be released on March 12.

Tags: Castrol Rankings, Cristiano Ronaldo, FC Barcelona, La Liga, Lionel Messi
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

INJURY LADEN BARCELONA MUST FIGHT TO RETAIN TOP SPOT

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

By Jake Glavies

An already depleted Barcelona defense received another blow Tuesday, as defensive ace Eric Abidal has been sidelined for the next two months with a leg injury. Abidal suffered the injury during a routine practice with the club.

The Frenchman is just the most recent scratch for Barca, though. Abidal joined Dani Alves and Yaya Toure on the injury report, while Rafael Marquez and Gerard Pique were handed suspensions for Sunday’s match at Atletico Madrid after receiving red cards during a slim 2-1 victory over Getafe Saturday.

The change in line-up couldn’t have come at a worse time for manager Pep Guardiola. With Real Madrid – winners of seven of its last nine matches – gunning for the top spot in La Liga, Barcelona will have to keep winning just to stay one step ahead of Los Blancos. Only five points back in the league standings, Real Madrid is hot and only getting hotter. Cristiano Ronaldo, the most feared goal scorer in the world, will return from a two match suspension in time to regain his form against league bottom dweller Xerez Saturday.

With Madrid pushing for a title, a trip to face a mediocre Atlético Madrid squad could be a tall order for a diminished Barça team. Atlético is currently 12th in the league, but it packs a very potent goal scoring punch. The duo of Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero has produced a combined 17 goals for Los Rojiblancos this season and it could also produce quite a few headaches for a weakened Barcelona defense.

Despite the task before them, Guardiola knows how to win, keeping his team out of the losing column this season while racking up only four draws. If Barca wants to avoid its first loss of the year though, it’ll have to lean heavily on its own offensive duo – Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Perhaps the most feared tandem in the game today, Messi and Ibrahimovic have combined for 27 goals this year. Though Ibrahimovic has failed to find the back of the net in five-straight league contests, all it’ll take is an open crease for him to find the stat sheet once again.

With upcoming matches against Racing Santander, Malaga and Almeria – who have combined for only 15 victories this season – Guardiola will have time to wait for his defense to heal, but not too much, as Barça will travel to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu April 11 for a clash with Los Galacticos.

Tags: Barca, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dani Alves, Eric Abidal, FC Barcelona, Jake Glavies, La Liga, Lionel Messi, Yaya Toure, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

REAL MADRID vs DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Guti celebrates a Benzema finish/(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Ronaldo served the first half of a 2-match ban as Real Madrid took on Deportivo La Coruña. Despite Madrid’s mythic stature in La Liga, they hadn’t beaten Deportivo once in 19 years. Granero opened up the scoring, but it was Guti’s classy playmaking and Benzema’s game winning goals that broke the curse at La Coruña.

Good game, 3-1 to Real.