The Ball Man

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The European Super League was three years in making. It took 48 hours to unravel

April 24, 2021

The European Super League was three years in making. It took 48 hours to unravel. These were the three defining words of a week that shook European football's very foundations. On April 18, 12 of Europe's biggest, most successful and financially powerful clubs -- subsequently dubbed the "Dirty Dozen" -- announced their intention to breakaway from the current UEFA competition format and create their very own Super League. As football fans began to grapple with the concept, it didn't take them long to vehemently criticize the move as one fueled by greed, the desire to hoard more money and wield more power than they already do. The Super League guarantee 15 clubs a place in the 20-team competition every season, regardless of performance on the pitch. Except, as many fans pointed out, some of the 12 founding super clubs really aren't all that super. Tottenham Hotspur has won just one League Cup in the past 30 years; Arsenal hasn't qualified for the Champions L

El Clasico: Some intresting facts you must know before the match.

April 04, 2021

There are six days to go before Real Madrid host Barça, so here are some top stats to whet your appetite for the big game. Second and third closing in on the leader Barça (62 points) and Real Madrid (60) are second and third as they hunt down leaders Atlético Madrid (66). The red-and-whites were runaway leaders at one stage, but they’ve being dropping points and that’s allowed the ‘big two’ to get right back into contention. There is a round of games to be played before El Clásico, but the game between Real and Barça is going to have a massive bearing on this year’s championship. Whoever loses is going to need to do a LOT of work to end up with the Liga trophy at the end of the season. Leo Messi, all-time top scorer Leo Messi has scored 26 goals against Real Madrid, already eight more than the nearest challengers, Alfredo di Stefano and Cristiano Ronaldo (18). Messi scored 18 of his goals in La Liga, two in the Champions League and six in the Spanish Super Cup. Messi and Ramo

Messi receives surprise house-share offer from Ramos

March 14, 2021

The Real defender said that should the Barcelona forward decide to leave the Camp Nou for the Bernabeu when his contract expires this year he could stay with the Ramos family while he went house hunting. Image by : Scroll “Of course, 100 per cent!” Ramos said on Twitch show Charlando Tranquilamente when asked if he would welcome Messi to Real. “He could stay at mine for the first week or so. He can find his feet and get comfy, I’d be more than happy to do that. “Us Madrid fans have had to endure Leo’s best years (with him at another team) so to not have to face him every week would be great and to have him with us would obviously help us to win and have more success. It would be stupid to say it wouldn’t.” Ramos’s own contract with Real expires this summer, but he said that if he does leave Madrid he would not be tempted to join Barcelona. #theballman

Suarez Talks about Messi, koeman and Barcelona Star.

February 05, 2021

Luis Suarez has given a new interview where he’s offered his thoughts on former team-mates Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann as well as new Barca boss Ronald Koeman. Koeman has claimed recently the decision to allow Suarez to leave was made before he arrived, but Suarez has told Onda Cero he was told it was Koeman’s decision. “When Barça made it official that they did not count on me, they began conversations with Atleti, with Cholo, with Miguel Ángel .... Koeman called me and told me that they did not count on me. “At Barça they told me not to go to train, I told them that as long as I had a contract I would train. The club did not give me any explanation, they only told me that it was a decision of the coach. “Not only Messi, many Barça fans didn’t understand the decision ... I didn’t want to be a problem. It hurt me to leave Barça.” Suarez also spoke about Messi and said he spoke to the Barcelona captain after Wednesday’s stunning Copa del Rey win over Granada. “This af

Messi Prefers sporting director role, not interested in Coaching.

December 28, 2020

Lionel Messi has no plans to become a coach when he retires from playing, saying he is more interested in being a director of football than working in the unforgiving world of football management. "I don't see myself as a coach, perhaps a sporting director to hire players I want or that the club that I'm at needs,"Messi said in an interview with Spanish network La Sasta "I would like to tell the Barca fans that I'm not sure whether I'll leave or not but hypothetically speaking, I would like to leave in the best possible way" "I'd like to return one day, I'd like to return to the city to work for the club and contribute". #theballman

Xavi has the answer When Leo Messi end his Barcelona career

May 06, 2020

The Argentine, 32, has won 34 trophies since joining the Camp Nou club in 2004. He is out of contract next year and doubts over his future at Barcelona were raised by his clash with the club over pay reductions at the start of the coronavirus crisis. Xavi, who now coaches in Qatar, said: “He still has six or seven good years to come before his retirement. "I can confirm that he takes great care of himself and he will be able to go on until he is 37, 38 or 39. He will certainly be part of the World Cup organised in 2022.” World Cup winner Xavi, who revealed he turned down the chance to join the Barcelona coaching staff in January, hopes Messi and Neymar will be reunited at the Catalan club in time. "There's no doubt he is one of the three to five best in the world," he claimed. "He can make the difference.I'm a Barca fan and I want the best there. He would be an extraordinary signing." Spanish clubs have returned to training th

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