We spend a lot of time talking about Lionel Messi here – he was after all recently awarded the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or by the coaches, captains and journalists of the world – but there are a lot of other great players out there doing a lot of great things.
Yesterday’s Copa del Rey match between Barcelona and Real Madrid demonstrated just how much other talent there is out there.
Now Messi did get the talent show going himself yesterday when he went on one of his trademark field-length runs and slipped the ball between two desperate Madrid defenders for a Pedro finish. The run and the inch-perfect ball were things of genius.
But as good as that Messi play was, the Argentine was upstaged within minutes when Barca full-back Dani Alves was in the right place at the right time on a corner-kick and lined-up a one-time laser with the laces of his right boot that found that small target where the top of the far post meets the crossbar. A dream goal by perhaps the best right-back in football.
Real Madrid looked to be out of the Cup after those two goals but I guess their players didn’t think so, playing a high-pressure game that saw Cristiano Ronaldo blow past what looked like a pensioner in Carles Puyol, glide past a shocked Barca keeper in Pinto and slide the ball into the open net. It was as if Ronaldo and co had suddenly found a new super-human level.
Puyol was made to look old and slow one more time when fresh substitute Karim Benzema dinked the ball over his head and hammered home the tying goal. A real striker’s goal.
Four different players in on four fantastic goals in a Barcelona-Madrid Clasico that was indeed a classic.
American Republicans are all about respecting and celebrating the “presidency” – that is unless a Democrat happens to be in power.
Then all respect goes out the window – as the Boston Bruins’ excellent goaltender (but strange human), Tim Thomas, refused to visit with President Obama this week.
Though I am neutral both politically and sports-wise (my vote and my allegiance are yours to be earned) – and while I bet on the Bruins to win the Cup last season (cha-ching) and this – I can now only wish that the karma Tim Thomas unleashed this week comes back to burn him and his Big Bad Bruins badly.
Wonder what circle of hell Dante assigned to the hypocrites?
A great rinkside seat for Patrick Chan’s winning weekend skate at the Canadian Championships. Check out the quad he pulls off at the 1 min mark. Seems like after a couple of years of disappointing results at the big competitions, Chan is now hitting his stride as the best male figure skater in the world.
More super skating vids from Hasan Abdessamad here.
I saw it live. It was a clear stamp. The league is sure to give Super Mario retroactive punishment for this one.
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp gave Sky Sports 1 his thoughts on the penalty Balotelli scored after the stamp:
‘It looked like a penalty, I’ve not seen a replay – but the boy who scored the penalty shouldn’t have been on the pitch. He kicked Scott Parker in the head. He does it a lot, he backheeled him in the face and cut his head. No-one can make excuses that he didn’t do it, anyone can see he did do it.”
Anyone can see it – just as I did.
What to make of Mario? Don’t know. But after scoring a goal and earning three points with Manchester City it sure looked like the Italian was living the “good life” today as “Footmoves” video suggests.
Watch the end of the video where Mario has his tongue-in-cheek when he claims to not be a “bad boy”.
So much has been said about him already that you’d think that everything’s been said but Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola had to be expecting a question about his hat-trick hero after the Malaga win. And Pep did not disappoint, coming up with a relatively new observation about Leo Messi: that one of his greatest traits is his consistency. Yep. Sounds boring but that’s what Pep really likes about the Best Player in the World.
