Nike's "Write the Future" advertisement was a brilliant campaign, a continuation of the long history of great spots Nike has created for the World Cup. However, this year it seems they may want to re-consider their casting agency.
Let's see:
-Didier Drogba broke his arm before the games even started and Côte d'Ivoire never looked like going through their difficult group.
-Fabio Cannavaro looked like he was already in retirement and hitting up the talk show circuit, a step to slow for every attacker that came his way. Still, Italy probably should have had enough quality to qualify but were completely uninspiring.
-Wayne Rooney barely bothered to even show up. Was he still injured? Probably. At the least he was worn down from carrying Man U on his back all season. Not even Atlas probably beared such a burden. England were less inspiring than Italy, only they managed to get one round further before being humiliated by the Germans (controversial goal or no goal).
-Franck Ribéry... well, the less said about the French the better. Who is that player in the background of the play marking Theo Walcott (who didn't make England's roster)... that's right, Patrice Evra!
-Ronaldinho, as everyone knows and regrets didn't even get a plane ticket to South Africa. At least the Brazilians are still playing though.
-Cristiano Ronaldo was mostly anonymous save for his preening and grimacing after either diving or being fouled but not getting a call in either case, and now Portugal is out thanks to their superior Iberian neighbors. By the way, why does Portugal play such a horrible, defensive system? They actually have good defenders, so they should play creative, attacking football knowing the defense is solid behind them. I blame Carlos Queiroz (who proves that anyone looks like a great coach while assisting Alex Ferguson, but doing it yourself is a different matter... maybe it's leftover stink from his stint with the New York MetroStars).
On the other hand, three teams getting only minor cameos had better fortunes. OK, so the USA lost, but Landon Donovan was the only player of the entire commercial who truly "wrote the future" by scoring the goal against Algeria that so far is still probably the moment of the tournament. But maybe the US disappointment (I'd say failure) in losing still tied to this commercial?
The Spanish players also get a brief cameo (even though the Spanish team itself is sponsored by Adidas, which is why you only see Iniesta, Fàbregas, and Piqué wearing blank warm-ups with no logos) and they are still on course for a potential dream semifinal with Argentina/Germany and final against Brazil. Brazil, as mentioned before, are still in it, and looking pretty much locks to advance to the final, with only one threat in their half of the bracket, the Netherlands... who also happen to have a cameo in the Nike ad! That's them fouling Ronaldo.
The Dutch are impressing most people but honestly, do you think their D will hold up against the Brazilians? And of course they're up to their old tricks again, the Dutch, what with Robin van Persie acting like the spoiled arrogant brat (I'd also call him a certain name that rhymes with witch) that he is -- shocker considering he's coached by Arsène Wenger -- and showing hints of the internal dissension that has derailed so many better Dutch squads in the past. No matter what the Dutch camp says about unity and harmony within the team, don't buy it.
Adidas doesn't have any ad remotely as good right now, but at least they can tout Leo Messi and David Villa, who just keeps on scoring (god, how scary will Barcelona be next season).
It's not quite the Madden Curse or SI Jinx, but funny nonetheless.
Showing posts with label Cristiano Ronaldo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cristiano Ronaldo. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Road Field Advantage
Who said that there's a big team monopoly over the Champions League? And what happened to home field advantage? This most recent round of UEFA Champions League matches bucked a few generally held assumptions and may have livened things up for some teams, while sending a few others into downward spirals from which there appears a long march back.
Tuesday in particular saw a few big upsets. First and foremost among those was FK Rubin Kazan stunning Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou. On the heels of their 0-0 draw with Valencia over the weekend, not too mention an unconvincing 1-0 win over Almeria before that, and suddenly the Barca machine has lost it's luster. Maybe Messi needs to get some of that Maradona-Argentina stench off him. He hasn't been as dynamic recently, and the return to health of Andrés Iniesta hasn't provided the boost yet that we would expect. No one doubts they will rebound and are still among the favorites to win both La Liga and the Champions League, but maybe they are not so invincible.
FC Unirea Urziceni went to Glasgow and crushed an embarrassed Rangers team 4-1, and Dynamo Kiev continued the great day for Eastern European teams by going to the San Siro and drawing Inter 2-2. Inter continue to underwhelm, with some people even already putting pressure on Mourinho. But let's face it, they're not a great squad and they won't win the Champions League, although they probably will win the Serie A with main rivals Juve and Milan looking underwhelming (and few would put money on Sampdoria and Fiorentina to keep up their current pace through the entire season). Actually speaking of Fiorentina, they also went on the road and pulled out a 4-3 thriller against Drebrecen.
Also on the road Tuesday was Sevilla, who is in fine form and look their typical dangerous and exciting side, beating Stuttgart 3-1. Stuttgart have stuttered so far this year and seem in rather dissaray, and they will probably miss out on Europe altogether without an unbelievable run from here on out.
And if we're talking about disarray and missing out on Europe, who better to move on to than Liverpool. Liverpool probably couldn't be in a worse state. They lost at Chelsea and then at Sunderland via beachball-gate, so Anfielf, usually a fortress on European nights, must have seemed a wonderful sight. Yet without injured striker supreme Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard limping off again after 25 minutes, you could tell that the Liverpool season was going down the drain all at once. A 1-2 loss to Lyon later, with Manchester United coming to town Saturday, and well, the odds on Rafa Benetiz's job security are certainly not getting better. I guess that's what happens when you don't strengthen an already thin squad and also sell one of your key midfielders in the offseason.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, who are playing some of their wonderful silky football, may have been expected to win at AZ Alkmaar. Of course Arsenal always think they're better than they are, while always having something of an inferiority complex in Europe I feel. AZ might not have the traditional name recognition of PSV Eindhoven or Ajax, but they have been a good team in recent years, and they managed to hold Arsenal 1-1.
Bucking the home trend was Olympiakos, who held fort 2-1 over Standard Liege. So in recap, it was a 1-5-2 day for home teams. Rather striking, and none of the road victories were by any of the "giants" of Europe. A good day indeed for those who like upsets and drama.
Wednesday returned some sanity to the regular order or things, but there were still a few curveballs thrown to keep up the spice.
If you can call it business as usual, the unsurprising results including Juve beating Maccabi Haifa 1-0 in Turin, Man U beating CSKA Moscow 1-0 in Moscow, Marseille beating Zurich on the road 1-0, FC Porto beating Apoel Nicosia 2-1 at home, and Chelsea crushing Atlético Madrid 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Of those matches clearly Chelsea looked the best, but the result is also indicative of the utter collapse occurring at Atlético, which HalaMadrid has touched on here in the past. Sad. Man U's win was nice, on the road, and getting a goal in the second straight game from Antonio Valencia will boost them ahead of this weekend's clash at Anfield. I'll be looking forward to seeing if they can put Liverpool's season to bed and put Rafa's head on the chopping block so early in the season. Meanwhile, Juve continues to be underwhelming despite getting a result, and it's clear that this year probably won't involve any trophies for them, but they hopefully are on the right track for next year, as long as Gigi Buffon continues to play out of his mind and can come back healthy and on form after surgery for his right knee that he's hoping to have in late December after playing through the Inter Milan game.
There were three more results, however, which did not necessarily fall as predicted. First, Bayern Munich continues to be the epitome of inconsistency and lost 2-1 to Bordeaux. While most people would be surprised by this, but Bordeaux are not to be taken too lightly, and while I'd expect them to not last too long in the knockout stages, one of Bayern or Juve could very well end up in the Europa League. Bordeaux even won despite missing two pks. Besiktas held Wolfsburg 0-0 at the Wolkswagen Arena. Pretty amazing to hold this high flying team scoreless, though much of that was from super scoring Bosnian Edin Dzeko missing a few great chances.
(By the way, most people are focusing on the France-Ireland World Cup playoff draw, but Bosnia-Portugal with Bosnia getting the second leg at home could very well be the best matchup. Bosnia is still up and coming and doesn't have all the greatest results, including a 2-5 whacking at the hands of Spain, but they have the talent to send Ronaldo home pouting.)
Last and best of all though was AC Milan's 3-2 upset of Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. This was a very exciting game, including huge gaffes by Dida and Casillas gifting goals to the other team, a wonder shot out of nothing from Andrea Pirlo, Pato scoring a game winning brace, and signs of life from one Mr. Ronaldinho. The result was rather amazing because Milan was basically playing like a shell of its former self this year. But the amazing thing about having ageing players of the skill of Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, and Ronaldinho is that if they start clicking they can put on an occasional show of beautiful passing football. It was also very heartening and pleasing to Ronaldinho having fun with flicks and skills and generally reminding the world that there was once a time where he put on a perfect show that even the Bernabéu stood and applauded (unsurprisingly, he was jeered every time he touched the ball yesterday). Granted he had large stretches where he was somewhat invisible yesterday and there's still a long way to go before he nears any semblance of being on form for him, but even just those glimpses yesterday were enough to make me happy as a football fan.
And while I applauded the nice midfield work in the second half between Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Seedorf, and Pato, I doubt the Madridistas were very happy. I've not seen much of them this year so I can't really compare it to anything, but I wasn't really impressed with Kaká and Karim Benzema looks a little off kilter. I thought Lassana Diarra and Xabi Alonso were alright and I liked Royston Drenthe off the bench, but there still needs time for this team to gel. And how much does Ronaldo mean to them, maybe too much already? Madrid will certainly argue no, and although I don't doubt they can get it right and play great without him, they need to prove it. Nonetheless, let's hope that by November 29, we're not seeing the Barca and Real Madrid of the past two days.
Tuesday in particular saw a few big upsets. First and foremost among those was FK Rubin Kazan stunning Barcelona 2-1 at the Camp Nou. On the heels of their 0-0 draw with Valencia over the weekend, not too mention an unconvincing 1-0 win over Almeria before that, and suddenly the Barca machine has lost it's luster. Maybe Messi needs to get some of that Maradona-Argentina stench off him. He hasn't been as dynamic recently, and the return to health of Andrés Iniesta hasn't provided the boost yet that we would expect. No one doubts they will rebound and are still among the favorites to win both La Liga and the Champions League, but maybe they are not so invincible.
FC Unirea Urziceni went to Glasgow and crushed an embarrassed Rangers team 4-1, and Dynamo Kiev continued the great day for Eastern European teams by going to the San Siro and drawing Inter 2-2. Inter continue to underwhelm, with some people even already putting pressure on Mourinho. But let's face it, they're not a great squad and they won't win the Champions League, although they probably will win the Serie A with main rivals Juve and Milan looking underwhelming (and few would put money on Sampdoria and Fiorentina to keep up their current pace through the entire season). Actually speaking of Fiorentina, they also went on the road and pulled out a 4-3 thriller against Drebrecen.
Also on the road Tuesday was Sevilla, who is in fine form and look their typical dangerous and exciting side, beating Stuttgart 3-1. Stuttgart have stuttered so far this year and seem in rather dissaray, and they will probably miss out on Europe altogether without an unbelievable run from here on out.
And if we're talking about disarray and missing out on Europe, who better to move on to than Liverpool. Liverpool probably couldn't be in a worse state. They lost at Chelsea and then at Sunderland via beachball-gate, so Anfielf, usually a fortress on European nights, must have seemed a wonderful sight. Yet without injured striker supreme Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard limping off again after 25 minutes, you could tell that the Liverpool season was going down the drain all at once. A 1-2 loss to Lyon later, with Manchester United coming to town Saturday, and well, the odds on Rafa Benetiz's job security are certainly not getting better. I guess that's what happens when you don't strengthen an already thin squad and also sell one of your key midfielders in the offseason.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, who are playing some of their wonderful silky football, may have been expected to win at AZ Alkmaar. Of course Arsenal always think they're better than they are, while always having something of an inferiority complex in Europe I feel. AZ might not have the traditional name recognition of PSV Eindhoven or Ajax, but they have been a good team in recent years, and they managed to hold Arsenal 1-1.
Bucking the home trend was Olympiakos, who held fort 2-1 over Standard Liege. So in recap, it was a 1-5-2 day for home teams. Rather striking, and none of the road victories were by any of the "giants" of Europe. A good day indeed for those who like upsets and drama.
Wednesday returned some sanity to the regular order or things, but there were still a few curveballs thrown to keep up the spice.
If you can call it business as usual, the unsurprising results including Juve beating Maccabi Haifa 1-0 in Turin, Man U beating CSKA Moscow 1-0 in Moscow, Marseille beating Zurich on the road 1-0, FC Porto beating Apoel Nicosia 2-1 at home, and Chelsea crushing Atlético Madrid 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Of those matches clearly Chelsea looked the best, but the result is also indicative of the utter collapse occurring at Atlético, which HalaMadrid has touched on here in the past. Sad. Man U's win was nice, on the road, and getting a goal in the second straight game from Antonio Valencia will boost them ahead of this weekend's clash at Anfield. I'll be looking forward to seeing if they can put Liverpool's season to bed and put Rafa's head on the chopping block so early in the season. Meanwhile, Juve continues to be underwhelming despite getting a result, and it's clear that this year probably won't involve any trophies for them, but they hopefully are on the right track for next year, as long as Gigi Buffon continues to play out of his mind and can come back healthy and on form after surgery for his right knee that he's hoping to have in late December after playing through the Inter Milan game.
There were three more results, however, which did not necessarily fall as predicted. First, Bayern Munich continues to be the epitome of inconsistency and lost 2-1 to Bordeaux. While most people would be surprised by this, but Bordeaux are not to be taken too lightly, and while I'd expect them to not last too long in the knockout stages, one of Bayern or Juve could very well end up in the Europa League. Bordeaux even won despite missing two pks. Besiktas held Wolfsburg 0-0 at the Wolkswagen Arena. Pretty amazing to hold this high flying team scoreless, though much of that was from super scoring Bosnian Edin Dzeko missing a few great chances.
(By the way, most people are focusing on the France-Ireland World Cup playoff draw, but Bosnia-Portugal with Bosnia getting the second leg at home could very well be the best matchup. Bosnia is still up and coming and doesn't have all the greatest results, including a 2-5 whacking at the hands of Spain, but they have the talent to send Ronaldo home pouting.)
Last and best of all though was AC Milan's 3-2 upset of Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. This was a very exciting game, including huge gaffes by Dida and Casillas gifting goals to the other team, a wonder shot out of nothing from Andrea Pirlo, Pato scoring a game winning brace, and signs of life from one Mr. Ronaldinho. The result was rather amazing because Milan was basically playing like a shell of its former self this year. But the amazing thing about having ageing players of the skill of Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, and Ronaldinho is that if they start clicking they can put on an occasional show of beautiful passing football. It was also very heartening and pleasing to Ronaldinho having fun with flicks and skills and generally reminding the world that there was once a time where he put on a perfect show that even the Bernabéu stood and applauded (unsurprisingly, he was jeered every time he touched the ball yesterday). Granted he had large stretches where he was somewhat invisible yesterday and there's still a long way to go before he nears any semblance of being on form for him, but even just those glimpses yesterday were enough to make me happy as a football fan.
And while I applauded the nice midfield work in the second half between Ronaldinho, Pirlo, Seedorf, and Pato, I doubt the Madridistas were very happy. I've not seen much of them this year so I can't really compare it to anything, but I wasn't really impressed with Kaká and Karim Benzema looks a little off kilter. I thought Lassana Diarra and Xabi Alonso were alright and I liked Royston Drenthe off the bench, but there still needs time for this team to gel. And how much does Ronaldo mean to them, maybe too much already? Madrid will certainly argue no, and although I don't doubt they can get it right and play great without him, they need to prove it. Nonetheless, let's hope that by November 29, we're not seeing the Barca and Real Madrid of the past two days.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Heads or Tails for Football in Madrid
This past week has only served to highlight the distance between the two Madrid teams and reinforce the depressed state of Atletico Madrid. This past weekend saw Valencia and Atletico square off in a matchup from which the rojiblancos desperately needed three points. Despite Kun Aguero putting the boys from Madrid up in Mestalla in the 7th minute, goals from Pablo Hernandez (25th) and Villa (27th) put the home team up in just over a minute. The game was marked by terrible defense and a chaotic pace that was more reminiscent of feeding frenzy footage on the Discovery Channel than a football match.
A win would have been too much reward for a Valencia side that has similar failings to Atletico (weak at back, thin squad) but whose strike force is in better current form (Villa/Mata/Silva v. Kun/Forlan). Maxi evened the game out in the 92nd, and the game would go final at 2-2. Meanwhile Real Madrid still hasn't quite figured out how they play, and went into the second half tied with recently ascended Tenerife, 0-0. As is the case among the Madrid press, they rang the alarm. This team, in light of the investment made, is terrible, doesn't know how to play, and is not as good as Barca.
Nevermind that they've been together far less time and are still getting the same results as Barca, someone needed fired to hear the reactionary Madrid press tell it. Neverthless, Pellegrini subbed in Kaka and Guti, and "voila!" Benzema scored a brace in eleven minutes time (47, 58) and Kaka got his just deserts by scoring the third in the 77th minute. While the press' exasperation is expected, sometimes the irrationality of the criticisms leveled at this Madrid side call into question the profesionalism and intelligence of Madrid's press corps. Reason, it seems, is superfluous in analyzing the team. That, however, is the burden of every large side, especially one that has just spend a country's GDP in signings.
At midweek, Atletico was put to the fire by a strong Porto side that exploited Atletico's meek defense and basically eliminated the rojiblancos from Europe barring a set of surprising results against Chelsea in their next two games against the Londoners. Atletico is bottom of their group, and at best will be hoping for Europa. Real Madrid are at the head of their group, but like the weekend looked similarly inept in the first 45 against Marseille. But three pieces of brilliance from CR9, one of which resulted in Kaka converting a penalty, and the dismantling was complete.
Unlike flipping a coin, the footballing stature in Madrid seems rather predictable with Real drawing heads, and Atletico always ending up tails. This applies to both Champions League groups or the table itself, where they sit 18th with three points.
More preoccupying for Real is the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to injury (on the midweek penalty tackle) that will keep him out of the Sevilla game. Sevilla currently sits three points behind Real and Barcelona in 3rd place, and looked impressive crushing Rangers 4-1 in Glasgow midweek and fourth place Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in San Mames last weekend. This is the first true test for a Real Madrid side that has a wonderful ability to strike and lots of "goal" as they say in Spanish, but has yet to prove that they're a footballing "machine." Sevilla on the other hand have established that they play from memory and are in fine form. Real's eighth consecutive win in all competitions, even with Ronaldo, was not guaranteed, and is less so without him. Real will have to see if it's up to the task of taking on another world class team in Sevilla. Expect alarms to go off if they lose, but an expected sigh if they win. Such is the plight of Real Madrid.
Atletico ... well I'm rather sure they'd be ecstatic to grab three points from a decent Zaragoza side and leave the bottom of the table. But smart money's on a tie if you ask me. And if so, Atletico will truly by coasting downhill without brakes. Forlan has re-signed this past week, but look for Kun Aguero to look for the door if Atletico continues on this path for the season. Indeed, it looks like another year of heads or tails in Madrid's footballing hierarchy.
A win would have been too much reward for a Valencia side that has similar failings to Atletico (weak at back, thin squad) but whose strike force is in better current form (Villa/Mata/Silva v. Kun/Forlan). Maxi evened the game out in the 92nd, and the game would go final at 2-2. Meanwhile Real Madrid still hasn't quite figured out how they play, and went into the second half tied with recently ascended Tenerife, 0-0. As is the case among the Madrid press, they rang the alarm. This team, in light of the investment made, is terrible, doesn't know how to play, and is not as good as Barca.
Nevermind that they've been together far less time and are still getting the same results as Barca, someone needed fired to hear the reactionary Madrid press tell it. Neverthless, Pellegrini subbed in Kaka and Guti, and "voila!" Benzema scored a brace in eleven minutes time (47, 58) and Kaka got his just deserts by scoring the third in the 77th minute. While the press' exasperation is expected, sometimes the irrationality of the criticisms leveled at this Madrid side call into question the profesionalism and intelligence of Madrid's press corps. Reason, it seems, is superfluous in analyzing the team. That, however, is the burden of every large side, especially one that has just spend a country's GDP in signings.
At midweek, Atletico was put to the fire by a strong Porto side that exploited Atletico's meek defense and basically eliminated the rojiblancos from Europe barring a set of surprising results against Chelsea in their next two games against the Londoners. Atletico is bottom of their group, and at best will be hoping for Europa. Real Madrid are at the head of their group, but like the weekend looked similarly inept in the first 45 against Marseille. But three pieces of brilliance from CR9, one of which resulted in Kaka converting a penalty, and the dismantling was complete.
Unlike flipping a coin, the footballing stature in Madrid seems rather predictable with Real drawing heads, and Atletico always ending up tails. This applies to both Champions League groups or the table itself, where they sit 18th with three points.
More preoccupying for Real is the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to injury (on the midweek penalty tackle) that will keep him out of the Sevilla game. Sevilla currently sits three points behind Real and Barcelona in 3rd place, and looked impressive crushing Rangers 4-1 in Glasgow midweek and fourth place Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in San Mames last weekend. This is the first true test for a Real Madrid side that has a wonderful ability to strike and lots of "goal" as they say in Spanish, but has yet to prove that they're a footballing "machine." Sevilla on the other hand have established that they play from memory and are in fine form. Real's eighth consecutive win in all competitions, even with Ronaldo, was not guaranteed, and is less so without him. Real will have to see if it's up to the task of taking on another world class team in Sevilla. Expect alarms to go off if they lose, but an expected sigh if they win. Such is the plight of Real Madrid.
Atletico ... well I'm rather sure they'd be ecstatic to grab three points from a decent Zaragoza side and leave the bottom of the table. But smart money's on a tie if you ask me. And if so, Atletico will truly by coasting downhill without brakes. Forlan has re-signed this past week, but look for Kun Aguero to look for the door if Atletico continues on this path for the season. Indeed, it looks like another year of heads or tails in Madrid's footballing hierarchy.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Hardest shot follow up
This morning HalaMadrid posted a cool fact that Ronaldo's free kicks were around 60 mph against FC Zurich this week, and comparing it to Becks, Alves, and Ronaldinho (all slower) and Robert Carlos (faster). Certainly that makes those shots tougher to save, but as bzimzim commented, even at that speed if the shot is straight at the keeper, he has to make that save. I agree. The second of Ronaldo's goals should have been saved. The ball moved some, yes, but Ronaldo has had other shots with more movement, and this one was still right at the keeper.
Anyway, this reminded me of how MLS used to have stupid challenges at their stupid all-star game, much like the NHL has (though I do like some of the NHL all-star stuff). Zach Thornton, a keeper, won a few in a row, with his shots coming in at about 81 mph according to the radar gun.
After some further digging, it turns out The Guardian analyzed the archives of shots recorded by the Sky Sports Replay 2000 tracking machine. Remember, this is very unofficial, and it's (a) from Feb 2007, so it doesn't include Ronaldo's efforts since that time, (b) these are one-offs and not how someone shoots on average, and (c) the games tracked are basically only those involving English teams, with one exception - the famous Roberto Carlos goal against France.
Here's the list:
1) David Hirst - 114mph (for Sheffield Wednesday @ Arsenal on September 16 1996)
2) David Beckham - 97.9mph (for Man Utd v Chelsea on February 22 1997)
3) David Trezeguet - 96mph (for Monaco @ Man Utd on March 19 1998)
4) Richie Humphreys - 95.9mph (for Sheffield Wednesday v Aston Villa on August 17 1996)
5) Matt Le Tissier - 86.8mph (for Southampton v Newcastle on January 18 1997)
6) Alan Shearer - 85.8mph (for Newcastle v Leicester on February 2 1997)
7) Roberto Carlos - 85.2mph (for Brazil v France on June 3 1997)
8) Tugay - 84.2mph (for Blackburn @ Southampton on November 3 2001)
9) Obafemi Martins - 84mph (for Newcastle @ Tottenham on January 14 2007)
10) David Beckham - 80.5mph (for Man Utd @ Derby on September 4 1996)
For comparison, here are the Real Madrid-Zurich highlights, including Ronaldo's shots:
And here is the unofficial fastest shot recorded by David Hirst (note he didn't even score, he hits the crossbar - at 0:33 of the clip):
For fun, here's one more thunderbolt that's not on the list, by Steven Reid. The page says it was 189kmh, or about 117mph. This is a hell of a shot:
The final shot, by Ronny Heberson, was supposedly tracked at 222kmh, or almost 138mph.
On the more technical side, this article/blog discusses the science of Ronaldo's shots, namely that the way he strikes the ball with no spin is the key. This allows the shots to go fast for a longer distance than others. However, a sports technology researcher says it's not possible to hit a shot 132mph, but that the high 80s was doable for shots tracked at training grounds. What do you think?
Anyway, this reminded me of how MLS used to have stupid challenges at their stupid all-star game, much like the NHL has (though I do like some of the NHL all-star stuff). Zach Thornton, a keeper, won a few in a row, with his shots coming in at about 81 mph according to the radar gun.
After some further digging, it turns out The Guardian analyzed the archives of shots recorded by the Sky Sports Replay 2000 tracking machine. Remember, this is very unofficial, and it's (a) from Feb 2007, so it doesn't include Ronaldo's efforts since that time, (b) these are one-offs and not how someone shoots on average, and (c) the games tracked are basically only those involving English teams, with one exception - the famous Roberto Carlos goal against France.
Here's the list:
1) David Hirst - 114mph (for Sheffield Wednesday @ Arsenal on September 16 1996)
2) David Beckham - 97.9mph (for Man Utd v Chelsea on February 22 1997)
3) David Trezeguet - 96mph (for Monaco @ Man Utd on March 19 1998)
4) Richie Humphreys - 95.9mph (for Sheffield Wednesday v Aston Villa on August 17 1996)
5) Matt Le Tissier - 86.8mph (for Southampton v Newcastle on January 18 1997)
6) Alan Shearer - 85.8mph (for Newcastle v Leicester on February 2 1997)
7) Roberto Carlos - 85.2mph (for Brazil v France on June 3 1997)
8) Tugay - 84.2mph (for Blackburn @ Southampton on November 3 2001)
9) Obafemi Martins - 84mph (for Newcastle @ Tottenham on January 14 2007)
10) David Beckham - 80.5mph (for Man Utd @ Derby on September 4 1996)
For comparison, here are the Real Madrid-Zurich highlights, including Ronaldo's shots:
And here is the unofficial fastest shot recorded by David Hirst (note he didn't even score, he hits the crossbar - at 0:33 of the clip):
For fun, here's one more thunderbolt that's not on the list, by Steven Reid. The page says it was 189kmh, or about 117mph. This is a hell of a shot:
The final shot, by Ronny Heberson, was supposedly tracked at 222kmh, or almost 138mph.
On the more technical side, this article/blog discusses the science of Ronaldo's shots, namely that the way he strikes the ball with no spin is the key. This allows the shots to go fast for a longer distance than others. However, a sports technology researcher says it's not possible to hit a shot 132mph, but that the high 80s was doable for shots tracked at training grounds. What do you think?
Monday, September 7, 2009
Argentina and Portugal Hanging by a Thread
As discussed in my Saturday morning post, both Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal team and Lionel Messi's Argentina team confronted this weekend's World Cup qualifiers in precarious situations. Suffice to say, neither ended up in a better position after their respective games.
First off, Portugal. I watched bits and pieces of this game, and what was abundantly clear was this: Portugal created chances. Numerous, multiple, varied, and all shapes, colors, and sizes chances. But midfielders, no matter how good in front of goal, are not strikers. Look at the Dutch. Robben, Van der Vaart, and Sneijder can all score. But when a goal absolutely must be scored, they've looked (in recent years) to Van Nistlerooy, Van Persie, or Huntelaar. They are pure strikers. Not great striking midfielders. Simao, Deco, and Ronaldo all had good chances throughout the game, but until just-naturalized Portuguese Liedson equalized in the 87th minute, the Portuguese had put up a goose egg. The Portuguese press has not proven kind to either Queiroz or Ronaldo after the draw, as if this team needed any more pressure.
Now Portugal is truly on the outside looking in. Sitting fourth in their group with ten points, the Portuguese are behind Sweden (12 pts.), Hungary (13 pts.), and Denmark (17 pts.). They likely need all nine points available from the remaining three games, as well as some favorable results, and that's probably to enter the second place playoff. It looks very likely that the Portuguese and Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in South Africa next summer.
Argentina are in a slightly better position than Portugal, even after the manhandling received at the feet of the Brazilians Saturday night. The teams directly behind them lost, allowing them to remain in fourth place. Nevertheless, it was a sad spectacle in Rosario on Saturday night. Despite the albicelestes taking the initiative for the first fifteen to twenty minutes, after that it was all Brazil. The first goal was quite possibly one of the worst defended set piece headers I've ever seen in a top flight match. Luisao, the tallest player on the field, was completely unmarked for a ripping header. There wasn't an Argentine within four feet of him. Who to blame? How about Maradona, who instead of finding two center backs and molding them into what he wants, opted to use Velez Sarsfield's center back combination of Otamendi and Dominguez. Both are decent players, but neither was up to the task of playing against Brazil.
They play for Velez Sarsfield, and as such aren't used to the speed of players like Robinho (invisible), Kaka (magnificent), Fabiano (merciless), or Melo (effective). Fabiano's second goal really took the air out of Argentina, and not even Datolo's absolute cracker could make up for Brazil's absolute physical domination of Argentina. By the time Fabiano deftly chipped the third goal past Andujar (off a splendid pass from Kaka), the writing was on the wall. Argentina had improved in the second half, but certainly not enough to contend with Brazil.
Maradona tried to make up for his own incompetence by playing in Rosario, where the crowd was supposed to be ardent. He tried to make up for his lack of coaching with a known centerback tandem. He tried to make up for his poor team selection with "experience" (Heinze) and domestic club success (Veron/Estudiantes). None of it worked. Despite a very strong, at times impressive, performance from Messi, he couldn't make up for a team that clearly doesn't know what or how it's playing. As if a further indictment was needed, Maradona didn't even have his best players on the bench. Other than Aguero, Lisandro Lopez, Higuain and Riquelme were notably absent. It was almost comical to see Argentina cross the ball, as if one of the Messi-Tevez-Kun combination was about to grow four inches in a split second. Diego Milito gave up the second goal when instead of one touching a ball in front of goal he settled it, giving world class keeper Julio Cesar enough time to close on the shot. Brazil, on the other hand, knows what it's playing at, as Dunga has engrained it into their DNA. Stingy at the back, somwhat flowing up top, but always organized, Brazil may not be as flashy as years past, but they're just as effective.
And so, Maradona and Argentina sit in fourth place, facing a stingy Paraguayan defense in Paraguay in a decisive match. Tevez is injured and a new goalkeeper will likely start for the albicelestes. The doubts, it seems, are piling up. A few months from now, we may recall this past weekend as one where we saw two stunning goals (Bendtner and Datolo) go in, but saw two stunning squads head out.
Many will argue that two players or teams don't make a World Cup. And for the most part they're right. But the truth is, a World Cup without Messi or Ronaldo wouldn't be quite up to par. It's the Stones without Jagger. A Ferrari without a stickshift. Peanut butter with no jelly. The Cup will always be about the best team in the world. But anyone who tells you it's not about the best players too is just in denial. Either Argentina or Portugal, or both, need to be in this World Cup. Anything less would be a footballing tragedy.
First off, Portugal. I watched bits and pieces of this game, and what was abundantly clear was this: Portugal created chances. Numerous, multiple, varied, and all shapes, colors, and sizes chances. But midfielders, no matter how good in front of goal, are not strikers. Look at the Dutch. Robben, Van der Vaart, and Sneijder can all score. But when a goal absolutely must be scored, they've looked (in recent years) to Van Nistlerooy, Van Persie, or Huntelaar. They are pure strikers. Not great striking midfielders. Simao, Deco, and Ronaldo all had good chances throughout the game, but until just-naturalized Portuguese Liedson equalized in the 87th minute, the Portuguese had put up a goose egg. The Portuguese press has not proven kind to either Queiroz or Ronaldo after the draw, as if this team needed any more pressure.
Now Portugal is truly on the outside looking in. Sitting fourth in their group with ten points, the Portuguese are behind Sweden (12 pts.), Hungary (13 pts.), and Denmark (17 pts.). They likely need all nine points available from the remaining three games, as well as some favorable results, and that's probably to enter the second place playoff. It looks very likely that the Portuguese and Cristiano Ronaldo will not be in South Africa next summer.
Argentina are in a slightly better position than Portugal, even after the manhandling received at the feet of the Brazilians Saturday night. The teams directly behind them lost, allowing them to remain in fourth place. Nevertheless, it was a sad spectacle in Rosario on Saturday night. Despite the albicelestes taking the initiative for the first fifteen to twenty minutes, after that it was all Brazil. The first goal was quite possibly one of the worst defended set piece headers I've ever seen in a top flight match. Luisao, the tallest player on the field, was completely unmarked for a ripping header. There wasn't an Argentine within four feet of him. Who to blame? How about Maradona, who instead of finding two center backs and molding them into what he wants, opted to use Velez Sarsfield's center back combination of Otamendi and Dominguez. Both are decent players, but neither was up to the task of playing against Brazil.
They play for Velez Sarsfield, and as such aren't used to the speed of players like Robinho (invisible), Kaka (magnificent), Fabiano (merciless), or Melo (effective). Fabiano's second goal really took the air out of Argentina, and not even Datolo's absolute cracker could make up for Brazil's absolute physical domination of Argentina. By the time Fabiano deftly chipped the third goal past Andujar (off a splendid pass from Kaka), the writing was on the wall. Argentina had improved in the second half, but certainly not enough to contend with Brazil.
Maradona tried to make up for his own incompetence by playing in Rosario, where the crowd was supposed to be ardent. He tried to make up for his lack of coaching with a known centerback tandem. He tried to make up for his poor team selection with "experience" (Heinze) and domestic club success (Veron/Estudiantes). None of it worked. Despite a very strong, at times impressive, performance from Messi, he couldn't make up for a team that clearly doesn't know what or how it's playing. As if a further indictment was needed, Maradona didn't even have his best players on the bench. Other than Aguero, Lisandro Lopez, Higuain and Riquelme were notably absent. It was almost comical to see Argentina cross the ball, as if one of the Messi-Tevez-Kun combination was about to grow four inches in a split second. Diego Milito gave up the second goal when instead of one touching a ball in front of goal he settled it, giving world class keeper Julio Cesar enough time to close on the shot. Brazil, on the other hand, knows what it's playing at, as Dunga has engrained it into their DNA. Stingy at the back, somwhat flowing up top, but always organized, Brazil may not be as flashy as years past, but they're just as effective.
And so, Maradona and Argentina sit in fourth place, facing a stingy Paraguayan defense in Paraguay in a decisive match. Tevez is injured and a new goalkeeper will likely start for the albicelestes. The doubts, it seems, are piling up. A few months from now, we may recall this past weekend as one where we saw two stunning goals (Bendtner and Datolo) go in, but saw two stunning squads head out.
Many will argue that two players or teams don't make a World Cup. And for the most part they're right. But the truth is, a World Cup without Messi or Ronaldo wouldn't be quite up to par. It's the Stones without Jagger. A Ferrari without a stickshift. Peanut butter with no jelly. The Cup will always be about the best team in the world. But anyone who tells you it's not about the best players too is just in denial. Either Argentina or Portugal, or both, need to be in this World Cup. Anything less would be a footballing tragedy.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
DC United Advances in spite of Ronaldo-esque attempt at PK tomfoolery
First, DC United advanced past Firpo to reach the CONCACAF Champions League group stage. The game was 1-1 after 90 minutes plus full time, with DC emerging victorious 5-4 on penalties. It was clear that DC was the more talented team, and they rightfully deserved to win.
I would like to note a controversial moment, namely Firpo's goal in the 39th minute, which was a pentalty kick. Leandro Franco took Cristiano Ronaldo's patented stop-start run-up to new extremes. You know Ronaldo's style well - he starts his run, but in an awkward looking and ultimately unsuccessful attempt at fooling the keeper into guessing one way early he takes a jerking stutter that kills his momentum. Usually this doesn't matter because Ronaldo can still finish with pretty much unsavable placement anyway; however, he famously missed in the Champions League final in 2008 and it looked like his usual accuracy was thrown off by his annoying, stuttering run up (though I give him credit for a strong game overall and a wonderful headed goal for Man U during normal time).
Here's Ronaldo's penalty, at 0:49 of the clip.
Looking back now I see that he completely stopped, which is technically illegal. Last night Franco actually planted to kick at the ball and then stopped right at the ball, much closer than what Ronaldo does. Because he looked like he was in mid-kicking motion, DC goalie Josh Wicks guessed to his right, opening the goal for Franco. Once Franco stopped and waited a second, Wicks also stopped and looked at the ref to make a call. The ref did nothing and Franco scored easily. Here's Franco's penalty kick at 0:33 of the clip.
What do you think? Was Franco's kick illegal, should it have not counted? What about Ronaldo's? Despite being one of the best free kick takers on the planet, I was never comfortable that Ronaldo would score his penalties, despite his high success rate in them, because the stutter run up seemed a disaster waiting to happen, and fortunately for Man U the wet grass and John Terry's footing saved them in 2008. I think it's a pretty stupid way to take penalties. And Franco's goal should have been disallowed.
Anyway, DC joins Houston and Columbus as MLS teams in the group stages. Toronto was eliminated by USL team Puerto Rico and the Red Bulls take a 2-2 away leg tie into tonights match in New Jersey. Let's hope W Connection from Trinadad can hit some away goals today.
I would like to note a controversial moment, namely Firpo's goal in the 39th minute, which was a pentalty kick. Leandro Franco took Cristiano Ronaldo's patented stop-start run-up to new extremes. You know Ronaldo's style well - he starts his run, but in an awkward looking and ultimately unsuccessful attempt at fooling the keeper into guessing one way early he takes a jerking stutter that kills his momentum. Usually this doesn't matter because Ronaldo can still finish with pretty much unsavable placement anyway; however, he famously missed in the Champions League final in 2008 and it looked like his usual accuracy was thrown off by his annoying, stuttering run up (though I give him credit for a strong game overall and a wonderful headed goal for Man U during normal time).
Here's Ronaldo's penalty, at 0:49 of the clip.
Looking back now I see that he completely stopped, which is technically illegal. Last night Franco actually planted to kick at the ball and then stopped right at the ball, much closer than what Ronaldo does. Because he looked like he was in mid-kicking motion, DC goalie Josh Wicks guessed to his right, opening the goal for Franco. Once Franco stopped and waited a second, Wicks also stopped and looked at the ref to make a call. The ref did nothing and Franco scored easily. Here's Franco's penalty kick at 0:33 of the clip.
What do you think? Was Franco's kick illegal, should it have not counted? What about Ronaldo's? Despite being one of the best free kick takers on the planet, I was never comfortable that Ronaldo would score his penalties, despite his high success rate in them, because the stutter run up seemed a disaster waiting to happen, and fortunately for Man U the wet grass and John Terry's footing saved them in 2008. I think it's a pretty stupid way to take penalties. And Franco's goal should have been disallowed.
Anyway, DC joins Houston and Columbus as MLS teams in the group stages. Toronto was eliminated by USL team Puerto Rico and the Red Bulls take a 2-2 away leg tie into tonights match in New Jersey. Let's hope W Connection from Trinadad can hit some away goals today.
The Latest Items of Interest
Rumor has it AC Milan will look to reinvest part of Kaka's signing fee in Arsenal man Cesc Fabregas. Would Arsene do it? Could Arsenal survive if they did?
Wenger appears to be having a much easier time of selling than buying. Chamakh is still in the air, and Arsenal's 5.5 million pound bid for Sevilla centerback Federico Fazio has been nixed by the player himself.
After only one victory in five preseason games, Rafa Benitez is worried about his Liverpool side. How Rafa could be surprised is the real question. Liverpool's let go of five players so far (Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Sami Hyypia, Sebastian Leto, Jermaine Pennant) and signed one - Glen Johnson. Even if all the players dropped weren't in the starting eleven, Rafa's gotten much thinner since the summer began, and I don't mean the man himself (though he too could do with some calorie counting by the looks of it).
The Guardian continues to preview the EPL team-by-team, in alphabetical order. Up for today: Chelsea. Go here, about mid-page and find the other previews published so far.
The pay scale at Barcelona looks much the way you'd expect it to look. After his new contract is signed, Messi will be the best paid player, directly above two men who used to be the best paid players at their respective clubs - Henry and Ibrahimovic. Then follow Alves and the players who brought the Euro 2008 back to Spain (Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, and Co.). Finally, Bojan and Pique, the youth system's rising stars are cut above the last income bracket, the youth system's latest call ups.
Barcelona continues to market itself aggressively on their tour for United States domination. They're looking into Eva Longoria (Tony Parker and Thierry Henry are close friends) as a possible representative for the club in the U.S. Mia Hamm may also serve as an ambassador of some kind to the women's soccer movement. Finally, there's been quite a bit of talk of Barca's negotiations with Microsoft for a sponsorship deal. Of course, because Barca is "mes que un club" they're interested in collaborating with Bill Gate's charitable foundations. Cute.
Lovable losers Atletico de Madrid are winning somewhere, if not on the pitch. We've covered their always spectacular marketing campaigns within Spain on FutbolNation, but now there's further proof of Atletico's growing popularity (there are more masochists in this world than I thought). Since 2000 Atletico's fan clubs (penas) have increased by 145 clubs, bringing their total to 671 clubs, 26 located abroad. Since becoming an S.A.D. (Anonymous Sporting Society - a type of corporate entity like LLPs) in the 1991-92 season, the number of "abonados" (Atletico Madrid dues-paying club members) has increased from 13,571 to 48,371. While Atletico's surge in popularity can be attributed to their recent return to European play, the development of Aguero and Forlan up top, and their export of wunderkind Torres to Liverpool, at the end of the day this is a club that hasn't won a title in thirteen years. Not too shabby. Those ad campaigns are really paying off.
Speaking of marketing, this little interactive feature Marca put together about Cristiano Ronaldo is something ESPN or FoxSports could look into (hint: click on the red arrow on CR9's chest to access). Have you noticed ESPN's football coverage trying to make football look like a prepared play sport (ala NFL) by the somewhat ridiculous use of arrows and player shifting? I suppose it's not necessarily a bad thing, but if they're really trying to market the sport, wouldn't interactive features of this type really appeal to casual fans? Slick, informative, fun to watch - it adds a bit more to the discussion of why CR9 was so expensive, don't you think? Now imagine that ESPN puts one of these together for the top 50 players in the world and embeds it within a preview for a team's season. I know, I know, that'd be too crazy.
Wenger appears to be having a much easier time of selling than buying. Chamakh is still in the air, and Arsenal's 5.5 million pound bid for Sevilla centerback Federico Fazio has been nixed by the player himself.
After only one victory in five preseason games, Rafa Benitez is worried about his Liverpool side. How Rafa could be surprised is the real question. Liverpool's let go of five players so far (Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso, Sami Hyypia, Sebastian Leto, Jermaine Pennant) and signed one - Glen Johnson. Even if all the players dropped weren't in the starting eleven, Rafa's gotten much thinner since the summer began, and I don't mean the man himself (though he too could do with some calorie counting by the looks of it).
The Guardian continues to preview the EPL team-by-team, in alphabetical order. Up for today: Chelsea. Go here, about mid-page and find the other previews published so far.
The pay scale at Barcelona looks much the way you'd expect it to look. After his new contract is signed, Messi will be the best paid player, directly above two men who used to be the best paid players at their respective clubs - Henry and Ibrahimovic. Then follow Alves and the players who brought the Euro 2008 back to Spain (Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, and Co.). Finally, Bojan and Pique, the youth system's rising stars are cut above the last income bracket, the youth system's latest call ups.
Barcelona continues to market itself aggressively on their tour for United States domination. They're looking into Eva Longoria (Tony Parker and Thierry Henry are close friends) as a possible representative for the club in the U.S. Mia Hamm may also serve as an ambassador of some kind to the women's soccer movement. Finally, there's been quite a bit of talk of Barca's negotiations with Microsoft for a sponsorship deal. Of course, because Barca is "mes que un club" they're interested in collaborating with Bill Gate's charitable foundations. Cute.
Lovable losers Atletico de Madrid are winning somewhere, if not on the pitch. We've covered their always spectacular marketing campaigns within Spain on FutbolNation, but now there's further proof of Atletico's growing popularity (there are more masochists in this world than I thought). Since 2000 Atletico's fan clubs (penas) have increased by 145 clubs, bringing their total to 671 clubs, 26 located abroad. Since becoming an S.A.D. (Anonymous Sporting Society - a type of corporate entity like LLPs) in the 1991-92 season, the number of "abonados" (Atletico Madrid dues-paying club members) has increased from 13,571 to 48,371. While Atletico's surge in popularity can be attributed to their recent return to European play, the development of Aguero and Forlan up top, and their export of wunderkind Torres to Liverpool, at the end of the day this is a club that hasn't won a title in thirteen years. Not too shabby. Those ad campaigns are really paying off.
Speaking of marketing, this little interactive feature Marca put together about Cristiano Ronaldo is something ESPN or FoxSports could look into (hint: click on the red arrow on CR9's chest to access). Have you noticed ESPN's football coverage trying to make football look like a prepared play sport (ala NFL) by the somewhat ridiculous use of arrows and player shifting? I suppose it's not necessarily a bad thing, but if they're really trying to market the sport, wouldn't interactive features of this type really appeal to casual fans? Slick, informative, fun to watch - it adds a bit more to the discussion of why CR9 was so expensive, don't you think? Now imagine that ESPN puts one of these together for the top 50 players in the world and embeds it within a preview for a team's season. I know, I know, that'd be too crazy.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Moral High Ground and Football
It has become popular in Europe, after Real Madrid's two blockbuster signings, to assert various charges against Real Madrid and president Florentino Perez. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has gone so far as call Real Madrid's strategy "imperialist" and as having airs of arrogance. But the criticisms have come from far and wide, and most share a one remarkable trait - the attacks are founded in some greater footballing morality, some higher, holier ground from which Real Madrid and Florentino Perez may be properly judged.
UEFA president Michel Platini initially remarked that, "These transfers are a serious challenge to the idea of fair play and the concept of financial balance in our competitions." Platini has gone on to say that he's "embarrassed" by the Ronaldo transfer fee, and considered Maradona's transfer to Napoli "vulgar" (equivalent to 6.5 million euros today). Platini is reported to be considering salary caps in the coming years - an odd solution to a problem that has been driven by transfer fees and not player salaries.
Sir Bobby Charlton also found the Ronaldo transfer fee a bit "vulgar." Spanish president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero considered the transfer fees, "excessive," but at least acknowledged the social power of football. Spanish Economy Minister Elena Salgado said she was "surprised" and felt that the Ronaldo sum "escapes the dimensions she would consider" for a player. Unamused, she stated she'd ask banks, if they have the liquidity, to make the same efforts to loan money to small business and families. The president of the Catalan Generalitat, Jose Montilla agreed, noting that the sums spent were "not exemplary" considering the difficulties families and small business owners were having in securing loans, and the number of unemployed and underemployed in the nation.
Others have been even more reactionary. Frederic Thiriez, president of the French Professional Football League (LPF), tagged the transfer sums as "morally indecent" and "suicidal for European football in the sporting sense." Daniel Harris of ESPN writes Real Madrid's signing policy is: "morally repugnant, crass and vulgar just as it is in any walk of life." Harris continues, stating that teams should earn money "legitimately" (whatever that means) and passes off his opinion of how team-building should be done as fact. He, like Platini, suggests a salary cap, and takes digs galore at Real Madrid. Indeed to read Harris's apocalyptic view of the transfers and you'd think John Connor will need to save football from Real Madrid and Florentino Perez.
Certainly, there is a sense that the British critics are chomping at the bit to tear into Real Madrid for what the EPL's big four have been doing a lot of recently. These nationalistic fractures, however, are best left for another day. What is surprising, is the play on morality and vulgarity that continually enters the discussion of transfer fees. "Vulgarity" in this context carries the that classist connotation of criticism for being nouveau riche. As in, "Never speak about how much something cost - how vulgar." Think every rapper ever on MTV Cribs as they rattle how much it cost them to frame a Scarface poster in platinum. What this even means in relation to a transfer fee is unclear to me.
Presumably, those finding the fee "vulgar" would have preferred Real Madrid sit contently back (with proper form) and observe their footballing mediocrity, starkly accentuated by their rival FC Barcelona's meteoric rise. Oddly enough, if there is a club in the world that is not new money, it is Real Madrid. Even more contradictory, the classist overtones of this criticism stand in relief to the ostensible goal of the attack - to protect football's "middle class." Attacking a club's vulgarity may make for a good soundbite, or convey an appropriate anger at the moves, but this doesn't mean it's any less outlandish and unfounded of a critique. Particularly coming from ex-footballers and politicians, whose spending habits are themselves questionable at best.
The argument of "morality" is equally absurd. What morality the critics refer to is unclear. How, exactly, does Real Madrid's signing policy in any way affect banks lending to families or businesses? Did Florentino steal people's food to fund the signings? Had Kaka and Ronaldo not been signed, would Perez have donated the money to charity? I think not. Listen, I'm the first person to put AIG or Chrysler or Merrill Lynch to the sword for fiscal irresponsibility. But these are major corporations whose stake in the world economy is such that their actions affect everyone. Further, the irresponsibility of those financial entities has no bearing on the actions of a football club. And actually, Real Madrid's signing are not even fiscally irresponsible. The footballing repercussions are debatable, but financially, these moves are most likely sound. Why?
Because Real Madrid as an entity has only four goals: (1) turn a profit to survive as a club; (2) win; (3) win; and (4) win. Florentino thinks Real Madrid, caught in an extended institutional and footballing crisis for the past five years, has a better chance of winning if they have the world's best players. That's not so preposterous, is it? On top of that, signings like Kaka and Ronaldo, mean money, and lots of it. Observers have estimated that Kaka's signing alone could generate an additional 100 million euros a year for Real Madrid. Ronaldo sold 2,000 shirts in one day. Each shirt costs approximately $100 - do the math. Moreover, what price can you even put on a Champions League title? On a league title? On beating Barcelona? On top of making fiscal sense, these signings carry on a historical tradition at Real Madrid, they from part of the club's tradition too.
Real Madrid's General Director Jorge Valdano spoke eloquently on the subject when put to the flame by a journalist on TVE recently. Valdano explained that Santiago Bernabeu had a plan in place when he built a 120,000 person stadium in the heart of Madrid in 1947. This was to increase the club's revenues by filling the stadium. To do so, Bernabeu (the stadium didn't carry his name until much later), brought the world and Spain's finest players to play in the stadium and draw the necessary crowds (see: Di Stefano, Gento, Puskas etc...). The plan worked.
Valdano explained to the hardheaded journalist that today it's not an issue of filling the stadium, but of assuring that when a TV is turned on in China, Africa or Asia for a weekly football match, that Real Madrid be the match that's chosen. In his usual convincing way, Valdano stated that no one would have the audacity to question a production company's payment for a top billed star or director for the summer's latest blockbuster. Yet, somehow, everyone questions Real Madrid's decision to do much the same thing - produce a spectacle known as football with the highest production values possible. Valdano passingly mentioned, but it is a critical point to consider, that Real Madrid, unlike most of the rich clubs has no owner, and is rather owned by its "socios" or shareholders/season ticket holders (think Green Bay Packers). Therefore, its ability to market itself is its lifeblood. No wealthy Russian, American, or Arab benefactors in the Spanish capital.
And yet, everyone seems to be losing substantial hours of sleep due the vulgar immorality of Florentino Perez and Real Madrid. Needless to say, I'm sleeping just fine. Only two figures in the footballing world have gotten it right. Sepp Blatter commented that these fees demonstrate the economic health of football in the world and acknowledging the societal context of football. Arsene Wenger went further, and even while criticizing Real Madrid, admitted that morality should not be the judge of the signings, leaving all judgment to profitability. And we all know, profits in football come in cash or silverware.
So if morality is, as Nietzsche says, the herd instinct of the individual, then Real Madrid should embrace its alleged immorality. Rather than embracing the collective fear the majority of European clubs used to justify their complacency in the transfer market, Real Madrid stood apart and pushed its chips to the center of the table. Perhaps they had to do so for footballing reasons. Perhaps they owed it to their fans since the world's richest team had become one of the poorest on the field of play (certainly of the elite teams). Whatever the reason, Florentino rebuilt, reloaded, and recharged in the space of one month. He's returned hope to a team, a city, a league, and in some ways a country.
For those who read vulgarity and immorality into such actions, let them. But I assure you, once the whistle blows, it'll be those same naysayers who are tuning in to the end product of that alleged vulgarity - a football team, who madridistas hope, is anything but vulgar. And as for morality, well, there's only one judge of morality in sports, and it's the trophy room. So we'll soon find out how immoral Real Madrid is. If history were to serve as a guide...
UEFA president Michel Platini initially remarked that, "These transfers are a serious challenge to the idea of fair play and the concept of financial balance in our competitions." Platini has gone on to say that he's "embarrassed" by the Ronaldo transfer fee, and considered Maradona's transfer to Napoli "vulgar" (equivalent to 6.5 million euros today). Platini is reported to be considering salary caps in the coming years - an odd solution to a problem that has been driven by transfer fees and not player salaries.
Sir Bobby Charlton also found the Ronaldo transfer fee a bit "vulgar." Spanish president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero considered the transfer fees, "excessive," but at least acknowledged the social power of football. Spanish Economy Minister Elena Salgado said she was "surprised" and felt that the Ronaldo sum "escapes the dimensions she would consider" for a player. Unamused, she stated she'd ask banks, if they have the liquidity, to make the same efforts to loan money to small business and families. The president of the Catalan Generalitat, Jose Montilla agreed, noting that the sums spent were "not exemplary" considering the difficulties families and small business owners were having in securing loans, and the number of unemployed and underemployed in the nation.
Others have been even more reactionary. Frederic Thiriez, president of the French Professional Football League (LPF), tagged the transfer sums as "morally indecent" and "suicidal for European football in the sporting sense." Daniel Harris of ESPN writes Real Madrid's signing policy is: "morally repugnant, crass and vulgar just as it is in any walk of life." Harris continues, stating that teams should earn money "legitimately" (whatever that means) and passes off his opinion of how team-building should be done as fact. He, like Platini, suggests a salary cap, and takes digs galore at Real Madrid. Indeed to read Harris's apocalyptic view of the transfers and you'd think John Connor will need to save football from Real Madrid and Florentino Perez.
Certainly, there is a sense that the British critics are chomping at the bit to tear into Real Madrid for what the EPL's big four have been doing a lot of recently. These nationalistic fractures, however, are best left for another day. What is surprising, is the play on morality and vulgarity that continually enters the discussion of transfer fees. "Vulgarity" in this context carries the that classist connotation of criticism for being nouveau riche. As in, "Never speak about how much something cost - how vulgar." Think every rapper ever on MTV Cribs as they rattle how much it cost them to frame a Scarface poster in platinum. What this even means in relation to a transfer fee is unclear to me.
Presumably, those finding the fee "vulgar" would have preferred Real Madrid sit contently back (with proper form) and observe their footballing mediocrity, starkly accentuated by their rival FC Barcelona's meteoric rise. Oddly enough, if there is a club in the world that is not new money, it is Real Madrid. Even more contradictory, the classist overtones of this criticism stand in relief to the ostensible goal of the attack - to protect football's "middle class." Attacking a club's vulgarity may make for a good soundbite, or convey an appropriate anger at the moves, but this doesn't mean it's any less outlandish and unfounded of a critique. Particularly coming from ex-footballers and politicians, whose spending habits are themselves questionable at best.
The argument of "morality" is equally absurd. What morality the critics refer to is unclear. How, exactly, does Real Madrid's signing policy in any way affect banks lending to families or businesses? Did Florentino steal people's food to fund the signings? Had Kaka and Ronaldo not been signed, would Perez have donated the money to charity? I think not. Listen, I'm the first person to put AIG or Chrysler or Merrill Lynch to the sword for fiscal irresponsibility. But these are major corporations whose stake in the world economy is such that their actions affect everyone. Further, the irresponsibility of those financial entities has no bearing on the actions of a football club. And actually, Real Madrid's signing are not even fiscally irresponsible. The footballing repercussions are debatable, but financially, these moves are most likely sound. Why?
Because Real Madrid as an entity has only four goals: (1) turn a profit to survive as a club; (2) win; (3) win; and (4) win. Florentino thinks Real Madrid, caught in an extended institutional and footballing crisis for the past five years, has a better chance of winning if they have the world's best players. That's not so preposterous, is it? On top of that, signings like Kaka and Ronaldo, mean money, and lots of it. Observers have estimated that Kaka's signing alone could generate an additional 100 million euros a year for Real Madrid. Ronaldo sold 2,000 shirts in one day. Each shirt costs approximately $100 - do the math. Moreover, what price can you even put on a Champions League title? On a league title? On beating Barcelona? On top of making fiscal sense, these signings carry on a historical tradition at Real Madrid, they from part of the club's tradition too.
Real Madrid's General Director Jorge Valdano spoke eloquently on the subject when put to the flame by a journalist on TVE recently. Valdano explained that Santiago Bernabeu had a plan in place when he built a 120,000 person stadium in the heart of Madrid in 1947. This was to increase the club's revenues by filling the stadium. To do so, Bernabeu (the stadium didn't carry his name until much later), brought the world and Spain's finest players to play in the stadium and draw the necessary crowds (see: Di Stefano, Gento, Puskas etc...). The plan worked.
Valdano explained to the hardheaded journalist that today it's not an issue of filling the stadium, but of assuring that when a TV is turned on in China, Africa or Asia for a weekly football match, that Real Madrid be the match that's chosen. In his usual convincing way, Valdano stated that no one would have the audacity to question a production company's payment for a top billed star or director for the summer's latest blockbuster. Yet, somehow, everyone questions Real Madrid's decision to do much the same thing - produce a spectacle known as football with the highest production values possible. Valdano passingly mentioned, but it is a critical point to consider, that Real Madrid, unlike most of the rich clubs has no owner, and is rather owned by its "socios" or shareholders/season ticket holders (think Green Bay Packers). Therefore, its ability to market itself is its lifeblood. No wealthy Russian, American, or Arab benefactors in the Spanish capital.
And yet, everyone seems to be losing substantial hours of sleep due the vulgar immorality of Florentino Perez and Real Madrid. Needless to say, I'm sleeping just fine. Only two figures in the footballing world have gotten it right. Sepp Blatter commented that these fees demonstrate the economic health of football in the world and acknowledging the societal context of football. Arsene Wenger went further, and even while criticizing Real Madrid, admitted that morality should not be the judge of the signings, leaving all judgment to profitability. And we all know, profits in football come in cash or silverware.
So if morality is, as Nietzsche says, the herd instinct of the individual, then Real Madrid should embrace its alleged immorality. Rather than embracing the collective fear the majority of European clubs used to justify their complacency in the transfer market, Real Madrid stood apart and pushed its chips to the center of the table. Perhaps they had to do so for footballing reasons. Perhaps they owed it to their fans since the world's richest team had become one of the poorest on the field of play (certainly of the elite teams). Whatever the reason, Florentino rebuilt, reloaded, and recharged in the space of one month. He's returned hope to a team, a city, a league, and in some ways a country.
For those who read vulgarity and immorality into such actions, let them. But I assure you, once the whistle blows, it'll be those same naysayers who are tuning in to the end product of that alleged vulgarity - a football team, who madridistas hope, is anything but vulgar. And as for morality, well, there's only one judge of morality in sports, and it's the trophy room. So we'll soon find out how immoral Real Madrid is. If history were to serve as a guide...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Ronaldo Presented at the Bernabeu
If Kaka's 50,000 spectators was an impressive turnout (the third largest ever), Cristiano Ronaldo's presentation was record-breaking. Approximately 85,000 to 90,000 fans filled the Bernabeu to welcome the world's best player to his new home, the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Ronaldo will be wearing "9" and will not have a "c" in front of his name, thus his shirt will be identical to that of fat, excuse me, Brazilian Ronaldo.
Comparable only to Maradona's presentation in Napoli (75,000), Ronaldo's arrival was met with chants of "Si, si, si, Ronaldo ya esta aqui!" (Yes, yes, yes, Ronaldo is now here!). Ronaldo's short speech acknowledged that it was his childhood dream to play for Real Madrid, and he concluded by reaching a deal with the fans. He would count to three, and then they would all yell, "Hala Madrid!" together. It was a dream come true for nearly everyone in the stadium, probably excepting only Catalan journalists witnessing the event.
While questions remain about Kaka's level, there are no such doubts about Ronaldo's. The best player in the world, rivaled perhaps by Messi, Ronaldo combines a unique skill set that is virtually unmatched. The only questions are where Pellegrini will play him (striker or midfielder) and how quickly he adapts to the Spanish game.
Beyond that, any concerns are truly secondary to Ronaldo. Whether the team gels, or if the defense has been properly reinforced are circumstances surrounding one fact - when Ronaldo is on the field he is one of the best, if not the best, in the world. Indeed, while Ronaldo may enjoy questionable fashion choices, the company of ladies, and the nightlife generally, his professionalism, dedication to the game, and will to win are unquestionable. At 24 he is the youngest of the so-called galacticos ever signed.
Next up, Benzema.
Comparable only to Maradona's presentation in Napoli (75,000), Ronaldo's arrival was met with chants of "Si, si, si, Ronaldo ya esta aqui!" (Yes, yes, yes, Ronaldo is now here!). Ronaldo's short speech acknowledged that it was his childhood dream to play for Real Madrid, and he concluded by reaching a deal with the fans. He would count to three, and then they would all yell, "Hala Madrid!" together. It was a dream come true for nearly everyone in the stadium, probably excepting only Catalan journalists witnessing the event.
While questions remain about Kaka's level, there are no such doubts about Ronaldo's. The best player in the world, rivaled perhaps by Messi, Ronaldo combines a unique skill set that is virtually unmatched. The only questions are where Pellegrini will play him (striker or midfielder) and how quickly he adapts to the Spanish game.
Beyond that, any concerns are truly secondary to Ronaldo. Whether the team gels, or if the defense has been properly reinforced are circumstances surrounding one fact - when Ronaldo is on the field he is one of the best, if not the best, in the world. Indeed, while Ronaldo may enjoy questionable fashion choices, the company of ladies, and the nightlife generally, his professionalism, dedication to the game, and will to win are unquestionable. At 24 he is the youngest of the so-called galacticos ever signed.
Next up, Benzema.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Florentino Perez Saved My Summer - and yours too
Real Madrid is a club that is mired in constant crises. For all its historical greatness, the new millennium has been a cruel mistress for the club dubbed the best of the 20th century by FIFA. Though the club won its ninth, and so far its last, Champions League in the 2001-2002 season, it has had a rough go of it for the past few years. After winning the 2002-2003 league title, Real Madrid entered into its longest title drought in over fifty years, failing to win silverware for three years before Fabio Capello's triumphant return to the Bernabeu. Before his arrival, Madrid underwent a series of mini and mega crises including a revolving door of coaches, players and after Florentino's fall from grace, presidents.
In 2006-2007 Cappello's side caught a Barcelona team that had set the world afire the previous year in the Champions League and La Liga, winning both. But Capello's vision of the game was the antithesis of what Real Madrid stood for as an entity. Shown the door after a stellar season, Bernd Schuster promised to return "footballing excellence" to the Bernabeu. In truth, Schuster did little more than build off of an incredible team spirit and will to win that Capello had instilled in the team. If Capello's league title was called "La Heroica," then Schuster's 2007-2008 could have been dubbed "La Continuacion," for it was little more than that.
Much of this extended crisis resulted from Florentino's "galacticos" signing policy that was as remembered for the signings of Zidane (and his historic volley in Glasgow), Figo, Ronaldo, and Beckham, as it was for tossing away Makelele and Hierro, team players and stars in their own right, like so much trash. The club, however, was in economic ruin when Florentino arrived and he saved it financially thanks to some creative deal making - a fact any madridista recalls fondly. While Madrid may have returned to its winning ways and picked up two consecutive leagues, the inescapable truth was that it did so in unimpressive fashion, playing a brand of bland and insipid football that aside from testicular fortitude offered little to the demanding Bernabeu.
Add in a corrupt president in Calderon, an ebb in the youth system, and the rise of perhaps the best Barcelona side in history (winning the only treble in Spanish football history), a 6-2 drubbing in the Bernabeu, and the fifth consecutive exit in the first knockout round of the Champions League, and by Real Madrid's standards a spectacular crisis was on hand. Certainly fun for the many haters out there, but dreary for madridistas like myself. Enter Florentino Perez.
Within a week of his uncontested return to the presidency, Florentino had chosen Real legend Jorge Valdano as his General Director and Zidane as his personal adviser. Rebuffed by his own first choice, Arsene Wenger (likely in a not-so-subtle acknowledgement of the lack of stability at the club), Florentino quickly snapped up Valdano's first coaching choice, Villareal 's Manuel "the Engineer" Pellegrini. Pellegrini's unwavering allegiance to attacking football, knowledge of the Spanish game, and (somewhat) proven track record overrode other concerns. Less than a week later, Kaka was signed for 65 million euros. Shortly afterwards, Cristiano Ronaldo was signed for 96 million euros. Suddenly, a Madrid side that had lacked both stars and creative flair since Zidane's departure had two FIFA World Players on its roster again, and every madridista on earth was ecstatic and full of hope once more. The push for Villa, Benzema, Ribery, Xabi Alonso, and Maicon was on, and once again Madrid fans could see the (white) light at the end of the tunnel.
But Florentino has done more than save my summer - he may have saved yours as well. What's that you say? You hate Real Madrid, and even more after this post? Fear not, I'll explain how he saved your summer too. Obviously, he saved mine by signing Kaka and Ronaldo, pushing for several other great players, inflating the market so that we're likely to see huge transfer fees across the board and thus making life difficult for our rivals to sign players after we've signed our priorities. Throw in the fact that Barcelona's president and top directors seem to have forgotten their treble and simply CANNOT stop talking about what Madrid's doing (inferiority complex anyone?) and Madrid's back on the map in a big way, and no one in a white jersey has kicked a ball in weeks!
Florentino saved your summer because once the Confederations Cup ends, all you'll have to look forward to is the Gold Cup (or should I say, an extra U.S. v. Mexico game) and the transfer market. A transfer market that had been expected to be one of the worst in history thanks to that little thing called the global economy. But in came Florentino splashing around money like Tony Montana in South Beach circa 1983. Sure, the prices were driven up by Madrid, but so was the need to buy. Manchester United is now holding a cool 96 million euros, missing its best player, and Tevez can't be signed. Benzema anyone? It always fun watching a negotiation with Aulas isn't it? Suddenly, Ibrahimovich is worth 80 million euros, Villa wants out, Manchester City and Chelsea want everyone under the sun, Inter's willing to sell, and Tevez is going to Liverpool, Chelsea, or Manchester City - despite a great offer from Manchester United!
Not to mention, Real Madrid HAS to get rid of 6-14 players, none of which have left yet. That is to say, some talented players, like Robben, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar, Van Nistlerooy, and Drenthe may be making moves to "lesser" teams, and shaking up the middle table teams in Italy and England.
In effect, a number of teams we thought might stand pat, are out shopping. Several quality players that weren't on the market, may be now. Not all of this can be attributed to Florentino, but some of it can be. How many times have you trashed Madrid this summer already for the ludicrous sums of money spent on two players? Do you ever wonder if Kaka and Ronaldo can play together? Who's Real going to let go and since it's a known fact they must go, will they get fleeced on the deals? Who will Manchester United sign? And have you realized that on the club side of world football, Real Madrid is relevant again without winning a game?
Don't get me wrong, there are concerns. The galacticos era ended poorly. Indeed, just the new coach and first two signings of this new Florentino era have raised questions regarding the control and input afforded to the coach, economic stability, economic responsibility (drastically overstated in my opinion), the undervaluing of Spanish players, the endless problems between Real Madrid and Valencia, Florentino stumbling over the same rock again, and many, many others. The rumors of possible future signings also raise doubts. Soon enough, Ill post on these and other issues.
But for now, I'll go ahead and bask in the clean white light of our signings, the return of a gentleman to the presidency, and (hopefully) the return of footballing beauty to its home - the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
In 2006-2007 Cappello's side caught a Barcelona team that had set the world afire the previous year in the Champions League and La Liga, winning both. But Capello's vision of the game was the antithesis of what Real Madrid stood for as an entity. Shown the door after a stellar season, Bernd Schuster promised to return "footballing excellence" to the Bernabeu. In truth, Schuster did little more than build off of an incredible team spirit and will to win that Capello had instilled in the team. If Capello's league title was called "La Heroica," then Schuster's 2007-2008 could have been dubbed "La Continuacion," for it was little more than that.
Much of this extended crisis resulted from Florentino's "galacticos" signing policy that was as remembered for the signings of Zidane (and his historic volley in Glasgow), Figo, Ronaldo, and Beckham, as it was for tossing away Makelele and Hierro, team players and stars in their own right, like so much trash. The club, however, was in economic ruin when Florentino arrived and he saved it financially thanks to some creative deal making - a fact any madridista recalls fondly. While Madrid may have returned to its winning ways and picked up two consecutive leagues, the inescapable truth was that it did so in unimpressive fashion, playing a brand of bland and insipid football that aside from testicular fortitude offered little to the demanding Bernabeu.
Add in a corrupt president in Calderon, an ebb in the youth system, and the rise of perhaps the best Barcelona side in history (winning the only treble in Spanish football history), a 6-2 drubbing in the Bernabeu, and the fifth consecutive exit in the first knockout round of the Champions League, and by Real Madrid's standards a spectacular crisis was on hand. Certainly fun for the many haters out there, but dreary for madridistas like myself. Enter Florentino Perez.
Within a week of his uncontested return to the presidency, Florentino had chosen Real legend Jorge Valdano as his General Director and Zidane as his personal adviser. Rebuffed by his own first choice, Arsene Wenger (likely in a not-so-subtle acknowledgement of the lack of stability at the club), Florentino quickly snapped up Valdano's first coaching choice, Villareal 's Manuel "the Engineer" Pellegrini. Pellegrini's unwavering allegiance to attacking football, knowledge of the Spanish game, and (somewhat) proven track record overrode other concerns. Less than a week later, Kaka was signed for 65 million euros. Shortly afterwards, Cristiano Ronaldo was signed for 96 million euros. Suddenly, a Madrid side that had lacked both stars and creative flair since Zidane's departure had two FIFA World Players on its roster again, and every madridista on earth was ecstatic and full of hope once more. The push for Villa, Benzema, Ribery, Xabi Alonso, and Maicon was on, and once again Madrid fans could see the (white) light at the end of the tunnel.
But Florentino has done more than save my summer - he may have saved yours as well. What's that you say? You hate Real Madrid, and even more after this post? Fear not, I'll explain how he saved your summer too. Obviously, he saved mine by signing Kaka and Ronaldo, pushing for several other great players, inflating the market so that we're likely to see huge transfer fees across the board and thus making life difficult for our rivals to sign players after we've signed our priorities. Throw in the fact that Barcelona's president and top directors seem to have forgotten their treble and simply CANNOT stop talking about what Madrid's doing (inferiority complex anyone?) and Madrid's back on the map in a big way, and no one in a white jersey has kicked a ball in weeks!
Florentino saved your summer because once the Confederations Cup ends, all you'll have to look forward to is the Gold Cup (or should I say, an extra U.S. v. Mexico game) and the transfer market. A transfer market that had been expected to be one of the worst in history thanks to that little thing called the global economy. But in came Florentino splashing around money like Tony Montana in South Beach circa 1983. Sure, the prices were driven up by Madrid, but so was the need to buy. Manchester United is now holding a cool 96 million euros, missing its best player, and Tevez can't be signed. Benzema anyone? It always fun watching a negotiation with Aulas isn't it? Suddenly, Ibrahimovich is worth 80 million euros, Villa wants out, Manchester City and Chelsea want everyone under the sun, Inter's willing to sell, and Tevez is going to Liverpool, Chelsea, or Manchester City - despite a great offer from Manchester United!
Not to mention, Real Madrid HAS to get rid of 6-14 players, none of which have left yet. That is to say, some talented players, like Robben, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar, Van Nistlerooy, and Drenthe may be making moves to "lesser" teams, and shaking up the middle table teams in Italy and England.
In effect, a number of teams we thought might stand pat, are out shopping. Several quality players that weren't on the market, may be now. Not all of this can be attributed to Florentino, but some of it can be. How many times have you trashed Madrid this summer already for the ludicrous sums of money spent on two players? Do you ever wonder if Kaka and Ronaldo can play together? Who's Real going to let go and since it's a known fact they must go, will they get fleeced on the deals? Who will Manchester United sign? And have you realized that on the club side of world football, Real Madrid is relevant again without winning a game?
Don't get me wrong, there are concerns. The galacticos era ended poorly. Indeed, just the new coach and first two signings of this new Florentino era have raised questions regarding the control and input afforded to the coach, economic stability, economic responsibility (drastically overstated in my opinion), the undervaluing of Spanish players, the endless problems between Real Madrid and Valencia, Florentino stumbling over the same rock again, and many, many others. The rumors of possible future signings also raise doubts. Soon enough, Ill post on these and other issues.
But for now, I'll go ahead and bask in the clean white light of our signings, the return of a gentleman to the presidency, and (hopefully) the return of footballing beauty to its home - the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
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