Why Messi is the World's Legend

Lionel Messi has left a mark on the game of soccer ever since he stepped foot on a pitch for the first time in his famous number 10 Barcelona uniform. He has left people speechless at the feats he accomplished, the dazzling ball skills, uncanny free kicks, and curling goals that are all produced from this 5"6 soccer wizard. It is for his world class soccer ability, and his sheer brilliance he displays in the game of soccer, that he is the best soccer player in the world.

Now I understand what you must be saying. There are so many other players out there who could be in contention for this title. You might even be saying that someone else outright deserves this more than Messi. But after looking at the facts there is no way you can't take the side of this legend. He has won more Ballon D'or's then any other soccer player in history, and for those who don't know what this is, it is an award that is voted on and given to the world's best player each season. He has scored a whopping total of 377 goals for his Club and Country teams, and he is only 26 years old, meaning he still has many good years to come. His list of numerous other awards goes on and on, and he is one of the most well respected footballers of this day.

Know the one thing that many people discuss when they have this debate is how much Lionel Messi has struggled on the International stage. He scored one measly goal in the last world cup in 2010, a year when many people expected a whole lot out of the youngster, who was only 22 at the time. Now at this World Cup the spotlight will be even brighter on the Worlds best player as he looks to erase the past, and show everyone who's doubted him that he has what it takes to shine not only in domestic leagues, but in the World stage as well.

To this day there will always be the controversy over who is the better soccer player. Some might argue that it should be Ronaldo. Others might argue it should be Ribery. As for me, I will always stick to the side of the greatest footballer of his time, the one and only, Lionel Messi. The story of his life and what he has gone through to be where he is today is so moving and touching, and to see the skill that he's amassed makes you wonder why anyone would ever question the young starlet.

Soccer in Hollywood

Many criticisms have been raised against soccer movies in general. For starters, in the US the sport has never achieved the high status it has achieved in the rest of the world; this has, unfortunately, affected how soccer movies have fared to American audiences.

The two other problematic areas are the fact that soccer movies often have difficulty defining themselves as a documentary or a movie; secondly, some people find that soccer movies either have too much soccer or not enough of it (of the high quality usually expected).

In spite of the criticisms, some excellent films have been produced about soccer. Although whether these films are the best ever produced is a matter of opinion, there is enough good material in each of these to merit the highest grades possible.

Once in a Lifetime—the Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos

This film details the true story of the risky and daring move to popularize soccer with American audiences in the 1970’s. In an attempt to get Americans to like soccer as much as the rest of the world, some investors put together a new team, The New York Cosmos. Bringing the greatest soccer player of all time out of retirement, Pele, gave the team visibility and helped draw in a fan base. Unfortunately, the team disbanded in 1985 due to lack of interest. Matt Damon narrates this documentary that interviews the players and tells the story of how soccer almost became a mainstream sport in North America.

Green Street

It’s no secret that soccer fans are some of the most devoted fans in the world of sports, but how far would you go for your favorite team? This film follows a group of soccer hooligans, the Green Street Elite, as they fight rival hooligan firms for bragging rights. The theme of this movie is the exploration of loyalty and standing up for yourself in the face of adversity. Which team actually plays better isn’t as important as the desire to defend their name.

 Escape to Victory

Taking place in Nazi Germany during WWII, this film follows a group of POW’s as they plan an escape from their Nazi captors. The POWs form a football club to play against the German team. Eventually they hatch a plan to use an upcoming match as cover to escape. As true fans of the sport however, the POWs want to play out their match against the Germans rather than run and escape.

Looking for Eric

Many soccer fans turn to the sport as a means of escaping the doldrums of everyday life. For one fan this goes to a whole different level when he begins imagining he is talking to Eric Cantona, one of Manchester United’s greatest players ever. Cantona offers advice to the protagonist about how to improve his relationship with his family as well as deal with a drug lord who is threatening his son. Indeed, soccer can inspire its fans to greatness, even if it’s all in their head.

Luke Shaw Latest

Whilst Southhampton have caught the eye this season with their free-flowing attacking football, the club’s top brass will be well aware that there’s a tough summer ahead. This is an exciting group of players, who are likely to attract a fair amount of attention from bigger clubs when the transfer window re-opens.

Unfortunately the Saints have neither the money, nor the promise of regular silverware with which to tempt their players to stay.

One of the players who is drawing the most attention is young left back, Luke Shaw, The 18-year-old has been so impressive this season, that some have suggested he should be a part of the England squad that goes to Brazil this summer, despite both Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines being available.

What’s most impressive about Shaw is his confidence on the ball at such a young age. He never looks over-awed by the situation, always seems to be in charge, isn’t afraid to carry the ball forward, take players on or cut inside. This combined with his passing ability and his stinging crosses make him a real threat.

It’s the attacking part of his game that has caught the most attention, but he’s no defensive slouch either.

As a result, he’s attracted attention from Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United.

There have also been rumors that he’s a boyhood Chelsea fan and could favour a move to Stamford Bridge. That’s all well and good, but I’m not sure this would be the best move for his career. After all, the Blues do have a habit of chewing up young talent and spitting it out. The same can be said of Manchester City.

Manchester United, on the other hand, have a rather pressing need. It looks like the club will face a defensive exodus over the summer, so signing a left-back with as much talent as Luke Shaw could prove to be a necessity.

Having slipped down the Premier League table, it’ll be interesting to see whether The Red Devils can still compete with the big boys in the transfer market. When it comes to Luke Shaw, I certainly hope that David Moyes pulls out all the stops.

Take it Easy On Him!

I’ve been so disappointed to see Mesut Özil come under heavy criticism over the past few weeks. You expect it from pundits and fans of other teams, but never from your own fans. A lot of people are saying he is off-form and the criticism is deserved, but I just don’t agree with that.

Because we spent so much on Özil there is a level of expectancy and I can understand that for some people he just hasn’t lived up to what they were hoping to see from him. Statistically he isn’t actually doing that bad: he covers a lot of ground during games and his contribution to most matches is evident.

He has scored 5 goals and assisted 11 and that is only half of what he scored and assisted last season for Real Madrid, so he’s still on course for achieving or even beating that. He is not a lazy player. He is working hard and trying his best to fit within an established team and when things go wrong his frustrations are laid bare for all of us to see.

When he first joined it’s fair to say his first few months, leading up to December, was when we saw him at his best. But that was also when Arsenal were playing better football. The standard has dropped slightly since then and whether that is due to the loss of Ramsey and Walcott or injury or a lack of physical energy after a run of tough games is unclear.

But, it has affected the whole team and not just Ozil. His penalty miss last week was an obvious sign that he just needs to take a break, it’s a lot of pressure when you are playing against national team mates.

Sometimes you can only be as good as the team around you and despite the fact that Arsenal have made some major improvement this season, there are still lots of issues within the team that need tweaking. The fact is, we simply don’t have the same quality of players as Real Madrid in every position. We are still in desperate need of strengthening up and that is imperative, so players like Özil can fulfil their true ability.

I think there is still so much to see from our new German this year. He has already added to the team and few off games doesn’t make him a bad player. If we invest in an new striker in the summer then I can honestly see Özil thriving and becoming a very important player for us.

United Comeback

Manchester United have just returned back to Manchester from their warm weather training camp in Dubai. The Red Devils of Manchester are in action this weekend once again attempting to fight their way up the Premier League table. According to the current points tally Manchester United trail Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton in their quest for the coveted champions league spot.

It is only a matter of time before Manchester United overtake Everton and Tottenham and start threatening Liverpool intently for the fourth spot in the table.

Both Everton and Tottenham have scored fewer goals than the reigning champions and conceded more or marginally fewer goals. Tottenham are riding on the sparkling form of Emmanuel Adebayor whereas Everton are grinding out results to stay in the top half of the table.

It is interesting to note that Manchester United have not played the football they are capable of and their star players Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick have all returned recently from injuries. Furthermore the likes of Phil Jones and Maraoun Fellaini  resumed training and the latter even made it to the bench against Arsenal. Finally, David Moyes will have his full squad at this disposal, something which has been a rarity this season for him.

Once all the aforementioned factors are considered it really seems rational to suggest that Manchester United will edge out Tottenham and Everton. This is because they have kept themselves in the hunt without their best players and the best football they are capable of. Their squad has been stretched to the maximum and the injuries have taken their toll already. The club, the manager and the players have been crucified (read criticized) intensely by the media. The pressure of defending the title is no longer there. All that is required is a string of wins and the belief will be back.

Ozil: The Magician

Despite the proliferation of talent over the past decade, the price of £42 million seemed like a bargain for Ozil, one which Arsenal boss Wenger uncharacteristically grabbed with both hands, and one which has paid great dividends. With Ozil’s performances throughout the duration of his time at Real Madrid, some would argue a greater price tag should have been placed on Ozil, despite now becoming the most expensive German player of all time.

Real Madrid bought Ozil for an amount in the region of £12 million in 2010 from German side Werder Bremen. Congratulations to Arsenal on signing one of the world’s most intelligent players, however, why would Real Madrid allow a player described by Ruud Gullit, one of soccers greats, as “technically perfect”, to leave? He remains one of the most underrated players in the world; his humble demeanour off and on the pitch, his unquestionable ability and sportsmanship on the pitch also makes him one of the best midfielders in the sport has ever seen.

But could this be the reason why he failed to survive the pressures of the Bernabeu? Let’s face it, unless you are Ronaldo or Messi, it is unlikely that you’ll ever find yourself being as important as the club you play for.

Whilst in his native Germany, Ozil displayed performances him bring in double-figured assists on a season-by-season basis. There were 15 in his first season for Bremen with 3 goals, and 9 goals plus 17 assists in 31 Bundesliga appearances in his second. The next season saw Ozil finish with 25 assists in all competitions, the highest by any player in the world and this achievement placed him on the shortlist for 2011-12’s Ballon d’Or the following year, where he even managed to improve his season tally to 26 assists.

Due to the high demand for players with a high capacity for assisting attacking play around the world, even Real Madrid seemed to be punishing themselves through his sale, and have since relied on the ability of their new signing, Luka Modric from Tottenham, whilst focusing on the proliferation of their hot prospects – including the Brazilian Casemiro and the impressive Spaniard Isco.

In terms of impact, Ozil was, and has been the unrivalled master of assists to every team he has played for. Ozil has continued to bring the sort of contribution that players rarely illustrate these days; he represents the perfection of the Classic No.10 position, following in the footsteps of players such as Riquelme, Zidane and Maradona, and continuing on his legacy which will be remembered for years to come.

Is Chelsea Headed in the Right Direction?

The sale of Chelsea star Juan Mata to ‘direct rivals’, Manchester United for £37 million is one that has evoked disbelief in the hearts of many Chelsea fans.

In his first two years at the club, the Spanish international won Chelsea’s Player of the Season, producing many fine performances to confirm his position as one of the best creative players in the Premier League. His performances in a Chelsea shirt to date have left many Chelsea fans questioning Mourinho’s decision to oust Mata, and make him surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho’s main argument is from a tactical perspective. He claims that Oscar and Mata cannot play together in the no.10 role and therefore, the “harder working” Oscar is more beneficial to the team in that position. Oscar is of course a fine creative talent, but his willingness to regain possession in dangerous parts of opposition territory, is something which Mourinho respects and  requires, especially when playing with two ‘out and out’ wingers in the form of Eden Hazard and Willian.

When the “happy one” returned to Chelsea this summer, he made it immediately clear that his team would no longer revolve around one player and that Mata would have to adapt his style to fit into Mourinho’s formation. Whether this decision has proved fruitful or not is debatable. Chelsea are in the hunt for the title and have plenty of strength in depth in midfield, however his decision to sell the Spaniard could become costly if Oscar or Hazard begin to lose form or are injured.

The decision to sell Mata is a calculated risk, but the decision comes as no surprise when we consider Mourinho’s at times frayed relationships with many Spanish players, Xabi Alonso a possible exception. Even greater the risk when you are selling one of your best players to Manchester United, whatever their current circumstance is. The suggestions that this is a clever move from Mourinho to damage Arsenal and Manchester City’s title chances; letting Mata move to United, who are still to play the aforementioned title challengers – I’m sure has some substance, but there’s more to it than that.

This transfer represents a change in direction at Stamford Bridge. It’s a clear sign from Chelsea, that not only are they wary of the quite frankly ridiculous Financial Fair Play rules, which in my opinion are fundamentally flawed and punish small clubs for unaccountable losses which are beyond there control, but they are beginning to be more stringent with their financial affairs.

Chelsea will spend less as a club but they’ll still look to compete on the international transfer market – there’s no chance of that not happening whilst Abramovich remains owner. Chelsea no longer want to have to be mindful of their precarious positioning when it comes to Financial Fair Play, a view shared by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

They’re having to take notice of the rules that will restrict the losses clubs can make each season and although this will seemingly not prohibit their spending, as the arrivals of Nemanja Matic and Mohamad Salah show, they will at least attempt to balance the books.