Paul Pogba becomes the first 100 million pound Premier League player and the most expensive footballer in the world! Really? More than Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez and Neymar? Do you think Paul Pogba deserves the tag?
Will his return to Manchester United be different this time around? Can he become the next hero at Old Trafford? Will he ignite the Red Devils the same way he did Juventus? So many questions. Why not put your feet up and join the conversation.
La Liga Lounge returns with a Champions League special after this week’s first leg matches in the quarter-finals.
As the competition reaches its business end, Sophie and Ben discuss Barcelona’s depleted defence (who will partner Piqué?), Messi’s mini-absence, disagree on Víctor Valdés and question whether the Catalans have a mental issue late in games.
The Lounge bar staff also talk Madrid and how it’s all coming together for Mourinho, Casillas vs Diego López, the strikers and how this could be their year. We also chat Cristiano Ronaldo, look at his amazing stats and those of Messi, remember Ronaldinho, weigh up Neymar and big up Málaga, probably the story of this Champions League campaign. Will we see them back next year?
And the show wouldn’t be complete without predictions, some banter, fun, info, insight and interaction. From Sophie in LA and Ben in Barcelona, to you the world: This is La Liga Lounge…The One with the Champions League Quarters. Join us! It’s always happy hour here.
This week, David Beckham made a huge announcement that will shape the story arc in the final chapter of his exceptionally successful football career. On December 1, Beckham will play his last competitive game for LA Galaxy, and there’s no doubt he has divided opinion since his arrival to Major League Soccer in 2007.
Sometimes, the opinion of Beckham has little to do with him as a football player and more to do with him as a person. Despite the fame and fortune, Beckham has always remained a passionate football player. Ultimately, he just loves to play. He wishes he could play forever. And surely, the game would be better off with him prolonging his career for as long as he could, right? You would think so.
There seems to be an unnecessary undertone to some of the dialogue related to Beckham. Upon his announcement, fans took to social media to voice their opinions, and he is definitely a polarizing figure who can bring out the ugly in some people.
But why is this the case when Beckham has always been a solid professional, a great role model for kids and is generally a very good bloke?
Is there a tinge of jealousy in the air? Read my latest article on Bleacher Report. It’s definitely brushed with a little fun!
We dive into a pool of football happenings In A Conversation With Eoin O’Callaghan.
The former host of Fox Soccer Report discusses attacking, defending, buying and selling in the Premier League. We look at the exciting debut of Eden Hazard for Chelsea and how Sir Alex Ferguson might regret not signing him for Manchester United. Does Nuri Sahin fit best with Liverpool or Arsenal? Is Andre Villas Boas changing too much too soon at Spurs? Can Everton burst into the top tier of the league like Newcastle United did last season? We dissect all of this and much more from an English football perspective.
There’s even a little time to touch on some Italian madness and in particular the Antonio Conte situation at Juventus and the heartbreak of AC Milan fans as Antonio Cassano defects to the enemy Inter Milan. Grab a tipple of your choice and enjoy the conversation.
Talking Italian in A Conversation with Janusz Michallik from ESPN. AC Milan are going through a huge change in personnel having lost some legends together with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. How will the Rossoneri cope? Is Allegri the manager under the most pressure in Europe before the season starts?
And what of the Old Lady? Can Juventus repeat their magical season? How will they perform in the Champions League? We even dabble in a little Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Robin van Persie, plus Janusz shares his thoughts on the players he’s most excited to see as the new season approaches. You won’t want to miss this conversation. Pour a glass of fine Italian wine and enjoy!
Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom and fighting through adversity in order to rebuild character and achieve greatness.
The Calciopoli match fixing scandal destroyed the hearts and souls of Juventus fans across the universe. It was a dark period for the Bianconeri. They were stripped of their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles won under Fabio Capello and were sent to Serie B as further punishment for their involvement in Italy’s biggest ever football scandal.
Since that shameful chapter in their history and for all those who remained at the club, the one common goal was to resurrect the good name of Juventus and restore some pride and respect to one of the most famous football teams the world has ever seen.
On Sunday night, after winning their first Serie A title since 2003, Juventus restored more than just pride. They proved the Old Lady lives on. And this time, the Old Lady might just be stronger than ever before.
Following the capture of the Scudetto, Club President Andrea Agnelli perfectly described the emotions of fans as he tweeted “from heaven to hell and back to heaven again.” Despite the despair and pain, Juventus fans always hoped their team would be restored to greatness. Andrea Agnelli finally has them back on the right track, but not without some help from his friends!
For players like Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio and legends Gigi Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero, capturing the title is even sweeter as these players remained loyal to the club and stuck with the team when they were relegated to Serie B. And for Del Piero, as he prepares to leave the Old Lady he loves, what a better way to exit than as a champion. It’s only fitting for one of Italy’s finest ever footballers to bow out of the game in this style.
Talking to Sky Sports Italia after the game, Del Piero shared how this could be the most satisfying of all the trophies he has won at Juventus. “This Scudetto has a special taste after some difficult years and I’d go as far as to say that this Scudetto is even better than the one we achieved in Rimini (to win Serie B). I start every season with the hope of winning something, and sometimes it doesn’t happen, but what has happened to me tonight makes up for many years of failing to win a trophy. Tonight we are celebrating a championship that we all deserve and I’m glad to have contributed.”
It’s also an incredible achievement for manager Antonio Conte. From legendary ex-Juventus player to coach of the team now, together with Alessandro Del Piero, he represents everything that is the Bianconeri. He’s experienced the elation. He’s felt the pain. He understands the agony Calciopoli caused. He is family and he was the perfect man to bring Juventus back from the dead. Conte created a dynamic team who have dazzled at times in Serie A and overall, have dominated Italian football without losing a game. The exclamation mark on their season will be if they could win their last game against Atalanta. This would make Juventus unbeaten in all 38 league games and is something that hasn’t been achieved in Italy since Fabio Capello’s AC Milan won the title back in 1992.
Many say Pep Guardiola changed football during his managerial spell at Barcelona. On World Football Daily, I’ve suggested many times that Juventus could be the new Barcelona. Granted they do not play Barcelona’s tiki-taka style of football, but what Juventus do have is a legendary ex-player as coach who is beloved by their fans. They have a special player in Marchisio who has been compared to Tardelli by the Italian media. They have solid ownership in the Agnelli family. They have a brand new stadium that is beautifully set for future years of glory and they have money to spend so they can build on the success they have achieved this year. Some might think the Barcelona comparisons are over-the-top. Even Pep had to start somewhere with the Catalan giants. If Andrea Agnelli keeps faith with the 42-year old Conte, there’s no reason why he can’t duplicate the same type of success Pep had at Barcelona.
Winning a league title in any country is difficult. It is especially difficult in Europe’s most competitive leagues. People will discuss, debate and argue over whether or not this is Juventus 28th or 30th title. Regardless of the Calciopoli scandal, there is so much to be excited about if you are a Juventus fan. When asked by the Italian media about the subject of titles won, Antonio Conte clearly wanted to look towards the present and the future and not the past. “It’s the first for me. It’s the first that I’ve won as a coach.” A classy answer that illustrates the man in charge of the team is clearly focused on the years ahead.
Antonio Conte and Juventus also have the Coppa Italia Final against Napoli to come. They could achieve the double in his first season as coach and they could also go unbeaten in the league. Is anyone still asking if The Old Lady is back?
Grab your passports and shades. The timeshare is back people. I mean if fashion and style guru David Beckham
is doing it, surely it’s cool right? Um…actually, unless it’s a
Marriott type of deal, you really don’t want to be in the timeshare
business at all.
Think about it though. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all do that with our jobs? How do you guys think that conversation would go exactly…”Er hello boss. Listen I know I signed a contract to head-up your marketing department for a couple of years, but this other company that thinks I’m hot shit too would also like to employ me and I think it would help my career if I worked for you both. I won’t be long…just 6 months and then I’ll be back here knocking it out of the park again. Sound good? Hello..hello…hello..”
Well unless you are David Beckham, the likely hood of that little fantasy playing out is well below zero! I guess the only thing we have to be thankful for is that this back-and-forth is over…for now. Do we really think Becks will be back in Los Angeles in June to play for the Galaxy? Something tells me the only way we’ll see his behind this summer is if he’s vacationing and watching the Lakers go far into the NBA play-offs.
After playing in football wilderness with the LA Galaxy for 18 months, David Beckham is about to make an incredible comeback to the big leagues. His determination to keep his England career alive and his desire to become the most capped English player are the main ingredients that could trigger a crazy transfer for the never-say-die superstar. Why is anyone shocked? He’s made it clear he wants to continue playing for his country for as long as he’s asked. The quality of football in the MLS is not comparable to Serie A in Italy. And didn’t you all think the motive to go to Milan in the first place was to somehow wangle a permanent move to fulfill his final ambitions in the twilight of his career? The fact the LA Galaxy let this happen in the first place is shocking. Surely they knew this was coming.
When he landed in the States, LAX came to a standstill as fans and the world’s media greeted him and his wife Victoria. He did the ESPN documentary while Posh Spice appeared in a one-off reality show on network television. He became one of the many celebrity faces sitting court side cheering on the Los Angeles Lakers. Hollywood’s elite – Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will sSmith and Jada Pinkett Smith – rolled out the red carpet and hosted an extravagant welcome party for Lord and Lady Becks. But the truth is, as much as he loves all the attention and trimmings of fame, this Essex boy has only ever wanted to play football. He loves the game and now he believes he can play at the highest level again.
Ultimately, the people who will miss out are the LA Galaxy and MLS fans in general. It will hurt more though for those Galaxy fans. They have had to pay increased prices for tickets and merchandise in order to subsidize the wages of Mr.Beckham. They totally bought into the idea of #23 and were desperate for him to succeed by bringing the MLS Cup home. The hopes and dreams of the Galaxy fans could be dead. Meanwhile, for Becks, his dreams are very much alive…