One of my favourite interviews ever. Brazil legend and World Cup winning captain Carlos Alberto is so candid with his opinions on the beautiful game. From Messi and Ronaldo, to Neymar and the current Brazil squad, he didn’t hold back with his thoughts. It was a dream to get to speak to him. Another legend gone.
http://talksport.com/radio/extra-time/130425/carlos-alberto-brazils-world-cup-chances-their-premier-league-stars-and-196344
La Liga Lounge returns with a Brazilian blend, dedicating the entire show to one man…Neymar!
The most talked about transfer in football over the last two seasons is finally done. Neymar joins Barcelona from Santos and we look at how this deal could work out.
Will Neymar complement Messi or will he try to compete with him? Can these two superstars co-exist? Or are there too many cooks in the Camp Nou kitchen?
Neymar is also slight and doesn’t carry too much weight. Can he bulk up and also change his style of football to adapt playing in Europe? Will he be a huge success like Ronaldinho or will he end up a high-profile flop? Remember Keirrison?
We dissect this subject like a frog and are also joined by Brazil legend and 1970’s World Cup winner and captain Carlos Alberto. The scorer of the greatest goal ever seen in the World Cup doesn’t hold back when talking about Brazil’s current football starlet.
Sit back. Relax. Grab a chair in the lounge. It’s happy hour. It’s a special. It’s “The One with Neymar to Barcelona.”
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.
Forbes magazine announced the top 10 richest clubs on the planet yesterday and Manchester United still rule the school when it comes to money.
Biggest surprise is Barcelona dropping from 4th to 5th place, even after their treble winning season. You would expect them to be in the top 3.
1. Manchester United {$1.86 billion} 2. Real Madrid {$1.45 billion} 3. Arsenal {$1.19 billion) 4. Bayern Munich {$1.1 billion} 5. Barcelona {$975 million} 6. AC Milan {$838 million} 7. Chelsea {$658 million} 8. Juventus {$628 million} 9. Liverpool {$552 million} 10. Inter Milan {$441 million}.
The richest players list was also revealed by Forbes yesterday. The one surprise here is that Ronaldinho is still bringing in some large coin. And John Terry must be a bit peeved that Lamps made the top 10 and he didn’t!
1. David Beckham {$40 million} 2. Cristiano Ronaldo {$38 million} 3. Lionel Messi {$32 million} 4. Ricardo Kaka {$25 million} 5. Ronaldinho {$24 million} 6. Thierry Henry {$21 million} 7. Wayne Rooney {$20 million} 8. Frank Lampard {$18 million} 8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic {$18 million} 10. Samuel Eto’o {$17 million}.
Cristiano Ronaldo once said “footballer’s are like slaves.” What do you think?
One thing is for sure, the next round is on one of these guys. And if they were getting in the drinks, who would you like to be buying yours?
Chelsea have sacked Phil Scolari as their manager. After only seven months in the job, the big Brazlian is out and I for one am not surprised. This time, Roman Abramovich has got it right. Managing in the Premier League is very different to being an international manager. The job comes with such intense pressure and the daily grind is tough, tough, tough, even for a coach from Brazil. I laughed when Scolari said in a press conference, “you think this is pressure. No this is not pressure. This is such a small country, there is no pressure. Brazil is pressure.” Really Phil?
I was never enthused when Chelsea announced him as their new manager. They were much better off keeping Avram Grant who was at least building on what Jose Mourinho had done. But the owner chose to go with a big name and supposedly big personality. It failed miserably and towards the end, Scolari lost the owner, the fans and even the dressing room. When players start to complain about training methods and a lack of intensity, you know everything is about to implode. Scolari deserved the sack.
The first signs of trouble were when Liverpool ended their ridiculous run of games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge. Under Mourinho and even Avram Grant, you always had a feeling Chelsea could win a game even if they were a goal down. But that fire and drive was gone. The bravado was no more. He also lost at home to an under-achieving Arsenal team. And to be frank, Manchester United humiliated Chelsea at Old Trafford. He was unable to inspire his team to beat any of the elite four in the Premier League.
How much of Chelsea’s problems this season are related to Steve Clarke going to West Ham? He was a huge influence in the dressing room and on the training pitch. The players trusted him. You can never under estimate the value of an assistant coach built like Clarke. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Chelsea tried to prize Clarke and Zola from West Ham? Anything is possible in today’s game. Zola is unproven as a manager, but he is a Chelsea legend and together with Clarke, they could be the magic ingredient that leads the Blues back to their confident, arrogant ways.
For now, this might be a good thing for Chelsea. Anyone coming in as manager can only have a positive effect. Who’d have thought the morale would be so low under Scolar? The so-called “Mr.Motivator” didn’t turn out to be the Messiah they had all hoped for. And he never looked the part of being Chelsea manager did he? Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez always wear a suit when their team is playing. There is the odd occasion you’ll find them in a tracksuit, but that is rare. Jose Mourinho always looked the part as well. I was always taught that if you have been given the responsibility in an important role in your career, you should always look the part. And for a team that can boast to be located in one of London’s poshest areas, their manager didn’t present himself that way. He didn’t seem dressed for success from the beginning, and just like his tactics, Scolari always looked a mess. Down the King’s Road, that’s enough to give anyone the boot…