FOOTY FAIR

5 British Players Who Have Succeeded Abroad

2016-08-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Premier League is awash with money these days and so the incentive for British players in their prime to try their luck with a club in Europe doesn't really exist.

The exception to that of course is if a giant such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or perhaps Bayern Munich come along with wages matching what a player could get in England, and the promise of competing in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Although there haven't historically been a lot of British players who have gone overseas and made much of an impact, the following are five who enjoyed great success:

1.) John Charles - Juventus

The big Welshman John Charles joined Italy's Juventus in 1957 from Leeds United for a then British record £65,000. He went on to enjoy five brilliant seasons in Turin, scoring 108 goals in 155 matches and impressing all with his fast, powerful and yet sporting style of play. Christened Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant) by Juve's adoring fans, his partnership with Omar Sívori and Giampiero Boniperti devastated defenses and led the club to three league championships and two Italian cups.

2.) Kevin Keegan - Hamburger SV

After winning virtually every major prize in club football with Liverpool, England international Kevin Keegan decided he needed a new challenge in 1977 and opted to ask the Merseysiders for a move to West German side Hamburger SV. A fee of £500,000 was agreed between the two clubs a few days before he helped Liverpool to victory in the 1977 European Cup Final. Despite a tough start to his time in Hamburg, he would go on to win back to back European Footballer of the year awards in 1978 and 1979. Keegan also helped the club to a Bundesliga title in 1978-1979 and to a place in the final of the 1980 European Cup where they would be lose to Nottingham Forest. He would leave for Southampton in the summer of 1980.

3.) Gary Lineker - Barcelona

Current BBC Match of the Day host Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico for England and after a terrific goal scoring record at first Leicester and then Everton he was highly coveted by the biggest clubs across Europe. Eventually joining Barcelona for £2.8 million and he did not disappoint. Lineker bagged 21 goals in his first season in Catalonia, including a brilliant hat-trick against archrivals Real Madrid. Despite a lack of silverware in his first season at the club, he would help Barcelona win the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1989 before leaving for Tottenham.

4.) Chris Waddle - Olympique de Marseille

The exciting England winger and terrifically mulleted Chris Waddle joined French club Olympique de Marseille from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £4.5 million in 1989. A Marseille legend to this day, Waddle helped the club win three consecutive league titles during his three years in France.

5.) Gareth Bale - Real Madrid

After five seasons at Tottenham, where he had progressively improved to the point where he could arguably be called the most lethal attacking player in the Premier League, Real Madrid scooped up Welsh international Gareth Bale for a world record fee of €100.8 million in the summer of 2013. Despite being plagued by injuries in his first few months in Madrid, Bale helped Real win the Copa del Rey with a sensational winning goal against Barcelona with five minutes to go. A month later he scored in extra time against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League Final to put Los Blancos up 2-1 on their way to an eventual 4-1 victory. The following season he scored in yet another final as Madrid went on to beat San Lorenzo 2-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup Final, and then this past season he helped his club to yet another Champions League title.

5 Transfers That Changed Everything

2016-07-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

With the Paul Pogba to Manchester United saga continuing to rumble on and a mooted £110 million fee being discussed, it's little wonder that people are questioning whether or not the French midfielder is worth it.

The following are five previous transfers, and their sizable fees at the time, that shook the football world:

5.) Alf Common - £1,000 - Sunderland to Middlesbrough (1905)

Hoping to avoid relegation from the top flight, Middlesbrough signed England international forward Alf Common from Sunderland in February 1905 for a record breaking £1,000. The first four figure transfer was considered a scandal in Britain, with questions even raised in the House of Commons about the deal. Boro were blasted for trying to buy their safety and one paper even likened a transfer of this type to the slave trade. Common though went about his work and scored the goals to keep Boro in the old First Division. He would stay with the club for five years before moving on to Woolwich Arsenal.

4.) David Jack - £10,890 - Bolton Wanderers to Arsenal (1928)

Legendary manager Herbert Chapman acquired the key piece for his all conquering Arsenal side of the 1930's when he brought in Bolton's high scoring inside forward David Jack for £10,890. Despite what was considered an obscene amount of money at the time, Bolton were actually asking £13,000 for Jack. Chapman though, rather craftily got their representatives drunk before getting them to agree to the lessor fee. Jack would score 113 goals in 181 appearances for the Gunners and help the club to three league titles and an FA Cup win.

3.) Luis Suárez Miramontes - £142,000 - Barcelona to Inter Milan (1961)

Considered to be one of Spanish football's greatest ever players, Luis Suárez Miramontes became the subject of football's first ever six figure transfer deal when he moved from Barcelona to Inter Milan for £142,000 in 1961. Inter would see it as money well spent as Suárez was an integral part of the side that won two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups in the mid-1960's.

2.) Diego Maradona - £5,000,000 - Barcelona to Napoli (1984)

Napoli became the first football club to break the million pound mark when they signed forward Giuseppe Savoldi from Bologna for £1,200,000 in 1975. Although Savoldi did well enough with the club, leading them to a Coppa Italia win in his first season, he didn't help them land their first ever Serie A title. So nine years later, the Naples club shattered the transfer record again when they brought in the Argentine legend Diego Maradona for £5,000,000. Still a hero in the city to this day, Maradona led the club to two league titles, a Coppa Italia, and a UEFA Cup.

1.) Gareth Bale - £83,000,000 - Tottenham to Real Madrid (2013)

Since the summer of 2000, the transfer record has been broken five times by one club: Real Madrid. The Spanish giants latest record breaking move came when they swooped in for Spurs winger Gareth Bale in 2013. In his three seasons at the club, Bale has helped the club to two UEFA Champions League titles.

Arda Turan Comforted by Spanish Footballers After Loss (Video)

2016-06-18T09:27:00.003-04:00

If you happened to watch the Turkey versus Spain match yesterday you likely noticed two things: the one is a dominant European defending champions side that basically took the Turkish squad "behind the shed" so to speak, and the other is Turkish fans booing and hounding their captain Arda Turan, one of the most popular Turkish footballers in decades.

But what followed the difficult 3-0 Turkey loss was signs of respect from teammates and opposition alike, as both sets of footballers took extra time after the conclusion of the match to show their support for the Barcelona and former Atlético Madrid attacking midfielder.

The fact that Turkey has underperformed in the eyes of the Turkish fans is clear, but let's be honest, in a country where national team football has slumped in recent years, it was a last qualifying match-day surprise that the Turkish team even qualified for the tournament and would have likely not even been in contention to qualify if it wasn't for their captain who started his career with Istanbul club Galatasaray.

Whatever the case, the footage at the end of the game is almost heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time; poetry in football.

8 Clubs With the Most Footballers Participating in the 2016 Euros

2016-06-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

With all of the Euro 2016 squads having been confirmed on the 31st of May, it's time to take a look at the clubs that will feature the most footballers in the international tournament; all of which are unsurprisingly from the European continent. The likes of Real Madrid, AS Roma and Arsenal have just missed the cut, coming just short of the minimum 9 players it takes to get on this list. So which clubs will be represented by the most players in this summer's Euros?

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - 9 Players

Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk will have 9 of their footballers featured in this summer's tournament. Eight of the nine Shakhtar players at the Euros are Ukrainian, with first-choice goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov and the majority of the defensive line playing for the club, while the other is Croatian and club captain Darijo Srna.

Bayern Munich (Germany) - 9 Players

5 of Bayern's 9 players in the Euros will play for the German squad, most notably goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, forward Thomas Müller, defender Jérôme Boateng and midfielder Mario Götze. Otherwise, the German club will be represented in the Polish squad by Robert Lewandowski, Spain's side with Thiago, David Alaba for Austria and 19 year old Kingsley Coman for France.

Barcelona (Spain) - 9 Players

Usually, the Spanish national team is split with the majority of players coming in either from Barcelona or Real Madrid. But unlike Madrid's total of two, Barca will have five of their footballer's in Spain's squad this summer. Gerard Piqué, Jordi Alba, Marc Bartra, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets will all play for La Furia Roja, while Arda Turan will captain the Turkish side, Ivan Rakitić will dress for Croatia, Thomas Vermaelen for Belgium and Marc-André ter Stegen will play back-up in the German goalkeeper position.

Fenerbahçe (Turkey) - 9 Players

Six of Fenerbahçe's nine players at the 2016 Euros will play for the home nation Turkey, with 3 of Turkey's most capped defenders coming in from the Istanbul club and a 21 year old midfielder Ozan Tufan who had been capped over 20 times in his still very young age. Other than their own national side the Turkish club will be represented by Michal Kadlec for the Czech Republic and Portuguese duo Bruno Alves and Nani.

Manchester United (England) - 10 Players

The Red Devils are sending a total of 10 players to the Euros. United have three featuring for the English national team in Chris Smalling, captain Wayne Rooney and 18 year-old sensation Marcus Rashford. Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin were both called up for France, while Bastian Schweinsteiger will play for the Germans, Paddy McNair for Northern Ireland, David de Gea in goal for Spain and Belgium and Italy will benefit from United's Marouane Fellaini and Matteo Darmian respectively.

Tottenham Hotspur (England) - 11 Players

With Tottenham's young and successful squad, it is not surprising at all that the English team will be featuring 5 footballers from the Spurs. In the English defense we will see Danny Rose and Kyle Walker, Dele Alli and Eric Dier will represent the club in the English midfield, while Harry Kane will feature for The Three Lions upfront. Otherwise, the Spurs will see their own footballers represent four other nations with France, Austria, Wales and three Spurs footballers playing for Belgium. Tottenham's keeper Hugo Lloris will captain hosts France, while Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembélé will all be crucial to the success of the Belgian squad.

Juventus (Italy) - 12 Players

Italian champions Juventus will have 12 of their players representing their national sides this summer, half of which will be dressing for the home nation, Italy. Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Simone Zaza, Stefano Sturaro, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci are all a part of the contingency of Juve players to be called up by the Azzurri. The other 6 footballers travelling from Turin to the 2016 Euro are France's Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba, Swiss Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner, Germany's Sami Khedira, Spain's Álvaro Morata and Crotia's prolific striker Mario Mandžukić.

Liverpool (England) - 12 Players

With the same total of players going to the 2016 Euros as Juventus, Liverpool's contribution to their own national team is just a tad smaller than that of The Old Lady to the Italian squad, with 5 LFC footballers set to feature for The Three Lions.James Milner, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge are all hoping to contribute to England's cause this summer. Still within the United Kingdom Joe Allen and keeper Danny Ward will dress for Wales. The Belgian squad will feature a total of 3 Liverpool players with keeper Simon Mignolet, striker Christian Benteke and youngster Divock Origi. The other two making up a total of twelve Liverpool players at the 2016 UEFA Euros in France this summer are of course Germany's Emre Can and Slovakian captain Martin Škrtel.

Cheating and Corruption in Football - Part 4 of 5: Luis Suarez Lends a Hand

2016-04-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Leading the line for Barcelona as part of the lethal MSN attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Neymar, Luis Suarez has kept his nose clean as of late, and many are forgetting the colour run of misdemeanours he wracked up for both club and country over a torrid four year span.

But there are some who will never forgive some of the things the Uruguayan international got up to between, and including, the last two World Cups.

Before he racially abused Manchester United's Patrice Evra and bit not one but three different players, Suarez became a villain across large swathes of Africa when his cynical handball knocked Ghana out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

After helping Uruguay through the first round group stage, Suarez scored both goals in a 2-1 round of 16 victory against South Korea with his second goal being particularly memorable. For his efforts he was named Man of the Match.

It would be in the Quarter-Final where he would make his most telling contribution to the tournament though.

With the score deadlocked at 1–1 at the end of regulation the match went into extra time where a tense thirty minutes witnessed one of the biggest talking points of that year's tournament.

Late in extra time, Ghana sent a free kick into the box that Stephen Appiah latched onto and sent goalwards. Suarez blocked the shot on the line, legally, but then when Dominic Adiyiah headed back what looked to be a sure fire winner he used both hands to keep it out.

Sent off as the result of his professional foul, the toothy Uruguayan marksman stuck around in the tunnel to see Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar with the ensuing penalty kick to keep his country's hopes alive.

Suarez celebrated wildly, and did so again when his country later secured victory on penalties.

Although he saved the match for his side using illegal means and justifiably saw red, it was has slimy actions later in the tunnel and bullish taunts that he would do it again that didn't sit well with neutrals.

It would be the first controversial act of many for the talented, but controversial striker.

Missed Connections: Sides That Surprisingly Haven't Played Each Other More Often

2016-04-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

Some club and international sides just seem to be made to play one another as they dominate competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA World Cup or other "inter-nations" title. Nonetheless, as unlikely as it may seem, this list is about sides that you would swear have played one another a lot more often than they actually have.

Liverpool v Manchester United (European Competition)

Until their recent Europa League meeting, Liverpool and Manchester United have never met in Europe before. The two English football rivals have made it to the same UEFA competitions on numerous ocassions, but 2016 would mark their first ever showdown, with Liverpool knocking The Red Devils out of the tournament over a two-leg battle.

Brazil v Germany (World Cup)

With 9 FIFA World Cup titles between them and at least one of them qualifying to the semi-finals of the tournament in each of the World Cup editions since 1934 (2nd World Cup), it's hard to believe that the two have not played each other even once until 2002 when Brazil beat the Germans in that year's World Cup final match. Brazil did play an East German side in 1974, but West Germany is considered as modern Germany when football statistics are tallied.

Benfica v Real Madrid

Despite both clubs being extremely successful in their domestic leagues, Spanish side Real Madrid and Portuguese club Benfica haven't played a competitive match against one another since 1965. A bit hard to believe as it seems we see the two compete in the Champions League every single season. The last time the two met, Benfica knocked Real Madrid out of the 1964-65 European Cup competition with a 6-3 aggregate win in the quarter-finals.

England v Scotland

In 1870, the first international football match in history was one played between Scotland and England. The two rivals have played each other many times since, but in recent years the two have not been able to "lock horns" in any competitive match. Aside from a couple friendlies, England and Sctoland haven't played against each other in a competitive match since 1999; that's 17 years for those that lost track of time. That is all about to change however, as the two were drawn into the same group in the qualifying stages for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Barcelona v Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (Champions League Final)

Real Madrid's first European Cup title came in 1952, FC Bayern's in 1974 and Barcelona's first Champions League trophy in 1992. But despite the incredible 20 titles and 11 runner-up achievements between the three clubs, they have never faced each other in the final. A little hard to believe, considering they seem like the only 3 sides we ever watch in the latter stages of the competition (at least in the last decade or so).

If you have more impressive missed connections you'd like to tell us about, comment below!

Football's Greatest Sides - Part 4 of 5: Barcelona (2009 to 2011)

2016-03-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

Having watched his Manchester United side dismantled in the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium by Barcelona in 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson later reflected that the Catalans were the best team he had ever faced. "No one," he said, "has ever given us a hiding like that."

Although the final score was only 3-1 for Pep Guardiola's side that day, it was never that close as United had spent most of the night chasing shadows. They had few answers for the incisive passing movement of Andres Iniesta and Xavi in the middle of the park, the clever runs of David Villa and never mind the mercurial little genius known as Lionel Messi upfront.

Having also beaten United 2-0 in the final in Rome two years earlier, Barcelona had made it two Champions Leagues out of three and cemented themselves as a side for the ages.

It's sometimes forgotten that a Ronaldinho-led Barcelona had won the Champions League in 2006 under Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard, a match that saw Messi out through injury, while Xavi and Iniesta looked on from the bench, but by 2008 in-fighting had destroyed that team and changes were desperately needed.

Ronaldinho made his exit, as did Rijkaard, and in came Pep Guardiola who had been a key part of Johan Cruyff's mythical "Dream Team" who had won the European Cup at Wembley in 1992.

Following in Cruyff's footsteps in that he was looking to emulate the Dutchman's ethos of Barcelona playing with a fluid passing style, Guardiola made Messi the focus of his attack, while Xavi and Iniesta were there to supply the ammunition.

Besides Barcelona's "carousel of passing", as described by Ferguson, the side worked incredibly hard to press back opponents all over the pitch, so in the rare instances they lost possession they worked doggedly to retrieve it.

Ringing in Guardiola's changes, the club won a treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the aforementioned Champions League title in 2008-2009 and they were just getting started.

They followed that up by winning the league again in 2009-2010, along with the Spanish and European Super Cups, and the FIFA World Club Cup. They would fall to Jose Mourinho's Inter in the Champions League semi-final after a two day bus trip to Milan necessitated by the grounding of all flights following an Icelandic volcanic eruption.

They would return in 2010-2011 with another league and Champions League double to return to the summit of domestic and European football.

Guardiola would depart the next season, but what he put in place at the club is still largely in place. Despite the exit of Xavi, the heart of Pep's side, Barcelona now have one of the scariest front three's ever seen in club football with Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar laying waste to defences throughout Europe.

Although it's easy to get annoyed by the irritating nouveau football fanboys and fashionistas that have attached themselves to Barcelona since Guardiola's time in charge, ignoring their brief steamy love affair with Borussia Dortmund in 2012 of course, this Barcelona side can rightly consider itself to be one of the greatest squads ever and even the most hardcore haters or Madridistas have to admit that.

The Spanish national side have much to thank Barca for as well, as it was their core of players and their approach that helped Spain to victories in Euro 2008 and 2012, along with victory at the 2010 World Cup.

There's Yet Another Record For Messi to Break at Barca

2016-03-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, but Lionel Messi has yet to break every possible record. That's right, he doesn't own the world of football just yet. Joking aside, there is one man that used to play for Barcelona that still holds one; a record that "La Pulga Atómica" can still claim as a part of his ever growing list of impressive achievements. Perhaps it's not a statistic that is in the forefront of Barcelona's record books, nonetheless, current Southampton manager and former Dutch international and Barcelona midfielder Ronald Koeman has recorded a record 25 goals from free-kick situations for the storied Catalan club, a tally Lionel Messi can equal with just 4 more goals from similar circumstances.

Some may argue that Koeman has achieved this impressive total in just 6 years with Barcelona, while Messi has been with the club double that time by now, but those that look deeper and are more familiar with Messi's tenure at Barça will quickly note that the Argentine forward joined the club at a very young age and was not one of the first choices for free-kicks until about 2008.

Nonetheless, a record of totals is such that is remembered for the tally and the record breaker; not so much the time span it took to achieve it. So, watch every Barcelona free-kick closely, as Messi is not only very likely to surpass Koeman's mark, but also very often provides us football fans with some incredible goals from dead-ball situations.

Zlatan & Maxwell: 24 Trophies at 4 Different Clubs Together

2016-03-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

With Paris Saint-Germain winning the French league title over the weekend with 8 games remaining on the schedule, a few things became clear. First, of course there is no one in the French game that can compete with PSG's deep pockets. And secondly, the fact that forward Zlatan Ibrahimović and full-back Maxwell may just be one of the most interesting partnerships ever created on the football pitch.

Brazilian left-back Maxwell and Swedish international football icon Zlatan Ibrahimović have enjoyed illustrious careers, most of which they spent with the same clubs. In 2001 the duo joined Dutch side Ajax, each coming from their first domestic professional side. Fifteen years later and the two have shared four clubs, all while picking up a whopping twenty four trophies together.

Zlatan would go on to leave Ajax two seasons before Maxwell made his move to Italy with Internazionale. Nonetheless, before they would meet again at Inter they had already celebrated the Dutch Eredivisie title twice and the KNVB cup as well.

After two seasons with Italian club Juventus, Zlatan joined Inter in 2006, as did his old buddy Maxwell from Ajax. Together, the two would go on to win the Italian league title in three consecutive years between 2006 and 2009, along with two wins of the Supercoppa Italiana.

Both Zlatan and Maxwell would go on to sign with Barcelona in 2009, and just like at their time with Ajax, it would be Zlatan who left first, signing with AC Milan first on-loan just a year later, then on a permanent transfer a year after that. But despite such a short stint for the Swede, the two managed to collect more trophies than they managed together at any of their previous clubs. A total of five trophies included a La Liga title, two Spanish supercups, a UEFA Supercup and a FIFA Club World Cup championship.

In 2012 the two would meet again, this time at their current club Paris Saint-Germain. Since arriving in France less than four years ago, the two have enjoyed 10 additional titles by winning the French league four times, the French supercup (Trophée des champions) three times, League cup twice and the French Cup once.

Both Zlatan and Maxwell are now 34 years old and are nearing the end of their footballing careers. But if they were to move on from their current French club, would they meet again?

Throwback Thursdays: Luis Figo Returns to the Camp Nou

2016-03-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

With Manchester City's Raheem Sterling returning to Anfield this week, following his acrimonious departure from Liverpool last summer, he was right to expect a hostile reaction from the Merseyside crowd.

Although Liverpool's followers left him in little doubt what they thought of his perceived treachery, his return still pales in comparison to one of the nastiest reunions in European club football.

In 2000, then Barcelona winger Luis Figo was considered one of the best players in the world after he followed up a terrific season for his club by leading Portugal to the European Championship's semi-final.

Later that year he would be awarded the Ballon d’Or for his efforts, but before being handed that prestigious honour his career would take a very decided turn.

After enjoying a wonderful five years with the Catalan side, Figo had become a hero to Barca's fans and was seen as a symbol of the club.

In the summer of 2000 though change was afoot at their great rivals Real Madrid. Despite winning the Champions League in 1998 and 2000, incumbent president Lorenzo Sanz surprisingly lost out to the charismatic Florentino Perez in the the club elections.

Perez won the election, in part, because of his bold claim that he would deliver Luis Figo and that a deal with his agent was already in place. Furthermore he promised to refund Madrid's 70,000 plus members for their season tickets if he didn't bring in the Portuguese maestro.

True to his word, Perez's first act as president was to pony up Figo's 10 billion peseta (£37.5 million) buyout clause which allowed him to join Madrid on a lucrative salary.

Barcelona were incensed and claimed that Figo had gone against his word and betrayed them, with Barcelona president Joan Gaspart calling the deal "immoral".

The fans and local press were also outraged at what they saw as a betrayal by their now former favourite son.

When Figo returned to Camp Nou for the first time with his new side in October 2000, he was showered with debris and vicious insults from many in the partisan 105,000 strong crowd. Many fans later claimed it was the most hostile atmosphere ever dished out at the famous old ground.

One banner famously said, "We hate you because we loved you so much", which is emblematic of the feeling of being stabbed in the heart that many of us feel when a former favourite defects to the enemy.

Other signs and banners directed towards Figo weren't quite as poetic.

Two years later it wasn't any better, as Figo had a pig's head chucked at him while attempting to take a corner at the Camp Nou.

Sterling can count himself lucky.

The FootyFair Roundtable Discuss Pep Guardiola's Move to Manchester City

2016-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

The worst kept secret in football, that Pep Guardiola will be taking over at Manchester City at the end of the season, came spilling out in the form of an official club press release this week and the reaction across English football has been interesting to say the least.

On one hand you have Manchester City supporters, on the whole, celebrating the announcement with even the warring Gallagher Brothers, formerly of Oasis, in agreement for once over something and letting it be known over social media that this is a momentous capture for City.

The reaction, as expected, from other clubs was mixed, with a lot of opinions about the appointment swirling around on Social Media. While some fans of City's rivals adopted a defeatist tone, feeling that Pep's arrival at the Etihad will kick off an era of dominance for the Blues and we may as well give them the EPL trophy for next season now, others meanwhile were quick to point out that he's never been in a league as competitive as the Premier League and may get found out.

We talked to a few of the usual suspects of the FootyFair Roundable for their take on the move:

AC: The incessant grinding of the "every Bayern player going to the Etihad" rumour mill is likely going to take years off my life.

Iain: Pep joining another team with tonnes of cash and a ready made setup that ensures he won't have to do any rebuilding. Typical.

Juanito: They obviously want to win the CL. (Current manager Manuel) Pellegrini is a good manager, his European record withstanding. Manchester will remain blue for a while longer.

Iain: I don't think Pep will find things as easy in the EPL though. You can debate the quality, or lack thereof in England, but the fact is that the teams at the bottom put up a real battle every time out. He won't be spanking side's in the lower half 5-0 each week.

AC: I think this goes beyond "tonnes of cash" into the realm of "almost limitless amounts of cash". Guardiola is a very good manager but I can't say he's very popular in Munich.

Juanito: I'm not sure his style will work in England. We'll find out soon enough.

Luka: Most overrated football manager ever.

Juanito: I respectfully disagree Luka. He's proven he can win. However, I will concede that there is a myth surrounding him.

Luka: So has every Barça manager since. He inherited the best club in the world and turned them into ONE of the best clubs in the world.

Juanito: No, that's not true. He inherited an underachieving team, cleaned house, brought a new way of seeing the game, and made them what they are today. Every manager has continued his style, more or less.

Iain: He did achieve some great things, no doubt. But he had a side at Barcelona containing Messi, Xavi, Puyol, Eto'o, Pique, and Iniesta, he would have had to have been completely inept not to win with that group. With both of his jobs he's never had to rebuild anything.

Bramble: Over hyped overrated overpaid will be exposed when Shitty lose to Palace or someone. Not all leagues have only 2 or in his current case 1 team.

AC: I think the Bundesliga as a one team league is irrelevant in this specific case. The goal for Guardiola at Bayern was never the league. It was the Champions League.

Luka: And he failed spectacularly.

AC: Well two straight semi-finals isn't a spectacular failure...albeit the way in which his sides went out can be categorized as such.

Bramble: None the less his league form is adding to his "legend" if there was a few more teams with the funds and the backing you'd see how poor this guy actually is.

AC: The teams that should be competing with us (Werder, Stuttgart, HSV) have been colossal failures due to their own ineptitude.

Bramble: And the loss of german hipster to Liverpoop has decreased BVB as well.

AC: I can agree with that, at the very least partially. Klopp failed to adapt his own system in the league and that lead to Dortmund being left way behind. Well that and the colossal amount of injuries they suffered, which might be attributed to the Gegenpressing system. I mean look at Liverpool currently!

Iain: Bramble is going to hate this, and I may even hate myself a bit for saying it, but I actually like Klopp. His pressing system, when it's working, can be brutally effective and I actually like his enthusiasm. I'd rather have someone like him than that useless dinosaur scrotum faced cunt LVG, currently writing his memoirs on our bench.

Bramble: I don't hate Klopp as much as I hate the idea of him managing the most annoying club in the world.

Hawk: You can put a blind donkey on the teams Pep was on, and they'd almost certainly win.

Bramble: I agree 110% any one of us here could go to Barca or Bayern when he was there and say "alright doods just go out and play however you want" and we'd still get the same results.

AC: I should probably be clear on my stance on Guardiola. At the time he was announced, I had mixed feelings. Any time a new manager comes along, especially one with so much fanfare attached to it, the expectations that are placed upon the team increase a hundredfold. I liked what he did on the pitch and there were real successes, Champions League notwithstanding.

However, looking back on it...I feel a little spurned. His move to England at this particular time feels to me that he used Bayern as a stepping stone to his ultimate goal of managing in the Premier League - with all of the fanfare and prestige that accompanies it. I feel a little defensive about the whole thing. Using my club to pad your CV....get outta here!

So looking at him solely as Bayern manager, I am not unappreciative. But looking at the big picture has me more than a little bitter about the whole thing.

I wanted to believe that there was some sort of altruism in his move from Barca to Bayern. Meeting a new challenge and stuff. Should have my head examined for thinking that kinda nonsense.

Bramble: He is a merc and the worst kind of merc, it's fitting he's going to "Shitty".

Iain: It's weird though, as he could have gone to England right after his sabbatical and not gone to Bayern at all. Both United and Chelsea had vacancies coming up in the summer of 2013, and likely would have hired him.

It feels like he took Bayern as an easy option, after his pressure cooker battles with Mourinho in La Liga, seeing them as a place to scoop up a few titles with minimum fuss before taking on the challenge of coming to England.

Bramble: Yeah, and if he went to Chelsea or us though he'd be exposed as someone who can't rebuild a team.

24 Hours at Barcelona's la Masia Academy (Video)

2016-01-15T14:40:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder what it's like to live, study and train at Barcelona's infamous la Masia academy? Well, the club has created a short two and a half minute video showcasing what the club's youth go through on a daily basis from the minute they wake up, to when they go back to sleep.

5 Reasons Why Messi is Brilliant, But Maradona is Still the Best in My Eyes

2016-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

So Lionel Messi has strolled off with yet another Ballon d'Or this week and you can't say that he's anything but deserving.

But inevitably people have begun to champion Messi as the greatest of all time yet again, and while he is a phenomenal player that has torn up the record books in recent years he still hasn't quite measured up to his brilliant countryman Diego Maradona in my opinion.

While opinions aren't facts, and like assholes we all have them, I do have a few reasons why I see El Diego as just that much better than Messi. Here are my top five reasons:

More than half of the tackles in Maradona's day would be fouls now, and many of them would draw cards. In fact it was only in the last few years of his career that the rule against tackling from behind came in.
Maradona wasn't protected by referees like Messi is. Tying into my first point, the rules against aggressive tackling are far less lenient now than they were in Diego's day and with FIFA trying to encourage attacking play, it's an open secret that players like Messi get special protection from referees.
While Messi has had the obvious benefit of playing for one of the best club sides ever in Barcelona, with many of his club teammates making up the Spanish national side that swept to two European crowns and a World Cup title, Maradona played for a decent Napoli side that he drove on to the only two Serie A titles in the club's history in 1987 and 1990.
Playing in a league that only has two giants in Real Madrid and his Barcelona side, with a resurgent Atletico only challenging them in recent seasons, Messi has had opportunities to collect trophies for fun. Maradona though played for Napoli at a time when Serie A was the undisputed best league in the world. The Italian league was dripping with quality in the 1980's and early 1990's with sides like AC Milan, Juventus and Inter providing stiff competition for his Napoli side. Despite the competition, Maradona was still able to help guide his team to glory.
Maradona carried a solid, but unspectacular Argentina side to a World Cup title in 1986 and took a terrible side to the final in 1990 where they would only narrowly lose to West Germany on a late penalty.

5 Random Transfer Rumours Doing the Rounds

2015-12-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

After my weekly kickabout last Friday, talk at the pub afterwards turned to the possibility of Lionel Messi possibly leaving Barcelona for Manchester City.

That's just one of the transfer rumours doing the rounds this week.

1.) Lionel Messi to Manchester City

As unlikely as the sight of the Argentinian wizard Lionel Messi playing for anyone other than the Catalan giants seems, the fact is that City are an extremely wealthy club that could offer him a contract well in excess of anything Barcelona could.

So it'll come down to whether or not he wants one last gigantic paycheck, and to put some distance between himself and Spanish tax collectors (allegedly!), before riding off into the sunset of the MLS or if he prefers to stay loyal to the club he's been with since aged 12.

Verdict: It's not going to happen. City has the money, but I don't think Messi would be suited to the Premier League and I think he knows it. If he leaves Barca it'll be for PSG.

2.) Thomas Muller to Chelsea

Everyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to the Premier League this season knows how disastrous the form of Diego Costa has been and the Spanish international is in anything but Jose Mourinho's good books right now.

Mourinho is rumoured to be shopping for a replacement, which is unsurprising really, and one of the men who have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is German international Thomas Muller.

Muller seems well suited for the Premier League and doesn't seem the sort to chuck bibs around.

Verdict: There's a very good chance this will happen, but not until next summer.

3.) Isco to Juventus

After spending the summer chasing Isco, it seems that Juventus may just be able to strike a deal with Real Madrid in January.

Arsenal have also been keen on landing the 23-year old who has apparently fallen out with manager Rafa Benitez, but the Turin club seem to be willing to match Real's evaluation price that's rumoured to be around £30 million.

Verdict: The talented playmaker definitely looks unsettled in the Spanish capitol and did himself no favours by getting sent off against Barcelona in his side's thumping 4-0 loss last week. If Juventus show Real the money, he'll be off to Serie A.

4.) Lars Bender to Arsenal

Speaking of Arsenal, it's rumoured that the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender could be coming to the Emirates.

With Arsenal beset by an injury crisis, again, manager Arsene Wenger has admitted he may need to spend in January.

The 26-year old defensive midfielder might be a great addition for the Gunners.

Verdict: Considering his age, and the fact that doing business in January is never cheap, I can't see Wenger going through with this one.

5.) Breel Embolo to Barcelona

Just when Manchester United looked to be the favourites to capture one of the most sought after young players in Europe, Barcelona stepped up their interest in the exciting 18-year old Basel attacker Breel Embolo.

The Cameroonian born Swiss international has only played a season and a half of top flight football but he already has scouts across Europe drooling at his skills and eye for goal.

Verdict: Don't Barcelona have a transfer ban in place in something? Well... not that rules ever stopped them.

5 Players Who Failed at Barcelona and/or Real Madrid

2015-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sifting through the wreckage of Barcelona's thumping defeat of Real Madrid in this past weekend's Clasico, a player who came in for stinging criticism yet again was Gareth Bale.

Bale has netted 30 goals in 65 La Liga games since joining Madrid in 2013 in a record breaking £85m move from Tottenham, but has often been the subject of criticism in the Spanish capital.

But whether or not he falls within the list of high profile players who ultimately fail at either Real Madrid or Barcelona remains to be seen.

The following are players who never really made the mark their talent suggested they would at either one or both of Spain's two biggest clubs:

Robinho

When Neymar burst onto the scene a few years ago with Santos, the naysayers were grumbling about him being another Robinho, but while Neymar has proven his worth at Barcelona the same cannot be said for his compatriot's earlier career at Real Madrid. When Pele named Robinho as his heir apparent and the player led Santos to their first Campeonato Brasileiro in decades the world was seemingly at his feet. Signing for Real Madrid in 2005, much was expected of Brazilian football's latest prodigy. Although he managed to play 101 matches for Madrid over the course of three seasons and notch 25 goals, a combination of bad form and injury never saw him come anywhere near the hype which had surrounded him since he was in his teens. He eventually left Madrid for Manchester City in 2008.

Juan Roman Riquelme

The supremely talented Juan Roman Riquelme enjoyed seven fine seasons at Boca Juniors before joining Barcelona in 2002. The Argentine playmaker never fit in with then manager Louis van Gaal's system though and found himself out of the team more than in it. Struggling to find form, while often being played out of position on the wing, Riquelme was eventually shipped off to Villarreal where he re-captured his form and enjoyed great success.

Royston Drenthe

After helping the Netherlands to an U-21 European Championship, while also tearing it up at club level with Feyenoord, Royston Drenthe looked like another talented young player off the Dutch football production line upon joining Real Madrid in 2007. After a decent first season though, Drenthe was dropped from the side in favour of Marcelo and started to run into disciplinary problems. He was loaned out to Hercules and later Everton, before departing for Russian side FC Alania Vladikavkaz when his contract expired in 2012.

Robert Prosinečki

Croatian legend Robert Prosinečki was only 22 when he joined Real Madrid in 1991, having just helped a star studded Red Star Belgrade side to the European Cup. But a lack of fitness, questions about his lifestyle habits and poor form led to three disasterous years in the Spanish capitol before being offloaded in 1994. A decent season at Oviedo was then followed up by a forgettable year at Barcelona, after which he became a club jumping nomad.

Javier Saviola

For several seasons in the early 2000's Javier Saviola was touted constantly as the next big thing, but without any actual evidence on the pitch suggesting that he was. A disappointing spell from 2001 to 2007 at Barcelona was followed by a lucrative contract bizarrely being awarded to him at Real Madrid that he saw out with only five goals in 28 appearances over two seasons.

5 Top Stories of the Weekend

2015-11-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jose Mourinho saw his side come back to winning ways, Real Madrid were smashed by Barcelona and Jamie Vardy scored in his tenth straight match. Just a few of the stories of the weekend.

Chelsea Ground Out a Result

It's been a tumultuous season for Jose Mourinho's side in these first few months of their Premier League title defence, but Diego Costa's 64th minute strike was enough to guide Chelsea to victory over Norwich.

The club are still in 15th spot, and 12 points behind the final Champions League qualifying place, but this win would have brought a bit of relief and renewed at least a small measure of hope from their supporters that they can turn this season around.

Real Madrid Smashed By Barcelona

While the biggest news in the sporting world last weekend was Holly Holm's destruction of Ronda Rousey, this Saturday saw a similarly ruthless annihilation in the form of Barcelona's 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid. An unusually quiet Cristiano Ronaldo, and a questionable team selection by Rafa Benitez, contributed to Sergi Roberto, Luis Suarez and Neymar ripping Madrid to pieces. After this humiliation, which leaves Madrid six points back of league leading Barca, Benitez might be on very thin ice.

Liverpool Blow the Title Race Wide Open

With Manchester United blowing hot and cold, Chelsea floundering and Arsenal being well... Arsenal, it looked like this season's title could be only be won by Manchester City. But after Manuel Pellegrini for some reason left Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho out against Liverpool, which was compounded by the absence of Vincent Kompany, the Anfield club tore City apart and the Premier League title race suddenly looks very open again.

Jamie Vardy Hits Ten Straight

He still has two matches to go before he equals the record for a top division player for scoring consecutive matches, set over 80 years ago by Jimmy Dunne, but this past weekend Leicester's Jamie Vardy equaled Ruud Van Nistelrooy's Premier League record and for a player who was toiling in non-league football only three years ago, Vardy's accomplishments have been inspiring.

Columbus Keeps On Rolling

The Columbus Crew took a massive step towards the MLS Cup Final after a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls in the MLS Eastern Conference finals first leg Sunday. Their first goal, scored by Iraqi international Justin Meram, came just nine second in and has been confirmed as the fastest goal in MLS Playoff history.

El Clásico (Quiz)

2015-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

Yet another edition of Spain's El Clásico is about to get underway and what better way to celebrate the infamous rivalry than a quick quiz to test your knowledge of the match-up.

Poll Maker

Clásico Corruption Allegations Rock La Liga

2015-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Spanish football could either be on the verge of one its most explosive match fixing scandals in years or it could be a story of hearsay, but regardless a story coming out of La Liga this week is sure to raise some eyebrows.

According to reports in the Guardian and the Independent, a linesman has allegedly been instructed to favour Real Madrid in next month’s clásico against Barcelona.

The linesman, who has not been identified as he fears reprisals, claims that he was contacted first by another official and later by a member of the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee.

According to the Independent:

It is understood that one of the pre-designated linesmen had been contacted by the match referee, and informed that the refereeing committee are pressuring him in to favouring Real with his decisions in their clash with fierce rivals Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on 21 November.

The linesman has also reported Jose Angel Jimenez Munoz de Morales, a member of the referees’ committee, for allegedly contacting him directly to put extra pressure on the official to rule in Real’s favour.

Besides the match in question, the linesman has also told his lawyer that he knows of several matches that have already been illegally influenced and that at least one other linesman has been put under similar pressure to influence results.

For their part the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee are denying any knowledge of the incident.

While like several other major leagues around the world there have been rumours of improper conduct by referees over the years, a scandal like this would rock La Liga to its core.

For their part Barcelona have said that "they hope this isn't true", while Real Madrid are yet to comment.

Football in Super HD - 4k, Football Like You've Never See it Before! (Video)

2015-10-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

Brought to you by Panasonic, Barcelona football in "4k" is like nothing you've ever seen before! When you watch this next video make sure to click the "settings" button and select 2160p (4k) to experience football in the most razor-sharp quality we here at FootyFair have ever seen the beautiful game in.

Throwback Thursdays: The Butcher of Bilbao

2015-09-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Heading into an early season clash with Barcelona on 24 September 1983, Athletic Bilbao's Andoni Goikoetxea already had a fearsome reputation as an uncompromising defender.

Born in Alonsotegi, in the Basque region of Biscay, Goikoetxea began his professional career with Athletic in 1974. The club, which adheres to a strict policy of only registering Basque players, enjoyed a golden period in their history under coach Javier Clemente in the early 1980's.

With a squad built around Goikoetxea, José María Nuñez, José Ramón Gallego, Dani, Estanislao Argote and Andoni Zubizarreta, Clemente led the side to a La Liga title in 1983.

While players like Argote provided the craft and Dani the goals, there was no mistaking the role of Goikoetxea in the squad. His ferocious tackling effectively thwarted most attacks on Athletic's goal and unnerved many an opposition player.

After their title win in 1983, one of the sides that was expected to challenge them in La Liga the following season was a resurgent Barcelona who featured a young Diego Maradona in their ranks.

Goikoetxea already had a bit of 'previous' with Barcelona after severely damaging their talented midfield maestro Bernd Schuster's knee with a vicious challenge in 1981 that almost ended the West German's career.

With Barcelona already up by two goals in this late September encounter, and Maradona putting on a masterclass, midway through the second half the man nicknamed "The Butcher of Bilbao" struck.

After Maradona turned his marker and accelerated towards goal. Goikoetxea cynically scythed into him from behind. It was a brutal and nasty lunge that wasn't so much a tackle, but an outright assault.

After the Butcher's lunge, the Argentinian lay on the pitch screaming "It's broken, it's broken",with his ankle ligaments shredded. He would need a pin inserted in his ankle to keep it together and aid in his recovery.

Goikoetxea, as villains often do, protested his innocence and said that he never meant to hurt Maradona, but he would later put the boots he used to destroy the South American's ankle in a glass case to display at his home.

Despite Barcelona winning this particular encounter 4-0, Maradona would miss three months with his injured ankle, while Athletic went on to defend their La Liga crown.

The clubs would go through another contentious meeting later that season, when they faced off in the Copa del Rey Final at the Bernabeu. Backed by a largely anti-Barca crowd, Athletic prevailed 1-0 in an ill-tempered affair that completed their domestic double.

At the final whistle, Maradona, who was bleeding from a leg wound he later claimed had been given to him by Goikoetxea, reacted to taunting from the crowd and Athletic's Sola by headbutting the defender in the face.

This kicked off a massive brawl between the two sides with players throwing punches and launching kung-fu kicks at each other. A portion of the crowd also made it onto the pitch and joined in the carnage.

The furor caused by the incident, and his perceived lack of protection by Spanish referees, became a key factor in Maradona's move to Serie A's Napoli in the summer of 1984.

What Would Barcelona's League Look Like if Catalonia Separated From Spain?

2015-09-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

September 27th is marked in the calendars of all Catalonians. An election day which may as a result see the region push for separation from Spain and an independence the region seems to have craved for hundreds of years. But without getting into the possibility of this happening and dwelling on the issue's political side too much, let's look at the hypothetical of what we here at FootyFair care about most, football.

La Liga president Javier Tebas went on record saying that if the region was to secede, Barcelona would be forced to leave the Spanish league and play in their own regional competition, a scenario that is both odd and unthinkable, but possible nonetheless.

There is no doubt that Barca would be the kings of the league, but how would the rest of the table look like?

Let's pretend that to start the league would consist of just 10 team. After all, it seems pretty reasonable for a "country" that size and is comparable to other European competitions such as the Austrian Bundesliga and the Swiss Super League.

The first name that comes to mind as far as being any kind of competitor to Barcelona would have to be RCD Espanyol. Just eight and a half kilometers from Camp Nou, Espanyol's fourty thousand seat Estadi Cornellà-El Prat could see success like the club hasn't experienced since the 1960's, '70's and '80s when the team finished a club record third place three times.

After Espanyol however, the list of Catalan professional football clubs gets pretty dire. The only other team that has enjoyed top tier football in Spain in recent years would be Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona which was promoted to La Liga in 2006 and was relegated back to Segunda División at the end of that same season.

Two other current Segunda División clubs in Girona FC and Unió Esportiva Llagostera would qualify as Catalan clubs, but neither of them have ever played in the first tier of the Spanish League. That puts our newly formed "Catalan League" at a total of 5 clubs. Should we even continue?

Considering top tier leagues do not allow "B" or "reserve" teams to compete in the same league as their parent clubs, we can take Barcelona B and Espanyol B out of the equation. As such, the current Segunda División B Group 3 competition could potentially provide us with another eight Catalan clubs, five of which would make our made up league.

I'm not even going to start to pretend which five of the eight would make the top tier (if indeed the league was made up of ten clubs), but just for argument's sake let's take a look at the names of the clubs that would qualify based on our (very vague) criteria.

UE Olot, CF Badalona, UE Cornellà, CE L'Hospitalet, CF Reus Deportiu, CF Pobla de Mafumet, CE Sabadell FC and Lleida Esportiu are all Catalan clubs currently playing in Segunda División B, obviously to most of you these names mean obsoletely nothing. CF Badalona is the only club of the eight listed that has ever got higher than the 2B division when they played in the Segunda División pretty much all through the '60's and previous to that as well. Otherwise, we are looking at lower league clubs with stadiums as small as 1000 people capacity.

So it's obvious that the Espanyol and Barcelona supporters have something to think about before taking to the polls this Sunday. After all, the two La Liga clubs would likely not be able to continue their La Liga ways and would have to conform to their new surroundings.

5 Players to Watch in La Liga This Season

2015-08-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend sees Spain's La Liga kickoff a new season and while the one big story is whether or not Barcelona will be able to retain their title, there are also a few players with things to prove.

The following are five players to watch in La Liga in 2015-2016:

Gareth Bale - Real Madrid

After helping Real Madrid to a record tenth Champions League title in his first season at the Bernabeu, Gareth Bale suffered through a difficult second term. His form and confidence eroded to the point where he was being booed by his own fans. Although there's been speculation surrounding his future at the club, it looks as if Bale is staying put and he will be hoping to bounce back this season.

Paco Alcacer - Valencia

Valencia fans must already be worrying about when Barcelona, Madrid or perhaps another European heavy weight will be coming in for the 21 year old Paco Alcacer. Strong and fast, the forward notched 11 goals for his club last season and has already scored four goals in his six appearances for Spain.

Jackson Martinez - Atletico Madrid

Another summer, another talented striker through the exit door at Atletico. After losing Diego Costa last summer, manager Diego Simeone had to watch Mario Mandzukic depart the Vicente Calderon in this window. Coming over from Porto, the much sought after Colombian striker Jackson Martinez will be counted on to immediately adapt to the quality of La Liga and find the net with regularity.

Ivan Rakitic - Barcelona

For the first time in seventeen years Barcelona will start a new season without the imperious Xavi in midfield and one of the players counted on to fill that gap will be Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic. While the high-flying attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez will get the headlines, Rakitic's role of protecting Barca's back line and making well timed surges from deep will be crucial to the Catalan side's season.

Éver Banega - Sevilla

The Argentine play-maker Éver Banega seems to have finally found a home at Sevilla after a difficult time at Valencia which saw him twice loaned out. After being a part of the star studded U20 World Cup winning Argentina side in 2007, much was expected of the slick passing Banega but for numerous reasons his stay at the Mestalla was not a happy one. After a move to Sevilla last summer though, the player looked revitalized and he eventually helped the club win the 2015 UEFA Europa League Final where he was named man of the match. If he can recreate his sparkling form of last season, there's no reason to think that Sevilla won't be pushing for a spot in the top four.

Messi Meets the President of Gabon and Dresses Like a Bum

2015-07-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Widely considered, outside of Madrid at least, to be the finest footballer on the planet Lionel Messi is as useless at picking out what to wear as he is brilliant at picking apart opposition defenses.

As if his comically bad shiny maroon suit he wore to a recent FIFA Awards night, one of those annual events where they give him a prize simply for being Messi, wasn't bad enough he's now outraged a nation with his dress sense.

While in Gabon, the Barcelona star went on a VIP tour of the capital city, Libreville, organised by former teammate Samuel Eto’o, who is a close friend and advisor of Gabonese president Ali Bongo Ondimba.

The president also asked Messi to place the first stone for a new national stadium being built for the 2017 African Nations Cup.

For such a momentous occasion you figured that Messi would perhaps put on a suit, or even a nice pair of dress pants and a button up, but instead he opted for a pair of scummy looking shorts and a t-shirt. As if he was going to the beach or the zoo.

The Union du Peuple Gabonais (UPG) political party responded with the following statement:

“The messiah of football arrived in Gabon like he were going to a zoo: dirty, unshaven and his hands in his pockets, looking for peanuts to throw to them!

“When you’re called Lionel Messi and you’re a multi-billionaire, you don’t have the right to present yourself to officials of a republic, even a banana one, with your hands in the pockets of a ripped, tattered pair of shorts.

“Gabon isn’t a zoo. We don’t know what the Argentine came to Gabon for, but we at least have the right to denounce his negligence and his lack of respect for standards and principles.

“We are uneasy with Messi’s attitude and his attire. Only for these reasons, linked to respect for the host country, do we condemn the footballer’s indelicateness, to say the least!”

That Messi dirtbag was also accused by France Football magazine of being paid €3.5million for the visit, but the Argentine play maker strongly denies that.

10 Best Quotes From Louis van Gaal

2015-07-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is no stranger to controversy, leaving a wake of shaken up reporters, frustrated opponents and bitter former players behind him over his terrific managerial career.

He's also known for the odd outburst, either witty or outraged, when a microphone is in front of him. The following are ten of the best quotes from Louis van Gaal:

Upon taking his first managerial job at Ajax in 1991, Van Gaal shook the hand of the club’s director and told him: "Congratulations on signing the best coach in the world."
On taking the Barcelona job in 1996: "I have achieved more with Ajax in six years than Barcelona has in one hundred years."
Upon meeting a 14-year old Gerard Pique, Van Gaal knocked the future Mr. Shakira on the floor and yelled: "You’re too weak to be a Barca defender!"
After taking over the Dutch National side in 2000 he proclaimed: "I’ve signed a contract with the Dutch national team until 2006, so I can win the World Cup not once but twice."
Van Gaal introduced himself to the Bavarian press with the following self reflection: "I am who I am: confident, arrogant, dominant, honest, hard-working and innovative."
The Dutch boss approved of Barcelona hiring Guardiola back in 2008: "[Pep] Guardiola follows the Van Gaal philosophy. So I’m not surprised Bayern have hired Guardiola. Bayern always hire the best managers."
Van Gaal on his bedside manner: "I’ve never worn leggings like Robben does. I’m never cold because I’m warm bloooded. My wife says so too. We always sleep spooning."
When asked by a journalist if he wanted to congratulate his former friend Ronald Koeman with winning the Eredivisie with PSV: "If you want to, go ahead."
Van Gaal the sensitive type: "I cry almost every day. There’s always something that touches me."
When asked by a member of the English media what he knows about Manchester United: "That's a stupid question."

Barcelona Laugh Off Their Transfer Ban

2015-07-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Barcelona, who are currently serving a transfer ban imposed by FIFA for the rest of 2015, have shown this week that the ban is a toothless joke

Despite supposedly not being able to sign players, the Catalan giants have gone ahead and scooped up Atletico Madrid’s bearded playmaker Arda Turan for a fee of €34 million.

The 28 year old Turkish international captain will not be able to line up behind Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar until January, so technically Barcelona haven't broken the conditions of their ban, but the whole thing seems very shady.

The player had been a target of both Manchester United and Chelsea, but opted for five months off before taking to the pitch with the European Champions.

It does make you wonder why FIFA would even bother imposing a ban, if a club like Barcelona can sidestep it like this, but this is FIFA we're talking about.