¡Viva España!

3 days to “El Clásico”…

barcalover:

                          El Clásico: 10 Reasons Why Barcelona vs Real Madrid
                                Might Be The Greatest Game in the World

1. It’s more than geography.
Liverpool vs Everton, Arsenal vs Spurs and AC Milan vs Inter Milan are great great games. Unmissable in fact. But while there’s incredible tradition and passion to these rivalries, the fundamental basis for their existence is plain and simple geography. The two teams just happen to be in close proximity to each other and city pride is at stake. With Barcelona vs Real Madrid there’s much much more going on.

2. Catalonia vs Castile.
Barcelona and Madrid are the two biggest cities in Spain. That could be enough for a rivalry right there. But they are also home to two very distinct regions and two distinct schools of thought. Barcelona is Catalan, Madrid is Castilian. Catalans favor independence, while Madrid is seen as the seat of the establishment and the royal family. This split became especially pronounced during Franco’s fascistic reign when regional languages like Catalan were officially suppressed. So when El Clásico rolled around, a Barcelona win represented a rebellious victory for an independent regional culture, a win for Madrid represented the establishment re-asserting its authority. And it still does.

3. Everyone picks a side.
The above ideological, sociological and political clash of independent regional culture versus strong centralized government splits not just Barcelona and Madrid or Catalan and Castile but the entire Spanish nation down the middle. So El Clásico has the unique function of dividing a country. Supporters of other teams, be it Real Betis or whoever, will also choose a team to support for this game according to their ideological leanings.

4. It’s in arguably the best league in the world.
For all El Clásico’s cultural significance in Spain, no one outside would have any reason to care if the game was in (to pick on somewhere at random) the Colombian domestic league. But it’s not. It’s in La Liga, arguably the best league in the world (which is a whole other discussion, but we can at least all agree it’s a contender).

5. Featuring that league’s two best teams.
Such is Barcelona and Madrid’s dominance in Spanish football, that there’s more than pride at stake in El Clásico. Because the two teams are usually at or near the top of La Liga, the result often has a direct impact on where the title goes. While AC Milan vs Inter Milan also features two top teams from a top league, those two also have the likes of Roma and Juventus to battle it out with. Spanish football isn’t necessarily a two horse race, but these are two horses that are always in the running. For today’s game Real Madrid are top of La Liga, four points ahead of Barca in second. A win for Real means a seven point lead, a win for Barca means cutting that lead to one point.

6. And some of the world’s greatest players.
Because Real and Barca are two of the richest clubs in the world, they always have the best players. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Villa vs. Ronaldo, Xabi, Ramos, Higuaín, Casillas.

7. But some homegrown talent too.
Despite all the expensively purchased talent, both sides also field an impressive number of homegrown players. Barca can boast Víctor Valdés, Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets, and Bojan Krkić as youth system products, while youngsters like Leo Messi and Andrés Iniesta also spent their formative years at Barca after being snapped up as teenagers. Madrid can field Iker Casillas and… no more names comes to mind. This strong local flavour guarantees that no one on the field forgets the cultural significance of El Clásico.

8. There’s lots of bitter transfer history to fuel the fire.
As the two biggest clubs in Spain, Barca and Madrid inevitably end up fighting it out for player’s signatures. One of the earliest cases, when both clubs tried to sign River Plate’s Argentine striker Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1953, was so controversial it’s not embellishment to say it raised the ferocity of el clásico. A bizarre agreement was reached for the player to sign for both clubs and play two seasons with each, but after Di Stéfano debuted for Madrid, Barca agreed to let Real have him permanently. There’s still debate over whether Barca saw Di Stéfano’s unimpressive early Madrid form and decided they didn’t need him, or whether they were put under pressure by Franco’s pro-Real (obviously) government who were threatening to ban foreigners from playing in Spain altogether. The trend continues, with both teams always fighting it out for top players (as they did for David Beckham a few years back.) But the real fireworks fly when a player leaves one team for the other, as Luis Figo found out after his then world record €65 million move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000.

9. The size of the stadiums.
Both the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium are massive, and this guarantees an incredible atmosphere at every El Clásico. The Camp Nou, home to today’s action, is the biggest stadium in Europe with a 99,354 capacity. The Bernabéu is slightly smaller but still gigantic, holding 80,354.

10. It tends to produce incredible games of football.
None of the above would matter if what took place on the pitch was a big disappointment. And Spain would be a very depressing place if everyone got all hyped up twice a year for something that was going to be a let down. But it isn’t. For some reason, El Clásico often produces great games.

(Source: theoffside.com)

Why I love SNT training

davidvilla:

Some of my favourite photos from their recent training session:

• Xabi attacking Sergio Busquets

• Nando’s face

• Villa’s epic faces

• Xabi in a not-very-classy position. Who thought we’d see the day? Del Bosque clearly does not approve.

(Source: iker)

Fernando Llorente Gives Spain An Extra Dimension - Keeper Iker Casillas

wayoffside:

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has claimed that international team-mate Fernando Llorente gives the team an extra element that other players in the team cannot offer.

The Athletic Bilbao hitman has emerged in recent matches as a key member of coach Vicente del Bosque’s squad, particularly during the recent 2012 encounters with Lithuania and Scotland, where he netted three goals to put La Furia Roja in pole position to qualify from Group I.

Speaking to the media today ahead of tomorrow’s friendly against Portugal in Lisbon, San Iker harked back to the second round tie during World Cup 2010 against Wednesday’s opponents as suitable proof of what Llorente brings to the team.

He said: “He brings qualities to the team that no one else can. We all remember the World Cup match against Portugal. The game was close, he came off the bench, and the match was revolutionised.”

Llorente has recently been the subject of transfer speculation linking him with a move to join Casillas at the Santiago Bernabeu next season, with Real Madrid apparently ready to meet Athletic Bilbao’s valuation.