Iceland's Volcano - The Proverbial Thorn of 2010's FC Barcelona

The following pictures are of the Iceland volcano eruption in 2010 which resulted in the formation of an ash cloud and severely affected Barcelona's travel during the Champions League last year.

All these photos are genuine and taken by Terje Sorgjerd, TSO Photography. 'Like' his page on Facebook to see his other work at http://www.facebook.com/TSOPhotography or Follow him on Twitter: @TSOphotography

A Closer Look - Cristiano Ronaldo's 'Important' Goals

After seeing this comparision chart (via @optajose) of Leo Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo goals in La Liga and tweeting this, I decided to research some of Ronaldo’s “important” goals. What better place to look than Europe’s most prestigious competition, UEFA’s Champions League.

First, let’s compare the 2 players statistics during the Tournament Stage of this year’s Champions League (so far):

Cristiano Ronaldo:

12 appearances (1,201 minutes played)

6 goals

1 goal every 200 minutes played

2 assists

24 out of 53 total shots were on target (45.3%)

Leo Messi:

            12 appearances (957 minutes played)

11 goals

1 goal every 87 minutes played

3 assists

            31 out of 47 total shots were on target (66.0%)

Those stats speak for themselves. Cristiano’s stats look decent but let’s go more in-depth on Ronaldo’s actual influence to see how “important” they affected Real Madrid.

I believe that the first 2 Group Stage matches are the most important because they set the tone for how the Table sets up. Here’s Ronaldo’s statistics during these first 2 matches:

1^st Group Stage Match: vs Ajax: 0 goals, 0 assists (RM win 2-0)

2^nd Group Stage Match: vs Auxerre: 0 goals, 0 assists (RM win 0-1)

Important Goal/Influence:

3^rd Group Stage Match: Madrid were currently 1^st place (6 pts) in their Group, up against (Serie A Champions) AC Milan who are 2^nd place (4 pts). Going to give Ronaldo credit here, he scores the opening goal (15’) from a Free Kick from 23m out (goal travels straight through the wall) and provides an assist to a Mesut Ozil shot that takes a deflection into the net. Real Madrid wins 2-0 and moves up to 9 points total in the Table.

4^th Group Stage Match: At the San Siro vs AC Milan, 0 goals, 0 assists. (RM draw 2-2)   

5^th Group Stage Match: Real Madrid already up 2-0 late into the match vs Ajax, Cristiano scores 2 (70’, 81’) goals.  (RM wins 0-4)

Final Group Stage Match: With 1^st place already clinched in the Group Stage, Cristiano scores a goal and adds an assist. (RM wins 4-0)

Knockout Stage!  

            Round of 16, vs Lyon, 1^st Leg: 0 goals, 0 assists. 2^nd Leg: 0 goals, 0 assists. Real Madrid advance, Aggregate score: 4-1.

            Quarterfinals, vs Tottenham, 1^st Leg: Spurs go down to 10 men in the first 15 minutes by Tottenham’s leading scorer Peter Crouch earning 2 yellow cards and getting sent off.  Already up 3-0 in the 87^th min, Ronaldo scores a goal (GK error as well). Madrid wins 4-0……2^nd Leg: Spurs are without Crouch, due to suspension, and already up 0-4 on Aggregate. So Madrid parks the bus in the 1^st half. Cristiano scores in the 2^nd half and Real advances on Aggregate 0-5.

            Semifinals, vs Barcelona: Not much needs to be said here. Biggest stage and matches of the European football season so far. El Clasico. All the attention and hype. And Ronaldo responds with...

1^st Leg: 0 goals, 0 assists. 2^nd Leg: 0 goals, 0 assists.

Real Madrid eliminated by Barcelona, Aggregate Score: 1-3.

So out of all Cristiano Ronaldo’s 1200+ minutes and 6 goals during the Champions League, only 1 of them were of consequence and had a real effect on the outcome.

Cristiano: "Porque?!" (Getty Images, uefa.com)

All stats acquired from uefa.com

David Villa - Barcelona/Spain 2010-11

Videos of David Villa's memories in his first season with Barcelona. As well as some 2010 World Cup brilliance ;)

The Impact of Leo Messi

Mention the words “Greatest Footballer” and names such as Maradona and Pele immediately get thrown into the ring. These players all have amazing attributes in virtually every category: Speed, Dribbling, Shooting, Passing, Awareness, Technique, and Finishing. But what sets them apart from everyone else throughout history? Oddly enough, it doesn’t have to do with any stats, attributes, or records. It is more of the impact they’ve left on the game.

It is almost 25 years since Maradona carried Argentina to the ’86 FIFA World Cup Title. Everyone remembers the goal he scored during the competition. It even earned him a “Goal of the Century” honor by FIFA. People that witnessed it can even tell you exactly where they were, seeing him streak by the England defenders plus the keeper, leaving them for dust. That is an everlasting moment of impact. We have a similar player today with this same type of pedigree.

Leo Messi has earned all the accolades possible in his young footballer career. At only 23 years young, he’s won Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or honors. He has also broken the single season goalscoring record for all European competitions. Twice. But it is more than that, watching Messi play is virtually indescribable. Literally. Words do not do this little Argentinean justice.



For all his skills on the ball, he works just as hard to get it back in defense. You would also believe a man with this many skills, would be more hesitant to trust others and look for his own shot most of time, however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Leo leads all European players in top-flight Leagues with 18 assists.

If our planets, continents, countries, cities, oceans, wildlife and people represented the football world, then Leo Messi would be our Sun. He makes you enjoy everything about the sport and stands out from all the rest. Last night, I thought about what this beautiful game would be like once Messi was gone from it and immediately, without hesitation, I became very saddened and a depressing song started on my iTunes. I can't imagine not watching him play every minute of every match along with all the smiles of happiness he displays while playing. You can tell Messi is most happy when he is out on the pitch playing.

We need to enjoy, appreciate, and celebrate every single match when witnessing Barcelona’s and Argentina’s Number 10, even if he’s only 23, because when it’s gone, it’s never coming back and all we'll be left with is memories. No highlights, nor replays will come close to the actual live moments of watching Messi’s magical displays of creativity and skill.

The future is coming, and when someone asks me who I think is the greatest footballer, I won’t say Pele or Maradona. I’ll tell them about a player who redefined the sport and opened up imaginations and dreams of all young players. I’ll tell them about a man who looks like a boy, but plays like a genius and makes opponents look like novices. I’ll tell them about breathtaking goals versus Getafe and Real Madrid, dribbling through all midfielders and defenders, making opposing goalkeepers look helpless.

In the future, I’ll tell everyone about Leo Messi.