Monday's 2-1 loss to Arsenal was a bitter-sweet night for Angel di Maria. On the plus side, he produced an inch-perfect cross for Wayne Rooney to head Manchester United level. Juxtaposed against that moment of precision, 60 seconds of stupidity saw him heading for a premature rub-down.
On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be much that would make Paulo Dybala stand out besides his talent. Even that is not so special. Is he the next Messi? Maybe. Could he become world-class? Of course, but that hardly makes him unique.
No, what separates Dybala is how and where he has managed to make a name for himself; against all the odds, at U.S. Citta di Palermo. If Dybala is Harry Potter, then Palermo’s owner, Maurizio Zamparini, has turned his club into #4, Privet Drive.
We don't doubt for a moment that the wise and learned readers of The18 have long known not to trust 98% of what politicians say during a presidential campaign. And it seems that premise can be applied to La Liga, too.
You might recall that Barcelona are currently serving a transfer ban that sees them unable to sign any player until January 2016. And yet, rumor has it, this summer the Catalans will sign Paul Pogba from Juventus. Let that sink in: Paul Pogba, this summer.
The seemingly never ending saga of “Will Messi or won't Messi leave?” has just gotten a fresh wave of fuel to keep burning.
We care because, of course, this is Lionel Messi for crying out loud. If he goes to another team, it will be a shock to the global soccer landscape.
Just as much as we care, however, we hate all of this gossip because it inevitably ends up being the grown up, multi-million dollar equivalent of "he said, she said." Except, maybe in this instance, it's "he said, this other guy said, and then a bunch of other guys said it again."
Oh, to be in the mind of Louis van Gaal right now. The manager that has earned the reputation for being both egotistical and a stubborn genius is going through what might be the most challenging stint in his career.
Under his leadership, Manchester United have been anything but the world-beating side that van Gaal usually commands, and it seems entirely possible that van Gaal’s record of winning silverware in his first season at every club he has managed will come to an end. People are questioning his judgement, and he is starting to take things personally.