Today was a big day for Lionel Messi. The Barcelona star scored his 50th and 51st goals of the season – in only his 49th match. This puts Messi well ahead of Ballon d'Or rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored only 35 goals to-date this season in all competitions. Messi has scored as many in La Liga alone.
El Clasico is this weekend, and we happen to have some Real Madrid and Barcelona partisans on the staff here at The18. So we asked Bryce (a Barcelona fan) and Javier (a Real Madrid fan) to write about why the opposing team will win on Sunday.
By Bryce Badwan
This video is dope. Barcelona, the Camp Nou, pregame warmups before a game against Sevilla featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez — this has all the right elements.
And then…absolutely nothing happens. But it’s still somehow really good. The slow motion, the song lyrics that match nicely with what’s going on (“reverse that!”) and three of the best players on the planet kicking a football.
I don't even know the song, but it's stuck in my head now.
“When you’re lookin’ at me
what you see is the best
Luis Suarez has scored some very good goals in his Barcelona career, but perhaps none as ho-hum as his opener against Sevilla Wednesday.
Another match day, another performance that left many questions over Barcelona’s ability in a season that still has them fighting for the treble, which is a ridiculous thing to say. At times, this Barcelona side looks as good as any from the past 13 years, but they’re also more than capable of ringing their own death knell and signaling a need for transformation.
Against relegation certainties Granada, anything less than a comprehensive victory, even without the suspended Lionel Messi, would’ve had Blaugrana supporters looking towards Sevilla’s midweek visit with angst.
Have you ever been told you look familiar? Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? Join the club, because it happens to the best of us. It’s common for people to look like a famous celebrity or someone’s long-lost cousin. But have you ever been told you look like an animal? It’s not something you hear often, but it's also not the most ridiculous comparison since we are animals after all! Take a look at 15 footballers that channel something other than human.
I want to talk about trucks for a second. Not just any trucks, mind you, but trucks being driven 115 miles per hour by escaped convicts that hit spike strips and fly through the air and land on Toyota Corollas.
This is what I want to talk about:
Paris Saint-Germain have taken an early lead over Barcelona in their Champions League round of 16 first leg at the Parc des Princes. PSG have been all over Barca in the early stages, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen did well to save from Blaise Matuidi in the 11th minute.
However, PSG found the opener after Julian Draxler was taken down on top of the box. Angel Di Maria stepped up and sent a curling effort near the right-hand corner. Luis Suarez completely neglected his responsibility in the wall and Der Stegen was beaten.