Champions League

There have been a litany of awesome players in the UEFA Champions League down the years, so much so that creating an Ultimate XI is a task that could, in theory, drive one to madness. 

The biggest news concerning Gareth Bale this week had been the monster contract extension he just signed with Real Madrid, earning him $428,347 per week until 2022. Following his wonder goal against Legia Warsaw in the Champions League, the talk is once again surrounding what he’s capable of on the pitch.

Two-time World Cup winner Daniel Passarella, a center back on Argentina’s triumphant 1978 and 1986 squads, recently called out Lionel Messi for what he perceives to be a weakness in the captain’s leadership qualities: “The leader of the group is something different to the way you play and the talent of each player. I admire Messi, but I think his personality, his way of being, is withdrawn and timid.”

Honestly, where do people get this s***.

Most of you out in soccer land, we are willing to bet, watched Manchester City vs. Barcelona this afternoon. We do not begrudge you one bit for that, as it was a fun game. However, if you did watch Manchester City vs. Barcelona, you missed out on this Thomas Meunier rocket volley winner for PSG, which we think is the goal of the Champions League so far.

So much of the prematch hype for Barcelona versus Manchester City centered on the 4-0 hiding Barca had administered the Citizens only two weeks previously. If Guardiola’s new side ever aspired to reach the levels of his former protegees, that scoreline demonstrated how much work still remained.

The return match in Manchester started brightly for City. An early penalty appeal from Raheem Sterling saw the attacker booked for simulation, an extremely harsh reading of what looked an almost certain penalty.

Seriously, who really thinks Pep Guardiola is deserving of criticism? Though confident going into their achampions League clash with Barcelona, who really expected the Citizens to win away at Camp Nou when they went down to ten men? 

Though he is seemingly constantly criticized, Guardiola has constantly put up result after result throughout his career, and expressed that to reporters:

Newly elected UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin outlined his vision for football's administrative body in Europe during an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. Ceferin’s most newsworthy propositions are the repercussions from reviving UEFA’s open bidding process for the right to host the Champions League final.