Here are some real things that have been said about Lionel Messi:
"It is clear that Messi is on a level above all others. Those who do not see that are blind." - Xavi
"They tell me that all men are equal in God’s eyes, this player makes you seriously think about those words." - Football commentator Ray Hudson
Things became clear in the 45th minute of Barcelona vs Valencia. The league leaders, Barcelona, were already down 1-0 and Valencia were in the middle of a string of passes in Barcelona’s defensive third.
It was exactly the kind of thing you’d expect Barcelona to do to Valencia, and it drove home the point that things weren’t right at the Camp Nou. At the end of the move Santi Mina scored Valencia’s second goal of the game. Barcelona would never recover; they had been beaten at their own game.
Portuguese club Porto is the largest outpost for Mexican internationals in Europe, with the likes of Miguel Layun, Hector Herrera and Jesus "Tecatito" Corona in the first team, and Diego Reyes on loan at Real Sociedad.
Ostensibly, one of the reasons Porto employs so many Mexico internationals is those Mexico internationals are playing really well for them.
Just Look at their 4-0 win against Nacional Sunday, which featured this goal by Hector Herrera (assisted by Tecatito).
In case you missed it, Liverpool versus Borussia Dortmund was pretty intense. Liverpool went 2-0 down, then 3-1 down and somehow came back to win 4-3 (5-4 on aggregate). Liverpool were doomed to exit on the away goal rule before a dramatic Dejan Lovren header sent Liverpool through to the Europa League semi-finals and sent the home fans into hysterics. Somewhere amidst the chaotic revelry was Liverpool fan Liamie Marum, who had no idea that he was about to have a Mamadou Sakho selfie surreptitously planted on his phone.
Jurgen Klopp was brought to Liverpool because of his reputation and history of success. At his former club, Borussia Dortmund, he had taken a team that had known failure for a long, long time and turned them into a title winner and Champions League finalist. Outside of his ability to build a team and teach it his tactical philosophy, he was known for his power of charisma. He knows how to say the right thing in the right way in order to get a reaction from people.
When it is potentially the last kick of the match, you need to make the most of it and Hull City's Robert Snodgrass took advantage of a prime freekick opportunity. In the 4th minute of stoppage time, the scored was tied at 1. Hull's faint hopes of automatic promotion to the Premier League were on the line. Snodgrass stepped up in a big moment, curled the freekick off the bar, hitting Wanderer's keeper, Carl Ikeme's back and into the net. While it will go down in the post match report as an own goal, Snodgrass's curling effort was simply spectacular.
Buzzer beaters and clutch shots are just part of another day’s work in the world of basketball, and yet are quite a rare commodity in the world of soccer, which makes them extra special when they happen.
And nobody has provided the world with that kind of special more times than Jurgen Klopp in the last few years. So here are the top three nail-biters Klopp and his squads have gifted the world in recent history.
3. Norwich City 4 – 5 Liverpool
Cristiano Ronaldo is on record saying he wants his son to be a footballer. Cristiano Jr. took another step in his development toward that goal recently when his dad taught him how to take penalties.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s son shows his dad how to take a penalty kick https://t.co/PIg2jTIAzB
— Unscriptd (@UnscriptdSport) April 14, 2016
When you are 18-years-old and you play for arguably the most noticeable club in the world, you're not supposed to score 6 goals in your first 11 games. But that's what Marcus Rashford has done since LVG called his name to the first team. Rashford kicked off the scoring against West Ham in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The youngster received the ball at the edge off the box after a West Ham turnover and then showed off his footwork before burying a shot off the upper 90 crossbar. So smooth, so pretty.
The FA Cup may have lost its shine in recent years, but it is still capable of throwing up some interesting plotlines, and this year is no exception. With a victory against West Ham at Upton Park, Manchester United are now set to take on Everton at Wembley on April 23rd. Both Roberto Martinez and Louis Van Gaal are walking on thin ice in their respective positions, and the FA Cup could be their only chance at success this season.