There are players that take the limelight in big triumphs and then there are some whose contribution to the cause remains indispensable but they go under the radar. Pepe’s performances for Real Madrid during their Champions League-winning campaign and Portugal’s European Championship triumph earlier this summer fall in the latter category. The defender was absolutely on top of his game ...

1. Malaga – Villarreal [September 10, 2016 – La Rosaleda Stadium] Malaga are now under the stewardship of Juande Ramos after two steady seasons under Javi Gracia. They have started the new campaign with two successive draws – 1-1 against newly-promoted Osasuna and then 2-2 against Espanyol – and will be eager to grab all three points against a side ...

If you don’t watch Italian football much, chances are you don’t rate Francesco Totti as highly as you should. However, it doesn’t change the fact that players like the former Italy international come once in a generation. Totti isn’t just a great player, he personifies loyalty in football. In his prime, the AS Roma legend was unarguably one of the ...

The Ballon d’Or ceremony next year is likely to again be dominated by the LaLiga players. More specifically, players from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed another stellar season at the Santiago Bernabeu as he netted 51 goals across the domestic league and the Champions League and contributed further with 15 assists to help Los Blancos to their 11th ...

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have established a sort of hegemony on the best player in the world award, pocketing between themselves the last eight editions of the Ballon d’Or. Their utter stranglehold over the yearly honour begs the question: Who will break the duo’s hegemony? It should come as no surprise if they stretch their dominance over the award ...

Manchester United’s world record signing Paul Pogba will have the eyes of the world watching his every move as he is being touted as one of the best midfielders in the world. And as such, the humongous price he commanded for signing from Juventus comes as no surprise. However, the massive fees will not be a hindrance for Pogba as ...

Luis Suarez is arguably the greatest striker in the world at the moment, and he has been one for at least the last two seasons. The Uruguayan, who ended the last season with a flourish, seems to have continued in the same vein, having netted a hat-trick in the LaLiga opener against Real Betis at the Camp Nou last weekend. ...

Since 2008 Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have grabbed all the Ballon d’Or awards. The Argentine has won an unprecedented five, while the Portuguese has finished atop the podium thrice. But what if the duo weren’t part of their clubs and they still went on to win all the trophies they won since 2008. Who would win the Ballon d’Ors ...

Paul Pogba Manchester United have signed Pogba from Juventus for a world record transfer fee. The Frenchman had joined the Red Devils from Le Havre in 2009 and stayed in the Manchester United reserves for two years before being promoted to the first team in 2011. However, he failed to make any major inroads in the senior side, and agitated ...

Criteria The selection criteria for the Ballon d’Or is quite extensive. The award takes into consideration not a full European season that generally takes place between the period of August to May, but performances are judged from a November to November cycle, meaning that it effectively judges a player on the basis of their showing in parts of two seasons. ...