#and if the boys win copa del rey we will have the same title in mans and women’s

[thatweirdspanishgirl]

Looks like my next trip is to Leganés to support the girls in copa de la Reina in the final four .

[messifangirl]

Cressi Rec List (Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo Football RPF)

Now that the world cup is over, it appears that there are many new football fans interested in this pairing! I’ve made a few rec lists before (so if you’ve seen them, some of these fics may be familiar to you), but it’s been some time since then (some of those fics are deleted or the authors go by different names now etc), so here’s a list of some of my favorite complete Cressi fic posted on AO3 for anyone who is interested. 

Listed alphabetically by author and title. I’ve included the story summary, word count, rating, year posted on AO3, and a few keywords. If you check them out, please don’t forget to leave kudos and comments! (And of course, these are far from the only fics out there for this pairing--check out the Leo/Cris tag on AO3--there are a ton of fics! I just tried to narrow it down to some of my personal favorites. 57 to be exact.)

Nice Day (For A White Wedding) by acchikocchi (2011)

Leo's the one eloping with Cristiano Ronaldo, so why is it up to Cesc to make sure nothing goes wrong? And what kind of elopement has an afterparty, anyway?

Words: 7681, rating: general, about: crack fic, humor, weddings, love

Tactical Decoy by acchikocchi (2014)

"Don't worry," Gerard said. "If he stands you up I'll kill him."

Words; 631, status, rating: general, about: humor, friendship, first dates

like sparklers on guy fawkes night by arachnestomb (2015)

No one knows exactly how it works, but when you meet your soulmate, you glow. Leo’s seen it happen in front of him. When he was a kid, he saw two people crash into each other--literally, crash--and then they went up in lights. He thought for a second her chest might burst open like a firework, that’s how bright it was. He was only four years old, but it was beautiful. He dreamed that it’d happen to him someday.

Cristiano’s never actually seen two soulmates glow. He saw a recreation of it some animator created for the sake of education. He saw someone compare the sparklers he lit on Guy Fawkes’ Night to the lights of two soulmates coming together. He doesn’t understand what’s so cool about it, honestly, and if it’s going to happen he only hopes it isn’t someone he hates.

Words: 2880, rating: teen and up, about: soulmates

A Sort of Idea by awkwardsorta (2012)

Because: I get bored at work; Cesc takes a lot of attention from some of Messi's best looking-after people; Ronaldo can totally spot an isolated star; and Kaka's just nice.

Words: 1322, rating: general, about: picnics, friendship

The Ice Bucket Challenge by bethepuck (2014)

Cristiano Ronaldo is nominated to complete the ice bucket challenge and nominates none other than Lionel Messi to do the same.

Words: 4244, rating: not rated (prob explicit), about: smut, top Cris

O Leãozinho by bethepuck (2014)

Lionel Messi, unexpectedly, is traded to Real Madrid, for vague reasonings and is forced to leave his home, adjust to a new team, and face his greatest rival.

Words: 44468, rating: not rated (prob mature), about: transfers, Messi to Madrid, teammates, smut, top Cris, love

We Could Be "A Thing" by bethepuck (2015)

Lionel Messi transfers high schools from Bishop Stamford to Illyria Prep and receives some, at first, unwanted attention as the wealthy and popular Cristiano Ronaldo does anything to get Leo into bed.

Words: 27487, rating: not rated (prob mature), about: high school au, rivalry, smut, top Cris, love

Like A Hurricane by carolinka (2015)

I am just a dreamer, but you are just a dream, 

You could have been anyone to me.

(Apparently students in Madrid and Barcelona need to bond. Via internet.)

Words: 31852, rating: mature, about: epistolary, humor, high school au, love

See you through by couldvelovedyou (2015)

Cristiano gets injured in the Clásico and is out for the rest of the season. Leo helps him through.

Words: 5040, rating: teen and up, about: injuries, friendship

Wake Up Calls by detodores (chasingnukes) (2016)

kink meme prompt:

"Cristiano wakes up one morning and rolls over to see Leo still naked next to him from the sex they had the night before. Leo is still sleeping but Cristiano is getting so horny seeing him laying on his stomach, his ass totally exposed that he can't help himself. Cristiano starts rimming a still sleeping Leo. Leo eventually wakes up at the feeling and then they decide to do it again."

Words: 1409, rating: explicit, about: smut, top Cris

but if you want me by dizzydancing (2016)

Cristiano walks away (again) because he needs to regain a sense of control. He needs to regain the fragments of sanity and restraint that seem to slip away whenever he loses himself to the sensation of Leo’s soft lips under his.

Leo doesn't follow. He never does. Cristiano should be used to it, but his heart still sinks every time.

Words: 8394, rating: teen and up, about: friendship, relationships, friends with benefits, rivalry, love

one is the loneliest number by Flywoman (2012)

Sometimes no one understands you like your greatest rival. Set immediately after Portugal's elimination from the 2010 World Cup.

Words: 3030, rating: mature, about: WC 2010, Portugal Nt, Argentina Nt, hurt/comfort, smut, sex, top Cris 

no is the saddest experience by Flywoman (2014)

Lionel Messi visits Cristiano Ronaldo after Portugal fail to make it out of the group stage at World Cup 2014. A sort of sequel to one is the loneliest number.

Words: 1805, rating: mature, about WC 2014, Portugal Nt, Argentina Nt, hurt/comfort, smut 

it's just no good anymore by Flywoman (2015)

His countrymen have never loved him, but his greatest rival just might. A sequel to one is the loneliest number and no is the saddest experience, but all you really need to know is that this is not a first-time fic.

Warning for rough (consensual) sex.

Words: 3548, rating: mature, about: CA 2015, Argentina Nt, hurt/comfort, hurt/comfort, smut, top Cris 

Coming Out by footielover (2015)

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been quietly dating for a few months. Then a paparazzo takes some rather intimate pictures of them and all hell breaks loose.

Words: 61599, rating: explicit, about: relationships, friendship, family, smut, coming out, top Leo

Don't fall in love with a superhero by Guessmysoul (2017)

Cristiano Ronaldo, a handsome, intelligent and a charismatic young man could have any man he pleased; except, his attention was consume by a little shy boy with a surprising intelligence, and Spider-Man his saviour in moments of distress. Why did he had to fell for both and not being corresponded?

Words: 10991, rating: teen and up, about: friendship, love, superhero au

everything will fill with light by haroldslouis (2015)

The one where Cristiano falls in love with his son's nanny, Leo, and Sergio Ramos is there because he signed up for the drama.

Words: 27135, rating: mature, about: nanny au, kid fic, love, smut, top Cris

rains, pours (i'll be there for you) by highways (2014)

Winning isn't constant, but maybe something, someone, always is. (post Copa del Rey final, 2014)

Words: 1352, rating: not rated (prob teen and up), about: CdR 2014, love

the boiling point by highways (2014)

Leo's always preferred boys, but he's never had a type until stepping into high school, never really cared for what kind of boy he liked until he suddenly did, wanted to be fucked in the locker rooms by the basketball captain, face pressed against the sting of the cold metal doors, back arching and moulding to the flit of someone's fingers down his spine.

aka, the one where Cristiano's the MVP basketball captain and Leo is essentially a nobody.

Words: 12471, rating: mature, about: high school au, basketball au, relationships, bullying, smut, top Cris, love

Sweethearts: Alfajores by keep_it_fresh

Non-canon. AU-ish. Tween-fic. Middle School (12/13). It takes a team for Lio to not only realize he has a crush but also to snag to his guy.

[Cressi Week 2017: Day 1 - First Times]

Words: 2297, rating: general, about: middle school au, first crush, teen love

Sweethearts: Milk Bones by keep_it_fresh (2017)

Non-canon/AU-ish. Cris wakes up to find an unexpected visitor trapped in his backyard.

[Cressi Week 2017: Day 2 - Identity]

Words: 3513, rating: teen and up, about: shapeshifter au, animals, relationships, love

A Supernatural Love (Cause Love is What You Want) by kkslover9 (2016)

The one where Cristiano and Lionel are dukes vying for the attention of a princess but Cristiano ends up cursed to love his rival instead.

Words: 6056, rating: teen and up, about: magical au, royalty au, fairy tale, love

Let Me Drive You Down the Love Street by kkslover9 (2017)

Cristiano is as surprised as anyone when he ends up on the same team as Lionel Messi. It's not the challenge he's used to but he's ready for it, to take Major League Soccer by storm with a new team and a new partnership.

Words: 20187, rating: explicit, about: MLS, teammates, friendship, slow burn, love, sex, no clear top

I Won’t Bite (Unless That’s What You Like) by kkslover9 (2017)

"Leo licks his lips. He wants it so badly, to sink his fangs into Cristiano’s neck and drink from him and Cristiano knows it."

Words: 6065, rating: explicit, about: vampire au, semi-prostitution, blood, smut, top Cris

You Got to Know (That Everyone Falls) by kkslover9 (2017)

Everyone is born with a soul mark but not everyone gets to keep it. It's been two years since Leo's soul mark burned itself off the inside of his left wrist. With encouragement from his mother and his best friend, Kun, he starts attending a support group for those who have lost their soul marks. Here he meets the confident and charismatic Cristiano who has been without a soul mark since birth. As they become closer, Leo realises that Cristiano has insecurities of his own. Can they overcome their vulnerabilities or will their doubts break them once and for all?

Words: 10840, rating: teen and up, about: soulmate au, soulmarks, loss, relationships, sex, love

you smiled and then the spell was cast by kkslover9 (2018)

Cristiano was Leo's first kiss and first boyfriend but then he moved away. Now nine years later, he's back and Leo finds himself drawn to his childhood friend once more.

Words: 24935, rating: explicit, about: New York au, ex-boyfriends, relationships, crushes, childhood friends

Best Player by LeoDios (2015)

Cristiano grudgingly goes to the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award ceremony. He wants to have a drink with Leo Messi, but for that he has to visit him in his hotel suite.

Words: 24781, rating: explicit, about: award shows, lots of smut, top Cris, love, injuries, relationships

Who is he? by LeoDios (2015)

Wow. Just wow.

This isn't the first time someone cornered him and told him he just had to watch this incredible video of Leo Messi. It is pretty annoying any time it happens.

This time it's Sergio, grinning and practically jumping up and down like a kid at a birthday party all hopped up on cake.

This isn't just any video though. He can feel Sergio's eyes on him, drinking in his reaction gleefully. Cris feels his face going hot, red hot.

Words: 4279, rating: not rated (prob explicit), about: smut, top Leo

In the Wake of Loss by luxover (2012)

Leo opens the door and Cristiano is standing there, leaning against the doorjamb like he does it all the time, like it’s normal for him to just swing by. Leo’s confused; he doesn’t even know Cristiano, not really, not in the ways that count, and certainly not enough for them to hang out.

Words: 7706, rating: mature, smut, rivalry, relationships, humor, love

Day 1: Firsts by MADR1D1SMO (2017)

Leo goes through the text slowly. He can recognise some of the pictures - the famous photo of them standing together in their countries’ colours before the international in Switzerland, the ones from the Ballon d’Or Gala.

There are a lot of firsts.

It doesn’t have the most important firsts, though, he thinks.

Words: 5028, rating: general, about: first meetings, rivalry, friendship, humor

Day 2: Identity by MADR1D1SMO (2017)

After taking a hard blow to the head during a game against Espanyol, Leo wakes up with amnesia. The person who helps him remember is the least one anybody could expect it to be.

Words: 13484, rating: general, about: amnesia, injuries, teammates, friendship, possible love

Day 3: Other Worlds by MADR1D1SMO

There’s a world where Cris plays for Madrid and Leo for Barça, the one we all know and love. There’s also another world, where CR7 and D10S are the deadliest duo in football history playing for the best club in the world. What happens if one day, the two of them switch places?

Words: 15341, rating: general, about: parallel universe au, injuries, teammates, friendship, possible love

Day 5: Time by MADR1D1SMO (2017)

During a Clásico match Leo gets a severe career-ending injury after which he would never be able to play again. Cristiano doesn’t realise how much competition is important for him until it’s gone. He gets one chance to go back in time and try to prevent the injury, but will Leo believe him when he tries to warn him?

Words: 11619, rating: general, about: time travel au, injuries, award shows, teammates, friendship, possible love

nice for what by nahco3 (2018)

 “Who are you and how did you get this number?” Ronaldo says, instead of a greeting.

“It’s me,” Leo says, momentarily taken aback. He hasn’t had to introduce himself for years. 

“Um, Leo Messi.”

“You know, if this is a prank call, it isn’t very original,” Ronaldo says.

Words: 4006, rating: explicit, about: WC 2018, Portugal Nt, Argentina Nt, angst, hurt/comfort, smut

the best you ever had by nahco3 (2011)

five times Leo Messi surprised Cristiano Ronaldo.

Words: 2044, rating: teen and up, about: award shows, humor, transfers, sex

Okay? Okay. Okay... by Nina22783 (2014)

It's been nearly four years since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been together and a BBC journalist finally gets them both to tell the world how it all happened...

Words: 24469, rating: mature, about: WC 2014, coming out, kid fic, injuries, smut, top Cris, family, relationships, friendship, WC 2018 au

Flesh by orphan_account (AM) (2015)

"I was wondering where you were hiding", Ronaldo said, voice getting on Leo's every nerve as the man invaded his personal space. There was a lot of that on the pitch but Leo felt uncomfortable now, dressed in his suit with his hip pressed against the counter. "I'm not hiding", Leo bit back, doing his best to retain his monotone but ultimately failing. He could tell by the way Ronaldo's lips curved and he confidently stepped even closer.

Words: 5735, rating: explicit, about: award shows, smut, top Cris, dub con, hotels 

I Think We Made A Sex Tape? by orphan_account (AM) (2015)

The prequel.

Words: 3998, rating: explicit, about: smut, sex tapes, drunk sex, rough sex, top Cris

If This Were A Movie by orphan_account (AM) (2015)

"How about you text him to explain then?", Leo asked, stifling a yawn in his hand. "I haven't text him since like... May", Higuain whined, reminding Leo that he captained a bunch of overgrown children. "How about you give him my number and I send him a text then?", Leo prompted, shocked and annoyed by his own proposal.

Words: 16222, rating: teen and up, about: injuries, friendship, hurt/comfort, fluff

Playing With Fire by orphan_account (AM) (2015)

"You're whatever I want you to be", Leo replied easily, "and it's sir".

Words: 38495, rating: explicit, about: bodyguard au, guns, violence, powerstruggle, dub con, smut, ust, top Cris

The Re-Enactment by orphan_account (AM) (2016)

The sequel.

Words: 6360, rating: explicit, about: smut, sex tapes, top Cris

Your Summer Dream by orphan_account (AM) (2015)

Cris had watched and wondered, wondered what it'd be like to touch all the soft unmarred skin, to feel Leo's muscles around his fingertips. Then he'd had to adjust his shorts and remind himself that having a boner in public would probably drawn him even more attention.

Words: 4068, rating: mature, about: vacation, smut

It gets lonely at the top by postmodernsleaze (2014)

Portugal is on the verge of being eliminated from the World Cup, and Cristiano Ronaldo's injury is progressively getting worse. Not knowing how to deal with any of it, he turns to perhaps the most unlikely person imaginable.

Words 7362, rating: explicit, about: WC 2014, hurt/comfort, Portugal Nt, Argentina Nt, friendship, humor, smut

A Pitch Invader Attack, Messi/Ronaldo by prompt_fills (2015)

During an El Clásico match a crazy fan manages to get onto the pitch just when Cristiano and Messi are arguing over a foul. Things go sappier from there.

Words: 5657, rating: teen and up, about: violence, hurt/comfort, hospitals, PTSD, kissing

Home Is Freedom by prompt_fills (2017)

The Deaemon!AU

Sometimes it’s not the humans who make the first move.

All humans have deamons but no one has ever seen Cristiano’s daemon. Leo isn’t so quick to jump to conclusions because his own deamon is currently missing.

Words: 4574, rating: general, about: deamon au, animals, soulmates, injuries

Cris/Leo, two Leos from different universes swap places by prompt_fills (2016)

There is a reality in which Leo and Ronaldo aren’t together yet but there is also another reality in which Cris and Leo are together.

This is a story for an anon who wanted to know what happens when one Leo switches places with the other Leo.

Words: 6633, rating: teen and up, about: parallel universe au, humor, kid fic,  kissing

Ronaldo/Messi, exchanging jersey by prompt_fills (2015)

Written for footballkink2, PP5, for this prompt: How about during one El Clasico in the new season Ronaldo came over and asked for Messi's jersey? Messi was a bit shocked but still complied. Maybe later media made a big deal out of it and the rumor of Ronaldo preparing to leave La Liga next season starts spreading. Messi realized he doesn't want to see Ronaldo leaving, he wants Ronaldo to always be his best enemy. And their relationship takes the next step from there?

Words: 1771, rating: teen and up, about: humor, fluff, transfers, friendship, possible love

D10S by pseuicide (2015)

Cristiano was sunning himself in front of one of the castle's enormous windows when he felt a hand on his arm. "The king requires your presence in his bedchamber tonight," the guard said. Cristiano resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The king required his presence just about every night.

"As His Grace desires."

Words: 17309, rating: explicit, about: harem au, royalty au, concubines, dub con, power struggles, smut, top Leo, friendship, love

Studio Galáctico by pseuicide (2015)

Cristiano's first instinct was to laugh.

The guy was tiny, easily a head shorter than him, with slender limbs and pale, tattooed skin. He was cute, with his big brown eyes and dimpled chin, but nothing about him really screamed 'top.' He had a sleeve of tattoos down one arm and to Cris it looked like a little boy playing at being a badass. Cristiano wondered where they found this guy and why they thought he was going to be able to convincingly top him.

Words: 5333, rating: explicit, about: porn star au, sex tapes, porn, smut, top Leo

I Bet There's One Thing I'm Better At by sdmadridista (2015)

After Ronaldo wins the Ballon d'Or for the second year in a row, Messi needs to prove he's better at something.

Words: 967, rating: mature, about: award shows, smut

All Gone (Well Done) by slappedq (2016)

He does the best he can at the moment; he pretends.

Spreads his hands at the referee and pretends that it was an accident.

Blanks his face (because he can't steel his pounding heart) and pretends that doesn't want to punch the snarling Alves in front of him.

Pretends that he is endlessly frustrated by the loss, not the overwhelming urge to push Leo back on the ground.

Pretends that he doesn't want to hear Leo to gasp like that again.

Words: 10926, rating: explicit, about: njuries, friendship, award shows, dub con, smut, top Cris, relationships, love, coming out

Regret, Remorse; Hold On - I Got To Go by slappedq (2016)

It’s extremely hard to just walk away from Leo when he is like this. Eyes bright with hunger and body tense with need, wound tight like a string; waiting for Cristiano to break him apart.

Words: 5538, rating: explicit, about: relationships, smut, love, rough sex, top Cris

four times leo messi surprised cristiano and one time he didn't by stickmarionette (2015)

As long as he lives, Cristiano will never forget that horrible screech. It tears through him in the seconds before the landing ships take over the horizon and echoes between his ears for the entire week after that, getting louder every time he closes his eyes.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have to team up to save the planet.

Words: 12780, rating: general, about: friendship, teammates, alien au

We're Going to Fight by stillgold (2018)

Ronaldo and Messi have hated each other for as long as they can remember. But then one day, Cris sees something that changes everything. It’s easier than Cris imagines to start to like Messi, easier than anything and more frightening.

Words: 5245, rating: explicit, about: award shows, CA 2016, WC 2018, Portugal Nt, Argentina Nt, rivalry, smut, top Cris

Text Me by tenshi_who (2013)

In which Leo tries to stay annoyed at Cristiano. He really does. But the other man is way too charming, and his lips are too distracting.

Or, The One Where Leo and Cris Film a Commercial Together and End Up Falling In Love.

Words: 5383, rating; general, about: friendship, fluff, love, smut

Remember the Best Times Are Yet To Come by Velocity_Owl87 (2014)

Leo Messi has heard it all: He was too small, he was too quiet, he was too different. He didn't give a damn and did what he wanted to do and was damned good at it. He didn't care that he wasn't what an Alpha was supposed to be.

Hell, he wasn't even worried about finding an Omega.

The game was all that mattered.

Cristiano Ronaldo was too focused on making it against the odds. His goals were clear and none of them involved getting mated and settling down. A feat that was made easier by his not being a typical Omega.

Then Cesc Fabregas's party occurred and now Messi and Ronaldo are bonded and mated and have to deal with the aftermath of that meeting and all it brought with it.

Words: 39094, rating: mature, about: a/b/o au, mpreg au, relationships, kid fic, smut, top Cris

The disease by yulin (2016)

There's a weird disease going around. When you touch a fertile man, you have a sort of shock, like static electricity. Then, in a few days, you either have sex with that man or you die. Leo catches the disease, and Cristiano has to take care of him. 

Words: 6568, rating: explicit, about: fuck or die au, dub con, friendship, smut, top Cris

[crissjohns]

Football is a crying game for emotional Pochettino

New Post has been published on https://profit-tips.website/2019/05/26/football-is-a-crying-game-for-emotional-pochettino-2/

Football is a crying game for emotional Pochettino

Football is a crying game for emotional Pochettino

Emotional Pochettino will be in tears for a week if his team wins the club’s biggest ever match

Baraka 26 May 2019

Emotional Pochettino says his mother uses the word “llorona” to describe her son’s sensitive emotional disposition – translated literally it means someone who cries a lot, and were it not coming from a loved one it could be interpreted as a crueller shade of nickname.

“My mum says I am like her,” Pochettino explains. “She says, ‘He’s happy? He cries. He’s sad? He cries. Come on, stop crying!’ My brothers are different, more like my dad, who is stronger. I am strong, but very emotional, and I cry. I can be driving 20 minutes home to Barnet listening to music that connects to some moment in my life, and I start [to cry].

“When I arrive home my wife says: ‘What happened?’ I tell her the music connected me [to a moment in my life] 30 years ago in Argentina and she will say, ‘You’re crazy!'”

At the end of the Champions League semi-final in Amsterdam this month, he was off again, celebrating without a thought to how he might have looked, oblivious to the television cameras, his tie askew, his nose red and the tears flowing.

It is the same when he watches films, he says, and were Tottenham Hotspur to beat Liverpool in the club’s first Champions League final, in Madrid on Saturday, then who knows when he might stop.

“One week crying,” jokes Pochettino during the week at the club’s training ground. It has been an astonishing transformation of the club in five years, to this point which is arguably the single biggest one-off match in Spurs’ history.

The 1961 FA Cup final that sealed their domestic double that year, in an era when the old Cup was worth more, might be a contender, after that the 1984 Uefa Cup final, but in terms of the modern game then it has never been as big as this.

Pochettino goes back to his early days at the club in November 2014 when Spurs found themselves 13th in the Premier League one Sunday and a goal down to Aston Villa with six minutes remaining. The manager recalls how he turned to his three assistants and suggested all four might be on borrowed time. “For Tottenham, and for our ambition, it was like: ‘What the f… are we doing?'” he says. “The second half, it was like: ‘If we lose this game, I don’t know what is going to happen, but I think we’ll be close to going back to Barcelona.'”

Nacer Chadli scored the equaliser, Harry Kane struck a deflected free-kick to win it and from then on Pochettino has scarcely looked back.

In recent weeks he has talked in riddles about his future, asking what the club’s realistic ambitions are for the next five years, and posing the question as to whether he will be part of it. This week he was clearer about what he sees as the objectives, and in doing so addressed that thorny old question of trophies.

Pochettino has never won one as a manager. One of his predecessors, Juande Ramos, landed a League Cup in 2008 but it is not League Cups, Pochettino says, that change the destiny of a club. “Maybe people five years ago were saying: ‘Come on, Mauricio, it’s about winning one title. The Carabao Cup, the FA Cup… the Catalunya Cup! The club needs to win a title.’ No. The club needs to challenge for big titles, to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League. Look at the effect of being in the final; the impact of being in the quarter-final or semi-final or being one of the teams that can win the Champions League. Do you think the fans think it is the same impact as winning the FA Cup or Carabao Cup?

“Of course I would love to win the Carabao Cup or the FA Cup. And if I am in a club like, I don’t know, Manchester United or Real Madrid, you think, ‘Yes, maybe we can win the Carabao Cup’. But for Tottenham, the priority was to finish the stadium, to finish the training ground and now to show in England, Europe and the world that we are a real contender for big things.”

Now that training ground and stadium are finished, he says “it’s about touching the glory”. “The only way that the players and coaching staff can touch the glory is not by sleeping in the lodge [the new hotel facilities at the training ground] or playing in the best stadium in the world. It’s by winning titles.”

He was 20 years old when he played for Newell’s Old Boys in the 1992 Copa Libertadores final, the South American Champions League equivalent.

Newell’s had come through an epic 11-10 penalty shoot-out in the semi-final against America Cali of Colombia.

Over two legs in the final against Sao Paulo they eventually lost on penalties and the legacy of those games is strong for Pochettino.

“What I learn is that football is in the context of the emotional state you arrive in for the final,” he says.

“Your emotional level is going to be decisive and you’re going to have the capacity to win or to lose. It’s not tactics. It’s not physical. It’s about the emotion. How the emotion triggers your talent and quality and how you are going to deliver your job on the pitch. That is what I learnt from this semi-final and final. As a coach I try to learn and improve and to tell the players that football is played in the context of emotions.

“If you play at a club like Tottenham it’s obvious you have talent. But are you going to use that talent at 10 per cent or 90 per cent? That is [dictated by] emotion. Your emotion to manage your talent. And that is very complicated… we’re talking about a lot to try to help the player to express their talent on the pitch better. To get even more out of them.”

The fitness or otherwise of Kane, as well as that of Harry Winks and Jan Vertonghen, will be critical for Pochettino and he is aware that there are some big decisions coming up in terms of his team selection for the final. It is unthinkable that a player such as Kane, so fundamental to the rise of Spurs under Pochettino, should be missing on a night like this, but by the same token his manager is selecting a team for one game on one evening. His leading goalscorer has been out for six weeks.

“You know very well that if you win, football is fantastic, if not, you are going to kill me,” Pochettino says. “But it’s not a good or bad decision, it’s only a decision. I understand if we win: fantastic decision. If we lose: s… decision.”

There is one thing he can influence for certain. When the Espanyol side he played in won the 2000 Copa del Rey final against Atletico Madrid the picture taken before the game was, as convention dictates, just the XI who started.

“That upset me,” he says, “because maybe some guy came from the bench, scored twice and was the hero. But in the history it’s only the starting XI and we are all, ‘Oh, that is the team that won the final’. I say, ‘F… off’. What I want is all 23 players before the start of the game in the picture on the pitch – and that is the team that won or lost.”

Six years later, when Espanyol reached the final again, Pochettino was a substitute but more influential and insisted the whole squad be part of that picture.

Come what may on Saturday in Madrid, he wants the credit shared. “When I was a player I always fought with the organisation and the club to say, ‘Hey, I don’t want the XI, I want the 25’. And it’s the same now I’m a manager.”

Telegraph

Source: Football is a crying game for emotional Pochettino

[freebestbettingtips]

Tactical Analysis and Statistics: Copa del Rey: Levante vs Barcelona

New Post has been published on https://bestfreebettingtips.com/tactical-analysis-and-statistics-copa-del-rey-levante-vs-barcelona/

Tactical Analysis and Statistics: Copa del Rey: Levante vs Barcelona

Artwork by @chapulana

Although it might not be every club’s, or every fan’s, favourite competition, the Copa del Rey manages to surprise us every year. While it is not a surprise that smaller clubs beat the bigger ones, it always brings a special flavour along the way. Barcelona travelled to Valencia to face the other Blaugrana of La Liga, Levante and experienced a déjà vu of some sorts.

The Frogs have once again successfully leapt over the Catalan giants to secure a huge win at Estadi Ciutat de València but the away team got one back in the final stretch to keep their hopes of a yet another title defence alive and kicking.

This tactical analysis will use statistics to explain how the underdog overthrew the favourite in an open battle for the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Lineups

Barcelona (4-3-3)

Starting XI: Cillessen – Semedo, Murillo, Chumi, Miranda – Aleña, Busquets, Vidal – Malcom, Dembele, Coutinho

Bench: Ter Stegen, Lenglet, Wague, Arthur, Denis, Puig, Sergi

Coach: Ernesto Valverde

Levante (3-5-2)

Starting XI: Aitor – Mayoral, Chema, Simon, Prcic, Coke, Postigo, Rochina, Cabaco, Boateng, Campaña

Bench: Koke Vegas, Toño Garcia, Doukoure, Morales, Pedro Lopez, Raphael, Jason

Coach: Paco Lopez

Barcelona’s set-up

The first part of the season is now firmly behind us and the hectic schedule for those who want to compete on all fronts starts now and is not going to slow down anytime soon. Barcelona are one of those contenders that chase the famous treble but this time, Ernesto Valverde has decided to prioritize Champions League over the cup.

This resulted in a completely shuffled deck without many of the big names. Jasper Cillessen was back between the sticks and was guarded by a completely new back-four that saw the debut of Jeison Murillo in a completely new partnership with Chumi, the Barcelona B defender, and with Semedo and Miranda on the full-back positions.

Sergio Busquets was the captain on the night in a midfield trio with Vidal and Alena. The front-three comprised Malcom, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho. On paper, the Catalans operated in a 4-3-3 formation but swapped through different systems during the game.

Levante’s set-up

The hosts also decided to rest some of their key players but approached this game with maximum intensity and determination. The main man in front of the goal was Aitor Fernandez who had the experienced Postigo to marshal the defence in front with Cabaco and Chema.

The middle of the park was highly congested with a total of five players mostly occupying those positions, depending on Rochina who was playing just behind the front line. Campana was the only member of that four-man squad that is a regular first-team player while the front tandem was made of Mayoral and Boateng.

Levante operated in a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-1-2 system throughout the whole game with some exceptions depending on the situation on the field.

The cost of rotation

Ernesto Valverde is very well known for his tendency to not rotate the team, no matter what the situation currently is. Last year that meant that Barcelona got to lift the Copa del Rey trophy once again but the Catalans paid the price in the Champions League instead.

This time around, a different price was paid as the guests fielded a highly inexperienced squad that is not used to playing together. What followed was actually mostly expected but still disappointing.

Barcelona were not on the same page, which was seen from the very beginning but continued on throughout the whole game. “Only” 536 completed passes is below average for the Catalans and 94 losses of the ball might be the most glaring stats to prove that point.

Barcelona’s losses of the ball and the areas in which they happened. On the right, players with the most losses are shown.

Notice how the majority of lost balls happened in midfield (39%), and even the pillars of the team like Sergio Busquets were prone to errors. The Octopus of Badia was actually the one directly responsible for the first goal that happened extremely early in the game.

Busi fails to cover his man after a set-piece, and Cabaco rattles the net after just three minutes of play in Valencia. Barcelona’s weaknesses with set-pieces continued in Thursday’s game but the Catalans were not solely vulnerable in the air.

The problem with the midfield was partly in the personnel but also partly in the style and the system that was implemented. Sergio Busquets would regularly slot in-between the centre-backs for support while the full-backs would act as wing-backs to form a sort of 3-4-3 system when attacking.

Busquets would drop in-between the centre-backs but had no one to come collect the ball and carry it forward. As a result, the connection between the midfield and defence was extremely weak. Notice how much free space there is, and how there are no real passing options. In those situations, the press always yields a clearance or a goal-kick, which is exactly what Levante want.

The midfield-four would then comprise of Vidal, Alena, Miranda, and Semedo but the gap between the back line and the middle of the park was not covered by anyone. Notice in the image above how upon Levante’s press, no Barcelona player comes to collect the ball or give Cillessen a chance to build from the back.

As a result, the Dutchman has to clear the ball and send it far away up the pitch where Barcelona did not have a real target man to collect it. That was the second problem they faced or actually third if we count incoherence as one as well.

In this system, without Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the front-three was made out of three wingers of sorts and Dembele had to compensate for the Uruguayan. While the Frenchman could do the job done fairly well, his off-the-ball movement and the impact Suarez usually has was lacking glaringly.

Barcelona’s front three had no natural striker and no target man. Both Coutinho and Malcom would often cut inside so any real width had to come from the full-backs.

Both Malcom and Coutinho would in general cut inside to occupy their respective half-spaces which would mean that the only real width came from the full-backs who were more of true wing-backs in those cases. Whether it was the pure inexperience in that position or something else, Dembele couldn’t give the team the attacking edge he usually provides.

The attacking trio was also a bit cut off the rest of the team, as can be seen in the pass map below. Dembele was the one furthest up the pitch but his communication with the midfield is non-existent, as is the one between the other two forwards.

Barcelona’s pass map.

Malcom only managed 10 passes with a low 58% success rate while Dembele and Coutinho were the players with most loses of the ball in the game with 13 and 12 respectively. Not really a great day in the office for the “new guys.”

The courageous hosts

Levante is by now a very well known thorn in Barcelona’s side. Sure, they themselves received a thrashing not so long ago in La Liga but the extraordinary 5-4 victory to take the “invincibles” title from the Catalan last season will not soon be forgotten.

Back then, they played attractive, open football and created and finished numerous chances. Thursday’s clash was not so different. Out of possession, Levante would press heavily and try to outnumber the opposition in a quick manner.

Congesting the midfield was key to cut off any threatening passing lanes. Pressing intensely and purposely was also key in executing this tactic.

Whether it was pressing the goalkeeper for a goal-kick or congesting the midfield to cut any passing lines, the Frogs of Valencia have done a great job at containing the opposition and setting up fast transitions.

Intercepting the passes, like in the image above, and forcing mistakes gave them chances for breaks and deadly counters.

Numerical superiority pays off once again as Levante capitalize on a misplaced pass.

Once again, notice how many home players surround the opposition when they are trying to build-up the play. The progress of the ball is almost impossible without long passes or through the air, either by goal kicks or clearances. Barcelona’s inefficiency in the air meant that Levante would benefit from those.

The unlikely heroes

As much as this Barcelona squad lacked cohesion and coordination, there were some bright moments as Carles Alena, Denis Suarez and Jeison Murillo showed some quality. The middle man, Denis, who is more likely going to leave this January was impressive in particular.

His Messi-esque run to get his team in a great position and eventually, to win the penalty that gave them the away goal, was maybe the highlight of their play. Still, the new man in defence was also solid and probably the best piece of the defensive puzzle.

Three clearances and three interceptions for Murillo along with 11 duels won made for a great debut, albeit in a pretty experimental back four, if we can even say that the Catalans had four defenders present at all times at all.

On the other side of the pitch was Borja Maroyal, the Real Madrid boy who had an inspiring night against the best possible opponents. It was not only the goal but also how key he was in the hosts’ attack.

Alongside rattling the net, he also gave two key passes and created one big chance. We can also see from the pass map how crucial he was in the system and for the victory itself.

Levante’s passmap.

Conclusion

Not all is lost for Barcelona as they head into the second leg that is to be played on 17 January at the Camp Nou, the Catalan’s fortress. The away goal from Philippe Coutinho means that there is a lot more football to be played between these two teams and more thrill to come.

There are also positives to draw from Thursday’s defeat. Key first-team players have been rested and some other players made the most out of this chance they got. Now it’s up to Messi and co. to seal the deal and bring the team back to Copa glory.

If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Get your copy of the FIRST of two December issues for just ₤4.99 here, or the SECOND of the December issues with an annual membership right here. Alternatively, you can pre-order the January issue NOW! It lands on Friday 18 January.

[365footballorg-blog]

Thrashed 7-0 by Barca under Neville - how Valencia fought back to reach Champions League

Two years ago Valencia were a laughing stock.

Thrashed 7-0 by Barcelona[1] at the Nou Camp, owner Peter Lim’s experiment of giving his business partner Gary Neville his first taste of management was quickly turning from divisive to disastrous.

The former Manchester United captain had no top-flight coaching experience, did not speak Spanish and had taken charge of a club notoriously difficult to manage – ex-England and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker described the Valencia job as “brutally difficult”.

That period was a nadir for Valencia. A club which reached back-to-back Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001 raced through four managers in one season.

But now, under Marcelino – their 12th manager since 2012 – something has changed. Valencia are back in the Champions League for the first time in three seasons and, despite a difficult start to their La Liga campaign in which they have won just one match in seven attempts, they face Manchester United on Tuesday as a club on an upward trajectory.

BBC World Football Show’s Mani Djazmi met Valencia president Anil Murthy, who discusses the “chaos” of recent seasons, the pursuit of stability and their hopes for the future.

The dark days: ‘Singaporeans go home’

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In October 2014, Singapore businessman Lim took over Valencia for €100m, with the club’s debt standing at €230m. They finished fourth that season under current Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo but the following year brought turmoil.

Portuguese Santo’s resignation in November 2015 meant he was one of four coaches that season, along with Neville, former Liverpool assistant Pako Ayestaran and caretaker Voro.

Neville’s troubled four-month spell, in which he won just 10 of his 28 games between December 2015 and March 2016, included that infamous Copa del Rey thrashing by Barcelona and a return of only 14 points from 16 league games.

Murthy, who was appointed in July 2017: “I wasn’t here then but if I look at it from the outside, I have heard many stories from Gary’s time here. There are a few factors and you must remember it was a chaotic time.

“After him we had a few more coaches who did not have success either. Gary’s period here could be misleading but he is good friends with Peter and came in at a time when the team was looking for a coach.

“The friendship could be one of the factors for his appointment but he was someone he could trust. If you want to be a competitive team in La Liga, you need to have a coach who knows the league and its particular style of play. You need to speak Spanish in the dressing room.

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“We went through an Italian coach who did not speak Spanish – Cesare Prandelli taking over for 10 games at the end of 2016 – and that was not successful either. We learn from these episodes.

“We found Marcelino, who knows the league well and took us from 12th to the Champions League. I hope he has the same success this year. Speaking Spanish is very important. If you don’t speak the language, how are you going to get a message across?

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Click to see content: Neville_at_Valencia[2]

“Some people threw stones at the bus when Prandelli was the boss, but they are not fans, they are just thugs. I call them fake fans. Different groups were reacting in different ways – some were purely causing damage to the club and others were genuinely frustrated.

“That is understandable when your team is not doing well. Overall, it was a moment of chaos and the club needed to calm down. Now we have found our place.

“Everywhere in the world, it is not easy coming in as a foreigner. If you dig deeper, the majority of the people at Valencia have absolutely no problem that owner Peter Lim is from Singapore and I am from Singapore.

“Many of them are happy we are from the outside because the club has been previously run by people from here who had taken advantage of the club.

“What we hear from the minority happens everywhere in the world. You will hear racist comments like ‘Singaporeans go home, you don’t respect our history and values’.

“The key in management and staying stable is to know who your real fans are, who is behind you even in times of difficulty when things are not going well and who is actually supporting you. That is what we want to focus on.

“We talk to the fans directly, tell them what we want to do and how we are feeling and we hear from them directly. Now we know who they are.”

Back to the top: ‘Great excitement’ facing Manchester United

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Valencia were a European powerhouse at the turn of the century, beaten by Real Madrid in the 2000 Champions League final and Bayern Munich the following year.

They also won two La Liga titles in three years between 2001 and 2004 under Rafael Benitez, but their last major honour came in the 2008 Copa del Rey.

After a 12th-place finish in 2016-17, ex-Sevilla and Villarreal head coach Marcelino was appointed as boss and he led Valencia to fourth in his first campaign last term.

Murthy: “Did we expect to qualify for the Champions League? Absolutely not. Not so quickly. Last year, before the season started, we performed a revolution in football in the sense that we cleaned out a significant part of the team, took on a few losses and put in a new coach who is stable with us now.

“We made changes off the pitch in the management side – practically every head of department is new. We have established what our DNA is as a club and defined all these important changes in ‘Valencia’s football revolution’ and it may require more time to reach stability and success every year.

“The objective is to be in the Champions League every year but we did not expect it to work so fast.

“It is great we are playing Manchester United – they are one of the big clubs in Europe. Today the team we put together can take on any team, including Juventus, although unfortunately we lost our opening game against them.

“Playing United, for those of us from Singapore, takes on more significance because half of Singapore supports Manchester United. Everyone is going to be following Valencia and I hope they are rooting for us to win. There is great excitement about the game and in Asia most people follow the Premier League.”

Looking to the future: Building not buying

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If Valencia are to replicate their feats of the early 2000s by reaching the latter stages of the Champions League, they will have to do it the hard way. While they will be favourites to beat Swiss minnows Young Boys, Manchester United and Juventus are fearsome opponents with a different level of financial power.

Juve paid a Serie A record £99.2m to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in the summer, while United spent around £67m on midfielder Fred and full-back Diogo Dalot, having previously held the world transfer record when signing Paul Pogba.

Valencia spent money themselves – in excess of £100m on players including Goncalo Guedes from Paris St-Germain, Geoffrey Kondogbia from Inter Milan and Kevin Gameiro from Atletico Madrid – but their longer-term aim is to do things differently.

They hope to move to the Nou Mestalla, a stadium that is partially built after work began in 2007 but was halted for financial reasons. The original plans have subsequently been reworked and the club hope to make the move in three years’ time.

Murthy: “It is important that Valencia does not enter into this race of spending hundreds of millions. We can’t and we don’t want to. What we are doing in a very constructed manner is to build our academy. We had the likes of Juan Mata and David Silva come through, both of whom are playing in the Premier League now.

“We are building an academy of players who are good enough to play in the top division. Last season we made it into the Champions League and had a 17-year-old, Ferran Torres, playing on the right wing. We were the youngest team in La Liga with an average age of 24.

“This year it is slightly older but we maintain a young team. The academy is the future of the club, we want to maintain the wages and keep the purse under control but compete at the highest level with a young team.

“We play at the Mestalla but the other stadium was not built as a football stadium, it was built as an Olympic-style stadium with a running track, very flat and 75,000 seats. We need to make significant changes, with £150m investment to convert it into a football stadium. Our plan is still to move there for the 2021-22 season.

“You need to have a fantastic feeling at the new stadium. We get that at the moment in our current stadium and we should not lose that when we move.

“I am a realist, there is no such thing in football as calm and serenity. Marcelino is a great coach, I am not sure how long he will be with us because nothing is guaranteed in football. What we need to do and be clear about is the strategy and where we want to go.

“We have eight points after the first seven league games – we did not expect that because we built a strong team. We must push ahead in this direction. We need to make Valencia a reference club in La Liga and in Europe.”

References

^ 7-0 by Barcelona (www.bbc.co.uk)

^ Click to see content: Neville_at_Valencia (www.bbc.co.uk)

BBC Sport – Football

Thrashed 7-0 by Barca under Neville – how Valencia fought back to reach Champions League was originally published on 365 Football

[19spains]

The faces of Spanish Football - Raúl Tamudo

On 12th September, 2015, Raúl Tamudo – an Espanyol legend – took to the grass of the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat once again, the magnitude of the act quite evident on his shoulders.

After performing the honorary kick-off in his jeans, he left the Cornellá stadium looking as humble as when he had stepped on that grass for the first time in 1997.

We look back at the moments that defined his career, especially two end-of-season goals he scored that changed the fate of many La Liga clubs – for better or for worse.

Scene 1: 27th May, 2000

It could not have been more different. Espanyol were facing Atlético Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey, and their runs to the final couldn’t have been more different. Espanyol had beaten Celta Vigo and Real Madrid; Atlético Madrid had beaten Rayo on away goals in the quarters and Barcelona forfeited the semifinals.

At the end of a crazy league season, where Atlético Madrid were relegated, the notion was that the Copa del Rey would be their consolation.

Boy, were they wrong.

Goalkeeper Toni Jiménez, who was in his first season at Atlético Madrid after having won the 1998 Zamora with (ironically) Espanyol, served as backup to José Francisco Molina. He was having a treacherous season, and only played cup games. And he was about to have a moment that would haunt him for ever.

The ball was in his hands. He was about to throw it in the air to kick it. And he did.

But Tamudo’s head beat him to the ball, and he scored into the open net. Tamudo had made his former teammate look silly, and in just the second minute of the game, Espanyol had quite literally snatched a goal.

And any last hope in Atlético Madrid’s season.

Funnily enough, he would also score in the second minute against Zaragoza in the 2006 Copa del Rey final, against César Sánchez, a Champions League winning keeper.

Scene 2: 9th June, 2007. 9:00pm

Real Madrid and Barcelona, both on top of the table, both with the same number of points but the Catalans are behind on head-to-head.

Real Madrid make the trip to La Romareda to face Real Zaragoza while Barcelona face city rivals Espanyol on home turf. Two games left in the season and both teams know victory was essential.

Over the next 90 minutes, the tables turned numerous times, so much so that even Sevilla were on top of the table for a few minutes. And so the two matches kicked off in perfect unison.

29th minute – Raúl Tamudo scores – a brilliant top-right-corner finish from inside the box, beating Víctor Valdés.

32th – Diego Milito scores a penalty after Pablo Aimar is fouled in the box.

43th – Messi scores this goal.

57th – Ruud van Nistelrooy powers in a header to level the scores. Seconds later at the Camp Nou Messi scores – again – a right-footed shot into the left bottom corner.

64th – Diego Milito scores again, this time drilling a low shot under Casillas

89th – Ruud Van Nistelrooy scores again, an inch out from the goal line.

At this point, Real Madrid are on 73 points and Barcelona on 75.

It looked like the league was sealed, for the final fixtures were easy – Madrid vs Mallorca and Barcelona vs Nastic.

It was.

And then it wasn’t.

Former Barcelona player Francisco Rufete, then playing for Espanyol, played a sumptuous low through ball past the Barcelona defense and the only striker available waited for Valdés to come to him. A long wait, but a true number nine goal. No complications, no extravagance. A simple, effective, precise finish.

The goal to end Barcelona’s La Liga hopes.

This was the year that Barcelona lost the UEFA Super Cup to Sevilla, the FIFA Club World Cup to Internacional of Porto Alegre, Brazil, were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage, and were dumped out of the Copa del Rey after a shameful 4–0 loss to Getafe in the semi finals.

Just one striker, scoring one dull, boring goal, to end one club’s hopes for one annual championship.

Scene 3: 13th May, 2012. 7:00pm

The league table reads 15th Granada (42 points), 16th Villarreal (41), 17th Rayo Vallecano (40), 18th Zaragoza (40).

As Villarreal entertain Atletico Madrid at El Madrigal and Zaragoza visit Getafe, Rayo Vallecano play Granada at the Vallekas, arguably the crunch game; both know that most probably, the loser will go down to play in La Segunda.

It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Rayo Vallecano were in eighth place after match day 27, and were two points off a Europa League place. Four points off a Champions League place.

But a poor record of three points – a solitary, albeit impressive, 6-0 win over Osasuna – from nine games, left them relegation candidates and needing a win. Only a win could save them.

On the polar opposite side were Zaragoza, who had given up mid-season, but an impressive run of six wins and a draw in nine had helped them remain in 18th, needing a win.

Granada had been in poor form all along – five points in their last six games hadn’t helped either. And Villarreal, playing in the Champions League, were in poor form too, but know a draw would be enough.

All that is about to change.

Zaragoza win 2–0 against Getafe, who were reduced to ten men, then to nine. And then to eight. Zaragoza were safe. Miraculously.

And till the 87th minute, Rayo Vallecano were relegated.

Except that three goals, in three stadiums, scored in four minutes, would leave a shocking surprise.

In the 88th minute, Falcao scores off a corner. 15th Granada (43), 16th Zaragoza (43), 17th Villarreal (41), 18th Rayo Vallecano (41). Level on points, but on head-to-head Villarreal were safe, and Rayo were relegated.

Seconds later, at the Vallekas, David Cobeño, the goalkeeper and captain of Rayo, is sent up for a corner. They have nothing to lose, but when the corner is cleared everyone starts to run. The minute the ball is loose, everyone is too. Some run backwards, some forward.

The ball somehow reaches the Granada box, where five Rayo players are standing. A shot is taken, saved. A shot by Michu hits the crossbar and rebounds. And there, standing near the goal line, a Spanish 5’10” striker tries his luck in an empty goal from a yard out. A header, a goal.

A goal to relegate a Champions League team with zero debt, to save the aspirations of a club in administration. Actually, two - Granada celebrate too, a while later, once they hear that Villarreal were beaten. The game that was to relegate at least one team, finished with both of them safe.

One goal.

Scene 4: 5th September, 2015

A 37-year-old Spanish professional football player retires from football. He retires after seeing Sabadell relegated to the Segunda B and being able to do nothing about it – a knee injury sidelined him for most of this season.

He ends up being the highest scoring Catalan and the highest scoring Espanyol player. He is a UEFA Cup finalist, losing to Sevilla on penalties; he scored five times for Spain in 13 appearances – all of them headers. He helped Spain qualify for the UEFA Euro 2008 with a crucial strike in Denmark. He is an Olympic Silver medalist, having helped Spain reach the final with a goal against USA.

But he was already a legend – from the day he scored that goal to deny a Champions League winning team the league title. He scored the Tamudazo. And then he saved Rayo Vallecano.

And yet - things could’ve gone so much differently. Espanyol fans may not have been going “There’s only one Raúl: Tamudo”. In 2000, Dick Advocaat’s Rangers met the release clause in his contract and Espanyol were forcing him out because they were cash-strapped, but the move fell through when Dr Gert Jan Goudswaard advised against it.

There is now an Espanyol fan club named 'Doctor Gert, Diga 23', 23 being in reference to Tamudo’s shirt number, in honour of the doctor who unknowingly became part of making of the legend that is Tamudo.