China flexing its financial muscle

We have become accustomed to the English Premier league carrying the January transfer window in recent years as English sides swim in increasing levels of money. However this January there has been something of a change in that regard. Instead of England spending ludicrous sums of money this month, its China. China has been carrying this transfer window in terms of signing players for big money but it isn't exactly brand new.
China and Shanghai in particular hit the headlines back in 2012 with the signing of Didier Drogba from Chelsea who were just after winning the champions league thanks to Drogba's spot kick. Drogba joined former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka at the club and this was seen as a major coup for Shanghai and China as Drogba was rumored at the time to have had plenty of offers stateside as well as within Europe. Shanghai also dipped their toes into Argentine football to bring in Giovanni Moreno from Racing. The transfer of Drogba to China was preceded in 2011 by the announcement that Guangzhou Evergrande were making their Argentine recruit from Brazilian side Fluminense, Dario Conca, the third highest paid player in the world after Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Drogba was to spend six months in the Chinese Super league before heading to Galatasaray while Moreno still remains at Shanghai. However the club name is no longer the same. When Drogba signed they were under the name of Shanghai Shenhua but after the 2014 purchase of the club by the Greenland Holding Group Company Limited are now known as Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.
Shanghai aren't the only club to have changed names or indeed owners in recent times. The clubs from Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jiangsu and Beijing have all undergone various name changes and ownership changes in recent times. The Chinese football landscape has changed so much in the past few years that the dominate force of the last decade, Dalian Shide are no longer in existence. In 2012 the eight time champions were purchased by the Aerbin group and merged with Dalian Aerbin. Aerbin have also since gone on to change ownership and today are known as Dalian Yifang after a takeover in 2015. Confused? well it all changed so fast.

The Chinese super league as it stands operates a quota system in terms of foreign players. Each of the sixteen teams can only have five foreign players in the squad. Of those five places, four can be made up with players from outside of Asia with the other place reserved for foreign Asian players. Only four foreign players including the foreign Asian player can take the field at any time in the league. With this in mind the clubs are looking to utilize those foreign player places with big names.

Roma's Gervinho is the latest linked
source: Tedeschi

This January is probably the greatest example of the Chinese clubs flexing their muscles on household names. Just this week it has emerged that Roma's key Ivorian attacker Gervinho is indeed having negotiations with the appropriately named Hebei China Fortune. The transfer fee involved is being speculated by some to be around €15 million which would represent a nice profit for Roma on the €8 million they spent to sign him. Hebei are reportedly the second Chinese club to be after Gervinho after Jiangsu Suning were rumored to be in the market for him late last week along with Inter Milan's Freddy Guarín. Jiangsu have since turned their attention elsewhere as we will see.
Today's big transfer story has been Chelsea's Ramires being set for a move to Jiangsu. €25 million is the figure being speculated as the transfer fee which if true shows how well backed some of these clubs really are.
Some of the other names from Europe being linked this week that I have seen in various reports are Newcastle's Cheick Tioté, Manchester City's Yaya Touré, Dani Alves at Barcelona and John Obi Mikel of Chelsea.
It's not just Europe that Chinese clubs are looking at strengthening from. Since the new year, Brazilian side Corinthians have been raided for their best players. Renato Augusto, Ralf, Jadson, Gil have departed for Chinese clubs from the Brazilian champions. One of which is 2nd tier side Tianjin Quanjian which goes to show it isn't just the super league that is flush with cash.
Clubs are also recruiting from other traditionally stronger Asian leagues such as South Korea's K-League and Australia's A-League.

All these latest players coming into the league are adding to the impressive list of some of the players already plying their trade within Chinese borders. Brazilians seem to be the player of choice as the likes of Robinho, formally of AC Milan, Manchester City and Real Madrid is now at Guangzhou, Paulinho formally of Tottenham is Robinho's teammate and Brazil striker Diego Tardelli is with Shangdong Luneng. It's not just Brazilians, Australia's world cup hero Tim Cahill is with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua having joined last season. Cahill is teammates with Demba Ba formally Newastle's star striker and former Liverpool holding midfielder Mohammed Sissoko.

Sven Göran Eriksson with Guanzhou these days

As if players weren't enough, Chinese clubs are also going after big name managers. Today you will find former England and Lazio head coach Sven Göran Eriksson managing Shanghai SIPG (Shanghai international port group), Brazil's 2002 world cup winning coach Luiz Felipe-Scolari is in charge of Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao, Dan Petrescu formally of Chelsea in his playing days is with Jiangsu Suning. Marcelo Lippi, Italy's world cup winning coach in 2006 was with Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao until 2014 when he won the Chinese super league three times in a row and also delivered the AFC champions league in 2013.

With just under a week to go in the European transfer window don't be too shocked to see more Chinese clubs making headlines going after some of the big names edging for moves and better salaries.

When Macedonia were five minutes away

When Macedonian clubs were competing in the old Yugoslav league system they never won the title. The best performing Macedonian club were FK Vardar from the Macedonian capital of Skopje. In the all-time Yugoslav league table you will find Vardar in 11th with a total of 907 points from  1005 games. Independence followed and gave Macedonian clubs the chance to compete at champions league level in time. It wouldn't be until 1996-97 that the Macedonians would be able to field a side in the champions league qualifiers however. FK Sileks were the first side to compete at champions league level. Vardar's first champions league campaign wouldn't be until the summer of 2002 when having ousted Luxembourg champions F91 Dudelange they fell to Legia Warszawa in the 2nd qualifying round. However Vardar were going to be back the following year and they were going to make an impact.

2003-04:

Just six weeks after securing the 2002-03 league title, Vardar were taking the field in the first qualifying round for the 2003-04 champions league against Welsh powerhouse Barry Town. A 3-0 home first leg victory gave the Skopje side the platform to progress despite losing the 2nd leg 2-1. 

That set up a 2nd qualifying round tie with Russian side CSKA Moskva. A tie that would have many talking about what happened on and off the pitch. On the pitch in the first leg, Vardar came away from the Dynamo stadium with a shock 2-1 lead. Goals from Vlatko Grozdanoski and Brazilian Wandeir meant Vardar were halfway to getting through. The late CSKA goal from Sergey Samodin did leave an element of doubt heading into that second leg in Skopje. 

That second leg was to be both a nervy and heated affair. Nervy on the pitch as Vardar were bidding reach the third qualifying round against the odds while being heated due to the provocation of some local fans by pro-Chechnyan chanting. A few incidents occurred in the Philip II arena in Skopje which involved local fans and the visiting CSKA fans. On the pitch Vardar went 1-0 down on the night when Spartak Gogniyev pounced on a rebound in the box. Still Vardar were leading on the away goals scored in Moscow but nerves were kicking in. Then Wandeir headed Vardar in front in the tie. 1-1 on the night, 3-2 on aggregate and Vardar were now in the driving seat. The Macedonians held on for a famous victory over two legs to progress to the third qualifying round. 

The third qualifying round was new ground for Vardar and Macedonia. Never before had a Macedonian side progressed this far in the champions league. Also the lucrative group stage was now only two games away and again Macedonia had never reached that pot of gold even in Yugoslav times. Standing in the way of history was Czech side Sparta Prague. Vardar were at home in the first leg just a week after overcoming CSKA. 

However they were 2-0 down at half-time after Karel Poborsky and Igor Gluščević scored for the visitors. It seemed Vardar were going down until another of their Brazilians, Rogério da Costa got them back into the game with a header. Vardar then levelled the game through Slavco Georgievski with an unmarked volley. Sparta were in the end to have a sting in the tail as Poborsky put Sparta in front in the last minute of the game. Sparta took a 3-2 lead back to the Czech Republic and Vardar were fuming at the controversial free-kick that Gluščević had scored to put Sparta 2-0 up. 

Sparta Prague v Vardar
source: fotbal.idnes.cz/

The Letna Stadion in Prague was the venue for Vardar's date with destiny on August 26th 2003. Vardar sensationally leveled the tie by going ahead in Prague through a goal from Georgievski and now it was really game on. Well it was for minute or two because Karel Poborsky would haunt Vardar for a 3rd time as Sparta equalized almost immediately afterwards. Sparta were now 4-3 up on aggregate. Vardar were to find the lead on the night midway through the 2nd half when Nigerian Blessing Chinedu found a way past Sparta keeper Jaromír Blažek. 4-4 and one more goal was all that was need to take Vardar through to the champions league group stage. Vardar countered dangerously and despite having the best of the possession late on they just couldn't get that elusive goal. There was to be one more goal but it was for Sparta in the 85th minute when constant thorn in Vardar's side, Karel Poborsky crossed for Libor Sionko to head Sparta level on the night and 5-4 in front on aggregate. Vardar's champions league dream had ended and it was Sparta who went on to the group stage. 

Vardar's fall at the third qualifying round did enable them to take part in the UEFA cup first round where they took on Roma. However Vardar were outclassed by the Italians, who ran out 5-1 winners on aggregate. The European run was over and Vardar were five minutes away from possibly taking Macedonian football to a new level. 
No Macedonian side since this campaign have come close to emulating Vardar's run, not even Vardar themselves. In fact Vardar were to be absent from the champions league qualifiers until the 2012-13 season when they fell to BATE Borisov of Belarus in the 2nd qualifying round. The same stage they have fallen on the two further occasions they have taken part in (2013-14 & 2015-16). 

European Super League would be horrible

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge backs the super league
source: Sven Simon/imago

This month the topic of a European Super League has been raised with Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge suggesting it is possible that it will come to fruition. Juventus' president Andrea Agnelli also backing the idea.
Just for the record I am totally against any formation of such a league. I see it as a greedy proposal for a cartel of clubs that would only get richer while leaving the majority of European clubs an awful lot poorer. The current system needs changing no doubt about that as the gap between the haves and have nots is too wide, but a European Super League would kill off domestic leagues across Europe.
If a league was created how would big historic European clubs like Crvena Zvezda, Steaua Bucharest, Spartak Moskva and Celtic be able to compete? These clubs can't even compete under the current system let alone having the fat cats get even richer with their breakaway league.

It has to be pointed out as well that Bayern Munich and Juventus are only supporting such a proposal because they have reached a ceiling domestically. They can't really get any bigger at home and their season's hinge on the performances in Europe. A sort of Celtic in Scotland scenario is you wish, they have outgrown their domestic league and need a bigger competition to move on up the money chain.
You won't be hearing any English sides backing such a proposal while sky TV continues to pour billions into the league. The English sides are happy with their lot and will be for the foreseeable future. After all Bournemouth now have a bigger economic power than Benfica, Ajax and Porto and the Premier league chief Richard Scudamore is loving it. However they would've been on side going back ten-fifteen years when Arsenal and Manchester United formed a duopoly on the Premier league title or even going back further to 1992 when the Premier league was formed.

BATE have outgrown Belarus
source: getty images

To take another example on a smaller scale, BATE Borisov from Belarus have in the past been mentioned in the proposal for a CIS league featuring the biggest sides from Russia, Ukraine and Georgia along with the other former Soviet sides. BATE have outgrown the Belorussian league. Their repeated appearances in the champions league have put them streets ahead of anyone else domestically that they are now looking at avenues to increase revenue to be able to compete on European level. Would BATE be looking toward Russian clubs if the Belorussian league was more competitive? unlikely.

The formation of the league hinges on the proposal that there will be regular matches between the biggest sides on the continent. However like most things there is a certain novelty factor with this. What makes certain champions league games appealing is the fact that they don't meet that often, however even the champions league is beginning to become repetitive in this respect. Another factor that would go against the league is would fans be still supporting the teams when they are out of contention. All these big sides are used to being up the top end of the league would Barcelona fans still be out in force if they were in mid-table in this super league? Bayern Munich fans would they be the same if they were not in contention for a title? unlikely in both cases.  With this league not all of these super clubs would be winning the title.

What would happen to every club outside the cartel? Well many reports would suggest that life would go on. Being honest the domestic leagues of Spain, Germany, France etc would become quiet more competitive if the cartel clubs were to leave. An example of this would be in France where PSG would take off leaving a really competitive league between the rest. Aside from PSG this season, 2nd placed Monaco (remains to be seen if they would be considered if it came about) are just sixteen points off the drop zone.
The champions league would also become more competitive as well. The cartel clubs would breakaway from UEFA and thus ineligible to take part which would give the likes of Porto, Sevilla and Napoli realistic hopes of actually winning the trophy.

Porto were the last side outside the big four leagues to win
source: uefa.com

The European cup was re-branded in 1992 to become the champions league. Re-branded to prevent the big clubs across Europe from forming the breakaway league. Since 1992 the Champions league has become the "biggest club competition" in the world but it has become stale as the winners are coming from the same three to four countries mirroring most of the major European leagues where at most three to four sides realistically could win them. These days one could quiet confidently predict the semi-finalists in the champions league. Not since 2004 has a club from outside Italy, Spain, Germany and England won the champions league. If your not based in those four countries you don't have a hope under the current system and that needs changing. People will come back and say no one has retained the trophy but the fact that nobody outside the big four leagues in Europe has come close to winning it suggests it isn't competitive.
By allowing up to four sides from the same country into the so called "champions" league you are depriving other countries of places. "Oh but those countries are not so good" because they have been neglected by the greed of UEFA and the fat cats. This season saw the unprecedented scenario of Spain having five sides in the champions league. With five Spanish teams, the champions of Poland, Scotland, Serbia, Romania and Czech Republic were no where to be seen.
The Europa league in contrast is a much more competitive tournament. The reason? well the recent addition of the winners entering the champions league has given it an even more competitive edge.
To help make the champions league more competitive would be the obviously spread the wealth more evenly, and open up the tournament to more countries to access that wealth. We have seen how entertaining the Europa league can be with various competitive edges such as the champions league place and the decent spread of prize money.

While the leagues would become more competitive if the super league came to fruition, the leagues wouldn't be generating the same amount of money as they do now. These big clubs would take the majority of the money these leagues make with them as they do have this appeal by being up competing for honours every season. Fans would pay big money to watch this new league while leaving the likes of Ligue 1, La Liga and Bundesliga going the same way as the Russian, Serbian, Greek and many Eastern European leagues went when the champions league was bent in favor of Western Europe. It would kill off any prospects in these leagues. They would ensure that the money European football generates will be concentrated in the hands of the few who make the super league. It really would kill off European football. So fingers crossed this league will never happen!

A twist or two in Portugal's three way tussle

The weekend of January 16th-18th or Jornada 18 could be looked back on as a crucial turning point in the title race in Portugal's Liga NOS. This season is providing us with one of the more exciting title races in recent years and that is in no small part down to the presence of a third side in the mix.

The twists of this weekend's round of games began on Friday as Sporting Club de Portugal, who are that third side to join the usual duo of Porto and Benfica, hosted bottom side Tondela. Many were expecting a routine victory for Jorge Jesús' men but it didn't turn out that way. Instead the plucky opponents, who are in the top flight for the first time, managed to get out of Lisbon with a point. What will irk Jesús is the fact that Sporting were 2-1 up in this game after an hour

Rui Patrício is dismissed

source: AFP 

with goals from Islam Slimani and Gelson cancelling out Nathan Junior's first half penalty. That penalty came as a result of Rui Patrício clashing with Nathan Junior. The keeper appeared to get the ball but referee Luís Ferreira pointed to the spot and Junior stepped up and converted.
Super sub Salva Chamorro made an instant impact when he latched onto Bruno Monteiro's punt up forward to slot past Marcelo Boeck to earn Tondela a precious point.

Benfica were in action on Saturday up the road in Estoril. It seemed like they would be going on to drop points when their lowly opponents took an early lead through Léo Bonatini. However Benfica responded with 2nd half goals from Kostas Mitroglu, introduced at half time and

Pizzi makes it 2-1
source: agencia

Pizzi. A vital win in a key week for Benfica. Benfica had last Sunday's game with Nacional abandoned due to fog and had to replay the remaining minutes the following day. They didn't seem unsettled by it and in the end did run out 4-1 winners. This 2-1 victory at Estoril leaves the Estádio da Luz side 2nd just two points behind Sporting.

This brings us onto tonight's game involving Vitória Guimarães and Porto. A Porto victory would've put them into 2nd on the head-to-head with Benfica and just two points behind Sporting. However Porto were awful tonight. An early blunder by Iker Casillas allowed Bouba Saré to pounce and give Vitória the lead, a lead they would not relinquish. Porto's final ball was non existent and when Vincent Aboubakar fluffed his lines in the 2nd half from five yards you got the feeling Porto weren't going to get anything from the game. To compound Porto's misery they had Aboubakar sent off in stoppage time for possibly the harshest sending off of the season. His first yellow card in the first half was apparently for simulation but replays showed it was an attempt to head in a cross and his second yellow was for a hand ball although it was not intentional. In any case the defeat leaves Porto five points behind Sporting and three behind Benfica. We are expecting to see a new manager in place at the Dragão for next weekend's game with Marítimo with many reports suggesting that the man in the home dugout tonight, Sérgio Conceição might be the man to lead Porto for the rest of the season.

A special mention should go to Vitória tonight, they played very well and I was impressed with goalkeeper João Miguel Silva. The young keeper dealt with everything Porto through at him. Left back Dalbert Henrique was a rock out wide and for me was man of the match until he was withdrawn in the final quarter-hour with a knock. The team itself defended very well and this win edges them up to Europa League contention with Paços de Ferreira and rivals Sporting Braga.

Next weekend Benfica host Arouca, Sporting are off to Paços de Ferreira and Porto host Madeiran side Marítimo. With just under half the season remaining, expect more thrills and spills from Portugal's three way tussle for supremacy. 

Dundee United and some of the others adrift at the bottom

Dundee United look doomed
source: bbc.co.uk

Dundee United were beaten again tonight this time by serial table toppers Celtic 4-1 at home. The defeat leaves the Arabs bottom of the league and gives both Kilmarnock and Hamilton Academical the opportunity to put further daylight between them and Dundee United.
As it stands Dundee United are eleven points off Kilmarnock who occupy the relegation play off spot and thirteen points off Hamilton who are in safety in 10th, however both have yet to play this weekend. United haven't won since the halloween night success over Ross County and have only registered two victories all season. Every passing game seems to edge them closer to the trap door, a trap door they haven't fallen from since 1994-95 when they finished bottom of the, then 10 team premier division.
United's woes this season seem to trace back to last January. On new year's day 2015, Dundee United had just trashed their city rivals Dundee 6-2 to hold onto 3rd place just three points behind leaders Aberdeen. They were a young energetic side threatening to have a go at Celtic and Aberdeen for a title race. They were to secure their passage to the league cup final and then money talked. That January window was the turning point in United's season. Their two best performers Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven were both sold to Celtic for £2 million plus various add-ons. United's season fell apart after that. They ended up losing the league cup final to Celtic, they exited the Scottish cup to Celtic as well and in the league they fell to 5th and missed out on European football altogether.
They started this season abysmally with just eight points gained by the start of November. It is now a year on from that 6-2 win over Dundee and things couldn't be any more worse. With just ten points after twenty-two games they look doomed.

Other sides adrift at the bottom:
Dundee United aren't the only side in Europe adrift at the bottom of their league. The most high profile case this season is Aston Villa south of the border where they are eight points off safety after recording only their 2nd league win all season on Tuesday. Much has been written about them so let's have a look at some of the others.

Hellas Verona after a draw with Carpi
source: forzaitalianfootball.com

Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona are in dire straits in Serie A. Not only are they eleven points off safety they are yet to win a game this season. Eight draws so far this season have left them staring relegation in the face. A far cry from even last season where the Gialloblu stayed up with ease with forty-six points and eleven wins along the way. They had veteran striker Luca Toni to thank for much of last season when despite being 37 he was Serie A joint top scorer with twenty-two goals. This season Toni has been injured and only appeared in ten games scoring three goals, which is quiet something as the team itself have only scored twelve league goals so far.

Troyes
Next up is Ligue 1 and another side who are yet to win a game this season. Troyes are bottom of the league with eight points just like Hellas Verona in Italy. They currently are twelve points off safety which in France is actually 18th this season due to the bizarre decision to reduce the number of relegation places at the start of this season. In any case it wouldn't matter if two or three sides went down, Troyes need a miracle. They are in the mire by having the leakiest defense in the league as well as the lowest scorers, never a good situation to be in. Their top scorers, Fabien Camus and Coretin Jean have two goals each with a few other players on one goal each. The newly promoted side look destined to return to Ligue 2 with a whimper unless something drastic happens in the next four months.

De Graafschap
A side at the bottom that actually have won a game but have fewer points than the two sides mentioned above. De Graafschap in Holland's Eredivisie have just five points so far (one win and two draws). De Graafschap are newly promoted this season having just about scrapped into the play-offs last season. We are talking about a side who finished 6th in the 2nd tier Eerste Divisie last season. At the time of this blog post, De Graafschap are eight points off the relegation play-offs and eleven off safety. With just one win so far this season, against the side directly above them SC Cambuur, they have their work cut out to avoid going back to the Eerste Divisie next season.

Tondela may be looking up
source: Paulo Novais/Lusa

CD Tondela
Another newly promoted side find themselves in a spot of bother. Tondela were promoted to the Portuguese top flight this season for the first time ever and so far it's looking like it'll be for just the one season. A spirited draw tonight at leaders Sporting Club de Portugal however might give them the confidence to close the gap to safety which currently stands at seven points. However Tondela have played before everyone else this weekend so that gap will increase if Académica get any result with Paços de Ferreira tomorrow.

Metalurh Zaporizhya

Ukraine is our next stop and well it's pretty grim reading. Metalurh find themselves winless this season and have only recorded three draws which leave them seven points off safety. Due to the winter break they haven't played since the start of December and on the form so far that's probably a good thing. While seven points isn't exactly an insurmountable gap, it is a bit harder when you haven't tasted victory since last May. Just before the winter break Metalurh were trashed 9-1 by 5th placed Volyn and they have by a distance the leakiest defense in the league. 

Baník Ostrava
One win and one draw, that has been as good as it's been for the Czechs this season. Twelve points off the safety of 14th Baník look doomed. The Czech league has shut down for the winter break and gives them an opportunity to assess what has gone wrong and try and arrest the malaise that has been their season so far.

Other mentions
In Cyprus the holiday resort of Ayia Napa have their side struggling in the top division. They are winless and eight points off safety.
Maccabi Netanya in Israel are facing relegation. They find themselves eight points adrift at the bottom and nine away from safety.
Spare a thought for Velež Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Currently bottom with just eight points, they are fifteen points off safety. However with league structure changes for next season, this season sees the bottom six teams relegated. Mission impossible you could say. 

Valerón - Should be starting more often

Valerón last season
source: marca.com

A player that even Andrés Iniesta is on record of saying he would pay to watch, Juan Carlos Valerón tonight put in another performance showing he still has plenty to offer the Canary Islanders in their quest to stay in the Primera división and their Copa del rey hopes. 

Tonight Las Palmas secured their passage to the quarter-finals of the Copa del rey for the first time since 1996-97, where they reached the semi-finals. Coach Quique Setien opted to field some of those who haven't been getting plenty of minutes in the league in their game with Eibar tonight. Valerón was among those called to duty. Valerón has only started in the Copa del rey games this season with limited cameo appearances in the league. In those Copa del rey games, particularly the last 32 tie with Real Sociedad, he impressed with his unrivaled vision and passing accuracy. Tonight was no different as he found teammates with one touch passing and although not directly involved in the goals tonight, his presence was felt. He opens space up for his teammates and finds them without hassle. 

With this post I am making the argument that he should be starting in the league for Las Palmas. I have watched them a decent amount of times in La Liga this season and while they have improved results wise since Paco Herrera was unfortunate enough to get the sack earlier in the season, they are missing that link between midfield and striker. First choice striker Sergio Araújo works on the edge of the opposing defenses and can get in behind with more accurate through balls, step forward señor Valerón. Currently Quique Setien prefers to utilize Tana in the central attacking midfield role behind Araújo and while he has shown at times promise he lacks that final killer ball that Araújo demands. 

The arguments against are that he simply doesn't have the energy required to close down opponents and mark opposing midfielders but that was never his game. Valerón is very much a foot on the ball, find a teammate and play through eye of the needle passes type of midfielder. Even at 40 he showed tonight why he should be starting for Las Palmas more often. 

In his rather limited time on the pitch in the league this season (he has played 105 minutes in 7 appearances so far) his presence has given the players a lift. Usually bought on in the final ten minutes of games, the former Depor maestro hasn't put a foot wrong. Arguments that he can't last a full 90 minutes are blown by the fact that he has completed 90 minutes in all four Copa games this season. With at least two more Copa games to come he can continue to show why he deserves to be starting for his hometown club in the league in what I hope isn't his final season. 

The return of the champions league...CAF champions league

Next month sees the champions league return, the CAF champions league or known commonly as African champions league. It begins with the preliminary round and features 43 nations from across the African continent. Those nations without a team this year include Central African Republic, Eritrea and Somalia among others.

Preliminary Round:

The preliminary round will feature clubs from the likes of Madagascar, Swaziland and Zanzibar who are an interesting case. What's interesting about Zanzibar is they are members of CAF (Confederation of African Football) but are not members of FIFA, so if in theory a team from Zanzibar (this year it's Mafunzo) were to win the competition they wouldn't be able to represent Africa in the end of year Club world cup due to non-FIFA membership. 

Certain countries will have two clubs in the tournament while others have just the one. Which countries get two clubs in is based off the five-year CAF rankings. The top 12 countries in the continent in this ranking system are allowed to enter two clubs while those outside the top 12 get one berth each. This year the two club nations are Tunisia, Egypt, Congo DR, Algeria, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Cameroon, Congo, Mali, Nigeria and South Africa. 

Last year's champions TP Mazembe
source: myfootbalfacts.com

The CAF champions league much like UEFA's equivalent is quiet lucrative to the clubs especially the group stage which is effectively round 3. Group stage participants can expect a minimum of $400k so that makes the rounds before the group stage quiet competitive. 

So lets have a look at some of the minnow clubs taking part this year. 

St Michel United:

Hailing from the Indian ocean archipelago of the Seychelles, St Michel qualified by winning the 2015 Seychelles First Division. That success took them level in the all-time title winners list of 13 with Saint Louis. Historical records show that they have it all to do at continental level. They haven't progressed beyond the preliminary round since 2004. United are also the most experienced Seychelles side in this competition having played in nine previous editions. 

The draw for this year's competition sees them up against Ethiopian side Kedus Giorgios and should they progress they'll face DR Congolese giants TP Mazembe. 

Volcan Club:

The 2nd lowest ranked nation is Comoros and representing them this season just like last season is Volcan Club. Based in the capital city of Moroni, Volcan last year fell at the preliminary stage to Angolan side Petro de Launda. This year they have been given quiet an assignment in South African champions Kazier Chiefs. Grande Comoros champions on three occasions, Volcan will have their work cut out for them this season. They qualified by winning their 1st Comoros national championship title ahead of JAC Mitsoudjé. 

Cercle de Joachim:

Mauritius are the 3rd lowest ranked nation according to FIFA rankings and Cercle de Joachim will be flying the flag for Mauritius. Mauritian league champions on two occasions Cercle face Young Africans of Tanzania in this seasons' preliminary round. Mauritius didn't enter a team last season so this will be Cercle's first appearance in the tournament. The club themselves hail from Curepipe in the center of Mauritius playing out of the Stade George V. 

Other lower ranked side:

The Gambia will be represented by Gamtel FC, the club are sponsored by the state communications company of the same name. They'll be facing Moroccan side Olympique Khouribga in the preliminary round. 

São Tomé e Príncipe return after an absence of one year. Sporting Praia Cruz will be the flag carrier and they face Warri Wolves of Nigeria. 

Lesotho's Lioli must navigate past Burundi's Vital'O for a place in the first round while South Sudan's representative is as of yet unknown. Last year the South Sudanese entrant was Al-Malakia and they fell to Nigerian side Kano Pillars at the preliminary stage. 

First Round:

The CAF champions league trophy
source: cafonline.com

The first round will see some of the continents big hitters enter the fray. Defending champions TP Mazembe, the competitions most successful club Al-Ahly from Egypt, their domestic arch-rivals Zamalek as well as Sudanese duo Al-Merrikh and Al-Hilal are some of the sides who start play in the first round. Beyond the first round will be the final round before the group stage which will feature two groups of four teams battling for four semi-final places. This season is the 20th edition under this format. 

Last season them groups were dominated by North African teams with only TP Mazembe the sub-Saharan survivors.   

A draw that nobody needed

Mihajlović & García 
source: urbanpost.it

It was a result that was none of the two managers wanted or needed at this stage. Both went into their game tonight under pressure for various different reasons. Both needed a positive result to ease the pressure somewhat. We are talking about Rudi García and Siniša Mihajlović the managers of AS Roma and AC Milan. 
García has come under pressure after a dip in results for Roma. They just about scrapped through their champions league group, were dumped out of the Coppa Italia by Serie B side Spezia and are, depending on what way you look at it, just about hanging on in the title race. Mihajlović is under pressure to ensure that the expensive investment in the playing squad this past summer is rewarded with champions league football and well Milan are not in the frame for a top 3 finish. 

So this lead us to a clash between the coaches under fire on Saturday night in Rome's Stadio Olimpico. Mihajlović must have been fearing the worst early on when his Milan side were being run ragged by a Roma side playing for their title credentials. The Romans took an early lead through Antonio Rüdiger but could've been ahead after 16 seconds when Sadiq Umar forced the young Gianluigi Donnarumma into a flying stop. First twenty or so minutes were Roma, Roma, Roma. Milan just couldn't settle. They slowly got into the game. 
Half time came and well García was half way to moving Roma level with Juve ahead of the old lady's game tomorrow night. However Milan had other ideas, they came out fighting and leveled the game with Slovak Juraj Kucka's header. A lovely cross by Keisuke Honda that was met by Kucka and sent back into the far corner past Wojciech Szczęsny. 
Roma were shocked and Milan grew in confidence. Roma got very sloppy and despite the introduction of Mohammed Salah, Francesco Totti and Leandro Castan they just never got into the rhythm of the first twenty minutes. In fact had Carlos Bacca managed to keep his flying, curling effort ten centimeters lower, Mihajlović would've came away with a priceless three points. 
In the end it was a draw at 1-1. A result that does neither coach any good whatsoever and allows rivals to capitalize on the dropped points. Full time was met by a chorus of whistles by the Roma fans as they saw that this was an opportunity wasted to close in on leaders Internazionale. For Milan the point keeps them off the dream setting of the top 3 but in terms of performance that 2nd half was something to work with. 

It remains to be seen if Rudi García will be in charge of Roma's game at home to bottom side Hellas Verona next Sunday but the season is threatening to follow the course of last season where Roma's title challenge collapsed after a champions league hiding. Last season it was the infamous 7-1 to Bayern Munich, this season it's the 6-1 trashing by Barcelona. Their form hasn't been the same since.
AC Milan have a Coppa Italia assignment with Carpi on Wednesday and while it remains their last chance of a trophy this season, its pushing higher up the league that is the main target. Milan need to be in Europe at the very least. Their next league game is next Sunday against 3rd placed Fiorentina (although they could be in 4th if Juventus win tomorrow). Will Mihajlović be in charge? we shall see. Either way don't be too surprised if one or both coaches will be gone between now and the end of the season. 

The shock relegation of Real Zaragoza

Real Zaragoza are best remembered by English football fans as the team that beat Arsenal in the final of the 1994-95 Cup winners cup with the outrageous long range strike from Nayim just as penalties were looming. 

In Spain they are a respected club that have won the Copa del Rey on six occasions and have spent 58 seasons in La Liga, the last of which was in 2012-13 but we aren't discussing that relegation. Nope, we are discussing the relegation of 2007-08 that was very much a shock relegation. La Liga has a habit of throwing up a shock relegation every now and then. We had the Atlético Madrid relegation of 1999-00 just four years after they won the league, Villarreal going down in 2011-12 was another one as was Deportivo in 2010-11 purely based on the fact that 43 points was the highest any side has gone down in La Liga with 20 teams. A shock relegation is basically a side that you wouldn't have thought would be anywhere near relegation trouble. Real Zaragoza 2007-08 fit the criteria. I remember at the time thinking they could get a champions league place or certainly go very close again. 

Roberto Ayala
source: www.losblanquillos.com

While Real Zaragoza were very much a poor team in 2012-13 with a lack of funds to keep them out of danger the same can't be said of the team they had in 2007-08. Los Blanquillos as they are nicknamed were in summer 2007 planning an assault on the champions league places. In 2006-07 they had finished 6th to secure a UEFA cup spot but finished six points shy of Valencia who got 4th that year. For much of 2006-07 Zaragoza were in the hunt for a champions league place. So in summer 2007, they wanted to go one better for the new season and get that champions league place. What better way of signalling your ambitions than signing one of the league's best defenders in Roberto Ayala. The signing of Ayala eased the pain of losing their best defender from 2006-07 Gabriel Milito to Barcelona. 

Ayala's arrival was complimented by having the likes of Peter Luccin and Gabi join from Atlético while already having the likes of Pablo Aimar, Sergio García, Ricardo Oliveira and of course Diego Milito. Basically the squad was certainly good enough to challenge for a champions league place. The coach Víctor Fernández had arrived a year previously and had overseen the 6th place finish from the season before and with his new arrivals was surely optimistic that they now had the depth to go on and push the likes of Valencia, Atlético and Villarreal.  

The season started with a terrible 2-1 defeat away at newly promoted Real Murcia. They followed up with two draws at home to Racing Santander (who in this campaign would go onto have a terrific season) and away to Athletic Bilbao. Their first victory came in mid-September at home to Osasuna before being bought back down to earth with a 4-1 defeat away at Barcelona. Victories over Sevilla and Levante couldn't hide their disastrous first round UEFA cup elimination by Greeks Aris Thessaloniki on away goals. On halloween a 1-0 success away to Almería lifted them to 7th and just three points off 4th placed Atlético. However this was as close as they would get to 4th place, as they would not win again in the league until a 3-1 win over Real Murcia on January 20th. By then the picture was a lot more precarious. Los Blanquillos had dropped to 11th and were now twelve points off Atlético in 4th. 

By now Zaragoza were under their 3rd coach of the season if you include Ander Garitano's one game in charge. Víctor Fernández was sacked after a 2-2 draw with Mallorca which preceded that 3-1 win over Real Murcia, the only game that Garitano over saw before Zaragoza appointed Javier Irrureta. The Basque coach's reign wasn't going to be long, six games in fact. The collected four points in his opening two games which were a draw at Santander and win at home to Athletic Bilbao. He lost the next four including a 5-0 drubbing at Sevilla. He was gone after an away defeat to Levante. 

In came Manolo Villanova and he would be given the reigns till the end of the campaign. He began with a win over Atlético but the problem was at that stage Zaragoza were 15 points off Atlético who remained in 4th. 

Zaragoza relegated
source: El Mundo

Zaragoza would only record two more wins in the season (both home wins over Recreativo de Huelva and Deportivo) along with four draws. Going into the final day which was an away trip to the Balearic islands to face Real Mallorca they were 18th on 42 points. They needed other results to go their way while also winning their own game. In the end Zaragoza lost their game 3-2 and were relegated. Unthinkable when they were unveiling Ayala, Pavón, Luccin, Gabi etc in the summer of 2007. Not even the 18 goals from Ricardo Oliveira was enough to keep them up, neither was the 15 from strike partner Diego Milito. What you will notice in the table was that Zaragoza were relegated despite having 42 points but they went down by scoring 50 goals. They had scored more goals than 6th placed Racing Santander and as with these relegations it was defense that let them down. Surprising when that defense featured Roberto Ayala and Francisco Pavón. 

Summer of 2008 saw Miltio leave for Genoa,

Sergio García would go on to suffer another relegation with Real Betis the following season, Pablo Aimar went to Benfica and goalkeeper César left for Tottenham. 

It was a relegation that should never have happened with the caliber of players that were there. It was also a relegation they never fully recovered from. Yes the got promoted back the following season but they haven't had anywhere near the same quality of squad they had in 2007-08 since. You will find Zaragoza these days back down in the Segunda división having narrowly missed out on promotion last June in the play-offs and with it being a very tight division this season they aren't completely out of the promotion picture. 

Welcome to the Ekstraklasa

While Leicester City may be winning plaudits for their exceptional season so far, away from the sky TV and premier league hype there is another remarkable title tilt occurring. We are off to Poland's Ekstraklasa in this post to have a look at the village's top flight club, the defending champions in trouble and the unfancied league leaders.

LKS Nieciesa's Stadion Bruk-Bet
source: http://www.expressilustrowany.pl/

The Ekstraklasa shut down for the two month winter break the weekend before christmas and won't be back up and running till mid-February. The season so far has been quiet eventful to say the least. For starters this is the first season in which the tiny, and I do mean tiny in every sense, LKS Nieciesza are competing in the top division. LKS Nieciesza are based in a village with a population of 750, yes seven hundred and fifty people. Incidentally the ground they play in holds 5,200, yep its a lot bigger than the village population. This makes them the smallest village to reach a top level European league, a record that was before this season held by Czech side FK Chmel Blšany who were based in a village of just under 1,000 people. LKS Nieciesza are holding their own this season a point off the top 8. The team itself doesn't have any star players and comprised of mainly Polish and Slovak players. Defensively they have actually conceded fewer goals than 3rd placed Cracovia. 

Lech Poznań during their 5-2 defeat at Cracovia
source: Tomasz Markowski / źródło: newspix.pl

LKS Nieciesza aren't the only big story in Poland this season. The other big story was the shambolic title defense of Lech Poznań. At the winter break the league has 21 rounds played. Lech Poznań were bottom of the league after twelve rounds and only escaped the relegation zone in round sixteen. The defending champions did find a good run of form in the lead up to the break and have managed to claw themselves up to 6th place. However the beauty with the Ekstraklasa this season is that despite being 6th, Lech are only seven points ahead of bottom side Podbeskidzie but also are only seven points off 3rd placed Cracovia who occupy the final Europa league spot. Such is the season in Poland, Lech could end the campaign with European football next season, but then again they could slip back down the table. What made the club's domestic struggles even more baffling was that their European campaign included a 2-1 victory away at Italian title hopefuls Fiorentina. 

However Lech Poznań's eventful first half of the season isn't THE big story in Poland this season. Instead the plaudits are going to Piast Gliwice. Not one of Poland's more big name clubs such as Lech Poznań, Legia Warszawa or Wisła Kraków (who themselves are struggling this season), Piast Gliwice find themselves above everybody at the winter break. 

Piast have never won the top division in Poland before with their only league success being the 1.Liga title in 2011-12. In fact Piast Gliwice have only ever played in the top division for six seasons in total. To have a title tilt in your sixth ever season in the top flight is quiet something. Unlike their title challengers Legia Warszawa who have 21 goal striker Nemanja Nikolić, Piast Gliwice have spread their goals around the team. Their top scorer, Martin Nespor, has eight goals and Croat strike partner Josip Barišić has six. Midfield has scored in total fourteen goals with the defense contributing six goals. 

So the question is, Can they win it?. The format of the league is a big factor in this, as I will explain. Currently there are twenty-one rounds played and nine more remain to complete the thirty round league stage. Then comes a split where the top 8 will face each other home and away as do the bottom 8. It's at this stage that their title credentials will be tested severly as they'll be playing sides around them. For example Piast have played 2nd placed Legia Warszawa twice this season, should both sides make the top 8 split they will play a further two head-to-heads. It would be terrific to see them go on and win it but with seasoned title challengers Legia Warszawa I wouldn't bet against the capital team just yet. 

Santa Clara and the Azores

In my previous blog post I discussed how football in Madeira is seemingly in good health with three sides in the top division in Portugal. Following on from that I'm going to have a look at football in Portugal's other Atlantic archipelago of the Azores.

CD Santa Clara:

With Madeira having three sides in the top division, the Azores currently has none and hasn't had a side in the top division since 2002-03. That side was Clube Deportivo Santa Clara, the only club from the Azores to ever play in the top division in Portugal. Founded in 1927 the club have only ever competed in the top division on three occasions (1999-00, 2001-02 & 2002-03).
That promotion in the 1998-99 season was under the guidance of Manuel Fernandes, a former Sporting CP stalwart. Santa Clara finished in 3rd behind Gil Vicente and Belenenses to create a little bit of history. However in their first top flight season they ended up finishing bottom and were relegated. They bounced back into the top division by winning the Segunda Liga by three points ahead of both Varzim and Vitória Setúbal. Back in the top league they did manage to avoid relegation and posted their highest ever league finish to date of 14th, seven points clear of the drop.

That 2001-02 season was also an historic one as the club did manage to qualify for the old InterToto cup and thus Santa Clara became the first Azores side to play in Europe. Their European campaign was short lived as after dispatching Armenian side Shirak they fell to Czech side Teplice in the 2nd round. That bought them into the 2002-03 season which was to ultimately end in relegation. Manuel Fernandes was gone at this point, he left the club in 2001 to take over at Sporting CP but was sacked after six months before resurfacing at Penafiel. As for Santa Clara well they started with just two wins in their opening ten games before a run of one defeat in eleven games in the new year gave them a fighting chance of extending their Primeira Liga stay for a third season in succession. However they were to record only two more victories in their final nine games and went down on the final day of the season with a late Varzim equalizer coupled with Académica's victory over Braga sending the Azores side down.

Santa Clara's Estadio de São Miguel home

They haven't returned to the top flight since. The have spent the majority of the time since stuck in mid-table of the Segunda Liga. There was a very narrow promotion miss in 2008-09 when they finished 3rd and an agonizing one point off União de Leiria. The following season in 2009-10 they again narrowly missed out on a promotion to the top flight when they finished 4th and just three points shy of a promotion place. Since then its been the doldrums of mid-table and now this season they are involved in a fight just to stay in the Segunda. They currently lie in 15th just two points clear of the drop zone which is the bottom five sides in the twenty-four team league.

Rivalry:
Santa Clara do have local rivalries but they haven't played any of them in a league match for quiet some time. Santa Clara's rise to the top division at the turn of the millennium came at a time where none of the other Azores sides were in the 2nd tier. The Azores' traditional 2nd force is Clube Operário and at the time Santa Clara first got promoted to the top flight, they were stuck in mid-table in the 3rd tier. Today Operário are still a 3rd tier side and play in Group E of the Campeonato de Portugal with three other Azores sides in Angrense and Praiense on the Azores island of Terceira and Sporting Ideal who play on the same island as Operário on São Miguel.
However Santa Clara's main rivalry is with clubs from Madeira, particularly Marítimo who were in the top division in every season that Santa Clara were. Nacional were only in the top division for one season when Santa Clara were in 2002-03.
The rivalry with Madeira and the Azores can be traced back to the migration of North African Jews to the archipelago. The Jews who migrated to the Azores were forced to convert to Christianity and today the islands have just one synagogue left whereas there used to five. Santa Clara as a result do have anti-semitic slurs aimed at them at heated games such as clashes with their Madeiran counterparts.
The rivalry is heated more by the fact that both region's presidents are fans of football. In my last blog post I bought you a little introduction to Alberto João Jardim who wanted to merge all three of Madeira's top clubs into one while being a Marítimo fan. His Azores counterpart Carlos César is a fan of Santa Clara and no he didn't bring a proposal to merge the biggest Azores clubs. Both president's had whats best described as a "heated" relationship and this added to the rivalry. Also the sheer determination to get one over on each other and become the best of the islands is a factor as well. An example of this is the comparison of the islands' best players. It is widely known that Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira and is a source of pride for people from Madeira. The Azores' best player is the former PSG hitman Pauleta. Pauleta was the Portuguese national team's top scorer until a certain Mr. Ronaldo overtook him in 2013. 
Last season saw Santa Clara do battle with União da Madeira when they were in the Segunda and also Marítimo's B team which also competed in the Segunda. Marítimo's ultras do follow the B team when they play games with rivals. However Marítimo's B team were relegated last season while União won promotion which leaves Santa Clara as they only non-mainland side in the Segunda Liga this season. 

Prospects:
For Santa Clara the future isn't looking too bright at the moment. While Madeira is enjoying its period of strength with it's three sides in the top division, the Azores' only leading light is struggling in the Segunda Liga. With promotion unlikely this season it does remain to be seen if Santa Clara will get back to the top division anytime soon. What is more likely is another Azores team joining them in the Segunda next season. 
At the moment in Group E of the Campeonato de Portugal, the two sides leading the way are Praiense and Angrense who I both mentioned earlier in the post. The top two in each of the eight groups of the Campeonato enter regional promotion groups and, if both teams can reach that the chances of having at least one Azores team joining Santa Clara in the Segunda next season look good. That's assuming Santa Clara stay up. Last season Operário missed out on the promotion play-off to the Segunda by losing to Casa Pia who as a result pipped them to the play-off instead. 

Madeira enjoying its time in the sun

The beautiful Madeira archipelago is this season enjoying a rare feat of having three sides in the Portuguese Superliga. In fact this season is the first time since the 1990-91 season that the islands have three sides in the top flight together, and only the third time ever. We are of course talking about Marítimo, Nacional and União da Madeira. 

The rivalry:

Nacional v Marítimo
source: desporto.sapo.pt

Traditionally its has been Marítimo and Nacional who have been the big hitters from the islands as both sides have spent the most amount of time in the top division. As opposed to União da Madeira who have only spent five seasons in the top flight, the last of which was 1994-95. 

The rivalry between Marítimo and Nacional is socially based. Marítimo draw their following from the working class and Nacional from the middle/higher classes. 

Historically between these two its been Marítimo who have had the edge both domesitcally and in European competition. Marítimo haven't been outside the top division since promotion in 1984-85 while Nacional spent the 1990s floating between the Segundo de Honra and the Segundo Divisão before finally returning to the top flight with promotion in 2001-02. Nacional have spent every season since then in the top flight and the rivalry has grown with both sides looking for supremacy on the islands. 

Marítimo have been involved in European competition more times than Nacional. In fact while Nacional were yo-yoing between 2nd and 3rd tier throughout the 90s, Marítimo were welcoming the likes of Juventus and Leeds United in the UEFA Cup. However with Nacional's 2002 promotion it bought about a period of renaissance at the club. Within two seasons of promotion Nacional were making their debut in European competition which ended after one round against Sevilla. To get there they achieved their best ever league finish of 4th in 2003-04. That 2004-05 UEFA cup campaign remains the only time both Marítimo and Nacional have been involved in Europe together. Marítimo were eliminated at the same stage by Rangers and wouldn't be involved in Europe until a 5th place finish in 2007-08, their joint highest league placing. Nacional had to wait a season longer to return but did create history when becoming the first Maderian side to compete in a group stage of European competition when they overcame Zenit St Petersburg to reach the Europa League groups in 2009-10. Marítimo would reach the group stage themselves in 2012-13 and like Nacional in their group debut would end up 3rd. 

Relations between the clubs did turn sour in the 90s despite not being in the same division. This is because a controversial proposal by the Madeira regional president at the time Alberto João Jardim was to merge all three of the Madeira clubs to fight the dominance of the Os Tres Grandes (Porto, Benfica, Sporting CP) in the league. The proposal unsurprisingly was met with disdain and a demonstration by Marítimo fans put the proposal back in it's box. Prior to the proposal, Jardim was a fan of Marítimo but has since defected to Nacional and was the commemorative president for their centenary in 2010. 

What about União. Well for the majority of their history the club have been a lower league side. However that doesn't mean they don't share a rivalry with the other two. União like the other two hail from the island's capital of Funchal and historically drew their support from other areas on the islands, while Marítimo and Nacional drew their support from the city itself. União do play their games 20km outside of Funchal in the compact Centro desportivo da Madeira in the village of Ribeira Brava. However for the high profile games they move to Funchal. The club itself is a sports club and have teams competing in handball, rugby and volleyball as do Marítimo and Nacional. 

This season:

Following their promotion from the Segunda liga, União were favorites to head straight back down this season. However they remain outside the drop zone after this weekend's round of games. They lie in 15th just four points above the final relegation place currently taken by Boavista. The other two aren't setting the league alight. Nacional are right above União in the table by two points and Marítimo are sitting in 10th two more points better off. 

As for the derby games this season well we have one coming up in two weeks time as Marítimo face União for the 2nd time this season. The previous meeting being an opening day home victory for the newly promoted side. The following week União will then host Nacional. A derby double header. The previous meeting between them two was a 1-0 success for Nacional. 

As for the big Madeira derby well the next one isn't until April but they have faced each other once this season which ended in a 3-1 success for the hosts Marítimo, a game that saw Nacional reduced to nine men. 

The Falcao post

If memory serves me right this is the first blog post I have done on a particular player. So this is Falcao's post. A striker that I absolutely loved in his time at Porto and Atlético Madrid. A striker who was feared and a striker who made it look easy.

Emergence:

Falcao in his Porto days
source: uefa.com

He first emerged as a striking sensation at River Plate in Argentina and it was his form there that saw him join the South American influx at Porto in 2009. He was to spend two years at the Dragão and it was littered with goals and trophies. His header in the Europa League final in Dublin in 2011 secured Porto another European trophy while his goals helped them get the better of Benfica in the Liga race. Atlético Madrid had just lost another South American striking sensation in Sergio Agüero and were on the market for a big name striker. Step forward Radamel Falcao García. €40 million changed hands between Madrid and Porto and Falcao was now an Atlético player. 

The Atlético hitman:

Falcao at Atlético
source: dailystar.co.uk

Falcao's ability to create space for himself in the box set him apart. Atlético have had a fantastic run of having very capable strikers and this Colombian hitman was to continue that tradition. His first season was interesting to say the least. Atlético started the 2011-12 campaign with disjointed football, typical Atléti you could say. Decent going forward, atrocious at the back. December 2011 and the club were sent packing from the Copa Del Rey by 3rd tier Albacete and manager Gregorio Manzano was also off packing. In came Diego Simeone and well you know the rest. Falcao would play an instrumental part in Atlético's Europa League triumph in 2012 scoring twice in a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. He was the tournament's top scorer. 
Falcao showed his nose for goal with late darts into the opposition box to finish off crosses from the byline. He also scored a fair share of headers and was a menace to mark for defenders. In 2012-13 we saw Falcao go up another level. A Super cup trouncing of Chelsea in which he hit a hat-trick put him on the radar of just about everyone. He was the real deal.
He was now adding free-kicks to his repertoire. The last minute free-kick against Real Sociedad that winter showed his improved confidence and ability over the set-piece. Previously Falcao would be in the Sociedad box demanding a good delivery for a header or volley, instead he stood over the free-kick and unleashed an unstoppable effort past Eñaut Zubikarai.

Two months later he demonstrated his pace and power. He wasn't the fastest player but he showed enough to get away from the Barcelona defense. At the end of the move a lovely dink over Victor Valdés just showed the confidence he was playing with. 

That season ended in glory again as Atlético finally beat Real Madrid for the first time since 1999 to secure the Copa del Rey. It was Falcao's vision for the pass that set Diego Costa away to equilise before a Miranda header in extra-time sealed the copa victory. 

The Monaco move:

Unfortunately Atlético were forced to let Falcao go to Monaco. It was a strange career move but one that was agent fueled and so Falcao was to take his finishing to the principality. Now as it turned out it wasn't going to be all doom and gloom for Atlético as it was widely expected. Falcao for the first six months at Monaco continued his scoring form. He had just helped his country secure a first World cup finals place since 1998 and he was to be the striker to lead them at Brazil. 

Then came the turning point in his career. The knee injury in the French cup tie with Monts d'Or Azergues. Which was to rule him out for the rest of the 2013-14 season. 

The was speculation over his participation in the world cup that summer. Colombia were desperate for their star man to be present and he was working hard to return in time. However I do get the feeling he rushed his recovery to make it. He suffered the injury in January and the finals were less than six months away which for an injury that serious was way too soon to return from. He was named in the provincial squad but failed to make the final squad and thus he missed his big opportunity in the international stage. It's sad because a year earlier he was at the peak of his powers with Atlético. He was Europe's most feared striker, a typical number 9. 

Manchester United:

He returned to action for the 2014-15 season and scored a couple of penalties for Monaco before a deadline day move to Manchester United. 

Manchester United were not going to see the true Falcao. He lost a bit of that pace and the style of football at United didn't play to his strengths. Best at being back to goal United just didn't allow him that. A combination really of not being fully recovered from that injury and the playing style saw him ridiculed and quickly labelled "a flop". The confidence was shot and it showed. He was missing opportunities he would've finished off with no problem previously. Manager Louis Van Gaal wasn't impressed and United didn't make the loan move permanent. 

Chelsea:

José Mourinho was confident he could resurrect Falcao and signed him on loan from Monaco for 2015-16. Monaco obviously desperate to cut wages allowed him to join and the trend continued. Falcao struggled to get into the team and the overall frustration at the club sees him facing the exit this month. 

Now:

This month sees Falcao being linked with a move to Columbus Crew in MLS and Club América in Mexico.

Chelsea days
source: REX FEATURES

Rewind back to summer 2013 and the clubs linked with Falcao would've been far bigger household names throughout Europe. It's really sad to look back at the sharp decline of such a fantastic striker. In many ways he has suffered the same fate as Fernando Torres did when he suffered an injury made a big money move, didn't work out and is being whisked around clubs on loan and now seemingly won't recover the form that made him feared throughout Europe. Personally he is one of my favorite strikers of recent years. Known as "El Tigre" (The Tiger) during his spells at Porto and Atlético, I still retain some hope of him reaching a decent level of performance and at 29 time is still on his side.