Barcelona beat Granada 3-0 to edge out Real Madrid to a second consecutive La Liga title by a one-point margin on the final day of the season. Given that they won the title 550 miles away from home, you might think that it would’ve been a lonely celebration, but the locals got into the spirit of the day and swarmed the Barca players on the pitch after the final whistle.
Pep Guardiola gets one final Bundesliga beer shower
Pep Guardiola’s third and final Bundesliga season concluded with a 3-1 Bayern win over last-place Hannover 96 before one last celebratory beer fight at the Allianz Arena for the departing manager. And David Alaba showed no mercy.
A brief conversation between Sergio Ramos and Axl Rose
And now, a brief conversation between Sergio Ramos and Axl Rose…
Ramos: Axl Rose! Can we get a picture?
Rose: (grunts)
Ramos: I love your music!
Rose: (grunts)
Ramos: I’m sorry for coming on stage and tackling you. I thought that since your leg is broken, and you have to sit during the show, you would want the mosh pit to come to you.
Rose: No.
Ramos: (poses for camera) Rock and roll!
This has been a brief conversation between Sergio Ramos and Axl Rose.
John Terry makes Chelsea executives bend to his will once again
Back in February I wrote a post about the clear strategy in John Terry’s dramatic announcement that Chelsea were refusing to offer him one more contract extension. “It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I’m not going to retire at Chelsea,” he said, presciently. Well, fast forward two and a half months and Terry has been offered the contract extension he wanted.
Jose Mourinho stops counter-attack during FIFA legends match
A team of international FIFA legends led by Jose Mourinho faced a Mexican All-Star squad at the Estadio Azteca as part of the FIFA Congress festivities and in this friendly, Mourinho showed that he hasn’t gone soft during his time away from the game since getting sacked by Chelsea.
Drunk match officials banned by Czech federation
Two match officials have been banned by the Czech football federation for showing up drunk to work a first division match between Slavia Prague and FK Pribram. However, it remains unclear if their inebriation rendered them any less effective in their jobs than most sober officials.
Spanish fourth division club unveil unsettling muscle structure kit
Y ahora todo el equipo pic.twitter.com/GFuZH4iL6O
— C.D. Palencia (@CDPalencia) May 12, 2016
CD Palencia, who play in the Spanish fourth division, are continuing the local tradition for bizarre kit designs with one that doubles as a human anatomy lesson. Both the shirt and shorts duplicate the muscle structure of the human body, making the wearer look like some kind of skinless freak — a disturbing sight that might intimidate opponents.
Everton awards dinner falls victim to Roberto Martinez’s sacking
St George’s Hall bathed in blue – but the @Everton Awards night to be rescheduled following Martinez sacking pic.twitter.com/dvBeKSjOOd
— Jim White (@JimWhite) May 12, 2016
Everton’s 3-0 loss to a Sunderland side desperate to preserve their Premier League future proved to be the last straw for the Toffees, prompting them to sack manager Roberto Martinez the following day. Coincidentally, this also happened to be the day for which the club’s end of season awards celebration was scheduled. But since a 3-0 loss to Sunderland and sacking your manager after weeks of fan protests pushing for that decision make for a difficult lead-in to a party, the event was postponed mere hours before it was set to begin.
Dr. Strangeleague or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the aging superstar in MLS
Anyone who has ever had a disparaging nickname knows how hard it can be to shake. For MLS, it’s the label of being a retirement league. That phrase has burrowed deep under the skin of the league and its supporters, forcing new signing who fit that stereotype to declare their intentions to actually try upon arrival.
Perhaps because of this, Americans have developed a compulsion for rushing to criticize aged stars from other lands who don’t immediately perform well once they join the league. As if condemning a well known player will magically rid MLS of the irrelevant yet somehow still hurtful “retirement league” tag or unquestionably prove that the level of play in the U.S. surpasses the expectations of its doubters.
Rafa Benitez has had the worst season
If Claudio Ranieri and Leicester City have lived a fairytale this season, then Rafa Benitez has endured a sadistic nightmare written by Franz Kafka.