Football (Soccer) Thread

[Ed Anger]

Lol

[The Larch]

Cristiano Ronaldo just threw a tantrum the other day after the last Real Madrid match, saying that he was feeling "sad" for professional reasons and that he had let the team know about it, but wouldn't tell the exact reasons to the press, ensuing an epic shitstorm in the press and conspiracy theories about his motivations. Jesus fucking Christ is this cringeworthy.

[clandestino]

Yeah, it is also dominating talks about the National Team concentration these days.

From this side of the border, the first "motive" that was given was that he was sad about not winning the UEFA 2011 best player award. The last theory (and possibly the correct one) is that he's sad about the hike in taxes that he will have to pay (poor boy), also being implied that he wiches a contract renewal (read: more money) from Madrid.

And yes, it's pathetic and as you certainly imagine, his antics about money were very well received in a an ecominicaly depressed country. :wanker:

[The Larch]

Yeah, it is also dominating talks about the National Team concentration these days.

From this side of the border, the first "motive" that was given was that he was sad about not winning the UEFA 2011 best player award. The last theory (and possibly the correct one) is that he's sad about the hike in taxes that he will have to pay (poor boy), also being implied that he wiches a contract renewal (read: more money) from Madrid.

And yes, it's pathetic and as you certainly imagine, his antics about money were very well received in a an ecominicaly depressed country. :wanker:

Apparently it's one or a combination of:

- Dissapointment for not winning the UEFA 2011 best player over Iniesta.
- Not feeling appreciated and/or supported enough by the club. Now that the Golden Ball has to be decided he might fear that the club won't support him 100% for it and might want to back other players in the team as well.
- Internal rivalries between factions in the dressing room (apparently he and Casillas don't talk to each other, with each one representing the "Portuguese" and "Spanish" gangs).
- Not having had his contract renewed and his salary significantly raised since he arrived to Real Madrid, while in Manchester he got almost yearly improvements. Now he's on the bottom end of the top 10 best paid footie players in the world, with all the big Man City and PSG signings getting ahead of him when he used to be amongst the top 3.

So, basically, mo' money, mo' worship.

[clandestino]

Well, that seems in line with what our media is reporting.

Except the factions stuff. IIRC Ronaldo isn't usually connected with that, when reporting our media talks more about Coentrão (or Pepe) but I guess that could be as well.

My guess is your door nr 4 really.

[Ed Anger]

- Internal rivalries between factions in the dressing room (apparently he and Casillas don't talk to each other, with each one representing the "Portuguese" and "Spanish" gangs).

[clandestino]

Doesn't that happen as well in your sports? IE a group of players from the same country playing in the same team getting really close and sometimes clashing with the other team mates?

[Ed Anger]

Doesn't that happen as well in your sports? IE a group of players from the same country playing in the same team getting really close and sometimes clashing with the other team mates?

Locker room tiffs? Yes. Usually the player causing it is a major asshole.

I was laughing at the nationalistic absurdity of it all.

[clandestino]

I see. I guess the names of Portuguese and Spanish "gangs" are just for easier identification. I'm not following Madrid that much, but maybe it's possible that di Maria, an Argentinian, be part of the Portuguese one.

And in the beggining at least, this "clash" appeared to be made mainly by the media who couldn't understand why some overrated Spanish youngsters from the cantera weren't having enough playing chances versus the new Portuguese signings.

Maybe Larchie can share with us his opinion about this as well.

[The Larch]

AFAIK the sides were the Spaniards on one side, with the internationals at the forefront (Casillas, Ramos, Alonso, Arbeloa) and the "Portuguese" at the other side, with the Mendes-represented ones at the front (Pepe, Coentrao, Carvalho, etc). And the media here still doesn't understand why they paid a humongous transfer fee for worthless Coentrao when they already had Marcelo on the team, suspecting about a Mourinho-Mendes arrangement to inflate transfer fees.

[clandestino]

So Coentrão is still seen as worthless, even after the last Euro?

I thought that the general opinion after that was of confusion about the difference in quality in performance in club vs. national team and the conclusion that it had something to do with Mourinho tactics.

From my point of view, Coentrão is/was a good player and the value payed at the time fair for his quality.

About Mendes and inflating prices, he's an agent, so he's always scum for the supporters, and Madrid certainly isn't the only club that had to deal with him.

[Barrister]

Doesn't that happen as well in your sports? IE a group of players from the same country playing in the same team getting really close and sometimes clashing with the other team mates?

Locker room tiffs? Yes. Usually the player causing it is a major asshole.

I was laughing at the nationalistic absurdity of it all.

It's not nationalism though - it tends to be more a language thing.

Happens in hockey - russian players stick together, as do Swedes and Finns and Czechs.

[The Larch]

So Coentrão is still seen as worthless, even after the last Euro?

I thought that the general opinion after that was of confusion about the difference in quality in performance in club vs. national team and the conclusion that it had something to do with Mourinho tactics.

From my point of view, Coentrão is/was a good player and the value payed at the time fair for his quality.

About Mendes and inflating prices, he's an agent, so he's always scum for the supporters, and Madrid certainly isn't the only club that had to deal with him.

Yes, he's still seen as a puzzling signing, after his first year in Madrid. He's seen as inferior to Marcelo at left back, and his touted polivalence has been nowhere to be seen (Mourinho insisted on playing him as central midfieldes and right back, and his performance there wasn't anything to write home about). And at 30 millions his signing is seen as economically outrageous. Maybe if he had costed a fraction of that it wouldn't be seen so badly. And the fact that he does perform well at the international level makes it even more puzzling.

[Ed Anger]

Doesn't that happen as well in your sports? IE a group of players from the same country playing in the same team getting really close and sometimes clashing with the other team mates?

Locker room tiffs? Yes. Usually the player causing it is a major asshole.

I was laughing at the nationalistic absurdity of it all.

It's not nationalism though - it tends to be more a language thing.

Happens in hockey - russian players stick together, as do Swedes and Finns and Czechs.

LOL SLAVS and SCANDIWEENIES.

[Barrister]

That's who plays hockey - Canucks, slavss, and scandies.