Barcelona is living some of the team’s darkest days in this entire decade, and there is just no way to hide it. Whatever was built along all these years, all the magic and glory, since the times of Eto’o and Ronaldinho, going through Puyol, Iniesta and Xavi, and of course, Messi with all of them, and then Neymar and Suarez, is now gone, and just a memory for fans to cherish in the near future.
Only Messi remains in the team, and it’s against his will. The Argentinian superstar, considered by many as the best in the world, or even the best in history, was ready to pack his bags and leave the team just a few months ago, but he was legally forced to stay and finish his contract.
It’s no secret to anyone that he’s just not happy in the team anymore, everything that Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique built has disappeared, and the team just started changing ever since Tata Martino, and then with Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien and now with Ronald Koeman, who are all just clearly not a good fit for the team.
One of Barcelona’s biggest mistakes, probably, was to assume that having Messi on the team was enough for them to keep winning and keep their chemistry, but the truth is that you need a leader, you need a mastermind, to be able to coach and to inspire a superstar and an entire team that’s called to be always on top.
Tragic news hit us fresh last week, when Argentinian media announced that soccer superstar and legend, Diego Armando Maradona, died due to heart failure, after having surgery done just a few days back. Considered by many around the whole planet as the greatest footballer to ever live, Maradona had a life full of highs and lows, but what he did inside the pitch was undeniable, and his death has left a void in sports in general, which has been commemorated in many different sports events and leagues in the world in the past few days.
Who was Diego Maradona, the footballer?
Even if you’re not that much into soccer, or into sports in general, you have probably heard about this guy. Like him or not, he was a football hero, idolized not only in Argentina, but by many soccer fans from all over.
The top two teams in the MLS Western Division meet Friday night in the first game after the Orlando tournament as first place Sporting KC travel to second place Minnesota United.
These teams met in a thrilling group game last month in Orlando with Minnesota United erasing a 1-0 deficit with two goals in stoppage time to win 2-1 after Sporting KC goalie Tim Melia was sent off. Friday night’s game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Allianz Field in St. Paul on ESPN+.
These teams have met nine times in MLS games and twice in the US Open Cup since Minnesota United joined the league in 2017. In the MLS games Sporting KC has four wins while Minnesota United has three and there have been two draws. Both teams have won a fourth round US Open Cup game with SKC winning in 2017 and MUNFC winning last year at home.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced last Saturday that major professional sports competitions such as La Liga, may resume from June 8. This means that Lionel Messi and other football stars will be returning to the field in just a few weeks. This, of course, is a decision widely welcomed by soccer fans as well as those of us at Bet Sports Online.
La Liga was suspended last March 12 when Real Madrid had to go into quarantine. One of the basketball players in their sporting club tested positive for the Coronavirus. This prompted La Liga to temporarily stop the season. Those who run bookie pay per head operations have been waiting for the league to restart its season since then.
The Premier League continues next week! The games will be played behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic and we will have an exciting contest on Thursday when Aston Villa hosts Manchester United.
Aston Villa lost 2-0 on the road against Liverpool on Sunday while Manchester United beat Bournemouth at home 5-2 last Saturday. Aston Villa is 18th in the Premier League standings with 27 points in 33 games, fighting to avoid relegation while Manchester United is in fifth place with 55 points in 33 games.
Let's take a closer look at where the value is in this matchup.