Maradona evergreen ruler; a legend to the world soccer of all-time. His commencement to his career was when he played in the junior teams for the Argentinos Juniors, a flame that burned bright only for soccer. Not only Argentina, but his country also mourns he remains as the inspiration and hero to the entire world. Global disappointment remains with the death of the heroic player at the age of 60 years on 25 November 2020.

Five years was his crucial and best time when he had top experiences as a junior. Who described his best finest time while playing and winning was in 1976, October at the “Estadio Diego Armando Maradona”. According to Maradona “Argentina Juniors” is his home, at the entrance of the stadium, the plaque mentions this great soccer player who started his career debut. At, age of eight he stepped into the Argentinos Juniors, it was during this time when he was appreciated, for his impromptu performance. He started tricks with the balls from the head to his shoulders, back, thighs, and then on his feet. he slowly was growing famous for his unique playing with the ball that was on national televisions.

This junior player started becoming famous with time playing slowly his rank bumped upwards with time. At the age of 15, this Argentina player was selected to begin to play for the senior team. Finally, his “Hand of God Goal ” title, gaining was great controversy; it was controversial as “Dirty Goal” win against England in the “World Cup 1986”.

FC Barcelona Days of Diego Maradona
After joining FC Barcelona and winning with the smartest goals in 1986, soccer this footballer became a ménage. Each little mind was inspired and still inspires to follow him as an idol. Considering, this time as the Golden period in his playing career after joining though this time wasn’t happening for the great footballer. In December 1982, he was diagnosed with hepatitis that had put on bed rest, it was a critical time for the team that experienced a tough period until Cesar Luis Menotti joined as a coach.

Brain Surgery for heart attack
He will remain a great player in the world of soccer or football, but one cannot forget about his addiction to drugs and cocaine in later years. In 1991, Diego Maradona suffered from chronic hepatitis, this was not for the first time that was mostly due to excessive alcohol intake. The career was sky-touching while his involvement in alcohol and drugs had been threatening to his life when he was 46 years old.
In 2004, his call for medical emergency due to a heart attack because of an overdose of cocaine; while in 2005 again underwent gastric bypass surgery. In his 60s he had brain surgery on 4th, November 2020, he was responsive to the medical treatment. But the shadows of sorrow, could not be resisted after his last cardiac attack that happened about one month. He was back home when he suffered the cardiac arrest that pushed him to death.
While the nation’s mourning unrests Napoli said: “The world awaits our words but there are no words to describe the pain we’re going through. Now is the time to grieve”.

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Bengali – Bengalis are a foodie, Bengalis are creative, also Bengalis are intelligent but the so-called intelligence vanishes instantly when it is “FOOTBALL”.

They are extremely obsessed about football, this outdoor sport is close to their soul and they can give up anything, yes anything on this sports.

Football is a common game but supported by two categories of Bengalis and being a Bengali we define it as Elish and Chingri (Hilsa and Prawn). Both are the most delicious preparation of the Bengalis which is the favorite of all Bengalis.

But why the difference between Hilsa and Prawn?

Hilsa denote the Mohan Bagan while the Prawns denotes the East Bengal! But at any no means if one dish is offered to the other then neither is going to deny because of the bhaat maach, foodie nature of Bengali, no matter Mohan Bagan or East Bengal.

This rivalry of East Bengal and Mohan Bagan started from football popular as Kolkata Derby; this obsession has divided Bengalis into two:

East Bengal football club is a 98 years old football club being the champions in football leagues for three times, 2001, 2003, 2004, in recent Guess Corp Ltd has signed an agreement, investing on East Bengal can help in the development of the football in the country.

While Mohan Bagan, the strongest football team of India has won the I league and the National Football League three times, 16 times the Durand Cup  and IFA shield for almost 22 times. Mohan Bagan has a large support for the team along with the fans who have been supporting Mohan Bagan to the extreme, that they are obsessed about football.

Both the football team play on the field but the entire Bengalis are seen to face this rivalry watching football, not only in the stadium, every street can find clutters watching the match in a tea stall or groups of Bengalis in the television.

Bengali Movies on Football.

Dhanyee Meyer: A movie with fine strikes of humor together describing the football and the madness it carries within the soul of the Bengalis. Rabi Ghosh, one of the best actor of Bengali movies, famous Bollywood actress Jaya Bhaduri and the evergreen Uttam Kumar starring in this movie, outrageous casting of this particular movie is still loved by the Bengalis no matter young or old, specially the song “tumi football”.

Other movies on football are Mohanbaganer meye and Egaro are two of the movies that have shown the passion for football lovers.

Bengalis are diversified when it comes to football but their passion is similar for  a single reason, football. The everlasting war between the two teams has been since years and it will run for years; no matter if you eat prawns instead of Hilsa or vice versa. Bengalis are fish lovers, fish and food can be shared but no one can divert their mind from their admiring team.

Mohan Bagan or East Bengal though they are on field three times a year whenever the rivalry between them is everlasting.

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Controversial footballers – Football has legions of fans across the globe.

A recent ad campaign has really caught our fancy that is #meridusricountry which depicts how love for Football cut across the national boundaries and countries like Argentina and Brazil become as endearing as our when the bugle of FIFA sounds.

India has not excelled in world football but the magnitude of Football frenzy paints another picture.

So what if our country doesn’t play? We love Football all the same. In like manner, the Footballers too become the role models and to tell you, Kolkata loves Maradona as much as Buenos Aires does, his image rose beyond national proportions and he was titled as the ‘Prince of Football’ by the Football fanatic Kolkatans.

But the names of some legendary footballers have lately mired into controversies too but our love for them remained unchanged nonetheless.

Read on below about the Controversial footballers – controversies of some footballers that shook the world:

Controversial footballers –

1 – Luis Suarez:

He has tested huge success from his struggling days at Liverpool Football club and his score card went up a notch when he joined the Spanish giants Barcelona. Suarez adds extra glamour to the game with his skills. However, he recently got embroiled in a controversy when the threw tantrums to not play against Venezuela during the Copa America 2016. This led to his home team having to leave the competition suffering a 1-1 defeat. His temper was so high that he threw his boots on the field too. He is also accused of racism and biting opponents. Beat that!

2 – Mario Balotelli:

Mario Balotelli is otherwise called the ‘super Mario’ who drove Italy to the European championship in the year 2012. During his three years tenure in the Manchester City, Balotelli was known to have been set his house alight, found carrying £5000 cash in his pocket and driving into an Italian woman’s prison to have a look around.

3 – Cristiano Ronaldo:

He is one of the highest paid sports personalities of the world but then his controversies never seem to end. He claimed that the Real Madrid team mates were not of his status and attracted winds of dissent. While Gareth Bale, Pepe and Marcelo absent for injury and Ronaldo was forced off by Karim Benzema to lash out at the team mates, he said “If we were all at my level, maybe we would be leaders.” But he later cleared the air saying he was suggesting about his fitness level.

4 – David De Gea:

He name mired in a sex scandal for being a passive watcher of two women being forced to have sex with two footballers. When there was a probe going on, his name featured as the ‘protected witness’ and an Italian porn producer Ignacio Allende was accused of being masterminding it.

5 – Diego Maradona:

Like being the king of Football, he is the kind of controversy too. While he was on a face-off with Mexico at the World Cup 1986, his famous ‘hand of god’ goal became an object of controversy.    This midfielder was sent to home from the tournament in 1994 as he failed the drug test and stimulant ephedrine was found in his blood sample. He later even engaged in a public fight while playing for Napoli.

These are Controversial footballers – These footballers have been controversy’s favourite child but what’s in great men if they don’t go mad even once?

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Christiano Ronaldo was in Paris last night as the fifth Ballon D’Or of his footballing career was conferred to him at the foot of Eiffel tower. He experienced such gala success and reward nights in Madrid, Malaga, Munich and Cardiff successively and sealed those moments as his. His face was translucent with a gleam of joy holding the golden ball and his smile made our hearts skip a beat. The extra reason to celebrate for Ronaldo was that he beat his arch rival Lionel Messi to the prize and matching his record haul.

Ronaldo is rolling up sleeves for making this achievement seem mundane by pushing his boundaries in the years to come. Ronaldo was spotted posing with his new Nike Boots with ‘Quinto Triunfo’ stitched on it with golden thread which means fifth triumph.

Now, here under are 9 quick pointers you need to know about one of the greatest honours of World Football:

Ballon d’Or is awarded by France Football which was temporarily bought by FIFA but it never owned it.

It was first awarded to Stanley Matthews (1956) and passed on to Alfredo Di Stéfano in the very next year.

The cycle of handling the honour to continent’s best player continued year after year, season after season for a record corresponding fifth time.

It has always been a stiff competition between Ronaldo and Messi in the context of Ballon d’Or because both are equally deserving which begs the question, does Lionel Messi has as many as 5 Ballon d’Ors or Ronaldo has as many as Messi?

Before Messi and Ronaldo winning Ballon d’Or for five staggering times in their football careers, it was Michel Platini (France) who won it for three times in succession, 1983-84-85.

Ballon d’Or is awarded to a footballer as per the judgment of pioneering Football journalists. It was first conceived by sports writer Gabriel Hanot.

The Ballon d’Or award was merged with FIFA World Player Of The Year award between 2000-2015 to create FIFA Ballon d’Or but the agreement was later rebuffed by France Football.

In recent times Kaká (Brazil) won Ballon d’Or in 2007, Fernando Torres (Spain) in 2008, Franck Ribéry (Spain) in 2013, Manuel Neuer (Germany) in 2014, Neymar (Brazil) in 2015, Antoine Griezmann (France)in 2016, Xavi (Spain) (2009,2010,2011), Andrés Iniesta (Spain) in 2010-2012.

The list for Ballon d’Or nominees for this year was rather long which consisted of names like Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Dortmund), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), David de Gea (Manchester United), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Radamel Falcao (Monaco), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Leonardo Bonucci (AC Milan), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Isco (Real Madrid), Edinson Cavani (PSG), Harry Kane (Tottenham), N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Edin Dzeko (Roma) etc.

Here’s congratulating Ronaldo for his grand achievement.

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Cricket as a sport is more than a 100 years old!

However, in the past two decades the gentlemen’s game has shifted its centre of attraction from England and Australia to India. Rightly so, for it finds its biggest audience group in Asia, especially in a billion-plus population of our nation!

As the game has grown by leaps and bounds in past two decades as far as its financials are concerned, so have the controversies surrounding it. Never before in the history of the game has it been maligned so badly, not only in India, but across the world.

The long format of the game, the tests, is dying a slow death anyways and all possible plans to revive it, including the world cup of the tests, lie in a trash! Then comes the one-dayers and again money is doing the big talk here. Instead of involving more and more nations into active competition, International Cricket Council (ICC) is restricting the big tournaments only between the eight major cricket playing nations so that a regular stream of revenue is maintained. Their logic is that a match between a big team and minnows doesn’t get enough eyeballs so there is no point in planning a series! How lame is that idea? If a minor team is not given opportunities, how is it going to grow and learn?

If that is not enough, IPL in India is generating enough amount of news for all the match-fixing and scandals associated with it. Add to it Mr. Lalit Modi’s latest revelation of creating an alternative cricket authority of the world that’ll align itself with the Olympic movement and will only have Tests and T20s associated with it!

So multiple leagues, limited cricket playing nations, host of controversies and everyone eying the same revenue stream! It is like everyone is out there to kill the goose that lay golden eggs!

No doubt cricket is a rich sport even if it is played in just a few countries, but if it is exploited like this, how long will the sport retain its charm? The fans are already getting disillusioned by all the scandals and all the politics surrounding it. That is one reason why other sports like Football, Hockey, Kabaddi etc. are gaining importance and fan base in India! It is good for sports to have fans that love all kinds of games, but if they are losing interest in one sport due to wrongdoings of a few, then it is a sad state of affairs!

It is high time that all the different voices go silent; there should only be one voice, one uniform view about the development of sport and all the parties involved be it the administration, players or fans, work only towards preserving and nurturing the sport that has been entertaining us for a century now!

The post Does Cricket Has A Future Or Is It Dying A Slow Death Due To All The Ongoing Controversies? appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

There is a famous saying these days which says that if you sincerely wish for something, the whole Universe conspires to give it to you. It seems the collective wishes and prayers of a host of sportspersons across all kinds of sports except cricket are being answered right now!

The writing is on the wall!

Cricket is dying, day by day, week after week, year after year and the slide is quite phenomenal!

However, the silver lining is it is dying at the cost of other sports which are taking the space which was single-handedly grabbed by an entertainment giant called Cricket.

But first, let’s share with you some figures about cricket’s slow and steady decline.

Hard Facts!!

Firstly, cricket’s reach in India has declined from 77% in 2010 to 70% in 2014.

If one compares the income distributed by BCCI to players, it has declined from Rs. 49crores in 2012-13 to just Rs. 11 crores in 2013-14! Now that is a huge drop!

So what is happening?

Nothing much, except the fact that fatigue is setting in. In this age of really fast life, people are not finding enough time to sit through an 8-9 hour long One-day match without the crowd-pulling power of some outstanding players. It is a fact that the era which took cricket to its stupendous heights was due to some heavyweights of Indian cricket comprising of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. One by one everyone retired, but the final blow was Sachin’s retirement. A whole generation who got stuck to their TV sets due to maestro’s batting suddenly felt a void and couldn’t relate to his absence. No player has been able to fill the big shoes even though Virat Kohli does look promising. In short, the attraction isn’t that huge now that one gets the tendency to leave everything to just watch a match! Moreover, there are other means of entertainment for quick gratification instead of spending five days or even 8hours on a cricket match when it is not inspiring enough!

Who is winning?

The obvious winners are other sports leagues launched in recent years, including comprising of sports like football, hockey, kabaddi, badminton and tennis. These sports take almost as much time as a T-20 takes so it easily squeezes in the busy schedules. The working population is going for variety and the youth isn’t connecting to cricket the way their elders did almost 20years ago. In a way it is good because the money available to promote sports gets distributed for the development of other neglected sports and sportspersons. Instead of only one sports body getting richer and richer, everyone gets a pie of the action and benefits from it.

The Way Forward..

The only question to be answered is whether BCCI and ICC are in tune with changing realities or living in their cocoon? Globally, only 14 countries play cricket and the sports bodies have plans to cut short the number of teams playing in the next World Cup to only 10. In a scenario when cricket is losing its sheen in the biggest market, India, and no major development is happening to promote the sport in other countries, what is the future of cricket not only in India, but world over?

Till they ponder over it, let’s enjoy our IPL games!

At least they are not going anywhere, anytime soon!

The post Cricket Is Dying In India And So Are The Generated Revenues! appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

Capital One Cup saw English Premier League giants Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspur in the final at Wembley on Sunday.

The José Mourinho-coached team beat their rivals in convincing fashion 2-0 to bring the trophy home.

John Terry lifts the Capital One Cup

Chelsea received astounding reception from Chelsea fans when John Terry and Didier Drogba took the dais to lift the trophy. This was José Mourinho’s first trophy following his second coming at Chelsea.

Mourinho summed up Sunday as the “perfect day” with his team clinching the trophy thanks to a goal from John Terry and an own goal by Tottenham defender Kyle Walker.

Jose Mourinho celebrates Chelsea’s win over Tottenham

This was also the perfect day because Manchester City was beaten at Liverpool. The Chelsea coach told his players to forget about the City’s match and focus the more important task at hand.

“I prepared the players for an impossible mission, which was not knowing the City result – ‘Forget City’,” he told the media later.

The last trophy Mourinho won was in 2012 when his team Real Madrid won the Spanish title. Capital One Cup, on the other hand, was Chelsea’s first since they played against Benfica in the Europa League.

Man of the Match John Terry scored his sixth goal of the season when one of Willian’s free kicks ricocheted off Dier right up to him.

Chelsea captain Terry added later, “It’s the first trophy this season and it is massive. It could be the start of something very good but we have got the league to focus on. I thought we handled the game well and the pressure well. The manager made it clear from the outset we were out to win this competition.”

John Terry scored Chelsea’s first goal in the 45th minute

Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino unveiled his birthday plans claiming he will be at training, as him and his players have to get the defeat out of their system.

Tottenham did try their level best to exhibit their prowess, but it was Chelsea’s glory at the end of the day.

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What if Lionel Messi decides to quit Barcelona? Here’s how the world around him will look or react to…

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Football stars of today, often stick around with their club and try to move on to some ‘bigger’ club in search of fame, stardom and more playing time.

At times, a dispute between the player and the manager is also the reason why the former takes the exit route from the club. But there are some special ones that stay put even in hard times.

These players have grown up in the football club, nurtured and went on to represent their national sides as well.

Italian stalwart and Juventus icon Gianluigi Buffon is set to make his 500th Serie A appearance for the ‘Old Lady’ against Genoa on Wednesday. The Stopper will be wearing a special armband inscribed with the No 500 to mark the landmark match.

Just as ‘Gigi’ Buffon makes a grand entry in the veteran club, we take a look at footballers who have been a driving force at a club for many years.

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United/England)
One of England’s brightest talents and Manchester United’s driving force, Wayne Rooney is a club veteran at the ‘Theatre Of Dreams’. After being handed the armband by current manager Louis Van Gaal, Rooney is looking to take this team forward after last season’s turmoil under David Moyes. Having being signed by Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2004, Rooney has made 313 appearances for the Red Devils with 161.

Ryan Giggs (Manchester United/Wales)
Belonging from the ‘Class of 92’ Welsh winger Ryan Giggs played a marathon of 672 games for Manchester United before hanging up the boots in 2014. Now being handed an assistant role with Van Gaal, ‘Giggsy’ is one of the favourites at Old Trafford. Ryan Giggs was a winger who went on to score 114 goals for the prestigious club.

Raul (Real Madrid/Spain)
Spanish club Real Madrid have attracted some of the top names in the world of football but none better than their own talent, Raul. The Spanish starlet made his debut in 1994 and went onto represent in 550 games for the Los Blancos with 228 goals. The forward then moved on to Germany with Schalke before deciding to hang up his boots in Qatar with local club, Al Sadd.

Xavi (Barcelona/Spain)
Another Spanish club giant that boasts load of talent is Barcelona. One of their own prodigies went on to become a veteran and a national hero – Xavi Hernandez. The creative midfielder has made 479 appearances for the Catalan club and scored 57 goals. With the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta in the squad, Xavi is bound to create history!

Frank Lampard (Chelsea/England)
Even though ‘Lamps’ scored a goal for Manchester City against Chelsea, the midfielder had a muted celebration as a mark of respect for the London club. With 429 appearances and 142 goals, Frank Lampard remains a cult figure at the Stamford Bridge and a fan favourite.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich/Germany)
The World Cup winner, Bastian Schweinsteiger is a club legend. With 322 games and 40 goals, Bastian remains a key figure at the elite club that has blossomed under the managerial system of Pep Guardiola.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
3-time Ballon D’Or winner Lionel Messi in another mention for the ‘veteran’ list. Ever since his debut in 2004, Messi continues to enthral the fans the world over with his skill, artistry on the pitch and suave looks. With 285 matches in the Barca jersey, Messi has amassed 250 goals uptill now and might add some more in the future.

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Footballing world’s answer to the Oscars, Ballon D’Or has released its shortlist of contenders ahead of December’s lavish gala which will be organised by FIFA.

The 23-man list is spearheaded by none other than the reigning winner, Cristiano Ronaldo who played a big part in Real Madrid’s décima last season as well as winning the Spanish League cup.

Moreover, club mate and former Tottenham Hotspurs winger Gareth Bale is the only British player included in the list, as well as archrival Lionel Messi, while five Premier League players find themselves on the elite list with the names of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Angel Di Maria and Yaya Toure also making the cut.

Even as the likes of Messi vs. Ronaldo rivalry take the headline, much of the debate was spent on the omission of Luis Suarez in the list. Not only the Uruguayan but a host of other noted footballers who were ignored from the elite panel of skilled footballers.

Luis Suarez
The controversial striker who had scored 31 goals in 33 League appearances for Liverpool last season has been ignored by FIFA in the race of the Ballon D’Or this year. The current Barcelona forward was an inspiration behind Liverpool’s emergence to fight for the top spot but has FIFA deleted the Uruguay striker for the ‘bite incident’ at the World Cup?

Aaron Ramsey
The Welsh wizard from Arsenal football club – Aaron Ramsey was another absentee from the list of the Ballon D’Or nominees. The Gunners’ midfield maestro was blowing away the EPL last season with some breathtaking goals and assists until an unfortunate injury during a game at West Ham. ‘Rambo’ scored the winner at the FA Cup final this year that ended Arsenal 9-year trophy hunt as well.

Arturo Vidal
Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal is another such player that is not on the list of the prestigious trophy. The Juventus player is rock solid in midfield and his eye catching displays earned him a transfer target from Manchester United.

Koke
Atletico Madrid surprised one and all last season with their triumph in the Spanish League as well as earning a spot in the UEFA Champions League Final. One such player that flourished is none other than Koke who is also a regular in the Spanish national side. Adding Andres Iniesta over Koke was a bit of partiality from the FIFA board, wasn’t it?

Mats Hummels
One of the stars in the World Cup in Brazil was German defender Mats Hummels. The Borussia Dortmund centreback was an influential figure in the heart of defence in their bid to win the major tourney and his eye catching performance attracted suitors in the form of Arsenal and Manchester United amongst many.

The post These 5 Stars Who Were Turned A Blind Eye To By FIFA For The Ballon D’Or appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

In the wake of a disappointing draw with Hull City on Saturday, EPL club Arsenal travel to Belgium to take on the Belgian Champions Anderlecht in their Group D champions League match.

The 2-2 draw on Saturday left many fans depressed and worried for the lack of ambition in the club. But manager Arsene Wenger will look to put all the bad omen behind as the Gunners face a ‘do or die’ moment in Brussels with a must win situation at their hands. ‘Birthday boy’ Arsene has some good news on the injury front with Welsh wizard, Aaron Ramsey, who came off the bench on Saturday, returns to the starting line-up whereas Theo Walcott has returned to full training after a serious injury left him out of action for 9 months.

But the Gunners are still short of numbers as the long list of injuries continued to pile with summer signing David Ospina the latest to join the treatment table. With Wojciech Szczęsny suspended, 22-year-old Emiliano Martinez, will be keeping the posts as rookie stopper makes his Champions League bow. Key defender Laurent Koscielny is still a doubt for the Gunners who are also without the services of Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Mathieu Debuchy, Tomas Rosicky and Abou Diaby. English defender Calum Chambers is available after serving a domestic ban.

Arsenal will be boosted by the fact that Anderlecht have not won in eight Champions League games and Arsene’s men will be looking shoot down the Belgians if they are to finish in the top two slots of the group

Arsenal go into this as ‘favourites’ but there are problems at the back and the central midfield area that could hamper the Gunners’ chances in the upcoming fixtures of the tournament. Even though Arsenal are not upto the standards of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona or a Chelsea; this tie is fairly poised in the London side’s favour with the quality in the squad.

Scoreline – 3-1 to the Arsenal

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Once touted as a giant between the posts, nowadays Iker Casillas spends time reading to high end criticism in the papers. Pressure is mounting on the Spanish and Real Madrid who saw yet another blunder go by when his error helped Slovakia claim a shock 2-1 win in Euro 2016 qualifying on Thursday.

Holders Spain had been looking to continue a renovation process after their failure at the World Cup finals in Brazil, where Casillas was below par. With a number of howlers rising alarmingly match after match, it’s time Iker took a break from the game.

Even though many fans back home in Spain are calling for Iker Casillas’ head, head coach Vincent Del Bosque still backs the beleaguered stopper. “Casillas had saved a good chance from Slovakia in the previous move,” he said. “I could not see clearly from the bench, but the ball seemed to move strangely in the air and Iker was deceived,” said the coach in a press conference after the Slovakia game.

But with many talented goalies waiting in the wings, here’s what Del Bosque could have on his plate instead of the ‘dismal’ Iker Casillas.

David de Gea
After a scintillating performance against Everton last Sunday, Manchester United stopper David de Gea needs a break at the top. The Spanish star made look USA star at the World Cup 2014, Tim Howard a second rated player. In a poll held by the famous Spanish newspaper Marca saw 86 per cent of fans vote for De Gea to be given a chance over Casillas.

Pepe Reina
Even though Reina is second in the list of stoppers amongst the Spanish squad, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper does deserve a chance in the starting eleven. The former Liverpool goalie might not have the same stature and class as Iker Casillas but Reina can be counted upon at during crunch games. Pepe Reina is a very handy keeper during corners and set-pieces and Del Bosque needs to have a look at the bench strength.

Kiko Casilla
Spain is not short on talented goalies and amongst those is Kiko Casilla. The Espanyol stopper might not come across a big personality as compared to his Barcelona and Real Madrid contingent but the 28-year old is talented enough to earn a Spanish cap for his country. Espanyol might not boast stars in the La Liga but Kiko can surely change the image in the coming years.

Adrian
The former Real Betis goalie who swapped for the riches of the English Premier League, Adrian is one of the names that Del Bosque can have a look at. The West Ham stopper started life in the EPL with a scratch but with time, Adrian has improved in the posts for Sam Allardyce’s team.

Andres Fernandez
After spells with Osasuna and Huesca (lower division), Andres Fernandez has moved on to Portuguese league giants, FC Porto. Andres played 115 games for the Spanish league side but has found a new lease of life in Portugal. Hardly any Spanish goalie travels across the borders to join a foreign league (exception – David de Gea) but Andres’ good performance for Porto can have earn him an international call-up.

The post Take A Look At These 5 Spanish Goalkeepers That Are Worth Replacing Iker Casillas In Goal appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

Arsenal Football Club have began their Champions League journey with a loss to German powerhouse, Borussia Dortmund but the North London team will be looking to add points in the tally when they take on Turkish opponents, Galatasaray in the Group D clash at the Emirates.

Arsenal was lucky to lose only 2-0 in Dortmund after being comprehensively outplayed by the Bundesliga outfit and already look strong favourites to top the group.

Even though the Gunners are playing at home, a win here would be a fitting reply to the critics who have doubted the Gunners’ capability of survival in the Champions League. But all is not merry in the Arsenal squad. Manager Arsene Wenger, who celebrates 18 years at the helm, has seen injuries mar the squad. Aaron Ramsey, Abou Diaby, Mikel Arteta, Olivier Giroud are host of players been ruled out.

Creative midfielder, Jack Wilshere was also a doubt after taking a knock against Tottenham on Sunday but has recovered while, right back Mathieu Debuchy remains to be out for three months. But despite the array of injuries in the team, Wenger has options available with Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla to breathe down the opposition’s neck.

Galatasaray, who also began their Champions League journey with a dull draw against Anderlecht, have not been anywhere near as consistent. They have yet to beat an English opposition on away soil and have to rely on the likes of Wesley Sneijder and forward Burak Yilmaz to deliver the goods upfront. They also reached the first knockout round last season but have started the recent campaign in an ordinary fashion.

Arsenal will need to shrug off the pre-EPL result and start afresh against a valiant Turkish opponent in Galatasaray. The Gunners must fire in the goals if they are to progress further but the Turks can string in a surprise, if all goes well for them.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Flamini; Sanchez, Ozil, Cazorla, Welbeck.

Galatasaray: Muslera; Versel, Chedjou, Semih, Telles; Dzemaili, Melo, Selcuk; Sneijder; Burak, Pandev.

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Sports is always fun when playing on the field. But the ones, who play it, have given their lives and soul into it so as to make it to the numero uno spot of success.

Thus there are sports movies which are based on reality that have inspired people across the globe. Like most lists this too will not include some movies that you think deserve to be included. But ultimately, these 10 films are the ones that moved us the most.

Check them out:

Radio (2003)
The 2003- released ‘Radio’ was based on the true story of T. L. Hanna High School football coach Harold Jones and a mentally challenged young man James Effinhimer Robert “Radio” Kennedy whom he took under his wing.

Invincible (2006)
This Mark Wahlberg-starrer was loosely based on the true story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.

Hoosiers (1986)
‘Hoosiers’ was loosely based on a real 1950s Indiana high school basketball team whic deals about a coach with a checkered past and a local drunk training a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship.

Rudy (1993)
Here’s another movie based on a true story of quest of Rudy Ruettiger, who was told he was too small to play college football, to enrol and play at Notre Dame.

Remember the Titans (2000)
Denzel Washington stars in this real-life based true story about a newly appointed African-American coach at a Virginia high school and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit.

The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
This 2005-released movie tells the story of a young 20-year-old golfer Francis Ouimet played by Shia LaBeouf and his victory at the 1913 US Open against his idol, 1900 US Open champion, Englishman Harry Vardon.

We Are Marshall (2006)
Matthew McConaughey stars in this another inspiring film which tells the story of a plane crash that claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team’s new coach and his surviving players who try to keep the football program alive.

Coach Carter (2005)
Based on a true story, ‘Coach Carter’ tells about the a high school basketball coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) who sparks off controversy after benching his entire team for breaking their academic contract with him.

Glory Road (2006)
This movie is loosely based on the true events leading up to the 1966 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament when Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship. The movie stars Josh Lucas and Don Haskins in lead roles.

The Fighter (2010)
Another true life story based the life of Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his brother Dicky Eklund played Christian Bale.

The Hurricane (1999)
Denzel Washington stars in the lead role based on the true-life story of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.

So if you are ‘less’ inspired and down on morale, we suggest you go and watch these above mentioned movies and regain the ‘lost’ confidence!

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