Awards All Around!

Los Blancos really cleaned up at FIFA’s The Best Awards again this year! The ceremony took place in London.

Monday Training, Ballon d’Or Noms & Club World Cup

The team got back to work today (and I’m getting back into it too).  The big news was that Toni Kroos rejoined the group.

Ready For Espanyol & More

The team held their final session before welcoming Espanyol (and El Pirata!) to the Bernabeu tomorrow.

Marta > Neymar

This is Bernardo. He recently switched his footballing allegiance from Neymar to Marta in a most emphatic way.

UPDATED: Ballon D’os & Ballon D’ont’s

Embed from Getty Images

I gotta say absolutely everything today, including the Ballon D’Or, paled in comparison to the loss of David Bowie, an icon and a true pioneer who affected my life on every level. 

Prepping For Cádiz And List Action

The team held a recovery session and prepared for their first Copa Del Rey match vs. Cádiz on Wednesday.

Today’s Training At AAMI Park & More

Oooh, artsy!

The team trained again today at AAMI Park in preparation for the Saturday’s match vs. AS Roma.

2015 Women’s World Cup: The Case of Marta, Women’s Football, and Financial (Mis)Fortunes

View image | gettyimages.com

We all know there is a massive disparity between the money available for women’s football vs men’s football. The Atlantic writer Gwendolyn Oxenham recently published a fantastic article contrasting the fortunes–financial and otherwise–of Brazilian football stars Marta and Neymar. As Oxenham subtitles the article, “One of the nation’s best players makes $15 million a year. The other can’t find a team to sign her.” A tale of woe all too familiar for female footballers the world over.

Buoyancy for the Win

Apparently there is a secret weapon at work in the backroom for us thanks to amputee and ex-Liverpool player Terry Nelson. Nelson has developed a buoyancy running suit which allows players to train in the water when land training isn’t possible. Apparently Crispy has used the suit (of course he has) to help with his injuries. Of more interest to me though, is how Nelson came to develop his aqua “running man” suit.

Match Recap: Real Madrid Vs. Barcelona

400 million. That is the estimated number being reported as the viewership for this Clasico. Amazing, no? Want to know what I find really amazing? Neither Pepe nor Ramos logged a single foul in this game. NOT. A. ONE. In a Clasico. All hail the gods for such blessings. I count this statistic as a double win for Los Blancos. I may actually be more proud of this than the actual win. Only just a little though.