Best Goal Ever Scored: Period

I almost just had to quit blogging...

Earlier today, I set up a hate post on PSG and Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I felt his recent pompousness deserved to be exposed.

But, thank goodness it went unfinished and unpublished, because Ibra decided to light everyone's life up during Sweden's friendly with England by scoring four goals, including an extra-time stunner: hands down the best goal ever scored. Did I mention it was his 100th cap?

Bravo Ibra, bravo. This is the best goal ever scored. If you deny it, you're saying a bike from 35 yards out is anything but the best. That just sounds foolish.

Ibrahimovic: I'm Sick Of You

At first, the hard man attitude of Zlatan Ibrahimovic was alluring. A tough guy backing up his tough talk through gritty performances usually is. His prolific scoring record and affinity to win titles - currently nine in a row - speaks volumes about his talents as a footballer, regardless of an inflated ego. However, I'm getting sick of his over-the-top arrogance. As Ibra has gotten old, so has his antics on and off the field. Lets review some history:

Incredible efforts at Ajax garnered the attention of many leading clubs around Europe. Hilarious interviews after matches endeared fans to the tall Swede's tough, yet playful style:

The cool-talking Ibrahimovic was a delight at this point of his career. Seeing a player sensibly spar with a prying journalist is always enthralling.

At Juventus, Ibra rose to stardom. His flicks, tricks and flashy goals drew the attention of the world audience. Moreover, he arrived in a top league and immediately made an impact, scoring 16 goals while leading the Old Lady yet another title. Check out the scope of his dope skills during one of Nike's Joga Bonito clips prior to World Cup 2006:

That had to be Dubble Bubble! Ibra's tenure at Juve was cut short due to the Calciopoli scandals, which lead to his move to Inter.

In the Serie A post-Juve fallout, Inter was evil. They were essentially the Yankees of Calcio, scooping up every serious star in the wake of the scandals, one being Ibra. His dominance continued at Inter, winning three titles and securing Capocannoniere honors - top scorer in Serie A - in his final year.

Ibra silences San Siro boo boys and lets them know to shut up

Towards the end of his tenure at Inter, tempers began to flare. Though goals like these brought fans to their feet, but Ibra's inability to make an impact in games of importance angered fans. On this unsteady ground, Zlatan's hard man from Malmo act made matters much worse. As seen in the picture above, there were several instances where Zlatan threw dissent right back in their faces. No love was lost when the striker flew the coop for Barcelona in exchange for Eto'o.

Barcelona probably could have done without the services of Ibrahimovic. Even after a strong start, it was evident the striker did not fit into Pep Guardiola's system. After the fact, we have learned (through Ibra's biography) about severe problems Ibra had in the locker room. He seemed like the bad kid in school who always acted up in class. To him, Guardiola was not in control, while no one questioned Messi or Xavi. To Barca, he was polluting a good ecosystem. For a person with this sort of ego, I am sure authoritarian problems hit hard. The result: a summer move back to Italy with city rivals AC Milan.

Fortifying his complete lack of care for Inter, Ibra traded over to city rivals AC Milan a year after departing the Nerazzurri. In Italy, this is a serious dis to fans. This move dovetailed into the Swede's current over-the-top arrogance. He was always kind of a jerk, but while in Rossoneri, he has never failed to anger me. His track record:

Constant red cards jeopardized Milan's title winning efforts towards the end of last year.

Fighting to the death with American man-machine Oguchi Onyewu.

An infamous kick on a teammate during training:



Another kick, this time on Antonio Cassano, after winning the Scudetto:


A well placed slap against a Napoli player last month put him in the doghouse.

A temper-tantrum post Champions League progression vs. Arsenal.

And most recently, a spat with a reporter resulted in Ibra asking her "What the F*ck are you looking at??" followed by a headband throw:


What is wrong with this guy? Have years of success made his ego boil over? Maybe it's because he looks like Zorro right now? I used to admire the hard man attitude, but as of late, it just seems excessive.

To conclude this rant, I offer you a hilarious video dissecting Ibrahimovic's attitude via the Barcelona tensions with Pep Guardiola:




Photo/Video Credits:
world-football-report.blogspot.com
blogs.reuters.com
Youtube

Auguri Milan

It's official: AC Milan have won the Scudetto. With two games left to spare, a scoreless draw with Roma at Olimpico was enough for the Rossoneri to win the Serie A. This marks Milan's 18th title and first since 2004. How it happened:

Excellent transfer windows
I can't remember the last time I saw a team build up their ranks with such precision as Milan did over the summer and winter transfer windows. The unbelievable consideration for the club's needs, both in and out of the starting lineup, was proof of some smart football minds in the back office; VP Adriano Galliani in particular, and head coach Massimiliano Allegri. Saying this team has depth is pretty much an understatement.

Who they got
It started with the loan signing of Kevin-Prince Boateng in August 2010. The high energy midfielder became a staple of the team's up-tempo passing and moving. He immediately made an impact at the beginning of the season and ended up a priceless starter, eventually winning a permanent move which will be signed when this summer transfer window opens.

The next moves made by Galliani were sensational and pulled off a mere 2 days before the window closed. The signings of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho made Milan immediate Scudetto favorites and rightfully so.

Ibra had a topsy-turvy campaign in which he showed a petulant super-star attitude (not really new for him), acquiring a few red cards and consequent suspensions; but nonetheless the towering Swede notched 14 goals and was a constant threat in attack. He particularly gelled with fellow summer signings Boateng and Robinho. And remarkably, Ibrahimovic has been crowned a champion eight years in a row (3 with Juve, 3 with Inter, 1 with Barca, 1 with Milan). Everything he touches literally turns into silverware.

Now on to Robinho...some of you may recall my feelings on Robinho - I usually call him "the little baby Robinho" for crying his way out of top teams in world football. But as far as this season goes, Robinho was far from the crying toddler we once knew. The talented Brazilian got the job done. He was fantastic all year and acted as the true playmaker we know he can be. I would even venture to say he is the most valuable player in the side. No joke people!

Man love between Milan's top three signings

After seeing the stellar end to the summer in terms of signings, I didn't think Milan would go for fresh faces in January, but again, Galliani and Allegri had grander plans and some money to play with. They took advantage of Antonio Cassano's huge embarrassing fallout with Sampdoria President Riccardo Garrone and acquired him for a mere €5m Euro. Cassano's addition to the side meant added depth and relief for a Milan midfield that saw Andrea Pirlo in the treatment room more often than not throughout the season.

Mark Van Bommel was also a critical mid-season signing for the Rossoneri. He helped fill the hard-man, defensive minded midfield role left by the decline of Gennaro Gattuso and numerous injuries (and general decline) of Massimo Ambrosini. Van Bommel fit really well into Allegri's game plan and pulled many of the strings starting the attack.

The monetary assault Galliani surmised on the transfer markets, paired with Allegri's interpretation of the club's needs, clearly paid dividends. These precise buys gave Allegri the freedom and ability to best create his starting 11 in a way that would match up well with the opposing team all throughout the season. That must have been nice!

Consistency
The true pedigree of a champion is in its ability to consistently get results throughout the season, winning and not losing. Milan did this to the utmost. After week 9, the Rossoneri really didn't look back, losing only twice more until capturing the title on Saturday evening.

The Milan attack was wonderful. If passing and moving is a fabric of the game, then Milan are the sweater that was knitted from this fabric. They seriously passed around their opponents and ran hard. They were pretty much the Serie A's Barcelona. Robinho ran play in the Trequarista position year round, feeding his friends and often reeling towards the sidelines after netting. Ibra scored. As usual. And contributions from player's like Alexandre Pato, who was mainly an off the bench player, were priceless.

One aspect of the Milan squad I'd like to highlight in terms of consistency is the club's defense. All year long, the Milan back-line remained stalwart. The team only gave up 23 goals throughout the season (to date), which is an incredible statistic. Who would have thought we would be saying this after club legend Paolo Maldini hung up his boots in 2009? Again, Galliani pulled off quite the feat in building a defense that would lead to their championship. The signing of Thiago Silva a few years ago was massive. He is Milan's rock. Props must also go to Daniele Bonera, Luca Antonini, Ignazio Abate, and Gianluca Zambrotta for holding it down. And we must not forget Christian Abbiati, who I consider the most underrated keeper in Italy. He is the best active Italian keeper at the moment - hands down - and had a very assured year between the pipes.

Key games
Another indicator of a true champion is how it manages big games. Milan did well. Very well. Their only two real rivals for the title this year were Inter and Napoli and they handled them with ease, going 4-0 against the pair. There were even tense "Scudetto matches," pitting Milan against 2nd place rivals who were in reaching distance, of which they beat Napoli handily a month ago, ending their Scudetto hope, and absolutely smashed Inter 3-0 in a pulsating second Derby della Madonnina, which pretty much ended anything positive from the Nerazzurri camp.

Massimiliano Allegri
At the tender age of 43, Allegri is a champion. His rise to the pinnacle began in the Serie C1 in 2007, taking him to Cagliari the following year, and finally Milan at the beginning of this past summer. Talk about leaps and bounds. His ascendance is an indicator of his smart footballing mind. He may not have the most experience, but he did a damn fine job steering the Rossoneri to the top. His tactical approach to games and knowledge of the capabilities of his squad were truly championship worthy. Well done sir.

Allegri barking out orders or yawning

In conclusion
Inter did not win this year. INTER DID NOT WIN THIS YEAR. In lieu of this information I would say it was a decent year in the Serie A.

Auguri Milan - Camponi D'Italia 2011. Oh and Sempre Forza Roma.

Fantastic Strikes!

It seems this weekend was ripe with blockbuster goals! I thought it would be prudent to share with you a few which I found particularly fantastic:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - AC Milan vs. Lecce

Another unbelievable strike by Ibra. Make no mistake, this man was not hitting and hoping. The talented Swede took a quick glance over his shoulder while taking the ball down in stride (amazing) to see Lecce's goalkeeper Antonio Rosati off his line. The result - a ridiculously casual finish. Incredible!

Alberto Aquilani - Juventus vs. Bari

The former Roma dangerman and Liverpool loanee can still hammer them in dramtically! Aquilani saved the Bianconeri further Serie A embarrassment by hitting a 'Gerrardesque' goal late on to give the Old Lady (what a horrible nickname) the win. Bravo Alberto!

Cani - Villarreal vs. Osasuna

Cani's wonderful midfield strike is surely a candidate for European goal of the season. Goals from the halfway line are always special, but Cani's effort that sealed a 2-1 victory for the Yellow Submarine (what an awesome nickname) was truly spectacular. This was hardly a floater - it was drilled in from deep! Cani's supreme awareness spotted the keeper out and his ability made a hero of him.

Carlos Tevez - Manchester City vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Carlos Tevez's wonderful solo effort versus four Wolves defenders and the keeper (55 seconds into the video) shows his wonderful control with the ball at his feet. A nice brace for the Argentinian in his first game with new strike-partner Edin Dzeko.

Andres Iniesta - Barcelona vs. Malaga

Last week's Ballon d'Or failure didn't stop Andres Iniesta from scoring a splendid goal! This man certainly has a flair for delicately placed shots, and this goal is evidence of it. Iniesta's supreme one-time control of Dani Alves' pass from outside the 18 was brilliant, as the Spaniard kissed the post with his well-placed shot. Very nice.

Roberto Carlos - Corinthians vs. Portuguesa

And last but certainly not least, a throwback from the past: a breathtaking Roberto Carlos set-piece! Watch as the wiley old Brazilian tricks the goalkeeper on a corner kick with yet another special 'other-ways bend' goal. Carlos still has the beautiful swerve that made him a star for club and country.

Any goals of note that I missed from this weekend? As always, let me know your favorite out of the bunch.