Why Lionel Messi is the Real Deal

• Not just because, in his fledgling career, he's actually lived up to the expectations that goes with every hot, young Argentinian talent - the comparisons with the legendary Maradona



• Not just because he's been the most consistent player for Barcelona last season, when stars like Ronaldinho and Eto'o had injuries, bad form and ego to deal with



• And, of course, not just because he managed carbon copy versions of both, Diego Maradona's goal of the century, as well as the hand of God.

Some Shameless Gloating

The past week has sure been busy and I had a lot of things going on. Academically that is. Although that didn't stop me from blogging, on the other blog.

For those not aware, I had started a football fan blog dedicated to Manchester United: Red Rants. Of course, thanks to Ahmed from Soccerlens for the promotion of the site on his blog the site, although just over a month old now boasts 82 posts. And yes, it crossed the 10,000 views mark yesterday (by the way, that was 10,000 for the day)!

Of Lakshmi Mittal and Football Clubs

I am expecting this piece of news to make it big in the Indian media. Lakshmi Mittal (yeah that steel guy) is apparently linked with a possible takeover of English Premier League football club Birmingham. I remember the frenzy when Baichung Bhutia moved to third division side Bury.

For those who don't follow football that much and have heard only names like Chelsea and Manchester United, Chelsea were a mediocre club before a Russian billionaire bought the club. Now they are a world power in football. He was worth around 9 billion pounds. Mittal is worth double at around 19.25 billion!

Although Mittal's decision to buy the club would be from a purely personal and a business standpoint, expect the media to start talking about how that is going to improve Indian football. Or better, "Does that mean football following is on the rise in India?" Or rather the usual, "Will we qualify for the next World Cup?"

What fun, no? I can't wait for it. (Please TOI, NDTV, Aaj Tak and co. Don't disappoint me!)

EPL - The Biggest Threat to Youtube?

The following post, although stems from football, is very much relevant for any other form of entertainment from video hosting sites like Youtube. I had posted this on Soccerlens, but feel it to be fairly general to be posted here too. One doesn't need to know football to get the point of this post. So read on and share your thoughts at the end of it.

As we all may know by now, the English Premier League is to sue Youtube for what it calls copyright infringement on its content. The EPL has accused Youtube of “knowingly misappropriating” its intellectual property by “encouraging” people to post goal videos and highlights of Premiership games. [source]

It doesn’t end there. The League authorities have filed a ‘class action suit’ asking anyone and everyone whose copyright has been infringed upon, the success of which would mean the shutting down of Youtube (They have also set up a web site for this).

It is understood that the EPL is well within its rights to protect its copyrights and challenge Youtube (which ironically is one of the best promotional vehicles of the EPL), but what the League authorities would do well here is to pause for a while and rethink their strategy.

United Clinch Premiership Title, Spidey disappoints

At long last. After waiting three years it must be said, the result is satisfying to say the least. Chelsea needed to beat Arsenal to stay in the hunt for the league title, but they only managed a draw, after being down to ten men.

So now I will celebrate in the quiet confines of my apartment and get back to regular blogging later.

By the way, Spider-Man 3 is a major let down after the high standards set by its predecessors. The ending fight sequence was reduced to a circus act with public cheering and reporters covering it with inane remarks. Although, I suppose a dubbed Spider Man 3 will do well in the Hindi Heartland. Trust me, it's got plenty of Sunny Deol moments!

Kaka Blows United's Treble Dreams

I fleetingly mentioned United's clinical demolition of Roma in the Champions' League quarterfinal. I wrote a preview to the first leg of the semi final against Milan on Soccerlens. However yesterday, in the second leg of the semi final, was when I saw some past masters of the game systematically take apart a team that had till now played breathtaking football. Kaka, a player that I admire a lot (as long as he is in the colours of Brazil) and company, showed how to keep the ball and play a team that looked terribly sluggish and out of sorts. It was heartbreaking.

I did my share of post-match analysis on Soccerlens. Go ahead and read it. On the subject of soccer and Man Utd, I suggest you read this excellent post by the Decayed Canine. Echoes a lot of similar sentiments about being a Man Utd fan (or even being a fan in general), but written much better than what I could ever manage.

Lionel Messi - Maradona Comparisons Resurface

This is for those football 'fans' who wake up once in four years for the World Cup and lapse into deep football insulation after that. Although it becomes harder to ignore feats such a this [refer Youtube video]. Plenty has been said about Messi's potential to fulfill the prophecies that burden a lot of Argentinian child prodigies - the inevitable comparisons with the great Maradona. As much as it has been difficult for most of the 'prodigies' to live up to such standards, the more I watch Messi, the more I am compelled to believe that he might after all be the real deal. This clip thats in the news these days comes closest to Maradona's famous goal against England. Watch this, as he skins four Getafe players on his way to glory. Notice the low center of gravity as he turns ever so quickly leaving other players dazed, and the acceleration as he runs towards the box. The fact that he's just 19 makes for scary viewing/reading.

Of Sepp Blatter and Indian sport

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has urged India to focus more on football than cricket.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday urged cricket-mad India to embrace football, saying the sport had a great future in the land of one billion people."At present we are working on Vision Asia and our plan for India is big. We are saying 'win in India with India'," Blatter told Reuters in an interview. "We want to wake up the sleeping giant. In the 1960s, the national team was good, but India has probably lost its way."

Treble Dreams Still Alive

It's been a feature of United's performance throughout this season, with all their attacking verve and flair, demolishing teams at will. But to do such a feat in Europe was going to take something special. Today's UEFA Champions' League quarterfinal against Roma was one such example of pure footballing masterclass. A team that was trailing by two goals to one in the first leg, and on the back of a limp defeat to Portsmouth three days ago, such a revival was totally out of the blue. We have seen Arsenal's famed artistry fade away due to their profligacy in front of goal, Chelsea's clinical efficiency overshadowed by their mechanical play. But today was a demonstration of poetry in motion (to borrow a beaten to death cliche) that combined clinical efficiency to a ruthless level.

In the Premiership they are ahead of Chelsea by a slender three points and play lowly Watford in the FA Cup where they could in all certainty meet Chelsea in the final. Highly improbable though it may seem, the heady 'Treble' year of 1999 still come to mind. It's still a long way off. But today's masterful performance was a day to remember and enough to let other teams shudder at the thought of playing United.

In case you have missed Manchester United's 7-1 demolition of AS Roma, here is where you can see the goal videos. [via Soccerlens]