Fútbolita

Look, even David Albelda can’t help himself from smiling for the cameras! And you can’t really blame him, after Los Che battled back from a goal down to win this away match against Athletic Bilbao last night. Goals by Villa and Mathieu cancelled out 16-year-old Iker Munain’s strike (the young striker is a cross between the Pique and Torres breed, in case you were curious and even if you were, shame on you for checking out jailbaits).

Also, Queridos futbolitas, everyone loves The Villa at Valencia, so if all goes as planned, he’s all set to be a One Club man ala Raul The Great One. Ignore the calls from distant lands, tipo! We can’t imagine him elsewhere. The only image in our minds of Villa is the exact same one portrayed in that photo above…. where he’s smiling blissfully in a sea of sunflowers.

Roma wins Il Derby Capitolino

We thought Juventus’s Chiellini was the real Phantom of the Opera, but damn, De Rossi has the moves to pull it off! Anyway, Roma’s fans will definitely be celebrating their victory over their fiercest rivals, Lazio in the city today. Their ultras went berserk again – letting off firecrackers and fighting in the stands, but like the Messiah (below), they all wanted to see the Opera.

Nevermind that – Marco Cassetti’s only goal was enough to secure all 3 points for Totti’s side. Even he couldn’t help himself during the celebrations by taking off his shirt – but Cassetti went one step further by knocking down the advertising billboards. Dude, ti credi di essere cool? (dude, you think you’re cool?!)

Oooh, what a way to start the season… by winning the Supercopa! Aplausos, por favor! Yet another brilliant show from Los Cules after they pulled off this convincing 3-0 win over Bilbao last night. The Messiah scored twice and your best friend Bobojan netted in the third! Ibracadabra had a few chances but give him time and maybe he won’t fall for the curse of Luca Toni. Ya’ll better pray!

As usual, Pep couldn’t help but throw a few jokes at the post match press conference. “It is the fifth (title) because I won the promotion with Barcelona B,” he said before adding seriously : “We do not intend to win three titles, just the next one. The team has been good, moved well and created chances. I congratulate them on the first title of the season.”

Athletic Bilbao were handed a 4-1 thrashing at the expense of Barca last week – but their fans love them all the same. More than 8,000 of them lined the streets for a glimpse of their heroes upon their return from the Copa del Ray final. And certainly, this is the true spirit of fútbol! Supporting your team no matter what!

To get an idea of how the atmosphere was like, watch the clip below.

And it’s Celebrations Galore today for Barcelona! The Copa Del Ray winners literally crushed Bilbao 4-1 last night in front of their fans at the Mestella, thanks to splendid goals from Toure, Messi, Bobojan and Xavi. In case you didn’t catch the game, there are extensive highlights below and of course, the fotos.

Barca are now one step closer to a historic treble – a feat that no other Spanish team has achieved. And if they emerge overall European Champions and defeat ForeignChester United’s later this month, they’ll certainly make it into the history books.

“You never know how the team will respond going down so early in a final against an opponent who are so clearly up for it, but I have a fantastic and extraordinary squad and I congratulate everyone, not just a player,” said Pep after the game.

“We are very happy and I am especially pleased because the team has shown the willingness to put in the hard work needed to be successful, not just on the field but also on the training ground before and after hard games.”

Oh, how we love the laidback tipos in football! Pep Guardiola, who is in desperate need of a trim (but looks bien anyway) has declared that he is not losing sleep over tonight’s Copa Del Ray final against Athletic Bilbao.

“The tension will be on Wednesday at 2130, when we start to warm up. Now, we’re relaxed,” he said.

“I prefer to be calm, eat well, rest at home with my people and beloved ladies. And (on Wednesday), I will focus on this final with utmost intensity,” he added.

Of course, Pep highlighted the major differences between both teams, especially Barca’s impossibly tight schedules as opposed to Bilbao’s.

“They have lived three months for this game but we have not been able to. Yesterday, 18,000 people were at our training, today we only had one closed session, but that’s that,” he said.