The Rise and Fall of Soccer Heroes at the Champions League
Reds and blues will clash again just as Chelsea and Liverpool battle out each other in the Champions League this week. Between the twos first few encounters, Liverpool appears to enjoy the upper hand with Jose Mourinho in town, but the team is not letting its guard down. It saw Chelsea manager Avram Grants strategic genius outshine Liverpools Rafa Benitez last season. Grant was able to devise a play that gave John Terry a shot at the goal. The only hang-up though was the execution. Chelsean skipper John Terry slipped as he delivered a penalty kick, blowing his teams chance of winning the Champions League. Terrys notorious slip at Moscow has left fans wondering whether his soccer equipment had anything at all to do with it.
One of the great things about soccer is that new heroes emerge every season and sometimes a new name can appear overnight. It is fair there was no Manchester United fan in Old Trafford on Sunday with the name of Macheda on the back of their replica soccer jersey but dont be surprised if one or two Manchester United soccer kits have the Italians name and number soon. The youngsters injury time winner gave United their first win in three league games and sent the Red Devils back to the top of the league and ready to face FC Porto in the Champions League. Porto famously shocked United at Old Trafford on their way to Champions League glory and there will be a few United fans who cant see the famous blue and white stripes soccer jersey without shuddering at their late dismissal in that years tournament.
European soccer was at its finest in the match between super powers Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Both teams snagged goals during the last stretch of the tournament " a close fight which fans would forever remember with nostalgia and pride. Today, Barcelona has kept its pace with the contemporary strong players, but Bayern Munich has lagged behind. If you compare yesterday and today, the current Bayern Munich is not even close to the team that it was in the 1970s and the 1990s, Something remains from this squareoff for glory though: the degree of respect and admiration which the soccer kits of these old super power teams commands from traditional soccer aficionados across the globe.
These two teams may have Champions League glory to look back on but the remaining tie features two clubs who have never won the big trophy in Europe. Arsenal and Villarreal have a bit of history as they clashed in a Champions League semi-final, which saw Arsenal sneak through to the final. Villarreal have a few ex Arsenal players in their squad and Arsenal will be heavily reliant on Spains Cesc Fabregas to escort them through against the Yellow Submarine, so called because of their distinctive yellow soccer kit.
With the second leg of the biggest club event in soccer just around the corner, expect the temperature to rise even more. Put on your choice of replica soccer uniforms, dig out your scarf, and join the multitude of die-hard soccer fans in the prayer that your favourite team will make it to Rome this May.
