Spotlight on La Primera Liga

Fluid. Freeflowing. Creative. Silky. All these adjectives describe the pretty play of La Primera Liga of Spain. It's no wonder that league is the dream job of so many football players from around the world. It inspires images of warm sun, green grass, rabid fans, and an opportunity to play against the best of the best. Some argue that the best league in the world is the English Premier League - especially the English. But when a player who is peaking in his talent whether he be 22 or 28 years old and is looking to warmer climates and less "physical" play - Spain is the destination. The player of the last few years there is Lionel Messi - or Leo. He was voted World Player of the Year last year and has scored 25 goals in 29 games played this season for his team - Barcelona. The Argentina plays the role of attacking midfielder with relish. For a sample, press play below to see his latest hat trick only a week ago... Leo exemplifies what La Liga is all about: making runs, on target passing, quick feet, exemplary technique, and ending it all with an attractive goal. There is in La Liga, an exciting title race - as in the EPL. Barcelona is currently in second place with 74 points and a 53 goal differential. Their competition currently sits first with 74 points and a 55 goal differential. That team is... Real Madrid. Real Madrid- once called the Team of the World because everyone (even those Stateside) knew who they were - once they had players like Beckham and Zidane in their ranks. After a disappointing last five seasons, they have begun rebuilding themselves (or re-buying) again into The Galacticos - the Big Stars. This last summer they purchased players for world recording breaking salaries. One of the most expensive, Christian Ronaldo was purchased from EPL team Manchester United for a paltry $80 million. Many criticized them for trying to buy greatness, and they were ousted unceremoniously from the Champions League in the last round. Yet, they are sitting top of their league with an all important two goal lead on Barca. Their top scorer is Gonzalo Higuain, another attacking midfielder. He currently has scored 23 goals out of 29 games.
Of course, our Arsenal are playing Barcelona (in case any of you have been living under a rock and did not know this) on Wednesday at 1:45 PM CST. It is being replayed later in the evening on ESPN2 a channel that is included in basic cable packages. I encourage you to watch the game, not only to cheer on your Gunners, but to take a peek at the Spanish League "type of play". You might find it does not differ much from the play of our mighty Arsenal. Oh...and if you happen to have a good cable package, the last few games of the Spanish "futbol" season would definitely be worth viewing. Either way, I will be keeping you posted on the race for first place. Have a good one and see you tomorrow!