The greatest ever... that could'nt last...

 If football is played the way it's played nowadays, it's thanks to the great players from the past. In the recent past, no players influenced the game more than Brazilian Ronaldos : first, Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima alias Ronaldo and then, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira also known as Ronaldinho.

Ronaldo revolutionized the way striker plays, being the idol and model of today's famous strikers : Zlatan, Benzema, etc.
The other Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, brought technique to another level : Creative, decisive, powerful, fast, quick and absolutely unpredictable, he ruled the football world in a flashy way.

The 2 Ronaldos have something else in common, they could not last... They were they greatest player ever for short period of time : Ronaldo during his Barca & Inter era and Ronaldinho always was a great player but he was the greatest during his spell at Barcelona (2003-2008) where his exploits of the week-ends were the topics of the mondays...

Too bad injuries and an unhealthy lifestyle (girls, junk-food, girls, parties and girls) changed their fit body to look like couch potatoes, killing their explosiveness, speed and thus part of what they could do.

Here is an exciting sample of Ronaldinho's art : humiliating the world greatest players.

How to save Arsenal?

Dominique

Whereas the major PL powerhouses added new players to their roster this summer (ManUtd, City, Chelsea & Tottenham), Wenger and Arsenal refused to enter this money spending craze, not convinced that the potential recruits might help them more than the current players at their disposal.

After this shameful defeat against Aston Villa opening the season, it's time for a change and put an end to this idealistic approach of the transfer period.

What do the Gunners need?

Fans, media & FIFA addicts crave for forwards, especially goalscorers. Thus, their expectations of signing Higuain, Suarez or Rooney is not surprising, neither is their discontent when Wenger refuses to pay the hefty price for these crowd favorites.
Yet, this team was not the PL winner with deadly striker Robin Van Persie and won't be with Suarez or Rooney because the major problem of the team relies elsewhere.

If we take a closer look at Arsenal playing style, it's clear that they like to play high on the pitch with offensive wingbacks going forward with the utopian hope to deliver a proper pass to create an assist. They are also in charge of trying to outnumber the defense and corner the opponent in front of his goals to make it easier to recover the ball. (This strategy was also very obvious in Guardiola's Barcelona, with pressing and agressive forwards/attacking midfields)

2013-2014 Rookie of the year thee shall be... or not !

Dominique

Every expert agrees : this 2013 NBA Draft will be remembered as one of the weakest of the decade.
Yet, against all odds, some players might still illuminate the stage and surprise everybody by exceeding the quite low expectations.

Who can be Rookie of the year material and on the verge of a great career?

THE FRONT-RUNNERS

Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic) Shooting Guard

Why ? Oladipo is lucky to join a team without any dominant offensive player. Other than Harris, no one seems talented enough to be a major scoring threat. Oladipo will have opportunities to shine, especially because he might play PG & SG and often have the ball in his hands. What is more, he seems to have this incredible work ethic that great players have and that will make him improve on a daily basis.

Why Not ? The Magic want to play him PG as well as SG. Westbrook and Wade, two physically similar players, also started their NBA career as PG after years of playing combo guard pre-NBA. Westbrook remained PG but Wade really became great once he switched to SG. Oladipo first season with the ball in his hands might be difficult but it's a bet for the future.
Even if he cumulates bad choices and turnovers, he will improve his ballhandling to become something in the mold of  a new Andre Iguodala. But not for now...

Trey Burke (Utah Jazz) Point Guard

Why ? Just like Oladipo, he will have the keys to the building. Being a starting PG with little competition, he should be able to produce great stats, condicio sine qua non for the ROY award. Burke just needs to play like he used to at Michigan to take the trophy. In charge of giving the ball to a young yet promising frontcourt, the more they will produce inside the better it will be for Burke, a scoring point guard. Hayward, Favors and Kanter might  be decisive for the attribution of the ROY.

Why Not ? During the summer league, he was awful. He even had to remain on the bench to be taught how to play by watching an ersatz of NBA level...
Small, not really fast, quick and powerful, he might get crushed by the great athletes of the league in particular because he is a scoring point guard who creates his own scoring opportunities. His adaptation might be brutal. 

Spiderman plays streetball, but what about Ironman & Batman?

Dominique

This summer you have probably seen the Professor killing it on streetball courts dressed as Spiderman, making fun of poor opposition with crazy handles while playing in superhero outfit. 

Inspired by this funny mix of superhero and basketball, a Taïwanese streetballer decided to make his own version : paying tribute to Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne as Ironman & Batman.

Here is the spiderman : 

Here comes the Ironman :

And last but not least, the Dark Knight:

What about The Hulk? It might be harder though, no sneakers allowed with this outfit...

HATEM AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Dominique

Ramadan is over. 

Finally. 

Many suffered but they will all tell you that these efforts were not pointless.

Yet, some either cheated by eating in secret or went too far with cakes and candies at dinner time...  

Hatem Ben Arfa, the greatest French dribbling talent since... nobody (his ability to dribble past players has no (and never had) equivalent in France), paid tribute to the newly retired Ronaldinho by woking on his body this summer to complete the impersonation.

In this gluttonous quest to look like the most exciting player ever, he had to follow a very tough diet: Häagen-Dazs, Potato Chips, Zlabia, self-serve buffet and other oral delights...

Too bad he forgot to develop his career and build a legacy before thinking about his way out...

When hope ends... comes dessert time. The greatest French talent still in activity just shot himself in the foot, or rather in the tummy...