Global Football Odds & Ends

Senator Donut

post-Domer
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Apr 21, 2010
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Teams can put up with an awful lot of shit from talented players. Maybe this is a different situation since he was putting his money where his disdain for his teammates lives. We'll see.
He wagered against his loan clubs, but never against Brentford, so I don’t think it’s a huge locker room issue, as he’s never wavered against his current teammates.

That being said, the punishment almost seems light, as Toney crossed some pretty clear red lines: betting against his own club, and betting using inside information. It was interested to see that The FA offered some leniency because Toney was an addicted gambler.
 

Kliq

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I know that there are far, far, worse people in the world, but its an interesting study in greed to see Ronaldo and likely Messi, two people with unfathomable fame and enormous wealth, willing to sell out to play in a vanity project in front of empty stands just for some more enormous wealth.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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Lots of noise in Argentine press about Messi signing a 1.2 billion euro, 2 year contract with Al Hilal.
Move over Nate Newton, the sports world has a new kingpin.

View: https://twitter.com/DeadlineDayLive/status/1663591111665893377
Ok, so reading these two stories together, Messi will earn enough in two years of soccer to be able to afford 20,800 kilos of cocaine.

I know he's already incredibly wealthy, but I'm not sure how or why anyone would turn down 600 million euros per year. That is an insane amount of money.
 

Boston Brawler

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I know that there are far, far, worse people in the world, but its an interesting study in greed to see Ronaldo and likely Messi, two people with unfathomable fame and enormous wealth, willing to sell out to play in a vanity project in front of empty stands just for some more enormous wealth.
I mean, you’re able to secure easy life for multiple generations of your family. Like you said, interesting study, but how can you pass that deal up?
 

Kliq

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I mean, you’re able to secure easy life for multiple generations of your family. Like you said, interesting study, but how can you pass that deal up?
I don't know man. Maybe it's easy for me to say, but if I was already close to being a billionaire, I wouldn't be tempted to go be a mascot for a sportswashing regime just to make a lot more money.

People like Messi and Ronaldo already have wealth to secure easy life for multiple generations of their family. They simply want more of it.
 

Boston Brawler

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I don't know man. Maybe it's easy for me to say, but if I was already close to being a billionaire, I wouldn't be tempted to go be a mascot for a sportswashing regime just to make a lot more money.

People like Messi and Ronaldo already have wealth to secure easy life for multiple generations of their family. They simply want more of it.
well yes they already have insane net worth, but this deal essentially pays him his current net worth as his salary each year. He’s estimated to be worth 600m.

The Saudis are dirty, I agree 100%. But a billion dollars is a billion dollars.
 

Vinho Tinto

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The Saudis are dirty, I agree 100%. But a billion dollars is a billion dollars.
And they also now have a positive relationship with one of the most powerful people (MBS) and governments (KSA) in the world.

It's disappointing, but these particular players have very different world views than we do. Just look at how often Messi and Ronaldo have made appearances there over the years. Or how many current and retired athletes appear at sporting events held in KSA. It's stunning when someone turns them down.
 

Kliq

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well yes they already have insane net worth, but this deal essentially pays him his current net worth as his salary each year. He’s estimated to be worth 600m.

The Saudis are dirty, I agree 100%. But a billion dollars is a billion dollars.
I get that it's a lot of money, that's why I'm interested in it as a study in greed. Because like I said, these guys are already unfathomably wealthy and the logical answer to "How can they say no?" is "They already have way more money than they, or anyone in their family, will ever need." In a lot of ways, it's a larger example of the PGA Pros going to play LIV Golf. Perhaps Messi and Ronaldo have plans for what they are going to do with a billion dollars that they can't do with all their wealth at the moment...maybe Messi is going to give it all to Barcelona to get them out of debt, but it's still greed.

There is also something so soul-less about it. This is certainly the most lucrative end-of-career option for Ronaldo, and possibly Messi, but it's playing in a league that has attendances often in the triple digits, that nobody cares about. When you think about end-of-career options for Messi, like rolling back to Barcelona with a team friendly deal, or going to play in Argentina where he will be a god, it's a shame to think of him playing anonymously in the desert.
 

biff_hardbody

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Apr 27, 2016
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I think you're underestimating how much more $1.8B is than $600M. And I don't want to sound flippant, but $600M is not really "easy life" generational wealth for an entire family. It's a lot but who knows how economies will change; maybe there's a spaceship that will take you off-planet to live once the climate makes this one unlivable, and it costs $1B to get on. We're not talking about the difference between $180B and $182B here.
 

InstaFace

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I know that there are far, far, worse people in the world, but its an interesting study in greed to see Ronaldo and likely Messi, two people with unfathomable fame and enormous wealth, willing to sell out to play in a vanity project in front of empty stands just for some more enormous wealth.
There ain't one of us here who wouldn't sell 2 years of our professional lives for $1.2 Billion-with-a-B. Shit, that's true for all but a few thousand people on earth. I mean, those numbers probably equal what Messi has earned in his career to date, endorsements and all. He's probably thinking about the people back in Rosario he could help, or how else he could change the world with that kind of money at his disposal. And all he has to do is continue playing football. For a club that's made the Club World Cup twice in the past 4 years, not some total clownshow of a club.

I'll tell you this, Inter Miami would be at least two zeroes short on that particular offer.

Oh, and empty stands? They averaged a full 2,133 attendance per game this season! OK jokes aside, I imagine what's motivating this is that Al-Hilal is a PSG-like hegemon of the Saudi league, following up on 3 straight titles and 5 of the last 6, and they dropped to 3rd this season, so clearly this aggression can't stand, man. It does seem a little pathetic that these sheikhs have more money than all but a handful of countries on earth have GDP, and what they spend it on is a dick-measuring contest that nobody even cares about. Like, say what you will about Man City and PSG, at least that's some legitimate prestige there.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Maybe Messi's dream is to own an F1 team. Or his own football team.

It's hard to fathom, but there are dreams that people who are worth $500 million cannot have that people worth over a billion can have. Maybe he has those dreams. I think it's gross and disappointing, but I certainly understand it.
 

InstaFace

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I get that it's a lot of money, that's why I'm interested in it as a study in greed. Because like I said, these guys are already unfathomably wealthy and the logical answer to "How can they say no?" is "They already have way more money than they, or anyone in their family, will ever need." In a lot of ways, it's a larger example of the PGA Pros going to play LIV Golf. Perhaps Messi and Ronaldo have plans for what they are going to do with a billion dollars that they can't do with all their wealth at the moment...maybe Messi is going to give it all to Barcelona to get them out of debt, but it's still greed.

There is also something so soul-less about it. This is certainly the most lucrative end-of-career option for Ronaldo, and possibly Messi, but it's playing in a league that has attendances often in the triple digits, that nobody cares about. When you think about end-of-career options for Messi, like rolling back to Barcelona with a team friendly deal, or going to play in Argentina where he will be a god, it's a shame to think of him playing anonymously in the desert.
OK, I see where you're at now.

So, I think getting inside the head of someone who's that far off the deep end of the career-earnings bell curve is challenging but useful, especially given the extent to which such people shape our world. You've got a few archetypes, including but not limited to:

1. Ultra-competitive type-A: Careers are a game, and you keep score with money. The satisfaction I get comes from being higher than others in a pecking order, being able to look down on them. My salary is my worth relative to others, and thus it's a measure of respect. I need maximum money at all times or I am clearly not respected enough. Tom Brady. Or Pedro Martinez, if you remember his comments before he ultimately signed with the Mets. Larry Ellison.
2. Creators: I have a passion to build something, or many somethings, during my scant time on earth. I want to leave behind institutions, giant machines that do stuff for humanity, and yeah they need to throw off cash and yeah they employ people, but the project is the point. And the more fuel I get for those projects (money), the faster I can realize those dreams. Many entrepreneurs great and small have this as their leading voice; The Social Network did a great job portraying the mentality, the monomania of it, the dark side, but very truthful in that respect.
3. Visionaries: I have a strong, vibrant idea for how the world needs to be different, and/or for how I will be represented and remembered in it. Many successful politicians fall into this group; they're operating within existing institutions, not usually building new ones, but they want to reshape the world in specific ways. It's not just about self-glorification, although that's often part of it; more, it's about imposing your will on the world, being the unreasonable man.
4. Providers: I began this business or career to provide for my family, to make my parents comfortable, and so long as I grind, I will keep demonstrating that I've made the most of my potential, and earned my parents' love. That's what drives me, a belief that if I slow down, I will let down the people important to me. Think of Denzel in American Gangster, getting the most gratification of all from putting his parents in a fancy house.
5. Local Gentry: I can be important and fit into the fabric of a town, a region, an industry, as an irreplaceable piece. I may have been born into a business, a family business, or I may just be provincial in my life outlook and scope. I run something fancy that might be "the only game in town", or I'm "the big fish in a small pond", and that means more to me than making the whole world my pond and maybe finding out I'm not so special. These guys.
6. Survivors: I come from poverty, and have deep trauma scars from the terrors that such an upbringing can imprint on you. All I know is how to keep fighting for every piece of the pie that I can get, because a very small scared child who will always be inside of me never knows where the next meal is coming from, or if someone I love is going to come home tonight. I've seen people from my world get ground into dust by the dog-eat-dog environment I'm from, maybe some of them killed in the competition. And dammit if I'm one of the winners who got out of that place, I'm going to milk that win for all that it's worth. Famous pro athletes who nevertheless get into trouble with the law usually have a slice of this to their story.

(There are others, and I'm no expert, I've just read a bunch.)

Messi hasn't shared enough of himself and his inner thoughts, un-polished by layers of PR handlers, to give us much of a clue as to what really drives him. I suspect a mix of #1 and #6, moreso than #2. His future employers are really #5 whose "family business" got entirely out of hand, but they tell themselves that they're #3. Messi, Ronaldo, Brady, Tiger, anyone at the top of a competitive craft like entertainment, usually have had to be such monomaniacs to stay on top that they don't have very much breadth to their vision. The Serena Williamses who teach themselves venture capital, the Roger Staubachs who build a real estate empire - the ones who set it all aside and put that same energy into something unfamiliar and scary where they could fail - are few and far between.

Anyway I don't have a firm conclusion for you, but I hope that's a helpful framework for looking at it. In other words, it's not as simple as "I can't spend all this money". Spending it isn't the point, it's never the point.
 

DJnVa

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Dec 16, 2010
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Anyone watching the $1,000,000 TST tourney? Wrexham sent a team, the US Women sent a team (it did not go well). It's patterned after the basketball tourney run by the same folks. Many of the teams are the top adult league teams from different areas of the US.

It's 7v7, no offside, and there's a target score as well--at end of second half, target score is +1 goal from the the current leader, and every few minutes, if there's not goal, each team removes a player.

Anyone, a team from Sandy Hook is in the finals and is leading 1-0 with about 5 minutes left. It's on CNBC and Peacock.
 

Kliq

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No player I've seen had quite the flair for the outrageous as Zlatan. Incredible talent but it was surpassed by his imagination for what could be possible. A true legend of the game in every way.

UCL title always alluded him.
 

Zososoxfan

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Awesome video. It would be worthwhile to watch a whole match because even with the good examples, it's hard to tell just how different it is from the Euro game.

View: https://twitter.com/RobHarris/status/1662023511496437762?s=20


Toney betting on insider information

Maybe he is done at Brentford. How can the rest of the squad accept him back after this?
Yikes

Teams can put up with an awful lot of shit from talented players. Maybe this is a different situation since he was putting his money where his disdain for his teammates lives. We'll see.
QFT

I was prepared to cut Toney a lot of slack, on the hypocrisy that has been pointed out here, but betting on one’s own side, especially to lose, that just can’t be tolerated.
Also QFT
 

SocrManiac

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Anybody catch TST? Looks like it was a blast. I'm only watching highlights now, I wish I'd watched in realtime. Some massive names across the field, and a team from Sandy Hook won it.
 

BrazilianSoxFan

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Yeah, for a short few months Vitor Pereira was one of the most beloved coaches in Brazil. Just not by Flamengo supporters.

They lost 5 trophies in his 4 months ahead of Flamengo, where they were the favorites to win in at least 2 and even odds in 2 others.
 
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Zososoxfan

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This is the second game of the Cariocão (Rio de Janeiro State Championship) finals, against the current Libertadores champions, Flamengo:

View: https://youtu.be/HHjPlVHPgRc?t=2454
That's cool, thanks for sharing. I watched a few minutes so far and the movement does look a bit different from what I'm used to. Players rushing towards the ball to make combinations rather than fanning out immediately when in possession. It's also awesome that Marcelo is the LB!
 

Jimy Hendrix

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I don't have The Athletic so I don't know if they got into this part, but the most relevant thing for me is that Leeds under Bielsa and Marsch were generally entertaining, while Leeds under Gracia and Allardyce were a fucking slog which I watched more often than I would otherwise prefer to check in on some national team guys.
 

Kliq

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If you are like me and are starved for soccer during the summer break, I recommend checking out this YouTube playlist from the channel Football's Great 2

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8nMLd0B3Zg&list=PLSm5DP5sRzzD5W_ZfjwLlPYVvSt3tNM2a


It's every goal, from every Champions League match since the format was modernized in 1992. For someone that really didn't start following the club game in Europe until about a decade ago, and as someone that loves learning about the history of the game, it's been hugely entertaining to see how some of these great teams and players peaked in the biggest moments. It's cool seeing legendary teams like the early 90s AC Milan side--or seeing young stars break on to the scene for the first time. I just got finished watching the highlights from the Ajax Golden Generation of the 90s, players like Patrick Kluivert, Jari Litmanen and Frank de Boer--and that led to me reading up a lot more about that side and what ended up happening to Ajax and all the various players after they were sold off.

Also, I'm not sure if its due to better goalkeeping techniques or whatever, but in the 90s there seemed to be way more free kick goals.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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If you are like me and are starved for soccer during the summer break, I recommend checking out this YouTube playlist from the channel Football's Great 2

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8nMLd0B3Zg&list=PLSm5DP5sRzzD5W_ZfjwLlPYVvSt3tNM2a


It's every goal, from every Champions League match since the format was modernized in 1992. For someone that really didn't start following the club game in Europe until about a decade ago, and as someone that loves learning about the history of the game, it's been hugely entertaining to see how some of these great teams and players peaked in the biggest moments. It's cool seeing legendary teams like the early 90s AC Milan side--or seeing young stars break on to the scene for the first time. I just got finished watching the highlights from the Ajax Golden Generation of the 90s, players like Patrick Kluivert, Jari Litmanen and Frank de Boer--and that led to me reading up a lot more about that side and what ended up happening to Ajax and all the various players after they were sold off.

Also, I'm not sure if its due to better goalkeeping techniques or whatever, but in the 90s there seemed to be way more free kick goals.
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing!
 

Cellar-Door

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I hate that shit. The celebration of "oh how cute" about a group of violent criminals. It's this kind of nonsense about Ultras where the club embraces them and then everyone treats them like cute pranksters that helps keep them in the game.
 

67YAZ

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To close the loop on the U20 World Cup, Uruguay dispatched Italy 1-0 to take the trophy. Have always felt it’s better to go out to eventual champs than any other opponent.

Cesare Casadei won the golden boot and golden ball with 7 goals and an assist. He’s a Chelsea lad, having been brought from Inter last summer and spent the second half of this season on loan at Reading. Hail Cesare, the 6’1” knocked knees midfield monster. It’s hard to keep track of what Chelsea are up to under Boehly because if seems like they’re mentioned in every rumor, but there’s still so much young talent at that club.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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U20 World Cup is a weird tournament in that none of the best 19-20 year old players in the world actually play in it. So winning the Golden Ball is impressive but also kind of a "NIT MVP" sort of thing.

It used to be different (Messi won in 2005, Aguero in 2007) but at this point its largely a tournament for players that don't have major club commitments and haven't been able to make a more advanced national team. If you look at England, for example, not only are big stars like Jude Bellingham not playing but also the top 20 and unders who can make the u21 team like Levi Colwill, Harvey Elliott, Rico Lewis, Lewis Hall, etc.
 

67YAZ

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U20 World Cup is a weird tournament in that none of the best 19-20 year old players in the world actually play in it. So winning the Golden Ball is impressive but also kind of a "NIT MVP" sort of thing.

It used to be different (Messi won in 2005, Aguero in 2007) but at this point its largely a tournament for players that don't have major club commitments and haven't been able to make a more advanced national team. If you look at England, for example, not only are big stars like Jude Bellingham not playing but also the top 20 and unders who can make the u21 team like Levi Colwill, Harvey Elliott, Rico Lewis, Lewis Hall, etc.
Agree with all that. But Casadei is still a beat as evidence by Chelsea paying £15m for him last summer and Mancini inviting him to the last few national team camps. At (most? Almost all?) other clubs, he’d be bleeding in with the senior squad.

Put another way, Casadei scored 7 in 7 matches, a nice return for a guy who plays the 8. He really, really bossed this tournament. Like if an NBA team sent their 19yo lottery pick, who has spent the season getting mop up minutes, down to the NIT and dude scored 30 a game.
 
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Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Agree with all that. But Casadei is still a beat as evidence by Chelsea paying £15m for him last summer and Mancini inviting him to the last few national team camps. At (most? Almost all?) other clubs, he’d be bleeding in with the senior squad.

Put another way, Casadei scored 7 in 7 matches, a nice return for a guy who plays the 8. He really, really bossed this tournament. Like if an NBA team sent their 19yo lottery pick, who has spent the season getting mop up minutes, down to the NIT and dude scored 30 a game.
Yeah, that is definitely an impressive showing. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him from here. Chelsea bought him (20), Chukwumeka (19), and a Brazilian teenage midfielder named Andrey Santos (19) and subsequently hasn't really created a pathway into the first team for any of them. They've got Enzo (22), Gallagher (23, although might go), and supposedly are trying to buy both Caicedo (21) and Lavia (19) so its not really clear how those other players get into the side.

I think one of the many dumb things Todd Boehly has done at Chelsea is approach the sport like baseball, where there is a certain logic in just snapping up as much young talent as possible and then figuring it out later - you never can have too much pitching, you can always move a positional player from 3B to the OF, you can flip prospects at the trade deadline for a big star, etc. I don't think it really works this way in football. You need a plan for how to bring through talented young players or you end up killing their careers because most loans are shit for player development and there are only so many minutes to go around in your first team.
 

Nick Kaufman

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I hate that shit. The celebration of "oh how cute" about a group of violent criminals. It's this kind of nonsense about Ultras where the club embraces them and then everyone treats them like cute pranksters that helps keep them in the game.
I was about to post the same thing. The guys visited the coach in masks so they wouldn't be recognized for crying out loud.

A couple of days ago, a head guy of the Olympiacos ultras was murdered. Apparently he was also a member of the Greek mafia who was involved in both the killing of a rival Panathinakos fan and other mafia members. The Olympiacos fans still hanged a flag during a game to commemorate his passing. It's sick.
 

67YAZ

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Yeah, that is definitely an impressive showing. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him from here. Chelsea bought him (20), Chukwumeka (19), and a Brazilian teenage midfielder named Andrey Santos (19) and subsequently hasn't really created a pathway into the first team for any of them. They've got Enzo (22), Gallagher (23, although might go), and supposedly are trying to buy both Caicedo (21) and Lavia (19) so its not really clear how those other players get into the side.

I think one of the many dumb things Todd Boehly has done at Chelsea is approach the sport like baseball, where there is a certain logic in just snapping up as much young talent as possible and then figuring it out later - you never can have too much pitching, you can always move a positional player from 3B to the OF, you can flip prospects at the trade deadline for a big star, etc. I don't think it really works this way in football. You need a plan for how to bring through talented young players or you end up killing their careers because most loans are shit for player development and there are only so many minutes to go around in your first team.
It feels like Chelsea have another KDB/Salah on the roster somewhere, but we won’t know it until he breaks out with another club. My Italian heritage wants that to Casadei, but there’s a lot of good options to choose from.
 

Nick Kaufman

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Yeah, that is definitely an impressive showing. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him from here. Chelsea bought him (20), Chukwumeka (19), and a Brazilian teenage midfielder named Andrey Santos (19) and subsequently hasn't really created a pathway into the first team for any of them. They've got Enzo (22), Gallagher (23, although might go), and supposedly are trying to buy both Caicedo (21) and Lavia (19) so its not really clear how those other players get into the side.

I think one of the many dumb things Todd Boehly has done at Chelsea is approach the sport like baseball, where there is a certain logic in just snapping up as much young talent as possible and then figuring it out later - you never can have too much pitching, you can always move a positional player from 3B to the OF, you can flip prospects at the trade deadline for a big star, etc. I don't think it really works this way in football. You need a plan for how to bring through talented young players or you end up killing their careers because most loans are shit for player development and there are only so many minutes to go around in your first team.
Early 20s is still have a way to go to reach their peak performance years for most positions in football with wing backs and wingers being the exceptions -as they rely on their speed so much.
 

the1andonly3003

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I took advantage of the Paramount+ 30-day promotion.
Anyone follow Argentinian or Brazilian leagues? Who is the Luis Diaz or Julian Alvarez coming out of these leagues this season? Who are the teams/matchups to watch in the next month?

the ref in this Gimnisia-Huracan match is taking up a lot of the camera time
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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I took advantage of the Paramount+ 30-day promotion.
Anyone follow Argentinian or Brazilian leagues? Who is the Luis Diaz or Julian Alvarez coming out of these leagues this season? Who are the teams/matchups to watch in the next month?

the ref in this Gimnisia-Huracan match is taking up a lot of the camera time
Vítor Roque is a young Brazilian striker with a ton of buzz, currently at Athletico Paranaense and linked to a number of big European clubs, probably most heavily Barcelona.
 

the1andonly3003

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not sure who the co-commentator for Gimnisia-Huracan is, but he was very harsh at one of the teams: "you can't create talent, if you don't have it"
He quickly started backtracking that statement. Producer must have gotten into his ear

Vítor Roque is a young Brazilian striker with a ton of buzz, currently at Athletico Paranaense and linked to a number of big European clubs, probably most heavily Barcelona.
interesting...I'll have to watch next Wednesday
 

Kliq

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I took advantage of the Paramount+ 30-day promotion.
Anyone follow Argentinian or Brazilian leagues? Who is the Luis Diaz or Julian Alvarez coming out of these leagues this season? Who are the teams/matchups to watch in the next month?

the ref in this Gimnisia-Huracan match is taking up a lot of the camera time
The player you are looking to watch is Endrick, a 16 year old striker for Palmeiras. He's already been sold for 35 million Euros to Real Madrid, but won't head over until he is 18.
 

Zososoxfan

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I took advantage of the Paramount+ 30-day promotion.
Anyone follow Argentinian or Brazilian leagues? Who is the Luis Diaz or Julian Alvarez coming out of these leagues this season? Who are the teams/matchups to watch in the next month?

the ref in this Gimnisia-Huracan match is taking up a lot of the camera time
https://golazoargentino.com/2023/01/03/golazo-50-argentinas-best-young-players-top-10/

This list is a bit dated (e.g., Alcaraz moved from Racing to Southampton), but gives you some good names to know:

Retegui - FWD, Tigre
De la Cruz - CMF, River
Varela - DMF, Boca
Moreno - DMF, Racing
Beltran - FWD, River
Hezze - DMF, Huracan
Vilagra - DMF, Talleres
Zeballos - Winger, Boca
Farias - AMF/FWD, Colon
Langoni - FWD, Boca
Veliz - FWD, Rosario
Simon - MF, River
Fernandez - DMF, Boca
Medina - CMF, Boca
Perrone - DMF, Velez
Orellano - Winger, Velez
 

rguilmar

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I took advantage of the Paramount+ 30-day promotion.
Anyone follow Argentinian or Brazilian leagues? Who is the Luis Diaz or Julian Alvarez coming out of these leagues this season? Who are the teams/matchups to watch in the next month?

the ref in this Gimnisia-Huracan match is taking up a lot of the camera time
For games, any of the Buenos Aires derbies between the big five are pretty ridiculous events. River-Boca is the big one, but Independiente, Racing, and San Lorenzo are not to be overlooked. The Independiente and Racing grounds are basically on either side of a practice field. I’ve been proven wrong with my stadium proximity statements in the past, but I would be pretty surprised if two rival stadiums are physically closer. San Lorenzo are Huracán’s rival and are pretty famous for their ultras, specifically their songs which often end up crossing the Atlantic (Dicen Que Somos Locos de la Cabeza at Betis being an appropriately named example). I do think the quality of the Brazilian teams has really outpaced Argentina over the last several seasons, but there’s something about the fans and the stadiums in Buenos Aires that just hit me different. They’re on a different level.

For players, our boy Johnny Cardoso aka Johnny Soccer aka Johnny is still at Internacional in Brazil for now but is rumored to be off to Italy or Betis soon. Of course he is in Vegas right now.