What’s Next For Football In 2013?
2012 was a vintage year for football. Spain won another international tournament, Real pinched La Liga from Barcelona and the Premier League was more exciting than ever. But what will the big stories be in 2013?
Image courtesy of Andrea Sartorati
Messi or Ronaldo?
It seems unfair to constantly compare one to the other but when we’re living in a world where two players reach so much higher than the rest of the pack unfortunately it’s inevitable.The first question is who’s more deserving of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award; Messi or Ronaldo? Of course it was Ronaldo’s Real Madrid who snatched the La Liga title from their bitter rivals last year but this year Messi’s Barcelona are already 9 points clear of the pack. Oh and there’s also the small matter of the record 91 goals he scored in the calendar year of 2012. Sorry Cristiano but it looks like it could be Lionel’s year again.
Jose Mourinho
There are so many questions surrounding Jose Mourinho that the man is almost a question in himself. It’s almost been universally accepted that he’ll be leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season, but with the run his side are currently on could he be pushed out even sooner?
If he does stay until the end will he bow out in the blaze of glory we’ve become accustomed to and deliver Real their first Champions League trophy since 2002? And where will he reappear? Manchester City? Chelsea? Manchester United?
What Will Guardiola Do?
Pep Guardiola is the most coveted manager in football right now. Since hearing the sad news about Tito Vilanova’s operation to remove a tumour there have been rumours he’s set to return to the Nou Camp on a temporary basis, but in all likeliness he’ll continue his sabbatical for at least the rest of this season.
What he’s going to do next though is anyone’s guess. You get the impression Roman Abromovich would tear of both his arms and pour all his oil down the drain to get Guardiola to manage Chelsea, but perhaps Manchester City or Bayern Munich would be a better fit for him. Or is he holding out to take the reins at Old Trafford from Sir Alex?
Will This Be Ferguson’s Last Year?
There’s been a lot of speculation that it’s going to be a summer of change at Manchester United. Perhaps this is the last year for Ryan Giggs, and the second last year for Paul Scholes. There’s even a lot of talk that if United were to have a successful year Sir Alex Ferguson would call it a day and finally hang up his gum after what will have been 27 years of ferocious chewing.
Who would come in as his replacement though? We’ve already mentioned Mourinho and Guardiola, but perhaps David Moyes is more suited to the United job? Or will they keep it in the family and go for one of their former players like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Laurent Blanc? As long as it’s not Eric Djemba-Djemba I think most fans will be content…
John Patterson is football crazy. That’s why he’s in charge of the Football presents section at Find Me A Gift, the online novelty gifts store based in the UK.
