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Who are the greatest African players to represent the two Spanish giants?

Getty Images10Alex Song

Song transferred, at the height of his powers, to Catalonia to join Barcelona from Arsenal.

The box-to-box midfielder was indispensable for Arsene Wenger's Gunners, but it never quite worked out for Song in La Liga, and he subsequently returned to England on loan at West Ham United.

He's currently playing in Djibouti following spells with Sion and Rubin Kazan, and it's safe to say that his career hasn't lived up to the early promise of his pre-Barca years.

AdvertisementClive Brunskill/ALLSPORT9​Emmanuel Amuneke

During his playing career, the former Tanzania coach was a glittering wideman who enjoyed dismal fortune at Barcelona, where injuries completely shattered his career in Catalonia.

The 1994 African Footballer of the Year scored twice in the Nations Cup final that year as Nigeria defeated Zambia, and also clinched honours in Portugal, Egypt and in his homeland.

Yet despite a clutch of honours won with Barca, it’s tempting to beg the question, what might Amuneke have become had injuries not taken their toll?

Getty8Emmanuel Adebayor

Adebayor has been a fan favourite at almost every club he has played at, but he is also known for his controversial nature and at times it has overshadowed his excellence at some European giants.

He made 143 appearances for Arsenal managing 62 goals, of which 30 came in the 2007/08 season, which remains his finest campaign.

His brilliance flickered at Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but he never truly looked the part during a brief loan spell with Real in 2011.

He's currently a free agent after leaving Paraguayan giants Olimpia.

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Denis Doyle/Getty Images7Mahamadou Diarra

Diarra doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for the consistent excellence he brought to the table at Real Madrid during his time at the Bernabeu.

Between 2002 and 2008 the Mali international won six consecutive league titles with Olympique Lyonnais and then Real, helping the Spanish giants to end a four-year trophy drought with their championship triumph in 2006.

Finally, largely thanks to Diarra’s positioning, awareness and sharp tackling,  had a long overdue replacement for Claude Makelele.

Goal selects a combined XI of the two Spanish giants as they prepare to battle it out in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey

La Liga leaders Barcelona will welcome arch-rivals Real Madrid to Camp Nou on Wednesday evening to contest the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final showdown.

The Catalan side have been victorious in the competition in each of the last four years, failing to make the final just once in the last eight seasons.

Real Madrid will be looking to avenge their 5-1 demolition in October that ultimately led to the dismissal of coach Julen Lopetegui.

Both sides are sporting injury issues heading into the match, but it will be no less of an epic display of some of the world's greats facing off with each other at Camp Nou.

Goal has rounded up the best-combined XI of both sides – and there are a fair few surprises in the mix…

GettyGK | Marc-Andre Ter Stegen | Barcelona

Jasper Cillessen would typically have started the match as the Barcelona goalkeeper, but the Netherlands international has been ruled out of the clash with a muscle injury.

Ter Stegen, therefore, will be drafted in for his first Copa del Rey appearance this season and should follow on from his fine La Liga form.

Thibaut Courtois and Keylor Navas have been impressive for Real Madrid, but Ter Stegen has been a different class for the league leaders, and gets a nod in the XI.

AdvertisementGettyDEF | Dani Carvajal | Real MadridHaving to decide on the defence is difficult considering the choices, but Dani Carvajal gets the right-back nod ahead of Barcelona duo Sergi Roberto and Nelson Semedo, who have not been particularly remarkable this season.Getty ImagesDEF | Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid

Ramos has remained a sturdy rock at the heart of the Blancos defence while he has again been a prolific goalscorer this season as well.

He has scored 10 goals this season, equalling his best return in a campaign, and netted a double in the Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg against Girona.

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GettyDEF | Gerard Pique | BarcelonaPique has impressed at the back for Barcelona and gets the nod ahead of Raphael Varane in central defence, who has been solid for Real Madrid, but his lack of consistency has cost him his place.

Darwin Nunez boasts plenty of supporters around the world, with one taking to getting the Liverpool striker’s face shaved into the back of his head.

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Uruguayan striker starring in the Premier LeagueBoasts supporters all over the worldSome take fandom further than othersWHAT HAPPENED?

The Uruguay international has been plying his trade in the Premier League since completing a £64 million ($78m) transfer to Anfield from Benfica in the summer of 2022. He has endeared himself to the Merseyside locals, and is also a popular figure back in his homeland.

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One follower has taken fandom to the extreme, with barber Andres German Fondo asked to deliver a unique trim that involved shaving Nunez’s face onto the back of customer’s head – complete with blue accents to give it a truly Uruguayan flavour.

InstagramDID YOU KNOW?

Nunez is clearly impressed at the lengths that some supporters will go to, with the 24-year-old forward sharing an image of the aforementioned haircut on his Instagram account – alongside clapping hands, folded hands and fire emojis.

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Nunez has registered four goals and three assists for Liverpool this season and will be hoping to add to that tally when the Reds return to Premier League action in a derby date with neighbours Everton on Saturday. The South American heads into that game in good form having found the target in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers for his country against Colombia and Brazil during the October international break.

Round-up of the Sunfoil Series matches that ended on December 7, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-20130:00

Sunfoil Series Wrap: Knights tame Lions

ScorecardFile photo: Corne Dry’s five wickets in the second innings gave the Knights a target of only 15•ICC/GettyCorne Dry’s third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket helped set up a comprehensive 10-wicket win for Knights against Lions in Kimberley, after a century from Rilee Rossouw had helped the team to 262 in the first innings.Lions, electing to bat, were shaky right from the start and lost wickets at regular intervals. Temba Bavuma briefly stopped the slide, scoring 96 and putting up half-century stands with Brett Pelser and Zander de Bruyn, but seven of their batsmen fell for single-digit scores. Johan van der Wath and Quinton Friend notched three scalps apiece to bowl Lions out for 204 in 78.4 overs. In reply, Rossouw struck 20 fours during his 111 – his 15th first-class ton- and added 71 with Rudi Second for the third wicket as Knights secured a first-innings lead of 58.Lions would’ve hoped to set a competitive total, but their second stint with the bat lasted less than 31 overs. Only two batsmen, Stephen Cook and Neil McKenzie, made double-digit scores, as Dry finished with 5 for 27 to skittle them out for 72, leaving Knights only 15 to score for victory.Knights’ openers Reeza Hendricks and Dean Elgar achieved that score inside three overs, to seal the big win.

Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, and an increasingly influential voice in cricket administration, has issued dire warnings about the survival of Test cricket

David Hopps02-Oct-2014Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, and an increasingly influential voice in cricket administration, has issued dire warnings about the survival of Test cricket, predicting that Twenty20 could dominate the landscape within 20 years.Strauss, who since his retirement has been appointed to the cricket committees of the ICC and MCC as well as sitting on the Middlesex management board, lays part of the blame for Test cricket’s potential ills on the restructuring of the ICC.The deal, which if TV rights deals come to fruition could bring India a ten-fold increase in income, with England and Australia also benefiting financially, will in Strauss’ view condemn Test cricket to a growing number of mismatches which will quicken its decline.Strauss’ pessimistic view – particularly notable as it comes from one of the game’s avowed traditionalists – comes in an updated paperback edition of his autobiography, which is published today.”India can argue that they bring the most money into the game, and thus deserve more out of the precious ICC broadcasting rights, but skewing the distribution of the three boards that are already the most financially secure can only create a situation in which the rich get richer and the poor poorer,” Strauss writes.”With only ten teams playing Test cricket and four of those already struggling to stay competitive, the risk of the game degenerating to the extent that the result of many Test series is a foregone conclusion is both high and real.”Strauss paints a bleak picture of the Test game in which he built his reputation, leading England in 50 of his 100 Tests and gaining a reputation as one of the finest man managers in England’s history.”I have to admit that I become more and more concerned about the plight of Test cricket every year,” Strauss admits. “Watching a Test match between the West Indies and New Zealand in an empty stadium with no more than a handful of spectators in attendance sends out warning signals. Seeing that the viewing figures for a county Twenty20 game rival those for a Test match adds to the growing perception that Test cricket is in crisis.”Part of the new ICC restructure provides a Test fund so that some of the smaller nations can play each other in Test series even though they aren’t financially viable. While I definitely welcome this news, I can’t help feeling that we have already reached the tipping point as far as Test cricket is concerned.”The teams will keep playing each other over the next eight years, but aside from iconic series like the Ashes or England v India, I fear that the game is slowly going to fizzle out as a mainstream attraction, especially away from the ‘big three’ nations.”It is too late to turn the tide, especially with the glitz and glamour of Twenty20 cricket managing to gain more and more traction every year.”Strauss predicts a future in which the ICC is powerless to prevent control moving towards the T20 franchises. His warning comes in a week when Australia have conceded that their T20 side against Pakistan could be potentially weakened by absentees in the Champions League – another sign of the creeping power shift between club and country.”It is not a huge stretch of the imagination to see a situation in which most players will be contracted to franchises and play the majority of their cricket in the Twenty20 format,” Strauss concludes. “It will not happen for a while , as the international boards will do everything in their power to prevent it, but market forces are likely to win the battle in the long term. In twenty years, the game of cricket will look very different.”Driving Ambition: Andrew Strauss (Hodder & Stoughton) £8.99

Hundreds from Grant Elliott and BJ Watling powered New Zealand A to a comprehensive victory in Ayr, as Scotland, without a number of their top-order batsmen, succumbed in the first of three matches

The Report by James Gray15-Aug-2014
ScorecardBJ Watling and Grant Elliott both struck hundreds in Ayr•Donald MacLeod/Cricket ScotlandHundreds from Grant Elliott and BJ Watling powered New Zealand A to a comprehensive victory in Ayr, as Scotland, without a number of their top-order batsmen, succumbed in the first of three matches.Scotland had started well with the ball but lost the plot at the back end of the innings, conceding nearly 150 runs in the last ten overs as Watling and Elliott piled on the misery. In reply the home side never threatened, with only Richie Berrington and David Murphy displaying any fluency with the bat.Without eight regulars due to injury and county commitments, including captain Kyle Coetzer, Scotland were forced to field a weakened side, handing a debut to 21-year-old Gordon Munsey; by contrast, the New Zealand A side featured six players with Test match experience.Having won his first toss as Scotland captain, Matt Machan would have been delighted with the way his bowlers started, removing both openers inside the first ten, including in-form Hamish RutherfordAfter the seamers’ hard work, it was the introduction of spin from the Cottage End that broke the third-wicket partnership, when Dean Brownlie chopped the third ball of Majid Haq’s first over on to his leg stump; seam struck an over later when Evans trapped Daryl Mitchell lbw to leave New Zealand A 92 for 4.However, as the sun and stiff breeze dried the pitch, batting got easier and easier. Both Machan and Michael Leask were deposited over the boundary by Colin de Grandhomme, and had he not missed a straight one off Haq the No. 6 might have caused some real damage. But for Scotland, the worst was yet to come.Once Elliott reached an obdurate fifty, he accelerated alongside Watling, who batted with total ease. Their partnership was eventually worth 185 from 19 overs. Elliott scored his second half-century off 26 balls, while Watling’s second came off just 13, as they battered Safyaan Sharif’s final three overs for 57 runs. Still 20 short of his hundred, Watling mistimed the ball over mid-off but Machan, running back, never quite settled under it; the drop seemed inevitable, as did defeat even at that point.If Scotland’s bowling was ultimately sub-par, their batting was dire. From the moment Hamish Gardiner became the first of Matt Henry’s four victims, Scotland never looked like threatening the target of 348. There were bright patches for Grant Bradburn, Scotland’s coach, to focus on: Munsey looked at ease with the pace and bite of the attack until he played a loose drive and Berrington once again showed form with the bat, although by the time he got into his groove the game was well done. In truth, it had the feel of a square practice for both sides after Henry and Scott Kuggeleijn blew away the top order.”The first 35 overs, we bowled well, we fielded well, and then we let it get away from us,” Bradburn said. “We’ve got a lot of high-level cricket between now and the World Cup, and we have to try and improve those skills, and try and be comfortable chasing. At the moment, we’re more comfortable setting than chasing, and we have to be able to do both. We have the skills to go out and chase big scores, but what we need is the belief.”

Lionel Messi “can’t wait” for his ‘Last Dance’ with eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo, as Inter Miami prepare to lock horns with Al-Nassr.

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Old adversaries to meet on February 1Could be final clash between the pairBoth remain in trophy hunt for 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

It has been announced that leading sides from MLS and the Saudi Pro League will face off at the Riyadh Cup. Inter Miami will also tackle Al-Hilal at that friendly tournament, but it is a meeting between Messi and Ronaldo that is generating the most interest.

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Said fixture will take place on February 1 – in what will be Ronaldo’s next outing after a mid-season break in the Middle East – and could represent a final meeting between two all-time greats that boast 13 Ballons d’Or between them. Messi has posted on social media of that contest: “I can’t wait to be part of #RiyadhSeasonCup with my team Inter Miami CF as we face top Saudi clubs in a historic championship.”

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Messi is back in the United States ahead of Inter Miami’s 2024 campaign, with Herons CSO Chris Henderson having said of the club’s targets: “We’re evaluating every department in our front office and performance staff, to support [Tata Martino] and his staff and all the players to make sure we’re performing everywhere in the club. We’re looking at everything to [improve the squad.] We have high hopes for 2024, and we want to show what we can do as a club. Winning trophies and having high ambition is something we’ve had since day one.”

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Inter Miami have already added former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez to their ranks, while USMNT star Julian Gressel has been acquired as a free agent. David Beckham and the club’s board are looking to ensure that Messi has all of the tools around him to make bids for more major silverware possible.

Whilst some clubs would absolutely love to bring in a striker like Charlie Austin, Aston Villa fans are all desperate to steer clear of the 29-year-old. The Telegraph has run a story that claims the striker could leave Southampton this month, and despite his Championship pedigree, the Villains want to miss out on this one.

In his career, Charlie Austin has proven to be a brilliant goalscorer at Championship level. In his time at both Burnley and QPR his lowest goal tally in a full season is 16 goals, which he managed in the 2011/12 season with the Clarets. However, whether he’s what’s needed at Villa Park is another question as entirely, as they already have the likes of JonathanÂKodjia and Tammy Abraham scoring the goals.

Instead, the Villains would rather go for a young player for the future who is preferably a defender. The fact that they already have goals flowing freely is brilliant, but stopping them at the other end is something that they’ve struggled with. Whilst Austin is no doubt a brilliant player, he wouldn’t be much use to Dean Smith as the Villa gaffer looks to tighten up his backline.

You can read the Villains’ verdict on Austin here:

The Villains are all in agreement that Austin is not what they need, although they’ll be keen to see maybe one more player come in before the end of the window.

The BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to review the daily affairs of the IPL

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Jul-2013With no one currently heading the IPL, an influential section of the BCCI is likely to propose a special committee, to be led by interim president Jagmohan Dalmiya, to look into and review the daily affairs of the league. After Rajiv Shukla resigned as chairman of the IPL, no replacement was appointed as the BCCI was busy sorting out the mess created by the alleged corruption scandals. The proposal is likely to come up for discussion at the BCCI working committee meeting to be held in Kolkata on Sunday.Although the IPL governing council, a BCCI sub-committee, still remains the body to look after the league, some board members feel there is room to accommodate a separate committee that could review the IPL. It is understood that Dalmiya has consulted Arun Jaitley, one of the the BCCI vice-presidents, on the matter and has got the nod. It is also learned that Dalmiya has spoken to a few former Indian cricketers, seeking their opinion about how best to run the IPL.Immediately after he took over as the interim BCCI president, Dalmiya had initiated “operation clean up” for the IPL, wherein he announced proposals to enforce a “stricter code of conduct” for players and match officials, as well as putting an end to the “sleaze” element in the form of entertainment and after-hours parties.Dalmiya took charge on June 2 after N Srinivasan “temporarily” stepped aside pending inquiry into allegations of corruption and spot-fixing during the sixth season of the IPL. Dalmiya recently attended the ICC annual conference as the Indian representative, even though Srinivasan participated in influential meetings such finance and commercial affairs via video conference.It is understood that Srinivasan will not attend Sunday’s meeting, which is also likely to discuss the tour itineraries for India’s tour of South Africa, and their scheduled visit to New Zealand early next year.It is also learned that the working committee will not discuss the findings of the two probe panels investigating the corruption scandals of IPL 2013. Ravi Sawani, the BCCI’s anti-corruption head, has not yet concluded his probe into the alleged spot-fixing by three Rajasthan Royals players. Although Sawani has finished speaking to Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan, he has yet to meet Ajit Chandila, who is still in judicial custody.The inquiry commission appointed by the BCCI, made up of two retired judges, has not yet finished its work. The commission was appointed to investigate charges against Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, respectively part of Chennai Super Kings and Royals, who according to Mumbai and Delhi Police, had admitted to betting during IPL matches.

Cricket Ireland has upgraded Craig Young and Stuart Thompson to its highest category A contracts, after the retirement of Trent Johnston

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2014Cricket Ireland has upgraded Craig Young and Stuart Thompson to its highest category A contracts, after the retirement of Trent Johnston. Young was recently called up to Ireland’s squad for the Caribbean, which departed on Tuesday, while Thompson has been involved with the side since his international debut in 2012.Four other players were awarded A contracts – Kevin O’Brien, Alex Cusack, John Mooney and Max Sorensen – all of whom are regulars for Ireland. The announcement marks a swift rise for right-arm quick Young, who was not contracted in 2013; Thompson, meanwhile, moves up from the C category.In total, Cricket Ireland has handed out 24 central contracts, the majority of which are part-time, for those players who have county deals or are in full-time education.”With Trent Johnston retiring at the end of 2013, we have two young bowlers with great potential in Craig Young and Stuart Thompson available to us full-time,” performance director Richard Holdsworth said. “They will no doubt both be pushing for a place in the World Cup squad in 12 months’ time.”Whilst we have a World Cup in March in the Twenty20 format, it is a big year building towards the 50-over World Cup. We feel we have an outstanding crop of players capable of competing and winning matches against Full Members, whilst also developing young players for the future.”For the first time, Cricket Ireland has introduced two-year contracts for a number of first-choice players, including Kevin O’Brien, Mooney and Sorensen, as well as William Porterfield, Ireland’s captain, Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson.Cricket Ireland contracted players

Category A: Alex Cusack, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Max Sorensen, Stuart Thompson, Craig Young

Category B: William Porterfield*, George Dockrell*, Ed Joyce*, Andrew McBrine, Graeme McCarter*, Tim Murtagh*, Niall O’Brien*, Stuart Poynter*, Eddie Richardson, James Shannon, Paul Stirling*, Andrew White, Gary Wilson*

Category C: John Anderson, Andrew Balbirnie*, Peter Chase, Tyrone Kane, Andrew Poynter (*English county contracted player)

“Nine of the players have signed two-year agreements, as they are essentially our most valuable players and give the head coach and national selectors certainty over this core group’s availability in the lead up to and including the 2015 World Cup,” Holdsworth said.Phil Simmons, Ireland’s head coach, said that central contracts had been “a key part of our success over the past seven years”. In 2013, Ireland became the first team to hold three ICC Associate and Affiliate titles at the same time, winning the four-day Intercontinental Cup, the WCL Championship (which secured qualification for the 2015 World Cup) and the World Twenty20 Qualifier.”The composition of the contracted players is an indication of what we strive for in our teams,” Simmons said. “There is a delightful spine of experience as well as a number of very talented youngsters. While instant results are paramount, it’s always good to be thinking ahead and these contracts offer the younger guys some security as they look to build their careers.”It’s a crucial period now for Irish cricket – 2013 was fantastic, picking up the treble, but that’s gone. We have two World Cups ahead of us now and it’s important that we pick up results against Full Members, such as against West Indies and Sri Lanka, to keep Irish cricket moving forward as we look to take the game in the country to the next level.”Over the next month, Ireland will take part in the Caribbean’s domestic one-day tournament, the Regional Super50, before an ODI and two T20s against West Indies. After the World Twenty20, which takes place in Bangladesh, Ireland will host Sri Lanka for two ODIs in May.