ADURIZ THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BILBAO AND BARCA

Aduriz the 34 year old who has been a veteran in LA Liga having played for Bilbao in two spells proved to be the difference with his equaliser for Athletic Bilbao after Lionel Messi struck with some few minutes towards the break.

Bilbao missed a glorious opportunity when Mathieu failed to get a pass from the defence but Ebona just fired it wide hitting the sidenet.

Gerard Pique the man who seemed to be having a great after he hit the crossbar in the opening stages of the game lost his head after the break as he shouted at the referee on a call that was so close the linesman waved play on. It basically decided the game as Barca decided the tempo of the game from the opening stages to that point but then Bilbao took over.


Aduriz made way on a one on one situation when Mathieu challenged a header and left Aduriz there unmark who fired at the left hand side of Claudio Bravo who parried it back to him and he slotted home.

Bilbao control the tempo of the game afterwards and Aduriz was substituted receiving a standing ovation from the Bilbao faithful who made the trip to Catalunya.

Kiki Sola a man brought in by Valverde to steer up the attack and keep the pressure saw red after a tackle on Javier Mascherano.

It was a great game and after the two legs Athletic Bilbao deserve to win the SuperCoppa

WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT DIEGO MARADONA: THE STRONG PSYCHOLOGICAL BASE

There are footballers who would get injured and that would be the end of the road for them. Diego Armando Maradona has shown that despite the injuries, the hate and the controversies he went through, he remained the same and just played football.

In the history of football there are players who are extremely talented like Lionel Messi but Diego like Ronaldinho was given skills that he used to play football. Michel Platini said, "Whatever I did with a ball, he did with an orange". Diego Armando Maradona  fell in love with the playing style of the other maestro being Ronaldinho because he saw someone who was not left-footed like the way he was but someone who was gifted with football and the skills that sets him out to entertain and dazzle the world. 

 People who have sustained long-term injuries can attest to the fact of not being themselves after the injuries as has happened to many players. Abou Diaby's career has hit the rocks because of injuries and Radamel Falcao seems to have forgotten how to position himself just to have a goalscoring opportunity because of the injury he suffered prior to the 2014 World Cup which saw him miss the amazing tournament. 

Having sustained the injuries that catapulted some of his early pains in life, Maradona never let some of the players he faced in the 80’s terrorize him because he was Diego. He played against some of the most tantalizing defensive midfielders and defenders who cared more about the result of the game and what people were going to say to them in the community more than the money and the fame they were receiving as a result of football. Defenders are Franco Baresi, Bruno Pasquale, Alessandro Costacurta all had daunting task of tearing down the man. In a match against AC Milan in the late 80’s, a young Maldini was tracking him down but to avail. The sights of Diego served as a guide and a spectacle which made Paolo Maldini the defender he became because Diego was simply the best and the tactics he used in just staying close to him made attacking midfielders and strikers of his generation seem like children.

 In football, there seems to be a tag that revolves around some of the massive footballers who has ever graced the game and Italy seemed to be the destination for some of the different characters and Diego Maradona was no different. He was no saint and had his own problems and personal demons he dealt with. But he fought against all the media speculations and criticisms just to play the game he knew best and still remains the number one footballer who has ever graced the green grass. People get injured and their careers come to an end, injuries turn world class players into mediocre footballers but Diego has battled with life and has won, adding the most prestigious trophy in the game to his honours in the form of the 1986 World Cup held in Mexico.   

Diego Armando Maradona has shown that in life you should and must be prepared to move on without love, despite the negative reviews about his footballing life as well as his personal life he is still regarded by many who are lovers of the football world which includes the author as the greatest ever who has graced the occasion. People waste their talent, others are just criticized and it gets to them, but he was not at peace with a great part of the media but still sailed and still remains numero uno. Gracias Diego.