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by Philipina A. Marcelo
This one goes out to the Brazilian football legend, Pelé:
"Sir, Lionel Messi weaved his magic on the pitch again. This time he did it at the Yokohama International Stadium in Japan. The
Neymar faded in the shadow of Messi's brilliance.little, uhm, ahem, Argentine genius slotted a brace of goals via a Xavi beautiful assist in the first and through a Dani Alves graceful one in the other against, uhm, ahem, Brazil's Santos FC - the South American champs. Both goals were, uhm, ahem... of undisputed things of beauty and brilliance - both in their making and finishing. But more than that, they helped FC Barcelona win the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup for the second time in three years under Pep Guardiola. Woohoo! Uhm, ahem... pardon me, sir, you've gotta admit, it's quite a feat!
Uh, sir, the Catalans won the final in a lopsided match with a final scoreline of 4-0... and that wasn't because Santos weren't good because they were, it's just that Barça were in their incredible winning form - as always! :) Barça's midfield El Maestro, Xavi, and Cesc Fàbregas contributed a goal each in the first-half of the match to complement Messi's brace in the total tally. The win made official what has long been very obvious to, uhm, ahem, the entire football world that Barça, the current UEFA Champions League holders and champs of uhm,
Dani Alves and El Maestro, Xavi - the architects
of Messi's brace of goals. Alves played Xavi to a
goal of his own, too.ahem, Spanish La Liga are the BEST Football Club in the World! Woohoo!!! Oh, uhm, pardon me, sir... hard to supress excitement after witnessing a fantastic show of football awesomeness... as I'm sure you very well understand, a legend in the beautiful game as you are.
Also, I think it's important that you learn that your boy, Neymar, was rendered, uhm, ahem, "immaterial", he may as well have been invisible on the pitch - shoved in the shadows of Messi's dazzling brilliance, and a no-match to the in-form Carles Puyol's caveman-defensive wisdom, Sergio Busquets's incredible sharpness at the defense-midfield interface, and Andres Iniesta's sumptuous football. You may verify that with your boy, too, sir, if in doubt. But, yes, sir, while the whole Catalan team played an incredibly mesmerizing football (once again), Messi was that Blaugrana-clad figure that needed a lot of figuring out on the pitch for Santos. In fact, the "Little Phenom" received the Golden Ball and the Toyota Award for being the best player in the Club World Cup. But not to worry, your boy
As becoming his "habit" lately, Barça's #4, Cesc
Fàbregas, was at the right place and kicked at the
right time for a goal. Not that we're complaining.might just find consolation in the fact that he is in the company of Cristiano Ronaldo - in Messi's shadow. Good news is, he's young... he has plenty of time to learn Messi's and Barça's trade - and I understand, by his own insinuations, that he is keen to do so as well. But yeah, Messi's magic in Japan won him, uhm, ahem, much deserved praises in the four corners of the planet once again, hailing him as usual as the BEST player of this generation, and probably, uhm, ahem, the greatest of all time! Woohoo!!! Ooops, do pardon me again, sir... too hard to contain gleeful emotions... uhm, especially if they're based on incredible show of, uhm, ahem, never-before-seen brilliance. Uhm... in your case, sir, I think I should emphasize that when all means of "bishy" denial fail, uhm, crying is okay, too... I guess, you know what I mean, sir. Trust that that wouldn't diminish our respect for you... well, especially, not from the level where you have managed to reduce it to after those really petulant insistence against Messi's greatness and the Spanish La Liga's respectability as the strongest football league on the planet... albeit not as organized as the English Premier League.
Uhm, in the spirit of fair assessment, may I invite you, sir, to please check out the video below... yes, it is, uhm, ahem, alright to be awed, too - I'd understand completely! And, no, not to worry - I won't tell either! Shhhh.... Enjoy! :)
Thank you for your attention, sir. And, because I understand totally that you might need "someOne Special" to commiserate with, please feel free to share this with Jose Mourinho - and for his own enlightenment as well. Please be assured that I don't mind at all, sir."
(Ahh-hahaha... just having a little fun here. Sorry if I sounded mean. ;))
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And now, for the real post... CONGRATULATIONS to you, Pep Guardiola and your brilliant men!! VISCA, EL BARÇA!!! Woohoo!!! :)
Get well soon, David Villa! We missed your awesome world-class form on the pitch today. :(
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As we enjoy the beautiful game, we pause and offer prayers for the victims of flash floods in Southern Philippines. May the families and loved ones of those who perished find peace and be comforted by the gentle embrace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Those who would like to send support, donations could be sent through the following:
ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. "Sagip Kapamilya"
GMA7 Kapuso Foundation
Gawad Kalinga
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Photo credits: All photos were grabbed at the Zimbio website - thanks.
Video credits: Thanks, YouTube, for the video links.
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