Samuel Eto'o

Football knows no boundaries and no limits. Years ago the beautiful game was played mostly in Europe and South America and the best players from these areas were the main topics for football fans. Now football gets new uprising, mostly because of the globalization and Internet.
Years ago Russian football was an average and not very popular even among the die-hard football fans. What about Makhachkala?! It was too long ago when the city was one of the capitals of the Chechen rebels. Now the domestic soccer team is the new home of the most expensive football player of all time- Samuel Eto`o. The African player made his name mostly as a player of Barcelona and Inter. On 23rd of August 2011th Anzhi Makhachkala reached an agreement with Samuel Eto`o for three year contract, making him the most valuable player in the world with net pay of 20 million Euros per year.
In a period when the football game becomes more attractive and enjoyable, Samuel made for some people surprising move, changing the fashion capital Milan with a Russian countryside club. Anzhi looks like a step backwards for Samuel Eto`o looking at his previous experience in the richest and most popular football clubs in Europe. There is no doubt that the owner of Anzhi wants to make his team more popular, adding the African star to his squad. It`s not a coincidence that former Real Madrid player Roberto Carlos is among the administrative staff of the Russian team. There is only one goal- European appearance and even… a European cup.
Eto`o has won everything during his highly recognizable career as a football player. Now he can add some experience in a brand new place. Near his career end Eto`o could win more fans and… cash in Russia.

Olympique Lyonnais

                                                    

Let`s talk about modern football and forget about traditions. Many clubs made history in 21st century. One of these teams is Olympique Lyon. Clubs was founded officially in the 50s but the biggest achievements have been made during the first decades of the modern times. Lyon won nine consecutive titles which is a French record and it`s not surprise that the team has one of the largest number of supporters in the country. `The boys` made history in the French League, breaking many records reaching a status as one of the richest clubs in France. Thus the club is one of the founders of G14 group and its successor- the European Club Association.

This year has started better for `the boys` than the previous season. The team is on the third spot in French League, just a point behind PSG. Everyone is looking at the PSG stars and forget that Lyon always has something to prove, especially in the final rounds. The team has the second best attack and the fifth best defense. Manager Remi Garde tries to build a team with many experienced players such as the captain Lopez. The fans are spoiled with the team`s nine titles in a row, so the manager feels uneasy to create and prove his football philosophy for a short period of time. Everyone in Lyon wants triumphs and titles but times have changes and now the contenders in French League are more and powerful.
If the team fails to achieve something big this season (which is unthinkable, due to manager`s previous stay at Arsenal FC), it won`t be a surprise a new coach`s appointment. A title or more European triumphs- it`s all the same for Lyon. The team is hungry for a success, something unseen in the past few seasons.

The New Season in La Liga

Spain is a good mix of nice sights, excellent food, and warm weather and… of course football. The Spanish nation is one of the best soccer nations in the world. People live, sing, dream and talk football 24/7. They are Latin nation, but they do not have the extremists` behavior of some Italian football fans. They live football, but in their case it is more a `live and let live thing`.
The Spanish League already started with a lot of hopes and many surprises. The big favorites surprised even themselves with poor performances. The explanation of the results could be the fact that due to the Spanish international triumph, many Spanish clubs want pieces of the cake. It is not two clubs tournament anymore. The level of the Spanish League has gone higher in the past few years. Many good players are attracted to take part in the League, origin of the World and European Champions.
Today, teams like Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Malaga could be real threats for the Catalan and Madrid giants. Atletico Madrid showed some classy performances in the first matches, humiliating the reigning European Champions of Chelsea with a surprising for many people victory- 4 to 1. The team from the Spanish capital has built a strong squad and could be very dangerous when is underestimated. The victory against Chelsea could be a good psychological kick-start for Atletico, lifting their hopes for a good season.

Valencia is another good Spanish side and even the financial problems could not stop the team for winning the 3rd place in La Liga for a third year in a row. The club showed that without Mata and Villa they are strong and competitive team. Malaga (or the `millionaires`) managed to enter the group phase of the Champions League, but the club is experiencing financial turmoil and this year could be crucial for them. The team of Malaga plays strong at home, but has not grown mentally to be a contender in the European football and Spanish football.

You Make Me Feel So Blue

England has another European Champions. Chelsea saved the season with a remarkable win over Bayern Munich in the 2011/2012 Champions League final. The `blues` repeated the Manchester United glory as the London team won the title in the last minutes. The past season was not very cheerful for the Chelsea football club despite the European title. They have finished away from the first teams in the Premier League competition.
The Russian owner of the London team has declared his desire for a European title. Since Roman Abramovich has taken over the Chelsea club, the team has won three Premier League titles and three FA Cup trophies. It has been not too long ago when the `blues` were an average English Premier League team. The managing of Jose Mourinho was the kick-start for the Chelsea revolution. Now the team is considered as one of the top teams not only in Europe, but also in the world. The London team has the ability and nonetheless the financial freedom to attract more world class players.
Now what!? Chelsea is the reigning European Champion and it seems like they have everything that the owner has ever dreamt of. Probably from now on they will be playing for the history and more trophies. In a recent interview the Chelsea manager Di Matteo said: `We will not play for anything in this season. We want to build a new and a stronger team`. Chelsea showed confidence and ability in the first two matches of the season, playing as harder as they could get two easy wins. They team looks stronger than the previous season, but this year their opponents will be more precautious as they play against the best European team.
Many of the Chelsea fans want their team to become the first one to win two European titles in a row.  Most of the current Chelsea players know how to win titles and it is a promise for the upcoming season.