Actually it might be right to say they've experienced a renaissance ever since Joan Laporta became president in 2003, and after him his former friend and now sour enemy, Sandro Rossell.

When Laporta arrived at the club they had not won a major title since 1999 and the self-esteem of the squad had plunged. He brought on board Frank Rijkaard as team coach, who after a slow start started winning matches; and his right hand man (at the time, till they slipped out and he resigned from the Barça board) Sandro Rossell used his contacts to sign Ronaldinho.

While the Brazilian player certainly had talent[**] he had not always done much with it. Nevertheless he probably did show a large amount of flare with FC Barcelona even when they were never making the turnabout required.

That turnaround happened when Barça signed Edgar Davids for the second 1/2 the season. Whether it was his arrival at the club, or whether his arrival coincided with everything coming together is most unlikely to claim. What's certain though is that the club started winning game after game. And at last the downtrodden Barcelona rose up again and started to become the team it is today.

The club went from strength to strength after that, although Davids decided to revisit his old club after the half season loan. While he might have been missed, the fortunes of the club continued to boost and Barcelona won the second season under Laporta. After that the team has continued to go ever upwards and unde Pep Guardiola were the first tea, to win the treble – la liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey.

To buy Barcelona tickets for forthcoming matches check out Simply Barcelona Tickets, or check out availability of FC Barcelona tickets for La Liga matches at the Nou Camp.

Nevertheless while Madrid started well and we're simply a few matches in, his dream seems to have started to disentangle. He has famously stated that his 2nd season in any club is when he delivers, but with his complete focus seeming to be on arch-rival FC Barcelona he has just had two massive reversals that he can barely afford.

First Real Madrid was beaten by Levante, a team that's the polar opposite to Real Madrid, with lowly paid players and a hardly functional team that is lucky to be in top flight Spanish soccer. And then they drew with Racing Santander, losing some imperative points which they may actually need in the long run.

A poll by Sporting paper AS which backs Madrid revealed that the majority of its readers laid the blame totally at the feet of Mourinho; while intending to shift the blame to referees and opposition players he has failed to take responsibility himself for what many consider a dismal start. And we are starting to hear talk about another crisis year at Real Madrid.

Nonetheless what proportion of an emergency is it actually, when a team such as Real Madrid comes second in the league after a much superior teams like Bara? While fans may be disappointed their side is still mostly delivering the goods.

Mourinho’s big problem will be the patience of Florentino Perez, Madrid’s president. While he has backed “the special one” so far in his career at Madrid there will come a point when he will be able to snap. Mourinho is Real Madrid’s eleventh coach in 7 years, so the club does not flinch in making such changes. Can Real Madrid’s fortunes change before that occurs?

For Real Madrid tickets and other sporting events see Euro Sports Events website.

While both groups started off well, FC Barcelona slipped when what should have been a fairly cushty win against Real Sociedad turned into a draw. And just when they needed something to show they hadn't lost that special something they once more drew, this time against AC Milan in the Champions League, thanks to an injury time goal before the final whistle.

Critics instantly laid into FC Barcelona, pronouncing they’d lost their touch; 2 lackluster results is all it requires to call a crisis. However , they answered with an 8-0 win against Osasuna, their best result since the 90s, straight away silencing their critics again.

Although it looked rosy for Barcelona, things suddenly went really bad for Real Madrid. While they'd won their first two matches and sat at the head of the classifications they then lost 1-0 against Levante, a team that should barely be in the first division such is its poor state.

This is meant to be Real Madrid’s year, the second season under Jose Mourinho. However , you can’t help thinking that his total focus on what Barcelona are doing is his best weakness. Fielding an under-strength squad against Levante showed large audacity, that's not in doubt.

But what will lose Real Madrid the league again this season isn’t what FC Barcelona does or doesn't do. It is down to how many points Real Madrid can gain, making absolutely certain that they beat groups like Levante and all the rest of the clubs at the bottom of La Liga. If Mourinho is to bring the success that Real Madrid needs he must shift his focus, fast.

You can order FC Barcelona tickets for la liga and get the latest FC Barcelona news from Simply Barcelona Tickets.

There are lots of of soccer superstars plying their trade in Spain’s top division, and it is with good reason that it is regarded as the number one domestic league in the whole world. Listed below are the players who are widely regarded as the best of the best…

Messi : Spearheading Barcelona’s unique treble winning team of 2008-09, Argentinean Lionel Messi continually dazzles Europe with his creativity and flair for goals. Even though he is just 22, he is the current “World Player of the Year” and he well on the way to acquiring the legendary status of all time great Pele and Maradona.

Cristiano Ronaldo : Blistering pace and explosive power are what led to Ronaldo initially being signed by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.Now playing for the mighty Real Madrid, Ronaldo is quickly justifying his reputation as the being the world’s most expensive player.

David Villa : Playing for one of La Liga’s less glamorous teams, Valencia, David Villa Sanchez (to give him his full name) boasts an outstanding goals to games ratio. He was the winner of the “Golden Boot” for Spain at Euro 2008 and is closing in on Spain’s all time international scorers record. Villa has attracted a host of top clubs, who are all eager to land this prolific striker’s elusive signature.

Kaka : Brazilian midfielder Kaka, is a creative genius. Able to make pinpoint passes across the entire length of the field, or dribble past several players in a row, Kaka was the jewel of the AC Milan team and led them to “Champions League” success in 2007. Now one of the jewels in Real Madrid’s crown, he aims to bring the La Liga title back to the Bernabau (where Real Madrid play their home games) after a few years absence.

—

This article is brought to you by http://www.carhiremalaga.org.uk, a spanish car hire site with Malaga airport and tourist information.