Mundo's podcast - Stealing a Hurricane

Mundo Albiceleste's podcast is back by popular demand (OK, it was only Paulina who asked for it, but we're sure there are many of you out there waiting to listen to our show!)

As promised in last week's edition, we got together with Sam Kelly from Hasta El Gol Siempre to discuss the incredible conclusion of the Torneo Clausura in which we witnessed one of modern football most shocking refereeing performances.

Also...what's going on at Boca Juniors and River Plate? Are their glory days over? What's in store for their future.

If you want, you can simply click the audio player above or right-click on the following link and save it as an MP3 file or listen to it in your computer: download.

Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your views to argentina.correspondent@gmail.com or right here in the comments' box.

Mundo Albiceleste is now on Twitter

I've been hearing a lot about Twitter without knowing exactly how it works. I'm sure there must be something good about it and that's why we decided to go for it and open an account for Mundo Albiceleste.

I read a comment from our regular visitor and friend 'p2bn' and he said it would be great for Mundo Albiceleste to have a presence in what seems to be a great and easy-to-use network.

There is a widget in our sidebar and we encourage all of you to follow us on Twitter for regular and short updates, whilst the in-depth analysis and articles will keep coming strong here on our website.

Personally, I would love for those Mundo Albiceleste's readers with experience using Twitter to give us some advice in using this new tool and in helping us get more exposure for Mundo Albiceleste to reach many more Argentina fans from around the world.

www.twitter.com/MundoAlbicelest (isn't it unlucky? Only one character short of our full name! But we couldn't find a solution for that problem. Is not that bad, is it?).

We've got three followers already (and we have only been on Twitter for a few minutes). Join us and bring your friends along.

Don't call me Lucho...call me Monsier Lucheaux!

I'm sorry. I know it was a terrible headline. I couldn't come up with a better one for this news.

As we anticipated last week here on Mundo Albiceleste, Lucho GONZALEZ. has left Porto and has joined Olympique Marseille where he'll play for the next four seasons after the French club paid 18 million Euro for his transfer.

SAVIOLA is unveiled by Benfica


The Little Rabbit becomes official O Pequeno Coelho as he is unveiled by Benfica at their mythical Estadio da Luz (Stadium of Light).

In a day in which KAKA got his impressive presentation at the Bernabeu in Madrid, where he inherited the number 8 shirt from Fernando GAGO (because Pintita wanted to use the vacant number 5 shirt), SAVIOLA had a humble showing in comparison...but I saw no giant bird at KAKA's party!

So there you go! Ha!



Rosario again?

By the way...I know this news probably deserves an entry of its own, but I thought I'd add it up here in a nice long post.

I've heard the AFA elevated a petition to FIFA to host the match between Argentina and Brazil for the World Cup Qualifiers in the city of Rosario.

We are going to have to wait and see whether FIFA accepts this petition and whether the inspection that should be taking place, is successful or not.

Podcast reminder

Don't forget to listen to the latest edition of Mundo Albiceleste's podcast, where we discuss the local league of Argentina.




If you want, you can simply click the audio player above or right-click on the following link and save it as an MP3 file or listen to it in your computer: download.

Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your views to argentina.correspondent@gmail.com or right here in the comments' box.

Mundo Albiceleste's podcast - Going local

It's our pleasure to present you with another edition of Mundo Albiceleste's podcast show!

We are taking this one step beyond and we decided to discuss something we don't always talk about on Mundo Albiceleste: the domestic Argentine league.

For that, I'm joined in this edition of the pod by our very good friend from Hasta El Gol Siempre. Sam KELLY. Who is also a regular writer at Soccernet.

The timing couldn't have been better as we enter the week of the final week of the Clausura tournament, where league-leaders Huracán take on the second-placed team in the standings, Velez Sarsfield, in the championship decider.

Sam tells us all about it and we also discuss Estudiantes' campaign in the Copa Libertadores and he tries to explain the difficult system used to calculate relegations in Argentina.

If you want, you can simply click the audio player above or right-click on the following link and save it as an MP3 file or listen to it in your computer: download.

Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your views to argentina.correspondent@gmail.com or right here in the comments' box.

HEGS/Mundo Albiceleste awards last call

Argentina has recently had its own elections, but this week sees the culmination of a far more important one. You’ve got only six days left to vote, if you haven’t already, for your winner in the HEGS / Mundo Albiceleste Award for Best Argentine Abroad.

Pick Lionel MESSI, Christian GIMÉNEZ, Diego MILITO or Pablo ZABALETA, and send your vote to awards@hastaelgolsiempre.com before midnight Argentine time on Sunday night.

Mundo's podcast - Is it Mundo Yellowgreen?

"Better late than never", goes the old saying.

Well...here you have it. Another edition of Mundo Albiceleste's podcast!

Some technical problems kept us from uploading it sooner, but the topics discussed in this latest conversation, are pretty much still fresh.

Without any matches for our beloved Argentina, we decided to pay a visit to our Brazilian friend Rafael, who gives us his views on his national team's fortunes at the Confederation Cups (we recorded this before Brazil defeated South Africa -very luckily, I might add- and I'm writing this before the final match between the yellow and green and the USA).

Brazil seem to be hitting form lately, and Rafael helps us examine our next WCQ rival from the inside.

John, Rafael and yours truly, took some time to recall our favourite (and our worst) memories from previous matches between Argentina and Brazil and we would love to hear from you.

If you want, you can simply click the audio player above or right-click on the following link and save it as an MP3 file or listen to it in your computer: download.

Enjoy! And don't forget to send us your views to argentina.correspondent@gmail.com or right here in the comments' box.

More FAN-actic Photo

Canada seems to be a great breeding ground for the Albiceleste followers. We have Roy from Montreal. And there is Hamdi from Toronto. We’ve got to know Mike who is also from Toronto.

Now here is a picture of his brother’s tattoo. Unbelievable!!!

Thanks buddy! Keep the VAMOS alive in Canada.

SAVIOLA clinches deal to Benfica

He is finally out of the living hell that was Madrid for him.

Javier SAVIOLA has sealed a deal to join Lisbon giants Benfica, where he'll play for the next three years and he'll join his former River Plate and Argentina team-mate, Pablo AIMAR.

The permanent move costed Benfica 5 million Euros

Apart from SAVIOLA and AIMAR there are other Argentines there, such as Angel DI MARIA and another of their recent signings, José SCHAFFER (a left-back coming from Racing Club de Avellaneda).

Will the Little Rabbit get back on the radar for our national team with a guaranteed place in Benfica's first team?

We can only wish a player that has scored at every club where he played in the past (including Real Madrid), the best of lucks.

MARADONA finally signs his contract with AFA

As reported by our readers on the comments' box, MARADONA has finally put pen to paper to a contract that serves to officially appoint him as Argentina manager until after the World Cup 2010.

According to reports, MARADONA will earn 1,2 million US dollars (860k Euros), roughly 100k USD per month.

Some people are saying that it is too much money and they compared it with the salaries earned by PASSARELLA, BIELSA, PEKERMAN and BASILE, who were all paid between 40 and 50k a month.

Other people say it's ludicrous to justify his salary on the basis that he raises the profile of the team and that now there is an interest for Argentina matches. Well...if you're Julio GRONDONA and you're getting money to have your team play friendlies all over the world and you generate a lot of income because of the constant exposure your team is getting, then it doesn't sound like that's too much money.

Especially if you compare it with the 3 million Euros (that's Euros), Sven-Goran ERIKSSON earned when he managed Mexico (to pathetic results and performances). Or the 1,4 million Euros per year that Giovanni TRAPATTONI is earning as the Republic of Ireland manager (yes, he's getting the results, but he's earning twice as much as Diego).

Guus HIDDINK, the wizard, gets 2,5 million Euros a year in Russia and Marcelo LIPPI (Italy) earns 2 million Euros per year to lose to Egypt and get knocked out of the Confed Cup in the first round.

Let's just dont bring Diego these figures or he may start a war with the world and ask for a raise!

Argentina - N. Zealand postponed until September

Originally schedule to be played on 9 July in Córdoba, the friendly match between Argentina and New Zealand has been postponed and it will be played in September (date to be confirmed).

Let me remind you that the game would have been another opportunity for MARADONA to see the players from the domestic league in action.

More news to follow as we find out.