Ex-pat of the week #11

This week's round-up of the best of South America playing their trade away from the continent does not feature Diego Lugano, who proved himself to be a bit of a bell-end by describing Luis Suárez as "the only victim". The Champions League and Europa League returned and the latter proved the more entertaining. Here are the nominees:

Robinho. One of a trio of Milan players that ripped Arsenal a new one at the Giuseppe Meazza in the Champions League. Alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin Prince Boateng, Robinho was pretty much unplayable and weighed in with a couple of classy finishes.
Maxi Lopez. Had Milan succeeded in signing Carlos Tevez in January, Lopez would have remained a Catania player. He paid for himself to stay in Milan while the Tevez storm blew over and is beginning to reap the benefits, helping Milan to top spot in Serie A with the equaliser in the win over Udinese.
Radamel Falcao. Again proved himself to be possibly the deadliest striker running around today with a superbly taken brace in Rome against Lazio in the Europa League.
Jonathan Cristaldo. One of five Argentines in the Metalist Kharkiv side, striker Cristaldo was unstoppable away in Salzburg, scoring twice and virtually eliminating the Red Bull-backed nouveau riche Austrian history-deniers.
Everton. With FC Twente on a roll under their new manager, it looked a nailed on certainty they'd win the local derby at Almelo with Heracles last Friday. Heracles had other thoughts, particularly their dynamic midfield schemer Everton who bossed it throughout and scored twice in a 3-2 win.


And the name in the golden envelope is...
Jonathan Cristaldo. The diminutive striker ran Salzburg ragged and pretty much put his side in the last 16 of the Europa League with his performance. The 22-year old has one senior cap for Argentina, but he's improving all the time and more will surely follow.


This section returns in a week's time. Let us know if you spot any noteworthy performances.
Meanwhile, we apologise for the lack of regular updates from the Brazilian state leagues and the Copa Libertadores which cranked back into life last week. Unfortunately, the need to earn a living has impinged on the time our contributors have to dedicate to this project. Normal service will resume soon.

Ex-pat of the week #8

Pretty much all the big leagues are back up and running now, so it's wall-to-wall FOOTBALL from here on out until spring. Who has caught the eye of our panel this week?


Antonio Valencia. The Ecuadorian has been at his very best lately. A spell filling in at right-back has, if anything, improved his all-round game, but restored to the flank he was devastating for Manchester United as they beat Arsenal and turned a five-horse race into a straight duel.

Diego Milito. The boy can't stop scoring, and as a result Inter can't stop winning. He bagged another in the league against Lazio last weekend as Inter went to eight straight wins, a run that was only ended by...

Edinson Cavani. Bagged both and was generally amazing as Napoli ended Inter's long run of wins with a 2-0 Coppa Italia quarter-final win.

Fernando Muslera. Galatasaray assumed control of the Turkish Super Liga and have done so on the back of a string of clean sheets. Another one this week for their Uruguayan goalkeeper.

Radamel Falcao. Another week, another bagful of goals for the Colombian. Three more this week as Atlético cruised past Real Sociedad. When Falcao plays well, Atléti play well and he's key to the club's fortunes.



And the nod goes to:

Fernando Muslera. We don't give enough credit to goalkeepers at times, but after a difficult time in Italy, Muslera settled quickly in Turkey and is a key part of Gala's title push.





More at the same time next week. Do let us know if you spot a noteworthy performance in the meantime.

Ex-pat of the week #7

The French league resumed this week with the last two - Germany and Holland - set to begin again this week as Europe snaps out of holiday mode. There was derby action too in Italy and Spain and cup games galore. Here's who stood out for us this week:

Fernando Amorebieta. Athletic Club de Bilbao are making great strides under Marcelo Bielsa and his Venezuelan centre-back is at the heart of it. Another clean sheet in the league and a rare goal - his second this season out of a total of two for the club in seven years - was followed by another clean sheet in the Copa del Rey against Mallorca as Athletic put one foot in the semi-finals.
Radamel Falcao. Difficult times at Atlético Madrid, but things have started well under new manager Diego Simeone as they walloped Villarreal with Colombian striker Falcao the stand-out player on the field.
Nenê. When the Qatari money flooded into PSG, it was thought that Nenê's days there were numbered. But he's worked his way into his new manager's thinking and bagged a brace as the Parisians maintained top spot by beating a good Toulouse side 3-1.
Matias Suárez. Get used to the name as he's attracting a lot of interest. Anderlecht opened up four-point gap at the top of the Belgian league after beating Club Brugge at the weekend, Suárez the stand-out player and scorer of the third goal.
Maicon. Inter are on a roll in the league and also making strides in the Coppa Italia. Maicon rifled in a thunderbastard opener from 25 yards for the opener this week against Genoa and created the second, eventually finished by Andrea Poli, in a 2-1 win.

And the winner...
Radamel Falcao. When he's on song, Atléti look like world-beaters. When he isn't... But he was this week and got his new gaffer off to a flier.


Seriously. Can you name this section better than this? Let us know yeah