The child abuse scandal that is rocking Messi-land
When the fixtures came out for the 2017-18 Laliga season, May 6 was burned on to the minds of Spanish football fans. Four games from the end of the campaign, Barcelona and Real Madrid would meet at Camp Nou with all on the line.
Except, it didn’t really pan out like that.
Barca will step out on home turf for the first time since taking the title back from Madrid, a cantering triumph that was sealed by a 4-2 victory at Deportivo La Coruna last weekend.
Ernesto Valverde’s men are yet to taste defeat in Spain’s top flight this season and sit 15 points above their bitter rivals.
One possible explanation for the gulf is a stellar contribution from Lionel Messi, who tops the charts across a raft of Opta metrics during the current campaign. For the Barcelona talisman’s long-time foe Cristiano Ronaldo, it is a different story as his imperious game takes on an increasingly narrow scope.
TOP SCORER
Messi’s 32 goals in Laliga this season leave him way out in front at the top of the charts, eight clear of Ronaldo. The 33-year-old’s tally of 24 is particularly impressive given only four came before the turn of the year and Ronaldo has made 25 Laliga appearances to Messi’s 33.
GOALS FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX
A quarter of Messi’s mighty haul have come from beyond 18 yards, double the next best return of four from Levante’s Enis Bardhi. The Macedonian free-kick specialist has netted all of his goals from outside the box from dead-ball situations, while Messi has put six beyond the wall and the goalkeeper.
Despite showing his own knack for the spectacular remained in good order with a Champions League overhead kick against Juventus, Ronaldo has not scored from outside the penalty area in Laliga this term.
TOTAL SHOTS
An area where the big two are comfortably ahead of the rest, with Ronaldo’s 166 a huge 55 more than Luis Suarez. However, Messi’s 187 goal attempts show him to be even BUENOSAIRES:ARGENTINIAN football is in deep shock after finding out that a paedophile sex ring was operating inside one of the major clubs, Independiente, and possibly extending its tentacles to other teams. The network tried to identify children and teenagers from Independiente’s academy, and offer them a chance to earn money by introducing them to adults.
It is still unclear how big the child abuse network was, but there could be as many as 500 victims, with seven of them young footballers from Independiente.
So far seven people, including an assistant referee from Argentina’s Superliga, Martin Bustos have been arrested. Bustos, who is HIV positive, is now charged with child sex abuse and child prostitution, and could be sentenced up to 20 years. His lawyer, Tomas Beldi, was also charged after smashing his defendant’s phone to erase evidence. Bustos’ father was convicted for child sex abuse in the past. Leonardo more trigger happy.
Those three are the busiest players around the opposition goal when measured by touches inside the box. Suarez’s 266 splits the returns from Ronaldo (245) and Messi (282).
MOST ASSISTS
A dozen assists puts Messi three clear at the top of this chart, with team-mate Suarez, Celta Vigo’s Pione Sisto, Villarreal’s Pablo Fornals and Valencia’s Paris Saint-germain loanee Goncalo Guedes all on nine. Ronaldo’s five Madrid assists put him 24th overall.
CHANCES CREATED
A player can probably get away with Messi’s shot total when he is both putting a fair number of them away and also servicing team-mates. The mercurial Argentinian has created 82 chances for Barca colleagues, with Lucas Perez up next on 73 despite Deportivo’s relegation. Toni Kroos (56) is Madrid’s representative in the divisional top 10, coming in eighth, while Ronaldo’s 38 chances created leave him ranked 35th.
THROUGH BALLS
Andres Iniesta’s legacy appears to be in safe hands, with Messi’s 16 successful through balls putting him six clear of Jonathan Viera – a deficit the latter has no chance of making up having left Las Palmas for Beijing Guoan. Philippe Coutinho has completed six since arriving at Barca in January, the same as Madrid’s most prolific supplier in these terms, Isco. Ronaldo has threaded four through balls, placing him 22nd in the division.
PASSES IN THE OPPOSITION HALF
Another area where Messi is untouchable – his 1,484 are over 100 more than Valencia captain Dani Parejo (1,355) and Barcelona teammate Ivan Rakitic (1,341). By contrast Ronaldo is in no danger of troubling four figures and is barely inside Laliga’s top 100 with 572.
MOST DRIBBLES
The sight of Messi and Ronaldo darting in, out and beyond succession of tackles are defining images of the modern game. However, dribbling is only truly a party piece for the Barcelona man nowadays. Messi has attempted 269 dribbles in Laliga. Levante winger Jose Luis Morales is second – way back on 187 – while Ronaldo’s 56 attempts put him 81st. Cohen Arazi, a PR specialist with many links in politics and media, was also arrested and accused of child abuse. Juan Manuel Diaz Vallone, who organised child football tournaments, and Alejandro Del Cin, football agent were also arrested last month. A 24-year-old, understood to be a client, is also in custody. Investigation is now pointing to Argentine Football Association (AFA) officials and other clubs.
The case emerged when one footballer from the club’s youth ranks broke down while speaking to the academy’s psychologist, Ariel Ruiz. With a confirmed victim, the psychologist made new interviews and discovered that it was not an isolated case.
The facilitator between the youngsters and the sex ring was another player of the academy, and possibly former victim of abuse, who was playing for the 4th Division. The club decided to provide full cooperation to the prosecutor’s office. Later, academy’s general coordinator pointed out that “no player had left the club” since the scandal emerged.
Matches
La Liga
Matches
LIONEL MESSI Barcelona can’t do without him. One of the greatest ever, and
also more humble. Barcelona at home in La Liga
Matches CRISTIANO RONALDO He manufactures some of the most brilliant goals and is also quite a showman.
GOAL SCORED IN ALL CLASICOS
Liga
Copa
WHICH TEAM DEPENDS MORE ON THEIR STAR?
Both players have clocked
Supercopa
Europa
minutes in the 2018 La Liga season
2017-18 League Analysis