Can D'Artagnan club upset royalty?

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(CNN) -- "We are like one grain of sand against a whole beach." Eibar fan Unai Eraso.

SD Eibar has already climbed one mountain this summer in being admitted to Spain's top football tier, but its next task is even more daunting -- trying to compete in the same division as European champion Real Madrid.

Not only can Real lavish a sum four times Eibar's annual budget on just one player, its Bernabeu stadium could hold the entire population of the tiny Basque town and still have 58,454 seats empty.

Read: The 'miracle of Eibar'

Eibar will be the smallest team ever to compete in La Liga and had to raise $2.3 million in capital just to take its place at the top table of Spanish football.

Its president Alex Aranzaba believes the greatest achievement in Eibar's history would be to survive on such an uneven playing field.

"There are several reasons why Real Madrid and Barcelona are so far ahead in terms of finance," Aranzabal told CNN.

"Both clubs have many connections around the world and don't earn money by just selling tickets -- they have big merchandising campaign.

"There's also the huge television deals which they both have. It's impossible to compete with them, not just for Eibar which is the smallest team, but even for bigger clubs like Sevilla, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao.

That Eibar will go head-to-head with the likes of Real Madird and Barca l is something of a sporting miracle.

After gaining promotion to Spain's second tier, the club promptly won the title for the first in its history.

But a debut season rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and champions Atletico was immediately under threat, due to a 1999 law passed down by the Spanish authorities.

It insists each team must have a capital equal to 25% of the average expenses of all sides in the second division, excluding the two clubs with the biggest outgoings and the two with the smallest.

The law is designed to ensure all clubs can attend to its debts, despite La Liga's leading lights -- Real Madrid and Barca -- being in the red to an estimated combined total close to 1 billion ($1.36 billion).

Eibar, on the other hand, are self-sustaining and completely debt free; even La Liga's president has referred to them as a "model club."

And yet, failure to raise the required 1.7 million ($2.3 million) would result in demotion back to the obscurity of Spain's third tier.

But football loves an underdog and when Eibar threw themselves at the mercy of fans by launching a share issue scheme, thousands stepped forward to help.

The cash was raised a full three weeks before Eibar's deadline, leaving Aranzabal and others at the club dumbfounded at the pledges of support.

"For a small city and a small club to receive such support from across the world is something that makes me very proud -- it feels like we're part of a family," said Aranzabal.

"At the beginning there were some doubts we'd raise the money, but later we realized we had a story to tell and that we could reach our target with hard work.

"Around 36% of our shareholders are from Eibar but because of the online marketing campaign we have shareholders from 50 different countries across the world.

"We had people buying shares from the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Germany, France, Mexico, Colombia. We had people coming to us from all over Asia and across the world.

"It really has been incredible."

With the financial hurdles overcome, Eibar's fans can now dream of the footballing treats that lie ahead.

Barcelona and Real Madrid will visit Eibar's titchy Ipurua stadium (capacity 5,900) in due course, but first up are neighbors Real Sociedad for a Basque derby on Sunday.

"This club was founded in 1940 after the troubles of the Civil War," added Aranzabal, referring to the conflict that tore Spain apart.

"This is the first time in 74 years and this is a dream. Now we have to maintain the dream in La Liga. We're sure that we're going to be competitive and fight until the last minute of the season to avoid relegation.

"This club is used to facing challenges."

Unai Eraso has been a supporters of Eibar all his life and is in no doubt the last year qualifies as a bona fide sporting miracle.

"You can't even compare Eibar with Barcelona or Real Madrid," said Eraso. "The population of Eibar is 27,000 people, against Real Madrid in a city of more than 3.5 million people.

"Everyone is bigger in terms of budget, population, stadium, players but our story is going to be a good one for football as a whole.

"It will be tough on the pitch but I'm really confident because we have no pressure on us. This year is a like a present to all the supporters of Eibar.

"Nobody's going to whistle or shout against the team or the players. We are Eibar -- we know who we are."

Like Aranzabal, Eraso believes Spanish football needs to redistribute its wealth better.

Though Eibar raised the cash it needed to lift its head above the financial bar imposed by the league, it's still dwarfed by almost all its fellow La Liga clubs.

Eibar's budget for the season is around the same as Barcelona star Lionel Messi will earn in wages over the same period.

That's partly because Spanish clubs are allowed to sell its television rights independently, meaning the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona could command four times the amount that Eibar can muster.

"It is not fair at all," Eraso said. "Not only in how the TV money is shared among the teams but also the huge amount of money some clubs owe. Eibar has no debt at all.

"These guys are free to buy a lot of players with the money they get from TV and it makes for a paralyzed league where the top two or three teams have 80% of the resources and the rest have peanuts.

"In Spain it is a nonsense to say someone outside of Real Madrid, Atletico or Barcelona will win the league. There is no fourth candidate."

Eibar isn't concerned with the title race though -- its battle is to finish fourth from bottom and avoid relegation.

Eraso is convinced they can do it, if they harness the intimidating surrounds of Ipurua, and call on the famed togetherness in the town.

"The spirit is the most important thing that will help us overcome all the challenges we will have this year," he said.

"We have overcome a lot of crises in the town and reinvented ourselves. We now have to adapt to what is coming this year.

"We're going to have the lowest budget with no big names in our team but we will make it with the players and all of us pushing in the same direction -- this is in our spirit."

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Fairytale or unfair nightmare?

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(CNN) -- There is only one fairytale story in Spanish soccer this season, but will it have a happy ending?

Forget Atletico Madrid's first league title for 18 years, disregard its city neighbor Real concluding an exhaustive wait for "La Decima" -- a 10th European Champions League crown.

Because this season is all about the "Miracle of Eibar."

The Basque town has a population of just 27,000 and the club a budget dwarfed by almost all its rivals, yet back-to-back promotions have banked Eibar a place in the big time.

Having already guaranteed a top-tier place, Eibar also claimed the Spanish second division title after second-placed Deportivo La Coruna lost 3-1 at Girona on Saturday.

For the first time in its 74-year history Eibar will compete in La Liga next season, rubbing shoulders with Real Madrid and Barcelona as well as local rivals Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao.

"I don't know if miracles exist but this is something close to a miracle," Alex Aranzabal, club president since 2009, told CNN.

However, amid all the emotion and reverence there is a bitter tinge, because like every famous fairytale fable, the threat of tragedy lurks in the background.

Despite being self-sustaining and completely free of debt -- unlike a host of other Spanish clubs -- Eibar could actually be relegated to the third tier of Spanish football.

A 1999 decree requires every team to have a capital equal to 25% of the average expenses of all sides in the second division, excluding the two clubs with the biggest outgoings and the two with the smallest.

That has hoisted the financial bar way above the head of Eibar, which has responded by launching a share issue to raise the 1.7 million ($2.3 million) needed to take a place at Spain's top table.

Unsurprisingly, Aranzabal is unimpressed.

While he runs an admittedly small but undoubtedly tight ship, the estimated combined debts of Real Madrid and Barcelona amount to not far off 1 billion ($1.36 billion).

"Even though we have a small budget, we have a different economic model to other clubs in Spain," Aranzabal told CNN. "We have less expenses, fewer outgoings and we always have a small deficit.

"This is something really strange in Spain because almost every team has huge debt, but in our case we have no debt.

"We think it is really unfair because the law was established to assure that all those clubs with a lot of debt had a minimum capital value to attend to all their debts.

"In our case we don't have any debt."

'Special model'

The club's story has struck a chord with football-loving people the world over, and support has been flooding in for its "Defend Eibar" campaign.

Over 1.25 million ($1.7 million) has already been raised, the club's tentacles spreading far and wide thanks to pledges from China, Australia, Argentina, England, Ireland and many more countries.

Crucially, no investor can purchase more than 100,000 worth of shares, ensuring Eibar's principles are kept intact.

"We want the team to remain for the people -- this is one of the ideas of our special model," Aranzabal explains.

"We very much appreciate all the help we have had -- it has been surprising for us, a small club in a small town in the Basque mountains.

"We have discovered that we have a story to tell and that people want hear stories like this, that we are fighting against this rule and we have achieved something big.

"I hope we will get the money but we have to keep going -- if we relax it is the shortest way to failure. It will be difficult but we will get it."

Humility and hard work

The question of finance festering in the background has done little to dilute the delirium among Eibar supporters, which pretty much counts as every single inhabitant of the town.

Since being formed in 1940 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the club has never won a major trophy and only flirted with promotion to La Liga once, in the 2004-05 campaign.

A teenage David Silva, now a star for the world champion Spanish national side and English Premier League winner Manchester City, was among its ranks then, as was Gaizka Garitano, the club's current manager.

He has led the "Armeros" to successive promotions, sticking steadfastly to a culture and identity that has long pervaded the club -- one that embodies the spirit of the tiny town that is equidistant from Bilbao and San Sebastian.

Now, should it match or better the result of rival Deportivo La Coruna on the final day of this season, Eibar will be confirmed as Segunda champion.

"The secret to their success has been humility, hard work and above everything the spirit of the team," says Unai Eraso, an Eibar native who attended his first match at the age of four.

"No-one is above any other. This is indicative of Eibar's culture. The older players teach the younger players how to behave, how to work, how to be a team player.

"These young guys when they become older, they will do the same. It is a culture that is passed down from generation to generation.

"This year is a like a dream. Under no circumstances did we imagine of getting to La Liga. This is a real miracle."

'All for one, one for all'

Mikel Madinabeitia, a journalist with El Diario Vasco, is similarly gushing about the class of 2013-14 and their achievements.

"This is football and it is a dream machine. Football is the only sport that allows such things, it would be impossible in basketball or athletics," he told CNN.

"It's a typical rags to riches story. I wrote in my newspaper Eibar has been the D'Artagnan of the second division, with that famous catchphrase 'All for one and one for all.'

"There are no celebrities in this team, no millionaires. Jota Peleteiro is like the artist of the group, similar to David Silva, who played at Eibar. He's so creative."

Promotion may have brought unconfined joy to Eibar, but aside from the financial conundrum, it has also thrown up a different web of problems.

Such is Eibar's size and budget, that a summer overhaul is needed if it is to have a chance of holding its own against the best 19 teams in Spain.

"It will be so difficult next season because the competition is so different," Madinabeitia said.

"Eibar will be the smallest town in the history of La Liga, with the smallest budget. They will have to change 50% of the team. They have a difficult summer ahead.

"Real Madrid and Barcelona play in another dimension and there are another set of clubs who play for Europe. If they avoid relegation it will be the most important achievement of Eibar."

Welcoming the superstars

But that is for another day. Now it is all about raising the money and daring to dream about life in La Liga alongside the soccer elite.

"The first day of the season will be very emotional. A day to talk about for all the days of your life," Madinabeitia said.

"It will be the happiest day of the season when Barcelona come to Ipurua, a historic day.

"Real Madrid played here in the cup some years ago, but not Barcelona. You can imagine the emotion of watching Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at Ipurua."

Aranzabal has barely had time to revel in the club's achievements, being swamped with media requests from around the world as well as spearheading the "Defend Eibar" campaign.

But the president is determined this historic opportunity won't see a shift in his club's philosophy.

"We won't go crazy wasting a lot of money on getting very expensive players," Aranzabal said. "We want to maintain our team philosophy and do things as we have been doing all these years.

"We will try to adapt to the new situation but without getting crazy. We want to stick to our guns and be true to our history."

Thanks to the record-breaking achievements of their players, it is a history that is becoming far more widely known.

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The World Cup for outsiders

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(CNN) -- Ahead of the biggest game of his life, Mahamat "Iggy" Ignegui has mastered the diplomatic language, if not his nerves.

"I am completely focused on the first match. We have to do it, we cannot lose," the Sudanese midfielder tells CNN before boarding a plane from Chad's Ndjamena airport that will continue his remarkable journey to the World Cup.

This showpiece event will not feature Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, or any of the other household football names that will light up Brazil this summer.

Instead, teams such as South Ossetia, Iraqi Kurdistan and Tamil Sri Lanka will do battle for the Nelson Mandela trophy in Sweden. This is a tournament for the stateless, the marginalized and unrecognized by FIFA -- the ConIFA World Cup.

No team has traveled further or struggled harder to make it to Ostersund than Darfur United. The squad is entirely made up of refugees from the conflict that claimed over 200,000 lives, now living in the neglected camps of East Chad.

Eleven years on from the conflict, foreign aid and interest has dried up, with rations cut in half and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reporting over 50% prevalence of chronic malnutrition in the camps.

"Life in the camps is better than Sudan now," says Ignegui, recalling that in his village even the sheep were killed and every house was destroyed.

"But they destroy youth. We need to improve our skills and go to university. But there are no good schools or hospitals, nothing to do. We need to get out."

Football is providing that release.

In Istanbul. It has not been easy, but oh so worth it! pic.twitter.com/sQDFwzOpBu

The camps had always played the game, with cloth balls in the scorching heat, but with the support of U.S.-based humanitarian group i-ACT, a new team was formed in 2012.

Thousands of hopefuls from 12 camps participated in tryouts, many traveling for days at their own expense. This was whittled down to a squad of 16 players, who traveled to Iraq for the 2012 Viva World Cup just months after forming, and played their first match in a 15-0 defeat to Northern Cyprus, before Moubarak Haggar Dougom scored their first goal in a 5-1 loss to Western Sahara.

Ignegui admits that team-building was a challenge at first.

"We were from five different tribes, all with their own language, so nobody understood each other and everybody was fighting," the 25-year-old says.

"But after 10 days of training together we changed our behavior to respect each other, and became like brothers."

That spirit gave rise to their name. While the children of the camps wear the shirts of Real Madrid and Barcelona, Darfur United borrowed its badge from Manchester.

Two years on, the team has benefited from regular training under professional coach Mark Hodson. Participation has grown, with 900 girls and boys playing at the new Soccer Academy in Djabal Camp, and several more are planned, while a women's team will be launched next year.

But despite such development, the team's attendance in Ostersund was always in the balance.

"Everything came down to the wire," says Katie-Jay Scott Stauring, i-ACT's director of operations and community involvement.

"We had a 72-hour fundraising drive to raise $1,850 per player and coach. We made it in time with six minutes to the deadline to pay for the team's airline tickets."

The stress did not stop there, with delays for visas again threatening their participation, as well as diplomatic complications between embassies, before the team was finally allowed to travel.

That Darfur United's players will be lining up in Sweden is a reflection of the international goodwill and support behind them. From the volunteer coaches and assistants, to donations received from football fans around the world.

NBA basketball star Tracy McGrady contributed the team's kits, and a printing house supplied the logos free of charge, while Turkish Airlines bent its rules for travel requirements.

"We are now brothers." Ismail, new DU player from camp Touloum, about teammates coming from different camps/tribes. pic.twitter.com/AeFiCCWt6b

The team will have a difficult assignment in Sunday's opening match against tournament favorite Padania, of the Po' Valley region in northern Italy. While the area was associated with the far-right Lega Nord party, the team now promotes an inclusive message, represented by star player Enock Barwuah -- brother of Italy international Mario Balotelli, who will line up at Brazil 2014.

"It's the first time I play for Padania and I said yes straight away," says Barwuah.

"I was born here, and lived here, so I feel a connection. It's a great experience to play with teams from around the world."

Barwuah admits he knows little about his first opponents, but is keen to learn more.

There are two main purposes to the tournament, says ConIFA president and former referee Per Anders Blind.

"We work to support ethnicities and isolated regions, and also to educate the world about them, to know they exist and who they are. To show their culture, heritage and traditions."

This is the largest tournament to date for stateless peoples -- replacing the poorly organized Viva events -- with a record 12 teams, and Blind sees limitless potential.

"There are 5,500 ethnicities and regions that cannot play. FIFA have 209 members and we can easily double that," he says.

"ConIFA is only 10 months old and members say we have accomplished more than Viva did in 10 years. Sponsors realize we are opening up a whole new market. There are 40 million Kurdish people without a state, for example."

The knockout rounds are expected to sell out in the admittedly modest 6,000-capacity stadiums, and there is evidence of growing public interest in the outposts of football, away from the traditional powerhouses of the game.

We did it! We raised the funds needed to purchase airplane tkts to Sweden! Watch out world, here comes @DarfurUnited! GoDU! WEdidit

The story of American Samoa, the world's worst international team, has generated a hit book and film.

"There are so many teams who fall outside the FIFA framework and it's very valuable to give them recognition," says Paul Watson, an English football journalist who managed Pacific Island Pohnpei, and now Mongolia.

"The ConIFA competition will give a lot of people a chance to express their identity through football and that's a very valuable thing."

For Ignegui, it is priceless.

"Football has bought joy to a group that has not had good news in a long time. People in our camps are so proud and happy with this team when they see us representing them in the tournament," he says.

"It has made a lot of difference to our lives. After 11 years in our small tents, something like this seemed impossible, just a dream."

Although Darfur United's players are desperate to bring the trophy home, perhaps their most important battle has already been won.

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Via: The World Cup for outsiders

Has Barcelona lost its soul?

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Barcelona, Spain (CNN) -- In Madrid and Barcelona, they will be talking about this for many years to come.

Of all the ways to break Barca's monopoly on Spanish league titles, going to the home of the champions and robbing them of their crown in their own backyard takes some beating.

In the Catalan heartland Saturday, unfashionable Atletico Madrid produced a storybook ending to one of the most enthralling seasons Spanish football -- or indeed any European league -- has ever produced.

But as Atleti celebrated, the soul searching began in Barcelona.

Winner takes all

For the first time since 1951 (and only the third time ever), the destiny of the title lay in the hands of two teams facing each other on the final day. Barca entertained an Atletico team which hadn't won the domestic league since 1996 -- during which time Barca had added eight more La Ligas to the club's roll of honor.

The equation was simple: win, and Barca would be crowned champions for a fourth time in five seasons; draw or win, and Atletico would take the title for the first time in 18 years, when current manager Diego Simeone was captain.

In the end, it was deservingly, fittingly, gloriously Simeone's triumph -- and one that now propels the Argentine coach into the stratosphere, such is the epic scale of the revolution he has presided over since taking charge of "Los Rojiblancos" in December 2011.

Champions of Europe?

A team that rarely won anything, that only found new ways of losing, was at once transformed; Europa League triumph in 2012 was quickly followed by the UEFA Super Cup and then the Spanish Cup in 2013. Simeone had molded and inspired a group of disparate talents into a squad with a win-at-all-costs, never-say-die mentality.

With the league now in the bag too, Simeone and his team have the chance to add the ultimate prize to their ever-expanding trophy cabinet when they meet arch-rivals Real Madrid in Saturday's European Champions League final in Lisbon.

"I would say that this win means something for everyone," said Simeone, who saw his team gain the 1-1 draw they needed despite losing the services of 27-goal striker Diego Costa and midfield mischief-maker Arda Turan inside the first 20 minutes.

"It shows that there is more than one way to win. It is one of the most important days in the history of Atletico Madrid."

Yet how few Atleti were there to celebrate such a seismic feat. Officially, 447 of their fans were present at the 98,000-capacity Camp Nou, though a few others were easily seen dotted around the gigantic arena.

They managed to make themselves heard, however, especially when Diego Godin leveled just after halftime and again at fulltime. The Atleti stayed right where they were for at least an hour after the final whistle to sing and dance and acclaim their heroes.

Those men must have looked tiny, like Subbuteo figures, from their position right at the top of the third tier behind the goal where Godin created history, but it didn't seem to matter one bit.

And to their credit, Barcelona ensured Atleti would have even more treasured memories of their special day as they stayed true to their "Mes que un club" ("More than a club") motto.

'They showed Barca is a great club'

The home fans responded to the apparent ignominy of having their title taken away from them on their own turf by rising as one the very moment the game was over, proceeding to give Atletico's players the standing ovation their herculean effort deserved. Two minutes later and "Atleti, Atleti" reverberated around the amphitheater as Simeone and his gladiators, almost disbelievingly, looked up and soaked in the adulation.

"Barca players and coaches came to congratulate me immediately after the game," added Simeone. "They showed Barca is a great club."

So what of this great club? For one so used to winning and for fans usually so quick to wave their white handkerchiefs as a way of registering their disdain, they seemed awfully accepting of their fate.

The mood in the city all day was upbeat, yet strangely free from the tension that usually engulfs occasions of such enormity; don't forget, this was a title that coach Gerardo Martino had already conceded two weeks ago, before a succession of bizarre results handed his side one last unlikely shot at glory.

It never felt like their title to win, though. With the heartbreaking trauma of ex-coach Tito Vilanova's tragic passing in April still fresh in the mind, and with several players mooted to be leaving this summer, even before Saturday the focus had shifted to next season and the future.

An emotional month reached a crescendo as first long-serving goalkeeper Victor Valdes -- who has been injured since March -- said his farewells on Monday and then on Thursday club captain Carles Puyol, a mainstay of Barcelona since the mid-1990s, gave his final press conference before walking away from the Camp Nou.

It is not so much half a new team Barca are looking for over the next couple of months as almost a replacement soul.

What next for Barca?

Former captain Luis Enrique, who played for the Catalans with distinction between 1996 and 2004 and managed Barcelona B from 2008-11, was appointed Monday as the club's new coach after leaving his post at Celta Vigo.

Enrique led Celta Vigo to ninth place in La Liga in his only season in charge, after a difficult first senior appointment at Italian club Roma in 2011-12.

Now that Lionel Messi -- arguably the world's greatest footballer and certainly its best-paid exponent -- has signed a new contract, Barca must try to rediscover what made them one of the most breathtakingly successful teams the sport has ever seen.

"I feel so bad, I feel disappointment and disillusionment," said midfielder Andres Iniesta on social media. "Next year we will fight to give you the joys that you and this club deserve."

As for Atletico, whose fans celebrated long into the night at Neptuno Square in the Spanish capital and then took to the streets of Madrid Sunday as their champions paraded through the city on an open-top bus, the focus is rather more short-term.

At the Stadium of Light in Lisbon on Saturday, they will seek to put their name on the biggest trophy of them all for the very first time, and in the process deny city rivals Real "La Decima" -- the 10th European Cup/Champions League title that has so frustratingly eluded the club since 2002.

Simeone, a man who has the underdog spirit coursing through his veins, will already be licking his lips in anticipation.

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God in a city of football faith?

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(CNN) -- In a city where football is a religion, Daniel Sturridge is fast becoming a deity.

The Liverpool striker's skyward salute -- he is a committed Christian -- has become a familiar sight around English Premier League grounds, with the 24-year-old netting 18 league goals so far this season.

With nine goals in nine league matches this year, scoring has come easy. Explaining his hot streak, however, is a bit more difficult.

"I'm not too sure," Sturridge told CNN's World Sport. "I just think that I've had my faith in God, been praying a lot, been working hard on the training field, and expressing myself, playing my natural game and playing my natural position also."

A switch from the wing -- where his former club Chelsea often deployed him -- to a more central attacking role at Liverpool has transformed Sturridge's scoring fortunes.

The statistics speak for themselves: 13 goals in 63 league appearances during four years at Stamford Bridge compared to 28 from 35 games in the 14 months since completing his 12 million ($20 million) move to Anfield.

Goals and a blossoming partnership with Uruguay striker Luis Suarez have propelled Sturridge to new heights of stardom, but his nimble feet remain firmly planted on the ground.

"Maybe off the pitch it's changed in terms of people paying more attention, but in terms of myself and my family and my friends nothing has changed," he says.

"I live the same lifestyle, I'm the same old happy self that I've been in my whole life."

Sturridge and Suarez have netted 43 times in the league this season, but come June 19 they will likely be lining up against each other when England take on Uruguay at the World Cup in Brazil.

"It will be strange but I'm looking forward to it," Sturridge says of the Group D clash.

"We play against each other in training and we have a lot of battles, but come game time we will be enemies and he'll be somebody that I'll be looking to take out if necessary because we got to win the game."

Sturridge's renaissance at club level has also been mirrored on the international stage, where he's gone from fringe player to first-team regular.

His fifth England goal in this month's 1-0 friendly win against Denmark at Wembley merely confirmed his growing stature and confidence ahead of the trip to South America.

"It's gonna be great to be involved in the World Cup because it's something I've dreamed of ... It's gonna be a great occasion and as I've said, if I'm selected, I'm looking forward to it," he says.

The priority now, though, is on domestic matters as Liverpool continue their quest for a first league title in 24 years.

Daniel Sturridge: "The love I have for LFC just grows and grows, more and more, each day." http://t.co/93bMaQSyda pic.twitter.com/dbXRYPiabC

Sunday's 3-0 drubbing of Manchester United at Old Trafford was Liverpool's fifth straight league win and confirmed Brendan Rodgers' team as genuine title contenders, although Sturridge refuses to be drawn on the subject.

"I think it's important that we just go out there, work as hard as we can as a team in every game and perceive what the future holds," he told CNN before the victory over Liverpool's northwest rivals.

Sturridge can look forward to home clashes against two of his former clubs -- league-leading Chelsea and Manchester City, the bookmakers' favorite -- as the EPL title race heads down the final straight in April.

"We're gonna play them both at Anfield. It's going to be a great occasion for myself and for the fans and my teammates of course. But it's important that we go out there and play the Liverpool way and enjoy it," he says.

Win those two games and Liverpool fans will be on the verge of Premier League heaven.

Via: God in a city of football faith?

Portugal says goodbye to Eusebio

(CNN) -- It started with a haircut.

The year was 1960, and Bela Guttmann sat in his chair at the local barber's shop.

Guttman, one of the most iconic football coaches of his day, had just led Portuguese club Benfica to the European Cup and achieved legendary status.

But that was not enough for him -- he wanted more.

While pondering his plans, a gentleman in the next chair, who happened to be visiting the country as coach of touring Brazilian side Sao Paulo, let Guttmann in on a little secret.

He told the Hungarian about "A Pantera Negra" -- the man they were calling "The Black Panther."

A legend had begun to spread from Mozambique about a young player plying his trade with a youth team in the African country's capital, now known as Maputo, with links to Benfica's great rivals -- Sporting Lisbon.

The son of a white Angolan railway worker and a black mother from the Mozambique community, Eusbio da Silva Ferreira was the name on everybody's lips.

Read: Benfica and 'the curse of Bela Guttmann'

Guttmann took no chances -- Eusebio's mother had already turned down the advances of Italian club Juventus, so he made the family an offer they could not refuse.

The financial incentive worked and the player joined Benfica, much to the dismay of Sporting officials, who had dallied in their pursuit of the player.

The rest, as they say, is history -- and what a history: 733 goals in 745 matches confirmed Eusebio's status as one of the all-time greats.

As Portugal said goodbye to one of its most famous sons Monday, following his death at the age of 71, thousands took to the streets to farewell a man who had brought joy and inspiration to a generation as the government declared three days of mourning.

"As a man, he was quite humble, kind and very down to earth," said CNN's Duarte Mendonca, a Benfica supporter who was in Lisbon for the funeral.

"He had a tremendous amount of love for his club Benfica, for whom he served as an ambassador.

"I've seen fans from various clubs, including longtime rivals, paying homage to a man they've learned to respect for his talent and flair, but also for his personality.

Just had lunch where Eusebio used to come all the time. Adega da Tia Matilde. This places has so many stories... pic.twitter.com/8VY60Yb3W8

"Only a man such as Eusebio would be able to unify fans in such fashion. That says a lot."

During an illustrious career in which he won 11 Portuguese league titles, five domestic cups and a European crown, Eusebio became a legend of world football.

From the moment he entered national consciousness by helping Benfica retain the European Cup in 1962, where he scored twice in a thrilling 5-3 final win over Real Madrid in Amsterdam, the country began to fall in love with the man from Mozambique.

His incredible acceleration and lethal right foot helped him take Benfica to the very top of the European game, while he was honored as the continent's best player by winning the Ballon d'Or in 1965.

But it was at the 1966 World Cup that he became worldwide sensation as he produced a series of performances which brought adulation from from across the globe.

His nine goals, the most by any player at the tournament, helped Portugal reach the semifinal where it was beaten by the host nation England, which eventually went on to win the tournament.

Such was Eusebio's impact that Inter Milan reportedly offered the striker 40 times his salary to lure him away from Benfica and even approached his wife to sign the contract on his behalf.

The move was scuppered, however, in rather bizarre circumstances though, as Portuguese Prime Minister Antnio de Oliveira Salazar refused Eusebio permission to leave the country.

Instead, Eusebio remained at Benfica, scoring goals and helping his side reach the 1968 European Cup final, but this time losing to Manchester United at Wembley after extra-time.

It was in that contest that Eusebio's sportsmanlike qualities shone through.

With the game tied, Eusebio had the opportunity to win the contest but when his effort was brilliantly saved by United keeper Alex Stepney, the striker simply stood and applauded. It was a gesture which would not be forgotten.

That same year, he won the European golden boot as the continent's top goalscorer -- a feat he repeated five years later.

After leaving Benfica in 1975, Eusebio moved across the Atlantic to play in the U.S. before retiring in 1980 following ongoing problems with his right knee.

He continued to work in football as an ambassador for Benfica and Portugal's national side, meeting with high-profile players on European match nights and attending global tournaments on a regular basis until his death on January 5, 2014. He left behind his wife Flora and their two daughters.

Eusbio's coffin at da Luz where he wanted it to be. The SLB President promised him one last trip around the stadium. pic.twitter.com/2sdqA3z8ww

"I think he is immortal," Chelsea's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho told state broadcaster RTP.

"We all know what he meant for football and especially for Portuguese football.

"He was not only a great inspiration but also an important figure in upholding the values, principles and feelings of football, even after finishing his career."

Eusebio's status as Portugal's greatest football player was confirmed by the thousands who flocked to watch his coffin paraded through the streets of Lisbon.

His statue, which stands proud outside Benfica's Stadium of Light, is adorned with scarves, flowers and banners from fans across the globe.

"I was the best player in the world, top scorer in the world," Eusebio once said. "I did everything, except win a World Cup."

Read: Portugal football legend Eusebio dies

That he did not win one does not detract from the impact he made on Portugal and on football around the world.

Always eternal Eusebio, rest in peace pic.twitter.com/n25X0q9rfF

Within moments of the news breaking that he had passed away following a heart attack, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo were paying tribute to "O Rei" -- the King.

In Lisbon, despite the rain, fans continued to line the streets to say farewell as the black hearse moved slowly through the streets.

"Even though my generation didn't see him play, through archive we were able to witness some of his brilliant skill," added Mendonca, who grew up listening to tales of Eusebio.

"But even better than that, we were able learn about what he meant as a footballer and person through the stories of our parents and grandparents.

"The way that he exploded on the pitch, with his fast pace combined with the power of his right foot, was simply unreal. His attributes could easily make him a star even in today's game."

Though he may now have passed away, Eusebio's legacy remains.

A trailblazer who overcame poverty and early hardship in Africa to become one of the game's most talented and recognizable faces.

It would appear that in barber shops in Lisbon, they'll be talking about Eusebio for many years to come.

Via: Portugal says goodbye to Eusebio

The Cristiano Ronaldo museum opens

(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo is at the peak of his powers on the pitch and off it: The Portuguese star has opened a museum dedicated to his glittering football career in his hometown of Funchal .

The Real Madrid striker is widely expected to be awarded the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or -- an accolade given to the year's best footballer -- in January and if Ronaldo is handed the golden ball it will take pride of place in the CR7 Museum.

"Of course it's a special day, it's the opening of my museum and I am proud," the Portugal captain told reporters.

"I have room for more trophies. I don't really want to mention specific ones. All I want is to win more awards and, if the Ballon d'Or comes, there is extra room here."

The 28-year-old is on a three-man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or alongside Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who has picked up the award in each of the last four years, and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery.

Ronaldo, who has scored 33 goals so far this season, made his debut for Sporting Lisbon in 2002 and has gone on to become a fearsome goalscorer.

He moved to Manchester United in 2003 where he won three English Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the European Champions League in 2008, the same year he won the Ballon d'Or for the first time.

Ronaldo swapped Manchester for Madrid for a then world record fee in 2009. Since joining Real, Ronaldo has been prolific in front of goal, averaging over a goal a game for the nine-time European champions.

He is also the captain of his national team and will lead out Portugal at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where it will face Germany, Ghana and the U.S in the group stages.

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Via: The Cristiano Ronaldo museum opens