models for a day

Remember how during the last concentración, several of the boys did a photoshoot with Pedro del Hierro, the firm that is responsible for dressing the national team?  Well here we have some of the (colorful) results, courtesy of XL Semanal!  Plus the boys talk about their own styles…

all set for France!

Keep in mind somos España as we take on France at 21h tonight, with a spot in the 2014 World Cup at stake.  Luckily for us, these two guys are scheduled to play.

Spain will debut a completely red kit (shirt, shorts, socks) for the game!  Let’s go La Roja!

all set for Finland!

There are many things to look forward to in tonight’s game (20:45h)!  This game will be Sergio Ramos’ 100th with Spain, and he’ll achieve it at the age of 26 years and 358 days, the youngest Spanish player and seventh youngest in the world to do so.  This game will also be Vicente del Bosque’s 69th one in charge of La Roja, pushing him past Ladislao Kubala as coach with the most games under his belt.  And of course, as the game is being played in Gijón, it will be a homecoming of sorts for La Roja’s three asturianos – PF Juan Mata, David Villa and Santi Cazorla!

back together again!

The concentración for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Finland and France began on Tuesday morning.  Surprisingly, as the players began arriving, there were no major fashion failures (emphasis on the word “major” since some of the players, in the simple act of choosing their own clothes, commit fashion crimes).

ready for some La Roja?

A random assortment of recent and not so recent La Roja-related things – consider this post a warm-up for the international week!

Pepe Reina stars in a short film, “Invictus – El Correo del César,” which premiered at the Teatro Compac Gran Vía in Madrid on Monday.  The film is part of insurance company Plus Ultra’s (formerly Groupama) promotional campaign, as Pepe is their spokesperson (he took over from Iker Casillas – remember the famous “me siento seguroooo…”?).

Pepe stars as one of the Roman empire’s messengers.  He is tasked with bringing a message to Rome but of course runs into some trouble along the way.

The director of the short film, Javier Fesser, said of Pepe, “he acts better than some of those who have actor’s cards.”

ICYMI – Spain vs. Uruguay

Spain took on Uruguay in a friendly in Doha, Qatar on Feb. 6, winning 3-1 behind two goals from Pedro and one from Cesc.  This game was also Carles Puyol’s 100th, making him the seventh Spaniard to reach that magic number.  As for Vicente del Bosque, he tied Ladislao Kubala as the coach with the most number of games under his belt, 68, since taking charge four and a half years ago.

¡feliz navidad!

¡Feliz navidad y próspero año nuevo!  I hope 2013 brings World Cup qualification and the Confederations Cup to La Roja, and on an individual basis, I’d love to see Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos reach their 100th caps with Spain!

(Fingers crossed that the Reyes Magos are bringing me Xabi Alonso this year…)

magazine appearances…

I thought I would use Sergio Ramos’ abs and that tattoo to catch your attention, before moving onto other things (the rest of Sergio’s stellar appearance in Men’s Health España can be found here, if you haven’t seen it already).  If you can tear your eyes away from that body, you’ll find interviews with Andrés Iniesta, Jordi Alba, Iker & Xavi (and Xavi by himself too) and Pepe Reina, plus a bit of Santi Cazorla and bonus Javi Martínez!