MULTI-TV PRESENTS THE EL-CLASICO PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS. Prior to 2008/2009 season, the sextuple was a concept that existed only on paper; not that achieving it was impossible but how to get it done over a 12 month season with a team consisting of a maximum of 25 players was surely improbable. Especially not with those same 25 players (for top teams particularly) playing for both their National and International sides, which would translate into playing on Saturday, Wednesday and again on Saturday for the best part of 52 weeks. The Human body could certainly not cope with the demands of going through the qualifying rounds of 3 competitions, 38 games of another, a fifth decided after a bruising home and away battle and the sixth, but perhaps the most difficult, a one-off-winner takes all contest. No. No football team could achieve the sextuple! On 13th May, 2009 a Josep Guardiola led and a Lionel Messi inspired Barçelona, beat Athletic Bilboa 4-1 at the Mestalla to win the Copa Del Roy. Villareal defeated Real Madrid, on 16th May, 2009 to hand Barcelona the Spanish La Liga title. The great Manchester United were humbled 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on 27th May, 2009, earning Barça their third UEFA Champions League title, achieving the treble in the process. The addition of Zlatan Ibrahimovic provided the impetus need for Barca to win their domestic Super-Cup (Supercopa de Espaňa) against Athletic Bilbao(5-1) on aggregate. The 2009 Super Cup was won against UEFA Cup Winners, FC Shakhtar Donetsk by 1-0 and in December, 2009, Barcelona, won the FIFA Club World Cup becoming the first team to achieve the SEXTUPLE. The improbable had become probable, the impossible possible and a concept hitherto imaginable only on paper and in video games, had been accomplished in mind-boggling style and with consummate ease. The other big team in Spain, Real Madrid have looked on with a mixture of envy and grudging respect as Barca swept all before them. Madrid lost both legs of last season’s El- Clásico and though they lead the current league table, would finish second to Barçelona based on a Ibrahimovic induced lone goal defeat back in November, if the league were to end today. Madrid responded to their eternal rivals, trophy onslaught in the only way they know how; They re-elected the flamboyant Florentino Peréz as President and he promptly whipped out the Madrid checkbook- which seemingly has no upper expenditure limit- and bought all available top-draw offensive and a little(defensive) talent in sight. Cristiano Ronaldo was acquired for a mere £80 million, Kaka for a paltry sum of £60million, Raul Albiol for £15million, Karim Benzema for a laughable £30million, Xabi Alonso also for £30million and the cheapest of the lot, Alvaro Arbeloa for £3.5million. So, yes, Madrid have spent embarrassing amounts of cash, assumedly with the lofty aim of usurping their rivals. They have already come up short in the Champions league, falling at the 1/16th stage for the umpteenth time while Barça saunters on. The league crown is within reach, but standing in their way is Josep Guardiala and his host of ‘playstation’ like players led by possibly the World’s greatest ever player, Lionel Messi who Maradona himself, no less, described as “playing kick about with Jesus”. The time has come for Peréz and his expensively assembled team to put their considerable amount of money where their mouths are by winning this, the 160th edition of the World’s biggest game, after which the league crown will almost certainly be theirs. The El- Clásico airs LIVE on Joy Sports and Adom TV at 8:00pm on Saturday, the 10th of April. Multi-TV’s big screen experience can be enjoyed at the Silver Bird Cinema in Accra and at the Forecourt of the Independence Hall KNUST Campus and Clarks place in Kumasi. Joseph K.b. Hanson Multi-TV