Anyone seen the FIFA rankings recently? You have? Then turn away, this question is for those who don't follow the rankings religiously - like me. Ready? Then here goes. Which country has dominated the FIFA rankings for the last year? Brazil? Italy? Germany? England? (No just joking!). The answer is - Spain! I'm not one for statistics, numbers or tables (except for the latest league table) but I was really surprised that I missed that one. Did you notice it?
Spain are not just top either, they have been for the last 12 months and are now way ahead of their nearest rival. In fact their lead at the top is the biggest since the rankings were started in 1993. OK, their win in Euro '98 may have propelled them to the top last year - but they have consistently beaten top nations since then to retain and even extend their lead at the top of the rankings. How long will it last? They're going to be at this summer's Confederations Cup to measure up to the rest in competition and then we'll see if the success from last summer is repeated this year. If it is, will they become European favourites in the World Cup next year?
Otherwise, not much has happened in the rankings. The top three are the same with Brazil and Italy swapping places to 4th and 5th respectively. Euro 2004 winners Greece are perhaps making a comeback, rising 6 places to 13th. New rankings are out May 6th, so let's see then if Spain has continued to surprise me.
My hopes of an all English Champions League final are still going strong. 0-0 was a decent result for Chelsea at Camp Nou despite criticism from some quarters that the referee allowed hard play from the English side. It's not my place to judge but the result was good anyway! Manchester United will take a 1-0 advantage the relatively short distance to London but Arsenal still have everything to play for.