Lionel Messi's Path To The World Cup

"To become a legend, to be great, you also have to win a World Cup," Lionel Messi told El Mundo in a recent interview. Well, if recent statistics are indication, Messi is well on his way to winning that honor. A member of Barcelona's team, Messi has scored 11 goals in his past give matches, earning him comparisons to fellow Argentinian Diego Maradona.

Soccer, or "football" to the rest of the world, is an extremely important part of Spanish culture and having Messi on Barcelona's team makes a game a must-see attraction if you're visiting. In a local Madrid publication called Marca, readers are already voting Messi as the greatest player of all-time by overwhelming margins.

"I have only just turned 22," he added. "It's all happening very quickly and you have to stay calm."

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Portugal Bidding For Ryder Cup

One of the most popular (and yes, leisurely) ways to explore Portugal is by planning your vacation around golf. The country boasts some of the most incredible courses in Europe and it's trying to attract some international attention by bidding for the Ryder Cup in 2018.

The Ryder Cup is an extremely popular biennial match that pits the best players in Europe against the USA. It's ranked as the third largest sporting event in the world and guarantees media coverage by over 2,000 journalists, photographers and broadcasters.

Officials in Portugal view the Ryder Cup bid as a national project to promote the region (as well as others that use golf as a primary tourist attraction). Along with the bid, the country hopes to invest in more professional tournaments of the European, Senior and Challenge Tours. This means two things: There's more golf to watch internationally and there should be more courses to play for travelers looking to test their game on the best greens that Portugal has to offer.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.