Soccer is a great sport because of the drama that it creates week to week. Whether it’s the overdramatic dives to the ground during games, late game-winning goals or the gossip that fills the lull between games throughout the week.

Spain is always a great place to find that drama as they have two of the richest clubs that also happen to include the game’s most overwhelming personalities. Though not to be left out a third club, co-league leader Atlético Madrid is experiencing some drama of its own as well.

Atleti faces Celta Vigo Wednesday this week at the Vicente Calderon in Madrid for the final leg of their Copa del Rey match up. Last week the two played to a 0-0 draw in Galicia.

In the press room is where the real headlines lie however. Long time fan favorite Fernando Torres and manager Diego Simeone apparently are butting heads, mostly due to the performance of the former.

Torres’ career has been on the decline the past 4 years or so. Sold from Liverpool to Chelsea for a record fee for a Spaniard, his disappointing play in London saw him shipped to AC Milan. Again he failed to impress at the San Siro and has been on loan with Atlético since last season.

Returning to his hometown club has not cured what ails him either. At 31-years-old, El Niño has notched only two goals in 22 appearances across all competitions. This earned him a private sit down with Simeone, which neither has commented on.

Atlético’s higher ups would like to see Torres stay at the club, though it is widely believed that Simeone feels the opposite. At the end of the day, if Torres doesn’t set the world on fire once he’s healed from a nagging ankle injury, his career is in jeopardy.

Neymar’s likely raise make’s Barcelona’s attack very expensive

After losing out on the Ballon D’Or award to teammate Lionel Messi, Neymar made the news for being spotted meeting with representatives of rival club Real Madrid.

Many see it simply as a ploy for a bigger contract with Barcelona, and it seems that it may have worked.

According to Spanish sports paper Marca, FC Barcelona president Josep María Bartomeu has promised the Brazilian a huge raise on his 10.5 million euro salary. A raise of nearly 200% to 30 million euros per year.

Messi already makes a reported 50 million euros per year, not to mention Luis Suarez who makes a living with 15 million.

Suarez also may want a raise with the way he’s playing this year. The Uruguayan superstar leads La Liga in goals with 18.

Therefore it’s not impossible to conceive that Barcelona with pay over 100 million for only three players. If Neymar gets the raise he’s promised they will already be paying 95 million, nearly enough for two NFL teams’ entire payrolls.

I knew I should have signed up for soccer when I was a kid.

Photo: Flickr/El Renzo