Tuesday, 25 June 2013

All 10 Barça players through to Confed Cup semis

FOOTBALL

All 10 players at the Confed Cup – 8 with Spain and 2 with Brazil – came through the group stages with flying colours and are through to the semi finals

Brazil face Uruguay on Wednesday, with Spain taking on Italy on Thursday

Iniesta / PHOTO: FIFA

Barça players continue to shine at the Confederations Cup, with all 10 involved coming through the group stages in good stead and set to play in the semi finals. Brazil, with Neymar and Alves, and Spain with Valdés, Piqué, Sergio, Iniesta, Xavi, Jordi Alba, Villa and Pedro are still on course for a final meeting after both topped their groups.
Brazil play the first semi final on Wednesday at 21.00 against Uruguay at Belo Horizonte , whilst Spain face Italy 24 hours later at Fortaleza, with the final set for Sunday in the legendary Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Group stage stats

Neymar and David Villa are the Barça players to score most goals in the group stage, with three each – the Brazilian scored in all three first round games. Against Japan, Mexico and Italy, whilst Villa bagged a hat trick against Tahiti. The tournament’s leading scorer right now is Fernando Torres (5).
Spain have scored more goals than any other team -15 – and conceded least, just the solitary goal against Uruguay. Brazil are the third highest scorers with 9, having conceded 3.
Alves is the Barça player with most passes made -248, followed by Iniesta (218) and Xavi (194). The Brazilian wing back is also the player who has played most minutes, featuring for 90 minutes in each game, whilst Neymar has played 233, Iniesta, 194, and Jordi Alba, 180 minutes

FC Barcelona has won 66 trophies in the last five years

The football, basketball, handball, futsal and hockey teams have won 16 league titles and six European Cups in the last five years

The most successful teams have been the football team with 15 and the basketball team with 14.

Photos of the trophies won this season PHOTO: GERMÁN PARGA-FCB

The football team and the other four professional sports sections of FC Barcelona have accumulated a total of 66 trophies over the past five years. The football and basketball teams have won the most titles with 15 and 14 respectively.
They’re closely followed by the handball team (13), the futsal team (13) and the hockey team (11), the hockey team having also won the most European Cups.
More than 3 trophies per season
66 trophies in five years – it’s easy to say but much harder to achieve! That’s an average of more than 13 trophies per season for the Club and an average of more than 3 trophies per section per season. To this astonishing achievement we also have to add the many trophies won by the women’s football team and the many youth sections.
16 League titles and six European Cups
The standard has been exceptionally high. Of the 66 trophies, 16 are league titles and six of them European Cups. The football squad has won four league titles and 2 Champions Leagues while Barça Regal, Barça Intersport and Barça Alusport have won three league titles each together with four European Cups between the four sports sections.
Here is a list of the many trophies won by each of the teams over the last five years:
FOOTBALL – 15 TROPHIES
2008/09: Cup, League and Champions League
2009/10: Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, World Club Cup and League
2010/11: Spanish Super Cup, League and Champions League
2011/12: Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, World Club Cup and Cup
2012/13: League
BASKETBALL – 14 TROPHIES
2008/09: League
2009/10: Catalan League, ACB Super Cup, Cup and Euroleague
2010/11: Catalan League, ACB Super Cup, Cup and League
2011/12: Catalan League, ACB Super Cup and League
2012/13: Catalan League and Cup
HANDBALL – 13 TROPHIES
2008/09: Cup
2009/10: Pyrenean League, Cup and Asobal Cup
2010/11: Pyrenean League, League and European Cup
2011/12: Catalan Super Cup of, Asobal Cup and League
2012/13: Catalan Super Cup of, Asobal Cup and League
FUTSAL – 13 TROPHIES
2008/09: Catalan Cup
2009/10: Catalan Cup
2010/11: Catalan Cup, Spanish Cup, Cup and League
2011/12: Spanish Cup, Cup, UEFA Futsal Cup and League
2012/13: Spanish Cup, Cup and League
HOCKEY – 11 TROPHIES
2008/09: Spanish Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and League
2009/10: Continental Cup, European Cup and League
2010/11: Cup
2011/12: Spanish Super Cup, Cup and League
2012/13: Spanish Super Cup

Stat of the Day: Neymar foul magnet

Latest FC Barcelona signing Neymar is the player who receives and commits the most fouls, according to stats collected in the first round of Confederations Cup according to FIFA. This shows that Neymar has been showing a definite eagerness in helping the team fight back for the ball, and that he is a heavy target for the opposition defenders. In total, he committed 13 fouls in 3 games so far with just one yellow card.

Brazil coach Felipe Scolari offers his view about this unique statistics as reported by MD. “He committed one or two fouls because he is skinny and doesn’t have the positioning skills to stop his opponent like midfielders or defenders“, says Scolari before adding that Neymar’s tackles are still very unpolished because the way he approaches the ball is still “uncoordinated“. The yellow card he received against Italy forced Scolari to substitute Neymar in the 68th minute, as a second yellow would mean missing the semifinals.

Neymar has received 18 fouls in total, 1 more than Mario Balotelli. Despite this, Neymar has three out three “Man of the Match” performance along with three goals in each of the group stage match. Brazil will play again on Wednesday against Uruguay for the semifinal match in the Mineirao Stadium.

Picture of the Day: A meeting of superstars

Kobe Bryant snapped this photo with Neymar after attending the Brazil-Italy FIFA Confederations Cup match yesterday, in which Neymar scored a fantastic free kick and was named “Man of the Match” for the third consecutive game. Kobe has long been friendly with the Barcelona team, and this photo op with Neymar is yet another way the young Brazilian is being welcomed to the team and recognized for his incredible talent. We hope Kobe will come see Neymar score more goals at Camp Nou!

Tuesday, 18 June 2013

Thiago stars as Spain win the 2013 UEFA U-21 European Championship

Another tournament, another Spain victory. The run since 2008 is truly remarkably, nigh unbelievable. Spain currently holds all the following titles: 2008, 2012 UEFA European Champions, 2010 FIFA World Cup Champions, 2011, 2013 UEFA Under-21 European Champions and 2011, 2012 UEFA Under-19 European Champions. This evening in Jerusalem, team captain Thiago Alcântara scored a hat-trick (the only ever in a one-off sub-21 final) and inspired his team to a 4-2 victory against finalists Italy.
Spain again started with four culés in Martín Montoya, Marc Bartra, Cristian Tello and of course captain Thiago. And in just six minutes Thiago began his rampage with a thundering header from a well played Álvaro Morata cross. Italy equalized four minutes later from Genoa man Ciro Immobile after he latched onto a long ball from the back. This play did not cover Spain center back Iñigo Martínez in glory. He was caught out of position and showed he does not have the pace to recover from such positional lapses. Maybe not the ideal target so many are clamming for.
But Spain were in control of this match from start to finish and if anything that Italy equalizer was against the run of play. Thiago was controlling things in the middle as well as playing some penetrating balls forward, none more special than the outside the foot zinger that put Morata behind the defense. The Real Madrid man’s shot was saved. But just after the half-hour mark Thiago again darted into the box, this time controlling with his chest Koke’s cross into the box and squeezing his shot past Italian keeper Bardi.
It was two Barça friends that combined to set up the winning goal. The referee blew for a foul (not clear though) in the box on Tello and Thiago stepped up for the penalty, smashing it right down the middle. It’s noticeable the sense of purpose and leadership Thiago has when given the job of commanding a side.
Sublime player Isco put in another penalty after 66 minutes and once again Barça was involved in the goal. Montoya this time came storming up the right as he does and no question here when Regini clearly took him down.
Another wonderful day for Spain and, as has been the pattern for some years, subsequently FC Barcelona. Four Barça players in the starting eleven isn’t quite the dominance seen at the senior level, but all four men were crucial to success in the tournament and the final. Marc Bartra was the best center-back in a team that only conceded goals in the final, Montoya dominated the right and won a penalty today, Tello’s pace proved an x-factor weapon throughout and Thiago Alcântara showed just why he is among the most desired recruits in the game.
His performance tonight will only ramp up the rumor mill so expect a bit of a transfer saga to develop going forward.
Congratulations Spain. Visca Barça.

Friday, 14 June 2013

Messi in potential tax trouble

Barcelona publication El Periodico reported today (June 12) that the Spanish tax authority served Lionel Messi and his father a legal complaint claiming non payment of taxes. Taxes are a hot issue in Spain with the economic difficulties and the fact the tax man is owed huge sums and nowhere is that more prevalent than La Liga. More after the jump.
There is very little information currently but the tax complaint is apparently around income earned from image rights between 2007-09. The amount outstanding is a set to be just over 4 million euros.
Taxes can become very complicated with a huge number of rules, limitations, exceptions, subclauses and global tax considerations. Presumably Messi would have a professional firm handle his wealth management and taxes and legal counsel so more than anything it will be them going into the books and debating with the Spanish tax authority.
And as expected he does. Messi came out quickly (via Facebook) following the media reports to say “We have just known through the media about the claim filed by the Spanish tax authorities. We are surprised about the news, because we have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants, who will take care of clarifying this situation“

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Piqué unconcerned by possible new competition for places

One of the areas where Barça are likely to be looking for reinforcements this summer is in the centre of defence. But Gerard Piqué insists that new faces are more than welcome.

In an interview with El Mundo Deportivo, he has also spoken frankly about the humiliating 7-0 aggregate to Bayern Munich and the lessons that experience has taught the team.

Gerard Piqué. Training session PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ

It’s always disturbing for a player to hear that his club is looking to sign new players in his position, but Gerard Piqué is taking a professional attitude to the situation. “It’s normal for Barça to want to improve each year” he says. “We want to win everything each season and to do that we need the best squad possible. If the club thinks we need knew defenders, so be it. This season we have let in more goals than before and we need to improve.”

New faces

Asked about potential new partners for him in defence, the Catalan mentioned “Thiago Silva, Hummels, Kompany … They are all great players at big clubs. But it’s the managers who have to decide.”
One new player who Piqué already knows will be lining up with Barça next season is Neymar, who he faced in the Clubs World Cup final against Santos. “Although we won that final well, he showed that he’s a good forward and you have to watch him all the time” he said. “He’s skilful, fast, and has plenty of resources to break free from defenders.
But what does Neymar’s arrival mean for Leo Messi? Gerard Piqué thinks it’ll make the Argentinian even better. “Having Neymar in the team will help Messi. Teams often try to mark him out of the game, but with Neymar in our side at least two opponents will have to keep an eye on someone else … And Neymar is the kind of player that the Camp Nou likes and that’s good because it’ll mean the crowd will be livelier.”

Sad farewells

Players come and players go. Eric Abidal’s departure has already been conformed, and David Villa and Victor Valdés might also not be around next season. “It’s always tough when a team-mate has to go, especially when they’re such good players and nice people too” said Piqué. “I don’t know how things will end up with Villa and Valdés, but I wish Abi luck wherever he goes because he deserves it … His farewell was emotional and the club treated him well from the moment it found out about his illness … But we also know that in his case he’ll be back with us in a few years’ time.”

Lessons from Bayern

Generally, Piqué was pleased with the way the 2012/13 season went, but the heavy defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final was a tough one to swallow. A lot of lessons were learned that night. “They came into the game in strong form and we weren’t one hundred per cent with Messi not fully fit in the first leg and not playing at all in the second … But of course there are things to be learned. Barça can’t lose a round 7-0, we know that and we have to improve … We have to run more, we have to make more of an effort on a group and individual level to get back to the top. This team has always fought hard and we have to keep doing that. We need to realise that we’re not the best any more, and our challenge now is to get back to being the best.”

Xavi dismisses “end of an era” claims

Speaking to the Catalan sports paper “Sport” last week, Barça’s Xavi Hernadez dismissed those who claimed Barça’s winning cycle had come to an end “the people who say that just don’t like Barça!”

Xavi PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ

No plans to slow down just yet

Xavi was also asked about whether he should begin to slow down and choose his games now that he is 33, but he was having none of it and was adamant: “I’ve heard that kind of comment for the last three or four years now. Of course I’m 33 and I’ve been playing at the top level for 15 years now - I can’t deny that, but I feel good and I want to keep playing for a few years more yet”

With the Spanish season over, Xavi Hernadez spoke to the Catalan sports paper “Sport” last week and insisted that Barça remain the dominant footballing force they have been over the last few years. The Catalan midfielder also revealed he’d rather lose playing well than win playing badly, gave his own take on the defeat to Bayern and made it clear he’s not thinking about retiring just yet.

“You have to look beyond simply the results and examine how the games went”

Xavi Hernandez dismissed any claims that Barça’s wonderful era of success is on the wane in his interview: “It makes me laugh when people say that. I’ve been hearing the same thing for years now and unfortunately for some people, it just never happens. The people saying that just don’t like Barça and so we simply ignore them and carry on enjoying the success”. The Catalan also reckons Bayern’s triumph doesn’t necessarily mark a changing of the guard at the top of the European game: “we are just talking about one successful season – what are you saying then, that Chelsea were better than Bayern last year when they beat them?”

Bayern defeat has to be put into context

Asked about the defeat to Bayern in the Champions League semi finals, Xavi was adamant that although the Germans were clear winners, “you have to look beyond simply the results and examine how the games went. They were forced to change their way of playing when they faced us and didn’t play with their usual open style – they used the speed of their wingers, they pressed us well and defended solidly, but we dominated possession, they couldn’t take that from us”. For Xavi, the teams came into the match on unequal terms – something he puts down to the demands of the Spanish season: “they were stronger and sharper coming into the match, but there are many reasons for that and the fact that neither we nor Madrid got to the final this year. The battles we have with Madrid really takes it out of us, it’s not the same in Germany, they don’t have that intensity of rivalry. This year’s Spanish Cup semi finals were really hard and if we carry on like that it’s clear that we aren’t going to get to April or May in the same condition that they do”.

Need to change Spanish Cup format

For Xavi, the best way to alleviate the pressures of the Spanish game is: “make the cup games single matches, not over two legs. That would reduce the number of games we played by four or five and it will also mean the games are more attractive, as the smaller teams have a better chance in a one-off knock out game. If the Spanish Federation wants our teams to get through to more Champions League finals, they have to help us out a bit”.

“I don’t like negative football”

Xavi also explained that it’s not just winning that counts, but how the game is played: “ I’d rather lose a Cup Final playing well – as long as we’ve already won the league of course – just like Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao did in the Spanish Cup Final two years ago against us. They took us on toe to toe and didn’t abandon their attacking philosophy – that will stick in my mind for ever, but I’ve already forgotten how Chelsea played when they won the Champions League. I don’t like defensive, negative football that just looks for a result – I don’t enjoy it and it bores me to death!”

Quote of the Day: Cesc Fàbregas

“Real Madrid ended our era? We won the league by 15 points.”
- An outtake from Francesc Fàbregas speaking with radio station Onda Cero. It was a response to a question about José Mourinho’s comment yesterday. He has a point right?

Saturday, 8 June 2013

Fabregas fires Super Eagles warning

CESC Fabregas says Spain will treat the upcoming Confederations Cup ‘as a World Cup’ and that could mean stiff test for the Super Eagles as they are grouped with the World Champions in Group B alongside Uruguay and Tahiti
La Roja are the world and European reigning champions with the prelude to Brazil 2014 being the only tournament they have still yet to win.
Fabregas, 26, insists victory is something that the players and fans are dreaming about.
“We will treat the competition as a World Cup or a European Championship, that feeling that you can finish your career after taking the European Championship, the World Cup and the Confederations is very important for us and for the fans even more,” he was quoted as saying by AS.
Fabregas also spoke publicly about Spain captain Iker Casillas, who he claims remains positive despite having found himself out in the cold at Real Madrid in recent months under former coach Jose Mourinho.
He continued: “I can see that he’s very well, as ever, the most important thing is his attitude and that’s always very positive. I’ve known him for seven years and he’s a great captain. In bad moments, he always is [positive].”

Neymar to be sixth highest wage earner

FC Barcelona’s newest recruit, Neymar, will be the sixth best paid player at the club when the new season gets underway in August, according to a report on Saturday in Mundo Deportivo. The Brazilian will slot in just under Gerard Piqué in the pay scale, and in general will occupy the third tier in Barcelona’s compensation system along with Victor Valdés and Carles Puyol. Lionel Messi is the club’s highest wage earner [at 16 million euros annually], with the second tier occupied by Xavi, Iniesta, and Villa.

Villa’s salary could complicate sale

Marca reported today that the €7.5 million a year contract David Villa (31) signed in 2010 has a clause that bumps up his salary to €11 million in his fourth year. Although it is clear there is no room for Villa at Barcelona, such a sum could well encourage him to remain an extra year, or to demand higher wages from clubs that seek to sign him, like Atlético Madrid or North London clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. On the other hand, this clause would make Barcelona more desperate to sell the Asturian striker, as they cannot afford to have a bench player be the second-highest paid player on the squad, especially not while they look to make budget room for at least two more arrivals. Villa will look at offers after the Confederations Cup, and will most likely accept smaller wages, while Barça will probably have to accept a smaller transfer fee. While it would be sad to see him go, totalBarça hopes to see David at a club where he can thrive next season and get back to his best goalscoring form.

Scheduling dates for 2013-14 season

Sport has recently announced that the RFEF has decided the start and end dates for the 2013-14 Liga BBVA: it will begin on the weekend of August 17th/18th and end on May 18th – this is a slightly more condensed season than usual as a result of the timing of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The Copa del Rey final will be held on April 19th, and the Supercopa de España between Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona will be held on August 21st, at the Vicente Calderón, and August 28th at Camp Nou.

Comparings statistics from last two seasons

We ‘ve compared the stats from Barça’s 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons and it’s thrown up a number of interesting facts and figures

Els jugadors, celebrant un gol. FOTO:MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB

Once more, Barça have headed the league across a wide range of stats and this year they’ve even bettered some of their own records, such as the number of goals scored and set new league records for the number of goals scored away from home.
Barça head the stats for away goals scored in the 2012/13 season and have also conceded fewest headed goals, compared to the previous season’s figures when they scored more than any team from dead ball situations and headers and conceded fewer than anyone else:

GOALS SCORED	2011/12	2012/13
TOTAL	114	115
HOME	73	63
AWAY	41	52
FROM DEAD BALL	10	5
FREE KICKS	5	4
HEADERS	13	5
PENALTIES	10	4

Last season’s side had more shots and made more crosses into the box, but scored fewer goals than this year’s more clinical team. The woodwork once again also played a big part:

GOALS CONCEDED	2011/12	2012/13
TOTAL	29	40
HOME	11	15
AWAY	18	25
FROM DEAD BALL	2	3
FREE KICKS	0	2
HEADERS	7	3
PENALTIES	3	3

SHOTS	2011/12	2012/13
SHOTS MADE	621	525
SHOTS RECEIVED	268	334
SHOTS ON TARGET	287	250
SHOTS RECEIVED ON TARGET	106	120
POSTS	22	25
CROSSES	664	597
MINUTES OF POSESSION	1366	1382

Barça were once again the team which received fewest cards and led the fair play table - the team’s first choice centre half pairing - Pique and Mascherano only committed 14 and 24 fouls all season long.

	2011/12	2012/13
FOULS RECEIVED	624	518
FOULS COMMITTED	402	399
YELLOW CARDS	82	59
RED CARDS	5	3
OFFSIDES	114	123

* GECAsport data

Barça win Fair Play Award for third straight season

Team win the award with 74 points

No other team has won the award as often as Barça who have now won 5 times

El FC Barcelona guanya el premi per tercer any consecutiu / FOTO: ARXIU FCB

Final Classification

FC Barcelona 74 points
Valladolid 88
Reial Societat 102
Reial Madrid 105
Atlètic de Madrid 106
Màlaga 107
Granada 115
Mallorca 120
Deportivo 121
Celta 124
Llevant 134
Athletic Club 135
Sevilla 138
Betis 144
Getafe 149
València 154
Osasuna 154
Rayo 156
Saragossa 163

Espanyol 186

As well as taking the Spanish League title with a record equalling 100 points, Barça have also won the league’s Fair Play Award for the third straight season FC Barcelona. With just 74 points, Barça received the fewest penalty points in the league - given out for cards and suspensions throughout the season -ahead of Valladolid (88 points) and Real Sociedad (102).
A quick glance at the fouls committed last season by their top players is a good demonstration of their Fair Play, with Piqué (14 fouls all season), Montoya (14), Messi (12), Puyol (10) or Xavi (4) a perfect reflection of the team’s attitude

El cinquè guardó

This is the fift time the team have won the award and the third season on the run that they have topped the Fair Play table. They first took the Award in the 2005 /06 season and again in 2008/09, before starting their three season run in 2010/11. No other team have won the Award as often since its inauguration in 1998.

Barça B, lead second division table

Barça B are also setting an example of Fair Play and lead the Award table in the second division, with one game still to play in the regular season. Eusebio Sacristán’s youngsters lead with 98 points, well ahead of second place Girona (110 points) and Lugo (118).

“Quit Smoking with Barça” recognized

The health campaign initiated by FC Barcelona and the European Commission has been awarded four honors in the span of a week. The Creative Club of Belgium (CCB) announced that it would be honoring the club with three awards for different categories on Friday, “emphasizing the creativity and originality of the publicity,” as reported on FC Barcelona’s official website.
Earlier on Wednesday, the EACA Care Awards recognized Barça’s work with another award. “Quit Smoking with Barça,” a campaign that helps smokers quit, was celebrated for its Europe-wide contribution to public health.
This campaign started as a result of two earlier initiatives, separately developed by the Catalan club and the Commission. FC Barcelona had launched “Barça Sense Fum,” banning smoking inside the Club’s premises in January 2012, while the European Commission had launched its campaign “Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable” earlier in March 2011, “throughout the 27 member countries of the EU“. These initiatives drove the Club and the Commission to work together on a common cause.
The director responsible for FC Barcelona’s medical department, Jordi Monés, said, “At Barça we believe firmly in our slogan, ‘More than a Club’ and we encourage values of respect, health and social commitment. ‘Quit smoking with Barça’ lets us put this slogan into practice. We are delighted to continue collaborating with the European Commission in such an important public health problem and these awards clearly show that our combined efforts have not gone unnoticed.”
Congratulations to FC Barcelona and the European Commission on a campaign that is helping more than 70,000 people give up smoking, by focusing on the benefits of stopping smoking as opposed to judging smokers on an unhealthy habit.

Three busy days for Barça’s internationals

Messi’s possible re-appearance with Argentina kicks off three days of international football featuring 20 of Barça’s players.

Messi and Mascherano for Argentina, Alexis for Chile and Song for Cameroon will all figure in key World Cup qualifiers over the weekend.

Messi, amb la selecció argentina / FOTO: FIFA.COM

Messi passed fit to play

The Club’s medical services officially passed Leo Messi fit to play this Friday after his recovery from a hamstring injury on May 12th against Atletico Madrid.The Argentinean had suffered a similar injury in Paris in early April, but is now fit to play for Argentina.

With 9 Barça players in their squad, Spain warm up for the Confederations Cup with a friendly , as do Alves and Neymar with Brazil and the Spanish Under 21s play their second game of the tournament in the European Championships on Sunday.

In all, there are 20 Barça players on international duty this weekend in six different matches.

Argentina – Colombia: Saturday at 00.05
Messi’s possible reappearance after his injury will be the main centre of attention as Argentina face Radamel Falcao’s Colombia at Buenos Aires’ Monumental Stadium. With the hosts leading the South American classification for the 2014 World Cup by four points from Ecuador, Colmbia, a further point adrift need a win to keep any hopes of topping the group alive, whilst an Argentinean win would virtually ensure qualification for Messi and Mascherano’s side.

Paraguay – Chile: Saturday at 02.10
Chile, led by Alexis Sánchez on the back of a great finish to the season at the Camp Nou, visit Paraguay for their qualifying game and with the Chileans sitting in fourth place - the final spot which guarantees qualification – a win over the bottom side Paraguay - who have lost 7 games, drawn 2 and won 2, would be a big boost for Alexis’s side.

Haiti – Spain: Saturday at 22.00
Spain’s final friendly ahead of the Confederations Cup is against Haiti – the fifth best Concacaf side, ranked 51 in the world - in the Lockhart Stadium in Florida. Del Bosque has called up 9 Barça players into his squad -Valdés, Piqué, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Villa, Cesc and Pedro.

Brazil – France: Sunday at 21.00
Brazil also play a friendly ahead of the Confederations Cup , with Scolari’s side – which includes Dani Alves and new signing Neymar – facing an always competitive French team on Sunday.

Togo – Camerun: Sunday at 17.30
Alex Song’s Cameroon lead the African qualification group with six points from three games and on Sunday they travel to Lomo to play Togo, who are bottom having taken just a single point.

Germany- Spain Under 21: Sunday at 20.30
Finally, Spain’s Under 21 side face Germany on Sunday in eth second game of the European Under 21 Championships, following their 1-0 win over Russia in midweek. Thiago, Montoya, Bartra, Tello and Muniesa are all in the squad and a win would ensure a quarter final berth as the team attempt to retain the title they won in Denmark in 2011. Germany lost their opening game 3-2 against Holland

Thursday, 6 June 2013

Neymar: “I hope to leave my mark at FC Barcelona”

The Brazilian says, in an interview with Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.com, that he's very eager to start a new chapter in his career with FC Barcelona

Hobbies and Catalan

- Do you have any hobbies?

“I really like spending time with friends, with my family. I also like to play video games, spend time on social media... these kinds of things.”

- Many of your friends came with you to Barcelona on Monday. They were wearing shirts that read “Tois.” Can you explain the history of this word to us?

“We use a word in Brazil that many people use when they speak, it’s the work ‘chicos.’ Some of my friends started saying ‘Toisón’ instead of ‘chicos,’ and now my friends are known as the ‘Toisón.’

- You spoke in Catalan during your presentation. Who’s been teaching you Catalan?

“I learned a few words from a Catalan teacher, and I’ve gone to a couple Catalan courses, and now I’m going to apply myself more so that in the future I’ll be able to speak it well.”

- What Catalan words do you know?

“I’ll try to say a sentence: ‘I’m very happy to wear the Barça shirt.’”

Before Neymar returned to Brazil, the newest FC Barcelona player sat down with Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.com. The Brazilian forward talked about his presentation on Monday and his excitement to don the Blaugrana strip and to play alongside Messi.

Did you imagine that nearly 60,000 people would attend your presentation as an FC Barcelona player?

“No, it was much better than I expected. It was truly emotional for me. It made me very, very, very happy.”

I suppose these last couple of days have been exciting for you. First, why did you leave Santos ... Did you feel as though you needed a new challenge?

“It was the moment to leave. It was the moment to find new things. Being a Barça player means that I’ve realised my dream.”

A couple of days ago you said that Dani Alves encouraged you to come to Barcelona. What did Dani tell you exactly?

“Dani has always had good things to say about Barcelona. He speaks well of the city, but especially the group, the team. This team is marvelous. Great players play here, they are good friends, and that’s important for a team. Dani told me that this is what I’d find in Barcelona. He encouraged me to come. Adriano also spoke to me about Barça, and he also encouraged me. And now I’m here.”

On Monday you met with Adriano. What did he tell you?

“He welcomed me to the Club and he wished me luck. Adriano is a great person. We have a fantastic relationship, and now I get to be in the same team as my friend.”

During the press conference you talked about Ronaldinho. You said your first memory of Barça was when he played for the team. What kind of things do you remember about Ronnie’s time at Barça?

“Well, I remember his plays, his dribbles. I remember him winning every title at the Camp Nou.”

Can we compare you to him, in terms of how you both play? For the fans who haven’t seen you play, is it fair to say that your style is similar to Ronaldinho’s?

“No, no one can compare to Ronaldinho. He made history at Barça, he made history with Brazil, and he’s still making history. In my case, I’m starting to make history, and I hope to leave my mark at Barça.”

Barça and Santos faced off in the final of the Club World Cup in 2011. You said that you learned how to play football on that day. What impressed you about Barça in that final?

“What impressed me the most was the simplicity of Barça’s football. The fact that it was directed towards achieving and objective and at the same time it was very adaptable. The simplicity with which Barça were able to impose themselves in each game was really sensational. Barça left everyone with open mouths, not just Barça fans, but the press and the Santos players, too.”

You’ve talked a lot about Messi these last couple of days, you’ve said how excited you are to play with him. What about Messi’s style of play do you like the most?

“ Messi is a hero for me. He always has been, and he will continue to be. I have the opportunity to play at his side. I’m sure it will be a marvelous experience. I’m very happy to help him continue being happy.”

You also talked about Xavi and Iniesta. Do you like their play style?

“Yes, a lot. Both Xavi and Iniesta are two great players who I have always admired. I’m a fan of both of them.”

What will the fans see when Neymar plays at the Camp Nou?

“They will see a happy Neymar, daring and eager to win each and every game.”

Exclusive: totalBarça’s pictures from the season

After being present at most of FC Barcelona’s home games this season, I’ve had the chance to take lots of photos. Here are some of my favorites from the season for you to enjoy.

AC Milan 4-0
AC MILAN (2)

At. Madrid 4-1
At MADRID

Levante 1-0
LEVANTE T

Málaga 4-1
MÁLAGA PEDRO

Real Madrid 2-2
REAL MADRID 2-2 (2)

Real Madrid 1-3
Real Madrid f

Real Mallorca 5-0
REAL MALLORCA ABI

Cordoba 5-0
935615_10151647600796049_1366568296_n

Real Zaragoza 3-1
936192_10151647601456049_1785976339_n

FC Barcelona B – Racing Santander 4-1
984133_10151647601106049_637315725_n

FC Barcelona Cadet B – Cornellà 3-1
942207_488795481191078_79138854_n

Neymar, Barça’s 23rd Brazilian

Neymar Junior will be the 23rd Brazilian to make his debut for the FC Barcelona, following on from Alves, Thiago, Maxwell, Adriano and many more

The first was Lucidio Batista da Silva, between 1947 and 1949, and the winner of the most titles at the club has been Alves, who has 15 in five seasons and can still add to that tally

Neymar, Barça’s 23rd Brazilian

The other 10

Aside from the 22 players that have played official matches, there were another 10 Brazilians that for different reasons never played anything more than friendlies. The first three were Fausto Dos Santos, Jaguaré Becerra and Walter Machado da Silva, who could not play official matches because of the rules in force at the time. Cleo Inacio Hickmann only played one friendly in 1982, as did D’Marcellus Machado, who was in the B team in the 1996/97 season.
Marcelo Anderson da Silva and Luciano de Silva ‘Triguinho’ came on trial in 2001 and only played one friendly. A couple of years later, Tiago Calvano was in the reserve team but did play in a few friendlies for the first team. And then there were also Henrique Adriano and Keirrison da Souza. The former played in the 2009/10 preseason and the latter never played any official games for Barça.

“When I was young I watched a lot of Ronaldinho, and he played for Barça”, said Neymar on Monday at his first press conference after signing for FC Barcelona. A decade after his earliest memory of FCB, Neymar is about to become the 23rd player from his country to appear in an official match for Barcelona, the most recent examples being Alves, Thiago, Maxwell and Adriano.
The long association between Brazil and Barcelona goes all the way back to 1947, when Lucidio Batista da Silva became the first person from the South American country to play for the Catalan club. Da Silva was here for two seasons and won two Ligas, two Latin Cups and one Copa Eva Duarte. History has thrown up plenty of Brazilian trivia since then:
- Seven of the 22 Brazilians won the European Cup at Barça, and two won it twice. Sylvinho and Alves were the double winners, and Belletti, Edmilson, Maxwell and Thiago got one each. Silvio Modesto ‘Bio’, Aloisio Pires, Giovanni Silva and Ronaldo all won the Cup Winners Cup in a Barça shirt.
- The Brazilian to have won the most honours at FCB is Dani Alves, the current left back who has won 15 different titles. The only Brazilians to leave the club empty handed have been ‘Marinho’, Roberto ‘Dinamita’ Oliveira, Fabio Rochemback and Geovanni Deiberson.
- In terms of positions, nine of the Brazilians were strikers, six were midfielders, seven were defenders and none were goalkeepers. Da Silva (1947-1949) was the first Brazilian forward; Giovanni Silva (1996-1999) was the first midfielder and ‘Marinho’ (1974-1976) was the first defender.
- Barça’s first Brazilian ‘superstar’ was Evaristo de Macedo. The man from Rio de Janeiro scored a spectacular 0.8 goals a game between 1956 and 1962. It was his superb finish on November 23, 1960 that knocked Real Madrid out of the European Cup for the first time.
- Barça’s longest-serving Brazilians have been Evaristo (1956-1962), Rivaldo (1997-2002), Ronaldinho (2003-2008), Sylvinho (2004-2009) and Dani Alves (since 2008). The shortest spell was that of Roberto ‘Dinamita’ Oliveira, who only featured in 11 matches in 1980.
- Mário Peres ‘Marinho’ (1974-1976) and Giovanni Silva (1996-1999) are the only two players who, like Neymar, came from Santos. ‘Marinho’ played alongside both Pelé and Cruyff, two of the greatest players the game has ever known.
- Romário (1993-1995), Ronaldo (1996-1997), Rivaldo (1997-2002) and Ronaldinho (2003-2008) were four of the greatest strikers of the last two decades. All of them enjoyed massive success, for varying lengths, at Barcelona.
- The full list of Barça Brazilians is Lucidio Batista da Silva, Evaristo de Macedo, Mário Peres ‘Marinho’, Silvio Modesto ‘Bio’, Roberto ‘Dinamita’ Oliveira, Aloisio Pires, Romário da Souza, Giovanni Silva, Ronaldo Luiz Nazario, Sony Anderson, Rivaldo Vitor Borba, Thiago Motta, Fabio Rochemback, Geovanni Diberson, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Juliano Belletti, José Edmilson, Silvio Mendes ‘Silvinho’, Thiago Alcántara, Dani Alves, Maxwell and Adriano Correa

Thiago shines in Spain U-21 win

The Spanish Under-21 team started off its UEFA U-21 Championship with a 1-0 win over Russia in Jerusalem, after fielding four Barça players at the start – Bartra, Montoya, Tello and Thiago, who is the captain- while Muniesa watched from the bench.
The Russian team played as a defensive unit to limit the spaces for the Spanish side, and as a result limited their chances. However, all three of Montoya, Thiago, and Tello had very close scoring attempts in the first half. Montoya shot just wide of the goal on the 10th minute, while Thiago’s freekick was saved on the 18th minute, and Tello’s own shot was also just off the mark on the 37th minute.

But it was down to Thiago to swing in a superb cross from a freekick, off the right side, for Morata to head home on the 81st minute..
Here’s hoping that his excellent performance doesn’t attract more interest from unwanted suitors.

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

Key week for Fàbregas?

Cesc Fàbregas is believed to be heading to a meeting with FC Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova during the coming week to discuss the player’s future.
The midfielder is rumoured to be on the agendas of four different English Premier League clubs -Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal- and he hopes to be clearly told his role in the future at FC Barcelona.

Cesc has an ongoing contract with Barça and he wishes to complete this contract, but before that he wants to be clearly told the club’s plans for him, especially the manager’s intentions with respect to his role. Also, with Neymar’s arrival he wants to know who will he be competing with for a place in the starting eleven at Barça.

According to a report published in the Daily Mail, Cesc still has great value for Arsenal, but the manager there, Arsène Wenger, has put his sight on the player Lars Bender, the midfielder at Bayer Leverkusen whose signing would cost the English club much less.
Barça would only be willing to consider any offer for the Catalan player if it comes any range close to the sum the club had paid for his transfer to the Camp Nou (30 million euros). It is considered a large sum but something accessible for any of the four interested Premier League clubs.

Five FC Barcelona players pay tribute to Dani Jarque

Andrés Iniesta, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Xavi and Cesc Fàbregas all participated in the commemorative match dedicated to the late Dani Jarque

Andrés Iniesta and Raúl Tamudo / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB

Andrés Iniesta, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández and Cesc Fàbregas commemorated Dani Jarque on Monday as they participated in a tribute match to the late footballer. The match, which was held at Cornellà-El Prat, saw a team made up of Jarque’s ex-team-mates and Espanyol players face off against a team made of players from La Liga and foreign leagues. Andrés Iniesta led the Liga team, and the match ended in a 4-4 draw.

On 21 minutes – 21 was Jarque’s number when he played for Espanyol – the match was stopped and Jarque’s family came out onto the pitch to receive the crowd and Espanyol’s condolences.

Ovation for Iniesta

The Espanyol fans chanted Andrés Iniesta’s name throughout the match as a show of gratitude for the gesture the FC Barcelona made to his esteemed friend in the final of the South Africa World Cup. The Barça midfielder, after scoring the tournament-winning goal, ripped off his shirt to show the message hidden beneath, ‘Jarque, always with us.’