Wazzup with FC BARCELONA?!! (News)

[Classik]

"We are what we do, we are what we strive forâ€, the inclusive athletic campaign reunites Messi with Soufian
WWW.FCBARCELONA.CAT 03/22/2012 19:00
The campaign was developed to raise awareness for people that suffer from physical disability and to train educators so that they can apply inclusive athletic activity in their courses
The campaign is a collaborative effort between the FC Barcelona Foundation, the Guttmann Institute and the International Paralympic Committee, with collaboration with the Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona’s City Government and the La Caixa’s Social Works program
Sandro Rosell expressed his satisfaction with thecampaign as he explained the reasoning behind putting it together: “this campaign is particularlyexciting to me because it’s represented by Messi and Soufian; it’s a campaign to train educatorsâ€

Sandro Rosell moments before the 'Som el que fem, som el que ens proposem' presentation / PHOTO: ÀLEX CAPARRÓS - FCB
Messi reunites with Soufian
The campaign spots feature Messi , Víctor Sada , Víctor Tomás and Marc Torra . All of them practice their sport (football, basketball, handball and roller hokey) with children that have a physical disability. The spot that features the Argentine, also includes Soufian Bouyinza , who is a big Messi fan and also features in TV3’s ‘Soufian, the boy that wanted to fly.’
The FC Barcelona Foundation unveiled their thirdcampaign of the season this Thursday. It’s called “We are what we do, we are what we strive for.†The campaign was developed to raise awareness for people that suffer from physical disability and to train educators so that they can apply inclusive athletic activity in their courses. The aim is for educators to have tools at their disposal to adapt physical education classes for children with physical disabilities to participate in sport on the same level as their classmates. During the presentation, Sandro Rosell expressed his satisfaction with the campaign as he explained the reasoning behind putting it together: “this campaign is particularly exciting to me because it’s represented by Messi and Soufian; it’s a campaign to train educators.â€
The first vice-president of the FC Barcelona Foundation, Ramon Pont , highlighted the campaign’s ability “to become the focal point that represents our Club’s values, both in the country and internationally. The Foundation wants to leave its mark on this society.â€
The campaign is a collaborative effort between the FC Barcelona Foundation, the Guttmann Institute and the International Paralympic Committee, with collaboration with the Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona’s City Government and the La Caixa’s Social Works program. The project elevates the role of the school as normalizing and equalizing space that should provide equal opportunity to all students through the practice of inclusive physical activityand the lead to paths of knowledge, mutual learning and teaching.
Institutional representation
The presentation of the campaign, which happened this Thursday at the Sala París in the Camp Nou , was attended by FC Barcelona President Sandro Rosell , first vice-president of the FC Barcelona Foundation, Ramon Pont , director general of the Guttmann Institute, JosepM. Ramírez, member of the Government Council of the International Paralympic Committee, Miguel Sagarra , and minister of Social Welfare and Family Affairs of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Josep Lluís Cleries , the deputy mayor of the Quality of Life, Equality and Athletics of the Barcelona City Government, Maite Fandos and the director of territorial management and education action of the La Caixa Foundation, Xavier Bertolín .
Educational sessions
Among other activities, the campaign will offer aseries of educational sessions for teachers and children. The first one will be held on this Friday, March 23rd, at the Camp Nou, where doctors and physical education teachers from the Guttmann Institute, experts in inclusive athletics, will teachmore than 150 Catalan teachers methodologies to work with children that have difficulty participating in physical activities due to disability.
During the month of April will see the ‘Fiesta del Deporte Inclusivo ¡Muévete y Verás ...!’ [Athletic Inclusion Party. Move, you’ll see!] celebrated on Club grounds. More than 700 boys and gils from 10 different schools in Catalonia and their teachers will play over 25 inclusive sports.
There will be two sessions, both of which will overseen by the Guttemann Institute. For that past eight years the Institute has organized activities for children in need of physical rehabilitation in hospital and in schools.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Messi, Sada, Tomás and Torra, the faces of 'Som el que ens proposem'
www.fcbarcelona.cat 03/22/2012 19:20

Here are the four "We are what we strive for,†spots. The four Blaugranas Leo Messi, Víctor Sada, Víctor Tomás and Marc Torra are the ambassadors of FC Barcelona’s new campaign

FCB

 

[Classik]

Barça, and the Marathon against Poverty
www.fcbarcelona.cat 03/22/2012 20:30
FC Barcelona’s first team will play a benefit futsal match for TV3 and Cataluna Ràdio’s Marathon against Poverty
The game will be played on Sunday, May 27 at the Palau Sant Jordi
Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova will manage both the teams

President Sandro Rosell and the Director of TV3 Mònica Terribas
President Sandro Rosell and the Director of TV3 Mònica Terribas
FC Barcelona participation in the Marathon against Poverty run will be unique. The first-team players, split into two teams, will play a futsal match. One team will be managed by Josep Guardiola , the other by Tito Vilanova .
The game will take place on Sunday, May 27, afternoon on the day of the Marathon at Palau Sant Jord i, thanks to the collaboration with the Barcelona City Government. This will be a uniqueopportunity to watch FC Barcelona’s first team players play in an futsal match. All proceeds from the match will go to the Marathon against Poverty.
This afternoon, the agreement between FC Barcelona and TV3 became official. Sandro Rosell , President of the Club, and the Director of TV3, Mònica Terribas , were both pleased: “we are very thankful to Barça for their collaboration with Marathon against Poverty. Many of the country’s institutions will stand in solidarity on May 27th, and the fact that Barça will as well, helps our cause. We want to thank the board of directors, the members, the manager and the players.â€
Sandro Rosell said: “Barça always intends to convey social responsibility, and in this case, in conjunction with TV3 and The Marathon Foundation, we decided to hold an event that we hope many people will collaborate on, this is the Club’s, members, players and managers’ contribution. We all must unite behind this causebecause in Catalonia there is poverty and we have to fight against it.â€
FC Barcelona, in addition to holding a benefit match, have announced that they will donate 200,000 euros to the Marathon Foundation.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Euroleague
FC Barcelona Regal-Unics (66-63): One step away from the Final Four
www.fcbarcelona.cat 03/22/2012 22:38
Hard-fought win over the Russian side in the second game of the quarter-final series (66-63). Xavi Pascual’s men are just one game away fromqualifying for the Final Four
The game was decided by intense defence and converted free throws; Barça’s patience outlasted the Nachbar and Jawai duo

Pete Mickeal (Photo: Àlex Caparrós-FCB)
Pete Mickeal (Photo: Àlex Caparrós-FCB)
MATCH STATS
FC BARCELONA REGAL 66 (17+16+18+15)
Sada (-), Huertas (3), Navarro (18), Perovic (4), Vázquez (-), Wallace (5), Ingles (2), Ndong (8), Rabaseda (-), Lorbek (14), Eidson (-), Mickeal (12)
UNICS KAZAN 63 (13+17+18+15)
Lyday (2), Zamanskiy (-), Samoylenko (3), Nachbar (16), Pashutin (-), Veremeenko (5), Greer (7), Savrasenko (2), Gubanov (-), McCarty (5), Jawai (21), Domercant (2)
FC Barcelona Regal took another step towards the Euroleague’s Final Four in Istanbul after beating Unics Kazan (66-63) in the second game of the series. Xavi Pascual ’s men have taken a 2-0 lead over the Tatar side and can travel to Russia with larger margin of error after an excellent start to the quarter-finals at the Palau .The second game was intense and tough. The imposing duo made up of Jawai and Nachbar brought Unics close to the win but Barça didn’t shy away from the challenge. The Catalan side was confident and they led throughout (almost) the whole match. Navarro was the highest scorerof the match for the Azulgranas with 18 points. The captain, however, was aided by the decisive trio Wallace , Perovic and Mickeal .
Planned start
A counterattack led by Marcelinho Huertas clearly showed Barça’s intentions. The Azulgrana side wanted to wear down the Tatars. Despite the visitors’ defence, strong and intense, Barça quickly went on a 11-2 run. Barça had come out with a great attitude but the Tatars, just like Pascual had warned, never gave up. Jawai and Nachbar kept Unics afloat through Barça’s onslaught.
Nachbar appears
Tatar defence was closing itself off well forcing Barça to take shots from the perimeter, many of which missed their mark. Two three-pointers in a row from Veremeenko and Nachbar forced Pascual to call a timeout in the middle of the second quarter. The Tatars had taken control of the game and they led 17-21. The managers corrections quickly became evident on the court, and Barça drew level. The Catalans were patientas they picked apart the Unics defence. In fact, they went to the dressing rooms a the half with a 33-30 lead, despite the impressive performance from Nachbar in the second quarter.
The third quarter was much like the previous two: Barça was intense on defence and they slowly opened a gap between themselves and the Tatars (48-39). It looked as though it was time to put the game beyond reach, but Pashutin once again showed why he’s a good manager byurging his team forward. It was, once again, Jawai that kept his team in the game. Nachbar came out onto the court in the fourth quarter.
Exciting finish
The last quarter was defined by closed off and intense defences. Two consecutive three-pointers from CJ Wallace and Navarro, when Unics went ahead (53-54), injected life back intothe Barça side. Perovic, now recovered, sunk twofree throws and broke the deadlock at 61. It wasthe final minute of the match. Unics attacked butMickeal recovered and the Tatars found themselves three points down (64-61). The free throw line was key for Barça - so far in this seriesthey’ve only missed two of them. Mickeal didn’t miss his last two and Domercant’s desperate final attempt didn’t find the basket. The game ended 66-63, a win that brings Istanbul that much closer.

FCB

 

[God's_gift]

it's all over the news have reached even in here in our country, your star your man...:p Lionel Messi is the Michael Jordan of Football..wow ha

 

[Classik]

O yeah, God's gift. Messi is great. He is an alien. Despite his fame, he's the most humble player on earth.

Tenim un nom el sap tothom: Messi-Barça

 

[Classik]

110 years since Barça’s first title



03/23/2012 09:30

On Friday it is 110 years since a monumental date in club history. On March 23, 1902, Barça won away to FC Català by an incontestable 15-0 to win the Copa Macaya, it’s first ever title

La Copa Macaya, 1902

Considered the first Catalonian Championship, the Copa Macaya was the brainchild of Alfons Macaya, president of Club Hispània , who on December 16, 1900 announced his intention to organise a competition for Catalan teams, sayingthat whoever won it three times could keep the trophy outright. The first edition was played between January and April 1901 and was won by Hispània. FC Barcelona came second.

But Barça were able to make up for that setback by winning the second edition of the Copa Macaya (1901/1902). They won all eight games they played, by a spectacular balance of 60 goalsfor and just two against. In the final game, played on March 23, 1902, Barça beat Català 15-0. The team that day was: Reig, Witty, Smart, Valdés, Terradas, Marín, Parson, Steinberg, Gamper, Leack and Quirante . The goals were scored by Steinberg (6), Gamper (3), Leack (3), Parsons (2) and Quirante. Curiously, a lot of people doubted whether the trophy really existed, and it had to be paraded down Carrer Ferran to sort out the controversy.

Short-lived tournament

In the 1902-03 season, FC Barcelona withdrew from the Copa Macaya because of the unfair invalidation of their win against Hispània because they hadn’t handed in their list of registered players on time, which was not true. The tournament lost some of its spark due to Barcelona being absent, and was won by Espanyol. It was then that Barça decided to organise, in 1903, the Copa Barcelona , which they won thanks to 12 victories and two draws.

The Copa Macaya disappeared in 1903-04 when the Catalonian Championship was set up, which left the problem of deciding which of the three champions should keep the trophy. As Hispània no longer existed and Espanyol and Barça couldn’t reach any agreement, the cup was eventually awarded to Espanyol by virtue of them having won the direct meetings between the sides that year. Many year later, in 2001, Espanyol lent the trophy to FC Barcelona for a replica to be made, which is the one now on show in the club museum.

FCB,

MANEL TOMÀS

 

[Classik]

Two victories from three visits to Mallorca with Guardiola as manager


03/23/2012 09:31
Pep Guardiola has lost once and won twice against Mallorca at the Iberostar
Mallorca received Barça with an honour guard in the 2008/09 season after the Azulgrana side clinched the title the night before

Barça, during the team's La Liga match against Mallorca last season /PHOTO: ARXIU FCB
Barça, during the team's La Liga match against Mallorca last season /PHOTO: ARXIU FCB
Results from the previous three years
17/05/2009, Week 36, 2-1 (Eto’o, min 10; Arango, min 73 and Cléber Santana, min 78).
27/03/2010, Week 29, 0-1 (Ibrahimovic, min 62).
26/02/2011, Week 25, 0-3 (Messi, min 37; Villa, min 57 and Pedro, min 66).
The Barça manager will take his team to Mallorca for the fourth time he took charge of the Barça bench in 2008/09. In total, the team under Josep Guardiola have won twice and lost once in the Balearic Islands.
Honour guard from Mallorca
The first year as manager, Guardiola lost at the Iberostar by 2-1. Before kickoff, however, Mallorca received Barça, La Liga champions, withan honour guard, due to Madrid ’s defeat at the hands of Villarreal the previous day. For this reason, Guardiola sent out reserve-side players like Oier and Xavi Torres , and he reserved first-team players, with the exception of Alves , Abidal and Eto’o , who was fighting for the Pichichi award. After an early goal from Eto’o on 10 minutes, Arango and Santana both netted to give Mallorca the three points. Eto’o had one lastchance to level for Barça on 93 minutes, but the penalty that Iturralde González called, but his shot was saved.
Two last visits, two wins
In the next season, 2009/10, Barça won by 0-1, taking three points that allowed Guardiola’s team to claim the top of the table. The goal, which came in the second half, was scored by Ibrahimovic .
Last year the Azulgranas brushed Mallorca aside with a 0-3. In that hame, Barça was very effective, seeing that of their four shots on goal, three of them went in. The protagonists of the night were Messi , Villa and Pedro . It was Guardiola’s second victory at the Iberostar.
Draw and qualification in the Cup
Guardiola has also taken his team to Mallorca to play in the semi-finals of the King’s Cup, in the 2008/09 season, after winning by 2-0 at the Camp Nou in the away leg. The Barça side drew with the Balearic team (1-1). Castro opened up the scoring at the end of the first half and Pinto denied Martí’s penalty attempt in the second. In the dying minutes of the game, Messi, on a brilliant solo play, scored the equaliser after chipping Germán Lux . The draw was enough to give Barça a ticket to the King’s Cup final which was played against Athletic Club - that was Guardiola’s first title as manager of FC Barcleona.
Overall favourable balance for Barça
The first the Azulgranas visited Mallorca was in the 1960/61 season. Since then, Barça have played 26 Liga games in the Balearic Isalnds. In total, Barça have won 13 times, drawn 3 and lost10. Barça have also scored 42 goals in favour andconceded 29.

FCB,

ITZIAR BRAVO

 

[Classik]

Montoya and Bartra included against Mallorca
WWW.FCBARCELONA.CAT 03/23/2012 12:16
Josep Guardiola has named 19 players for the league game with Mallorca on Saturday. Alves, suspended and Adriano, injured against Granada, are out of a squad that includes Montoya and Bartra
Barça trained on Friday for the last time before setting of this afternoon for the Balearic islands

PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
The squad
Valdés, Pinto, Piqué, Fàbregas, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Alexis, Messi, Thiago, Mascherano, Keita, Busquets, Pedro, Cuenca, Tello, Muniesa, Montoya and Bartra.
The Barça manager has named a total of 19 players, the 15 from the first team plus four reserves, for Saturday’s league encounter away to Mallorca. Due to so many missing defenders, Guardiola has had to make a special effort to cover for players in that area, and therefore has called upon Montoya and Bartra . He also once again named Muniesa and Tello in the list.
After a day’s rest, the players trained today on pitch number one at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper , the last session before they set off for Mallorca where tomorrow’s game kicks off at 18.00.
Travel plans
They are heading for Mallorca late this afternoon. They will meet on the forecourt at the Camp Nou at 18.15 for a transfer to El Prat airport. From there will fly out to the islands, arriving around about 19.35 . Once in Palma de Mallorca , they will be taken directly to their hotel.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Guardiola: “We’ll try to be constant and do our job”


03/23/2012 14:34
Pep Guardiola is still playing things cautiously despite the reduced distance between Barça andthe leaders. “I still think they are a lot of points to win back”, he said
He highlighted how 15 of the 19 players picked to go to Mallorca are products of the club itself

Pep Guardiola during the press conference / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.
Pep Guardiola during the press conference / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.
“I am sure we won’t get distracted. At times we have been 13 points behind, and we have gone out to win all the same"
"Of the 19 players picked, 15 were from our own youth system. That’s our victory"
(Caparrós at Mallorca) “He makes his mark, his teams are very recognisable”
In a week in which Barça have seen the gap between themselves and Real Madrid cut from 10 to 6 points, Pep Guardiola , speaking to the press before the game in Mallorca, has spoken cautiously. “It won’t be easy for us to win the tengames we’ve got left, we’re playing opponents with a lot at stake,” he said. “Our only chance is to concentrate on our work. We’ll try to be constant and get our job done … I still think six points are a lot to make up”.
Full marks
But he has every faith in his players. “I am sure we won’t get distracted. At times we have been 13 points behind, and we have gone out to win all the same. The situation hasn’t changed at all… We knew we had done our homework, we competed and we behaved well wherever we went and that’s what we wanted from the players. Doing that, we’ve won three titles this season, and we’ll try to win more”.
15 home bred players
For the next game, there are players missing both in defence and on the wings. Unconcerned, Guardiola commented that “ Montoya is an excellent full back and Muniesa can adapt perfectly to full or centre back … Of the 19 players picked, 15 were from our own youth system. That’s our victory. We will try to make the success even greater by winning the game”.
Difficult venue
The FCB manager also spoke about the effect Joaquín Caparrós has on the team they’ll be playing tomorrow. “He makes his mark, his teams are very recognisable” he said, adding that Mallorca are “intense, ambitious and dynamic.” The Iberostar Estadi, he reckons “is always difficult place to play”.

FCB,

Jordi Clos

 

[Classik]

Spanish League Round Up Week 29


03/23/2012 16:28
Real Madrid dropped another point on Wednesday night to narrow the gap at the top tojust six points, whilst Valencia suffered a shock home defeat to Zaragoza

Gerard Piqué against Granada /PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ
Gerard Piqué against Granada /PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ
Late free kick does for Madrid.. again!
For the second game on the run, Real Madrid conceded a late goal from a free kick and
dropped two points, when they drew 1-1 to Villarreal, whose new boss Migel Angel Lotina
made a successful debut. After Cristiano Ronaldo put the visitors ahead in the second half,
Madrid dominated, but were unable to find a killer blow and it was almost inevitable when
Marcos Senna fired home the equaliser from a free kick just outside the box. With tensions
high, Madrid had Sergio Ramos , Ozil and Mourinho red carded, whilst Lass saw a yellow inthe
first half and will also miss the next game.
Nine-man Zaragoza shock Valencia
Zaragoza also ended up with 9 men at Mestalla, but amazingly they also took the points. After
20 minutes, Valencia were already one up and when Alvarez was shown a straight red, things
looked grim indeed for the bottom club, but theyfought back with two goals from Apoño to
make it ten points from the last seven games – nearly half their total of 22 – and leave them
just two points behind Sporting and Racing, though still six behind Villarreal and safety. Racing
and Sporting both lost at home, with Clemente’s team going down 2-3 to Mallorca, whilst
Racing were soundly trounced 0-3 by Seviila – their tenth game on the run without a win.
Levante close in on third
Levante moved to within just three points of Valencia with a convincing 1-3 win against Real
Sociedad with another strike from Koune - his tenth in this season’s league campaign, whilst
Málaga kept up their challenge by beating Rayo 4-2, with two goals from their Venezuelan
striker Roldan to take him to nine for the season so far. Espanyol grabbed an injury time
equaliser through veteran Walter Pandiani at Betis, who’d gone ahead through a Ruben Castro
strike, and now sit in fifth, just ahead of Osasunawho were held to a goalless draw at home by
Getafe. Levante and Malaga are now on 44 points, with Espanyol and Osasuna on 40 ahead of
this weekend’s visit of Malaga to El Prat and Osasuna to the Ciutat de Valencia.
Atlético make up ground
Atlético Madrid made up ground on the leading pack and also dented the aspirations of
another challenger when they saw off Athletic Club 2-1 thanks to a couple of goals from
Falcao – who now leads the goal scoring table behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with 19
goals . The Basques have now lost their last three league games and slip to ninth on 37 points,
Atlético are eighth on 39.

FCB,

Nick Bedson

 

[Classik]

Complaint against Gerard Piqué, dismissed
www.fcbarcelona.cat 03/23/2012 16:32
The Competition Committee has dismissed the complaint against the Barça defender brought forth by the Referees Technical Committee

Piqué during the match against 'Sporting / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
Piqué during the match against 'Sporting / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
The Competition Committee has closed the case on Gerard Piqué after the Referees Technical Committee filed a complaint against the FC Barcelona player. According to the final ruling, “there is neither sufficient intent nor desire fromthe player to qualify his actions as punishable under the Disciplinary Code of the RFEF.†Therefore, Piqué will not be penalised.
It’s worth noting that the Referees Technical Committee filed a complaint against the player when the Catalan defender made post-match statements about receiving a red card during theBarça-Sporting match (3-1) on March 3rd.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Barça arrives in Mallorca
www.fcbarcelona.cat 03/23/2012 19:45
The team arrived this Friday evening to the Balearic city where they will spend the night. Guardiola’s players will take on Mallorca tomorrow at 18:00
Of the 19 players named to the squad, two are Barça B players: Montoya and Bartra

Alexis, a l'arribada a Mallorca / FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Alexis, a l'arribada a Mallorca / FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
FC Barcelona have arrived to Palma de Mallorca where they will face off against the Balearic side at Iberostar stadium at 18:00 on Saturday. Even though the team usually travels on game day, on this occasion and given kickoff time, the squad and technical staff decided to go a day early and spend the night in the Balearic capital.
The plane that carried the Barça expedition left El Prat Airport at 19:00 and landed at Palma de Mallorca Airport 35 minutes later. Josep Guardiola has taken 19 footballers with him to the island to face Mallorca, among the first-teamplayers are two Barça B reservists: Montoya and Bartra . The Club will be represented by vice-presidents Javier Faus and Jordi Cardoner , director Ramon Pont and football director Andoni Zubizarreta .

FCB

 

[Classik]

The Azulgrana Roundup, Week 9


03/23/2012 22:02
On this week's Azulgrana Roundup, amongst other things, Sid Lowe and Graham Hunter analyse Lionel Messi's astounding performances,LMFAO (the band) pays tribute to one of the Alcántara brothers, why Barça's play is like fine art, and a curious comparison made by the President of the United States...

Messi and Soufian Bouyinza / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Messi and Soufian Bouyinza / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Have ideas? Share them!
If you have any suggestions for this column, please don't hesitate to share them with us. Tweet them at FC Barcelona's twitter account and be sure to use the #FCBroundup hashtag.
*. ESPN . Graham Hunter. Golden age for Lionel Messi
"We have Carles Puyol to thank for conclusive proof that there's nothing, absolutely nothing, Lionel Messi can't do on a football pitch."
*. La Vanguardia . Màrius Carol. El fútbol del Barça como una de las bellas artes [Barça’s football islike fine art]
"Todo aficionado al fútbol, independientementede sus colores, debe considerar una suerte y un privilegio poder admirar al magnífico equipo de Guardiola, con el genio de Messi y todos sus compañeros. El Barça nos divide automáticamente entre puristas y pragmáticos. -Irvine Welsh"
[“Every football fan, regardless of the colours they defend, should consider it a blessing and a privilege to be able to admire the magnificent team led by Guardiola, and the genius of Messi and his team-mates. Barça automatically dividesun into two groups: purists and pragmatists. - Irvine Welshâ€]
*. Olé . Jorge López. Messi: “I never dreamed of being the all-time top scorerâ€
“I always wanted to return the favour to Barcelona for everything they’ve given me. It’s an honour to be part of this Club’s history... I could not have done it without my team-mates’ help.â€
*. El Mundo Deportivo . The Catalan daily photographed influential athletes, Barça presidents and directors, celebrities, and journalists with Messi’s jersey as a tribute to the Argentine for scoring 234 official goals in the Barça strip.
*. The Guardian . Sid Lowe. Lionel Messi's achievements beyond exaggeration as another record goes
“The first meeting Lionel Messi ever had with Pep Guardiola ended on a promise. "With me," the new Barcelona coach said, "you'll score threeor four goals a game." Guardiola exaggerated for effect; the ridiculous thing is that he was not that far wrong.â€
*. Rafa Alcántara’s fansite. LMFAO, the Los Angeles based group, while on tour in Barcelona showed their appreciation for FC Barcelona B’s young start, Rafa Alcántara. RedFoo, one of the group’s founders, donned the Masia player’s jersey throughout the concert.
*. Penya Barcelonista Washington DC. The Penya completed their Messi goal countdown chart this Tuesday as Lionel Messi smashed three past Granada’s keeper.
*. The Age . Graham Hunter. For defenders, it’s going to get Messier
"The kid, Dongou, has no limits, no ceiling so long as he continues his development the way he is,'' his youth team coach and Dream Team European Cup winner Oscar Garcia said.â€
*. 7M Sports . Bafetimbi Gomis dedicates match-winning strike to Éric Abidal
*. Blast from the past: Chicago Sun-Times . BarackObama, President of the United States of America, compares himself to Lionel Messi . [June, 2011]

FCB,

Ian MacLurg

 

[Classik]

Spotlight on Mallorca


03/24/2012 10:58
RCD Mallorca have become a regular fixture in the top flight over the last 15 years or so and although frequently a mid-table side, they have also enjoyed Cup and European success over the last few years

PHOTO: ARCHIVE FCB
Founded in 1916, Mallorca didn’t make their debut in the top flight until 1960 and although they managed five seasons in the first division inthe 60s – something they repeated in the 80s and early 90s, their current stay at the top has been their longest – since 1997, and their most successful – with two third place finishes in 1999and 2001. That period has also seen them win the Spanish Super Cup(1998) and the Spanish Cup(2003) as well as ending as runners up in the European Cup Winners Cup (1999) and the Spanish Cup(1998). In 2001, the club made their Champions League debut – beating Arsenal 1-0 at the San Moix. The 21st century brought more consolidation and success under big name managers such as Gregorio Manzano, Luis Aragones, Hector Cuper or Michael Laudrup, although financial problems led to them missing out on a Europa Cup place in 2010 and in 2005 and last season, they only just survived relegation, finishing in 17th spot both times.
THE BARÇA CONNECTION
There are plenty of connections between Mallorca and FC Barcelona – starting with the islanders’ first ever home game at the Buenos Aires Stadium in 1916, when Barça won 0-8! A year later, Mallorca were admitted to the Catalan Federation’s Second division, which theywon in a final playoff in Barcelona. Down the years there have been many players and coaches who have made the journey across the Med between Barcelona and the Balearics: Samuel Eto’o – Mallorca’s all time leading goalscorer, Miguel Angel Nadal – who played more games for the club than any other player intheir history-, Serrer Ferrer, Laudrup…. and the close geographical and linguistic links between the two clubs always make this a special game for both sets of fans. Mallorca actually won their first ever trophy by beating Barça in the 1998-99 Spanish Super Cup, following their defeat in the previous season’s Cup Final on penalties to Louis Van Gaal’s Barça with Ruud Hesp saving the final penalty in the shootout after a brave Mallorca, reduced to 9 men, had held out for a 1-1 draw
FORM GUIDE
Mallorca are currently 12th on 36 points – just four points off the European places – and have won three of their last four home games – against Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Betis, whilst drawing the other against Osasuna and have also managed to take points from their lasttwo away games – a 2-2 draw with Valencia anda 2-3 win in Gijon last Wednesday. It’s been a fairly successful mid-table season so far for the club, having made it into the top ten on a couple of occasions and never dropping below 15th
THE BOSS
Joaquin Caparros took over at Mallorca at the start of this season, following a five match stint at the Swiss team Neuchatel. He had previously spent four successful years at Athletic Bilbao andhas also managed Deportivo and Seville. Caparros sums up his philosophy of football as: “effort, tenacity and hard work, combined with collective mental strength and talent†– qualitieshis players will certainly need against Barça on Saturday night.

FCB,

Nick Bedson

 

[Classik]

Mallorca - FC Barcelona: We’ll do it our way


03/24/2012 11:15
The team is after a win in Mallorca that will provisionally put them just three points behind Madrid, who play afterwards
Guardiola will need to find solution for the manygaps in defence

PHOTO: ARCHIVE FCB
Barça will momentarily be just three points adrift of Real Madrid if they manage to get a winat the always tricky Mallorca. So once again, the team has to do what it knows best and continue putting pressure on the leader, who entertain Real Sociedad shortly after. The defending champions have won six league games in a row and these results have helped reduce the difference between themselves and the leaders from ten to six points.
Barça’s excellent streak has coincided with someextraordinary form from Lionel Messi. Since last Tuesday, he’s the highest goalscorer in official matches in club history. He has scored 17 goals injust the last seven games and is the leading scorer in the championship with 34.
Defensive doubts
Barça’s main concern at the Iberostar Estadi is their rearguard. With Alves, Abidal, Adriano and Fontàs all out of action, the first team only has Puyol, Mascherano and Piqué as natural full and centre backs. Therefore, two reserve team defenders, Montoya and Muniesa , will be travelling as well. With them included, 15 members of the 19-man squad are products of the club’s own youth system.
The coaching staff opted for rotations in the last game against Granada and some players may get rested again tonight with the Champions League quarter final clash with AC Milan just around the corner.
In form opponent
But Mallorca are enjoying good times of their own. They haven’t been beaten at home for two months , and have just won eight points out of twelve, including two wins in a row. This has left Joaquín Caparrós ’ side comfortably poised in mid table, twelve points clear of the drop. The Balearic Islanders have recovered three key players in Ramis, Castro and Pereira , who were all suspended for the club’s last outing.

FCB,

Jordi Clos

 

[Classik]

Mallorca - FC Barcelona: The chase continues! (0-2)


03/24/2012 20:13
Goals from Messi and Piqué either side of half time gave Barça a vital win, with Thiago’s sending off the only negative as Guardiola’s mencontinue to hunt down the leaders

PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
FC Barcelona beat Mallorca 0-2 tonight in a game that is bound to strengthen the group’s morale. Messi opened the scoring directly from a free kick in the first half and Piqué got the second with ten minutes left to play when the team were down to 10 men following Thiago’s second yellow. Despite being a man down, Guardiola’s team – with 9 home grown players on the pitch –never lost control of the game and took the three points to close the gap still further on Real Madrid.
The win was Barça’s ninth on the run and their seventh in La Liga since their defeat in Pamplonaand the perfect preparation for Wednesday’s Champions League tie in Milan.
Mallorca make strong start
Mallorca came out strongly and Barça found it hard to dominate their possession in the first 10 minutes or so, but they then upped their pressure and Messi nearly opened his account, only for Aouate to stop his effort.
Messi makes it 0-1
Playing without full backs and with a three man defence made up of Piqué, Puyol and Mascherano , Barça began to get at the Mallorca goal with increasing ease and in one such attack, Alexis Sánchez won a foul on the edge of the box which Messi whipped across the area. Although it looked as if Alexis himself might have got a touch at the back post, the referee gave the goal to Messi – believing the free kick had gone straight in.
Barça now really upped the pace and Alexis came close to doubling the lead with a powerful shot that shuddered the bar.
Second yellow for Thiago
Things turned more difficult after the break when Thiago saw his second yellow for a rigorous looking handball and Guardiola reactedto going a man down by bringing on Montoya forCesc and the Keita for Pedro.
Piqué seals the win
The changes did their trick as the team managedto continue to dominate possession despite playing with only 10 and enjoyed a number of long periods holding on to the ball and frustrating their hosts. That superiority allowed Piqué to sneak into attacking positions and on 80 minutes he was rewarded with a goal when a Messi effort came back off the woodwork for the Catalan centre back to slide home.

FCB,

Roger Bogunyà

 

[Classik]

600 goals since Guardiola took charge of the Barça bench
www.fcbarcelona.cat 03/24/2012 20:32
FC Barcelona have scored 600 goals in official matches since Guardiola took charge of the Barça bench in 2008/09. This year they’ve scored 150 goals per season, averaging 2.57 goals per game
Furthermore, the team is on the verge of breaking the Club record of most goals scored in a single season

The players celebrating the 600th goal of the Guardiola era / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
The players celebrating the 600th goal of the Guardiola era / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Messi, 193 of the 600
Leo Messi has scored 193 of the 600 official goals. Almost a third. Furthermore, the Argentinehas 35 goals in La Liga this season, beating Ronaldo’s 34-goal record in the 1996/97 season
Josep Guardiola ’s Barça have won 170 of their 233 official matches in all competitions (73% win rate) and they’ve scored 600 goals, averaging 2.57 per game. The first was scored by Samuel Eto’o in the Camp Nou against Wisla Cracovia, in the 2008/09 season pre-Champions League playoff. The 600th goal was scored this Saturday by Piqué against Mallorca. Only Cruyff ’sDream Team, who scored 870 in 430 official matches, have scored more (averaging 2.02 goals per game).
A new record within reach
This Barça side have another record in their corsairs: the most goals scored in a single season. Guardiola’s team set the record in 2008/09 when they bagged 158 goals. This year,however, with at least 12 matches to go, they’ve scored 152 goals; only 7 adrift of the record.

FCB

 

[Classik]

Guardiola: "We didn’t lament when we were down to 10 men, we worked harderâ€


03/24/2012 21:18
The Barça manager said that victory against Mallorca was a tremendously important win, especially seeing how the team reacted after Thiago was sent off on 56 minutes
“The attitude displayed by this team makes me proud,†said the manager

“We have players with the ability to help the team. Not for their good, but for others"
"This has been going on for a while, and they [the committees] urgently need to reestablish respect"
Josep Guardiola was pleased with his team’s victory in Mallorca (0-2). The manager said that this win will help “prepare the right tone†for Barça ahead of the Champions League match this Wednesday against AC Milan. “Despite everything, with our effort and not complaining, we came out ahead and we won,†said the manager. He was also pleased with the team’s attitude after Thiago was shown a red card: “wedidn’t complain when we were down to 10 men, we worked harder.â€
The Barça boss highlighted the level of sacrifice shown by the players in his team: “we have players with the ability to help the team. Not for their good, but for others. We’re very fortunate that we have these players with us.â€
Maxium effort for the greater good
The manager then went on to praise the attitude shown by the team throughout the competition: “we have always had a hard time. In these last four years, where we’ve won almost everything, we’ve been exemplary. At the beginning, the season seems very long and you let yourself go a bit, and our opponents aren’t forgiving. We’re at the end now and we know it. You can’t measure effort, we either all work for the same goal or we won’t make it. Theplayers have put in a tremendous amount of effort."
Barça was reduced to 10 men at the beginning of the second half when Thiago was shown his second yellow card. Guardiola said: “we have about 70% to 75% of possession in almost every game. Of every 10 minutes, we have the ball for 7. But we’re the most penalized, sometimes it’s hard to understand. If someone is ejected from agame for any reason, we have to accept it - and we do and we keep on playing.â€
“They need to demand respectâ€
Lastly, Josep Guardiola talked about the recent decisions made by the Competition Committee and the Referee Technical Committee, saying that “they need to demand respect.†He added: “it’s been a while now that the committees haven’t demanded respect. We’re at a point where everything is too suspicious. There are too many things that they’ve let pass, and in the end they haven’t made themselves respected. Gerard [Piqué], with what he said, probably deserved a ban. But they don’t do it, of course, because if there’s another player that says that his team was robbed, they’d hav to ban him too. This has been going on for a while, and they [the committees] urgently need to reestablish respect.â€

FCB,

VANESSA FORNS

 

[Classik]

Mallorca v Barça: Match Stats
www.fcbarcelona.cat 03/25/2012 11:08
Yet another record for the unstoppable Leo Messi, a great defensive performance from Mascherano and a happy return for Montoya are just some of the facts to come out of this Saturday’s match

Javier Mascherano / PHOTO: Miguel Ruiz - FCB
Here are some of the stats from FC Barcelona’s win away to Mallorca (0-2):
- The two goals in Mallorca mean that Barça have now scored 600 goals in competitive matches since Guardiola took over as manager for the 2008/09 season. That’s an average of 2.57 per match or 150 per season.
- Lionel Messi has scored almost a third of those goals: 193 out of 600 .
- Messi has scored 35 league goals so far this season, overtaking Ronaldo’s tally of 34 in the 1996/97 season and his own total of 34 in the 2009/10 season.
- Saturday night’s win in the Iberostar Stadium isBarça’s 8th away league win on the bounce.
- For the first time in this campaign, Barça have put together a run of four consecutive away victories: Sevilla, Racing, Atletico Madrid and Mallorca.
- Once again, Javier Mascherano put in a good performance in defence and topped the ranking of balls recovered with 12 .
- Barça have had four players sent off in just eight games though only Gerard Piqué was shown a direct red card. Against Mallorca, Thiago was sent off for a second yellow card.
- Last night, Lionel Messi equalled former player and current PSV manager Phillip Cocu ’s record of 235 matches. No other foreign player has represented Barça so many times. He is now set to hold that honour on his own if he plays in the next match against Athletic Club.
- Messi has scored in the last eight consecutive games, including twelve in the last five . This puts him well on the way to finishing as La Liga’stop scorer.
- Defender Martin Montoya went back to the stadium where he made his Barça debut on 26th February 2011.

FCB