Despite winning a glut of team and individual honours in the past 12 months, Lionel Messi remains hungry for more as he gears up for FC Barcelona’s first knockout round trip to VfB Stuttgart.
Occasionally when truly great footballers achieve fame, wealth and success, the ingredient in their make-up which is most easily corroded is the powerful hunger which once fired their drive for supremacy.
If that were to apply to Lionel Messi then now would be the moment in question. His club, FC Barcelona, mounted a brilliant campaign to win the UEFA Champions League last season amid a torrent of trophies; the Spanish title, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Argentinian was also rewarded with a clean sweep of the most illustrious individual awards: being named in the UEFA.com users’ Team of the Year, winning the Ballon d’Or and rounding it off with the FIFA World Player of the Year gong.
Despite all this, Barcelona’s next opponents in their UEFA Champions League defence, VfB Stuttgart, should be aware that Messi remains ravenous for more of the same. “We have already written a page in history but we want to continue doing that,” he told UEFA.com. “We have to take advantage of this great team; all of us feel that. Read more…
They may be “the best club side in the world” but VfB Stuttgart coach Christian Gross believes a “very brave” and “very clever” performance from his team could upset FC Barcelona on Tuesday.
VfB Stuttgart coach Christian Gross regards first knockout round opponents FC Barcelona as “the best club side in the world”, but he has warned the European champions his team will have “absolutely nothing to lose” in Tuesday’s opening leg. That message seems to have got through too, with Barça’s Josep Guardiola approaching the encounter praising the home side’s “German qualities”.
Christian Gross, Stuttgart coach
We’re looking forward to these two games. We know that we’re up against the best club side in the world and the utmost will be asked of us. It’s well known that teams rise to the occasion and that’s exactly what we have to do to get a good result ahead of the return match. We have to be highly focused, especially when we have possession, as there’s no other side as strong as they are when it comes to switching between attack and defence. Read more…
Barcelona striker Lionel Messi is very disappointed because his team eliminated from the Spanish Cup event. This defeat hurt him because Barcelona did not think going to eliminate.
Barcelona have just won six titles at the 2009 Seville painfully excluded from the last 16 of the Copa del Rey. On the second leg last night, Carles Puyol et al actually won 1-0, but it was not enough. With a 2-2 aggregate, “Los Rojiblancos” right away because of superior aggressiveness Barca goals in the cage.
“Painful for us (because) eliminated with this way. In the second half we seemed to go to the next round, but now we must go on,” said the World Player of the Year.
Messi added, he is confident his team could actually win the game, at least with the second goal. But the luck did not favor on us. Awesome performance of Sevilla goalkeeper, Andres Palop, making Zlatan Ibrahimovic shook his head. Messi also kick hit the post. Read more…
Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger, wrote a letter to Barcelona and Real Madrid, asking them not to flatter Cesc Fabregas or other players through the media. According to him, if they interest to members of his team, they can do a more professional approach.
Since the end of last season, Barcelona and Real Madrid have shown great interest to Fabregas. At that time, Wenger has confirmed, Fabregas is not on the list sell for any price. Fabregas himself has expressed no interest in leaving Arsenal.
Rejection does not make the Spanish giant’s forget it. In this second transfer window, they again stated that they are still interested to Fabregas. In fact, Madrid is also interested to confess Bacary Sagna, who has also declined.
Wenger feels, both approaches focus and damage the team consolidation. According to him, the difference of political culture and Spanish football in England should not be an excuse to damage the club’s other teams.
“We are writing them. If one day we want to sell a player and they are interested, they can call us. They do not have to complain to the newspapers. They did not respond (the letter),” Wenger said. Read more…
Only a year ago, Guardiola took a chance on a humble boy from the youth team. Everybody called him “Pedrito,” and they all agreed on the promising future he had.
Back then, many believed he’d have a hard time elbowing his way through a star-studded team, whose top-rate footballers dazzled fans and pros alike.
But the boy from the Canary Islands never gave up in his efforts to make it in the team of his heart. And he made it, with goals and a show of unprecedented talent that delighted even the most demanding fans. There was no doubt about it: he was the new gem found in La Masía.
Besides doing a great season, Pedro accomplished in 2009 what nobody else could: he scored in the six tournaments FC Barcelona took part in, namely, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish and European Super Cups, Champions League, and Club World Cup. Read more…
Sevilla beat defending champion Barcelona 2-1 in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on Tuesday.
Sevilla went ahead in Barcelona’s Camp Nou in the 61st minute when Diego Perotti dribbled past Daniel Alves and crossed, and Renato tapped the ball on for Diego Capel to smash home.
Barcelona equalized through substitute Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a 75th-minute counterattack, but Alvaro Negredo scored from the penalty spot after Diego Capel was brought down in the area. Negredo dedicated the winning goal to teammate Sergio Sanchez, whose playing future was in doubt after news of his heart condition.
“These games are good to show that we’re here, that we’re not just 11 players, that we have 24 players who will give everything and we dedicate the victory to the fans and above all to Sergio,” said Negredo.
Both teams had absences due to the African Cup of Nations, with Barcelona missing Seydou Keita and Toure Yaya and Sevilla without Frederic Kanoute. Read more…
World Cup cheat Thierry Henry could be heading back to the Premier League - with big-spending Manchester City.
Spanish media yesterday reported that Barcelona are willing to listen to offers for the 32-year-old in January.
Henry is football’s public enemy number one after his handball disgrace helped France knock the Republic of Ireland out of the World Cup play-off.
City’s keeper Shay Given was part of the Ireland team and yet new Eastlands chief Roberto Mancini apparently wants an experienced forward to spearhead his hopes of reaching the top four.
Former Arsenal captain Henry is under contract at Barca until 2011 but is a target for MLS club New York Red Bulls. Read more…
For FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi 2009 will be an unforgettable year as the team completed a unique treble of trophies and the player was seen as the best in the world. Revista Barça spoke to the Argentinian forward about the last 12 months.
In an extensive interview Messi gave his thoughts on his rise to prominence from a star with incredible potential to a fully fledged match-winner as he helped Barça to win the domestic title and Copa del Rey as well as the Champions League in the same season, before starting the current campaign by lifting the Spanish and European Super Cups.
Flattering praise
In the poll for France Football’s coveted Ballon d’Or Messi received 90 of the 96 votes. “It is flattering to hear that because there are some other great players around, but it is also incredible,” he explained. “Since I was young I have dreamt about winning these awards. When I then reached the Barça first team I did not give them as much importance. But it is like a dream come true now for me and for my father because of everything that we have been through together.” Read more…
Barca beat Madrid 1-0 at the Nou Camp tonight thanks to the same qualities that brought them the treble last season – quality and hard work. Ibrahimovic broke the deadlock with a classy strike in the second half, but the team had to draw on all their
Barca got no presents for their 110th birthday, but the players gave one to their fans with a hard working performance, gilded with their typical stamp of quality against their eternal rivals Real Madrid.
The first half was pretty even, with chances for both teams. When Barca imposed their passing, they were in charge, but when the game became more disordered, Madrid, led by Kaka, looked the more threatening. This was the clash of styles we’d expected with both teams focussed on the job in hand and showing the other plenty of respect and that meant the goal took its time coming. When it did, it confirmed Barca’s superiority which they looked to build on until Busquets was sent off and Barca had to dig deep to defend their lead. Read more…
