FC Barcelona has revealed a new shirt sponsorship with Qatar Sports Investments that will begin next season. According to La Marca, the La Liga giant will receive around $218 million over sixseasons. The partnership will allow QSI to feature “Qatar Airways,” one of its commercial enterprises, under the Barcelona emblem on the front of the […]
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Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Valdano: Guardiola is the 'Steve Jobs' of Soccer
Former Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano, who left Los Blancos in 2011 after falling out with head coach Jose Mourinho, has described PepGuardiola, coach of Real’s hated rival FC Barcelona from 2008-2012, as the “Steve Jobs of football”, saying that he has revolutionized soccer in the same way that the formerApple CEO revolutionized consumer technology. […]
Posted inStory, Youth Soccer Reporter
Barca youth player gets call-up
[U.S. UNDER-14 BOYS] Ben Lederman, the 12-year-old who entered Barcelona’s youth academy in 2011, is one of 36 playersU.S. under-14 national team head coach Hugo Perez has brought in for the team’s training camp that begins Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Lederman played for the “Alevin A” side in 2011-12 and […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Messi Passes Pele, Eyes Mueller's Record
With seven weeks to spare, Lionel Messi surpassed Pele’s personal best of 75 goals in a calendar year when he scored two goals against Mallorca on Sunday.The Argentina and FC Barcelona striker is now nine goals away from breaking the all-time record for goals scored in a calendar year, set by Bayern Munich and West […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Barca's Great Start Masks Poor Defensive Record
Though Tito Vilanova’s FC Barcelona was just one win away from securing its best-ever start to a season (until it fell 2-1 to Celtic in the UEFA Champions League onWednesday), the Blaugrana’s defensive record thus far isn’t exactly the stuff of champions. Indeed, 21 goals conceded in 17 total matches so far this season — and […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Ronaldo: 'Ballon d'Or Means a Lot to Me'
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has given yet another interview to CNN where he reiterates his desire to win the 2012 FIFA Ballon d’Or award, given annually to theworld’s best player. In this particular interview, which is conducted in English and can be viewed here, Ronaldo worries that a negativepublic image may stand in the […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Celtic's 'Greatest' Night Leaves Barca Mesmerized, Rod Stewart in Tears
Celtic coach Neil Lennon declared it one of the greatest nights in the Glasgow club’s history, as Celtic beat FC Barcelona, 2-1, at Celtic Park on Wednesday night. The resultmeans that Celtic is now second place in Group G of the UEFA Champions League with seven points, just two behind Barca, which endured its first […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Report: Guardiola Favors Chelsea
Former Barcelona FC coach Pep Guardiola, who is currently on sabbatical with his family in New York City, “has made it known to his close circle of advisors that Chelsea ishis preferred choice” when he decides to return to coaching, the Daily Mail reports. Apparently, the 41-year-old is attracted to the types of players that […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Messi, Ronaldo Sound Off on Comparisons
Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid — widely considered the two best players in the world — have both sounded off in the last fewweeks about the endless comparisons between them in the press. Messi, voted the best player in the world for the last three years, said he has grown […]
Posted inSection 2 Around the Net, Story
Messi Interview: 'I Try to Improve Every Day'
After receiving the Golden Shoe for his record-breaking goal tally for the 2011-2012 season, FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi gives an interview to La Marca in which he discusseseverything from his early years playing on a neighborhood team in Rosario, Argentina, to the Barcelona youth and senior teams, to his newborn son, Thiago. Among otherthings, […]