[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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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Messi Accepts Golden Shoe for Record-Breaking Season
FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi profusely thanked his teammates and the Barcelona board as he was presented with his second career Golden Shoe—the trophy for Europe’stop scorer—on Monday. Messi scored a record 50 goals in Spain’s La Liga over the course of the 2011-2012 season. “Before anything else I want to thank everyone who is […]
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How Barcelona Keeps Messi Injury-Free
When Pep Guardiola took over as FC Barcelona coach in the summer of 2008, he decided that Lionel Messi would be the leader of his new project. However, the youngArgentine, then just a frail 21-year-old, was already looking injury-prone. So Guardiola decided that Messi needed special attention. For starters, he would have to change his […]