Lineker on Beautiful Barcelona

"It is a unique, special place...They call it 'mes que un club', which means more than just a football club, and it is really...It is a way of life, it is quite political and consequently they don't have a lot of patience with players. It makes the extremes of success and failure greater...When you are doing well you are the king and when you're not you are hopeless, even more so than in England...There is an aura and the fans need to be entertained. It is not like in England where the fans get up and sing, you have to get them off their seats. It is different even to other grounds in Spain - it is more like a theatre crowd."

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The beautiful game according to Xavi Hernandez

“Lovers of offensive, good football will really enjoy this semi-final...Chelsea and Liverpool offer a more practical football, more direct, stronger physically. But Manchester United are close to us in the way they understand the game. They also want to keep the ball, to pass to arrive in the rivals’ box, to pressure the opposition in their own half...Football is becoming a very fast game, very physical, full of hard workers, it is all about the second balls. It has become successful to play like that and that saddens me. I am from a school of technical football, of touching the ball, of passing, which I think fans appreciate more. Let’s see who will win at the end because the final in Moscow will have a representative of those two contrasting styles.”

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Celtic to imitate Barcelona

Glasgow Celtic are looking to secure their future by imitating the legendary Barcelona Academy.Here's what academy graduate, Lionel Messi has to say about the Barcelona approach:

"The Barcelona youth programme is one of the best in the world...As a kid they teach you not to play to win, but to grow in ability as a player...At Barca, we trained every day with the ball, I hardly ever ran without a ball at my feet. It was a form of training aimed very clearly at developing your skills."

And that is precisely what youth development head Tommy Burns wants for Celtic. He points to the emergence of Aiden McGeady:

"There will always be an emphasis on skills at Celtic...The philosophy of the club is based on technique...Look at McGeady, he combines the more physical side of the game with the technique aspect and he is the perfect example for every youth player at the club who is striving to reach the first team."

If Celtic can indeed start producing more world-class technical players, they will help cement the unique culture of their club and perhaps make it a club that is "more than a club"--just like Barcelona.

Source > 19.02.2008

I love La Liga because they play beautiful football there

United target, Karim Benzema of Lyon, delivers and indictment of his pursuers and the league they play in. He would rather play in Spain for a beautiful team like Barcelona. He sounds a bit like countryman Thierry Henry when he left for Spain this summer:

"The Premier League does not hold too much attraction to me...Although they have great teams and I consider that I could play there, the style of game they play does not attract me...I love La Liga because they play beautiful football there...As far as football is concerned, Barca are the team I prefer today because they play it on touch."

Hmm. Is one player's judgement enough to take United off of our beautiful team list? We wonder what Benzema would have to say about Arsenal? But then Arsenal manager Wenger would never pay the kind of money Lyon will ask for Benzema. He will develop Benzema's of his own.

Source > 19.02.2008

Ronaldinho Brings Joy

Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol is eager to see Brazilian Ronaldinho return to the team after a six-week lay-off due to a knee injury:

"He is really keen to get back, he's no longer got any pain and I'm sure he will bring a lot to the team...He can help bring back that joy we are lacking in our play at the moment. He's a reference point for the team and one of the best players in the world."

Source > 31.01.2008

Still Playing Beautiful Football

"Xavi Hernández has insisited that Barcelona's philosophy of playing beautiful football has not changed, but did recognise that the win against Mallorca was hard work."

Source > 07.01.2008

Barcelona win FIFA award for UNICEF Shirt Sponsorship

"FC Barcelona received the FIFA Fair Play award at the FIFA World Player Gala 2007 in recognition of the club's support for humanitarian causes and development programmes that benefit children all over the world. The sense of social responsibility taken up by Spanish giants saw them sign a historic shirt sponsorship deal with a children's charity (UNICEF), the first such branding agreement in the club's 107 years of existence."

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