FC BARCELONA PLAYERS FC BARCELONA PLAYERS Ronaldo de Assis Moreira Samuel Eto Fils

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Barcelona-Manchester United: Key Battles
2008-04-22 19:59:00
In what is labelled as a match worthy of the final itself, Spanish giant Barcelona will take on English juggernaut Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday night at the Camp Nou.Although United hold a slight advantage in this match, you can never bet against Barca. Both teams have been unbeaten in the competition so far, and this match will be a showdown.Let's have a look at the key battles on-field that might decide the match's outcome. 1. Lilian Thuram/Gabriel Milito vs. Wayne Rooney/Carlos Tevez:Barcelona will be without their skipper, Puyol, and hence will be vulnerable at the back. However with the experience Thuram brings, there will be stability at the back, at least on paper.Gabriel Milito has been great for the last two seasons and has filled Rafael Marquez's shoes very well. He will look to neutralise the threat of fellow compatriot Carlos Tevez. On the other hand, Man United's two forwards will look to keep the two defenders busy and will pounce on any errors b ...

Lionel Andrés Messi
2008-03-06 00:50:00
Lionel MessiName: Lionel Andrés MessiPosition: forwardPlace of birth: Santa Fe (Argentina)Date: 24-06-1987Heignt: 1'69Weight: 67This Argentinian striker's footballing career started in 1995 at Newell's Old Boys, where he played until the year 2000. At the age of 13, Lionel Messi crossed the Atlantic to try his luck in Barcelona, and joined the Under 14s. Messi made spectacular progress at each of the different age levels, climbing through the ranks of the different youth teams and then Barça C, followed by Barça B and the first team in record time. In the 2003-2004 season, when he was still only 16, Messi made his first team debut in a friendly with Porto that marked the opening of the new Dragao stadium. The following championship-winning season, Messi made his first appearance in an official match on October 16, 2004, in Barcelona's derby win against Espanyol at the Olympic Stadium (0-1). With several first team players seriously injured, the services of several reserve te ...

Messi Out for Six Weeks
2008-03-06 00:48:00
Barcelona's Argentina striker Lionel Messi will be out of action for six weeks after tearing a muscle in his left leg during Tuesday night's Champions League victory over Celtic. The Catalan club confirmed on Wednesday that Messi will miss both legs of Barcelona's Champions League quarter-final encounter. It will also be a race against time for the 2007 World Player of the Year runner-up to be fit for the semi-finals if Barcelona get past an opponent who will be named after the draw on March 14.Messi picked up the injury after 34 minutes during Barcelona's 1-0 win over the Scottish side, which booked their spot in the quarter-finals by easing through 4-2 on aggregate. It is third time in the last three years that Messi has had the same injury, the last occasion being on December 15 against Valencia, which ruled him out of the 'El Clasico' derby the following week against Real Madrid.In addition to his chronic problems with his left thigh, Messi has had four other significant injuries ...

Thierry Henry
2008-02-17 11:29:00
Name: Thierry HenryPosition: forwardPlace of birth: Les Ulis (Francia)Date: 17-8-1977Height: 188 cmWeight: 83 kgThierry Henry is considered to be one of the best forwards in world football over the past decade. Elegance, ability and effectiveness are his main assets. Born in Les Ulis (France) on August 17, 1977, he made his debut in top flight football with Monaco during the 1994-95 campaign, aged just 17. He began to show some of his ability on the right wing for the Principality-based outfit. After a brief spell at Juventus in 1998-99, Henry joined Arsenal, where he went on to show his true colours and become one of the best players in the history of the north London club.Having moved into the centre of attack, Henry proved how lethal he was in front of goal at Arsenal even though he became known for drifting out to both flanks to pull his markers across the field. With him in the side, the label of 'Boring Arsenal' was forgotten as the Gunners became an attractive, attacking ...
Thierry  Thierry Henry 

José Manuel Pinto Colorado
2008-02-17 11:23:00
Name: José Manuel Pinto ColoradoPosition: GoalkeeperPlace of Birth: Puerto de Santa Maria (Cádiz)Date of Birth: 15-11-1975Height: 185 cmWeight: 82 kgJosé Manuel Pinto signed for FC Barcelona on January 18, 2008 after moving from Celta Vigo, where he spent the last ten seasons. He arrived as cover for the injured Albert Jorquera after the Catalan keeper damaged knee ligaments during the festive break.Born in Puerto de Santa Maria (Cádiz) on November 15, 1975, Pinto start his professional career in Andalucia. After spending three seasons with Real Betis's B side, he moved up to the first team and made his debut for the club during the 1997/98 campaign. A year later he agreed to move to Celta Vigo, where would spend the next decade before leaving to go to Camp Nou.After being replaced by Toni Prats at Betis, Pinto opted to join Celta and it was there that he found stability and was awarded the captain's armband. He went on to play 126 games in la Primera, 56 matches in la Segu ...

Gianluca Zambrotta
2008-02-17 11:07:00
Name: Gianluca ZambrottaPosition: defenderPlace of birth: Como (Italy)Date: 19-02-1977Height: 181 cmWeight: 76 kgGianluca Zambrotta was born on 19th February 1977 in Como (Italy). And it was in Como where he started his sporting career in 1994. With his home town team he competed in Serie B, putting in 48 performances and scoring 6 goals. His opportunity to compete in Serie A came in 1997 with l?AS Bari. His debut coming on the 31st August 1997 at home against Parma. His performances over the course of 2 years were noticed by Juventus, who secured his services in 1999 in a deal worth 15.85 million Euros. Having lost the Scudetto on the final day of his first season with Juventus, Zambrotta eventually won his first league title in 2002. It was with the then current coach, Marcello Lippi, who opted that Zambrotta changed to the position of full back. Things didn´t change for Zambrotta with the arrival of Fabio Capello in 2004. With Juventus he played a total of 217 games, won the ...

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira
2008-01-21 13:13:00
Ronaldo gold ball pictureName: Ronaldo de Assís Moreira, Ronaldinho - 10 RonaldinhoPosition: forwardPlace of birth: Porto Alegre (Brasil)Date: 21-03-1980Height: 1'81Weight: 80Ronaldinho signed for Barca in the 2003-04 season following in the footsteps of a number of illustrious fellow countrymen who had enjoyed successful careers with the club: Evaristo, Ronaldo, Romario and Rivaldo. Ronaldinho began his footballing career with Gremio de Porto Alegre, where his burgeoning talent soon brought him to the attention of the international football world. During the four seasons he spent there, from 1997 to 2001, Ronaldinho also started to claim a place in the Brazilian international side. He won the Copa America in 1999 scoring six goals, including a memorable effort against Venezuela. In 2001, Ronaldinho decided to try his luck in European football and signed for French league outfit PSG though his debut was delayed due to a financial dispute between the two clubs. Although his time ...

Samuel Eto'o Fils
2008-01-21 13:07:00
Name: Samuel Eto'o Fils - 9 Eto'oPosition: delanteroPlace of birth: Nkon (Cameroon)Date: 10-03-1981Height: 180 cmWeight: 75 kgSamuel Eto'o Fils made an impact on the world of football while still a teenager. He has exceptional physical qualities and made the leap to European football at the tender age of just 16 when Real Madrid signed him up and loaned him out to Leganés. At the age of 17 years and 3 months he became the youngest player at the 1998 World Cup in France and was the only player who had been born in the '80's. After Leganés, he went on loan to RCD Espanyol (1998-1999) but played very little and subsequently retuned to Real Madrid (1999-2000). In the 1999-00 season, he played a few times for RCD Mallorca, eventually spending four seasons there (2000-04), with the Balearic Island club sharing his rights with Real Madrid. During his time with Mallorca, he became the highest ever league goal scorer in the history of the club, with 54 goals. He signed for Barca in the ...

Andrés Iniesta Lujan
2008-01-21 13:00:00
Name: Andrés Iniesta Luján - 8 IniestaPosition: midfielderPlace of birth: Fuentealbilla (Albacete, Spain)Date: 11-05-1984Height: 1'70Weight: 65Andrés Iniesta joined Barca as a twelve-year-old in 1996 after scouts had spotted him at the Brunette Tournament playing for Albacete. From the start he progressed rapidly through the club's various youth teams and was promoted to the Barca B team for the 2000-01 season, where he almost immediately became the team's main playmaker under coach Josep Maria Gonzalvo. Andrés' dream of making the first team finally came true in October 2002 when he was picked to play in the Champions League game against Bruges in Belgium. Van Gaal's Barca won that evening and Andrés made an excellent impression. Now an recognised squad member, Iniesta has established a place for himself through hard work allied to his undoubted natural skills. In the shadow of some of the team's bigger names, Andres became a key piece of the League winning 2004-5 team, w ...

Eidur Smari Gudjohnsen profile
2008-01-21 12:53:00
Name: Eidur Gudjohnsen - 7 GudjohnsenPosition: forwardPlace of birth: Reykjavik (Island)Date: 15-09-1978Height: 185 cmWeight: 82 kgEidur Smari Gudjohnsen is the first player to play for Barca from Iceland, a country perhaps better known in sporting circles for handball or cross country skiing than football. Gudjohnsen began to make his mark as a footballer from a young age, perhaps inspired by his father, who was also an Icelandic full international. When he was just 16, Eidur made his debut in the Icelandic league and ended up with 7 goals in 17 games - a return that caught the eye of PSV Eindhoven for whom he played for the following two seasons. Gudjohnsen returned to his native Iceland to play for KR Reykjavik in the 97-98 season before signing for the Premier League club Bolton Wanderers, where he played for two seasons before joining Chelsea. He left the London club to replace Larson at Barca with a record of 62 goals in 219 games in his 6 years at Stamford Bridge, am expe ...
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Xavier Hernandez Creus
2008-01-21 12:47:00
Name: Xavier Hernández Creus - 6 XaviPosition: midfielderPlace of birth: TerrassaDate: 25-01-1980Height: 170 cmWeight: 68 kg Xavi has spent all his footballing life at the Nou Camp, having joined Barcelona when he was only 11 years old. The progress he made was always very quick and in season 97-98 he moved up from youth team to Barca B. In Barça B, he became the brains of Jordi Gonzalvo's team which won promotion to the second division. Xavi's dream of making his official debut with the first team squad became true when he played in the Spanish Super Cup against Majorca in the summer of 1998. He was in the starting line up and scored: a better debut he could not have asked for. Xavi also played an important role in the league-winning season of 1998-99 with Van Gaal as manager, most notably with an important goal in the Nuevo Zorrilla, which turned round the team's fortunes. Season 1999-2000 was a good one for Xavi as due to the injury to Guardiola he was the first choice num ...

Carles Puyol Saforcada
2008-01-21 12:40:00
Name: Carles Puyol Saforcada - 5 PuyolPosition: defensaPlace of birth: La Pobla de SegurDate: 13-04-1978Height: 178 cmWeight: 80 kgCarles Puyol began his footballing career in the local team of the small town where he was born, La Pobla de Segur. His talent soon attracted wider attention and, at the age of 17, he was signed up for the Barca academy at La Masía. He rapidly became a fixture in Barca B and then progressed to make his debut with the first team on 2nd October 1999 against Valladolid at the orders of Louis Van Gaal. His appearances became more and more frequent until he made the right back position his own. Thanks to his determination to improve and a tremendous work rate, Carles Puyol adapted to the position of central defender. In the 2003-2004 season, having been chosen as third captain, he played a vital role in the team's sensational run of form that led to the runners-up place in the league. Puyol made 27 appearances in the league and seven in the UEFA Cup. Ho ...

Rafael Márquez Álvarez profile
2008-01-21 12:19:00
Name: Rafael Márquez ÁlvarezPosition: defenderPlace of birth: Zamora (Mexico)Date: 13-02-1979Height: 182 cmWeight: 74 kgRafael Márquez is the first Mexican ever to play for Barça, having arrived in the 2003-2004 close season as one of the principal reinforcements in defence. His youth and the progress he's enjoyed in the last few years have combined to make him one of the most promising defenders in Europe. Beginning his career at Atlas Guadalajara (1996-99) he made his debut in the Mexican first division when he was just 17 years old. Three years later he signed for AS Monaco where he soon fit into the demands of the European game. In 2000 he won the French League title and was named as the league's top defender. In 2003 his team won the French League Cup. Captain of the Mexican national team he played in the 1999 and 2001 Copas de America and the 2002 World Cup. Márquez has gained the complete respect and trust of Frank Rijkaard and has become a regular in the Barcelona ...
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Gabriel Alejandro Milito profile
2008-01-21 12:10:00
Name: Gabriel Alejandro MilitoPosition: defense Place of birth: Bernal (Buenos Aires, Argentina)Date: 7-9-1980Height: 179 cmWeight: 78 kgGabriel Milito is the twentieth Argentinian to wear the Barça shirt. He is a central defender who started out at Independiente in Avellaneda, and then spent four years at Zaragoza before coming to the Camp Nou.Gabriel Milito was born in Bernal (Buenos Aires), on September 7, 1980. He came up through the youth ranks at Independiente, making his top flight debut aged 17 with the Avellaneda based club. 'El Mariscal', as he is known, led the side’s defence despite his young age, but his promising future was almost cut short by a serious injury. He tore cruciate ligaments in his right knee in 2001 and was out for nine months. And shortly after his return, he was injured for another four months, this time with a broken meniscus in his right foot.Once he was back to full fitness, Gaby Milito was one of the main reasons for Independiente’s Opening Champi ...
Alejandro  Gabriel  Profile 

Victor Valdes Arribas profile
2008-01-21 11:56:00
Name: Víctor Valdés ArribasPosition: goalkeeperPlace of birth: Hospitalet de LlobregatDate: 14-01-1982Height: 183 cmWeight: 78 kgVíctor Valdés joined Barca as a youngster on 1st July 1992, from Peña Cinco Copas. In September of the same year he moved with his family to Tenerife and didn't rejoin the club until three years later. After quickly proving his worth with the youth teams and Barca B, the club coaches decided that the 2002-2003 season was to be Valdés time to form part of the first team squad. At first, he alternated appearances with Roberto Bonano but finished the season as regular first choice under Radomir Antic. He consolidated his place as in the starting line-up in the 2003-04 season. He played most of Barca's matches that season and put in some excellent performances, helping the team to finish as runners-up. CHARACTERISTICS He is an extremely agile and powerful goalkeeper. Despite his comparative youth, he likes to lead and command his defence. He has m ...
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