Comparing the abilities and impact of players from different eras is notoriously, maybe impossibly, difficult, though that hasn’t stopped thousands of journalists, pundits and barroom thinkers having a go. The speed and athleticism of the modern game would leave many past greats puffing and blowing long before half-time, while some modern players would wilt under the physical challenge of previous eras. The equipment, character and even some of the rules of the game have changed.
Continue reading “Barcelona’s greatest ever players”Category: Info and history
Here is the list of articles and news listed on our blog present in the Info and History category
Messi heading towards new scoring records this season?
Leo Messi has been on an incredible scoring streak of 14 consecutive matches in La Liga. As of Monday, 18th of February 2013, and after 24 Liga matches in the 2012/13 season, he sums up an impressive total 37 goals (1.54 / match). If he keeps scoring at this pace, and does not suffer any injury (which only haters would hope for) until the end of the season, Messi would be heading towards a new scoring record of 58 goals in a domestic league.
Continue reading “Messi heading towards new scoring records this season?”FC Barcelona at top of the UEFA ranking
FC Barcelona is on top of the UEFA rankings, followed by Bayern Munich and Manchester United. Real Madrid is number 4 in the classification. The coefficients are based on the results of clubs competing in the Champions League and Europa League.
Continue reading “FC Barcelona at top of the UEFA ranking”FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid rivalry
Everything you ever wanted to know about the famous FC Barcelona / Real Madrid football rivalry. Both clubs have a vast history and their fans can look forward to more chapters to this story in the future. Getting the opportunity to see your favourite football club play is a wonderful experience.
Continue reading “FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid rivalry”Messi breaking new record(s) for FC Barcelona ! Again…
Where will he stop?
Since his inauguration in the first team back in 2004-2005, Leo Messi has constantly been rewriting the history book of FC Barcelona.
Young Messi in the 2004-2005 season
The youngest player with 300 games
Tonight, for the first leg of the Spanish Cup Quarterfinals against Real Madrid, Messi will become the youngest player in the Blaugrana history to reach 300 official matches, with only 24 years and 6 months behind him, clearing Xavi Hernández (25 years and 8 months) and Andrés Iniesta (25 years and 9 months) from the record book.
Pichichi in the ‘Clasicos’
Messi could also become the most prolific scorer in the Clasico. ‘La Pulga‘ has scored 13 goals so far against the Merengue (all goals were scored against Iker Casillas) and is only one short of his 14 goals scored by the best shooter in FC Barcelona history, César Rodríguez.
César Rodriguez Alvarez
22 goals shy of historic FC Barcelona record of 235 goals
Messi has scored 213 goals so far in his career and is only 22 goals shy of the historic record of 235 goals (by the same César Rordíguez) as the clubs’ pichichi.
Lionel Messi receiving his 3rd Ballon d’Or last Sunday
History of El Clasico
Club Rivalry
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have been rivals since the 30’s, after the dictatorship of Franco in 1939. During the 1930’s, people showed more interest in their political meetings than it did in their football matches, with FC Barcelona having to tour America to look for funding after the death of their president in the late 30’s. Some players never returned after this ‘rescue tour’ and the club faced a very difficult time with no president and a decrease in club memberships and subscriptions. Since the Civil War, the two teams have still hung closely to their political and cultural views and tensions.
FC Barcelona represent the Catalans, who propose a complete independence from Spain, as a separate state, and Real Madrid represent Castile, the former kingdom that became a part of Spain itself. Both teams are dominant in La Liga (Spanish League) in year out and it is this rivalry that has became knows as the El Clásico.
Check out the next chapter in history in Camp Nou, Barcelona:
FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Spanish Cup 2011-2012
25th of January at 10pm
Messi 22 goals from just 17 matches !
Before the Mallorca game Guardiola said: “Messi knows very well what we all think, all of the coaching staff, the people that look after him, and the other players,
“We are all delighted with what he does, has done and will do. And of course nothing that we have done would have been possible without him.
“He is a different kind of player, his stats make him different and he lets you win games at all levels. There is never a game in which he doesn’t generate chances. I don’t think there has ever been a player in history that can do what he manages to do every three days. People buy tickets just to see him play and he is doing something unique.
“To find a player that has managed to be so consistent for four years, who is so fit, who fights so hard as him, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Perhaps I’m too young,” he concluded, “but I never played with anybody like him and I have never coached a player like that either. He is a better player than anybody else; he has a gift.”
Few thought that he would beat last season’s total of 53 goals for Barca – a club record for a single season –
22 goals from just 17 matches.
Strike rate of 1.29 goals per game.
He played 55 matches last season.
Spain dominate World Player of the Year shortlist
Spain has the most nominees in the Player of the Year award, with seven players among the 23 nominees.
Nominees:
Eric Abidal (Barcelona, France)
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City, Argentina)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Portugal)
Daniel Alves (Barcelona, Brazil)
Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi Makhachkala, Cameroon)
Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, Spain)
Diego Forlan (Inter Milan, Uruguay)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)
Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Nani (Manchester United, Portugal)
Neymar (Santos, Brazil)
Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid, Germany)
Gerard Pique (Barcelona, Spain)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich, Germany)
Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan, Netherlands)
Luis Suarez (Liverpool, Uruguay)
David Villa (Barcelona, Spain)
Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid, Spain)
Xavi (Barcelona, Spain)
Xavi on record appearance 392nd league match
At Barcelonas 1-0 win at Granada Xavi said “It was a difficult match that we were unable to kill off in the second half,” he said after scoring his fourth league goal of the campaign.
“Generally it was a good performance but everything can be improved on,” he added.
“We were not very quick in passing the ball around,” Barca coach Pep Guardiola said.
“When you are only 1-0 ahead anything can happen,” he added.
“Any lapse in concentration against such a speedy team can condemn you but we managed to close out the game.”
FC Barcelona posters throughout history
FC Barcelona are a football club playing in Spain. The club was created in 1899 and is considered to be one of the most important club in Spanish and European football today. They play great offensive football and have a trademarked football style called tiki-taka.
FC Barcelona Retro posters
Check out these great FC Barcelona posters, including retro posters for classic Barça matches or posters for the club’s special anniversaries or even the poster for the inauguration of the Camp Nou back from 1957.
FC Barcelona Anthem – Cant del Barça
Known in Catalan as Cant del Barça, the song was written in 1974 as part of FC Barcelona‘s 75th Anniversary Celebrations. The lyrics are from Jaume Picas and Josep M. Espinàs…
Known in Catalan as Cant del Barça, the song was written in 1974 as part of FC Barcelona‘s 75th Anniversary Celebrations.
The lyrics are from Jaume Picas and Josep M. Espinàs. It is set to the music of Manuel Valls Gorina. ‘Cant del Barça’, was solemnly sung for the first time by 3,500 voices conducted by Oriol Martorell.
Watch videos, see pictures, read the lyrics and see the translation of the Barça anthem.
How much technology does football need?
IFA president Sepp Blatter last month repeated his pledge to have goal-line technology in place for the 2014 World Cup.
And a report in today’s Daily Mail suggests the world governing body are days away from making a statement about technology in the game with Hawk-Eye in talks with the world governing body.
The company, who provide a similar service in cricket and in tennis, would use a six-camera system to determine whether the ball has crossed the line.
Critics say technology will slow the game down, that the margin for error remains too large and it would mean different rules for different competitions.
However, advocates of technology say the price of making a mistake in modern football is just too high.
Meanwhile a new high-tech ball that can also show when the ball is received in an offside position or when it goes out of play for a throw-in or a corner is being developed.
So what you do think? Should goal line technology be introduced and should it be extended to other areas of the games?
FC Barcelona wins Champions League Final
They did it! FC Barcelona players finished their fantastic 2009 season with an incredible win over Manchester United in the Champions League final tonight in Rome Olympic Stadium. Samuel Eto’o and Leo Messi each scored in a technically breathtaking football match.
The first 5 minutes of the match were tense, with Manchester United keeping the ball and kicking three times at Victor Valdes. But FC Barcelona scored first in the 10th minute on its first offensive play of the match. Magistitailly put in an ideal position by Andres Iniesta, Samuel Eto’o got rid of Vidic and opened the score (1-0). Like in Paris in 2006, Eto’o scored the first goal of the final for the Blaugrana.
A dominating Barça
Metamorphosed after the first goal, the Catalan players were more active and kept the ball moving. Messi, in the 18th minute, tried his luck from 25 metres… A few inches over Van der Sar’s goal.
Iniesta and Xavi, as a magicians duet, were controlling the ball and trying to alert the forwards Eto’o and Henry on both sides and Messi in the middle. But it was only one goal ahead that FC Barcelona went back at half-time.
Messi for the win… and history
With 20 minutes to go, Messi scored in between the two giants Vidic and Ferdinand… with the head! The Argentine Genius took off and at the top of his extension, put the ball out of reach from Van der Sar (2-0)
Historical!
The Catalans have made history tonight. With a brand new defence (Alves and Abidal suspended, Marquez injured), they won their 3rd trophy of the season after the Spanish League and the King’s Cup earlier this month. Carles Puyol was a delighted captain, and Pep Guardiola, for his first season on the bench, was a thrilled coach…
FC Barcelona: Valdés; Puyol, Touré, Piqué, Sylvinho, Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta (Pedro, m.92), Messi, Eto’o, Henry (Keita, m.71)
Manchester United: Van der Sar; O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Anderson (Tévez, m.46), Giggs (Scholes, m.75), Park (Berbatov, m.66), Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo
Goals:
First Half
10′ 1-0 : Eto’o
Second Half
70′ 2-0 : Messi
FC Barcelona finish 3rd – Liga 2007-08
Third in la Liga 2007-08
FC Barcelona finishes third in la Liga 2007-08 behind Real Madrid and Villarreal CF.
Poor results away from the Camp Nou were decisive. Bad performances away from home was made up for by good home results. They started the season by winning eight of their nine home fixtures, with the loss to Real Madrid being the first defeat. In the meantime, they had only won two of their first eight away matches.
The defeat against their rivals from Madrid at the Camp Nou (0-1) put Barça seven points behind Schuster’s side over the Christmas break. This gap was cut to just two points thanks to a magnificent start to the year in which Barça were undefeated in January and February, combined with the Madrid side showing its weaker side.
Barça became virtual leaders against Atletico Madrid at Vicente Calderón. However, they only managed to clinched 3 more victories in the 13 remaining matches. Real Madrid would win la Liga 2007-08, in front of Villareal.
A new coach for the 2008-09 season
The day after a painful defeat (4-1) away at champions Real Madrid, it was announced that Frank Rijkaard would be leaving the club at the end of la Liga 2007-08.
Laporta could hand the keys over to former captain Pep Guardiola.
The man is currently in Charge of the 2nd team FC Barcelona B. The second squad plays in the Spanish second division (Liga Adelante)
FC Barcelona line-up – Liga 2007-08
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FC Barcelona line-up – La Liga 2007-08
A great player in the making?
Leo Messi, only 20 years of age, had a fantastic season with the club. He was Barça’s 3rd goal scorer (tied with Bojan) with 10 goals. He lead the team in assitss (12), ranking 4th in la Liga 2007-08. He has long been promised to a very bright future. Could the 2008-09 season be the year of ‘La Pulga’ Messi? Only time will tell… But we think you should not miss out on a match at the Camp Nou
Top scorers for Barça in la Liga 2007-08
- 16 goals: Eto’o
- 12 goals: Henry
- 10 goals: Bojan and Messi
- 8 goals: Ronaldinho
- 7 goals: Xavi
- 3 goals: Iniesta and Giovani
- 2 goals: Márquez and Gudjohnsen
- 1 goal: Milito, Deco and Touré Yaya
La Liga 2007-08 classification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid (C) | 38 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 84 | 36 | +48 | 85 |
| 2 | Villarreal | 38 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 63 | 40 | +23 | 77 |
| 3 | Barcelona | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 76 | 43 | +33 | 67 |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 66 | 47 | +19 | 64 |
| 5 | Sevilla | 38 | 20 | 4 | 14 | 75 | 49 | +26 | 64 |
| 6 | Racing Santander | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 60 |
| 7 | Mallorca | 38 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 59 |
| 8 | Almería | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 42 | 45 | −3 | 52 |
| 9 | Deportivo de La Coruña | 38 | 15 | 7 | 16 | 46 | 47 | −1 | 52 |
| 10 | Valencia | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 48 | 62 | −14 | 51 |
| 11 | Athletic Bilbao | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 50 |
| 12 | Espanyol | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 43 | 53 | −10 | 48 |
| 13 | Betis | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 47 |
| 14 | Getafe | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 48 | −4 | 47 |
| 15 | Valladolid | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 42 | 57 | −15 | 45 |
| 16 | Recreativo | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 40 | 60 | −20 | 44 |
| 17 | Osasuna | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 43 |
| 18 | Zaragoza (R) | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 50 | 61 | −11 | 42 |
| 19 | Murcia (R) | 38 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 36 | 65 | −29 | 30 |
| 20 | Levante (R) | 38 | 7 | 5 | 26 | 33 | 75 | −42 | 26 |