In an extensive interview to Barca TV, Argentina’s captain and FC Barcelona’s latest signing Javier Mascherano, who was willing to forsake 20 per cent of his salary to facilitate the transfer from Liverpool, reveals how as a boy he grew up idolising Ronaldo in Blaugrana colours. The 26-year-old midfielder discusses his close friendship with Lionel Messi, shares his views on coach Pep Guardiola, and says how he is eager to work with his new teammates and also learn from them.

Catch the interview after the jump:

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In a press conference, the sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, along with vice president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, shed light on number of issues such as the transfers of players and on the role of Barca B team. Below are the comments made by Zubizarreta on some significant topics concerning the club’s policies.

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Recently, El Mundo Deportivo presented an article about FC Barcelona and Spanish World Cup winner Pedro Rodríguez (23). The young Barça forward would seem to be living a dream, such has his combination of luck and success been over the past couple of years. What follows is a translation of the article by El Mundo Deportivo writer Francesc Perearnau.  The original can be found here.

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The reasons we had to let Ibra go were “football” reasons…he was a big “ball” ache.

Ibra keeps sending messages to Guardiola

[Written on the dart] “Philosopher“.

GUARDIOLA, NUMBER 1

The other managers praise Pep, who would be chosen the best coach of the world and would receive the Golden Ball if the elections were done today.

Mourinho: “Thirteen years ago I already said that Guardiola would became a great manager.“

Ferguson: “He must be congratulated, most of all, because of Barça’s spectacular football.“

Ancelotti: “Barça will be our most difficult rival to win the Champions“.

Zubi explains Ibra’s leaving: “It was a sports problem“

Puyol will miss, at least, two matches.

PSYCOLOGICAL WAR

Tension during the first Pep and Mourinho’s face to face.

They greeted each other coldly in Nyon and the differences between them were evident.

“Referees doesn’t protect Cristiano like they protect other players”. Madrid’s coach threw another dart to Barça, aiming at Messi.

Puyol already tries to reduce the time needed to recover from his injury.

Rosell changes to rugby. Barça’s president signed an agreement with the Perpinyà’s rugby club’s president.

As Josep Guardiolia is currently in Nyon, Switzerland attending the 12^th UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum, today’s training session was led by assistant coach Tito Vilanova. The session included thirteen players, six from the senior squad and seven from the reserves.

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FC Barcelona’s official site has today announced the shirt numbers for next season.

The only changes from last season are that Bojan Krkic will now wear number 9 left by Ibrahimovic and Jeffren will take over his number 11 shirt. When it comes to the new signings, Adriano will take over number 21 left by Chygrynskiy, Mascherano will take over number 14 left by Henry ,and David Villa have taken the vacant number 7 shirt.

It will be a return for Bojan to a shirt he wore during all his years in the youth teams. He will also became the first homegrown player in 15 years to wear the number 9 shirt. Jordi Cruyff was the last homegrown player to wear the shirt in the first team.

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Mascherano: Hello, I’m Javier Mascherano…’El Jefecito’*

Guardiola: Nice to meet you, I am Pep Guardiola…’The Big Boss’*

* Jefe is “boss” in Spanish. Jefecito is like “little boss”; Jefazo is “big boss”

Mino Raiola, what a nasty piece of work!

Raiola: Ok, I’ve taken from Barça all the benefits I could. Now it’s time to do the same with Milan.

THERE IS FEELING (BETWEEN THEM)

Both Mascherano and Pep have fulfilled their wishes and they don’t even hide the good vibrations between them.

‘El Jefecito’ didn’t train with Argentina yesterday to be able to do his first training with Barça.

Keita renews his contract until 2014 and his clause raises to 100 million euros.

Guardiola and Mourinho face to face today in Nyon’s meeting.

Puyol left La Roja’s training and comes back home.

[Non Barça Related]

Robinho to Milan, the last much-talked-about signing.

PUYOL, KO

He got injured during the first Spanish national team training.

He suffered a relapse of his left calf’s injury and he could be 20 days out.

He would miss 3 Liga matches and the Champions’ first match.

Guardiola, delighted with “Masche”. The Argentinean completed his first training under Pep’s orders.

Ronnie still loves Barcelona. He played “futvolley” in Castelldefels beach.

[Non Barça Related]

Robinho signs for Milan too. He will play with Ibra and Ronnie.

On the final day of the summer transfer window, FC Barcelona confirmed the services of midfielder Seydou Kieta until 2014. The club’s official site announced that the 30-year-old Malian international improved on his earlier deal, which ran till 2012. Keita’s new contract will be renewed each year and be dependent on the number of games he plays each season. His buy-out clause was increased from 90 to 100 million Euros.

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Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (29) is on the move again as he is leaving FC Barcelona after the club agreed on a one year loan spell in England, as it was reported by Spanish newspaper AS. Lending players seems to be a new trend in Barcelona, when Hleb was loaned out after Keirrison, Henrique, Cáceres and Ibrahimovic (on loan to AC Milan before being bought).

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As a majority of the first team players reported for internationals and friendlies, Argentinian captain and FC Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano attended his first training session with his new club before he too left for Buenos Aires in the afternoon. Mascherano was joined by Maxwell, Adriano, Alves, Keita, Pinto, Abidal and 25 Barca B players.

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Italian, English and Spanish media have been contemplating the future of Brazilian international striker Robinho (26) for a couple of months now. According to various sources, Barcelona was fascinated by the idea of Robinho joining the team. Some even claim, that Guardiola would have welcomed Robinho, but for some reason the deal fell through.

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The following is a translation of Johan Cruyff’s weekly article with El Periodico.  The original can be found here.

The few, the proud, the blaugrana

I don’t know if Barca is planning on signing another player for the attack in the next few hours but it would surprise me if they did.  With the departure of Ibrahimovic and the arrival of Mascherano, the team is made of up 19 players, two of them goalkeepers.  It seems crazy to start a season consisting of three competitions with only 17 players but with a team like Barca anything is possible.  It’s Guardiola’s gamble and it reaffirms the philosophy of the club: we start with nineteen first team players but we have numerous possibilities from the cantera.  These youth players have talent and will fit in due to having been brought up under this same style of play.

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FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique sat down for an interview late last week with Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.  The conversation included a variety of topics such as Ibrahimovic, the Champions League and of course, Real Madrid.

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