Yet another image surfaced recently that may be the shirt our Barca boys are wearing next season. This new design features nine red stripes on a blue background. The sleeves are a solid blue and the collar is red. In a new twist, the stripes appear to change width depending on their location on the shirt. On the wearer’s upper right, the red stripes start out thicker and get progressively thinner. The blue stripes work in the opposite fashion, starting at the widest on the lower left.

This image appears to be a prototype as it still features the UNICEF logo on the front. However, a more updated version appears on the cover of El Mundo Deportivo. More news to follow as we get it.

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The first team gathered on Friday morning, beginning at 11am, for their final training session of the calendar year. Eighteen first team players plus three reserves (Vázquez, Bartra and Thiago) worked in the rain at the Ciutat Esportiva. 

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HAPPY NEW YEAR, BARÇA!

Piqué drinks a toast to a better 2011 and says: “Wembley is one of my dreams“.

Milito and Bartra, options against Levante.

Top secret: Arrives a very innovative new jersey design.

There will be football matches on January 2nd.

Basket: Barça thrashes Madrid

In preparation for Sunday’s match against Levante, and also to get all the players back to match fitness after their week off, Guardiola held two training sessions on Thursday. The later session, held in the afternoon at 18:00, proved to be much like the training held in the morning.

The coaching staff worked with 18 first team players as well as Thiago, Miño and Bartra from the reserves. Newcomer Ibrahim Afellay, who trained for the first time with the team on Wednesday, already appears to be a fully integrated member of the team, adding to the positive atmosphere and garnering the smiles of the other members of the group.

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The team held their first of two Thursday training sessions this morning at 11:00 at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, their second day of training following a week off for the holidays. Three reserves – Miño, Bartra and Thiago - joined the session which was buoyed by the news of both Jeffren and Milito receiving their medical clearance to play.

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Rosell: My wish for the New Year is just that Barça wins Cup, Liga and Champions.

Florentino: I just wish that Barça doesn’t win Cup, Liga nor Champions.

HELLO, AFELLAY!

Ibi trained yesterday for the first time and run alongside the rest of the team in Ciutat Esportiva.

Pep welcomed him. He proved to have Barça’s DNA when they played to pass the ball.

Puyol, KO.

Krkic: “My best is yet to come“

La Masia proves to be better than the “white factory”.

CLOSED DUE TO STRIKE?

The Audiencia Nacional announces today whether if there will be football on January 2nd or not.

AFE and FLP have not reached an agreement. Any solution was found during yesterday’s conciliation meeting, so it will be the law who decides.

La Liga’s ending matches could be delayed three weeks.

Barça keeps its planning. Bojan stated that “all the football players support the AFE” and asked to play on January 3rd.

Afellay already knows his team mates.

Puyol ten days KO due to injury.

Barça trained on Wednesday, which was the team’s first session after a week of Christmas holidays. The session was marked by the absence of Carles Puyol, who will be out seven to ten days with an injury. Messi was also missing, having been given a few extra days of vacation by Pep Guardiola.

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Before the first training session after the holidays, FC Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic (20) held a press conference in which the forward discussed a number of topics. One such subject was his part as the grand protagonist of Catalunya’s 4-0 win over Honduras on Tuesday, which led Bojan to note that he needs ”trust and tranquility” to play his best football.

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Cristiano Ronaldo: Asking for health, money and love to the New Year is not for me…I always ask for the same: (tough) abdominal muscles, money and a giant mirror to look at myself during 24 hours a day.

SUPER BOJAN

Krkic lead the festival of La Selecció with two goals and two assists to Sergio García and Coro.

28.150 spectators vibrated with emotion in Monjuïc with Catalunya’s football exhibition.

Catalunya 4 – 0 Honduras

Cesc, the number 4.

INIESTA, MAN OF THE YEAR

2010 has been his year; he is one of the best players of the world.

About to get the Ballon d’Or. His goal in the World Cup’s final has made him the favourite to win this award.

Catalunya 4 – 0 Honduras. Bojan leads the big beating by Catalunya. The blaugrana striker scored two goals and assisted the other two.

Barça starts to train again today.

Cesc threatens: “We are now a great team.”

With the holiday break, news from the Spanish sources has been scarce.  So totalBarça brings you a round up of several stories for Tuesday, December 28th.

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As Catalan paper Sport reports, FC Barcelona Gerard Pique will not play as part of Johan Cruyff’s Catalunya team when they face Honduras on Wednesday. Pique has been dropped at the last minute, owing to an injury.

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Make the iMOUcentada*

Cut it out and glue it to some merengue friend.

(on the paper doll: “Come outside the bench, Mourinho!”**)

*Today, December 28th, is the “Santos Inocentes” Day in Spain. It’s just like April Fool, so the tradition is to make any kind of jokes, but the most traditional joke is to glue a paper doll like the one in the picture (without the big hand, though) in someone’s back.

* “Inocentada” is like “April Fool’s joke”

** This is what Camp Nou chanted at the end of “el Clásico”, when Barça was already winning by 5 – 0 and Mourinho was sat down in the bench.

PEP, OK

His contract renewal is agreed and Barça just have to wait for Guardiola to sign when he thinks it’s best.

The agreement follows the annual formula wished by Guardiola: 1+1+1.

Sergio Busquets 2015, about to be signed.

The socios give Rosell a 7 (out of 10), want to sign Cesc and there’s some disagreement about Alves.

Arsenal 3 – 1 Chelsea. Festival by Cesc’s Arsenal.

COMING BACK TO SCHOOL

Villa travels through his childhood alongside Sport.

Holidays in Tuilla. Villa doesn’t forget Barça even being on holidays. “We’re hungry and we want to win all of the titles“

Matches played on January 2nd are in danger! AFE demands the suspension of all the matches played on this day, included the Barça-Levante one.

Friendly with three champions. Catalunya – Honduras (18h)

Afellay: “I’m crazy about playing alonside Messi and Iniesta.“

El Pais asked 69 Spanish athletes from different dispciplines to vote for the best Spanish athlete, international athlete, sporting event and revelation of 2010. Among voters were F1 drivers, basketball stars, tennis champions, golf players, motocycle racers and, of course, footballers.

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David Villa has been named the United States Sports Academy’s 2010 Male Athlete of the Year. As USSA’s website reports: “Villa’s five goals helped lead his country to its first FIFA World Cup title. He took 32 shots on goal and scored the winning goals in the first and second round of the playoffs.”

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Messi closed out the year with a record number of goals: 60 between Barça and the national team.  Now he wants more and is going all out for the Copa América. “It’s a gift that I want to give to Argentineans.”

FC Barcelona and Argentine international forward Lionel Messi (23) took time off from his vacation in Argentina to speak with sports daily Olé.  What follows is a translation of the article.  The original can be found here.

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French sports magazine L’Équipe has named their Team of the Year for 2010, an ideal XI which includes five FC Barcelona players (the most from any one team). The players who made the cut are Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi. 

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A Barcelona ‘representative’ at an unknown EPL match.

Pep Guardiola never dwells on past successes and has always have respected the opposition big or small – a fact he keeps repeating in his press conferences. When the opportunity presents itself today, he is sure to waste no time and is expected to send several ‘pair of eyes’… and videocam/s to the Emirates Stadium, according to ‘Sport.es’. Their job is to note and record Barcelona’s next Champions League rival, Arsenal FC, and a possible opponent in the later stages, Chelsea FC, a tough-to-beat team it has met too many times before – and this time with a new manager.

The two London rivals are to meet tonight (2100h CET).

This is one way to announce the news: “5 Spanish players in L’Equipe‘s ideal starting eleven“

This is another way: “5 Barça players in L’Equipe‘s ideal starting eleven“

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THAT’S HOW BARÇA WILL SIGN

Aim: Cesc and future. The club will insist in Arsenal’s midfielder and will sign good youth players who are not in Barça B.

The best team is the cheapest.

A dinner to renew. Guardiola will meet Rosell.

Cruyff convinced Afellay to play with Holland despite being Moroccan.

Madrid is looking for cracks in Catalunya.

The manita still hurts Mourinho: “2010 would have been perfect without the 5-0“

YES

Exclusive interview by MD to 500 socios.

97.2% – The best team of the history

71.6% – Sponsorship

98.6% – Contract renewal for Guardiola

77.8% – Pep, unlimited contract

70% – Xavi, Ballon d’Or.

5 Barça players in the ideal starter XI of L’Equipe.

As 2010 draws to a close, a number of the writers and editors here at totalBarça have shared their thoughts on the best Barça moments of the year. In this edition, we’ll be looking at our favourite goals of 2010 along with the best goal celebrations. Check out the descriptions and videos of the goals, and pictures of the celebrations, and choose your personal favourite in the polls at the bottom. Visca el Barça!

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Merry Christmas!

“I WANT [TO WIN] THE CUP, LIGA AND CHAMPIONS”

Exclusive interview with Xavi.

“We’re a improved version of the Dream Team, there was no need to be this physically strong back then.“

“We, the players, can tell that Guardiola is very excited and we would like him to renew.”

Afellay wore the blaugrana kit for the first time. Zubizarreta: “He will give us more shots, physic and a great one versus one“.

[Non Barça Related]

Meeting between Florentino and Mourinho without Valdano.