Real Madrid’s iconic attacker Raúl González Blanco took to the field today in an unfamiliar uniform: he emerged from the tunnel wearing the blue colors of German squad FC Schalke 04 and formally marked the end of an important chapter in Barcelona’s eternal rivalry with Madrid.
FC Barcelona’s Brazilian defender Henrique Adriano Buss (23) will remain on loan at Racing Santander for another year, according to reports published today on Barcelona’s official website.
Former Barcelona defensive midfielder Yaya Touré (27) has discussed some of the reasons for his departure in an interview with Andy Hunter published in today’s Guardian.
Many fans were shocked and saddened when Touré decided to leave FC Barcelona for Manchester City, and the club now faces the difficult task of replacing the influential player.
Spanish sports daily El Mundo Deportivo has speculated today that FC Barcelona may be preparing a bid for Athletic Bilbao midfielder and Spanish international Javi Martinez (21).
According to speculation published today in Catalan daily Sport, Pep Guardiola has decided against the signing of Brazilian star Robinho.
Thieves took advantage of the moment to rob the hotel room of FC Barcelona players Pedro Rodriguez and Sergio Busquets ahead of their World Cup semi-final match with Germany on Wednesday, according to a report today in Sport.
Howard Webb has been selected for the honor of refereeing Sunday’s World Cup final in Johannesburg, according to reports today across the football world.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina side line up on Saturday in a quarter-final matchup against a powerful German squad that is coming off a crushing defeat of their English rivals. And if the tense buildup to the game is any indication, football fans are in for a wild ride.
German players have taken the offensive and made a number of provocative declarations to the press in the prelude to the quarter-final clash between Argentina and Germany. Argentine coach Maradona has deflected attention from his squad and responded directly in his usual diplomatic manner.
According to reports this morning published in El Mundo Deportivo, FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has launched a last-minute bid to convince defensive midfielder and Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure (27) to stay with the club next season.
With a place in the quarter-finals at stake, Argentina faced Mexico in a clash that would pit FC Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Rafa Marquez against each other. In this match, Argentine coach Diego Maradona reshuffled his lineup leaving both Juan Veron and Jonás Gutiérrez on the bench and replacing them with Maxi Rodriguez and Nicolás Otamendi. Read on for a brief match summary. And be sure to give us your impressions of the game in the comments.
Diego Maradona demanded an apology from the international footballing media in a press conference ahead of Argentina’s decisive clash with Mexico on Sunday, where FC Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi will try to lead the squad into the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Maradona fielded an experimental lineup for this match against Greece in which a draw would have been enough to see Argentina progress to the knockout stages of the World Cup as group leaders. And although Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain were both rested, FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi took to the field wearing the Captain’s armband for the first time in his international career.
In a dramatic final day of matches in the Spanish second division, Hércules defeated Real Unión 0-2 to seal their promotion to Spain’s top-flight, according to reports filed in all major Spanish sports media. It has been 14 years since the team played in the Primera, where they join Levante and Basque squad Real Sociedad as FC Barcelona’s new opponents in the 2010-11 season.
FC Barcelona defender and Mexican international Rafa Marquez (31) will speak with Barcelona manager Pep Guardola about his future with the club after Mexico’s World Cup campaign is over, according to an article that appeared in Sport on Friday. Marquez is a player that had appeared to have outlived his usefulness to the club after a few mediocre seasons, but recent events may be grounds for rethinking his role with the team.
Argentina’s opponent in the World Cup finals today was South Korea, a team that had impressed in their opening victory against Greece. For this match, Maxi Rodriguez replaced Juan Veron in the Argentine midfield; the rest of the lineup was identical to the one Maradona fielded against Nigeria. Read on after the jump to see how Messi and his teammates fared in this crucial encounter.
Anyone who thought that a change of outfit meant that Diego Maradona was going to behave himself during this World Cup was put firmly in their places, as the mercurial Argentine manager railed against both Pele and former France great Michel Platini during a press conference today before Argentina’s next match with South Korea.
Sandro Rosell began to design the future of FC Barcelona in an afternoon meeting Monday with manager Pep Guardiola, one of the first moves of his new presidency. High on the agenda were discussions on the coming season, as well as Guardiola’s future with the club.
With the World Cup in full motion, most football fans have their attention firmly rooted in South Africa. But in Spain, the battle for promotion is still being waged in the Second Division, and today two teams revealed themselves as new opponents to FC Barcelona in next year’s Liga campaign: Real Sociedad and Levante.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina squad got their World Cup campaign off the ground this morning in a match against Nigeria in Johannesburg. Manager Diego Maradona, sporting a new look for the tournament, surprised some observers by changing his core formation to a 4-3-3 in order to accommodate an extra striker, in this case Carlos Teves, who was joined by Messi and Higuain in the Argentine attack. Follow this story after the jump to see if the experiment paid off.
This is the first in a series of articles that will track Lionel Messi’s Argentina at the World Cup. As the tournament unfolds over the next month, you can expect match previews, reports and highlights, tactical analysis, and even sordid rumors and innuendo. Other totalBarca writers will be following other national teams in which Barcelona players feature prominently. Cheers, and may the best team win [as long as it's Argentina!].
FC Barcelona attacking midfielder Andres Iniesta (26) was withdrawn after 40 minutes in yesterday’s international friendly against Poland as a “precaution” against injury, according to reports published in Marca. And now, his readiness for Spain’s World Cup opener on June 16 is in doubt.
The Spanish national team routed Poland 6-0 in their final friendly before the beginning of the World Cup on June 11. Two blaugrana squadmates were on the scoresheet: David Villa and Pedro Rodriguez.
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has been fined 15,000 euros by the Spanish Liga disciplinary committee for comments he made about referee Clos Gomez, according to stories breaking in publications across Spain and Catalonia today.
Reports in British tabloid The Daily Mail indicate that Manchester City are stepping up their efforts to secure the services of Barcelona striker and Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimović (28).
With the domestic seasons complete in all the major European leagues, the German-based International Federation of Football History and Statistics [IFFHS] has updated its international club rankings to reflect the results of the past season. Their verdict: FC Barcelona is still number one.
Barcelona Atletic midfielder and Mexican international Jonathan Dos Santos (20) has been controversially dropped from the Mexican World Cup team by coach Javier Aguirre, according to reports across the football world.
After an amazing season with the first team, Barcelona president Joan Laporta made good on his word and has officially offered Barcelona attacker and Spanish international Pedro Rodriguez (22) a new contract that substantially increases his wages.
It is now official: Real Madrid have today made Jose Mourinho their new coach, in a transfer costing 16 million euros. And already, the reactions to the move from the Barcelona camp have started pouring in, with ex-FC Barcelona president Joan Gaspart offering his opinion during an interview transmitted on Catalan radio station Ona FM.
English football club Manchester City are making a major push to secure the signing of FC Barcelona defensive midfielder and Ivory Coast international Yaya Toure (27), according to reports in all major Spanish sports media. Backed by the deep pockets of owner Sheikh Mansour Al Nahyan, City will try to reunite Yaya with his brother Kolo Toure who signed with the team last season.
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