Birthdays galore!
March 21 should be on all our calendars. It’s a date that marks the birth of Barça stars both past and present: Ronald Koeman, Ronaldinho and recent recruit Jordi Alba.
Matchday Memory Lane: FC Barcelona vs Celtic FC (2004)
Although the outcome was not exactly what we were looking for on this occasion, these highlights show what Celtic could very well bring to the Camp Nou tonight! Plus it’s always nice to see a younger Carles Puyol dominating all over the pitch!
Barça – Benfica: An Encouraging History
FC Barcelona has faced SL Benfica in 3 separate seasons in the UEFA Champions League (twice under the European Cup label), all 3 times FC Barcelona has been in the final that year. In fact, the winner of this matchup has always gone to lift the trophy. The first one occurred in 1960/61, where the two sides met in the final hosted at Berne, where Barça was defeated 3-2 despite taking the early lead. As an interesting side note, this was the first European Cup final FC Barcelona had ever reached.
Documentary: FC Barcelona Confidential
On 15 June, 2003 a group of thirty-something professionals, led by a young lawyer, Joan Laporta, took over one of the biggest football clubs in the world. Their starting point could not have been worse. The club was technically bankrupt with €150 million worth of debts. The team had been humiliated on the pitch. For four seasons they had won nothing.
With unprecedented, exclusive access to the inner workings of a major European club, this documentary observes the story of Laporta and his team’s first year in power. Watch the documentary after the jump.
On this Day in 2003 – Welcome Ronaldinho
On July 19, 2003, FC Barcelona reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, commonly known as Ronaldinho, on a five-year contract. During that time he became one of Barça’s greatest ever footballers. The magic player who wore the number 10 shirt for the blaugrana for five seasons immediately thrilled fans with his extraordinary style of playing. During his time at the club, he scored 94 goals in competitive matches, and with him in the team, Barça experienced some of the best times in its history, winning two League titles and the Champions League in an unforgettable final on 17 May 2006 in Paris. Many fans still treasure the moment when he received a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabéu after scoring two magnificent goals in the 3-0 win against Real Madrid on 19 November 2005. While at Barça he also won top international awards, such as the FIFA World Player (2004 and 2005) and the Ballon d’Or (2005).
Picture credit: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
Offside: Atletico trying to sign a familiar face??
With the silliness of the summer transfer market well and truly under way, we here at totalBarça have a rule not to report on gossip until we have stronger sources that suggest some certainity behind the many crazy rumours we hear. But we couldn’t help but report on a breaking story that although highly unlikely did raise a few eyebrows amongst the totalBarça staff.
Quote of the Day: Ronaldinho
“I was very sad when I heard about Eric, but now I have a feeling of relief that the operation has gone well. Abidal is a great person and deserves all our support right now. I hope your recovery is short and the best possible. Strength, friend! “
Writing on his personal website, Barca legend Ronaldinho offers his heart-felt wishes for his former team-mate Eric Abidal.
Ex-Barca: Ronnie set for Rovers?
Former FC Barcelona favourite Ronaldinho may be set for a shock move to the English Premier League with Blackburn Rovers confirming they have made a serious bid to sign the Brazilian forward.
Video of the Day: Ronaldinho applauded at the Bernabeu
On November 19th, FC Barcelona celebrated the fifth anniversary of the stunning 0-3 win against Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu during the 2005/06 season when Ronaldinho was applauded by the home fans.
OFFSIDE: Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
As the ball hits the back of the net a player has a huge decision to make – just how they will celebrate. As we saw against Ceuta on Wednesday there are many different ways to do this, ranging from the elegant to the downright absurd and anywhere inbetween. Some would say it is an art form in and of itself, and judging by Bojan’s offering, they may just be right.
The Result: FC Barcelona 1-1 AC Milan
RESULT:
FC Barcelona: 1 ( 3 on penalties – Messi, Bojan, Thiago)
AC Milan: 1 (1 on penalties – Yepes)
Ronaldinho’s Open Letter
In preparation for what will surely be an emotional return to the Camp Nou for the first time since leaving for AC Milan in 2008, Ronaldinho has shared a message, posted on Barcelona’s official site, intended for all the members, fans, board members, staff, players and friends of the club.
Ronaldinho’s departure made Messi grow up
The Joan Gamper Trophy is coming up and this year FC Barcelona will meet AC Milan, which means that ex-Barça player Ronaldinho will return to the Camp Nou. Ronaldinho left the club in the summer of 2008 and the drama surrounding his departure is surely still clear in minds of many culés. But what many might not know is that the departure of Ronaldinho also could have led to the departure of Lionel Messi. Happily for us Barça fans, it instead became the reason for Leo to grow up, as described by Ronald Reng in Swedish football magazine Offside.
Ronaldinho is the key for Zlatan’s switch to AC Milan
According to the Italian sports paper Il Corriere dello Sport, a transfer for Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (28) to AC Milan could only happen if they sell former Barcelona forward Ronaldinho (30). Flamengo’s President Patricia Amorim said yesterday that Ronaldinho would love to come back to play in Brazil: “Ronaldinho said it to me personally, as my own ears heard it from his mouth: he wants to join us.”
Quote of the Day: Ronaldinho, AC Milan player
“When I won the Champions League, there was a time when we raised the trophy, I was standing next to Carles Puyol and I will never forget that. It is an image that will always be in my head!”
Former Barcelona legend Ronaldinho during an interview with UEFA‘s official website.
Messi overtakes Ronaldinho in league goals
The goal Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona player and Argentine international, scored against Malaga was his 71st league goal for Barcelona.
Ex-Barca: Ronaldinho’s future at AC Milan uncertain
The long term future of former Barca legend Ronaldinho (29), at AC Milan remains uncertain according to reports from Italy. The Brazilian star has put in some fine displays at the San Siro this season, however these have not occurred often enough and the Milan hierarchy want to see greater consistency from the former Barcelona star over the rest of the season.
Italian sports tabloid Corriere dello Sport report that if Milan do decide to extend Ronaldinho’s contract which is currently due to expire in 2011, then it would be a further two years, to 2013, but not at his current level. At the moment Ronaldinho is thought to earn 6.5M per season at Milan, yet the Rossoneri would look to renew at 4.5M.
Ex-Barça: Ronaldinho could miss World Cup
It seems former Barcelona favourite Ronaldinho is on the verge of missing out on this summer’s World Cup in South Africa. The forward, who now plays his football for AC Milan, has once again been overlooked by Brazil coach Dunga. The 29 year-old has been left out of the 29 man Brazil squad for an international friendly against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley, which is due to take place on March 2nd.
Despite a recent resurgence in Ronnie’s club form (he’s scored 11 goals in 28 appearances for Milan this season with 9 assists), it seems Dunga’s mind is already made up, and with fierce competition for attacking roles within the Brazil squad (there are places for Kaka, Elano and Robinho) it would seem the former World Player of the Year’s chances of making another World Cup seem slim.
totalBarça debate: The Left-Wing
THIS IS A FEATURED ARTICLE. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST NEWS.
Yup. The subject is being brought up yet again. This time it’s your turn to do the debating, state the facts, and argue your points. The question is: Who should be the left-winger for next season?
In this EXCLUSIVE totalBarça article you’ll find:
- a list of over 40 possible candidates for the left-wing position that have been linked to FC Barcelona
- a link to the players profiles on Wikipedia
- a video showcasing their talents and skills
- a poll of the top-10 realistic candidates
- a place to discuss and share your thoughts and ideas about this issue
Five Barca players in the “eleven of the decade”
British newspaper The Sun published a lineup which includes the best football players of the decade. Up to five players who play or have played in Barcelona, are included in this lineup of football stars.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
Defense: Cafu, Fabio Cannavaro, Carles Puyol, Paolo Maldini
Midfield: Ronaldinho, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane
Attack: Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo
Ex-Barca: Ronaldinho named player of the decade
Former Barcelona player and AC Milan forward Ronaldinho (29) was named World Player of the Decade by World Soccer magazine, while Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was named their World Player of the Year. Ronaldinho won the accolade based on the votes cast by readers in the ten annual votes between years 2000 and 2009 being converted into points. The Brazilian, who was the magazine’s World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, finished ahead of Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona, the European club champions, won the Team of the Year award. Lionel Messi, winner of the 2009 Ballon D’Or award, is the first Argentinian player to win World Soccer’s World Player award since Diego Maradona in 1986 and he led a clean sweep of Barcelona players in the player awards, ahead of his teammates Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. After just one season in charge of Barcelona, Josep Guardiola was voted Manager of the Year, a clear winner ahead of Schalke 04 coach Felix Magath and Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson.
Poll Result: Your favourite Ballon d’Or winner from FC Barcelona
The votes have been counted and the results are in! This time around we had 869 participants.
Read more for full results.
OFFSIDE: Ronaldinho is still playing at Barcelona in Japan
Ronaldinho left Barcelona for over a year ago to AC Milan, but he will always be linked at Barcelona. In the Catalan club he became one of the worlds most famous footballers of all time. Perhaps for this reason some sports shops in Japan are ignoring the Brazilian’s signing to AC Milan and continue to wear their windows with pictures of Ronaldinho wearing the Barcelona shirt.
Poor Ronaldinho ‘Gaucho’
The signs of improvement shown by AC Milan in recent matches have a mole in it and it is none other than the Brazilian Ronaldinho, according to Italian papers.
“Ronaldinho, the eternal thorn in Leonardo’s side”, headlined the prestigious newspaper ‘La Repubblica’ seeking an explanation as to whether the former Blaugrana still fits into the tactical scheme of the ‘Rossonero’. La Gazzetta dello Sport rated his performance at 4.5, the worst among the 28 players who played in the match between AC Milan and Napoli. ‘Affaritaliani.it’ meanwhile gave him a 3 and emphasised that “with him on, it seems Milan played with only ten men”.
Reprimanded by his coach, Leonardo, for his first-half performance, Ronaldinho ‘Gaucho’ failed to follow his instructions and continued impassively. Substituted at the hour mark by Flamini, he left the pitch disgruntled. “It is always a positive sign when a player wants to stay on the pitch. I have spoken with him, and we have a good relationship. He is feeling good and it is good that he wants to be on the field,” Leonardo said, trying to extinguish the controversy.
Ronaldinho pips Henry in Golden Foot
Catalan newspaper Sport reports that Brazilian midfielder and former Barcelona player “Ronaldinho” Ronaldo de Asis Moreira (29) had won the Golden Foot, an award given to football players in recognition of their sporting achievements, personality, and the esteem of the public and football experts. The award, incidentally only given to players at least 29 years of age, would have lifted the spirits of the AC Milan player who has been having a lackluster career following his departure from Barcelona in July 2008.
