TheNewsGuru

Tag: Barca

  • Barca presidential candidate: We must be ready for day Messi leaves

    Barca presidential candidate: We must be ready for day Messi leaves

    Barcelona presidential candidate Toni Freixa admits the club must prepare itself for Lionel Messi’s departure.

    Freixa, however, says Barca must do everything they can to convince Messi to sign a new contract as his current deal expires in June.

    He told El Larguero: “This is one of the important questions. You have to analyse the situation and you will have to make a series of decisions. To sit down and talk to Messi you have to look him in the eye and see what everyone wants and what the club can offer him. You have to ask him if he really wants to continue, which I am convinced he does.

    “The burofax is a problem that we have already experienced. He’s a winner and it bothers him to lose. The end of last season was very bad. It’s understandable, his reaction was what it was, but it’s forgotten. The most important thing about Barca is Barca themselves. We are not dependent on anyone. Messi has been everything and he must continue, my will is that he continues, but one day he will have to leave. And that day will happen.”

  • I won’t cut my hair even if Barca tell me to – Griezmann

    I won’t cut my hair even if Barca tell me to – Griezmann

    Antoine Griezmann says he will refuse to cut his hair even if Barcelona demand him to change it.

    The 29-year-old has sported long hair for most of his career and has continued to grow his hair since moving to Barcelona from Atletico in the summer of 2019.

    Griezmann’s has struggled to maintain consistency during his time at Camp Nou and has come in for criticism from Barca fans that has often extended to the off the pitch.

    Often, Barca’s fans have blamed the France international’s long hair for his poor performances, but Griezmann has vowed to not cut his hair, even if he was asked by the club itself.

    “I will keep my hair long even if they ask me to cut it. My children and my wife want me to keep it,” Griezmann told Jorge Valdano on the latest edition of Universo Valdano.

    “Since my arrival at Barcelona, I have not spoken. I said at the time that I only want to speak on the pitch, not publicly.

    “I have been putting up with many different comments, and now I’ve said enough is enough. It is time to put things right.”

  • Koeman explains resting Messi for Dynamo Kiev trip

    Koeman explains resting Messi for Dynamo Kiev trip

    Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has explained withdrawing Lionel Messi from their clash with Champions League opponents Dynamo Kiev.

    Koeman has opted to leave his star man in Barcelona as the team travel to Ukraine for their fourth Champions League group game of the campaign.

    “We have decided not to bring Leo or De Jong because the situation in the Champions League is good and they can rest,” he said at the pre-match press conference.

    “They have played many games. We talk too much about [Messi]. He has always had a lot of influence on the club’s success and he can still continue to do so. We believe it is a good time for Leo and Frenkie to rest. They have played every game and almost every minute, they have had to travel [a lot].

    “Sometimes you have to protect the players because the calendar is incredible. It is impossible to keep the players in shape, look at Sergi Roberto. If he is injured it is because of the large number of games he has played.

    “Or Ansu Fati. Everyone knows it, but we have to keep playing. It’s incredible. It’s time for everyone to think about this, FIFA, UEFA…”

  • Van Basten slams Lionel Messi

    Van Basten slams Lionel Messi

    Dutch great Marco van Basten says Barcelona should sell Lionel Messi to Manchester City.

    Van Basten slammed Messi for his performance in defeat to Atletico Madrid and says he’s now proving an on-field liability.

    Aware of talk of City planning a £50m offer for the Argentine, Van Basten said on Ziggo Sport: “He’s just playing badly now. Messi and Antoine Griezmann play like a bunch of cake bakers.

    “He will undoubtedly be bothered by the fact that there is no audience.

    “Plus that little has been trained in recent months, that little has been done. He is not happy with the situation in and around Barcelona. And then also that hassle with Griezmann. It’s an accumulation. We don’t see the person we’ve known.”

    Former Holland striker Youri Mulder added: “Barcelona needs money. What should Manchester City pay? Maybe fifty million euros? And you also lose his salary.”

  • Lionel Messi talks too much – Ex-Juve chief

    Lionel Messi talks too much – Ex-Juve chief

    Former Juventus football chief Luciano Moggi sides with Eric Olhats over his blast for Barcelona captain Leo Messi.

    Olhats, a former adviser to Antoine Griezmann, accused Messi of running a “regime of terror” at Barca and being the cause of the Frenchman’s problems since last summer’s €120m move from Atletico Madrid.

    Moggi agrees and stated on 7Gold: “Griezmann’s agent told the truth, they also fight on the pitch.

    “I think Messi talks too much and wants ‘his’ players. He wanted Lautaro (Martinez, Inter Milan) but Barcelona had to do without him.

    “Barça do everything to appease all his will and end up retaliating against directors.”

  • Barca presidential candidate: If Xavi wants Ramos, we’d sign him

    Barca presidential candidate: If Xavi wants Ramos, we’d sign him

    Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font has declared he’d be prepared to sign Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

    Ramos is off contract in June and yet to settle on new terms with Real.

    In a sure sign he plans to bring Al Sadd coach Xavi back to Barca, Font declared: “If Xavi asked me to sign him and it was economically viable, I would sign him.”

    On Xavi, Font continued: “The time has come to not be a resultist and, in that sense, it would make sense for Xavi to enter that structure.

    “He is the best person possible to lead the project.”

  • I’m tired being blamed for everything – Messi

    I’m tired being blamed for everything – Messi

    Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has hit back at Antoine Griezmann’s former adviser Eric Olhats upon his return to Spain.

    Messi, who had been playing World Cup qualifying games with Argentina, felt the need to hit back at claims made by Olhats regarding his influence at Barcelona.

    “I’m tired of always being to blame for everything,” stated Messi.

    Olhats, former adviser of Messi’s Barca teammate Griezmann spoke to France Footballlast week and accused Messi of making Griezmann’s life difficult at Barcelona and of having too much sway in club decisions.

    “Antoine arrived at a club with serious problems where Messi controls everything. He’s the emperor and monarch at the same time and he wasn’t keen on Antoine’s arrival,” claimed Olhats.

    “Messi’s attitude has been deplorable, he’s made him feel it. I’ve always heard Antoine say he has no issues with Messi, but never the other way around.

    “It’s a reign of terror. You’re either with him or against him.”

    After negotiating his way through the scrum of reporters waiting for him on his arrival at the airport, Messi, clearly unhappy, made another comment as he entered his car where his wife Antonela Roccuzzo was waiting for him.

    “On top of that, after a 15-hour flight, I had the tax authorities waiting for me. It’s madness” said Messi.

  • Why Barca signed Dembele ahead of Mbappe – Ex-director

    Why Barca signed Dembele ahead of Mbappe – Ex-director

    Former Barcelona director Javier Bordas has spoken of missing out on PSG ace Kylian Mbappe.

    Bordas worked for the club between 2010 and 2020.

    He revealed to Mundo Deportivo: “When we were to sign (Ousmane) Dembélé, (agent Josep Maria) Minguella called me to tell us that Mbappé was within range. I spoke with (former president Josep Maria) Bartomeu and he told me to look at him. I called his father and he told me that he was not going to Real Madrid because Cristiano (Ronaldo), (Karim) Benzema and (Gareth) Bale were there and instead he could go to Barça because Neymar was not there.

    “The president of Monaco preferred him to go to Barça so as not to reinforce PSG, a direct rival. And for 100 million it could have been done. But Robert (Fernandez) preferred Dembélé and Pep Segura supported him. The explanation was that Mbappé plays for himself and Dembélé plays for the team. And since a winger like Ney left, Robert preferred a winger more than a finisher.”

  • Neymar to sue Barca over unpaid bonuses

    Neymar to sue Barca over unpaid bonuses

    Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar is prepared to sue former club Barcelona for a total of €60m over bonuses which the Brazilian claims not to have received.

    The 28-year-old joined the Blaugrana back in 2013 but shocked the world when he decided to leave Camp Nou after only four years. Neymar became unsettled in Catalonia and paid his own buy-out clause in order to force a move to French giants PSG in 2017.

    But Cadena Ser reports that the superstar is not finished with Barca just yet.

    Neymar is demanding that the European heavyweights pay him the rest of a signing bonus which he feels he is owed, after putting pen to paper on a new contract prior to leaving the club. He has since stated this intention in writing, while his ex-club have impugned the claim.

    The Brazil international is subsequently suing Barça for a further €43.65m, as his previous employers had originally paid him the first installment of €22m before he joined PSG. La Blaugrana argued that they did not need to stump up the rest of his bonus due to his decision to depart Camp Nou, and an initial court hearing sided with the club and ruled against Neymar.

    However, that is not the end of this debacle. The former Santos star’s legal team appealed this decision on 4 August, and by 7 September Barça had contested this new approach.

    The court believed that the renewal bonus was part of the player’s salary, and based on the amount of time that Neymar was at the club, he was obliged to pay back €6.7m euros to the former Spanish champions. Unsurprisingly, this has not gone down well in Paris.

     

  • Koeman reveals number of players Barca will buy

    Koeman reveals number of players Barca will buy

    Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has reaffirmed aims to buy two players in January.

    Ansu Fati has undergone surgery and will be sidelined for the next four months. However, Koeman has revealed that Barcelona are not planning to sign any player to cover for him in January.

    “We don’t have to sign [any player] for this injury,” Koeman noted. “We had already spoken with [Barcelona technical secretary] Ramon Planes and everyone already knew which positions had to be strengthened.

    “We were looking for a forward and a centre-back and everything remains the same.”