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Tag: FC Barcelona

  • VIDEO: Messi breaks down in tears at farewell press conference

    VIDEO: Messi breaks down in tears at farewell press conference

    Lionel Messi broke down in tears as he addressed a farewell press conference with FC Barcelona on Sunday.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Spanish La Liga giants and their super star player recently parted ways.

    The club cited league regulations for the end of an era of the 6-time Ballon d’ Or winner with the Catalan side.

    “Last year when I sent the burofax, I was convinced. But this year, no,” Messi said in tears.

    He added: “I was convinced with my family that we were going to stay here, in our home, what we wanted most. But today I have to say goodbye.

    “This is the most difficult moment of my career, no doubt. I’ve had many difficult, hard moments, many defeats, but then you could return to training and get revenge.

    “Now I cannot return, my time at this club is over. So it is the most difficult moment, yes”.

    Watch video below:

    Lionel Messi received a standing ovation as he bid an emotional farewell to Barcelona ?

    Lionel Messi received a standing ovation as he bid an emotional farewell to Barcelona ?

    (via FC Barcelona)

    Posted by ESPN FC on Sunday, 8 August 2021

  • BREAKING: FC Barcelona confirm Messi won’t stay

    BREAKING: FC Barcelona confirm Messi won’t stay

    Spanish La Liga side, FC Barcelona have confirmed that it’s talisman, Lionel Messi will not be staying at the club, going forward.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports FC Barcelona confirmed this in a statement on Thursday via its official Facebook page.

    According to the statement, both the club and player have reached an agreement but that Spanish Liga regulations cannot allow the deal for his stay to happen.

    The statement reads: “Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations).

    “As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.

    “FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life”.

  • Messi officially a free agent but FC Barcelona hopeful of solution

    Messi officially a free agent but FC Barcelona hopeful of solution

    Six-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi is officially a free agent with his FC Barcelona contract expiring, but the Catalans say they are in the process of confirming a new deal.

    The 34-year-old Argentina international’s Barcelona contract expired on June 30, amid speculation of a move away from Camp Nou which he has called home since 2000.

    Barcelona president Joan Laporta conceded the situation was not ideal but said negotiations were ongoing.

    “We are doing well but you have to fit a deal into the financial fair play,” Laporta told reporters on Wednesday.

    “We want him to stay and we are excited for him to stay. I wish I could tell you that Leo is staying but I can’t say.”

    Messi expressed a desire to leave Barcelona last off-season, with a growing dissatisfaction with the direction of the club on and off the field.

    The Argentine remained with FC Barcelona bound by a clause in his contract, referred to by former president Josep Maria Bartomeu who has since been replaced by Laporta.

    Messi, who is currently in Brazil with Argentina competing at Copa America 2021, is widely expected to stay at Barca.

    Barcelona have spent the past 18 months attempting to trim their wage bill, having been significantly impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Messi’s previous contract, signed in 2017, was worth approximately 593 million dollars over four years.

    The Argentine has won 10 La Liga and four Champions League titles during his time at FC Barcelona.

    They have not won the domestic league since 2019 and the continental crown since 2015.

  • Messi reveals his two best coaches

    Messi reveals his two best coaches

    Lionel Messi has revealed the two coaches that made major impacts on his career, describing them as the best.

    Messi made this known, counting himself “lucky” to have worked under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona between 2008-12.

    He said the Spaniard brings “something special” to coaching, comments that are likely to fuel speculation the pair could reunite at Manchester City.

    Recall Messi was a mainstay of Guardiola’s Barca side that won 14 major titles, and has been linked with a switch to City since the manager signed a new deal that will keep him at the Premier League club until the end of the 2022-23 season.

    The Argentine player is into the final few months of his current contract in Spain having unsuccessfully tried to leave Barca during the close season.

    “Pep has something special,” Messi told Spanish television channel La Sexta.

    “He makes you see things in one way: how he prepares for matches, defensively, how to attack … he told you exactly how the match was going to be, how you had to attack to win.

    “I was lucky … to train under Guardiola and Luis Enrique, the two best. Having them made me grow a lot physically and mentally, and also the tactical wisdom they’ve taught me.”

    Guardiola said last month that he is unsure what the future holds for Messi but hopes that, as a Barcelona fan, he will remain at the La Liga club until the end of his career.

  • One year on, Coutinho struggling to justify record move to Barca

    FC Barcelona shelled out a club record 160 million euros (£143.7 million) to prise Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, yet one year on from his signing, the Brazilian is struggling.

    He is struggling to get a game while his former side are thriving in his absence.

    Coutinho, the third most expensive player in the world behind Neymar of Paris St Germain (PSG) and Kylian Mbappe, made a flying start to his FC Barcelona career.

    He had 10 goals in his first five months, giving the team a more direct outlet in midfield and an extra threat with his impressive long-range shooting.

    But his impact has waned.

    He has failed to start any of the La Liga leaders’ last three league games, falling behind Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal and French forward Ousmane Dembele in the pecking order.

    Coach Ernesto Valverde has stopped short of publicly criticising the player, and neglected to say whether he had a preference for Coutinho or Dembele.

    The Frenchman is the club’s second most expensive acquisition at 105 million euros.

    “It’s a long way from being a problem having them both. It’s an advantage,” Valverde said last month.

    “The coach is pro-Barca, he wants the team to win.”

    Valverde’s recent team selections, however, may offer a clue to his thinking.

    There was no place for Coutinho when Valverde fielded an unorthodox 3-5-2 formation in the recent 5-0 hammering of Levante.

    He also left the Brazilian out when playing his usual 4-3-3 shape in victories over Espanyol and Celta Vigo.

    The coach did pick Coutinho for a visit to Rayo Vallecano in November.

    But when he saw his side losing 2-1 at one of the weakest teams in the top flight, he hauled off the Brazilian.

    He later brought on Dembele, who scored as Barca pulled off a dramatic 3-2 victory.

    In the last three league outings, Valverde has continued to show faith in Dembele, in spite of the French youngster running into trouble for turning up late to training.

    With the lightning quick forward forming a blistering attacking trident with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and the highly-experienced Vidal slotting comfortably into the midfield three, Coutinho has changed.

    He has been forced to make do with cameo appearances from the bench.

    It is quite the fall from grace for a player many believed was signed as the long-term successor to Andres Iniesta.

    The former Spain international ended 16 trophy-laden seasons with Barca last May to see out his career in Japan.

    With Liverpool sitting four points clear at the top of the English Premier League, Coutinho may be having some thinking.

    He may be wondering on Sunday’s anniversary of his transfer from Anfield to the Nou Camp whether it was quite the dream move he had imagined at the time.

  • Breaking: Barcelona suffer massive home defeat to Betis

    Spanish La Liga giants, Football Club Barcelona suffered a heavy massive defeat at home to Real Betis on Sunday in a match that saw midfield maestro, Ivan Rakitic sent off.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Real Betis have failed to win in their last 16 La Liga games at Camp Nou and have not won in the league against Barcelona for 10 years.

    Barcelona got the action started after Luiz Suarez was awarded with La Liga’s Player of the Month award for October.

    Betis continued to face a constant wave of Barcelona pressure in the early stages of the game as the visitors struggle to get out of their own penalty area, with Ernesto Valverde’s high press proving to be effective.

    However, the first goal of the game went to Betis’s way from Junior Firpo.

    The visitors hit on the counter as William Carvalho feeds a ball through the defence to Junior, who has no support but beats Sergi Roberto and shifts the ball onto his right foot before drilling a finish past Ter Stegen at the near post.

    Leo Messi grew into the game as he skips through the midfield before being hauled back by Andres Guardado, who picks up the game’s first yellow card.

    The free-kick was floated into the middle by Messi and Clement Lenglet lunges to volley an effort at goal.

    Pau Lopez was equal to the effort though as he pushes the ball behind with a strong hand and the resulting corner came to nothing.

    Suarez struggled to establish a foothold in the game as Real Betis did extremely well to limit his opportunities in possession.

    Barcelona looked shellshocked by Betis’ style of play and continued to struggle.

    The visitors were the side to find goal the second time.

    Betis found space in the wide positions and again they make it count! Junior’s drilled cross goes all the way through and Cristian Tello pulls a pass back across goal where Joaquin provides a one-touch finish to double Betis’ advantage.

    Real Betis looked unstoppable on the counter and looked like extending their lead in every attack.

    Rakitic tried to snatch possession off Joaquin on the edge of Betis’ penalty area but instead conceded a foul, picking up a booking in the process.

    Betis went into the second half with the two-goal advantage.

    Barcelona was only able to pull one back with a penalty from Messi, who smashed the penalty into the top corner, giving Lopez no chance at minute 69.

    However, Betis puts the game at 1:3 after a disastrous display from Ter Stegen.

    Tello drags a ball back into the middle where Lo Celso strikes at goal but it is straight at the Germany international. However, he is unable to clutch onto possession and only palms the effort over his head and into the net.

    Barcelona got back into fray at minute 79 as Messi played a killer pass through the defence to Munir, who unselfishly taps the ball across to Vidal, who tucks home into an empty net.

    Rakitic got his marching order at minute 81 after he lunged in on Lo Celso in midfield and picks up a deserved yellow card, which sees the referee issuing the marching orders to the Croatia midfielder.

    Betis unbelievably put a 4th past Barcelona after Junior finds space beyond Roberto and drills a superb ball into the middle where Canales is lurking, stabbing home easily just inside the six-yard box.

    Barcelona pulls a controversial goal by the effort of Vidal, who found space inside the area and latches onto Suarez’s inviting pass through, then tapping the ball across for Messi to tuck home easily.

    Real Betis pleaded for offside and, after a delay for a VAR check, the goal was awarded.

    Defeat for Barcelona means they sit just one point ahead of Atletico Madrid, setting things up very nicely for their trip to the capital to tackle Diego Simeone’s side after the international break.

    Meanwhile, Real Betis rise to 12th in the table and are now just a single point behind the top-seven and tackle Villarreal in two week’s time.

     

  • My future at FC Barcelona not certain – Iniesta

    FC Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta remains unsure whether he will leave the Spanish La Liga leaders this season to move to China.

    The 33-year-old playmaker last week told local media he had an offer from a Chinese club.

    He added that a decision had to be taken on his future before the end of April.

    “There are a lot of thoughts going on in my head, with some stronger than others,” he told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser, with his comments reported by local media on Thursday.

    “There are still a few weeks to decide whether I continue or not, and it’s one of the most important decisions in my career.”

    Iniesta signed a “lifetime contract” at the Catalan side in October, but his playing time has grown limited due to a combination of injuries and the arrival of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool.

    “I’m at an age where things change and other doors open and they’re exciting in many ways. It’s not a question of love, rather what I feel I have to do.

    “I honestly feel that, injury permitting, I’d be in the starting 11 for Barca over the next two seasons,” Iniesta said.

    “If I go it’ll be because I can’t give my all as a player and person at my club. It’s going to be a difficult decision, whatever I choose.”

  • Manchester United overhaul Real Madrid, FC Barcelona as Europe’s biggest earners

    Manchester United enjoyed the biggest revenue of any European club in the last financial year after a 32 percent increase propelled them above Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, UEFA say.

    In an annual report published on Tuesday, UEFA in the European Club Football Landscape report said revenues among Europe’s 700-odd top-flight clubs totalled 18.5 billion euros (£16.5 billion) for 2016.

    This is in comparison to 16.9 billion the year before and 2.8 billion in 1996.

    However, the report acknowledged that nearly half that amount — 9.1 million euros — was generated by 30 clubs.

    It also noted that the financial gap between the elite ones and the rest was increasing.

    English Premier League television revenues were now such that mid-table Bournemouth earned the same as three-times European champions Inter Milan.

    Manchester United’s revenue for 2016 was 689 million euros, compared to 521 million euros in 2015, the report said.

    United were followed by FC Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 620 million), Bayern Munich (592 million), Paris St Germain (542 million) and Manchester City (533 million).

    Its operating profit of 232 million euros was also the highest followed by Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Manchester City.

    United was also burdened with the highest net debt of 561 million euros, ahead of Benfica, Inter Milan, Juventus and Liverpool.

    The report confirmed that the English Premier League enjoys by far the highest revenues in Europe, averaging 244.4 million euros per club.

    Next was Germany’s Bundesliga with 149.6 million per club followed by Spain (126.3 million) and Italy (100.2 million)

    Revenues fell dramatically elsewhere, even in traditional football nations such as the Netherlands (26.7 million) and Portugal (20.3 million).

    Greek clubs earned an average of 8.9 million euros.

    Figures for Eastern Europe were even lower at 5 million euros for Hungary, 4.4 million for Czech Republic and 1.5 million for Slovenia.

    “Once more, we cannot help but note that the polarisation of commercial and sponsorship revenues between the top tier of clubs and the rest is accelerating,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said.

    “As the guardians of the game, UEFA must ensure that football remains competitive even as financial gaps are augmented by globalisation and technological change.”

    UEFA analyst Sefton Perry said that “only a limited number of clubs are able to fully exploit the enormous commercial opportunities offered by the global market”.

    Sixteen of the top 20 clubs in terms of domestic broadcast revenues were English with Manchester United top on 146 million, edging out Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

    Bournemouth earned 99 million euros, level with Inter Milan who, along with Juventus, were the only Serie A side in the top 20.

    The report confirmed that transfer spending reached record levels of almost 5.6 billion euros in the European summer of 2017, including six of the top 20 most expensive transfers ever recorded.

    Arsenal were however the club who made the most from paying fans.

    UEFA said their yield of 97.8 euros per spectator was the highest in Europe.

    They were followed by Chelsea, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, Galatasaray, Manchester City and West Ham United.

  • FC Barcelona’s Coutinho ruled out for 3 weeks

    FC Barcelona’s Coutinho ruled out for 3 weeks

    Philippe Coutinho will not be able to make his FC Barcelona debut for about three weeks because of a thigh injury he sustained while at Liverpool, the Spanish club said on Monday.

    The Brazilian playmaker passed a medical on Monday during which FC Barcelona doctors analysed the injury which kept him out of Liverpool’s Premier League win over Burnley on Jan. 1.

    “Coutinho has an injury in his right thigh. He will be out for 20 days,” the Spanish La Liga leaders said in a statement.

    This means he is likely to make his debut in the Catalan derby against Espanyol on Feb. 4.

    FC Barcelona agreed a 142 million pounds deal with Liverpool on Saturday to buy Coutinho, who became their record signing.