Éric Abidal announces retirement | FC BarcelonaOn
Friday at midday, 35-year-old Éric Abidal announced his retirement from
football at a special conference called in the pressroom at his current
club, Olympiakos. "This is a very important moment in my career" said
the Frenchman. "I have made the decision to officially end my career." A
regular in the Barça defence for six seasons, Abidal explained that his
decision to hang up his boots was for personal reasons.
Neymar gets the medical all-clear | FC BarcelonaNeymar was declared medically fit after Friday's training session and will thus be available for Saturday's clash against
Córdoba at Camp Nou. He had been feeling a bit of tenderness in his left ankle and missed the last two matches against
Getafe and Huesca.
Iniesta and Messi receive 2013 IFFHS award | FC BarcelonaOn
Friday, Andrés Iniesta and Leo Messi received the awards at the Ciutat
Esportiva Joan Gamper from Robert Ley, vice-president of the
International Federation of Football History & Statistics. Iniesta
has been announced as the best playmaker in the world and Messi as the
top goalscorer in the world’s biggest leagues.
19 December 2009: World Club title and sixth cup of the year! | FC BarcelonaFC
Barcelona,
led by Pep Guardiola, entered the Guinness Book of World Records by
winning their unprecedented sixth title in 2009. After winning the
Spanish Cup, La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, all corresponding to
the 2008/2009 season, followed by the Spanish Super Cup, The European
Super Cup and the Club World Cup, corresponding to the 2009/2010 season,
Barça went into the record books as the only team to have ever won
everything in a single year.
Lionel Messi feeling strain of years at top for Barcelona and Argentina says Gerardo Martino - ESPN FC"A
very important thing is the 'wear and tear' he has had for 10 years,
averaging 60 or 65 games per year," Martino said. "He plays a lot of
decisive games which wear you out physically and psychologically. He has
an extra load that no other player has. Everyone is waiting on him to
resolve games, something that is very hard to change. We coaches must
try to find ways of playing so that he is the most important part of the
team, but not the saviour."
New-look Córdoba heading for the Camp Nou | FC BarcelonaFC
Barcelona are about to face each other in their first league encounter
for 42 years. The Andalusians finally won promotion back to the top
flight last season, but it’s nothing quite as long as that since the two
teams last met. They were drawn together in the round of 16 of the
Spanish Cup in 2012/13, when Barça won 2-0 in the first leg at the Nuevo
Arcángel and finished off the job with a comfortable 5-0 win at home.
Córdoba return to Camp Nou | FC BarcelonaThe
sides have also met twice in the Spanish Cup. The first came in the
last 16 in the 1963/64 – Barça came out on top in both legs that season.
A more recent meeting came in the last 16 in 2012/13. The blaugranes
were once again clearly superior winning 2-0 away in Andalusia and 5-0
at home in Camp Nou against a Córdoba who were then still a Second
Division side.
Which of Romario's lobs do you prefer? | FC BarcelonaIt
was one of Romário’s favourite ways, of many, of finding the net – the
lob over the goalkeeper was an essential part of the striker’s arsenal
during his time at FC Barcelona. We have trawled through the archives
and chosen two fine examples of the genre from the man known as
baixinho. Choose your favourite via Twitter.
Oblak saved us says Simeone | Football EspanaAtletico
Madrid boss Diego Simeone said goalkeeper Jan Oblak had saved his team
in the 2-2 Copa del Rey draw with lowly Hospitalet. Atleti won the first
leg 3-0 and Simeone opted to rest several of his stars for the return
at the Vicente Calderon, but saw his side struggle to see off the
minnows.
