Ten Things You Should Know About Pedro

by Xaviniesta

1 - Barcelona winger Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma ( also known as "Pedrito") was born on July 28, 1987 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. He has an older brother, Kirian Rodríguez, who plays with Bundesliga club FSV Frankfurt.

2 - He played with Club Deportivo San Isidro before joining Barcelona in August 2004 at the age of 17. He quickly developed into a versatile winger - one who is naturally left-footed but can strike the ball equally well with his right. He was a key player for the Barça B team that won promotion under Pep Guardiola, scoring 6 goals in 36 appearances for the team. Watch a video here.

3 - It was Josep Colomer, then director of Fundacion Barcelona, who convinced him to go for trials with Barcelona after watching him play. Pedro would later recall that event: "Those times were very special to me. I had the luck. If not, it would have been very difficult to get out of San Isidro. When he (Colomer) explained the situation to me, I went crazy. I did not think, I agreed to go."

4 - He played his debut game for Barcelona's first team against Real Murcia in 2007. He was training with Barça B (now Barça Atlètic) when then manager Guardiola told him that first team coach Frank Rijkaard needed a substitute for Santi Ezquerro who was ill. Pedro later admitted: "I became very nervous. The first thing I did was call my family. Everyone went a little crazy, especially since I had the chance to debut even if it only for a few minutes."

5 - His brief appearance during the 2009 Champions League final in Rome sparked tumultous celebrations in his hometown. Surprised and elated that Guardiola gave him and not one of his more established players the chance to play, Pedro later said: "It was not something you could imagine, but to have played in the final was, for me, unforgettable. I will never forget the coach's gesture of giving me even a minute to play in the most important match of the season."

6 - Guardiola officially promoted him to the senior team on July 28, 2009 on the occasion of his 22nd Birthday. He scored 3 goals in the team's pre-season matches. Watch the video highlights here here.

7 - Asked which players helped most in his integration to the team, he singled out Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta: "I am deeply grateful because they are the ones that tell you how to behave, how to act, what to do in each moment. Players of La Masia are always pulling the cart, it says much about the philosophy of Barça."

8 - Asked what his normal day would be like, he said: "I get up early, I train at the Ciudad Deportiva, sometimes eat there with the rest of the team, and in the evening I am with my girlfriend who would visit me in Barcelona. The main thing is to always have a quiet life, training and playing matches. My life in Barcelona is football and tranquility prevails over the future."

9 - On how he sees his future as a football player, he said: "My goal is to continue gaining experience, to have more playing time and be there for the team. Let's see what happens. My only promise is to work hard."

10 - His goal against Athletic Bilbao on August 16, 2009 would be his first official goal with the first team. He also assisted Xavi's goal in Barcelona's 2-1 first leg win in the Spanish Super Cup.



Ten Things You Should Know About:
Keirrison
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Zlatan

Ex-Barça: Romario to play with America

Brazilian second division club América has on Thursday officially announced that former Barcelona striker and Brazilian international Romário (43) has agreed to come out of retirement to play some games with the club.

In a reaction, Romario told journalist that his father was a supporter of the club and would have wanted his son to join them at some point in his career: "I'm preparing to play and should be registered next week. I will feature in one or two official matches to realise my father's dream."

Romarío is currently sports director of América. Last year, the Brazilian striker announced his retirement as active football player after his contract with Brazilian first division club Vasco da Gama had expired.

Arriving from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 1993, Romário played one and a half season for Barcelona. Due to disciplinary problems, "O Baixinho" (the little one) left for Flamengo in January of the year 1995. Romário won the Spanish league title with Barcelona in 1994, becoming that same season the top goalscorer in the Liga with 30 goals. In the same year, he won the Spanish Super Cup with the team.

In 1994, Romário won the World Cup in the United States with the Brazilian national team and was awarded the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball. At the end of that year, he was chosen FIFA World Player of the Year.

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The eleven tattoos of Zlatan

Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is known not only for his talent as a football player but also for his passion for tattoos. He has eleven of them drawn all over his physique, mostly relating to his family and beliefs and as good luck charms.
by: Xaviniesta


1- The most striking design, a red dragon on his back, is said to be a metaphor for his personality.

2- The symbols on his wrists known as the "Ibrahimovic Code" are actually the birth dates of his parents and three siblings.

3- When his son Maximilian was born he had his name written on his right arm.

4- His second son Vincent's name was later added to Maximilian's.

His sons' birthdays were also added to the "Ibrahimovic Code" on his wrist.

5- The family name Ibrahimovic is written in Arabic on the back of his right arm.

6- The tribal drawing supposedly symbolizes the family's good fortune.

7- His mother's name Jurka is tattooed on his left arm.

8- His father Šefik's name is on his right arm. His parents' names and the Ibrahimovic Code were his earliest tattoos.

9- The words "Only God Can Judge Me" on his belly supposedly show both his religious and rebellious nature.

10- He supposedly got this unique white ink tattoo for a commercial but later decided to keep it.

11- His latest tattoo is a drawing of two poker cards, the aces of hearts and clover placed near the dragon symbol as a good luck charm.

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Bojan's first tattoo
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Ten things you should know about Keirrison

by Xaviniesta

1 - He was born as Keirrison de Souza Carneiro on December 3,1988 in Dourados, Brazil to former footballer father Adir, and mother Alzira.

2 - He was named Keirrison as a tribute to musician Jim Morrison of The Doors (he has an older brother Kimarrison). It became somewhat of a controversy within the family but his father was adamant: "No Joseph or John, his name will be Keirrison. It is best noted because I will not repeat it." He would later on admit he wrote down his son's name so he wouldn't forget.

3 - He and his father Adir own a football club and training centre called Centro de Futebol Keirrison (CFK-9). Based in Campo Grande, the club trains young talents and competes in state championships. Adir used to coach Brazilian club Centro Esportivo Nova Esperança (CENE) where Keirrison played as a youth player.

4 - Palmeiras team mate and former Barcelona player Edmilson compares him to Valencia player Fernando Morientes: "He would be a player like Morientes in good form, with more shooting and a bit more speed and acceleration. In front of the goal he is very calm. His shots are very strong, he plays very well with both feet and he is very good in the air." Watch some of his goals here.

5 - His footballing hero is former Barcelona player Romário whose first touch shooting he admires:"He played a simple brand of football, just like me. I do not spend much time thinking about what to do in the box. I like to shoot as fast as possible."

6 - Claiming to be a Barcelona fan since childhood, he had a special clause inserted into his contract with Traffic, the company that owns 80 per cent of his playing rights. The clause provided that while every other team would have to pay a 50 million euro buy-out clause, Barça would only have to pay 15 million.

7 - From his youth club CENE, he moved to Brazilian second division club Coritiba scoring 67 goals in 101 appearances for the club. He was league top scorer when Coritiba won the Série B championships in 2007.

8 - He suffered his worst injury on February 12, 2006 when a tackle left him with a raptured anterior cruciate ligament on the knee. After a 12-month recovery period, he returned and scored 2 goals against Portuguesa thus sealing Coritiba's return to the Brazilian first division. Watch the match highlights here.

9 - His 21 goals for Coritiba in the 2007-2008 season won him league top scorer honors, the youngest top scorer in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A history.

10 - He has not been capped for the Brazilian national team but he once played in a friendly with the U-23 team in 2007.



Read more:
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First training session in San Francisco

Around 1,500 supporters turned up yesterday to watch Barcelona players train at the Kezar Stadium, former home of American football team San Francisco 49ers.

read the full story here

Txiki: "The Barca model is beyond discussion"

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain gave an interview to the club's official magazine. Some excerpts.





Pep Guardiola as a team manager. What's the secret?
Everything in Pep is order and planning. What we've done is great. He works hard and works a lot. He plans every training session, analyses tactics, is immersed in football all the time.

There's no such thing as "Pep the manager" and then another Pep who's not associated with football. He's got the board and the ball in his mind all the time. He loves his job because he loves football.

When did you realise that Pep would fit in soon?
As soon as he came. Pep is a man of football, and footballers know him. But they're professionals too and, above all, they're men. If the team accepted the new standards and method, it was because they saw the amount and the kind of work before them. A manager is a football project's mirror. Working a lot and working hard is his key to success. Being obsessed with details is another key.

You know what they say: The manager with the best players is the one who wins...
The fact that they say this doesn't mean it's true. Of course you need a good team if you want to win. As good as possible. But having the dream team on your side is no guarantee of success. What you need to win –especially to win once and again– is a model, a concept of football.

And in this, the club is proud to have turned our way of understanding football into a well-established model. Barça is associated with a focused style of play, and our model is beyond discussion. Putting pressure on our rivals, snatching balls in their area, never speculating: this is what makes us unique. This is our trademark, and we've consolidated it with two different managers and a relatively short time.

Finally, what characteristics could we associate with Txiki Begiristain?
There's one that has a lot to do with my job. I keep my head cool. I always know what we have to do. Wise or unwise, you have to trust the people you've chosen. I believe this is what you have to do and to do it, you have to resist pressure from outside. Barça's Technical Secretary can't change his mind based on a game's results. You have to keep cool rather than get carried away by results or fear of failure.

read more excerpts here


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Ten things you should know about Maxwell

by Xaviniesta

1 - Maxwell, whose full name is Scherrer Cabelino Maxwell Andrade (nicknamed "Ali Maxwell"), was born on August 17, 1981 in Cachoeiro de Itapermirim, Brazil. His father is an engineer and former amateur football player while his mother is a former teacher and marathon runner. He is the youngest of 3 children.

2 - He is a left footed product of the Dutch school of football (he joined Ajax at age 19), and can play in any position on the left wing having played at full back, left midfield and as a wide striker.

3 - Maxwell also came from the renowned Cruzeiro youth system which counts among its products former Barcelona players Rivaldo, Luiz Ronaldo, Juliano Belleti and Juan Pablo Sorin, as well as footballers Dida, Alex and Gilberto da Silva.

4 - With Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam, he won 2 League Cups, 2 Dutch Cups and 2 Dutch Super Cups. He was named Dutch Footballer of the Year and won the Dutch Golden Shoe for 2003-2004. With Italian club Inter, he won 3 scudetti and 2 Italian Super Cups. His goal against Parma at the San Siro in April 2007 was voted Inter's Goal of the Season. Watch the video here.

5 - He suffered his worst injury on April 21, 2005 during Ajax' Amstel Cup semi-finals against Willem II. Maxwell avoided a tackle by jumping but landed awkwardly twisting his right knee. He tore a cruciate ligament and was out of the team for 8 months. This game would become his last for Ajax as he would be sold to Inter the following year. View a clip of the incident here.

6 - When he was all set to be transferred out of Ajax in 2006, many European clubs expressed interest in his services including Spanish side Barcelona. Maxwell later joined Inter while Barcelona signed Italian left back Gianluca Zambrotta.

7 - Asked who his footballing hero was, Maxwell said: “I always wanted to be Romario. Everything he did on the pitch I would always do at home after.” He later met Romario in Rio de Janeiro and immediately asked for his autograph.

8 - His older brother Gustavo died at age 24 from a car accident in 2002, an event which profoundly affected him. He has a tattoo on his arm in honor his memory. Speaking about his death, Maxwell once said: "The loss of my brother in this life is all relative. For him, I would like to be as strong as possible and to win prizes. That thought gives me strength. He is always with me, that I feel."

9 - Maxwell who is a Baptist admits to being a religious person: " I like going to church. Faith is very important for me. I also read the Bible, that is my favorite book."

10 - His favorite free time activity includes fishing, a hobby he shares with close friend and former Inter team mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.


Read more:
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Barcelona success founded on tradition

Speaking to journalists in Beverly Hills on Friday, Barcelona president Joan Laporta claimed that the club's success all comes down to having a philosophy as a club, having a football identity as a team, and believing in tradition:

"In order to express our identity, we have to love football and that means that we understand football in a particular way.

We are searching for players everywhere, especially in Cataluña, but also in Argentina, Brazil, Africa as well, the countries that are producing players. It is important that when they arrive they have a particular talent that would allow them to be a player for Barcelona."

(by Xaviniesta)

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Ten Things You Should Know About Zlatan

- by Xavininiesta -

1 - He is of Bosnian (father Šefik) and Croatian (mother Jurka) descent born on October 3, 1981 in Malmo, Sweden, and a Muslim by religion.

2 - His wife Helena Seger is a model and airline executive 11 years his senior with whom he has two sons, Maximilian and Vincent.

3 - He speaks five languages - Swedish, English, Bosnian, Italian, and Dutch.

4 - He has 11 tattoos, most of them relating to his family and his spiritual beliefs, the most prominent of which is a chinese dragon drawn on the right side of his body.

5 - He has a passion for martial arts and counts as one of his idols Mirko Filipovic (also known as Mirko Cro Cop), a former Croatian law enforcement officer turned kickboxer and mixed martial artist.

6 - His boyhood footballing hero was the Brazilian Ronaldo, filling the walls of his room in Malmo with posters of the former Inter and Barcelona player. He finally met Ronaldo during his first Milan derby where, before the game, he simply stood on the pitch watching Ronaldo warm up. Watch their first encounter here.

7 - At the UEFA EURO 2004, he scored a goal against Italy with a special kind of heel kick. He jumped in the box and kicked the ball into the net with a side movement of his lower leg and foot. He later said in an interview that the move was inspired by taekwondo lessons he took in his youth. Watch a video of the goal here.

8 - Asked why he dribbles so much, he reportedly once said: "Ever since I started playing football, people have told me to dribble less. I won't have that in the school (that I'm building in Sweden). That's pretty basic - if a guy has something, don't take that from him."

9 - He taught himself to play ball on an old gravel pitch outside his mother's house. After he turned professional it was completely remade with rubber grounds sponsored by Nike. The goals have been painted in gold in honour of his name which means "golden".

10 - He scored a total of 9 goals in his first 2 games with Ajax. In his first Champions League game, he scored twice against Olympique Lyonnaise. He scored twice in his debut in the Swedish League, and also scored the first time he featured in the line up for Sweden. He similarly scored in his debut for Juventus and Inter (against Brescia and Fiorentina, respectively).


read Zlatan's latest interview here

WAG: Puyol holidays with lady friend

Barcelona captain Carles Puyol was recently seen on the Balearic Islands relaxing and taking a much needed break after playing in the Confederations Cup. He visited Ibiza and was seen a few days later in Formentera enjoying a boat trip with an unidentified lady friend. Puyol returns to Camp Nou on July 27, along with the other Barcelona players who were on similar international duties.

Ex-Barça: Ezquerro leaves Osasuna

Former Barcelona winger, Santiago "Santi" Ezquerro (32), has become a free agent after Pamplona-based Club Atlético Osasuna officially announced an agreement releasing him from his contract.

He was originally committed to the Club until June 30, 2011, with an option to extend for another season. Ezquerro is expected to receive a 400,000 euro compensation from the deal.

Ezquerro joined Osasuna on a free transfer in 2008 after his three season stint with FC Barcelona. He made twelve appearances for the Club, scoring one goal, and was Osasuna's highest paid player.

Asked about the contract termination, Club president Pacho Izco, said: "It was something that he brought up on his own but we have reached a satisfactory agreement with him. Ezquerro said he did not want to be here as a burden and as such, we managed to reach a resolution." Ezquerro is yet to comment on the deal and reveal what his future plans are.

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Samuel Eto'o vacations in Miami

Samuel Eto'o appears to be in no hurry to sort out his future as he relaxes by the pool with his wife Georgette at Miami's Seaquarium. According to reports, he will be back at the Camp Nou on July 19 for pre-season training.

Read full story here