Valdes becomes a father

Barcelona's official website announced that Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés didn't take part in yesterday's training session after he became father for the first time.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo reports that the baby was born at the Dexeus private hospital in Barcelona, that mother and child are doing well and that the baby weighs around three kilograms.


Valdés had confirmed the pregnancy of his girlfriend - model Yolanda Cardona - three months ago in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País and said that they had already chosen a name for the baby:

"Yes, I will become a father in August, of a son that will be named Dylan. Because of the meaning: son of the sea. We were looking for a name that is not Spanish and that refers to the sea, because that's one of my passions."

Busquets: "Sometimes I think I'm dreaming"

Barcelona player Sergio Busquets gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El País.





Have you already gotten rid of the "son of..." label?
I'm the son of Busquets [Carles, goalkeeper for Barça between 1988 and 1998]. I'm very proud. As a kid, I went to see him at the Camp Nou. It's clear that I'm where I am not because I'm his son.

You must be flabbergasted right now.
Well yes. Last week I was dining with players that not too long ago I was rooting for in front of the television set during the Euro. Yes, I'm amazed; of course I'm flabbergasted.

Did you ever think what would be of you if Guardiola hadn't crossed your path?
Yes, sometimes I think about it. But the answer isn't clear. You never know... Sometimes I even think to myself if what I'm going through is actually happening, because it's like a dream. But, you know?

What?
I worked hard it. Guardiola was important... Well, he was very brave. But he must see something in me, right? And I'm sure that I work hard every day.

What importance does it make to have a dad that played as keeper for Barcelona?
That I grew up in a determined environment. My dad went through things that I also went through and I noticed that. That's why I'm aware of what goes on and that I don't lose my head.

What advice does he give you?
To not lose myself, to stay in the moment, and most of all to think about the day-to-day, because tomorrow never knows...

Why didn't you play as goalkeeper?
Because I don't like getting scored on. Playing football is fun if you get to touch the ball. Without touching it, I'd rather not play.

Guardiola says: "It's difficult for Busi to play badly. He has a lot of character and personality. He's a different kind of player. He knows how to play football."
What can I say? I can play badly, but I always play with ease.

And you don't get rusty. I'm talking about recent matches. You're the player on the team that makes the most fouls. Does it have to do with the formation? You arrived at Barcelona as a youngster, having played in youth teams, on dirt fields...
I don't know... I have my personality. A coward I'm not. It's not the same growing up with football at teams as good as Barcelona or Espanyol, in a youth team of one of the greats, who always have the ball. I had to earn my place. I always liked to play touching the ball, quickly, from the start. I think that they kick me more than I kick them.

True. You're also the player on the team that gets fouled the most. Is there a reason?
I would like to know that! It's probably because I have long legs. They think that I don't reach the ball, but when I do, I barely touch it and then... I get kicked!

Back to Guardiola, is he coach that's as serious as he seems?
No way, not at all. I have the advantage of knowing him better than anyone on the team. Well, Victor Sánchez and I, who were in the B team with him, we know him well. You also don't have to try hard to understand him. He told me what he wanted from me at the beginning of the season and he doesn't hesitate to repeat it before every match.

What does he ask from you?
Nothing, to play how I play, by one or two touches. One day he told us that the faster we move the ball, the faster the rival gets tired.

And what do you do?
Well, I touch the ball. That's my position, where I have to think fast, and I have no problem playing with both feet, and thats what I do, I move the ball.

What do you aspire for?
Nothing, because I'm living my dream. What I do is work for the team.

Translated by: AL


Read more:
The dizzying journey of Sergio Busquets

Bojan: "I don't regret missing the Euro"

Barcelona player Bojan Krkic gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El País.





The sensation that was generated last season was that your life was
going at 3 000 kilometres per hour.
Yes, everything happened very fast. My life changed radically. Thousand things happened to me.

That 's the biggest difference compared with this year?
Yes, things have calmed down, the rhythm is good, not so fast.

You've played half of the games you played last year. Any regrets?
It's what it is, I'm not complaining. Maybe what is happening now is more normal than what happened last seaon. The situations is different. Last season the coach made a lot of offensive substitutions because we needed to win or overcome. This year, when we reach the last twenty minutes, we're winning and other things are required.

Do you feel more comfortable?
Do not ask a player who played little if he feels comfortable, last year I felt very comfortable because I played.

But you had a greater responsibility to score?
If I had, I wasn't aware of that. I just played, things turned out well for me and that's it. This year is different. The team is doing very well and now my phase of learning is on another level. But as I was learning last year, I still continue learning, but in other ways.

You have been compared with Raúl. What do you think about that?
It depends on whether you believe in it or not. Hopefully one day I can be so proud of my career like Raul can be but I'm not dreaming of repeating his successes because that is impossible. I am Bojan not Raúl, and that has always been clear to me. So I fill myself with pride when someone says that, but nothing more.

Do you regret having given up playing in the European Championship?
No, it was a perfect for me to end the season. I'll never regret it. I needed it and I'm perfect now. At that time I didn't have the strength anymore to go to a European Championship, with all the work that it entails and everything you must give. I said that, the coach understood it and that's it. Basically everything is more normal than it seems.

You felt a lot of pressure in Malaga, where you made your debut against Italy?
It had nothing to do with pressure. There is no pressure when you play, it's only there before and after a game. Pressure didn't affect my game at all. I came out, I played... But I started the season at 16 years of age and there are things that affect a boy of 16.

Not all the kids of 16 years are the same...
Clearly, but I speak of me. I went from playing with people of my age to changing my clothes next to Ronaldinho. One day I could walk calmly along the street and a week later I couldn't do that anymore. It's not easy. I went from being anonymous to playing at Barça. I could not go anymore to any birthday parties, to the
movies or to a restaurant with friends because I was a Barça player and everyone knew me. I wasn't one of the guys anymore... It was not a gradual move, it was there, boom! All of a sudden it happened, while the team was going though a hard time. The players and coaches helped me a lot. I have also changed, I have learned and now there are other people around players who are closer to my age, like Piqué, Busquets, Victor, Pedrito. That also helps.

The fans care for you. Does that help?
Yes, people like me a lot. But last year was incredible, now they like me the same but the big boom is over, everything is more natural and I'm going through a learning process.

This is what Guardiola wants?
Yes, although I don’t play that much. But I will play. And although that's not the most importante thing for a Barça striker, I wills core goals.

That's not the most important thing?
No, a striker at Barca needs to do more than just scoring.

Do you have difficulties playing away from the area?
No, with the national team I have already played games as second striker and there I also had to move to the wings.

Translated by: Riis


Read more:
Bojan not considering to leave on loan
The alphabet of Bojan
Barcelona rejects loaning Bojan to RS Belgrade

Laporta: "To govern is to resist"

Barcelona president Joan Laporta gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El País.





Since you surprisingly won the elections back in 2003, a lot of the decisions you have taken have been courageous, and sometimes they even seemed reckless.
If you want to be a good president, you have to be courageous but responsible.

It looks like you took advantage of the exit of some board members in July to do what they didn't let you do before.
The decisions are certainly working quite well: the appointment of Josep Guardiola as manager, the organizational impulse with the new chief executive officer Joan Oliver, the challenge of collecting the 380 million euro we predicted and keep a surplus on the budget. We've paid all our bank debts and the new sports centre, we've reactivated the sale of the season-ticket holders’ seats, Barça TV will broadcast publicly and we continue with our solidarity activities. Every year we create new successes that all start from a competitive football project.

You now understand your predecessor Josep Lluís Núñez when he took some decisions against the public opinion?
We cannot be compared. I take a position and then the board makes the decisions.

The bid for an MLS franchise doesn’t seem very supported by the entourage of the club, like your visits to Uzbekistan and some of your relations with persons who are not linked to the world of football.
I feel the energy to keep on innovating. If we are more than a club and we live in a global world, you have to look at all the options. I have always been innovative and courageous when it came down to making decisions.

You have become richer since you became president?
I have my businesses and I try to make them work, but never at the expense of the club. Being the president of Barcelona, gives you more chances to meet people. It’s a phase of your life, a privilege. On the other hand, I’ve also gone through some very difficults moments in my private life.

Nowadays the politicians aren’t so keen anymore to get on the picture with you and there’s no talk anymore about your possible political career.
I already said a while ago that I’m not motivated to get involved in these matters. I would have liked to be the centre forward of Barcelona.

You are still true to the spirit of former sports director Armand Carabén and to the slogan “more than a club”, just like you are true to the football legacy of Cruijff and the Dream Team?
We keep on respecting the spirit of the founder and of Carabén. His example showed us how to lead the club, like Cruijff showed us how to play. The result is the club that I’m leading.

You’ve already found your computer that was stolen at the Camp Nou earlier this year?
I’m not looking look for it anymore.

Your outbursts, like the incident at the airport and the discussion with your driver, don’t cast a shadow on your work as president?
If that’s the only thing that can be criticized, this means there’s not a lot to criticize. The main thing are the ideals.

You think Barcelona will win against Madrid next week?
I’ve stopped thinking about things that don’t contribute anything. We’re focused on staying cautious and to keep on working hard. To govern is to resist. To win, you have to resist.


This was the second and last part of this interview. Read the first part here:

Laporta: "Mourinho was a more secure option"

Laporta: "Mourinho was a more secure option"

Barcelona presidnet joan laporta gave an interview to Spanish newspaper El País.





Intuition? Courage? How do you explain your capacity to survive?
I believe you have to be able to understand Barça in a certain way. There were people who are true to club but who have stopped walking along with me for certain reasons. Everybody has his own way of being. I have not changed and I keep going on with those who continue at the institution. The ideals of the club are a lot stronger than personal ambitions and to bring them into practice the club needs to be governed. I believe in what I'm doing and I have the strength to overcome, the motivation, the energy and the innovative spirit that is needed to lead. Barcelona is an international reference at a social, sporting, economic and solidary level and we have to strengthen that.

Those who have abandoned you are suggesting that your behaviour is too focused on your own person and that your management is not cautious enough. You didn't transform from a president into a manager?
I've always been an executive president. Barça is travelling at a high speed and you need a will to innovate. You need to hold the steering wheel firmly to get the club where we want it, without being turned away from our objective. There are things that were meaningful four months ago but that aren't anymore now.

The economic crisis has also an impact on the attendance at the Camp Nou.
We're talking about a global crisis. The fact that the games are broadcasted by non-pay channels and the hours at which most of the games are played also have an influence. Maybe we should start to play at different hours for more people to come and watch the games.

The fans sure have stopped watching at the president's box and are now watching the pitch again. You feel more comfortable than last season?
In the delicate moments, you should show that you're able to resist. There's a lot of pressure and I understand that other board members couldn't deal with that anymore. I stayed with those who believed in the project and didn't leave the ship.

Those who resigned were preparing a coup?
I don't feel betrayed or disappointed. I believed in the project and I had to assure the stability. It had been decided since February that Guardiola would be the manager this season in case Rijkaard wouldn't win a trophy, and if not, next season. And there also were the economic challenges and the project of the new stadium.

Why Guardiola?
The first who spoke to me about Guardiola as a coach was Cruijff in December 2007. At that time, I was worried about the performances of the team. It looked all very similar to the season before, so I asked Cruijff for advice. I mentioned the name of Guardiola because those who were following him as B-team coach were talking very positively about him, and especially sports director Txiki Begiristain. I realized that if we needed a substitute, we had one within the club. I talked about the situation with Rijkaard. Then the team made a good comeback and I decided to meet with Guardiola to tell him that if the team wouldn't win a trophy, he would be next season's manager. I also explained that to Rijkaard, who proposed to appoint Guardiola as assistant coach so he could prepare the change. Guardiola nevertheless wanted the B-team to win the championship and to get promoted. We chose Guardiola despite some board members prefering other options.

Mourinho and Wenger?
Among others. We chose Guardiola for his knowledge about football and the club and because of his football philosophy. Cruijff told me that Guardiola sees the game in a very clear way. It was my responsibility that the new manager would respect the history of the club. And Guardiola has a fine history at this club. I was convinced by his modesty, skills, knowledge and dignity.

Although people accused you that appointing Guardiola was a way to protect yourself, wouldn't appointing Mourinho have been a better umbrella in a way?
The president has to hold on to a way of playing football and not go after the brand of the day. The appointment of Guardiola shows the attachment to the cruijffian philosopy. After Rijkaard, there's now Guardiola and that's clear to everyone. When we appointed him as coach as coach of the B-team, I was convinced that he would end up as manager of the first team. Mourinho was a more pragmatic option, a more secure one, but Guardiola fitted our way of understanding the game of football. Now a lot of people want to make me believe that they've recommended Guardiola to me while in fact they advised against him. Guardiola is a constant source of football inspiration.


This was the first part of this interview. The second part will follow in the coming days with Laporta talking -among other things- about the MLS bid and his political ambitions.