Book of the day: "One year in paradise"

Barcelona player Andrés Iniesta presented today his book
"One year in paradise. My diary of the treble."

read more about the book here

Messi scores best goal of Champions League

The goal of Barcelona player Lionel Messi against Olympique Lyon at the Camp Nou was last week chosen by UEFA as the best goal of last season's Champions League. Iniesta's late equalizer at Stamford Bridge in the semi-final against Chelsea finised second and the free-kick scored by Lyon player Juninho against Barcelona was third.

Iniesta not worried about contract renewal

Asked about his contract renewal (read more here), Barcelona attacking midfielder and Spanish international Andres Iniesta (25) has said at a press conference that he is not worried about the issue:

"I won't lose sleep over it because I feel loved here and because the club has always valued me in a correct way. I hope to retire at the Camp Nou.

The only thing I want now is to be given the green light - which I think is very close - to go to the stadium of Getafe and to play again. I have suffered a lot lately, it has been a hard summer and I want to feel like a football player again. My leg has recovered and I want to start playing as soon as possible."

Read more:
Iniesta publishes treble book
Messi & Iniesta until 2016
Renewals for Puyol, Marquez, Iniesta and Messi

Iniesta writes treble book

"One year in paradise. My diary of the treble" is the title of the book that Andrés Iniesta has written with journalists Sique Rodriguez and Dani Senabr.

Iniesta did not want to loose the chance to explain all experiences and emotions that he has felt during the past wonderful year.

In the book people will be able to find a revision of eight - because of his number - moments that have marked his season and that Andrés has lived with more energy: the goal at Stamford Bridge, the arrival of Guardiola, his injuries, the 2-6 againt Real Madrid, the cup final, the league win, the final in Rome and the treble celebrations.

The book, that will be available in Catalan and from next week on also in Spanish, will be presented at the Camp Nou later today and is described as "a unique opportunity to be closer to all the emotions Andrés has lived in the last season, the most magical one in F.C. Barcelona's history. A real diary full of curiosities, jokes and exclusive images taken by Andrés."

Read more:
Messi & Iniesta until 2016
Medical: Iniesta and Marquez ready for next game
Iniesta thinks Eto'o deserves a statue

Messi & Iniesta until 2016

Catalan sports newspaper Sport reports that FC Barcelona is close to signing extensions that will keep stars Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta with the team until 2016. Both players are being rewarded for their elevated play over the past year, although another major motivating factor is to raise each player's buyout clause to levels beyond even the reaches of big spenders Manchester City and Real Madrid.

The deal with Messi is all but signed, according to Sport. The Argentine will receive a base pay of around 10 million euros, just higher than the 9.5 million euros Barca pays to newly-acquired striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, Barca will need to spend more money to reach that number going forward, as Messi no longer qualifies for a foreigner-based tax rate. As such, Barca and Messi will be responsible for a 43% tax rate, as opposed to the current 23% tax rate.

Beyond the new base salary and undisclosed performance bonuses, the new agreement will call for Messi's buyout clause to be raised from its current level of 150 million euros to 200 million euros. It is hoped that this number will be high enough to discourage deep-pocketed clubs from poaching the Barca youth product, but it is thought that the new buyout figure is intended to demonstrate the will of the player as much as a financial disincentive.

Along with a new salary and buyout clause, the new contract will extend the agreement between the player and the club from 2014 to 2016.

Negotiations with Andres Iniesta are not as advanced as those with Messi, but he is in line for a similar deal to the one that the Argentine will sign in the coming weeks. Barca now sees Iniesta as part of the team's top player tier. As such, he will receive a salary similar to, but likely a bit lower than, those given to Messi and Ibrahimovic. Along with the the new salary, Iniesta will likely agree to extend his contract until 2016 and to raise his buyout clause from 150 million euros to 200 million euros.

The deals will bring both players close to "Barca for life" status. Iniesta will be 32 years old in 2016 and Messi will be 29.

Read more:
Contract renewal Iniesta close
Messi will be offered until 2016

Marquez and Iniesta to Sit Against Sporting

According to Catalan newspaper Sport, FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola will keep both Andres Iniesta and Rafa Marquez out of the lineup for the today's Liga opener against Sporting Gijon. The midfielder and defender have been battling injuries all summer and have already been excused from participating with their national teams in World Cup qualifiers next week. As such, keeping them out of the Sporting match will give the players an extra two weeks to become fit before Barca's second Liga match, a road contest against Getafe on September 13.

Contract renewal Iniesta close

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona wants to renew the contract of Barcelona attacking midfielder and Spanish international Andres Iniesta (25).

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain would therefore yesterday afternoon have met with the player's agent Ramon Sostres.

The club wants to close a deal as soon as possible and after this first meeting things would look good and an agreement could be found quickly. Barcelona has offered the player a pay rise, which will make Iniesta earn a similar salary as Barcelona player Xavi, and an extension of his contract with one more year, until 2015.

Read more:
Contract renewal for Iniesta coming up
Renewals for Puyol, Marquez, Iniesta and Messi

Renewals for Puyol, Marquez, Iniesta and Messi

Speaking at Barcelona's socio's assembly, Barceloan sports director Txiki Begiristain has said that the club plans to renew the contracts of Barcelona players Carles Puyol, Rafael Márquez, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi:

"We need to take care of the wage structure, but we also have to understand that a lot of clubs want our players. That's why, without losing our heads, we need to close some important renewal deals. We did it with Valdés earlier and now we're trying to renew Márquez and Puyol. Both have different skills but the two are special players and add their things and quality to the team. And we finally want to have another player who starts and ends his career here.

The renewals of Messi and Iniesta are also ongoing. Both players are very involved with the club. Iniesta is a versatile player, who can play both in midfield as on the wing. he has made progress and we will try to adapt his salary to his real value. And Messi is simply the best player in the world."

Read more:
Marquez wants to renew for three more years
Barcelona's wage structure
Puyol doesn't see renewal problems

Six Barcelona nominees for UEFA Club Awards

UEFA has announced the nominees for the UEFA Club Football Awards to be presented during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw on Thursday 27 August.

The voting procedure gives the coaches of the 16 teams that reached the knockout phase of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League the possibility to cast their votes for each position as well as to nominate the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 2009 of their choice.

Based on the voting results, the list of nominees is as follows:


UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year
Petr Čech (Chelsea FC)
Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)
Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United FC)

UEFA Club Defender of the Year
Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona)
John Terry (Chelsea FC)
Nemanja Vidić (Manchester United FC)

UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC)
Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona)
Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona)

UEFA Club Forward of the Year
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelona)
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United FC)

Contract renewal for Iniesta coming up

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona attacking midfielder and Spanish international Andres Iniesta (25) will sign a contract renewal soon.

The player's agent would already have held the first talks with the club and there would be a prinicipal agreement on the main issues, but the deal will only be finalized when the summer transfer window ends.

The duration of Iniesta's current contract, until 2014, would not change but the Spanish midfielder would get a pay rise. Iniesta signed his last contract renewal in January 2008.

Read more:
Iniesta wants to retire at Barcelona
Barcelona's wage structure
Iniesta gives away Stamford Bridge boots

Iniesta thinks Eto'o deserves a statue

Asked about the exit of his former team-mate Samuel Eto'o earlier this summer, Barcelona player Andrés Iniesta has praised the Cameroonian striker in an interview with Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia:

"Everyone has dealt with it in his own way, we all have different relationships with each other. I can only say that it was basically something between the club and him, the players weren't involved.

We have to remember Samuel as who he was. History tells us that there have been very few strikers like him since this club exists. I don't even know if there has been anyone like him before, but what I do know is that Barça should make a statue for him. Samuel has been a key player in all those years he has been here, and he has been fundamental in all the trophies we have won."

Read more:
Thank You Samu - Remembering Eto'o at Barca

Barcelona's wage structure

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona's wage scale has six levels:



GROUP A
Messi

GROUP B
Henry
Ibrahimovic

GROUP C
Alves
Xavi
Iniesta
Puyol

GROUP D
Valdés
Touré
Márquez
Keita

GROUP E
Bojan
Piqué
Jorquera
Pinto
Busquets

GROUP F
Pedro
Víctor Sánchez
Muniesa
Jeffren

Top 10 buyout clauses

This is the top ten of the highest buyout clauses:


1000
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kaká
Karim Benzema

250
Zlatan Ibrahimovic

180
Raúl

150
Lionel Messi
Andrés Iniesta
Iker Casillas
Sergio Ramos
David Villa

(all fees are in millions of euro)

Does Iniesta have a tattoo?

* SPORT: Ibra has 11 tattoos *

Iniesta:
I'm not one of those stars who has tattoos...

But in Fuentealbilla I once put on a sticker

that I found with a Beast Wars:Transformers' Tigatron.

(click the cartoon to enlarge)

source:
cayecaturas.com
sport.es

see more cartoons here

Fighter Pilot Iniesta

During his holidays, Barcelona player Andrés Iniesta visited the military base of Albacete.

watch more pictures here

Barca internationals return for medical tests

Catalan paper Sport reports that Barcelona internationals who enjoyed an extra week of vacation will soon rejoin the rest of the squad. Confederation Cup participants Carles Puyol (31), Xavi Hernandez (29), Gerard Pique (22), Sergi Busquets (21), Dani Alves (26) and Andres Iniesta (25), who is recovering from injury, are scheduled to carry out medical tests at 8:30 pm tonight at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi.

Pique would have already returned early and trained by himself at the Ciutat Esportiva for the past week.

Sport also claims that Guardiola is scheduled to train with this group for the first time tomorrow at 9:30 am. The group would only conduct training today and tomorrow before joining their teammates in the United States on Wednesday.

Read more:
First training of the season
Medical tests to start pre-season

Iniesta approves summer change

At a press conference in Totana, Murcia, Barcelona midfielder and Spanish international Andres Iniesta (25) gave his approval for the club's summer spending. Iniesta alluded to the lack of spending in the summer of 2006 when Rijkaard led the club to a Champion's League title over Arsenal but failed to make any changes in the summer, which ultimately resulted in a poor 2006-07 campaign,

"A few years ago we had this little oversight, and I think that now the club is doing things well. It is always necessary to improve. There is still a lot of time to finalise our squad"

Iniesta also had respectful words for teammate Cameroonian international Samuel Eto'o (28),

"There is nothing official. Nor has Samuel Eto'o left. When it's done, we can talk. I will wish Eto'o well. For the moment, Eto'o continues to be my teammate, for whom I have great respect."

Read more:
Iniesta's new home
Iniesta: Best yet to come

Iniesta's new home

Barcelona player Andrés Iniesta showed Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo around in his new home in Fuentealbilla, the village where he grew up.

The house, situated in the street that carries his name, has been built over the last 18 months under the supervision of his father José Antonio, who's a bricklayer. The house looks like a little Barça museum. The pool has a big Barça shield at the bottom.

Iniesta: Best yet to come

Asked about the upcoming season, Barcelona attacking midfielder and Spanish international Andres Iniesta (25) has said in an interview with Catalan radio station RAC1 that fans have not seen the best of him yet.

"I think that everything can be surpassed. I am 25 years old, I like how I am at the moment and I think the best is still to come."

Iniesta also commented on the transfer market: "People should continue having confidence in the team. There is still time left in the transfer market and I assume the club is working on it. But I think that there are players of a very high level in the team at the moment and I don't think we have to be jealous of anyone."

Read more:
Iniesta gives away Stamford Bridge boots
Iniesta: "We have to play our game"
Iniesta: "I feel best in midfield"

Video of the day: Iniesta