Messi, Xavi and Eto'o candidates for Golden Ball

The shortlist for the 2008 Ballon d’Or award has been announced earlier today. Barcelona players Lionel Messi, Xavi and Samuel Eto'o are amongst the 30 candidates to win the trophy.

The winner will be selected on 2 December

when 96 journalists from around the world cast their vote in a poll organised by French football magazine France Football.

Messi finished third last year, behind winner Kaka and Cristaino Ronaldo. Ronaldinho was the last Barcelona player to win the trophy in 2005.

Before, the Ballon d'Or was won by Barcelona players Luis Suárez (1960), Johan Cruyff (1973 and 1974), Hristo Stoichkov (1994) and Rivaldo (1999).



This is the 2008 shortlist:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, Togo)
Sergio Agüero (Atletico Madrid, Argentina)
Andreï Arshavin (Zenit Saint-Petersburg, Russia)
Michael Ballack (Chelsea, Germany)
Karim Benzema (Lyon, France)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy)
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal)
Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Ivory Coast)
Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Cameroon)

Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, Spain)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool, Spain)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan, Sweden)
Kaka (AC Milan, Brazil)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)
Pepe (Real Madrid, Portugal)
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich, France)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England)

Marcos Senna (Villarreal, Spain)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain)
Luca Toni (Bayern Munich, Italy)
Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United, Netherlands)
Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg then Real Madrid, Netherlands)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid, Netherlands)
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United, Serbia)
David Villa (Valencia, Spain)
Xavi (Barcelona, Spain)
Youri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow, Russia)

Match discussion: Athletic

This evening at 7 pm bt,
Barcelona plays the seventh game of the season against Athletic Bilbao.

Two weeks ago, Athletic lost 4-0 against Sevilla, playing with Iraizoz, Iraola, Aitor Ocio, Amorebieta, Ustaritz, Balenziaga, David López, Garmendia, Orbaiz, Susaeta, Yeste, Ion Vélez.

Athletic is ranked fifteenth in the Liga, Barcelona fourth. You can read a preview of the game here


Athletic squad list:
Iraizoz, Ustaritz, Amorebieta, David López, Garmendia, Llorente, Yeste, Gabilondo, Armando, Susaeta, Iraola, Orbaiz, Gurpegi, Aitor Ocio, Ion Vélez, Balenziaga

Barcelona squad list:
Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Márquez, Piqué, Puyol, Abidal, Sylvinho, Touré, Busquets, Keita, Iniesta, Hleb, Víctor Sánchez, Messi, Eto'o, Bojan, Henry


Before (what are your expectations, what's your prediction, what should be the line-up,...), during and after the match, you can comment on the game here.


NEW !
From two hours before until two hours after the game you can join a match chat (read more here)

Barcelona doesn't consider Toure transfer

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona is not planning to let Barcelona defensive midfielder and Ivory Coast international Yaya Touré leave in January (read more here).

A Barcelona spokesperson has denied to the paper that the club is considering to let Touré go.

Although the Ivorian is at this moment not playing a lot, the club is convinced of his qualities and everyone is aware that the season will be long and that Touré will have enough opportunities. If Touré would leave, Barcelona should have to find a substitute, which wouldn't be an easy thing on the January transfer market.

Madrid sports tabloid As meanwhile claims that Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola wouldn't oppose a transfer of Touré in January because he thinks the midfielder is not irreplacable.

Read more:
Juventus offers Touré five-year contract
Xabi Alonso main candidate to replace Toure
Barcelona wants to clarify Toure situation

Xavi (3): "Every team needs a player like Eto'o"

In an interview with Catalan sports paper Sport, Barcelona midfielder Xavi talked about the season so far.


(read the earlier parts of the interview here)


What about the "love story" between you and Guardiola?
Yeah, yeah. We were meant to be together. No, but seriously, I'm very glad that he's here and I have nothing but gratitude for the confidence that he has in me. He has football fever and he spreads it to everybody. Nobody loves Barça more than he does.

What do you think about the accusations that he's inexperienced?
What does being inexperienced mean? He knows Barça better than anybody and what he learned as a player he still uses as a coach. I'm sure that he'll succeed as a coach.

Do you understand Samuel Eto'o's reaction to being substituted last match against Atlético?
We're not going to make a fuss about that. We all know Samuel and how powerful his character is, for better and worse. He always wants to play. If we didn't have Samuel we would have to create a player like him. Every team needs a player like him, one that always fights and is a continuous threat to the opposition.

Why do you think Bojan Krkic doesn't play as much as last year?
I don't think of it like that. You can't have an 18 year old carry the wight of the team on his shoulders. That is why there are other players to share that responsibility. Guardiola knows exactly what he needs to do.

Is Andres Iniesta from this world?
He is a player like Messi. They are players that are ahead of everybody. His style can't be copied. Andres has the quality that makes him better than his teammates. His playing is always a gift to football.

How do you feel about this new project now that you're two months into it?
It can't get better. The dressing room is united, we train hard and we know what we want to accomplish and how to do so.

Translated by Al


This was the third and last part of this interview.

You can readead the earlier parts here:
Xavi (1): "Home-grown players are easier criticized"
Xavi (2): "The Golden Ball belongs to Messi"

Medical: Gudjohnsen out for three weeks

Further tests on Friday have shown that Barcelona attacker and Iceland international Eidur Gudjohnsen (29) has a tear of 2,5 centimetres in one of the hamstring muscles in the back of the thigh of his left leg.

Gudjohnsen got injured during Iceland's game against Macedonia on Wednesday (read more here). He will not be available for at least three weeks.


Read more:
Medical: Pedro out for four weeks
Medical: Green light for Hleb
Medical: Gudjohnsen misses next two matches