Madrid, Dec 31 (DPA) Barcelona are hoping to start 2010 in the same way that they finished 2009, by playing well and winning.
Josep Guardiola’s talented team crowned their ‘annus mirabilis’ by winning the World Club Cup in Abu Dhabi, their sixth trophy of the year.
Now they aim to star 2010 by beating dangerous Villarreal at [...]
London, Dec. 30 (ANI): Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas has heaped praise on Argentine and Barcelona football star Lionel Messi after he was named World Player of the Year.
“I’d like to congratulate my friend Lionel Messi for being named FIFA World Player of the Year. I believe he’s the [...]
New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS) Diego Maradona received a lot of flak as Argentina struggled to qualify for the World Cup, but his most prominent striker Lionel Messi feels the legend gives a lot of confidence to his players.
‘I think he is a manager who is very close to his players, he is like one [...]
London, Dec. 22 (ANI): The Premier League is the second best, and Spain’s La Liga is the strongest on the planet, claimed World Player of The Year 2009 Lionel Messi.
Barcelona’s Messi, 22, insisted: “The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka at Real make the Spanish league stronger than the English. Players want to come to [...]
London, Dec. 22 (ANI): Argentine and Barcelona football star Lionel Messi has been named World Player of the Year, while Portuguese and Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo has secured the Puskas Goal of the Year gong.
Ronaldo’s 40-yard strike against Porto in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg last season clinched a 3-2 aggregate win for [...]
Madrid, Dec 22 (DPA) It has been a wonderful year for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who Monday was crowned with the FIFA World Player of the Year award, based on the votes of the managers and captains of the world’s national teams.
Messi, 22, came second in the voting in 2007 and 2009 but this time managed [...]
Zurich, Dec 22 (DPA) Barcelona’s Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who earlier this month won the European Footballer of the Year, was Monday named FIFA World Footballer of the Year 2009.
Messi, who made history by becoming the first Argentine player to win the award, beat off the other finalists Kaka, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and last year’s [...]
Geneva, Dec 22 (IANS) Barcelona star Lionel Messi was named FIFA World Player of the Year Monday, adding one more title to his abundant collection of soccer’s great honours.
Messi lifted the prestigious award at FIFA’s gala ceremony in Zurich, outdistancing the last two winners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, along with his Barcelona teammates Xavi Hernandez [...]
Abu Dhabi, Dec 20 (DPA) Barcelona came from behind to beat dour Estudiantes 2-1 after extra-time in a one-sided World Club Cup final, with European Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi chesting in the winning goal 10 minutes away from a penalty shootout.
The same as in Wednesday’s semi-final against Atlante, Barca had to come from [...]
Abu Dhabi, Dec 17 (DPA) Barcelona striker Pedro Rodriguez scored a goal for the record books as the European champions came from behind to defeat Mexico’s Atlante Cancun 3-1 in Abu Dhabi to reach the final of the World Club Cup.
Atlante took a fifth-minute lead Wednesday through Guillermo Rojas but Sergio Busquets levelled 30 minutes [...]
Hamburg, Dec 12 (DPA) Usain Bolt sprinted his way into the history books again while Michael Phelps added another five swimming world titles and classy Barcelona became toast of the football world.
But there was a thin line between joy and despair in these showcase sports and many others in 2009.
South African runner Caster Semenya found [...]
London, Dec.11 (ANI): Ronaldinho has been named World Player of the Decade.
AC Milan’s Brazilian playmaker, 29, beat Lionel Messi in votes cast by readers of World Soccer magazine in the collated 10 annual votes between 2000 and 2009, reports The Sun.
Barcelona ace Messi, 22, was the Player of the Year – following on from his [...]
Madrid, Dec 11 (DPA) The European champions Barcelona announced that Lionel Messi will be out of action for about a week.
The announcement came Thursday.
The European Footballer of the Year suffered a sprained right ankle at the end of Barca’s 2-1 Champions League win away to Dynamo Kiev, when fouled by Kiev defender Leandro Almeida.
Messi, 22, [...]
Hamburg, Dec 10 (DPA) Holders Barcelona, Inter Milan and Olympiakos made sure of progress to the last 16 of the Champions League while VfB Stuttgart got off to a flying start under new coach Christian Gross to join them in the knock-out stages.
Barcelona sank Dynamo Kiev’s brief hopes of an upset when Xavi levelled an [...]
Madrid, Dec 3 (DPA) The next team in the gunsights of rampant Barcelona is Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish Primera Liga.
Barca will go to Riazor Saturday in their best form of the season. They defeated Inter Milan 2-0 to all but guarantee their place in the knockout stage of the Champions League, followed it [...]
Madrid, Dec 3 (DPA) A 2-0 win over bottom placed Xerez leaves Barcelona five points clear of Real Madrid atop the Spanish Liga.
Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored Wednesday to gave Barca their first away win since September.
The match was originally scheduled for Dec 20 but was brought forward because of Barca’s participation in the [...]
London, Dec.2 (ANI): Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi may have lifted the Ballon D’or for 2009, but national team mate and Manchester City star Carlos Tevez insists the best player he has played alongside is England’s Wayne Rooney.
The Mirror quoted Tevez, as saying: “I’ve had the honour of playing with some great players.At United, [...]
Paris, Dec 1 (DPA) Barcelona striker Lionel Messi was named European Footballer of the Year early Tuesday by France Football, the Paris magazine announced on its website.
The 22-year-old Argentine won by the widest margin in the 54-year history of the prestigious Ballon d’Or, or Golden Ball.
The 96 voters — sports journalists from around the world [...]
Madrid, Nov 26 (DPA) Barcelona are sweating on the fitness of star strikers Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, ahead of Sunday’s ‘Clasico’ at home to Real Madrid.
Both forwards missed Tuesday’s crucial 2-0 Champions League defeat of Inter Milan, with thigh strains.
Barca scarcely missed them Tuesday, as Thierry Henry, Pedro Rodriguez and Andres Iniesta tore apart [...]
Hamburg, Nov 23 (DPA) The Champions League group stage could prove an early graveyard for European champions present and past unless results go their way Tuesday and Wednesday.
Barcelona need to win if they wish to avoid becoming the first defending champions not to qualify for the knockout stage the following season.
Premier League side Liverpool and [...]
Madrid, Nov 22 (DPA) European champions Barcelona were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao, a result which leaves Real Madrid top of the Spanish Liga.
Earlier Saturday, Real had scored a controversial 1-0 home win over lowly Racing Santander. Real have 28 points from 11 games, Barca – who have drawn their [...]
Madrid, Nov 22 (DPA) Barcelona’s star striker Lionel Messi will miss Tuesday’s crucial Champions League clash at home to Inter Milan, the European champions announced Sunday.
The little Argentine pulled a muscle in his left thigh in Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw away to Athletic Bilbao.
Against Inter Barca will also be without Gabi Milito, Eric Abidal, Rafa [...]
London, Nov 19(ANI): Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz has revealed that team-mate Robinho has been completely open about his desire to move to Barcelona.
Though City manager Mark Hughes and CEO Garry Cook have consistently said they will not sanction the sale of Robinho as he is a vital player in the bid to qualify [...]
London, Nov 12 (ANI): Chelsea’s ace striker Didier Drogba has donated a three million pound sponsorship fee to help build his own hospital in Ivory Coast.
The caring striker has been humbled by the poverty of kids in his native Ivory Coast, and asked for the cash from a Pepsi deal to be pumped into [...]
London, Nov.8 (ANI): Spanish football club Barcelona is keen to rope in England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, and is willing to fork out a record 85 million pounds for him.
Nou Camp has identified the 24-year-old as the star of the next World Cup.
According to The News of The World, the Catalan giants believe [...]
London, Nov 7 (ANI): Ace midfielder David Beckham has raked in a whopping 10.7 million pounds last year in sponsorship deals, doubling his payout from the previous 12 months.
Beckham boosted his fortune by endorsing a range of goods including Armani and adidas.
It is believed his off-the-pitch earnings were given a massive boost by the [...]
Zurich, Oct 30 (DPA) Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the top picks for the 2009 World Footballer of the Year award as part of a 23-player shortlist published Friday by the ruling body FIFA.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United for Real Madrid in summer, won the prestigious prize last year.
But Barcelona’s Messi could be the [...]
Madrid, Oct 26 (DPA) Barcelona recovered their habitual majesty and thrashed hapless Zaragoza 6-1 to go three points clear at the top of La Liga.
Seydou Keita scored his first hat-trick in Spain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored two and Lionel Messi one, as Barca Sunday confirmed their status as the most elegant and effective team in the [...]
Montevideo (Uruguay), Oct 15 (DPA) Argentina qualified for the 2010 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Uruguay in Montevideo in the last round of the South American qualifiers.
Wednesday’s matches also saw Ecuador lose to Chile, keeping Uruguay alive for a last chance to earn a ticket to South Africa next year. Uruguay qualified for [...]
Buenos Aires, Oct 9 (DPA) Argentina are in serious danger of missing the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa as they approach the last two rounds of the South American qualifiers, based both on their recent results and on their performances on the pitch.
In a very tight edition of the region’s qualifiers, only Brazil [...]
