Uefa CL: Arsenal v FC Barcelona

UEFA Champions League
Quater Final 1st Leg
Season 2010/11
16th February 2011


Arsenal [2 - 1] FC Barcelona
Goals
26' [0 - 1] D. Villa
78' [1 - 1] R.v. Persie
83' [2 - 1] A. Arshavin


Highlights
1st Half / 2nd Half


Full time Analysis
Arsenal vs. Barcelona



>> Credit by albiondean

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The History of FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona, or Futbol Club Barcelona, is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. Though it is primarily known for its football club, FC Barcelona also consists of four other professional sports teams, competing in basketball, handball, futsal, and roller hockey. FC Barcelona, known familiarly by its fans as Barça, has been around for over one hundred years and has been consistently popular throughout.
FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 by Joan Gamper, a Swiss businessman who had relocated to Spain after falling in love with the country. Gamper sought to start a football club and placed an ad in a paper, receiving several responses and quickly assembling a team that went on to emerge as one of the leading teams in their home region of Catalonia and the greater country of Spain. In 1902, the club won the Copa Macaya.

In 1908, Gamper became club president in order to save the club from going under. FC Barcelona had been experiencing hardships due to many of their best players retiring and the fact that they had not won anything since 1905. Gamper was able to get the club its own stadium, formally moving into the Carrer Industria on March 14, 1909. Gamper was also able to recruit top-notch players and managers and get the club back into the business of winning with him at the helm. The club moved yet again in 1922 to an even larger stadium, Las Cortes, which eventually had a capacity of a whopping 60,000.

The mid- 1920s and 30s marked a period of hardship for the club. During this period, a crowd at a Barça game jeered the Royal March as a spontaneous objection to Spain's dictatorship. As a result, the stadium was shut down for three months and Gamper was forced to concede the presidency of the club. The club's founder committed suicide on July 30, 1930 following a bout of depression brought on by personal and financial problems.
After the Spanish Civil War, Dictator Francisco Franco banned football clubs from using non-Spanish names. As a result, FC Barcelona was changed to Club de Futbol Barcelona. During this period, the club was oppressed by Franco's regime, which favored their rivals, Real Madrid. Despite the political climate and oppression, FC Barcelona was able to go on and win many trophies and championships during the 1940s and 50s.

Though they became the first club to beat Real Madrid in a European Cup eliminatory in 1961, the 60s were not a great decade for CF Barcelona. Because the club lacked money to acquire better players after building a new stadium, the league was dominated by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The 1970s, however, saw the arrival of the soon-to-be-legendary Johan Cruyff, who led the team to the championship in '74.
Despite winning many championships, the next fourteen years saw the team experience conflicts with their management. Finally, in 1988 Johan Cruyff returned as team manager and assembled the "Dream Team", a group of elite players. Cruyff led the team to many victories and remains their most successful manager to date. After Cruyff's departure in 1994, managers and players came and went, but the team continued having limited successes.
Finally, in 2003 a young new president took over FC Barcelona. Joan Laporta brought in manager Frank Rijkaard and many international stars that led the team to many victories for a few years. In 2008, after many failures Laporta decided to replace Rijkaard with Barça B coach Josep Guardiola.

To see first hand how Barca does with their new lineup, see them play at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. Buy FC Barcelona tickets in advance from Simply Barcelona Tickets to ensure ticket availability

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FC Barcelona Players - Lionel Messi

If any player can be said to be the natural successor to Diego Maradona, then surely it must be Lionel Messi.
Born in 1987, he signed for Barcelona from Newell's Old Boys of Argentina at 13 years of age, and since that time Messi has been marked for super stardom. But for a niggling succession of injuries, he surely would have been a Ballon D'Or winner by now.
What has always singled out 'Leo' as being special is his ability to dribble at speed with the ball under perfect control. Although primarily a winger, he can play more central or even deeper but, whatever his position, when he has the ball at his feet, the fans always expect something special from him.
Since scoring his first league goal for Barça in May, 2005 Messi has become a talisman for the team - his modest attitude off the pitch and his constant praising of the work of his team mates ensuring that the fans always hold him in the highest esteem.

Life wasn't always easy for Messi, though, despite his prodigious talent. As a youngster, Lionel suffered from a growth preventing hormonal disorder - Barcelona helped tempt him to Spain by paying for his medical treatment. This short stature, ironically, has enabled Leo to have that low centre of gravity that enables him to weave through defences.
Despite being wooed by the Spanish national team, Messi has always been eager to represent the country of his birth - he was voted player of the tournament in the Under 20 World Cup in 2005, where he was also top goal scorer. In the 2007 Copa America he was voted young player of the tournament. He was not afraid to let it be known how desperate he was to represent Argentina in the 2008 Olympic Games and although Barcelona appeared reluctant at first to release him, he ultimately helped Argentina win the gold medal - creating the only goal of the final in the process.
Playing for the national team hasn't brought constant success, however. On his international debut, against Hungary in 2005, Messi came on as substitute in the second half and was sent off 40 seconds later - allegedly elbowing the defender who was tugging his shirt to hold him back. Then, in the 2006 World Cup, Pekerman, the coach, was the subject of immense criticism from fans because of his seeming reluctance to play Messi in what was, for the Argentines, a disappointing tournament.

And those Maradona comparisons? Well, the great man himself did say at one point that Messi was his natural heir. And if you want to see a carbon copy of the 'hand of God' goal then search on You Tube for Messi's 'goal' in June, 2007 - against Espanyol in a local derby, would you believe!
While you're there, though, remind yourself as well of the goal against Getafe in the Copa del Rey, when the little maestro picked the ball up and ran through just about the whole team to round the keeper and score. If that doesn't bring back memories of Maradona then nothing will.
Despite the comparisons, Lionel Messi isn't the second Maradona. A modest, cool-headed, softly-spoken personality, Lionel Messi never seems to find himself in the gossip columns. Instead, he just gets on with the job of trying to be as good a footballer as he can be: and that is as good as any forward player in the world game.
Lionel Messi is a great player in his own right. And he can only get better.

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Barcelona FC - the Most Famous Football Team on the Planet?

With its avid fan base - known as the culés - and a motto that declares, "El Barca es mes que un club," the Barcelona FC would appear to have a lot to live up to when it comes to its reputation. It is safe to say, though, that Barca - as it is typically referred to by football fans - is the most successful football team on the planet today. With a rich history spanning back to the year 1899, and strings of successes that leave many other clubs in the dust, Barcelona FC offers football adherents a roster of the top stars in the game, consistent excellence and a level of excitement that is unmatched by virtually any other major sports team in the world.
A Tradition Of Excellence
The Barcelona football club was founded in the year 1899 by Joan Gamper and a group of Spanish, Swiss and English men. Almost immediately, the Barcelona FC emerged as one of the top football clubs in Spain; it was off to a marvelous start, to say the least. Despite this early success, though, the club nearly folded early on; Gamper took over as president in 1908 and helped steer the club back towards success. Under his leadership, Barcelona FC secured its first stadium and started accumulating a number of impressive victories.
Surviving Through Thick And Thin
The twentieth century was a tumultuous one, and between many key victories the Barcelona FC had to grapple with the Spanish Civil War as well as two World Wars. Despite it all, though, Barcelona FC came out on the other side with a truly phenomenal team. With the signing up of Dutch phenom Johan Cruyff in 1973, Barcelona FC rocketed to unprecedented heights. Since that time, the club has essentially been unstoppable. Star players - including Maradona, Lineker, Figo, Stoitchkov and Rivaldo - have all done their part to create some of the most passionate fans in the world of football.
Strong Evidence Of Success
Beyond their many electrifying victories and long lines of top rates players, Barcelona FC has enjoyed more accolades than seemingly any other football club in the world. Hotels in Barcelona book up quick when the team plays at the 98,000-person capacity Camp Nou. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics named the club the most consistently successful one since statistics have been kept. It's little wonder that Barcelona hotels fill up when the team plays, considering its first place UEFA ranking and many other key achievements.
Immerse Yourself In Barcelona FC Pride Firsthand
Ardent fans of the Barcelona FC - and there are millions of them - can revel in the club's glory by visiting Club Nou and touring the premises. By booking hotels in Barcelona, visitors can head over to Europe's largest stadium and enjoy one of two different self-guided tours. There is also a fascinating museum on the premises, where fans can observe the club's many trophies up close and personal. If you want to see all of this for yourself, book Barcelona hotels and plan a trip to the home of football's most successful team.

Eoin has written for many publications in his native south Wales and further afield. He currently lives in London's trendy Docklands with his partner. Both are regular faces in West End theatre audiences.

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Lionel Messi - The Greatest Contemporary Footballer

Is he the greatest contemporary footballer in the game today? Many might argue that yes, Lionel Messi is the greatest. After all, fans and foes have often drawn lines of comparison between Messi and his hero, the legendary Deigo Maradona. Add to that the ultimate compliment offered up by Maradona himself, who stated Messi would be his "successor", and it's kind of hard not to at least notice that Lionel Messi is one amazing footballer.
As a striker/winger for Barcelona and a member of the Argentine Senior International Team, Messi made his debut with Barcelona during the 2004/05 Season and broke La Liga's record for being the youngest player to ever score a league goal. The young striker's aggressive play and sheer athleticism powered him to a spot as a first team regular in Barcelona in 2006/07, when he scored 14 goals in only 26 league games. Then, as if to raise the bar for himself, he went on to score 38 goals in Barcelona's incredible 2008/2009 Season.
As a top scorer in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, he soon became an established player in the Argentine Senior International Team. As part of that squad, Messi became the youngest Argentine player ever to participate in a World Cup match in 2006. Later, in 2008, he was part of the Argentine Olympic squad and was honored with a gold medal for his efforts in the Beijing Games.
Beloved of fans on the field, he also deserves kudos for his charitable efforts off the field, too. In 2007, Messi establish the Fundacion Leo Messi (Leo Messi Foundation). The charity supports access to both education and health care for children in at risk situations. Likely a response to his own childhood illness, Messi makes sure the foundation supports assistance for Argentine children diagnosed with difficult medical conditions by offering them advanced treatments in Spain and covering their expenses including transportation, hospital stay and rehabilitation. He is partnered with the company Herbalife in this endeavor. In March of this year, Messi became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, at least partially due to his personal efforts on behalf of children's rights.
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Lionel Messi's Goal of the Century - FC Barcelona v Getafe

While many FC Barcelona football tickets are bought by those wanting to see the marvels of Ronaldinho and Eto'o at the Nou Camp, one of the most exciting young players to regularly grace the line up of FC Barcelona is the Argentinean player Lionel Messi.
While highly regarded in the Nou Camp, his profile has been lower than the two previously mentioned players until now; but perhaps the beginning of the end of his relative low-profile happened last week when he scored an amazing goal in a match against Getafe in the Copa del Rey - the King's Cup.
The match - in which Barcelona beat Getafe 5-2 - saw two goals from Messi, as well as Xavi, Eto'o and Gudjohnsen, but it is the Messi's first goal in particular that people are talking about nearly a week after the event.
In an almost move for move reproduction of Maradona's "goal of the century" against England in the 1986 World Cup semi-final - English fans will never forgive Maradona scoring off a handball in the same match, dubbed by Maradona himself as "the hand of God" - Leo Messi received the ball from Xavi, beat a total of five Getafe players and then knocked the ball past the goalkeeper into the net, running a distance of 63 metres in doing so.
Naturally Messi is being compared with Diego Maradona, to whom he dedicated the goal, and if you watch the two goals side by side the similarities are eerie.
Although Messi's star is currently shining bright, the future for the young player was at one time looking bleak. Diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency when he was eleven years old, a time when the Argentinean economy was in meltdown, neither his family nor the club that had expressed an interest in him, Club Atletico River Plate, were unable to afford the treatment.
However, his family jumped at the chance of starting a new life in Spain when Catalan giants FC Barcelona stepped in with an offer that included all medical expenses and he quickly flourished in Barcelona's youth team. Since becoming a first team regular he has become a firm favourite and puts his talent to good use against some of the top teams in the league, including arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Although the comparison with Maradona unfair at this early stage in his career, providing Lionel Messi can remain motivated and injury free then he could easily join the ranks of the football greats.

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Lionel Messi the Successor of Diego Maradona

Lionel Messi was born in Rosario city on June 24, 1987. He started playing football at the age of five for Grandoli, a club coached by his father. Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys in 1995. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Every month Messi required treatment for the illness that cost over 500 Pounds. River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for his treatment. FC Barcelona was made aware of Messi talent. After watching him play, Barcelona signed him and offer to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain.
Messi is a player with exceptional quality. He is highly creative, and has the skills to take on defenders with ease. He is a versatile left-footed player who can play either in the middle or on either wing, or even as a centre forward. Messi makes up for the lack of height with his speed and agility. His sudden changes in pace make him a true problem for the defenders. In addition, his accurate powerful shot make him truly unique in free kick and corner situations. He has drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, and indeed Maradona himself named Messi his "successor".
In club football, Messi made his debut against Espanyol on October 16, 2004, becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for FC Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga at that that time (a record broken by team mate Bojan Krkic in September 2007). He scored his first senior goal against Albacete Balompié on May 1, 2005. Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old at that time, becoming the youngest player to ever score in a La Liga game for FC Barcelona until 2007 when Bojan Krkic broke this record.
Messi won the Under 20 World Cup in Holland with Argentina. He was crowned the leading goalscorer and voted best player in the tournament. Aged 18 years, he had become one of the hottest properties in the world game. Shortly after, he made his first full international appearance in a friendly against Hungary. In 2005, José Pekerman called Messi up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut on August 17, 2005 against Hungary. He was sent off in the 63rd minute, just 40 seconds after he came in as a substitute. The referee found Messi to have elbowed defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was tugging Messi's shirt. He left the pitch disappointed and in tears.
Since then, Lionel Messi has developed into a more complete and mature player. There are still many years left in his career. Everyone is waiting for him to emulate Diego Maradona success by guiding Argentina to win the World Cup again.

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Barcelona Analysis - Messi's One Weakness

I must preface this article with a preamble context: that I am ardent supporter of Lionel Messi, and have been for four years now. Not eons, but since Messi started playing first team football for Barcelona, I tipped him for the Ballon d'Or and he surely has not disappointed.
I have, time and time again, watched and analyzed Messi play, looking at nuances of the subtle side of his game, his tenacity, the intuition in positioning himself, his speed, and for the several times Andres Iniesta has not been on the field, his ability to serve as the sleek Xavi mate on the midfield. He truly is one of the most talented footballers this generation has seen on the field.
And yet, Messi has his weaknesses. His game, just like Achilles, remains imperfect in this sense: he sometimes does not try as hard and does not work as hard enough.
And this came out so strongly and clearly in Barcelona's 3-1 loss at the San Siro. We all know Messi to be the fearless runner into defenders, as one of Barca's most active players. Someone who, when dispossessed will immediately be back on his feet, winning the ball and forcing defenders to make errors. Barcelona's win over Arsenal at the quarterfinals of the Champions league comes to mind. He single handedly dismantled the Gunners, making them pay for every error they made.
However, during Inter's game, Messi ran just over 8220 M, a below average performance and less than any player who played for the full 90+ minutes. No doubt Inter has some stifling defense and that the Argentine was keenly marked, but the Messi we know who beats his markers with his slender and sleek dribbles, won just a single foul outside his realm, the 18 yard mark. He indeed spent most of the game in a peripatetic style withdrawn on the midfield. Statistics showed he completed fewer successful passes than five of his mates, a relatively poor show from the reigning World Player of the Year.
And this really must be pointed out to be Messi's principle undoing; that if and when crowded out, when marked out of the match, he will struggle throughout the game. Jose Mourinho knew this, and Jose Mourinho won.

Make sure you keep in touch with Lionel Messi. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Renske_Buursma

Barcelona - A Rich Football Club With Good Intentions

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia - an autonomous community of Spain. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it is the second largest Spanish city with a population of around 1.6million people. Barcelona is perhaps best known for its sporting links - in 1992 it held the Olympic Games and its main football side, FC Barcelona, is one of the biggest in the world.
Barcelona is one of only a dozen teams to have won the Champions League on more than one occasion - most recently in 2006 when they remained unbeaten throughout the entire tournament, a feat only matched by Manchester United in 2008. Their two victories are, however, overshadowed by rival Real Madrid's record of nine cup wins.
Their Spanish rivals also have the upper hand in Spanish Premier League La Liga titles - winning by 31 to 18 - but Barcelona have won the Spanish cup 24 times, which is more than any other side in the country.
Football is often criticised for the amount of money involved. Whether it's how much the club spends on transfer fees and player wages or the cost of tickets and merchandise to cover these outgoings, the general consensus is that it's too much.
During the 2006/07 season, Barcelona was listed as the third-richest club in world football but the club has dented the claim that all clubs are money-grabbing. Rather than have a company pay money to be their shirt sponsor - an easy way to generate income for the club and one that is undertaken by almost all professional sides these days - Barcelona announced in 2006 that the logo of children's charity UNICEF would appear on their strips. They agreed a five-year deal which would see the football club donate a small percentage of its income to a foundation set up in partnership with the charity.
This trend has now begun to spread to other clubs. Aston Villa announced that they would advertise Acorns Children's Hospice for the 2008/09 season - it is the first time a Premiership club has used a sponsor in this way.
Both clubs have received a lot of positive press following their decisions and many hope that others will follow in their footsteps and help those in society who most need it.
Despite the loss in revenue, both teams still have enough income to make big money signings to stay competitive in their respective leagues. Indeed, Barcelona remains one of the biggest clubs in the world and is constantly looking to challenge for the La Liga title and Champions League honours.
Recent stats show around 25% of Spain's population support the Catalan giants and millions more follow them around the world, often flying to the city and staying in hotels in Barcelona just to watch them play. It's a huge boost to local tourism and the more money that is spent on the club, the more that they donate to charity.

Isla Campbell writes on a number of topics on behalf of a digital marketing agency and a variety of clients. As such, this article is to be considered a professional piece with business interests in mind.

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Lionel Messi - Player Focus

Another off the Argentine assembly line of "New Maradonas", Lionel Messi may be the first to live up to that unfair comparison. Where Javier Saviola, Juan Roman Riquelme and Pablo Aimar have unsurprisingly failed to match HIS high standards despite initial promise, Messi has shown that even at a young age he is able to carry the weight of expectant teammates and a nation on his shoulders.
Credit must also be given to his Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard for not rushing him into a starting place at Barcelona he is more than ready to hold.
"It is clear Messi is a talent, a future player, but I ask that everyone continues supporting him when he is out of the team because he is still very young." Rijkaard said in a recent interview. He continued:
"I'm convinced about him because I know he isn't paying attention to all the speculation in the media."He prefers to do his talking on the pitch."
In fact his three goals and one assist in nine league starts for Barcelona this season to add to his goal and assist in the UEFA Champions League back up his coaches claim, and at 18 years young we are only just starting to see glimpses of his enormous potential. Messi states:
"I want to keep on learning and I hope things go well for me. The thing is to help the team as much as possible."
These are the words of a young man with a focused head on his shoulders and more importantly good advisors around him. How many times have we seen the vultures swoop in on young prodigies sweet talking them and their parents into committing career suicide by sulking and demanding more playing time only to become no more than a trivia question five years down the road.
With the World Cup in Germany swiftly approaching Lionel Messi will definitely be one to watch if selected for national duty.
Enrique Domínguez, Messi's former coach said "He could do things with the ball that defied the laws of physics. The only other person I have ever seen do that was Diego Maradona".
Let us all recall that Maradona himself did not come into his own until the 1986 World Cup in Mexico despite being tipped for great things in Spain four years prior. That World Cup was a general disappointment for Maradona as well as Argentina. Messi will be three years younger than Maradona was in his first World Cup appearance and it is important that we all allow Lionel to continue developing at his current pace without placing on him too much pressure for a teenager to handle. For his part Messi must maintain his enthusiasm and work ethic that has so far impressed his coaches and peers. If he can do that then the sky is indeed his limit.

Career HighlightsJune 24, 1987 Born in Rosario, Argentina 2000 Lionel and his family move to Spain to help treat his hormonal growth deficiency Signs for Barcelona at the age of 13 October 16, 2004 Makes his Barcelona first tem debut against RCD Espanyol May 1 2005 Becomes the youngest league scorer in Barcelona's history against Albacete when he scored his first goal at 17 years, ten months and seven days June 2005 Helps the Argentina Under 20 team win the FIFA World Youth Championship scoring two goals against Nigeria in the Final June 27, 2005 Renews his contract with Barcelona until 2010 with a EUR150 million buy-out clause August 4, 2005 Receives his first call up to the Argentine national team September 25, 2005 Obtains Spanish citizenship allowing him to play more games for Barcelona no longer being restricted by the non-EU player quota

About The Author

Echeta Okeke is a soccer enthusiast whose articles can be read here:

http://www.soccerholics.com

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FC Barcelona Pictures and News

Experience the glorious past and the vibrant present of FC Barcelona through pictures and news readily available online. Apart from the official club website, exciting and breathtaking FC Barcelona pictures are in abundance in several blogs, news sites, and websites dedicated to the club. Check out the latest FC Barcelona news in the top news sites in the world as well as in the official and other unofficial websites.
Futbol Club Barcelona, nicknamed Barça, is not as much as a football club as it is a Catalan institution. Founded in 1899, it is one of the best Spanish clubs with Real Madrid as its closest rival. At present, it home to other sports teams apart from the football club.
FC Barcelona is said to be the most popular football club in the whole of Europe. Some surveys show that it has a fan base of 44.2 million fans in the football-crazy continent alone. Hence, FC Barcelona news and Barça rumors are in great demand online. Fans are also racing to shoot photos of their beloved club during matches and sell them online. Online buyers are faced with several options.
Track Record
Barça is among the big three Spanish football club. Alongside Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, it has never been relegated or demoted from the La Liga, the premier league in Spain. All in all, the club has lifted 18 La Liga titles, a record of 24 Spanish Cups, two League Cups, and seven Spanish Super Cups.
In European leagues, FC Barcelona has won four UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, two European Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, and three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups.
Camp Nou
The home stadium of Barça is Camp Nou, also referred to as "Nou Camp." Constructed in 1957, it has witnessed hundreds of football matches against visiting clubs since 1857. Camp Nou is rated by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) as a five-star stadium. It can hold up to 98,772 people and is the biggest European football stadium.
Camp Nou is one of the preferred hosts of UEFA Champions League Finals. The club won their very first game at their new stadium in 1957. They thrashed Legia Warsaw of Germany, 4-2.It was built from 1954 to 1957 and was designed by a group of three architects. The stadium has also been the venue for several major music events.
There are plenty of FC Barcelona pictures with Camp Nou as the background available to fans. They come in colored and black-and-white. Sometimes, the pictures are able to capture the club in their most intense action. There is drama, joy, love, and passion in pictures. You could also easily find group and individual photos.
Latest News
In the most recent Barça news, the club bulldozed Malaga in a pre-weekend La Liga match. The resounding win catapulted the club to the topmost position in the league standings, six points ahead Real Madrid. They are slated to next face Valladolid but their recent triumph over Malaga is bound to boost their spirits prior to their anticipated UEFA Champions League quarterfinal fixture against Germany's Bayern Munich. Browse online for photos and the latest news of the match.

Find all the latest FC Barcelona News at All About FC Barcelona. At All About FC Barcelona you will find all the latest FC Barcelona Pics and match statistics with in depth analysis.

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Messi Soccer Cleats For Messi Fans

Soccer, in the recent times has acquired a huge of popularity. Earlier football was also considered the most favorite sports by all. Today, it is the widely and the most commonly played form of sports. With such a high popularity, football players are idols for many soccer lovers. Lionel Messi is one of the most highly followed football stars by the soccer fans. Messi football lovers have visualized some of the most wonderful goals of the history by their favorite star, Lionel Messi.
Because of his fantastic soccer sport performance, Messi has managed to acquire some of the famous shoe brands with his name. Various famous shoe brands acquired the name Messi football shoes in order to let his huge fan following feel close to their favorite player. No doubt, Messi is the best football player world wide. The 2009 world football player award given to him justifies the statement.
At the age of 14, Messi signed up his contract with the Nike shoe brand launching a new form of Messi soccer cleats. At the early age of 14, he showcased the Nike Mercurial Vapor II. During the same time, the famous Brazilian star, Ronaldo was showcasing the new mercurial vapor by Nike which went out of sight once the Messi soccer boots entered the market.
During the year 2005, Soccer boots were viewed to be separated from the famous brand Nike. The reason behind this was the tempting offer made by Adidas to Messi. It was during February 2006 that Lionel Messi signed a five year contract with Adidas which had already signed football stars like David Bechkam.
The Adidas Messi soccer shoes or the Tunit football balls were created especially for football games. The design of the soccer shoes was light but equally strong to showcase the best performance of the players on the fields. These football cleats helped Messi to earn an Olympic Gold medal for his extraordinary performance during the course of the game.
Messi soccer lovers can see Lionel Messi in several advertisements of Adidas football cleats. Adidas recently came out with Lionel Messi F50 AdiZero World Cup Boots. Adidas claimed that these football cleats revolutionized the market of soccer cleats. With their exquisite design, the Messi soccer cleats were appreciated by many. Messi footballboots offer Messi fans a unique way to express their love and gratitude towards their favorite soccer star.

Messisoccer.com is one of the leading wholesale traders for professional Messi soccer cleats. They offer soccer cleats for every individual. With a desire to be the best wholesale trader of soccer cleats, messisoccer.com offers a lot of variety to the messi soccer cleats' fans.

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Barca - FC Barcelona and Camp Nou

Barça, the colloquial name for Fútbol Club Barcelona or F.C. Barcelona, is known and respected throughout the world as one of its premier teams, and is one of only three never to have been relegated from the Spanish La Liga. It is one of the most famous football teams in Europe, second in Spain only to Real Madrid. In fact, according to the official statistics it was the most successful team worldwide between the years of 1991 and 2008.
The club plays out of the Camp Nou stadium (Nou Camp to foreigners), in Avinguda Aristides Maillol, s/n, 08028, Barcelona. It is only 13 Km from the El Prat Airport, and the 5 mile journey from the city center can be taken using the metro (Line 5 from Collblanc or Badal and Line 3 from Les Corts or Maria Cristina). You can also get there by bus, using lines 7, 15, 43, 67, 68, 74, 75, L12, L50, L60 & L62. The official name of the stadium is the Nou Estadi del Fútbol Club Barcelona.
Originally, the first permanent pitch for the club was at Les Corts, but it soon became apparent that the success of the club and its increasing following would necessitate a new stadium. There followed a period of argument and discussion as to its new site, which was eventually whittled down to two realistic choices: a site near the top of the Diagonal that was in the process of redevelopment or a site the club had purchased in 1950 at a place known as La Maternidad. Ultimately, La Maternidad was chosen and construction took three years, from 1954 - 1957.
Barcelona F.C. is a very rich team in comparison to others in Spain and even in Europe, regularly competing in the Champion's League that is open only to the top European teams. It owns its own newspaper and magazine, and also runs a TV channel and radio station.
If you have ever dreamed of running down the tunnel and onto a world-class football pitch, you can do that here at the Nou Camp. It is brilliant for visitors and football fans, no matter what football team or country you support. The museum is world class and the tours are unbeatable and unmissable. You are shown round the dressing rooms, the press box, the president's area and also the pitch. All you need now is a ball and thousands of fans screaming for you to score! The atmosphere is intense, and you would be doing what every supporter of this great team dreams of doing.
When you visit the museum you can look at all the trophies won by the club, and loads of photographs showing its history and its great players over the years. How about the club's top scorer, Carlos Rodriguez, with 235 goals in 350 games played between 1941 and 1955. Or the amazing 548 appearances of Migueli between 1973 and 1989. Enjoy learning about the great modern players, such as the Argentineans Maradonna and Lionel Messi, the Brazilians Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Deco (now Portuguese), and the Dutchman Johann Cruyff, all Barcelona players at one time - and Messi still is. The club boasts most FIFA World Player Awards with seven.
The museum has grown significantly since it opened in 1984, and boasts 1.2 million visitors each year. You don't get better than that for a football museum! Little wonder it is classed as the best in the world! It does a lot more than simply show exhibits and photographs: it offers a wonderful audio and visual display of the social and cultural aspects of this great football club and provides a marvelous insight into its history and what makes a modern football club tick.
It offers guided tours, but you are not obliged to take them. You can opt for an audio tour instead that offers you a personal commentary of the salient features of the club. It is available in seven languages including English, Dutch, German, Italian and French, and of course Catalan and Spanish. It is well worth taking one of these - the guided tour or at least the audio commentary.
Tickets are available from the clubs ticket office. To get there head through Gates 7 or 9 and then make for the Boulevard Ticket Office. Tickets at the moment are €17 for adults and €14 for 6 - 13 year-olds, with 5 year-olds and under free. The tickets are for the tour of the club and include admission to the museum.
Opening times for the museum are 1000 to 1830 daily, except Sundays and Bank Holidays when closing time is 1400. On match days the museum is open as normal but the tour is closed until 1500. Advance booking is not necessary, although if you prefer you can book by emailing museu@fcbarcalona.com or you can call (+34) 93496 36 08. You can also book tickets through the football club's website.
It is also important to get your accommodation booked well in advance, and there are many beautiful Barcelona apartments available to rent in the city during the tourist season.

For information on Barcelona Apartments for let during your holiday, and more on the great F.C. Barcelona, visit http://www.way2barcelona.com where you will also find a great deal more about this beautiful Catalan city.

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All About FC Barcelona Football Tickets

It's official now. Thierry Henri's contract with FC Barcelona Football Club has been rescinded and he has joined NY Red Bulls. But the star strikers of the magnificent football club have vowed their allegiance to the club. There is Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol and the charismatic Villa, who will be seen playing for Barca again this Spanish LFP season.
Barcelona matches have always attracted thousands of spectators and the Camp Nou, the home stadium of FC Barcelona has been witness to myriads of historical matches where the club clinched the winning glory. The matches are planned a year in advance and so are the tickets also booked, that is a year in advance. Being a true Barcelona fan, you cannot afford to miss the match where the club takes on the Athletico Madrid or Valencia. The A+++ rating of the club is proof enough of its ever increasing popularity and thus accounts for the low availability of football tickets for the club's matches.
If you are eager to behold a winning football club as FC Barcelona maraud the opponents but are hindered only due to non-availability of tickets, then there is a reason to cheer up. It is now relatively easier to get the football tickets that too at such dream prices that will leave you astonished. No more buying tickets in black for almost triple the principle amount. Best Barcelona football tickets are now easy to come by and now you know where!
The history of the club is no mean one. The club has been around for 112 years now and such stalwarts like Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff have played for this iconic football club. It holds six grand titles to its name including major Spanish Titles and the FIFA club World Cup. Seeing the men in Barca colours play is a real treat to the eyes and a true FC Barcelona fan would miss it for nothing, least for unavailability of football tickets.
You can buy FC Barcelona Football Tickets online. There are special football packages which are designed for the fans. These packages include a-ring football tickets for the match as well as a chance to explore the graceful city. Barcelona as a city has a charm of its own and some of the major tourist attractions are housed here. The special football tickets package comprises of tickets for the match, stay at a four star hotel for two nights, specifically Saturday and Sunday. The price will also include the cost of breakfast at the hotel before you leave for the day's excursion. In addition to all this, the fans buying the football package will also get two FC Barcelona souvenirs. Isn't it just superb?
All this means no queuing up outside the ticket booths, no paying extra charges to the black marketers, a chance to book the favourite seats if well on time and also roam about the gorgeous city of Barcelona and savour the finest Spanish cuisine.

Nadav Bar Kama is the author of this article on Fc Barcelona. Find more information about Barcelona here. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nadav_Bar_Kama

Adidas F50 Messi Soccer Cleats

Lionel Messi, Argentina born soccer player has showcased a wonderful and an outstanding performance in the grounds. The numerous awards and the highly acknowledged World Soccer player of the year award for the year 2009 justify his performances all throughout. With such a wonderful sporting quality and ability, it is obvious for the player to have a huge fan following. Soccer is amongst the most famous sport played, hence, the fan following for the game as well as the star increases automatically. Therefore, various companies have introduced Messi soccer gear for his fans.
The popularity of the Messi football accessories can be seen by the various brands and personalized kits named after the soccer star. Various shoe brands along with various soccer apparels and kit brands have used the last name of the star soccer player in order to increase their revenue. This not only increases the sales of the products, but also let the fans feels close to the soccer player.
The famous soccer player was recently seen promoting his personalized F50 Messi soccer cleats launched by Adidas. It is to be noted that Messi is in a long five year contract with the famous sport shoe brand, Adidas. The popularity range of the Adidas Messi football cleats can be noticed by the continuously rising sales revenue of the pair of soccer shoes.
Lionel Messi can be seen wearing the Adidas F50 Messi soccer cleats during most of his games. The unique range of Messi football cleats is available in metallic gold, black and white range of colors. The pair of cleats may seem similar to the other pair of cleats designed with a minute detailing and trimming differences, but, the major difference is that they have the famous and renowned name Messi attached to it.
The design of the exquisite Messi soccer shoes is done keeping in mind the ground quality and the level of comfort needed while playing. Needless to say, the Messi soccer cleats fit like a skin to the feet of the player offering an excellent level of comfort to the feet. The synthetic structure of the cleats reduces the weight to a great extent letting the player offer a wonderful amount of foot work in the fields. The increased support and stability is offered to the player by the synthetic features the TPU and PU fibers offers to the Messi soccer cleats. The firm ground sole plate of the cleats offers the players a firm grip while playing preventing them from falling down.

Messisoccer.com offers its customers a wide range and patterns of Messi soccer cleats. The organization is formed especially for all the soccer lovers the world over. With the aim to become the largest wholesale trader for soccer cleats, it offers such high quality that customers can rely upon.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mico_Ephla

Barcelona - More Than a Club?

If Barcelona is considered more than a club, then El Clasico is certainly more than a game, such is the importance of this fixture that it is often depicted as a re enactment of the Spanish civil war, Real Madrid representing the oppression and fascist dictatorship of the Franco era, a time when to be a Barcelona fan was to stand for freedom, to rebel against adversity, this is how Barcelona became more than a club. So historically Real Madrid would always be cast as the stereotypical villain in the soap opera that is "El Clasico".
History put to one side, modern day interpretations of the two teams would dictate who shall be cast as the villain in this struggle. Real Madrid with their free spending nature, flexing their financial muscles every summer to assemble a new team of superstars known as "Galacticos", unashamedly paying above the odds for players, inflating the transfer market almost single handedly. The man they have had the helm, the self titled, "special one", the man who some have accused of inventing "anti football". Mourinho is totally obsessed with the result, and he achieves results more often than not, at the expense of attractive football. His teams are an example of tactical/organisational skills over flair, the ultimate example being last years Champions league semi final, two legged victory over, none other than Barcelona.
Barcelona, in stark contrast would be considered the peoples champions. The team for the purists, an indigenous bunch of players raised with the ideals of the club instilled into them from an early age. These ideals of total football, and a philosophy of attractive football, brought to the club by the Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. Cruyff employed these ideals to become the most successful manager in the clubs history. Who better to ensure the continuity of these very ideals only current manager Josep Guardiola (captain of Cruyff's dream team).
So with the contest poised as such, good Vs bad, freedom Vs oppression, purist Vs pragmatist, the shock 5-0 victory for Barcelona at the Camp Nou, should be celebrated by all football lovers and should be considered a victory for football right? WRONG. Barcelona have shown us that they deserve to be considered our champions, I am running out of superlatives to describe the way in which they play the beautiful game. So as our champions they should represent the game with honesty and integrity right? At the risk of alienating mass amounts of sports fans, I am going to attempt to highlight how Barcelona have been anything but good champions for the beautiful game. They are almost untouchable in the media on account of the brand of football they playing being so alluring, any wrong doing is either ignored or worse, severely misconstrued in the papers and by football analysts.
Victory for football
Allow me to take you back to the champions league semi final 2009, Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea hearts were broke by a late Andreas Iniesta goal in the dying embers of the game. Despite the fact that this equalizer was Barcelona's solitary shot on target that night. Despite the fact that Chelsea had several, legitimate penalty claims turned down, despite the fact that Josep Guardiola and his staff showed little to no decorum in flooding the technical area, harassing the fourth official and, with an over zealous goal celebration nearly incited an already hostile home crowd. Despite the fact that Guss Hiddink architected an almost flawless defensive display, this night was hailed as a "victory for football". A victory for football because it was Barcelona and it catered for the Hollywood final between Manchester Utd and the Catalans.

The Fabregas issue
In a transfer market where there is constant scandal in relation to the tapping up of players. Barcelona demonstrate supreme arrogance in their pursuit of Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, inciting an intense media campaign including several stage managed pronouncements from some of their own stars. It is as though Barcelona consider themselves the rightful owner of the player (who left their "La Masia" youth academy for London when he was less than 15 years old) due to the fact that they were so involved in the moulding of the player, I wonder if they would be as understanding should Newell's Old Boys claim responsibility for the moulding of Lionel Messi. Once more the Catalan giants are depicted as the good guys, with Arsene Wenger playing out the role of big bad wolf as he holds the player captive at the club he is contractually obliged to play for. What Barcelona have done is clever manipulation of one of the most powerful weapons in a clubs arsenal (for want of a better word), the media. By ensuring the player states he does not want to play for anyone else other than Barcelona it means they know there is no competition for his signature, thus reducing his market value drastically. The most probable eventuality is that Cesc Fabregas will see out his "sentence" at Arsenal diligently like the professional that he is, at which time he will return to Catalonia as a free agent. Barcelona will get their "entitlement" and Arsenal will get nothing.
Tactical frailties ignored / Sore Losers
Allow me to once more take you back to a champions league semi final 2nd leg, this time it is 2010 and Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan to everyones surprise lead Barcelona 3-1 going into the Camp Nou, thanks to an extremely efficient and impressive display at the San Siro. The game took a drastic turn when Thiago Motta was sent off on account of a cynical act of cowardice from Sergio Busquettes, as he lay writhing in agony on the ground, the Spaniard can be seen to peer out between the hands he weeps into, checking to see if his actions had the desired effect. They had, Inter were down to ten men. The special ones hand was forced, this was the biggest task he had yet to face. Could Jose's ten men keep the creative force that is Barcelona at bay? Boy did he deliver.
Mourinho wielded the tactical noose around the game and exposed frailties in the Barcelona tactics. Inter allowed the ball to Barcelona but limited their options with it by only making a challenge within 25 yards of their own goal, Inter were not controlling the ball, but they were still controlling the space. Xavi and Busquets still dominated the ball, of course, but they were forced to shift it wide to Alves (who had a poor game) or Gabriel Milito, who was not comfortable on the ball. Barca always had ten players to get past, and their tendency to shoot from long-range demonstrated the fact that they were simply finding it impossible to play through Inter. Barcelona were found to have no plan B and continued to play Messi through the middle in an attempt to gnaw away and erode Inters water tight defensive wall. Barcelona completed 555 passes compared to Inter's 67, and produced the most dominant display of possession in European competition this year, 86%. And yet, for all that - how many times did they actually get the ball into serious goalscoring positions?
Barcelona so rarely having to adapt due to the sheer brilliance were undone by the same tactics that when employed by Guss Hiddinks Chelsea so very nearly yielded success the year before. I do not expect Barcelona to be infallible, but you must play, win and lose like a champion. Barcelona having been outwitted fair and square by Mourinho's 10 men, behaved like a spoiled brat who would take the ball in with him. As Mourinho relished the success of his pragmatic approach, he was leapt upon by Victor Valdes and no sooner had the Inter players began to celebrate when the sprinklers were turned on in the Camp Nou, literally raining on Inters parade in a sickening example of sore losing. Is this the example we want our champions to set?
In the aftermath of that game, the footballing world cast their flags at half mast. Not because of Barcelona's childish act of petulance, not because of Sergio Busquettes' gross misconduct and demonstration of the moral decay that so obviously exists in today's game. No none of these reasons, the footballing world mourned simply because, the wizard Mourinho, with his pragmatic approach had reminded everyone that tactics win football games. "Anti football" had won out on this occasion.
Tainted Victory
So on a night when Barcelona were the embodiment of all their ideals and showcased all the skills we know and love that they possess in abundance. They were every bit the champions in the way they played, they lacked character in what could have been one of they're greatest nights in an illustrious history. The man who is meant to embody all the ideals of this magnificent club, more than a club, the dynasty that is Barcelona, coach Pep Guardiola behaved like a child. At 2-0 and the game not out of Real Madrid's sight, Guardiola shows the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo before throwing the ball away in an act of total disrespect for one of the greatest players to ever play the game. If you can't act with grace when you are winning 2-0 and playing the best football ever seen, its difficult to ascertain when indeed one can show grace, just cause you are a character does not mean you have character. Victor Valdes ran a greater distance than most wingers as he frequented the centre circle with 60 yard bursts upfield to "firefight" any dispute. Now I am not claiming Real Madrid or Jose Mourinho to be model citizens by any means but the point is that they by no means claim to be. Barcelona, more than just a club, a lot more.

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History & Progress of FC Barcelona Football Club

You can visit the fantastic city of Barcelona, if you want to have wonderful football vacation in Europe. The fabulous capital of Catalonia certainly is one of the top venues to enjoy football in Europe. Located on the mouths of Llobregat & Besòs Rivers on the Mediterranean coast, Barcelona surely is a perfect destination for football.
Football is the first passion for the Catalan People. Probably that was the reason that FIFA chose Barcelona as venue for several matches of the 1982 Football World Cup. The magnificent city is widely known for FC Barcelona or Futbol Club Barcelona, which is one of the major sports clubs of Europe.
The Club is best known for its Football team, but the club also has teams for rugby, wheelchair basketball, ice hockey, athletics, baseball, cycling, field hockey, figure skating, and volleyball. Some of the Club's other known teams include FC Barcelona B (Football), FC Barcelona Women's Football, FCB Rugby, FC Barcelona-Institut Guttman, AXA FC Barcelona (Basketball), FC Barcelona Handball, FC Barcelona Futsal, and FC Barcelona Sorli Discau (Rink Hockey).
Founded by Joan Gamper with the support of a group of Swiss, English, and Catalan men in 1899, the Club is popularly known as Barca. The club has progressed brilliantly to virtually become the major sports institution of Catalonia. The Club's motto is "Més que un club," that literally means 'More than a club'.
In 1928, the Club teamed up with Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao to set up La Liga, and it became the first La Liga champion. The club has shown brilliant progress in Football, and has a great contribution to the Spanish and the European Football. The club has 18 La Liga, 24 Copa del Rey, 7 Supercopa de España, 32 Joan Gamper Trophy, 2 UEFA Champions League, 4 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and 2 European Super Cup titles under its name to date.
The Club's football squad has one of the world's finest football players. Its football squad in 2007 included Víctor Valdés (vice-captain), Gabriel Milito, Rafael Márquez, Carles Puyol (captain), Xavi Hernández (vice-captain), Eiður Guðjohnsen, Andrés Iniesta, Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho (vice-captain), Gianluca Zambrotta, Thierry Henry, Edmílson, Sylvinho, Giovani dos Santos, Santiago Ezquerro, Lionel Messi, Deco, Lilian Thuram, Éric Abidal, Oleguer Presas, Yaya Touré, Albert Jorquera, Marc Crosas, Bojan Krki

Author writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for Hotels, Villas, Barcelona apartments, and Barcelona Football Tickets.

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Barcelona, Spain in February 2006 Was Fabulous

A short break from the English winter to the warmer climate of Barcelona, Spain in February 2006 sounded like an excellent idea.
After leaving London Luton Airport on a dull day to then fly to Barcelona and just before landing you look out of the window and see the end of the Pyrenees Mountains, the Mediterranean coat and the city itself.
The airport is located by the sea, but unlike Nice in the South of France you actually taxi around the airport for a considerable time before the plane arrives at one of the two terminals.
There are excellent bus connections to bring you into the city centre. You need to allow plenty of time to make your connections, particularly in the rush hour or if there are road works as there were in February.
Barcelona is the capital ofCataloniaand one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean; it's an eclectic mixture of Gothic, 'modernist' and contemporary architectural treasures.
Once there whenever possible try walking around, the place is so beautiful with elegant buildings. When you need to see the tourist attractions further from the city centre take the underground rail network or the bus.
All around are excellent view points and in the centre at the Placa Catalunya (where the Tourist office is located and a stop for the airport bus) is the Department Store El Cortes (National chain of Spanish department stores). Take a trip up the escalator to the 11th floor restaurant and enjoy the panoramic views.
A short bus ride will take you to its most famous landmark is the Sagrada Familia church. Although not consecrated as a cathedral yet, no doubt when completed it will become one. The fairy-tale like building in the northern part of the city centre. Its creator, Antoni Gaudi, commenced work on it in 1882 and concentrated all his energies on it until his untimely death in 1926, when he was run-over by a tram. The Sagrada Familia is still under construction and may take another 50 years to complete. You can visit its interior and take a lift to the top of the building and enjoy even more panoramic views
Gaudi was born in Reus, in the province of Tarragona in 1852 and was the undoubted leader of the 'modernist' movement that began in the second half of the 19th century.
If you want to see some of the most original buildings, which took the art nouveau concept to new heights, head for the L'Eixample area, to the north-west of the Ramblas (La Rambla) in the Barri Gothic area (Barri Gòtic), a stone's throw from the port.
The Barri Gothic 'quartier' is the oldest part of the city; a mix of narrow streets and beautiful squares and for lovers of Tapas bars, a paradise. The Taverna Del Bisbe, close to the Gothic cathedral, serves wonderful grilled fish such as calamars, which you can wash down with excellent Rioja. Jardi is a 2-star hotel in this area, which is clean, welcoming and won't burn a hole in your pocket. It's located in Plaça Sant Josep Oriol 1,Barri Gòtic.
Just of La Rambla in a small square is very interesting restaurant called the Taxidedermista that apart from having excellent cuisine has a part glass floor between the ground floor and the basement below. It is spacious, comfortable and welcoming. It's unusual to find memorable risotto outside of northern Italy but this eatery has found the formula. The pumpkin soup with spinach and mushroom garnish is magnificent, too.
If you are staying centrally unless you are full of energy for a long walk is a must to visit GUELL PARK in the north ot the city has wonderful views of Barcelona and the sea beyond. Another Gaudi masterpiece appeals to kids of all ages and, importantly, includes the house where Gaudi lived for many years, replete with the original furniture -- also created by the master architect/designer.
LA BARCELONETA at the sea was a shanty-beach before Barcelona was awarded the 1992 OLYMPIC GAMES. It was part of the Olympic Port area for the water sport activities of the Games and is close to the Olympic Village. There is a cluster of good, medium priced tapas bars and restaurants on the beach, including Agua, a neat restaurant that serves delicious food just a metre or so from the beach. There are two "twin towers" (but not identical twins) that are by the Port Olimpic that formed part of the Olympic village. You can also take a cable car ride from this location.

After a good evening meal whilst wandering around the Barri Gòtic try and find the L'Ascensor bar in the middle of the Barri Gothic quarter is an intimate little bar, ideal for a nightcap to finish the day's visits. Named after a "Lift - Elevator" you actually enter the premises via an old static wooden and glass lift from the 1930's
L'Eixample, north of the Barrio Gothic and west of Las Ramblas, is the district where most of the 'modernist' buildings of Gaudi and his contemporaries Puig and Domenech i Montaner created their original buildings for their clients in the second part of the 19th century. Definitely worth visiting.
TOUR AGBAR, CATALAN MUSIC MUSEUM -- Musica Hall is another superb piece of modernist architecture, created in the early 20th century by Lluis Domenech i Montamer. Although in February there were tours and concerts being held, it is too hot to be open during the hot months of the summer.
PLACA REIAL, close to the Ramblas, is elegant with its palm trees and elegant arcades.
CAMP NOU is home to the FC Barcelona club, currently the best in Spain and also winners of the 2006 UEFA Champions League in Europe in May. On the flight back from Barcelona there were several fans going to the match against Chelsea in London that night - A very cold west night, but they had left the warmth of this great city for the cold of London with high spirits and in good voice and even the immigration officers at passport control at London Luton had smiles on their faces. Maybe not had they been Chelsea fans as Barcelona beat them and also another London club - Arsenal in Paris to become the UEFA Champions of Europe.
Several days away in February - fantastic. To be eating out (admittedly under a gas heater and wearing a coat) at 11.00 at night in February. Drinking the Spanish version of a gin and to nice. Plenty of gin with ice and some tonic! Wearing a short sleeve shirt at lunch at the beach restaurant at La Barceloneta and the one time it rained it dried up within a few minutes and then to return to a wet and cold South of England.

Philip Suter is a Director of jml Property Services; http://www.jmlproperty.co.uk a UK based company offering Insurance products on line at http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk and a holiday home advertising service http://www.jmlvillas.com and management training within the uk. He a travel writer and is a very experienced property consultant with over 30 years work in the Residential letting business in the UK and served on the National Council of ARLA. He is a Fellow of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and a Member of The association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA)

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Unique and Stylish Barcelona Shirts

Barcelona Football Club was founded in 1899 by Joan Gamper a Swiss businessman. Now it has become very famous all over the world seeing every other person wearing a Barcelona shirt. This club´s international nature is a unique quality since the beginning of this club. Its international nature can be seen in the very title of the club which is the original Anglican version of its name Futbol Club Barcelona, instead of the formal Spanish version Club de Futbol Barcelona.
Barcelona plays its home games at Avenida Arstides Maillol, Camp Nou, Barcelona, which is officially known as Nou Estadi del Futbol Club Barcelona.
Barcelona which has a nickname Barca wear home shirts of red and blue. The main attraction of the shirts worn by Barcelona club is that they are the only club who do not have a sponsor´s name or logo on the front of their kit.
In launching the new Barcelona Away Kit 2010, Nike has created some great imagery which uses the stars of Barcelona, to strengthen their 'Write The Future' message. This imagery displays the passion, energy, enthusiasm, drama and emotions endured by Gerard Pique, Dani Alves and Sergi Busquets over 90 minutes. It also highlights that how one moment of a player's performance can change the mood of entire game and can 'Write The Future'.
This new shirt is a symbol of energy and spirit and the wearer can feel its force. The good thing about these shirts is that anyone can buy them. These shirts are getting very much in fashion after the World Football Cup. Mainly they are famous among young people who wear them with a certain spirit and energy.
Shirts of Barcelona are available for both men and women. All made of quality fabric and great colour combination spread a aura of youth and energy. Barcelona club keep on changing their shirts. But, the colour combination and the style of their shirts leave people spellbound.

For more information on barcelona shirt, check out the info available online; these will help you learn to find the Barcelona Away Shirt!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pucket_Van

barca

RCD Espanyol or the Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a Catalan football club, which was formed in 1900; it boasts an incredible record in the Spanish La Liga over the past few decades. RCD Espanyol's strengths have been in the youth academy and the club is extremely popular for spotting and nurturing young Spanish talent. The team is based in Barcelona and their home ground is Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, which has a capacity of seating 40,000. The team has won the Spanish league three times and was considered a force to reckon with in the late 80's.
Today, the RCD Espanyol football team is still popular among the locals and boasts a large number of fans from Europe and America. Tourists visiting Spain who are fans of football should include watching a football match at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat as a must-do on their travel itinerary list. Matches between this team and FC Barcelona, the team's rivals are particularly exciting and the enthusiasm expressed by football fans in Spain is something that every traveller to the country must see for themselves.
Some of Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona's signings include the Japanese playmaker, Nakamura from Glasgow Celtic, whose range of passing is expected to be an asset to the Catalan club. Other popular players in the Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona club include Ben Sahar, forwarder Jose Maria, Raul Tamudo and Luis Garcia. Their defence is also quite solid with Nicholas Pareja and David Garcia
One of the most popular players in the team's history was the late captain Dani Jarque, who died in 2009. After Jarque's demise, Ivan de la Pena, a veteran midfielder took over this position. Espanyol are currently ranked 9th in the La Liga and are only 13 points behind their league leaders and rivals, Barcelona.

Jeremy lives and works in Spain dealing with Barcelona Karting and Barcelona Stag weekends and spends his spare time playing golf and reading.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeremy_Hickey