Thiago Alcantara is not the successor of Xavi?

Thiago Alcantara became a star in the audi cup pre-season tournament last week. He scored twice in Barcelona's victory over Bayern Munich in the final. Thiago Alcantara greatness and genius in the midfield Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola makes urged management to temporarily halt his interest in Cesc Fabregas.
    Alcantara scintillating action as confirmed that Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez has found a successor without the need to spend tens of millions of euros. Almost all of the requirements to become a super quarterback in midfield have been in Alcantara. Surprisingly coach Josep Guardiola insisted on hunting down Fabregas.
    Surely this 40-year-old coach has its own view. Alcantara was great. but he is not a successor to Xavi. Young players the game characters are almost plow Chelsea and Arsenal is actually more like Andres Iniesta. The ability to keep the ball Alcantara not as good as Xavi. Excess Alcantara more on dribel and stab into the opponent's defense. Yes, Alcantara more like Iniesta. While similar to Xavi is Fabregas.
     Pep is determined to bring in Fabregas this summer because it had good reason. He was well aware that Fabregas is not necessarily just replace Xavi's role in his first season. Pep igin Fabregas can play one or two seasons before with Xavi to knowledge transfer that occurs can be more steady. Therefore, Pep insisted on management not to sell Alcantara while continuing to advise to buy Fabregas. In the vision of Pep duet Alcantara-Fabregas is reincarnation of the duo Xavi-Iniesta in the future.
    "I still really hope Cesc Fabregas could join us," said Pep. In order to get Fabregas, Pep until sediki deny the need in the back line. It is worth noting, though last season's defense is very solid Barcelona, ​​in fact prone tempest. Pep has only two pure central defender Gerard Pique and Carles namely because Gabirel Milito Puyol does not make plans for next season. While Sergio Busquet, Javier Mascherano, and Eric Abidal is a player from another position that was forced to play as a central defender.
      Although good, the quality is still not be equated pure central defender. According to news from El Mundo Deportivo, Pep is now slightly softened. Fabregas eventually fail if carried off, he gave up sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta buy a new defender with money previously planned to transfer costs Fabregas.

STILL NEED Fabregas

Thiago Alcantara is not the successor to Xavi??

    Thiago  Alcantara menjadi bintang di turnamen pra musim audi cup pekan lalu. Dia mencetak dua gol kemenangan Barcelona atas Bayern Munchen di partai final. Kehebatan dan kegeniusan Thiago Alcantara di lini tengah Barcelona membuat pelatih Josep Guardiola didesak manajemen agar untuk sementara menghentikan minatnya terhadap Cesc Fabregas.

    Aksi gemilang Alcantara seolah menegaskan bahwa Barcelona sudah menemukan penerus Xavi Hernandez tanpa perlu mengeluarkan dana puluhan juta euro. Hampir semua syarat untuk menjadi gelandang super di lini tengah telah di miliki Alcantara. Anehnya pelatih Josep Guardiola tetap ngotot memburu Fabregas.

    Tentunya pelatih berusia 40 tahun ini memiliki pandangan tersendiri. Alcantara memang hebat. tapi dia bukan penerus Xavi. Karakter permainan pemain muda yang hampir di bajak Chelsea dan Arsenal tersebut justru lebih mirip Andres Iniesta. Kemampuan menjaga bola Alcantara tak sebaik Xavi. Kelebihan Alcantara lebih pada dribel dan menusuk ke pertahanan lawan. Ya, Alcantara lebih mirip Iniesta. Sementara yang mirip Xavi adalah Fabregas.

     Pep sangat ngotot untuk mendatangkan Fabregas pada musim panas ini karena punya alasan yang kuat. Dia sadar betul bahwa Fabregas tidak serta-merta hanya menggantikan peran Xavi pada musim pertamanya. Pep igin Fabregas bisa bermain satu atau dua musim dulu dengan Xavi agar transfer ilmu yang terjadi bisa lebih mantap. Oleh karena itulah, Pep ngotot minta manajemen untuk tidak menjual Alcantara sembari terus menyarankan untuk membeli Fabregas. Dalam visi Pep duet Alcantara-Fabregas adalah Reinkarnasi dari duo Xavi-Iniesta pada masa mendatang.

    " Saya masih sangat berharap Cesc Fabregas bisa bergabung dengan kami," kata Pep. Demi mendapatkan Fabregas, Pep sampai sediki menafikan kebutuhan di lini belakang. Patut diketahui, meski musim lalu pertahanan Barcelona sangat solid, sebenarnya rawan prahara. Pep hanya mempunyai dua bek tengah murni yakni Gerard Pique dan Carles Puyol karena Gabirel Milito tidak masuk rencana musim depan. Sementara Sergio Busquet, Javier Mascherano, dan Eric Abidal adalah pemain dari posisi lain yang dipaksa bermain sebagai bek tengah.

      Meski bagus, kualitasnya tetap tak bisa disamakan bek tengah murni. Menurut kabar dari El Mundo Deportivo, Pep sekarang sedikit melunak. Jika akhirnya Fabregas gagal diboyong, dia merelakan Direktur Olahraga Andoni Zubizarreta membeli bek baru dengan uang yang sebelumnya direncanakan untuk biaya transfer Fabregas.

F.C. Barcelona fantasy kits

Full name: Futbol Club Barcelona
City: Barcelona
League: La Liga
Stadium: Camp Nou
Fouded: 1899
Shirt sponsor: unicef (sponsored by F.C. Barcelona)
Kit manufacturer: Nike

This is the first design from a new series, a new presentation (not new for me, somehow I return to the style I designed in the past). I have already sketches for Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Celtic Glasgow, Arsenal and Red Star Belgrade (all Nike teams). The approach on this new kits will be more classic then my usual designs. On this Barcelona kit I used the darker shade of red as it was last season (not a fan of red and blue combination).
The away kit is sky blue shirt with thin pinstripes on the front and back (not on shoulders and sleeves) with dark red line on the sides. The short and the socks are dark blue with dark red. This pair of kits needs a third kit, something in orange or yellow colour to be used in games vs teams wearing blue. But in first step there will be only home and away kits for this series.

Goal 2 Trailer

Ronaldinho: The One Man Show

Profile
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born March 21, 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho,[3] is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan and the Brazil national team.

Ronaldinho, Portuguese for "little Ronaldo", is known in Brazil by the nickname Ronaldinho Gaúcho, in order to distinguish him from Ronaldo, who was already called "Ronaldinho" in Brazil. Ronaldo simply went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and remain simply as Ronaldinho.

He has played for Paris Saint-Germain, and FC Barcelona, with whom he won his first Champions League in 2006. He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007.[4]

Career
Born into a footballing family (his late father Joao played for Cruzeiro and his brother, now his manager, Roberto played for Gremio), the young Ronaldinho found more enjoyment in futsal and beach football before graduating to playing the standard game.

He began his football career at his brother's old club Gremio in the youth team under future Brazil World Cup winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and progressed to the first team aged 18 in 1998 and had made his Brazilian national team debut a year later in 1999.

His goalscoring exploits and sublime skill on the ball drew much attention from Europe and in 2001 Ronaldinho left Gremio to move to France and Paris St. Germain. His time in Paris was littered with fallings out with then PSG coach Luis Fernandez who disapproved of Ronaldinho's love of Parisian nightlife and after two mildly successful years in France he again packed his bags and headed for Barcelona.

In his first season at Barcelona Ronaldinho more than justified his reputed £18m price tag as he helped coax the Catalan giants into second place in La Liga and earnt himself the title of 2004 World Player of the Year.

Having caught the eye of big spending Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, Ronaldinho was the subject of a failed £60m bid from the West London club and despite the resignation of his friend Sandor Rosell as Barcelona's vice president of sports, he signed a new contract in late 2005 with the Catalan club.

As well as helping Barcelona to back to back La Liga titles in 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 and the European Champion's League in 2006, Ronaldinho has also won a host of personal awards including:

FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005
FIFPro World Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006
European Footballer of the Year in 2005
UEFA Champions League Best Forward in 2004-05
World Soccer Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005
and UEFA Champions League Most Valuable Player in 2005-06.

Ronaldinho also became a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002.

Lionel Messi Adidas Ad

Impossible Is Nothing - adidas launches a new campaign focusing on athlete stories. The twist, adidas are focusing on personal challenges the athletes have overcome in their rise to fame.

Lionel Messi : Maradona Reborn

Lionel Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an exciting Argentine soccer player, who currently plays as a second striker for FC Barcelona. He has shown remarkable ability for a player so young, and is often touted in the media as "the new Diego Maradona".

On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, ahead of Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski.

In this series of posts we shall look at the most promising young players who will soon capture our imagination and be the biggest stars of the game. As of this writing we are still awaiting Jose Pekerman’s decision and hopefully we get to see this kid play in the upcoming World Cup in Germany. We continue with Lionel Messi. (This is an advance posting.)

The guy who idolise Diego Maradona won the adidas Golden Shoe award as top scorer, and the adidas Golden Ball as best player in 2005 when he led his team during the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands.

Spotted at a very young age, Barcelona saved the dreams of this kid when they funded his medical treatment from a hormone deficiency illness at the age of 13. He returned the favor four years after by becoming the youngest league scorer in Barcelona’s history at the age of seventeen years, ten months and seven days.

This kid has the strength to play rough against veteran opponents and sees the playing field on an extraordinary vision.

People are clamoring for his inclusion in the Argentina side in the upcoming World Cup competition. Although he says that Brazil are the favorites, there is no indication that Argentina would give in easily.

Ronaldo - Great Brazilian Player

Name at birth: Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima

A brilliant and fluid forward, Ronaldo became one of international soccer's great stars of the 1990s and Brazil's biggest soccer hero since Pele. At age 17 he was a member of Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning squad, though he did not play. The same year he joined the Dutch professional team PSV Eindhoven. His professional contract was purchased by Barcelona in 1996; the next year he moved again to Italy's F.C. Internazionale Milano, remaining until 2002 when he transferred to Real Madrid. He was named FIFA's World Footballer of the Year in 1996 and 1997, becoming both the youngest player to win the award and the only player to win the award in consecutive years. He also starred in the 1998 World Cup, scoring four goals in leading Brazil to the Cup finals, but he was criticized for their 3-0 loss to France in the championship game. Slowed by injuries in the 21st century, Ronaldo nonetheless made a triumphant return by leading Brazil to the World Cup championship in 2002. He won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer (with eight goals) and scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 final game win over Germany. Despite accusations that he had become overweight and less than energetic, Ronaldo scored three goals in the 2006 World Cup, giving him a total of 15 in World Cup play -- a new record. He transferred from Barcelona to A.C. Milan in January of 2007, signing an 18-month contract.

Thierry Henry

Thierry Daniel Henry, born 17 August 1977 in Paris, France, is a French football player. Renowned for his pace,[1][2] he plays as a striker for the France national team and FC Barcelona.

Henry was born and brought up in the tough neighbourhood of Les Ulis, Essonne, where as a youngster he played for an array of local sides and showed great promise as a goalscorer. AS Monaco spotted him in 1990 and signed him up instantly.[2] Handed his professional club debut in 1994, he stayed at Monaco until 1998, where good form earned him an international call-up. Henry then moved to Italian giants Juventus, but after a disappointing season playing on the wing,[3] he joined Arsenal for a fee of £10.5 million in 1999.[2]

It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a top footballer. Initially, he struggled in the Premiership, but he soon emerged as Arsenal's top goalscorer in almost his every season there. Long-time mentor and coach Arsene Wenger's conversion of Henry into a prolific striker made him Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with over 200 goals. With the Gunners, Henry won two league titles and three FA Cups. He was also twice nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year[4] and twice received the Barclays Premiership player of the season award.[5][6] Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the UEFA Champions League final in 2006. In June 2007, after eight years in an Arsenal shirt, the French striker transferred to FC Barcelona for a fee of £16.1 million.

With the French national squad, Henry has also enjoyed success, having won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Given his accomplishments, he is today regarded by many as one of the best footballers in the world.[3][7][8][9] Off the pitch, as a result of his own experience, Henry is an active spokesperson against football racism.