SirBalon

Agree... He makes errors but so do all modern centre-backs considering what’s asked of them in today’s football. No longer is it good enough just to be a rock at the back with the only other plus being capabilities in set-pieces. A centre-back has to know how to play football or he sticks out in certain teams with a particular style of play.

PSG aren't gonna get banned... It's their second time breaching FFP rules only that this time they've really ignored them completely and gone mental. The thing is that that club has some of the game's biggest names and UEFA like most other insitutions are into selling something so as to get something in return.... They're not gonna ban them but keep an eye open for the next club that does break those rules and let's hope it's not a club with so many star names in their side. The court battle will be entertaining to say the least.

Oops... 11-10. Sorryyyy

Barça kids teach the big boys a lesson in ethics FC Barcelona's 'B' infant team that's been participating in the famous World Soccer Challenge which is being held in Osaka, Japan this year showed everyone what this sport should be about after defeating Japanese side FC Persimmon in the quarter-finals. Barcelona beat the Japanese infants 11-10 on penalties and will tomorrow face Club Tijuana de México while the other semifinal will see Arsenal FC take on Osaka FC. An example on ethics and humility... Where is it lost along the way?

I've also heard that Valverde really has a lot of confidence in Riqui Puig too and he's kept him on for full training sessions with the first team. A good sign! The squad is very strong but many of those players need to play (especially the new ones) to get into the mechanics of the team on match days. It's not just the depth though but the journalists have been going on about the immense amount of variables Valverde has for this season to be able to change styles of play in one game and not just have to rely on the system working of things are going wrong in a high profile game.

Aspas is off his head going there but he loves Lopetegui so I get it.

I definitely don’t copy and paste mate.

Indeed... There’s the saying that the balls of his white horse were found on top of a building. He was a nasty piece of work mate.

Di Stéfano - Kubala - Suárez "Political Games" It was 1953 Canaletas in central Barcelona with Alfredo di Stéfano drinking from the fountain celebrating the signing of the agreement to play for FC Barcelona... Barça were about to create one of the most potent attacks in the history of the game. László Kubala was already there and the reason why Barcelona's original football ground of Les Corts had to be demolished and further up the city land bought to build what would later become one of the most renowned temples of football, the Camp Nou. Infact with the original stadium of Les Corts we have the reason as to why a Barça fan is called a Culé (Culés in plural) which means "visible backside" in Catalan. So many people would congregate at the stadium to see Kubala that many fans ended up sitting on the edge of the top of the stadium and from outside all you could see were butts sticking out from their seating position... The third magician and the only Spanish born winner of the Ballon d'Or (Di Stéfano would one day win the award as an accredited Spaniard, but was born in Argentina) would arrive at a later date in 1955... None other than Luis Suárez (just as we have the real Ronaldo with the Brazilian, this is the real Luis Suárez), Luis Suárez Miramontes "Luisíto". The agreement with Deportivo La Coruña was already made but to arrive two seasons later. FC Barcelona were planning a coup not only of the national game but also for European domination which was already a plan in construction between Europe's top clubs and would arrive in just under a decade. Josep Samitier who was now the chief negotiator for Barça and a footballing legend of the past for the club (curiously played for both Barcelona and later on for Real Madrid) went out to meet Alfredo di Stéfano where he was playing for Millonarios and got the agreement with the player and the club to sign for Barcelona. They both arrived in Barcelona with Samitier stating that Barça had just signed the greatest Latin American footballer of the time. Everything sorted and awaiting the player's debut... The following day Di Stéfano played a friendly for Barça at the Camp Nou against French club Stade de Reims where he scored a goal in a 3-1 victory for the locals and the scene was set for the start of the campaign two weeks later... But two days on Di Stéfano was no longer in Barcelona and things had changed. "La Saeta Rubia" (Di Stéfano's nickname meaning "Blonde Arrow") was in Madrid and very few people knew what was going on... Nobody at Barça knew and only two people at Real Madrid (where Di Stéfano would eventually play his football) knew. The then president of Real Madrid CF in the shape of Franco's voluntary chief, Santiago Bernabéu, the Liberator of Catalunya which was dominated by Los Rojos ("Los Rojos" the name given to those that opposed Franco and the regime) made an agreement in the highest ranks of the government to claim Di Stéfano for Real Madrid. So political did the situation become that even Franco's minister for sport, Moscardó was present along with one of the most extreme Falangistas, Elola Olaso... They called upon the then president of the RFEF (Spanish football federation), Sancho Dávila who was a cousin of none other than one of the biggest Civil War criminals of the regime, José Antonio Primo de Rivera. Maybe these names are quite indifferent to younger generations in Spain these days but back then the simple muttering of the names would send shivers down the spine of many people living in Spain. The president of the RFEF, Sancho Dávila who was a man of fists and guns revered the regime and it was said that above his bed there was no typical Crucifix of Jesus Christ that adorned almost every Spanish bedroom, but instead photos of El Generalísimo (Franco) and Primo de Rivera. Franco was a Real Madrid fanatic who was well known to argue about which team should or shouldn't take to the field for Real with close friends. At that time Real Madrid had a front line of Kopa, Molowny, Rial and of course, the great Paco Gento. There is an anecdote that one day Franco arguing that he hated penalties said this... "Penalties are for homosexuals. A foul in the box should be given as a corner because defending and attacking corners is for men where you either get punched in the face or someone kicks your knees in.". To cut a long story short... All those that met in Madrid that day proposed to Barcelona that Alfredo di Stéfano should be shared by both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF.. Those in power knew that a contract was signed between Di Stéfano and Barça, and the only way to resolve it was for both clubs to come to an agreement made by themselves that one year one club would have him and the following year the other club would be playing La Saeta Rubia. The agreement would be made public and nobody other than the club's had come to this agreement. Barça weren't up for this and threatened to take make it all public on what was going on but the regime obviously didn't want any dissent happening on the streets of Catalunya or Spain in general so the president of Barcelona and some of the board members started to receive political weight on them and their families with death threats and capping of their businesses. Enough was enough... Barcelona decided not to make anything public but they weren't going to be party to any of this and decided to renounce the contract signed and gave all rights to Real Madrid. That year changed the fortunes of Real Madrid CF who until then had been barely successful. Alfredo di Stéfano ended up changing Spanish football history forever.

Add to that the city of Barcelona itself which is a thing of beauty. For me in Europe there's no place like it!

Sir Alex Ferguson's brother: "Let's see how we can do this" Vítor Borba Ferreira, better known as "Rivaldo" caused a storm in the football world when in the summer of 1997 FC Barcelona deposited the stipulated amount set in his buy-out clause to release him from his obligations to Deportivo La Coruña... It was the first time in history any club had ever used the aggressive tactic of buying out a player's contract from his current club which meant negotiating behind the backs of the owning club with the player and subsequently paying the amount stipulated so as to terminate the current contract. When this happens it's a given that his new contract at the buying club will be one that has been accepted by all parties from the player himself to his representative (agent)... Like it tends to happen in the world of high end business, when an agreement isn't signed beforehand because of the contract laws set in place for the protection of enterprises and also the just and fair movement of object parties, suddenly when in the brief central period in limbo, things change! The money was deposited at the headquarters of the RFEF (Spanish football federation) and Rivaldo flew from Madrid to Barcelona in a private jet supplied by what would be his new club. That same day he walked into the office and sat down ready to sign his new contract at FC Barcelona. Just as he's about to sign and his representative sat next to him is passing through the copy of his new contract, he holds Rivaldo's hand by halting the signature... There were changes! Changes that were not agreed. History is history and the then very tough Barça board promised him that he would receive the agreed terms once he had proved himself to the club and the huge investment they'd jus left at the RFEF headquarters in the form of a cheque. Rivaldo signed and became a new Barça player... Rivaldo was a tremendous success and once three years had passed he reminded the board of the promise (again another verbal agreement... Do people ever learn!) claiming the initial agreement before his move from Galicia to Catalunya. The board kept their word this time and not only gave him an improved deal but actually doubled the original! In truth, it was a new board and a new elected president in the shape of Joan Gaspart. The new contract had an agreed buy-out clause of €46m and a list of clubs that if they'd come calling they'd (Barcelona) agree if all parties were in agreement for a transfer to the buying club. Obviously Real Madrid didn't figure in that list of selected clubs by Rivaldo which made things easier to accept. A year later one game before the end of the season (Barça were due to play their final a game against Valencia) Manchester United were in town and had programmed a meeting with Joan Gaspart in the Camp Nou offices... They'd come to enquire about the acquisition of Rivaldo who hadn't had his best season (Barcelona in general were lacklustre that year). Sir Alex Ferguson's brother Martin Ferguson took it upon himself to tell Joan Gaspart that they'd pay the whole amount of €46m but that it'd be better for both parties to do it under negotiation regulations so as to bypass the stringent tax laws that would reduce or inflate each party's interests. Gaspart agreed and told the Man Utd expedition that the deal would be signed the following day after the final game of the season which he invited the United representatives to watch as Barça's guests. Isn't history a wonderful thing? FC Barcelona needed a victory to qualify for the Champions League that day and Valencia had had a very good season, there wasn't much hope or optimism in the Barcelona ranks... Boom! Final minute and Rivaldo thumps a scorching overhead kick to hand Barça victory and maintain the statistic of playing in every edition of Europe's premium tournament. The meeting was held with Martin Ferguson as promised but things had changed with Joan Gaspart stating; "If I sell Rivaldo to you after this and he's successful, they'll kill me here!" Rivaldo stayed and the following season was his worst in the colours of Barcelona with a terrible relationship between himself and the then head coach Louis van Gaal. The following summer Joan Gaspart agreed with AC Milan for the free transfer of Rivaldo to the northern Italian club... Only 12 months earlier Barcelona could've had €46m in the bank and instead had nothing with a big restructuring project on their hands and the nightmare of Real Madrid's new president elect Florentino Pérez negotiating with Judas Figo behind the club's back. What goes around comes around as they tend to say!

I think it's a good idea. Remember to have anecdotes and not just a book on facts and stats... Those books are boring and we have internet for that. Interviews would be good too.

FC BARCELONA 3-0 BOCA JUNIORS Joan Gamper 2018 Goals from Malcom, Messi and Rafinha gave the 2018 edition of the Joan Gamper to Barcelona. There was a massive difference in quality between both sides with Barça playing a wonderful game and looking ready for the start to La Liga against Alavés this weekend. The only issue is the physical fitness of the team during a whole 90 minutes which is kind of understandable at this moment during the summer but other than that all the pieces look to be ready for the new campaign.

So if you were to feel you don't want to continue, could you stop it after one month or when you like? To be honest, I might subscribe too although I've been thinking hard about it because I've got Canal+ Spain. But The Canal+ app doesn't work here in the UK because of the viewing rights abroad. So when I'm out and about I want a method to view matches on my iPhone.

Have you subscribed to Eleven Sports already mate? I'm watching it on BarçaTV

It goes to show that people do silly things when they have excess money... In all walks of life like those that win the lottery, they spend stupidly. Now that Milan have had shackles put on them so to speak (even if it is temporarily), they haven't made the mistakes of last season where they done what many Premier League clubs do which is just sign the dish of the day. This time they seem to have analysed what they need for the type of football they will probably employ and gotten the best they could manage. That's proper football management in all areas and whereas I laughed at the, last summer while predicting a terrible season, this year I reckon they'll be more competitive.

Boca Juniors to play their sixth Joan Gamper Trophy It will be the 6th time Argentinian football club Boca Juniors will be participating in Barça's pre season tournament, the Joan Gamper Trophy. Boca played their first Gamper in 1967 where they lost in the semi-finals against Atlético Madrid by 2-0 and then won their game for third place against Bayern Munich by 1-0. 10 years later in 1977 Boca were again invited by FC Barcelona and again fell in the semi-final stage this time against Schalke 04 by 0-1. Again Boca Juniors ended third in the tournament by winning the play-off against Slovan Bratislava by 1-0. In 1984 Boca Juniors returned to participate in yet another edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy where finally they got to play Barça in the semi-final stage but once again fell in the pun ultimate challenge but this time by a lambasting 9-1... (Pictured above) we see the then Boca goalkeeper Hugo "Loco" Gatti concede the ninth goal in that mauling. Again Boca finished third in the summer tournament where they beat Aston Villa in the third place play-off by 2-0. The next time Boca Juniors were invited since 1984 was in 2003 where the format for the Joan Gamper had now changed due to pre season commitments for big clubs in Europe meaning long arduous tours around the world. Now it was just one game and one team invited which in this case Boca were that team... That game ended 1-1 and the tournament winner was decided on a penalty shoot-out which had Barça win with a final penalty scored by Gerard López. The last participation before this year's yet to be played was in 2008. Barcelona one the singular game 2-1 with goals from Carles Puyol and Samuel Eto'o for Barça.

I agree... Ancelotti isn’t made for a club like Napoli. That was a frivolous and arrogant move by Di Laurentiis due to trying to prove a point with Sarri.

Obviously it remains to be seen because there are times when the unlikely occurs. But Castillejo isn’t at the level Milan should be aspiring to and this smells to me in the same manner you alluded to in terms of controlling their FFP issues. All the same, I find it a strange move to be honest and even though AC Milan have made more coherent signings this summer by comparison to last year at the same time, they still do strange things and as far as I’m concerned they are light years away from starting their road back to what they once were.

Dani Alves issues a bit of humorous banter at Lionel Messi after Barcelona won the Supercopa de España which put Messi on 33 career winning honours (only the ones won collectively playing football count in this debate). Alves reminds Messi who has the most (himself obviously) on 37 career winning medals.

Yeah, I was going to write a nice piece on his international career when he confirmed it yesterday but I didn’t have the amount of time I would’ve wished. Maybe during the week I’ll do it. He’d already announced that this would be occurring two years ago and last week he spoke with Luis Enrique face to face and reiterated that he would be maintaining his decision. I have an inkling (mentioned it at the end of last season) that this will be his final season as a footballer overall.

Isn't it beautiful? It's the paradise of football on earth!

Indeed Di Natale’s loyalty is more impressive and to be frank it’s ultimately impressive by any type of comparison. But there is a massive wage gap even at the biggest clubs.

True, but they can pay them that much and funnily enough some of them could be earning more in the Premier League for example (here talking about those that came from the academy). They’re paid very well but they want to do it all there if they feel they’re a part of it and getting minutes.

I know what you’re getting at in terms of the type of character we traditionally associate with leadership in sport. But at Barcelona (I know how this is going to sound) it’s different and requires moderation instead of a pick-me-up type aggression. For all of Puyol’s 100% all heart, he was a moderator and kept egos at bay. Look at the issues that always keep arising within the dressing room at Real Madrid... That’s something that hardly ever occurs for these reasons.