SirBalon

Can I come to you with my ailments? You could've warned... Would've loved to have had a pint or two with you. Got a mate that owns a pub in King's Cross. Maybe nest time...

What part of London? You didn't say anything and we could've had a pint!

Feliz Aniversário amigo @ASF

Yeah, It's made the European press too... Italy, Spain and Portugal reported Mourinho's words and to be honest he seems to have a short memory. Forget last season, because at Real Madrid he went throughout his whole second season there crying about injuries (which in fairness he had many). But words always come back to haunt you.

No “big” club will guarantee Özil constant first team football the way he performs and what’s for sure is that NO coach will play him 90 minutes as Wenger is the only coach to have persisted with this. Özil has it at Arsenal like he would never have it anywhere else in everything from playing to wages.

Özil would be mad to leave us but Alexis is a goner!

We're always looking for a trio and @Azeem98 seems like a nice young boy! Let me think...

José Arnáiz about to burst onto the scene It was Barcelona legend José María Bakero who brought this kid in from Real Valladolid as a talented prospect for the future. But nobody expected the situation to be so quick and for the player to make such headlines so quickly. He's been dubbed the next Messi and although it's always ridiculous when these things get said about any player, the reason they're saying it is because of the major strides he's taking in such a short period of time at a club like Barcelona and also because he plays on the right wing. Forgetting the fact pundits are comparing him with Messi, let's just say that he does look like something more than just special. Infact it was Carles Aleña and a couple of others that have been looking more likely to be about to make it into the first team squad this season and now this has happened with José Arnáiz. He's literally been ripping everything apart with ease in Spain's La Liga 1|2|3 (second division) and finding it easy. So much so that in the past few weeks Ernesto Valverde has been attending almost every Barcelona 'B' game he can when it doesn't conflict with the first team's obligations. He's even had Messi with a few other colleagues in the first team go to a couple of games to see him play. He's 22 and he looks mature in the way he plays his football. With Ousmane Dembélé out for a few months at least and Gerard Deulofeu not gaining all the confidence he should in his head coach Valverde. It's looking like Arnáiz could be about to have his dream come true sooner than he ever expected it to. When interviewed the other day and asked what he felt about the rumours he could be soon added to the first team squad, he said this; "Until someone tells me different, my place is here in the 'B' team. I don't think about the first team in terms of whether I will be there this season or not because all I want to do is play football. But obviously I came to Barça for a reason and for all of this to be happening so soon is incredible."

I've always been at the bottom with @True Blue but he's the one wearing that headband!

@Berserker

Sorry to hear that mate. The memories live forever though mate! RIP

FC Barcelona present record finances for 2017-2018 The financial team in the board released the financial figures for the year yesterday with record numbers showing the club to not only be financially secure on its future, but also showing that it is the highest economical performer of any football club in the world. FC Barcelona rose by 4% respective of last year's figures with an increment of €29m more going now to €708m for the club's financial year. Because the entity is formed by its members, the club is forced to present the numbers early before the annual members meeting where they will be approving or not the financial management of the club. Real Madrid will also be doing this in the following weeks as they are run in the same manner as FC Barcelona. Club treasurer Enrique Tombas and the executive director (CEO) Óscar Grau announced that the takings have been rising more or less in a similar manner over the past 7 years but that this year with the news that the club had dropped associations with Qatar and opened new avenues with Japan and the US has increased the public appeal worldwide helping the numbers to rise dramatically. Infact this year they have outperformed Real Madrid CF by 3% increase and its expected that Barça have noted a whopping 12%+ increase over any rival in Europe. The four biggest elements of the club's income have performed in this manner; €264m (Marketing) €178m (TV and UEFA) €175m (Stadium Tour, Ticketing and Hospitality) €73m (Player sales and others) The player sales is the only aspect that has ended in a negative respective of last year's performance at -6%, but the members never take too much notice of this part financially and shouldn't affect the board too much in next month's annual members meeting. In total the profit benefits for the club come in at a incredible €184m+ which maintains the club as always remaining in the three highest sport performances financially and is expected to be 1st for next year. All of this should help the board maintain stability after a lot of issues surrounding a failed vote for censure this month from Agustí Benedito and the rumblings from the members that aren't happy with other aspects on how the club is being run. The members were already expecting the club to perform well economically but they'll be finding dissent in other areas during the coming months.

Yes mate... Stan takes me everywhere to be honest. We're such a happy couple and I couldn't ask for anyone better. The only gripe I have with him is his obsession with wearing different Leicester City tops wherever we go.

Only if you win away!

Nice pics and I was going to rep you until I saw that horrible stadium!

Brian aka @Blue

Real Madrid secure their future With Sergio Ramos rumoured to have agreed his new improved and extended deal while he's been on international duty (he'll apparently sign on his return to Madrid) and all the recent renewals this past month, Real Madrid have assured they have the foundations for a very successful side for many years to come. Since the start of the season Real Madrid have renewed the contracts of; Marcelo (2022), Isco (2022), Karim Benzema (2021), Dani Carvajal (2021), Marcos Llorente (2021), Raphael Varane (2022) and Marco Asensio (2023). Let's not forget that Zinedine Zidane himself renewed a few weeks back until 2020. This is how the Real Madrid squad and their contracts look; Achraf Hakimi (2018) Luca Zidane (2018) Luka Modrić (2020) Kiko Casilla (2020) Keylor Navas (2020) Nacho (2020) Sergio Ramos (2021) Dani Carvajal (2021) Karim Benzema 2021) Marcos Llorente (2021) Lucas Vázquez (2021) Mateo Kovacić (2021) Casemiro (2021) Jesús Vallejo (2021) Borja Mayoral (2021) Cristiano Ronaldo (2021) Marcelo (2022) Isco (2022) Raphael Varane (2022) Gareth Bale (2022) Toni Kroos (2022) Marco Asensio (2023) Theo Hernández (2023) Dani Ceballos (2023)

To be honest... (this answers @True Blue too), he (Xavi) was offered a lifetime deal and he declined it due to what that club in Qatar offered him in terms of combining his coaching badges and earning stupid amounts of money also playing. You could say he whored himself because they offered him a great deal in the US which he nearly took. They didn’t let him do the coaching badges though.

It’s just not taken seriously mate.

According to the RFEF lists produced every year.

I don’t know if it does mate. Xavi won something or other in Qatar last season and it hasn’t been added to his honours list. All the same... The fans feel he retired at Barcelona by moving to nothingness and that’s what counts.

It doesn’t count mate. We call that retirement and still doing a side job here in Europe. If they’d gone to Argentina or Brazil that would be a different story and even then most would feel like retirement.

Michael Laudrup - Barça Legend One of the most elegant players in history and it's no surprise that Andrés Iniesta has him as his ultimate idol growing up. I, like @The Rebel CRS would also have always imagined that Iniesta would choose him (I already know he was one of Iniesta's idols from past interviews) because there are various similarities in the way they would float around midfield with such elegance and manipulation of the ball. The first time Michael Laudrup impacted me was in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico with that great Denmark side... Laudrup was something special in that tournament and they lit the World Cup in the early stages of the tournament. I followed his career from his Ajax years, then to Juve and finally landing at Barcelona. Even when he went to Real Madrid he remained one of the favourite players of Barça fans and he continued to be applauded at the Camp Nou playing in white... It goes to show that it depends how you do things and it's not exactly the fact you've gone to your deadly rivals. He is a true FC Barcelona legend but also a football legend in general.

Andrés Iniesta's numbers for Barça There are very few players historically for any elite club that deserve to finish their careers where they started. Andrés Iniesta is certainly one of those... Every human being as they get older lowers their levels and has to compromise certain things while relying on their experience which is paramount. Iniesta is one of those... He is another Puyol or Xavi who both finished their competitive careers at the same club they were brought up in. Iniesta was expecting the same respect and finally the club have come forth and offered him his dues by responding to the mass call from the fans to keep him until he decides to call it a day. He (Iniesta) is the living proof that ultra Castillians and Catalans can find many things in common by basing their outlook on life on respect and comprehension. Here are Iniesta's tremendous numbers for FC Barcelona during his career: SEASONS: 16 (to date) FIRST GOAL FOR BARÇA: 14th January 2004 against UD Levante in the 4th minute from an assist by Javier Saviola. Barcelona won 3-1. TITLES: 30 Titles. 8 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues, 7 Supercopas de España, 5 Copas del Rey, 3 Supercopas de Europa, 3 Club World Cups. TOTAL OFFICIAL GAMES FOR BARÇA: 639 games. GOALS FOR BARÇA: 55 Goals. 34 La Liga, 11 Champions League, 9 Copa del Rey, 1 Supercopa de España. CAPTAIN: 120 games as captain. Iniesta became first club captain in 2015/2016 and first wore the armband in 2008/2009.