Barça end 2009 with their sixth cup after defeating Estudiantes 2-1 for the FIFA Club World Cup


By: IBES

FC Barcelona and Pep Guardiola celebrated their last triumph of 2009 with an amazing come from behind win against Estudiantes to capture the FIFA Club World Cup in extra time. Just like their semi-final win, Barcelona were down to an early goal in the first half but a goal from super sub Pedro two minutes before the end of the game kept the club’s hope alive and Messi sealed the game with his goal in extra time to give a fairy tale ending for an amazing year. Under Guardiola, FC Barcelona have become the only team to win every competition they have been a part of in 2009.

Barcelona’s first appearance in this tournament was during the Cruyff “Dream Team” era when they lost to Brazilian side São Paulo 2-1 after taking the early lead with a Stoitchkov team. Their only other appearance was a few years ago when the Rijkaard managed Barcelona lost to another Brazilian side, Internacional , 1-0 with the goal coming with just eight minutes left in the game. Fortunately for Barcelona, this final will be different in that it will not be against a Brazilian side this time nor is being played in Japan, but in the UAE. Would third time really be a charm?

Guardiola‘s starting 11 for this epic final would be Valdés in goal supported by Alves, Puyol, Piqué, and Abidal in defense. The midfield consisted of Xavi, Sergio Busquets, and Keita to support the front three of Messi, Ibrahimovic and Henry. This meant that Keita would replace the injured Iniesta and unlike the semi-final, Guardiola would only go with one defensive midfielder and thus Touré Yaya was relegated to the bench. The starting eleven for Estudiantes were Albil, Rodríguez, Cellay, Desábato, Ré, Díaz, Benítez, Verón, Braña, Pérez and Boselli.

The first half was a rather disappointing one for Barcelona as they seemed to be the less active side of the match. Estudiantes wasted no time to let Barcelona know that they would be in for a good match when, in the third minute, their captain Veron cleverly chipped the ball over Puyol for his teammate Perez. Fortunately Valdés was alert to what was occurring and came to the rescue and blocked Perez’s shot with his legs. Certainly an early warning sign of things to come for FC Barcelona.

In the 7^th minute, Barcelona would create their own scoring chance that would put a scare to the hearts of Estudiantes when Ibrahimovic delivered a fine through ball, courtesy great back-heel pass, to Xavi who opted to pass instead of to shoot when he was within striking distance. The ball would thus dribble its way out for a goal kick. The game would get more physical and intense from the Estudiantes players who clearly were succeeding in ruining Barcelona’s free flowing passing game. The game then would have its first controversial moment.

The final’s referee was Benito Archundia who seemed more content to let the players decide the game and thus was very lenient with the physical play at time, although he found it appropriate to book Messi for diving. However, in the 31^st minute, what appeared to be a penalty for Barcelona was not awarded by Mr. Archundia. Replays showed that the Estudiantes keeper Albil did make some contact with Xavi’s right leg inside the box but the end result was a goal kick for Estudiantes. If that no call didn’t cause fury for the Barcelona fans, then they all would feel despair later on when Estudiantes took the lead.

Just five minutes later, Estudiantes would strike a dagger into the hearts of the Barcelona fans when Boseli was able to get in between Puyol and Abidal and score a header goal past Valdés for the opening goal of the game. Although it appeared that Boseli was originally offside when Díaz delivered his cross, the referee chose to allow the goal to stand.

Just like the semi-final clash a few days ago, Barcelona were down a goal in the first half yet again. Barcelona seemed rattled by that goal and could not create much scoring chances with the exception of an Ibrahimovic bicycle effort during a free kick that he was inches from connecting with. The first half would thus end 1-0 in favor of Estudiantes. Although some would say Estudiantes did not do much to earn the lead, Barcelona did not exactly play any better themselves.

The second half would see Guardiola bring on Pedro in place of Keita before the start of the second half. Whatever Guardiola must have said in the locker room during halftime must have worked because the players came out to play in the second half with hunger and intensity that was lacking in the first half. It seemed to Pep that the only way to beat Estudiantes was going to win was with speed, quick passing and intensity.

Ibrahimovic was pushing this team ahead with his attempts on goal and his passes. He has a one on one chance with the keeper in the 51^st minute that Albil was able to save. Pedro then would become the go to guy with the end result consisting of squandered chances. In the 59^th minute, Henry crossed the ball to Pedro that just missed and the two minutes later, Ibrahimovic’s cross to Pedro would be intercepted by Albil. However, Pedro would work some of his magic in the 68^th minute when he displayed some great skill to elude three Estudiantes players, only for his shot on goal to be saved by the keeper and result into a corner.

Throughout the duration of the game, Messi had been rotating between playing in his usual right wing side of the 4-3-3 formation and in the center of the field. He was constantly hounded and surrounded by two to three Estudiantes players and if he managed to escape from their clutches, he would suffer a forthcoming tactical foul. However, with the introduction of Pedro, the team would move around with more pace and that would aid the team in their possession. However it was the final ball that was lacking from the club who seemed content on delivering crosses into the box all game long.

More controversy would occur in the 74^th minute, when another call for a penalty would be missed by the officiating crew. A cross from a free kick far from the box was headed by Piqué for a shot on goal that resulted in a corner kick. However, the referee and his assistants missed the clear penalty on Ibrahimovic and thus another valid penalty was missed. Another cross four minutes later would result into a great scoring chance for Ibrahimovic but his header would sail wide. Sergio Busquets would be substituted for Touré Touré and with only 12 minutes left, one had to wonder what was going through Guardiola’s mind. Who would be his ace in the hole when it came time for the final substation?

In the 82^nd minute, Guardiola decided to take off Henry for Jeffren. Clearly this was a surprise move since Jeffren had just come back from an injury and his last appearance was over a month ago in the Copa Del Rey. Fortunately his speed as a left winger would play a vital role against the exhausted Estudiantes team who still played hard defensively to ensure that Barcelona would not equalize. Jeffren kept eluding his would be defender with ease and get into the box first almost every time. With two minutes left in the game, Barcelona’s magic would make yet another appearance in 2009.

In the 88^th minute, Barcelona kept pushing forward for the equalizing goal. Touré Yaya passed the ball to Xavi whose cross would be intercepted by Veron when he jumped to head the ball away. However, Veron’s effort caused the ball to sail backwards to the box and Piqué would jump and head the ball before anyone else could. His effort would fortunately result in a clear scoring chance for Pedro who would rise up and score a great header goal that sailed over Albil into the back of the net. 1-1 and the game was far from being over now. What seemed to be a repeat of their last cup defeat in this competition was now given a blank piece of paper for the players to write another chapter in this amazing year for the club.

The game would end without anymore scoring chances and both clubs rested a bit and listened to their managers give out instructions. Barcelona seemed rejuvenated and had an extra bounce in their step and went on the offensive. Messi had a free kick effort just fly over the bar in the 93^rd minute and Alves’s cross to Ibrahimovic was a just bit too high for Ibrahimovic to handle and cause a scoring chance. Messi and Ibrahimovic would then hook up together for some quick passing that resulted in having a shot on goal that just went wide in the 96^th minute. It was their best chance of the half and one had to hope that it would not be the last.

The second half would be the club’s last 15 minutes to find the game winning goal or this cup was going to have to be decided on penalty kicks. Five minutes into the half, Messi would make sure that he would have the last word of this tough physical clash of champions. In the 109^th minute, Messi innocently passed the ball to Xavi. Xavi then would pass the ball to Alves who was a bit far from the penalty box. Nevertheless, Alves noticed Messi racing towards the goal and Alves thus delivered one of his crazy crosses we have grown accustomed to seeing throughout his time with the club. Alves’s most recent memorable cross was the one in El Clasico which assisted Ibrahimovic in scoring the only goal of the game. In this game, his cross would fly into the box and Messi outraced Veron and another defender to the ball and chested the ball down for the game winning goal. 2-1 and the little man from Argentina had once again scored in another final and further add to his magical season and cement his status as the best played in the world right now.

Estudiantes did not have much left in the tank but they did not surrender. It was not their turn to find an equalizer and they almost had one in injury time. Estudiantes were awarded a free kick in the dying seconds of the game and Veron delivered a cross into the box that Desábato headed towards goal. In that moment, all the Barcelona fans’ hearts skipped a beat when they saw the ball seem to be destined to be a goal; only for it to barely miss the goal and go out for the goal kick. A sigh of relief for Barcelona and its fans and the referee signaled the conclusion of the game after Valdés kicked the goal kick to the center of the field.

Barcelona endured a tough and physical game but ultimately won the cup that Cruyff and Rijkaard’s teams could not win. 6 amazing cups in one year and as the players began celebrating this amazing achievement, Guardiola finally got caught up in the moment of this achievement and began to cry. He was consoled by some of the trainers and Henry and Ibrahimovic. It was the latter that then made Guardiola laugh and regain his smile. FIFA presented their individual awards and Xavi won the Addidas Bronze ball while Messi won the Addidas Golden Ball and the Toyota award. After all the players received their medals, captain Puyol was handed the FIFA Club World Cup Trophy to end the long wait to bring that trophy back to Barcelona.

Next for the club is a friendly in Kuwait before they begin their winter break. What lies ahead before they resume their 2009-2010 season is uncertain. A new chapter for this club begins with possible winter transfers, presidential campaigns and titles to defend. One can only hope it will be as successful as this past year was for the club and for the fans. ¡Visca Barça!

Match Factos:

Estudiantes: Albil; Clemente Rodríguez, Desabato, Cellay, Re (Rojo, 90'); Verón, Braña, Benítez (Matías Sánchez, 76'); Pérez (Núñez, 78'), Boselli, and Díaz.

FC Barcelona: Valdés; Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Abidal; Xavi, Sergio Busquets (Touré, 78'), Keita (Pedro, 45'); Messi, Ibrahimovic and Henry (Jeffren, 82').

Referee: Benito Archundia (México).

Bookings: Messi (17'); Díaz (45'); Clemente Rodríguez (57'); Enzo Pérez (64'); Henry (81'); Pedro (90'); Sanchez (93'); Rojo (111'); Valdés (117'); Braña (118')

Goals:

0-1, Boselli (37')

1-1, Pedro (88')

1-2, Messi (109')

Barça Defeat Atlante 3-1 in the FIFA Club World Cup Semi-Final

Written by IBES

FC Barcelona kicked off their quest for the elusive FIFA Club World Cup with a 3-1 come from behind victory over Atlante. Barcelona started the game with Messi, Henry and Piqué on the bench. They did not enjoy the best of starts when Atlante surprised them with an early goal four minutes into the game but Barcelona equalized half an hour later through a corner kick goal from Sergio Busquets. The second half saw the introduction of Messi and Piqué and it would pay off with Messi scoring the go ahead goal and Pedro scoring the third and final goal and become the first player to ever score in six different competitions in a season. Three goals courtesy of the La Cantera means Barcelona will now face Estudiantes in the FIFA Club World Cup Final on Saturday.

Guardiola decided to rest some key starters for this game. Messi, Henry, Keita and Piqué were not selected to be starters. Keita had suffered a knock and was doubtful for this game but Messi had been recovering the day before at the beach and seemed like he could feature as a substitute if needed. The starting eleven for this semi-final were Valdés in goal with Alves, Puyol, Márquez, and Abidal in the defense. The midfield consisted of Xavi, Sergio Busquets, and Touré supporting the front three of Pedro, Ibrahimovic and Iniesta. Guardiola’s selection seemed a bit odd to have two defensive midfielders starting and Iniesta play again as a left winger in Henry’s usual spot.

The game started off in the worst way for Barcelona when just four minutes into the game, Atlante was able to get the first goal of the game by catching the Barcelona defense napping. Atlante’s Argentinean keeper Vilar free kick from the midfield resulted into a long ball landed to long ball beat Rafa Márquez and Alves and allowed Atlante player Rojas to get to it first, lob it over VALDÉS and score courtesy of his sliding effort to ensure the ball goes into the back of the net off a tight angle. Just like that 1-0 and a great sucker punch delivered to Barcelona.

Barcelona immediately tries to respond when Alves’s danger cross missed the rushing Pedro’s head by inches. Barcelona then was awarded a corner kick and almost scored from Busquets’s header had it not been for the quick reflexes of Vilar.

Atlante would catch the defense napping again in the 10^th minute as they a through ball from the midfield beat the offsides trap. However Puyol was able to catch up to Atlante’s counter attack and mess up their counter attack chance when he deflects a pass backwards to eliminate the scoring threat. From them on, Barcelona would dominate possession and have some scoring chances the rest of the half.

In the 23^rd minute, during a counter attack for Barça, a cross from Alves to Ibrahimovic eludes Vilar and both Vilar and Ibrahimovic battle for the ball outside the left side of the box. Ibrahimovic crosses into the unmanned goal but Atlante’s defenders clears it. In the 25^th minute, Iniesta blasted a shot from outside the box that just sails over the cross bar. Lots of possession for Barcelona but they lacked that last killer pass or valid shot on goal.

In the 30^th minute, Touré had a nice give and go with Xavi that Touré controls and takes a shot from outside the box but his effort is high over the goal. Two minutes later, Barcelona were awarded with a free kick and Ibrahimovic’s long range effort blazed over the wall and just over the cross bar and Vilar’s hands. Barcelona’s hard work and determination would finally pay off a few minutes later with an equalizer.

As the half continued to be dictated by Barcelona, one had to wonder if Guardiola’s decision to start with the two defensive midfielders of Touré and Busquets was a mistake given that Atlante had taken the early lead and were now parking the bus and waiting for the perfect moment to go on a counter attack. Fortunately, these two players would be involved in getting the game tying goal off a corner kick. In the 34^th minute, Xavi’s corner kick was headed by Touré and the ball landed in front of Busquets to score the equalizing goal. Barcelona would continue to threaten courtesy of another corner kick that Xavi passed to Dani Alves who cross was headed wide by Rafa Márquez in the 43^rd minute.

The referee would award one minute of injury time and Barcelona had a chance to end the half in their favor when Xavi got the ball back from a turnover and delivered a fine through ball into the box for Alves only for Alves’s shot is inches wide. That would be the last scoring threat from Barcelona as the referee whistled the end of the half. What started badly for Barcelona at least ended on a good note with the Busquets goal.

Both sides started the second half with no changes to the starting lineup but that would not last long. After watching the team play five minutes into the second half, Guardiola decided to make two substitutions. In the 53^rd minute, Messi came on for Touré and Piqué came on for Rafa Márquez . The substitutions would pay immediate dividends just a minute later.

Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the final took a positive step just a minute after those two players came on the pitch with Messi adding to his memorable year with the go ahead goal. The goal came from a nice pass from Ibrahimovic to Messi who was able to control the ball and elude Vilar and tap the ball under Vilar that took a slight deflection from Vilar’s hand, and a sliding Atlante defender for the go ahead goal. Just like that, the magic between Messi and Ibrahimovic leads to another goal and gave Barcelona a 2-1 lead.

The game was now swinging in Barcelona’s favor since that go ahead goal meant that Atlante would have to abandon parking the bus and attack. Atlante did manage to create a slight scare in the 59^th minute when they caught Piqué flatfooted but they failed to get a shot on goal. Barcelona then would create a scoring chance thanks to a free kick that sailed into the Atlante box that allowed Ibrahimovic to heads it back into the box but no one was there to score and Atlante defense kicked it out for a corner. The game would finally be out reach after the hour mark thanks to the record setter Pedro.

In the 66^th minute, Pedro would become the first player to score in six competitions in a single season, courtesy of some nice work from Iniesta. Iniesta displayed some great skill as he took on two defenders inside the box and was able to beat 3 Atlante players with a magnificent pass to the onside Pedro. Pedro would then calmly strike the ball to the top left of the goal and calmly write himself into the history books as the first player ever to score in six different competitions. Since August, Pedro has scored in Spanish League, Champions League, Copa del Rey and the Spanish and European Supercups. The score now was 3-1 and that goal was the final nail in the coffin and ultimately, 3 goals courtesy of La Cantera for the victory.

The rest of the match would continue to full of blown chances, especially from Bojan who came on for Iniesta, and missed scoring opportunities but the score would remain the same and Barcelona are heading to their third ever final for this intercontinental event. They will be facing Argentina’s Estudiantes this Saturday after Estudiantes defeated Pohang Steelers yesterday. All Barça fans will be hoping that third time’s a charm this Saturday and lift the cup that has eluded their grasps twice in the past.

Match Facts:

Atlante: Vilar; Miguel Martínez, Fernando Navarro, Guillermo Rojas, Luis Velásquez (Pereyra, min.63); Daniel Arreola, José González, José Guerrero, Christian Bermúdez; Santiago Solari (Carevic, min.56) y Rafa Márquez el Márquez.

FC Barcelona: Valdés; Alves, Puyol, Rafa Márquez Márquez (Gerard Piqué, min.54), Abidal; Xavi, Touré (Messi, min.53), Sergio Busquets; Pedro, Ibrahimovic e Iniesta (Bojan, min.76).

Goals: 0-1, min.5: Guillermo Rojas. 1-1, min.35: Busquets. 1-2, min.55: Messi. 1-3, min.67: Pedro.

Referee: Carlos Simon (Brazil)

Bookings: Solari (min.8), José Guerrero (min.40), Luis Velasquez (min.61), Ibrahimovic (min.65), Piqué (min. 90 + 2)

Barcelona go back on top as they defeat Real Madrid 1-0

By: IBES

Fresh from their impressive victory over Inter Milan this past Tuesday, FC Barcelona prepared for their second big home test this week when they played hosts to Real Madrid for this season’s first leg of El Clasico. Although the match was tough and at times physical, second half substitute Ibrahimovic scored the only goal of the game to give Barcelona their third consecutive victory over their arch rivals. The win catapulted Barcelona to the top of the league standings with a two point lead over Real Madrid.

Much of the pre-game discussion revolved around who would start for Barcelona for this match. Messi, Ibrahimovic and Touré Yaya did not feature against Inter Milan and thus many expected all three to start. However, Messi would be the only one of the three to start. Guardiola went with Victor Valdés in goal with Dani Alves, Puyol, Piqué, and Abidal as the starting defenders. Xavi, Sergio Busquets, and Keita formed the midfield that supported the front three of Messi, Iniesta and Henry. Real Madrid’s starting eleven consisted of Iker Casillas in goal with Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, and Arbeloa in defense. Lass Diarra, Xabi Alonso, Kaká, Marcelo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuaín were the other starters.

The game was played on the club’s 110^th birthday and what better occasion to celebrate this event than to host this game. Not even the rain would deter the fans from coming to this game, with over 97,000 in attendance to witness this match. Both teams had some shots on goals but the best scoring chance of the half belonged to Real Madrid when Kaka set up Ronaldo in front of the goal alone one on one with Valdés, only for Valdés to block Ronaldo’s attempt with his feet. The save was reminiscent of last season’s home game when Valdés blocked Drenthe’s shot when Drenthe was all alone with Valdés. Marcelo would also have a chance to score but Puyol would ensure there would be no shot on goal when he slide in and blocked Marcelo’s shot. It would not be the last time that Puyol would come to the rescue of the team with last second tackles that prevent open shots on goal. The first half would come to an end with a scoreless draw and two bookings awarded to Real Madrid and the linesman constantly raising the off sides flag against Barcelona.

The second half would bring no changes to either squad but that would not be the case for long. Just a few minutes into the second half, Guardiola decided to sub off Henry for Ibrahimovic. Busquests had picked up a booking a minute before that substitution and that booking would come back to haunt him later on. Just five minutes after coming on as a substitute, Ibrahimovic would score his first ever clasico goal.

In the 56th minute, Dani Alves delivered one of his uncertain crosses and this time, Ibrahimovic would volley that cross into a goal, leaving Casillas no chance of saving it. After surviving the physical and punishing style from the Real Madrid midfield and defense, Barcelona got their goal that would force Real Madrid to abandon their defensive approach. Nevertheless, five minutes after that goal, Barcelona players and fans would go from an upbeat attitude to that of concern and disappointment when Busquets was booked for a handball. His second booking meant that Barcelona would play the next 30 minutes of football with just 10 players and Guardiola was not too pleased.

Madrid began to attack and could have easily equalized but for Ronaldo’s header effort barely missing the goal. He had been unmarked but his header just sailed over the goal and that would be Ronaldo’s final shot on goal as he would be substituted for Benzema. Four games against Barcelona and still without a goal. Keita would be also subbed off for Touré Yaya.

Even though Barcelona was down to 10 men, both teams would have golden chances to score goals. Piqué had a great chance to double the team’s lead when his header effort just missed wide in the 68th minute. A minute later, Benzema would find himself in a great position to score for Madrid, only for Puyol to slide in for the rescue and block Benzema’s shot with his legs again.

Puyol would continue to bail out the team inside the box numerous times as the match continued. Abidal would then find himself with the ball on a counter attack in front of Casillas’s goal, only for his shot to barely miss the goal in the 71st minute. Yet, Barcelona were performing better than they were when they were playing with 11 men due in large to their great passing, great recovery of the ball and Madrid’s Marcelo sloppy play aiding the Blaugrana immensely. Benzema then would have another golden opportunity in the 80th minute when Xabi Alonso’s corner fell to him, only for Benzema to blast his effort wide. Barcelona’s last best scoring chance occurred in the 89th minute when Messi received the ball that eluded Pepe inside the box but his sitter effort would be blocked by Casillas’s legs to prevent what could have been the final nail in the coffin.

The game would get chippy and the second half was evident of Madrid’s rough challenges that lead to bookings for Madrid’s Lass Diarra, Alonso, Marcelo and Pepe. Lass would get second yellow card for his wreck less challenge on Xavi near the end of the match and allow both teams to play the remainder of the half with 10 men.

The referee awarded three extra minutes but none of the teams could use that additional time to score a goal and thus the game ended 1-0 in favor of Barcelona. Madrid might have been the better team in the first half, but Barcelona was the better team in the second half and Ibrahimovic’s goal would be the difference. It was their third victory in a row over their arch rival and allowed Barcelona to take the top spot in the league table.

Next up for Barcelona will be an away trip this Wednesday against Xerex that is being pushed up early because of Barcelona’s involvement with the FIFA Club World Cup later on in mid December.

A win there would give Barcelona a 5 point gap in the standings. So on the 110th anniversary of the club’s formation, FC Barcelona played their game and found a way to defeat their eternal enemy. One could say that Barcelona’s lone expensive signing came through while Real Madrid’s expensive signings could not on this day.

The second leg in Madrid later on in the season will be just as exciting.With this result, this victory constitute the Club’s best start to a league season. It’s even better than last season, when Barça accumulated nine wins, two draws and one defeat at the same stage. Barça has nine wins and three draws thus far into this new season.

Barcelona: Valdés; Alves, Puyol, Piqué, Abidal, Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Keita (Touré Yaya, min.66), Messi, Iniesta and Henry (Ibrahimovic, min.51).

Real Madrid: Casillas; Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Albiol, Arbeloa (Raúl, min.75), Lass Diarra, Xabi Alonso, Kaká, Marcelo, Cristiano Ronaldo (Benzema, min.66) and Higuaín.

Goal: 1-0, m.56: Ibrahimovic.

Referee: Undiano Mallenco

Bookings: Arbeloa (min.34), Albiol (min.41), Pepe (min.69) and Marcelo (min.79)

Red Cards for being booked twice: Sergio Busquets (min.50 & 63) and Lass (min.48 & 90).

Pedro, The Unsung Hero

By: IBES

First of all, hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving Holiday and enjoyed some great food, shopping deals and of course hanging out with friends and families. I am also sure that for most fans, this Thanksgiving became less stressful or more relaxed after Barcelona defeated Inter Milan 2-0 this past Tuesday. With Ibrahimovic and Messi not inserted into the starting lineup, there were doubts and concerns about that encounter being a difficult match for the club to win. Thankfully, the academy players came to the rescue with Pique and Pedro scoring early on in the first half to ease nerves and help Barcelona regain the group. Perhaps Pep and the fans have to be thankful for Pedro coming through for the club so far this season with 10 goals in all competitions thus far and is currently the team’s top scorer.

“El Canario” Pedro is enjoying a fine sophomore season with Barcelona and it’s been a blessing of some sort. With the departure of Eto’o and the injuries affecting Ibrahimovic, Henry and Iniesta, goals were going to be tough to come by. Nevertheless, the goals have still come, but from unlikely sources thanks to Keita and Pedro. Pedro is the team’s top scorer in the Champions League, while Eto’o has yet to score in Europe and has scored in five different club competitions in one season, a feat only done once by Giovanni Silva back in the 1997-1998 season while Stoichkov, Salinas and Txiki only scored in four.

No one had any high expectations of Pedro of ever being great for the club unlike Bojan, Gai and Messi. I saw something in him when he scored that brace in last season's Champions League qualifiers against Wilsa and thought he could be a fine addition as a winger for the club. Not only is he a good winger, but seems to be a good fox in the box for the club too. The Canary Island native came through the youth academy and got some limited appearances last season. Pedro was thought of as some bit role player who would feature in the Copa Del Rey games, throw away Champions League group stages games and other league games where the league title had been clinched. However, after the sale of Eto’o, loaning out of Hleb and the high inflated transfer prices that followed Real Madrid’s summer of signings and hindered Barcelona’s chances of signing new players, Pedro has come in handy and, out of nowhere, has scored 10 goals for this club.

Pedro is not that highly rated either with some criticizing his lackluster work ethic, his tendency to lose possession and add to the fact that his name is pretty basic. Pedro used to go by Pedrito but overall, the name lacks a certain pizzazz such that as Ronaldinho, Romario, Eto’o and Ibrahimovic. Nevertheless, Henry and Raul have also shown us that players can be great with boring names too as long as those players can score, and Pedro so far has done just that. Of course I am not saying Pedro is as good as Henry and Raul, but his goals sure have helped the club this season.

His first goal was in the first leg in the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic which was the game winning goal. He then followed that game winner with another one in the UEFA Super Cup Final when Pedro came on as a substitute and scored with five minutes left in extra time to clinch the cup for the club. He also scored a memorable goal against Almeria and notched a brace in a Cope Del Rey game too. Now of course some of the credit also goes to his teammates for making him look good too but Pedro is sure taking advantage of his opportunities this season. Sadly, it also begs the question of what’s taking Bojan so long to score too. Pedro has scored as many goals as it takes Bojan to score all season.

Of course when all the big name players are healthy, Pedro will go back to the bench and see less minutes but no one can deny that he has played a big part in the team’s positive start in this new season. Here’s hoping that Pedro gets to score the FIFA Club World Cup and becomes the first player ever in the world to score in six different club competitions and the club finally wins that trophy to add to the museum. Until then, here’s hoping that the guys remind Real Madrid who truly is the best team in Spain tomorrow in the Camp Nou.

Barcelona Players Rack Up More Individual Awards

By: IBES

Fresh from having Xavi and Messi collect UEFA Club Football Awards, FC Barcelona reaped the benefits of winning the treble last season by winning the majority of the individual awards in the LFP Awards ceremony on Monday. Dani Alves, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, and Sergio Busquets all received awards on their performances last season along with Josep Guardiola for his management of the club.

The LFP awards are voted by a committee of former and current players and managers. The players were in Madrid Monday night to collect their awards and club President Joan Laporta,Techincal Director Txiki Begiristain and External Relations Director Manel Estiarte also accompanied the players to attend the ceremonies.

Dani Alves was voted Defender of the Year with Gerad Pique being runner up. The award for best midfielder went to Xavi Hernandez ahead of Toure Yaya and Lass Diarrá. Andrés Iniesta won the award for the Attacking Midfielder of the Year ahead of Santi Cazorla of Villarreal and Valencia's Juan Mata. Sergio Busquets won the award for Best Newcomer ahead of Apoño of Málaga and Lassad of Deportivo. Unfortunately, Víctor Valdés did not win the award for his position with Iker Casillas winning the award as best keeper. However, Valdés did receive the Zamora trophy handed from Marca this week. The award is handed out to the keeper who conceeded the least amount of goals in a season.

It was no surprise as to who would win Manager of the Season, with Pep Guardiola duly awarded for his brilliant debut season. Unable to attend the ceremony, Manel Estiarte picked up the award on his behalf. Guardiola also won the Miguel Muñoz Trophy as last season's best manager which is also awarded by Marca. Vice-President Rafael Yuste accepted the award on behalf of Guardiola.

Is Robinho really the answer?

By: IBES

So Robinho seems to be the next big thing that Pep wants. Really? Is that what we really need to help this team? According to both, the Spanish and English press, it seems that Robinho will be the big signing for this team during the winter transfer period. Somehow, I think the money could be spent elsewhere.

Let’s look at the pros and the cons of this transfer possibility shall we. We will examine the pros first. He is only 25 years old, plays on the left and is not cup tied for the Champions League. He also has a giant chip on his shoulder after the way he was treated by Real Madrid. Robinho was supposed to be getting a new deal by Real Madrid but they kept delayed it and then dangled him to Manchester United to get Cristiano Ronaldo. The deal fell through and Robinho had had enough and demanded to be transferred. The last time the club signed a former Madridista; Eto’o helped the team win three league titles and two Champions League titles. Another motivating factor would be the fact that the World Cup is coming up soon and he wants to be match fit and in a happier environment.

However, let’s examine the cons too. Robinho’s arrival will not be cheap. According to Sport, he could come on a loan for the second half of the season at a cost of €3 million or can be bought for over €30 million. Another issue is his attitude. Robinho has never been one to be without issues or controversy and does the club need to have someone here after getting rid of one player that the manager did not get along with. He already had an incident with Manchester City last season with his flight to Brazil without permission allegedly. His comments that Manchester City needed to change their small-time mentality sure is not exactly music to fans ears. After what the club went through with Eto’o, why would Pep have a different feeling about Robinho? Also, will he be well behaved off the field or will we see him out at night? Seems like too many questions marks come with the transfer.

Robinho is a very talented player who I admired watching with Diego during their Santos playing days but in the end, why take such a risky and expensive gamble on him. Ajax’s Luis Suárez is only 22 years old, can play on the left and has done well adapting to European football over at Ajax without a great supporting cast. He is also not cup tied for the Champions League since he is only involved in the Europa League. I also doubt Ajax would ask for over €30 million and we can perhaps get him and loan them Kerrison in return. It also helps that he is a fan of the club.

Another name would be Landon Donovan. He is not cup tied for the Champions League and although he has been around forever it seems, he is only 27 years old. He can come on a loan for the second half of the season and would be a great player to have rotated with Iniesta and Xavi seeing as Cesc is realistically not coming to the club this winter break. He can run with the ball, set up players quite well, another lethal free kick taker and not a bad scorer himself too. He is no stranger to the team after playing in the Confederation’s Cup and the first game of the USA tour this past summer.

I know those two players are no saints either. Landon has been accused of being invisible at times and seemed to take the easy way out when he opted to return to the MLS and not fight it out in Germany. Luis is known to be a diver and gets booked too often for it and is known to be a bit theatrical. However, I still think it would be money well spent and just what the team needs over Robinho who we do not know if will do well or sulk and create distractions. Why splash the money on one player when you can get two for the price of one and solve two problems. Luis can play on the left for Henry and allow Iniesta to excel in the midfield while Landon can rotate with Xavi and Iniesta and give them the much needed rest for rotations too.

Only time will tell what the club will decide is right for the club and hopefully it will be right decision.

Barcelona’s Wasted Value On Prospects? By: IBES

These last two seasons summer transfer window has shown us that the club has a big interest in investing in the future of the club through the youth. Part of it is from the club’s own youth academy and part of it is from it deals between the club and Traffic Sports Marketing in getting players from Brazil. Unfortunately, there seems to be a disagreement between the club administrators and manager Pep Guardiola about the future of the players not coming up from the youth academy and it begs the questions of whether they are given a fair chance to impress, whether they are being loaned out properly and in the end, whether it was worth buying them.

Last season, Pedro and Victor Sanchez were promoted to the first team squad. This season, Jeffren, Fontas, Muniesa and perhaps Johnathan Dos Santos and Thiago will be getting more minutes with the first team this year. Sadly, the players that are not from the youth academy will not be getting any minutes this season due to them being loaned out. Those players are Henrique, Martín Cáceres, and Keirrison.

These last two seasons summer transfer window has shown us that the club has a big interest in investing in the future of the club through the youth. Part of it is from the club’s own youth academy and part of it is from it deals between the club and Traffic Sports Marketing in getting players from Brazil. Unfortunately, there seems to be a disagreement between the club administrators and manager Pep Guardiola about the future of the players not coming up from the youth academy and it begs the questions of whether they are given a fair chance to impress, whether they are being loaned out properly and in the end, whether it was worth buying them.

Last season, Pedro and Victor Sanchez were promoted to the first team squad. This season, Jeffren, Fontas, Muniesa and perhaps Johnathan Dos Santos and Thiago will be getting more minutes with the first team this year. Sadly, the players that are not from the youth academy will not be getting any minutes this season due to them being loaned out. Those players are Henrique, Martín Cáceres, and Keirrison.

Martín Cáceres played a bit role last season, mostly featuring in Copa Del Rey matches. He was signed from Villarreal for € 16.5 million after playing well on loan at Recreativo during the 07-08 season. He and Garay were considered the best young defenders in terms of prospects. Real Madrid got Garay and Barcelona got Cáceres.

He is currently 22 years old and a starter for his national team. He is considered more of a fullback but can also play as a center back. Guardiola tried to use him as a center back but it was clear that he was not comfortable with playing Cáceres in the starting eleven and that was very obvious in the Champions League final where he could have started as a right back in place of the suspended Dani Alves or as a center back and allow Puyol to be the right back. Guardiola opted to go with Yaya Toure instead as his starting center back.

The writing was on the wall that Guardiola was not fond of Cáceres and, in the end, Cáceres was loaned out to Juventus for the season. He had just finished playing two World Cup qualifiers for Uruguay and played in his first league game for Juventus and scored in his debut and just started for Juventus in their first Champions League game yesterday too.

All that money spent on him and Guardiola never gave Cáceres a chance to prove himself. He could have been useful as a fullback seeing as he is playing in Dani Alves’s position as a right back, which is what we currently lack and thus have to use Puyol in that position. Hopefully Guardiola’s intent was to let Cáceres start at Juve to get him the match experience to play as a backup? I just don’t see it and seems like Guardiola no longer deems him as a part of this squad for the future. The next two players are part of the pact the club has formed with Traffic Sports Marketing.

Traffic Sports Marketing is known for organizing/commercializing football tournaments and also being the owners of Miami FC and also clubs in Brazil. Sadly however, they are also known for being involved in players’ ownership by buying the football players’ rights and then being involved in the transfers. Henrique, and Keirrison have been bought by Barcelona the last two seasons.

Henrique was bought last year from Brazilian club Palmeiras and is a Traffic owned player. The center back was signed for €8 million that would increase to €10 million based on performance incentives. Not a bad price for a good prospect. Sadly, he was signed and immediately whisked away to Germany where Bayer Leverkusen accepted in him on a yearlong loan. He played in 30 games for the German club, starting in all but one match and was not too shabby.

So it was surprising that when Henrique returned to the club this past summer, Guardiola seemed intent not to count on him as part of the squad even though he could have been a valuable backup for the center back position due to the lack of depth at that position with only Rafa Marquez as the only other center back there. So in the end, he was loaned out to Racing Santander and just started this past weekend against Atlético Madrid in a 1-1 draw.

Once again, when Guardiola states he needs depth on his squad, he decides to dump two defenders? It was great that he signed Chygrynsky right at before the transfer window closed, but why get rid of two defenders and only replace one. Henrique never got a fair shake from Guardiola and begs the question if Guardiola even plans on counting on him in the future if Henrique performs well for Racing. Is he another young player that the club signed and will never use? How can a defender starting in Germany not be considered to be good enough to a substitute in a season where rotations will play a big part of the team’s plan for success.

Finally, Barcelona signed another young Brazilian prospect that also happens to be owned by Traffic and played for Palmeiras. Keirrison only cost the club €15 million thanks to a clause in contract that stipulated that he could go to Barcelona for that asking price. Unfortunately, this transfer also did not impress Guardiola and as soon as Keirrison was signed, he was being shopped around for clubs to take him on loan for a year. The final team to capture his services was the Portuguese club Benfica. However, the big concern for Keirrison is whether that move will do him any good. Keirrison is joining a Benfica team that already bought Saviola to a stable of forwards such as Weldon, Mantorras, Cardozo and Nuno Gomes.

How on earth is he supposed to get any minutes when there are that many forwards ahead of him? I cannot understand how this move will get him the experience of playing in Europe when he might not even make the bench as a substitute. He only played one game for them and that was a friendly against Celtic in Canada recently where he did score. But the fact remains that if he was loaned out to gain experience, then wouldn’t it be wise to loan him to a team that will actually use him. Also makes you wonder if Guardiola will treat him like Henrique and try to limit his preseason minutes and offload him to another club for another loan. I would have preferred sending him out to Ajax to get an option on Luis Suárez.

Now the club does have its own youth academy players who seem destined to make the jump into the first team like Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta did. Muniesa, Fontas, Jonathan Dos Santos, Assulin, and Thiago have the potential to be a long term part of this squad for many years to come. Regrettably, I cannot say the same for Henrique, Cáceres, and Keirrison. They all seem to be fine additions to the squad in a year where the squad should be rotated to stay fresh. Guardiola though thinks otherwise and who am I to judge a man who just won five cups already. However, it does raise the question of what was the purpose of buying these players? Were they bought for alternative reasons that might come back to haunt the club in the future or is this just Guardiola being stubborn and not wanting to use players he never considered or wanted to be part of the team.

Where Are They Now? 1992 European Cup Champions.

By: IBES

Long before Rijkaard’s and Guardiola’s Champions League winning teams, the first fantasy team to capture the Champions League and also Barcelona fans’ hearts were the Cruyff managed “Dream Team”. May 20th, 1992 is the date that FC Barcelona finally won the big cup that had always eluded it. The heart breaks of losing to Benfica and Steaua Bucureşti were finally forgotten when FC Barcelona defeated Sampdoria 1-0 in the famed Wembley Stadium. Ronald Koeman’s free-kick goal with only nine minutes left in extra time clinched the club’s first Champions Cup. 17 years have since passed and the name of the cup is now known as the Champions League cup. We now look at where life took them after their time at the club had come to an end.

The starting eleven from that final were:

GK Andoni Zubizarreta ; Nando; Albert Ferrer ; Ronald Koeman; Juan Carlos; José Mari Bakero; Julio Salinas; Hristo Stoichkov; Michael Laudrup; Josep Guardiola ; Eusebio Sacristán.

Andoni Zubizarreta

Zubizarreta was the starting keeper for the “Dream Team” that won four straight league titles. He kept a clean sheet against Sampdoria that resulted in Barcelona winning the holy grail of European football. However, his last game with the club would be the awful 4-0 loss to Milan in the “Dream Team’s” last appearance in a European Cup final. He would then play four more years with Valencia before retiring as the all-time appearance record holder in Spanish league history with 622 matches. Zubi is also the most capped player for the Spanish National team.

After retiring from playing in 1998, he became a sports commentator for RNE in 1998 and for TVE for the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 Champions League games. In 2001, Zubi was hired as Sports Director for his first team Athletic Bilbao and would retain that position for three years until his dismissal. He now spends his time as a leadership skills consultant with Make A team, an Inmark Group’s business unit focused on human resources training.

Nando

Fernando Muñoz García spent two seasons at Barcelona as their starting defensive center back. He joined the club in 1990 from Sevilla and after this cup final, would end up going to Real Madrid for four years and then the other club rival, Espanyol in 1996, and retire there in 2001. Unfortunately, he is no longer involved with football and is enjoying his retirement in Sevilla.

Albert Ferrer

Albert "Chapi” Ferrer was the right back for this team. He started out as a youth player in the mid 80’s and joined the team in 1990 after a year at CD Tenerife on loan. He would remain on this team for eight years and win 5 league titles, 1 Champions Cup, 1 Cup Winners' Cup, and 3 Copa Del Rey trophies along with other trophies. He would then join Chelsea for five years until his retirement in 2003. He currently is a sports commentator for TV3, La Sexta, and has made some appearances on Sky Sports News and Sky’s Revista De La Liga this past season.

Ronald Koeman

The Dutchman Koeman joined Barcelona in the summer of 1989 from PSV Eindhoven. Koeman was an attacking defender for the “Dream Team” and was known as one of their best free kick and penalty kicks taker and also for his long distance goals such as his goal against Porto. His free kick goal in the final against Sampdoria will always be remembered by fans as the goal that finally won the club that was missing in their museum. Koeman bid farewell to the club in the summer of 1995 when he returned to Holland to play for Feyenoord for two more years until he retired.

After his retirement, Koeman went into coaching where he served as an assistant manager to Guus Hiddink with Holland in the 1998 World Cup and would then get his first managerial position with Dutch Club Vitesse in 2000. He then would leave Vitesse in mid-season to take the Ajax job and went on to win the domestic double. He would win another league title but his four year tenure was full of disappointing results.

He would resign from Ajax and then manage Benfica, who would be eliminated by Barcelona in the 2005-2006 Champions League Quarter-Finals, then replace Hiddink at PSV and win the Dutch league title, and then replace Quique Flores at Valencia early into the 2007-2008 season and endure a crazy disappointing season at Valencia even though he managed to win the Copa Del Rey. He currently was appointed as the new manager of the Dutch club AZ after replacing former Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal.

Juan Carlos

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Moreno, aka Juan Carlos, joined the “Dream Team” from Atlético Madrid for the 1991-1992 season. He was a fullback who could play on the left or the right. He started in the final against Sampdoria but did not even make it to the bench for the Milan final. Juan Carlos stayed at the club for three years and left after the 93-94 season and spent a year at Valencia and spent four more years at his original club, Real Valladolid, until his retirement after the 98-99 season.

In his retirement, he represented Castile and León autonomous football team in 2002 and currently is the president of the “Asociación de Veteranos” (Veterans Association) of Real Valladolid, a position he has held since 2005.

Bakero

Bakero left Real Sociedad and signed with FC Barcelona in 1988 and would remain there until the 1996-1997 season concluded. He was an attacking midfielder that formed the strong attacking part of the “Dream Team.” His career at the club would result in winning the Champions Cup, 2 Cup Winners' Cup, 4 Spanish League titles and 2 Copa Del Rey medals. He would play one further season in Mexico with Veracruz before finally retiring from playing.

After retiring, he rejoined FC Barcelona as an assistant to Llorenç Serra Ferrer (with Barcelona B) and then Louis Van Gaal of the first team. He would return to Mexico in 1999 to manage Puebla with poor results and was sacked after the conclusion of the Mexican winter League.

After a short period in which he was appointed sports adviser for the Generalitat de Cataluña and worked as a sports pundit in the media, he returned to managing with Málaga B after replacing Antonio Tapia in the middle of the 2004-2005 season, and saved the team from relegation by finishing 17th in the league.

In August 2005, he returned to Real Sociedad as the club’s Sports Director but took over as manager in March, 2006 and also saved them from relegation by finishing in 16th place. However, he would be sacked as manager just seven games in the following season because of poor results. He then would join Koeman, in 2007, as his assistant at Valencia but both would get fired during the same season because of bad results.

Currently, he is unemployed but has been mentioned as a candidate for some managerial positions with some Romanian clubs such as Dinamo Bucharest.

Julio Salinas

Julio Salinas was the “Dream Team’s” tall center forward. He signed with FC Barcelona right before the 1988-1989 season from Atlético Madrid. His career with the club ended after the 1994-1995 season but during that time, he would go on to win the Champions Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup (which he scored in the final), and four league titles among other trophies.

He would late play for Deportivo La Coruña, Sporting Gijón, Yokohama Marinos in Japan and Alavés before retiring in 2000. After retiring from the game, he became involved with sports commentary with TVE by announcing Spain’s National team’s games and Champions League matches. He would also pen a column for El Mundo Deportivo. He currently is announcing games on La Sexta, a position he has held since 2006, and was also recently a competitor on the show,” ¡Mira quién baila!”; Spain’s version of “Dancing With The Stars.”

Hristo Stoichkov

The Bulgarian International joined FC Barcelona from CSKA Sofia in 1990 and his goals helped lead the “Dream Team” in winning those four consecutive league titles along with the Champion’s Cup. He and Bakero were involved in the setup of Koeman’s free kick goal that won the game for Barcelona against Sampdoria. He was known for his fighting spirit and amazing goals, but was also known for his ill temper as witnessed when he stomped on a referee’s foot and was suspended for two months.

Following the 1994-1995 season, Hristo went to Parma for an uneventful year and then returned to Barcelona where he would help lead the team, managed by Bobby Robson, to win the Copa Del Rey and Cup Winners’ Cup. He would play sparingly under van Gaal and would leave the club forever after the following season. He would go on to play for CSKA Sofia, Al-Nassr, Kashiwa Reysol, and Chicago Fire before retiring after one year with D.C. United in 2003.

Since then, Hristo became involved in management and was back with Barcelona as the striker’s coach under Frank Rijkaard before taking the Bulgarian national team manager position in 2004. He would then step down after three unsuccessful years. His first club manager job was to manage Celta Vigo in 2007 but his two year stint was a disappointing one and would lead to his sacking.

He is currently is the new manager of the South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns FC, after he was hired in June.

Michael Laudrup

One of the greatest players to ever play for FC Barcelona and in Spain and also to break the Barcelona fans’ hearts was the Danish international, Michael Laudrup. In 1989, Juventus sold Laudrup to Barcelona and Laudrup would go on to form the attacking brilliance of the “Dream Team” along with Amor, Bakero and Guardiola. He would play a vital part in the club winning those 4 consecutive league titles and Champions Cup. Sadly, he left Barcelona after a falling out with Johan Cruyff. He was left out the final roster for the 93-94 Cup final against Milan and left the club. Some say that it was allegedly because he was involved with Cruyff’s daughter.

Laudrup’s next destination infuriated Barcelona fans when he joined Real Madrid. He would end up winning his fifth consecutive league title when he helped Madrid break the four year Barcelona run. He would remain for another year before playing stints in Japan with Vissel Kobe and with Ajax Amsterdam. He would then retire from playing football after the 1998 World Cup.

Two years after retiring, he returned to football as an assistant manager to the Danish national team before taking over his former Danish club, Brøndby, after the 2002 World Cup. From 2002 to 2006, Laudrup managed Brøndby to two league title and 2 domestic cup titles. He then left Brøndby and returned to Spain as Getafe’s manager for the 2007-2008 season which saw his club lose in the final of Copa Del Rey to Valencia, managed by former Barcelona teammate Ronald Koeman, and lose to Bayern Munich in the Quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup in extra time.

He would then resign as Getafe’s manager after that one season and join Spartak Moscow where he has been their current manager for the past two seasons.

Josep Guardiola

What more can be said of “Dream Team” member Josep Guardiola. After his great career with FC Barcelona, he would go to play in Italy for Roma and Brescia, Qatar’s Al-Ahli, and end his playing career in Mexico with Dorados de Sinaloa in 2006.

He then took a year off from football before returning to FC Barcelona to be the Barcelona B manager. His first year with Barcelona B would be successful as the club clinched promotion to Segunda División B. He then would be offered the dream job of managing FC Barcelona after Frank Rijkaard was sacked following the conclusion of the 2007-2008 season. In his first year on the job, Guardiola became the first manager in Spanish football history to win the treble after FC Barcelona won the league, Copa Del Rey and Champions League title during the 2008-2009 season. He became just one of the few to have won the Champions League trophy for the same club as a player and manager.

Eusebio Sacristán

Eusebio joined FC Barcelona from Atlético Madrid before the 1988-1989 season started and would go on to be part of the midfield of the “Dream Team.” During his time with the club, he would win 4 consecutive league titles, a Cup Winners’ Cup and the European Champions Cup. Following the 1994-1995 season, he would go on to play for Celta Vigo and Real Valladolid before retiring from football in 2002.

He would return to the club as Frank Rijkaard’s assistant in which he and Ten Cate helped Rijkaard manage the club and win two consecutive league titles and also a Champions League title. He would end up leaving the club when Rijkaard was dismissed. Currently, he is managing Celta Vigo after he was hired back in March.

The players on the bench were:

GK Carles Busquets; José Ramón Alexanko; Txiki Begiristain; Miguel Ángel Nadal; and Ion Andoni Goikoetxea.

Carles Busquets

Carles Busquets, more famously known as Sergio Busquets’s father, was the long time backup keeper Zubizarreta. Just like his son, he was promoted from Barcelona B and remained a part of the first team from 1988 to 1999. Unfortunately, his tenure at the club is remembered mostly for some of his blunders in net. He would then play for UE Lleida and retire from the game after the 2002-2003 season. He is currently now one of the keepers coaches with the Barcelona academy.

José Ramón Alexanko

Alexanko is a center back who signed with FC Barcelona back in 1980 and captained the “Dream Team” until his retirement following the 1992-1993 season. During that span, he played in over 200 games for the club and was the first one who lifted the Champions Cup to make amends for the 1986 cup Final in which his penalty shot saved in the shootout. After retiring, he then got involved in management with stints at FC Universitatea Craiova and FC Naţional Bucureşti in the late 90’s and then served as Carles Rexach’s assistant when Rexach was managing FC Barcelona in the 2001-2002 season.

He is currently the man in charge of FC Barcelona youth system; a position he has held since 2005.

Txiki Begiristain

Txiki is also a name well known for Barcelona fans as a player and as the football club’s technical director. He joined FC Barcelona in 1988 from Real Sociedad and left the club in 1995. During his tenure, he also won four consecutive league titles, a Cup Winners’ Cup and the Champions Cup. He would go on to play for Deportivo La Coruña and Urawa Red Diamonds before retiring from the game in 1999.

After he retired, he got into sports commentary with TV3 while being involved with Lluís Bassat’s run for club presidency in 1999, which Joan Laporta was also involved in. In 2003, new elections were in store for FC Barcelona and Lluís Bassat had Joan Laporta as his opponent this time and Txiki backing Laporta. After Laporta won the election, Txiki was appointed as the technical director of the football club which he still currently holds and will step down from that position after the 2009-2010 season.

Miguel Ángel Nadal

Nadal joined FC Barcelona from Mallorca in 1991 as one of their defenders. His tenure at the club resulted in five league titles, one Cup Winners’ Cup and the Champions Cup. He featured in over 300 club matches but left the club in 1999 because of van Gaal not selecting him. He would return to Mallorca where he would continue to shine for both club and country until his retirement in 2005.

He is also known for being the uncle of one of the best tennis players in the world at the moment, Rafael Nadal. Currently, Nadal is a member of the FC Barcelona veterans indoor team which just won the league title.

Ion Andoni Goikoetxea

Goikoetxea joined the club from Osasuna in 1988 but was sent to a two year loan at Real Sociedad. He returned to the club in time for the 1991-1992 season. He was one of the few players of the club who could play in all positions except goal keeping. He would win Don Balon’s player of the year in that first season and would go on to win four league titles and the European Champions Cup among other cups.

He left the club after the 1993-1994 season and would go on to play for Athletic Bilbao, Yokohama Marinos, and Osasuna before retiring from football in 1999. He then retired and coached in Osasuna’s youth teams and as Osasuna’s assistant manager, with one game as the head coach of Osasuna against Barcelona in 2008, since the manager Cuco Ziganda was watching from the stands while he carried out a suspension.

Currently, he is not coaching anywhere but he is also a member of the FC Barcelona veterans indoor team that just won the league cup.

Four other players were not called up to the final roster either due to suspensions, foreign player limit rules and substitution limits were Amor, Cristóbal Parralo, Ricardo Serna and Richard Witschge.

Guillermo Amor

Amor is another member of the “Dream Team” who came from the youth academy. He was an attacking midfielder who represented the club for over 10 years. Amor made his debut in 1988 and went on to win 17 trophies with 3 Copa del Rey titles, 5 league titles, 2 Cup Winners’ Cup titles and the 1992 Champions Cup. Just like Abidal, he unfortunately was suspended for the Final due to bookings thus could not play in the final.

He left the club in 1998 and went on to play for Fiorentina, Villarreal CF, and Livingston FC before retiring from the game in 2003. He would end up being the manager of Barcelona B in 2003 and remain there till 2007. His contract was not renewed and he left the club and the position was then given to Guardiola.

Amor would then become a sports commentator for Telecinco. Unfortunately, Amor would suffer a horrible car accident, after commentating on a game, on December 17th, 2007 which lead Amor to be operated for an abdominal trauma and eventually recovered. His son is currently in Barcelona’s youth academy. He is currently is still a sports commentator for Telecinco and is another member of the FC Barcelona veterans indoor squad.

Cristóbal Parralo

Cristóbal was a youth player who was promoted to the first team for the 1987-1988 season. He would then leave the club and play for Real Oviedo and Logroñés before returning to the club for the 1991-1992 season. He only featured in a few games and would leave the club after that season.

He would go on to play for Real Oviedo, Espanyol and finish his career with Paris SG, retiring after the 2002-2003 season. After retiring from playing, he also got into coaching with assistant manager jobs at Espanyol and Benfica. He then got his first managerial job with PD Santa Eulalia in Segunda B back in February. He is currently the new manager of Girona FC in the Segunda División.

Ricardo Serna

Serna came to FC Barcelona in 1988 after six years with Sevilla. He was a defender for the “Dream Team” and featured in over 100 games for the club. His time at the club would result in him winning two league titles, one Cup Winners’ Cup and the Champions Cup. Serna did not make it to the bench in the final against Sampdoria and would leave the club after that final. He would go on to play for Deportivo La Coruña, Real Mallorca, Granada CF, before retiring with AD Ceuta after the 1996-1997 season.

After retiring from playing, he also went into management. He spent some time managing the Andalusia autonomous football team (Selección de fútbol de Andalucía) before going to Morocco’s IRT Tanger before returning to Spain to manage Manchego CF in the Tercera División. In June, 2008, he was hired to be Club Deportivo Don Benito’s new manager in the Tercera División but was fired in November 2008 and currently has not found a new club to manage.

Richard Witschge

Witschge is the Dutch midfielder bought by Cruyff from Ajax Amsterdam for the 1991-1992 season. His stay would be a short one, 2 seasons, but he played in nine Champions Cup games in his first season along with 23 league appearances.

After the 1992-1993 season, Witschge would leave the team and have stints with FC Bordeaux, Blackburn Rovers, Ajax, Alavés before finishing his playing career with Oita Trinita in Japan after the 2003-2004 season. He is currently Aron Winter’s assistant manager over at Ajax Amsterdam’s Reserve Team, Jong Ajax.

These were the players that helped pave the way for FC Barcelona to capture their first ever Champions League title. I would like to thank my friends Sonia and Xavi (no, not that Xavi) for their help in this research. If you know of any updates or mistakes, please feel free to let me know.