The Fans Football Blog3

Barcelona Atletic attacking midfielder Thiago Alcantara (18) and defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu (17) will represent Spain at the Under-19 European Championship starting today, July 21st. Both players would have already been training with the team since July 6th. Neither player would therefore join the first team in England for the pre-season Wembley cup.

Spain's first group match against Turkey is scheduled for today. Spain is in group B along with Turkey, Serbia and France.

Other players representing Spain U-19 include former Barcelona youth players Fran Merida (19) and Iago Falque (19) who now play club football for Arsenal and Juventus respectively.

Read more:
Three youth players to start pre-season in London
Seven Junveil players promoted to Barca B
Barcelona's Spanish U-17 stars

In the past 3 years the Spanish National under-17 team have won the UEFA Under-17 European Championship on two occasions. Those teams contained several players that are from the Barcelona youth setup. We will profile a few of these players in this article.

2007
The 2007 event saw the Spanish National team emerge with the title beating their English counterparts in the final. Barcelona prodigy Bojan Krkic got the only goal of the game in that final. The team contained several Barcelona youth team products including Bojan, Iago Falque, Fran Merida and Cristian Valle.

Bojan Krkic
Bojan was no stranger to the competition had taken part in the 2006 event as a 15 year old where he emerged as joint top scorer of the tournament with 5 goals including a hat-trick off the bench against hosts Luxembourg in a 7-1 demolition. He once again came off the bench in the third place game to great effect scoring against the Germans. The game went to penalties and Bojan proved his nerves of steel scoring what turned out to be the winning penalty in the penalty shootout that finished 3-2 in Spain's favour. German wunderkid Toni Kroos had the chance to extend the penalty shootout but missed the final penalty for the Germans.


- Bojan goal -

Having taken his team to 3rd place as a 15 year old the previous year Bojan returned the following year. He opened up his account in the final group stage scoring the lone goal in Spain's 1-0 win over Switzerland. As with great players however he saved his best for the big occasion. In the semi-final against a Belgian team that contained reported Barcelona target wunderkid Eden Hazard, Spain found themselves down to 10 men after key player Pichu was sent off. Things seemed to be going from bad to worst as Spain then conceded an own goal and looked to be going out of the competition.

But cometh the hour cometh the man as Bojan smacked home the equalizer for Spain with just 8 minutes left. The game stayed that way after extra time and went to penalties where Bojan converted his penalty as Spain advanced to the final 7-6 on penalties.On to the final where once again Bojan proved why he is one of the "Europe's brightest prospects" according to the UEFA website for the tournament. The report on the UEFA website describes Bojan's winner in the following way

"England nonetheless survived the first period and after the interval the breeze was behind them. However, eight minutes in, the man who scored twice against them in a 3-2 win for Spain in October, Bojan, did it again. Steele could only parry a Merida effort and Bojan was there to shoot in with aplomb past two despairing defenders to the delight of the sizable Spanish support."

The headlines stolen then "Bojan strike gives Spain title" and "Bojan strikes for Spanish success" adorn UEFA's official website as the Barcelona starlet wrote his name into the history of the European under-17 championships.


- Bojan winner vs England -


Iago Falque
Iago can possibly be considered as another one in a long list of talent from the Barcelona youth academy that got away. A left-sided winger with great promise Iago was once considered a player that could eventually play for the Barcelona first team. After doing well at youth level for Barcelona's Juvenil A team and helping Bojan to guide Spain's U-17 team to the 2007 European Crown with 2 goals, Iago was tipped to be promoted to Barcelona Atletic.

However new manager Luis Enrique had different ideas refusing to promote Iago and after strong interest from Manchester United, Ajax and Juventus he decided he wanted to leave. Realizing that they could lose another young Spanish talent for nothing, Barcelona made a desperate attempt to get Iago to stay by reportedly offering to promote the youngster after all. The player however had made up his mind and eventually Barcelona cancelled his contract so the youngster could leave for Juventus at the start of this season.

He would go on to say in a later interview that

"Luis Enrique told me from the start that he had a lot of people for my position. Later he said that he counted on me, but by that time I didn't want to continue anymore. I was already talking with other clubs and my mind had left the club."

He has played for Juventus B this season and is yet to make his Serie A debut.

- see a video of Iago below -



Francisco Merida
What is it about players whose names begin with Fran sneaking out of Barcelona. Merida joined Barcelona at age 8 and was touted as a future star. However as with another famous Fran, Francesc Fabregas, Barcelona would lose their man to the so called great developer of talent Arsene Wenger. The trouble all started when Merida who had signed a precontract agreement with Barca at age 14, stating that he would sign professional terms with Barcelona two years later, disappeared for several months.

Reports are that his agent Joseba Diaz hid Merida away and then snuck him to England without telling Barcelona anything (a similar situation was reported to have occurred with Manchester United's da Silva twins Rafael and Fabio who claimed recently that an Arsenal agent had asked them to leave for Arsenal without letting their club know but they refused and ended up joining Manchester United Instead).


- Merida -

Apparently Merida's parents had become uneasy with all of the young players joining Barcelona and decided that their son would have a better chance elsewhere. AC Milan, Real Madrid and Arsenal were all interested with Arsenal being his final destination. He was given Fabregas' old room according to reports.

Furious at having lost another central midfielder prodigy for nothing Barcelona sued Merida and won 3.2 million euro in compensation, a cost which Arsenal covered despite claiming no wrong-doing in the incident. Merida nevertheless helped Spain to the U-17 title in 2007 and has gone on to represent Spain at u-19 and u-21 level. He spent last season on loan with Real Sociedad and has made his league debut for Arsenal this season.


Cristian Valle
Valle did not make the cut for the Spanish squad for the final round of the 2007 European U-17 championships, but he did play a part in the earlier rounds playing against Switzerland, Poland and Sweden in the "Elite round" (the stage before the final group stage) of the European Championship. A left side defender by trade, Valle made the jump from Barca's Juvenil B squad to Barca's Juvenil A team this year and was part of the team that recently won the league and followed that up with Champions Cup. A possible player for the future if Valle can continue to improve, the left-back position has been a concern of late for Barca and in Valle they could find a replacement right under their noses

- See a video of Cristian Valle -



2008
The 2008 tournament proved to be more of the same for Spain as they claimed their 2nd straight European crown and once again Barcelona players had a key role to play. Players from Barcelona once again had a key role with Thiago Alcantara was the star this time scoring one goal in the final and setting another up, ending second joint top scorer in the competition. The Barcelona players that were selected this time were Martin Montoya, Oriol Romeu, Thiago Alcantara, Rueben Rochina, Alex Sanchez Benitez, Carles Planas and Adria Carmona.

Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara has been touted as a future Barcelona first team player for about 3 years now. Those who have seen him play have very high regard for the midfielder. Son of former Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho (1994 world cup) born in Italy and groomed early on by Flamengo, Thiago joined Barcelona at the tender age of 13 and has since been touted as a future star.

His talent was easily recognisable and his father recently told Setanta that Chelsea offered him a move when he was 16 but he turned them down because he was happy with Barcelona. (He also mentioned his younger brother Rafa who is being followed by several teams as well but who also wants to stay)

He proved his class in the 2008 tournament against France in the group stage twice drawing Spain level in a 3-3 draw, with two free kicks. He then went on to convert a penalty in the final against the French once again in a 4-0 demolition. In the UEFA match report they describe his contribution to the final in the following way

"Keko was the inspiration behind the victory, producing a display which eclipsed even that of last year's final winner Bojan Krkić. He turned in Thiago's pass just after the half-hour and his ball set up Sergi early in the second period for Spain's second.

Thiago had outshone Keko prior to this final and got in on the act with a lovely shimmy, though Manu was denied by a tackle from fellow substitute Willy Boly, making his finals debut. Fauré was then adjudged to have tripped Sielva as he surged into the area and Thiago put away the first non shoot-out penalty of the finals."

Thiago one of the stars of the tournament has continued to work and he was recently rewarded with his first cap for the Blaugrana in the game against Mallorca and also has moved up to train with the Spain U-19 squad. Definitely a bright future ahead, Thiago is one to watch for in the near future.

- See a video of Thiago here -



Martin Montoya
Martin Montoya is another youngster that played a crucial role in Spain's Championship playing all of Spain's Final group stage games along with their semi-final and final clashes. A right back by trade Montoya's talent was recognized by the Barcelona coaching staff who called him up to the Barcelona B team pre-season friendly with Swansea. He started the season with Barca Juvenil A, but was called up to Barca Atletic for the game against Osasuna B earlier this season at the tender age of 17 after an injury to first choice Corcoles.

He was recently selected in the shortlist of right-backs for the Futbol Draft awards, the most prestigious Spanish awards for youth players between the ages of 16 and 21. He was also called up to the Spanish u-18 team for the clashes with the French u-18 team on May 19 and 21 along with other Barcelona players Thiago, Ruben Rochina, Alex Sanchez Benitez, Marc Bartra Aregall and former Barcelona youth player Daniel Pacheco who now plays for Liverpool. He has trained with the first team during an international match break along with other youth players such as Gai Assulin, Jonathan dos Santos (brother of Gio) and Polaco.

Carles Planas
Another promising left back to come out of the Barcelona youth setup is Carles Planas. Carles as he is known started the first game of the under-17 championships at left back and was subsequently dropped from the team for the next two games. A resilient player however he found his way back into the team in the semi-finals and finals and helped Spain to their second title in as many years. He has also been nominated for the Futbol Draft awards in the left-back category and although starting this year as captain of the Barcelona Juvenil B team.

His performances led him to play with the Juvenil A team and he even featured in the Juvenil A teams Champions cup final victory over Celta Vigo. Capping off a brilliant rise in 1 season he received a call to Luis Enrique's Barcelona B team earlier this season and filled in admirably in a 0-0 draw. He has also been capped for Spain at the under-19 level and having turned 18 this March and is definitely one to watch for the future.

- See a video of Martin Montoya and Carles Planas here -



Rueben Rochina
Rueben had a good under-17 tournament starting the semi final and coming on as a substitute in the final. His finest moment came on the group stage where he rescued Spain who were trailing the Republic of Ireland by 1 goal to nil. Coming off of the bench Rochina netted a double as Spain came back to win 3-1. The official UEFA website described his goals as follows

"Ireland were playing for pride and took an early lead through Conor Hourihane. But Rubén, filling the No9 shirt worn last year by FC Barcelona colleague Bojan Krkić, turned the game with two superb strikes and provided Keko with the clincher which ensured Spain finished above France on goal difference and set up a Tuesday semi-final with the Netherlands.

In the end seven minutes was all Rubén needed to open his tournament account, Keko jinking in the area and passing for the striker to beat Hanley with a left-footed shot.

Hanley stopped another Rubén effort but his second goal soon followed, a low-curling free-kick from the edge of the area worthy of any level of football. Ireland refused to be beaten and Hourihane smashed a drive on to the underside of the crossbar. The ball also fell nicely to substitute Robert Brady who shot over, but Spain had the last word, Rubén returning the favour for the first goal by setting up Keko to produce a neat finish, ensuring Spain avoid facing hosts Turkey in the last four."


- Rochina -

This display by the player who has been described as a "true killer in the box" came as no surprise to the Barca staff. Rueben came to Barcelona via Valencia in 2004. He was promoted through the ranks to the Juvenil B team last season where he scored 15 goals before December earning a promotion to Juvenil A. Rueben a left footer stands at 182 cm giving him an ability to win arial challenges, which is always a good thing for a centre forward. He has been called to the Barcelona Atletic team more than once this season and showed his worth scoring a double against Swansea in the pre-season friendly along with 2 league goals. He has been nominated for the Futbol Draft awards in the Centre Forward position along with Bojan.


Alejandro Sanchez Benitez
Alejandro Sanchez Benitez or Alex had a good tournament keeping 2 clean sheets in 4 games including a clean sheet in the final. Despite conceding 3 goals to the French in the opening round Alex bounced back to shut them out in the final. Currently with Barca's Juvenil B team Alex at age 18 has a bright future ahead of him and has been called up to the Spanish national u-18 squad to face the French in two friendly games in May.

Adria Carmona
Carmona played all of Spain's U-17 games and had a good tournament. A left winger Carmona has played for Barcelona Juvenil A this season and has drawn interest from Tottenham Hotspur along with other top clubs such as Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan, Inter and Juventus. He recently scored in the Juvenil A teams Champions Cup final victory and at just 17 he is definitely one to watch for the future.

























- Adria Carmona -


Oriol Romeu
Oriol Romeu is a defensive midfielder who has also been scouted by Europe's elite like Adria Carmona. He plays for the Juvenil A team but he has been called up by Barcelona Atletic already this season. He started the European under-17 semi final against Holland as well as Spain's first two games but did not play in the final and was not on the bench. Romeu also received a call up to Luis Enrique's Barcelona Atletic team this season filling in as a defender in a 0-0 draw with Denia and also against Santa Eulalia in a 1-0 win which showed his versatility. At age 17 Oriol is a player to watch in the coming years.


2009
After two years of brilliance Spain crashed out of the final group stage of this year's European Championships. They did not score a goal but on the other hand they conceded no goals either. Perhaps a look at the makeup of the team gives some idea as to why this happened. In previous years the teams were rich with attacking talent from the Barcelona youth academy. On this occasion however the 4 Barcelona players that were selected were all defenders, a coincidence then that no goals were conceded? Maybe. The Barca boys who did a great job in the defence were Marc Muniesa, Sergi Gomez, Adria Blanchart, Albert Dalmau.

Marc Muniesa
So impressive was Muniesa that UEFA named him one of the Ten Future stars from the 2009 U17 finals saying on the official UEFA webpage

"Much was made of the fact that defending champions Spain, despite the best efforts of midfielder Koke and striker Borja, did not score a goal during the tournament, but they did not concede a one either and that has a lot to do with the performances of centre-back Muniesa. The FC Barcelona youth team member - who already competes with players two years older than him - does not just resemble Carles Puyol in looks, displaying a calm presence in the heart of the defence. Left-footed and strong in the air, Spain coach Ginés Meléndez made a point of highlighting his contribution after he returned from a ten month injury lay-off."


- Muniesa -

Muniesa had long been tipped as rising star and Sport profiled him as one to watch from the time he was 15 and Chelsea reportedly being ready to make an approach for him. He has however stayed with Barcelona and progressed through the ranks to the Juvenil A team where he played this year. Muniesa was also nominated for the Futbol Draft awards for the centre back position and is highly rated by all who see him. Possibly a second coming of Carles Puyol, he even looks a little like Barca's "Captain Fantastic". HOT HOT HOT prospect. Remember the name folks this one looks like he could be the genuine article.

- See another video of Muniesa here -



The Others
Of the other three defenders from the Spanish National u-17 team Dalmau and Gomez started all of the final round games while Blanchart stayed on the bench for all 3 games in the final group stage. These three young players all play for the Juvenil B team and Dalmau who is a right back has been nominated for the Futbol Draft awards in that position. Blanchart is a central defender that joined Barcelona from Espanol and is highly rated by the staff with Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta telling Sport that Blanchart "is a very difficult central defender to overcome, who is very good in the air..."

Sergi Gomez Sola is also a central defender for the Juvenil B team. He scored the winner against the United States u-17 team in a warm-up for the European Championships. In the dying minutes of the warm-up game played in Madrid on the 18th of February 2009, Sergi scored the winner with a shot through a crowd of players after a goal-mouth scramble from a corner.

See pictures of Sergi Gomez, Blanchart and Dalmau:






























- Sergi Gomez -

























- Adria Blanchart (right) with coach Garcia Pimienta (centre) and Ivan Balliu (left) -


























- Albert Dalmau (#2 bottom right) -




barca4life

Former Barcelona Atlètic and current Juventus player Iago Falqué gave an interview to Madrid sports tabloid As.





How is football in Italy?
Very different compared to Spain, starting with how young players are treated. You will hardly see boys of 18 years old playing with the first team unless they are real phenomenons. They put the emphasis on the fact that you should be well-prepared and that you need time to get there.

Which doesn't seem a bad thing to me. It's good to go step by step.
Indeed, and I have a lot of time: I signed for four years.

What about the game?
The tactical part is the most important one. Games are very carefully prepared. With attention for the little details, there's nothing that isn't discussed. In Spain, they don't work that much on the tactical aspect, there's more freedom, above all in the defense. Here they defend with eleven players. It's football and chess at the same time. It's just a totally different game. The mixture of both styles will sure make me a better player.

Which teammate has impressed you most?
Pavel Nedved. Of course, the fourteen years that Del Piero has been at the club isn't nothing and the day I sat by his side in the dressingroom, I got emotional. But the Czech is impressive: he's 36 years old and he has won everything but he still has the same desire and ambition as the first day. He plays ninety minutes, Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday.

What about Buffon?
I don't see him a lot. Since he's injured we meet almost never. But when we do, he always slaps my shoulder and greets me. It seems a good guy and he behaves the same with me as with the other teammates: well-mannered and always encouraging. None of the players behave like a star.

How are the fans? The press?
The fans are very passionate, I think it's comparable like in Spain. And the press puts a lot of pressure, also like in Spain. You have several sports papers, the general papers are also focusing on football, radio stations, television channels... This isn't England where a journalist appears every now and then. Here, there's pressure if you lose. And Juventus is the number one club in Italy...

But not in Turin, which is very strange.
Yes, Torino has more fans in Turin than Juventus. It's a historical thing since Torino had the first great Italian team. The memory remains and they are still loved by a lot of people.

Who was your idol when you were young?
Rivaldo. An extraordinary player who hasn't been treated fairly in Spain. For me he was at the same level as the best Ronaldinho... or even better. But he played in a Barça that wasn't as good as the team of today and he paid for that. But what a player!

What do people in Italy think about the Spanish league? They consider Barça to be far ahead of the other teams?
Well, the day they played against Madrid, that didn't seem to be the case to me. It wasn't easy for Madrid to play that game with that many non-available players, with a new coach. Of course Barça was superior, but I have the feeling that it's Messi who is superior, he makes the difference. And when Barça loses him one day, they will have a bad time because he's the one who decides the games. They are the favourites for the league title - saying otherwise would be strange if you look at the table - but there's a lot of season left. The reasonable thing is to wait and see how it will turn out.

What about the Spanish national team?
The Italians don't put in doubt the superiority and the quality of Spain. We won the European championship by playing football, not by speculating like Greece in 2004. Even the last fifteen minutes of the final Germany wasn't able to attack! Even then the chances were ours. What a tournament we played...

You could take part in the European Championship Under-19 and the World Cup Under-20 this season.
I would like to play both tournaments but the competition is realy strong and I'll have to fight for my spot.


This was the second and last part of this interview. Read the first part here:
"I had seven great years at Barça"

Read more:
Barça B: Iago talks about exit
Barça B - Official: Iago to Juventus
Barça B: Manchester United offer for Iago

Former Barcelona Atlètic and current Juventus player Iago Falqué gave an interview to Madrid sports tabloid As.





First of all: you were to travel to Bergamo with the first team this weekend, but in the end you played with the second team. What happened?
Well, Maladoni, the coach of the second team, asked Ranieri not to take me with him because he needed me. So I played with the second team against Siena.

You were angry, of course.
There's time! The boss is the boss... Now I'm playing with the second team and last weekend's would have been my fourth call-up with the first team.

The calcio: that's like doing a football master, boy.
I know what I came here for and what I could expect. Until now, the hardest thing has been my mobile phone bill. I paid one thousand euro a month! Now I'm having an Italian one, the Spanish one was ruining me.

You're living in Turin with your grandfather.
He came with me because it's not easy to go from one country to another. I left home when I was 10 years old, but that was just going to Barcelona. Living abroad is different. That's why he came with me, so that everything would be more comfortable for me. He goes shopping, does my laundry... My grandfather Carlos is a phenomenon!

What about the food?
A lot of pasta, a lot of pizza... We're adapting but it's true that nothing can match the Spanish kitchen. Leaving Vigo was even harder, but at least I ended up at Barça. For me, who was coming from Cristo de la Victoria, a very modest local club, that was a dream.

You didn't stay in La Masía.
No, not at all. My parents didn't want me to go to Barcelona so they were asking Barça a lot of things, hoping they would say no... But they agreed. They asked an apartment, a job for my father, my mother being able to visit us every weekend... It was immense, but they accepted everything. I had seven great years in Barcelona.

Until the day that Luis Enrique told you that he didn't really saw a place for you in Barça B.
Yes. He told me that he thought it would be better if I played with the Juvenil A, that he didn't plan to count on me and that I would have few minutes if I stayed with the B-team. A couple of weeks after that talk, he surprised me by saying that everything was ok, that there wouldn't be a problem if I wanted to stay with his team. But I wasn't motivated anymore. If they don't count on you from the start...

And if above that Juventus is interested...
They saw me last summer at an under-19 tournament in Ireland. With eleven days left before the end of the transfer market, Claudio Ranieri called my father and said he wanted me to join Juventus. You can imagine that I felt like I was dreaming.

What did they pay for you?
Nothing. They signed some agreements with Barça based on incintives: if I play in the Champions League, if I play fifteen games with the first team... Barcelona can receive a maximum of 2,5 million euro°. It was a good thing that I was represented by IMG, that also acts as agent of people like Rafa Nadal or Kun Agüero... Cause you know, in the world of footall there are some lies and therefore it's a good thing to have capable advisors, certainly when you're young.

This was the first part of this interview. You can read the second part in the coming days with Iago talking -among other things- about football in Italy.


Read more:
Barça B: Iago talks about exit
Barça B - Official: Iago to Juventus
Barça B: Manchester United offer for Iago

Only five players survived Luis Enrique's rage after the first game of the season (read more here). Centre back duo Joni and Romeu weren't part of the squad and the whole midfield was replaced with Rueda surpisingly starting as defenisve midfielder. Víctor Sánchez rejoined his last season team-mates and played as central defender. Miño kept Oier on the bench for the second game in a row.

Miño, Córcoles, Víctor Sánchez, Héctor Verdés (out 12), Espasandín, Thiago, Rueda (45 Xavi Torres), Longás, Nolito (68 Busquets), Maric, Rayo (45 Jeffren)

See the further match stats here

With no first team football last weekend, a lot of people came to the Mini Estadi to watch the first home game of Barcelona Atlètic this season, from Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola over board members and former players to opera singer Josep Carreras. Before the match there was a one-minute silence for Barcelona legend Joan Segarra, who died at the age of 80 days before.

Barcelona started well and Nolito had the 1-0 on his boots after only four minutes. Luis Enrique nevertheless already had to change his game plan when central defender Verdés was rightly sent off after a tackle in the 11th minute.

The coach, who was standing by the side-line supporting his players during the whole game---only getting back to the bench once to kick it after Thiago lost a ball in midfield, decided to play with three defenders and this appeared to be the right choice. Gramenet didn't come out of its defensive position and Barcelona dominated the first half, although this didn't lead to a lot of chances.

Víctor Sánchez organised the defense and Longás proved his quality and experience by taking the lead of the team. Shots by Nolito, who was very active on the left wing, and Thiago were saved by the visiting goalkeeper.

In the second half, Luis Enrique changed the 3-3-3 to a 4-3-2. Xavi Torres entered to play alongside Víctor Sánchez in a four-men defense, although both got the freedom to go forward. Longás and Nolito dropped back a line and Maric and Jeffren were the strikers.

After five minutes, Víctor Sánchez opened the score after a great run and an assist by Maric. Five minutes later Gramenet was also reduced to ten man after a fault on Nolito. Barcelona kept on controlling the game and in the 71st minute a corner kick by Jeffren was headed into the net by Xavi Torres, who could have previously made a fault on the goalkeeper.

Gramenet finally decided to react and hit the post twice in the last quarter. Jeffren, who was playing a good second half, got injured when he shot on goal after a pass by Maric. The winger had to leave the pitch with an injury and Barcelona ended the game with nine men.

Barcelona Atlètic coach Luis Enrique said at the press conference after the match that he was happy with the performance of his team: "I'm very satisfied because we kept last season's good series at home. And we were able to overcome the early red card. Today I liked everything with exception of that red card.

I liked a lot of things, especially the way we started the game because this usually tells a lot about the team. Despite the expulsion, we didn't change our style and this proves that a team can get over such moments. The performance of Víctor Sánchez has been impressive.

I'm very satisfied with the attitude of the team. With a good attitude everything is a lot easier. Although they are very young, we knew how to play at every moemnt of the game. This victory will be a stimulation for the players by seeing that all the hard work since the start of the pre-season leads to something.

It's true that I made a lot of changes but that doesn't mean I was disappointed. I have a squad of 21-22 players and they all have qualities. Starting a game or not will depend on their motivation, their ambition and their daily work on training. Everyone will play this season and everyone will spend time on the bench and in the stands.

About the transfer of Iago I want to say that I never intended to say that he was a player Barcelona wasn't interested in. I think honesty is a virtue of a coach and I told him that I thought it would be difficult for him to get a lot of playing time this season. It's a great player and a good boy but it was better for him to move. I wish him all the best."

Asked about the transfer of former Barcelona youth player Iago Falqué (18) to Juventus (read more here), people from his entourage told Spanish news agency EFE that sporting issues were the only reason to leave for Italy:

Juventus has yesterday officially announced the transfer of Barcelona Atlètic attacker and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18).

After arriving in Turin on Monday morning, Iago underwent the medical tests and signed a contract that links him to the Italian club for the next four years (read more here).

Iago said to the club's official media that he was excited about the move: "I'm very happy to be part of a prestigious club like Juventus. The idea that I will be able to train with great players makes me enthusiatic and anxious to start. I hope to make myself useful and to show my abilities. I want to thank Claudio Ranieri for his words of praise and I will do everything to meet his expectations."

Juventus sports director Alessi Secco showed his satisfaction with the transfer: "Iago is a very promising player who we are already following for a while. He'll have to get some more physical strength and he'll start with the reserves. This transfer proves that Juventus is putting emphasis on the youth."

Barcelona has officially confirmed the deal today. Barcelona will receive a series of variables up to 2,5 million euro° depending on the games that Iago will play with Juventus' first team and on his registration for the Champions League. If Iago is sold during the next four years, Barcelona will receive 25 per cent of the transfer fee.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona will receive 1 million euro° once Iago has played 15 matches with the first team. If Iago reaches 30 matches and if he is registered to play in the Champions League, that would lead to Barcelona picking up the total fee of 2,5 million euro°.

No buy back clause is included in the deal. Iago, who is represented by sports marketing agency IMG, is said to be thankful for the way Barcelona treated his exit.

Read the complete Iago Falqué transfer story

Read more:

Asked about the rumours linking Barcelona Atlètic attacker and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18) with a move to his club (read more here), Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri has confirmed the transfer at a press conference this weekend:

"We have been following Iago for a while now. It's a quality player with good prospects. We always have to try and make these types of investments for both the first team and the youth teams. Technically, Iago is very good. He has to gain some more physical strength cause he's rather fragile, but he has everthing to become an excellent player."



Read more:
Barça B: Iago will sign with Juventus tomorrow
Barça B: Iago is negotiating his exit
Thinking about Eto'o-Trezeguet swap

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona Atlètic attacker and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18) will sign a four-year deal with Italian club Juventus on Monday (read more here).

Iago, for whose transfer Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri has pushed hard, will always train with the first team, although he'll start playing with the reserves. The plan is to integrate the player step by step in the first team. After maximum one and a half season he should be a full member of the senior squad.

Barcelona has accepted to let Iago leave for free. If the attacking midfielder will play 30 matches with Juventus' first team, Barcelona will receive 1 million euro°. When Juventus sells the left-footed player, Barcelona will get 30 per cent of the transfer fee.

Asked about the rumoured transfer to Juventus, Iago's mother and Spanish senator Carmela Silva confirmed the news to Galicia regional newspaper El Faro de Vigo: "He's very happy. There were other clubs who were seriously interested in him, like Real Madrid or Valencia. But he really wanted to leave for a foreign club and the fact that Claudio Ranieri has confidence in him was decisive."

The paper claims that Ranieri sent a member of his technical staff to Ireland last week, where Iago played an international youth tournament with the Spanish U-19 national team. Iago was elected as best player of the tournament and Ranieri was delighted about the scouting report he received.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta would already have given his approval to the deal. Now everything has to be formally put on paper and signed. Iago, who played seven years for the Barcelona youth teams, is ready to travel today to Turin, where he will undergo the medical tests and sign his contract.

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The official website of Barcelona reports that the contract of Barcelona Atlètic attacker and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18) has been cancelled.

Asked about the situation of Barcelona Atlètic attacker and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18), Barcelona Atlètic assistant coach Joan Barbarà confirmed to the club's official media on Friday that the player is negotiating with Barcelona about putting an end to his contract.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that there's no final agreement yet and the player was yesterday seen training with the B team. Juventus is the club that's pushing the most for Iago although it's expected that the Italians will have to find a deal with Barcelona that's not planning to just let the player go for free and without any condition.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Juventus is in poll position to sign Iago and that there were new contacts with the Italian club yesterday which could lead to a deal this weekend (read more here).

Manchester United, Liverpool, Ajax and Celta would all also have made offers for Iago and Real Madrid is also keeping an eye on the situation. It neverheless cannot be excluded that Iago in the end leaves on a one year loan.

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Barça B: Iago close to Juventus

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona Atlètic attacking midfielder and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18) is close to joining Italian club Juventus.

With Barcelona Atlètic coach Luis Enrique not counting on Iago for this season and the alternative being a return to the Juvenil A team, Iago has decided to accept one of the many offers he has received.

Manchester United and Ajax have also shown interest in the player but the fact that Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri has asked himself for the transfer seems to have been decisive. A deal could be closed later today.

Iago would leave on a free transfer although Barcelona will receive a fee if he plays a certain number of matches with the first team and a part of the transfer fee is the player is sold by Juventus later on.

Read more:
Barça B: Manchester United offer for Iago
Youth - Official: Valles to NAC Breda
Youth: Iago could leave for Manchester United

Spanish football site Air Futbol claims that Barcelona Atlètic attacking midfielder and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18) has been contacted by Manchester United, that wants the player to join their reserves team (read more here).

Iago thinks that he hasn't been treated correctly by Barcelona and wants to end his stay at the club (read more here). If he's given the permission to leave on a free transfer, he'll most probably join the English champions.

Asked about the rumours linking him with Manchester United, Iago said to the site that he doesn't see himself staying at Barcelona and that Manchester United is in that case an excellent option: "I consider that club to be the ideal place for me to keep on growing as a football player."

Spanish football site Join Futbol claims that sources close the the current Champions League holders have confirmed that Manchester United are currently the best placed team to sign Iago.

Barcelona site Pelikano claims that, while Barceloa Atlètic coach Luis Enrique told Iago that he doesn't count on him for next season (read more here), other people within the club are having doubts on letting the player go.

Iago's agent would have receive several offers and clubs like Real Madrid and Liverpool would be ready to pick the player up in the last days of the summer transfer window if he would be able to leave on a free transfer.

Read more:
Youth: Iago wants to leave permanently
Nike wants Ronaldo in Barcelona
Youth: English clubs interested in Iago

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Manchester United and Juventus are the main candidates to sign Barcelona Juvenil A attacking midfielder and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18).

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona Juvenil A attacking midfielder and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18) has been told by the club last week that he can stay with Barcelona Atlètic this season.

Barcelona Atlètic coach Luis Enrique had decided earlier this pre-season that Iago, who is now playing a tournament with the national team, wasn't part of his plans (read more here) and the player was talking since then with the club about ending his contract (read more here).

The decision will now depend on Iago, who has kept on training with Barcelona Atlètic over the last weeks. Because the attacker thinks he won't be given enough chances by Luis Enrique, Iago is also considering other options. Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam would be interested in Iago.

Read more:
Youth: Iago won't be promoted
Youth: Iago wants to leave permanently
Youth: English clubs interested in Iago

This post will be updated throughout the day.



Guardiola has changed his view and Eto'o will stay (Sport)
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Txiki and Guardiola will meet with Eto'o today and could inform the player that he will be able to stay (Marca)
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Guardiola is disappointed by Henry's performances and will play Eto'o in the CL qualifier which would mean a transfer becomes almost impossible (As)

The decision that Eto'o will stay could be announced in the coming hours after Guardiola has talked with the player (El Mundo Deportivo)
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Eto'o would even want to renew his contract which would include an extension and a pay rise (L'Equipe)
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If Eto'o would nevertheless leave in the end, Drogba is the alternative (Sport)
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Manchester United has made a 25 million euro bid for Silva, but the player prefers to join Barcelona (Marca)
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Silva wants to leave Valencia and join Barcelona, Txiki called the player mid-June to sound him out (El Mundo Deportivo)
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Crosas arrives in Glasgow this weekend to complete his transfer to Celtic (Daily Express - Daily Record)
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Celtic manager Strachan admits the signing of Crosas is a risk given that he has not seen the midfielder play live (press conference)
read more
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Crosas will sign a four-year deal with Celtic (As)

Zaragoza has contacted Barcelona on a loan deal and Jeffren says that Zaragoza could be a good option for him (Equipo)
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Iago and Urbano have not been included in the squad list for the Barcelona Atlètic friendly against Ibiza this weekend (official website)
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Barcelona has officially announced the transfer of Venezuelan midfielder Franco Fasciana, who will join the Juvenil A team (official website)
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Vigo local newspaper Atlántico Diario claims that Spanish second division club Celta Vigo is interested in Barcelona Juvenil A attacking midfielder and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18).

Asked about the interest, Iago said in an interview with the paper that he would like to return to his former club: "It's the club of my town and I have to admit that it would be very nice to wear the Celta jersey. I know that Celta was interested in a loan last summer, but I don't know if the clubs have already held talks now. Barcelona wants me to leave on loan, but if I leave it will be on a permanent deal, at least that's my plan."

The entourage of the player confirmed to the paper that Iago has received several interesting proposals, including from abroad. The attacker, who was told last week by Barcelona Atlètic coach Luis Enrique that he's not part of his plans for next season (read more here), prefers to join a team where he will be able to play and gain experience.

Iago and his representatives of player's agency IMG are now looking at the different offers and would like to close a deal by next week so the player can already adapt a little to his new environment before the start of the new season.

Asked about the situation of her son, Iago's mother and Spanish senator Carmela Silva said that she's not worried at all: "I'm very relaxed because there are several offers. He already decided to leave Barcelona and now he'll have to make a decision about where to go to."

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Iago, who has a contract until 2013, has asked Barcelona for a free transfer. The player would have offers from Celta and from several English and Spanish top clubs.

Read more:
Youth: Iago won't be promoted
Youth: Jonathan dos Santos waiting for renewal
Youth: English clubs interested in Iago

Catalan sport paper Sport claims that Barcelona Juvenil A attacking midfielder Iago Falqué (18), who was told by Barcelona Atlètic coach Luis Enrique earlier this week that he's not part of his plans for next season (read more here), could be on his way to England.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Juvenil A attacking midfielder and Spanish youth international Iago Falqué (18), who started the pre-season with Barcelona Atlètic (previously known as Barcelona B), has been told yesterday morning by coach Luis Enrique that he's not part of next season's plans (read more here).

Eleven Juvenil players are currently taking part in the pre-season of Barcelona Atlètic (previously known as Barcelona B).

Depending on their performance during the pre-season, on the future transfers of the team and on which B players who are now doing the pre-season with the first team will stay with the first team, Barcelona Atlètic coach Luis Enrique will later decide which of those player will continue the season with his team.

This is the list of the eleven players:

Juvenil A goalkeeper Rubén Miño (19)
Juvenil A goalkeeper Jordi Masip (19)
Juvenil A right back defender Martín Montoya (17)
Juvenil A centre and right back defender Marc Blasco (19)
Juvenil A central defender Marc Muniesa (16)
Juvenil A defensive midfielder Andreu Fontàs (18)
Juvenil B defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu (16)
Juvenil A central midfielder Polaco (18)
Juvenil A attacking midfielder Thiago Alcántara (17)
Juvenil A attacking midfielder Iago Falqué (18)
Juvenil A centre forward Rubén Rochina (17)

Read more:
Barça B: Luis Enrique building a new team
Youth: Thiago Alcántara
Youth: Adria Carmona