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Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu was asked about the contract negotiations with Lionel Messi when reflecting on Barca’s 2016 calendar year. Another reflection about the ongoing Lionel Messi contract situation has come out and it has come from someone important to the club. Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu has spoken about the situation. The President made his statements in his end-of-the-year press conference. It has been reported that the Argentine’s contract is said to be in the works. The extension is reportedly a deal through the year 2021. However, nothing will be signed until after Christmas as Messi has gone back to Argentina for the holidays. Here is what the President said to the media. “We want Leo Messi to finish his career at FC Barcelona,” Bartomeu said. “Messi is the best player in the history of football so we want him to finish with us. We will make the effort. We will try to convince him that he is at the best club, he knows this is his home. W...

The full squad for the upcoming second leg of Barcelona’s Copa Del Rey Round of 16 match against Hércules CF has been announced. The time has arrived for the second leg of the Blaugrana’s Copa Del Rey tie with Hércules, a second division Spanish squad. Tonight’s match at the Camp Nou will be a must win one for the club. Barca drew 1-1 at Hércules the first time around. This will also be the last game for the club in the calendar year of 2016, with a win setting up a date with either Osasuna or Granada. Per the club, manager Luis Enrique has allowed the likes of Messi, Neymar, Suarez, and Pique to go out on holiday a little early. Therefore, Barcelona will be without its three best players and its anchor on defense. However, it will be a great chance to see if the other role players can step up to the challenge. Despite the missing stars, Luis Enrique is set to have 16 players at his disposal for the Barcelona’s second go around with Segunda División side...

Neymar’s Barcelona career started with a struggle, but Lionel Messi helped him get through the struggle. Neymar has been one of Barcelona’s most valuable and talented player since his arrival from Santos in 2013. He has made so many plays and scored many important goals for the team over the seasons. However, his career with Barca began with a very rough patch of play on the pitch and other things off the pitch. Luckily, Neymar inherited great teammates when he made the move like 5 time Ballon D’Or winner Lionel Messi. The Brazilian forward told a story to CNN about how Messi helped his career grow at Barcelona. “I have a nice story about Messi,” Neymar told CNN. “Soon after I arrived, it was not a great moment in my career and he was the one who helped me. He saw that I was sad, with my head down, that things were not going right for me. He told me to keep going, to be happy and to play the way I know. He told me this and he helped me a lot at that moment in time. He is a per...

The Brazilian youngster has impressed at Barcelona B under coach Gerard Lopez. He even made an appearance for the senior side. This has compelled Barcelona to trigger the clause in his loan contract. He joined during the summer on loan with a cleverly negotiated clause in his contract. Barca can purchase him for €6 million any time during the whole term of his contract. Robert will trigger that clause in January. But the transfer fee is expected to go down as Fluminese owe Barca a considerable amount. According to Calciomercato,  the Catalans have already informed Fluminese that they want to sign Marlon on a permanent deal. If the reports are to be believed, Marlon could become a Blaugrana in the winter transfer window.

FC Barcelona boss Luis Enrique says he does not have to "justify" to anyone why he has dropped one of his midfielders. The Spanish manager has not named Croatian star Ivan Rakitic in the Catalan club's last three starting line-ups, and many have wondered why. Enrique refused to give the media any specific reason as to why he has dropped the former Sevilla player, but did praise him for his professionalism. "I've got no interest in justifying myself to a player of mine. I'm not going to do that. Rakitic has been and will be a good player for Barca," the Spanish boss said, as quoted by the  Daily Mail .   "I have to take criticisms and I will continue to take them for what I think is best for the team. "I'm really happy with his commitment and his attitude."   The 28-year-old has made 19 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona this season, scoring two goals. Do you think Rakitic could be on his way out of the Camp Nou...

The MSN all made cameo appearances for Luis Enrique's side in the 5-3 rout in Al Rayyan with Paco Alcacer and Rafinha also scoring. Lionel Messi scored as Barcelona  dispatched Al Ahli 5-3 in a mid-season money-spinner in Qatar. Neymar and Luis Suarez were also on target to the delight of the crowd at the Thani bin Jassim Stadium. The MSN were limited to 33 minutes of playing time in the exhibition game, with Paco Alcacer grabbing his first goal for the club and Rafinha also netting. The Blaugrana have made the trip as part of their sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways. It is the first time Barca have played in Qatar, with Xavi meeting his former teammates earlier in the week in Doha. The World Cup-winner is currently playing for Al Sadd. Now Enrique will ferry his side back to Spain in time to tackle city-rivals Espanyol on Sunday.

IVAN RAKITIC reportedly had a row with Barcelona boss Luis Enrique after the midfielder claimed he fancied playing for Manchester City chief Pep Guardiola. That’s according to Spanish news outlet Don Balon  who claim Rakitic’s admission infuriated the Barca supremo. Ironically, the Croatian’s suggestion that he’d like to be reunited with Guardiola could edge him towards a move to Manchester United. Don Balon suggested earlier this month that Jose Mourinho believes the £35m-rated playmaker has been treated harshly by Enrique at the Nou Camp. And it was suggested the former Chelsea  boss could splash the cash and swoop for the talented star. Mourinho reportedly wants to offer Rakitic a starring role in his underperforming Red Devils side. It was claimed Rakitic would compliment Paul Pogba and allow the Frenchman more freedom in the middle of the park. Rakitic joined the Catalans from Sevilla in 2014 and has gone on to become one of the best midfielders in ...

FC Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer has finally netted his first goal for the club (even if it won’t be officially counted).  The striker, signed from Valencia in the summer, came on in the 32nd minute of the team’s friendly against Al Ahli, with various chances to score.  He netted one but it was ruled out for an inexistent offside, but then eventually in the 55th minute he netted a goal which did stand. He reached Rakitic’s cross and headed it across goal and into the net.  Perhaps this will help him gain confidence and lift a weight from his shoulders as he waits to continue looking for a goal in an official game. It took him 743 minutes of action to score this one. 

Lucas Digne hopes to take over from Jordi Alba and establish himself as Barcelona's first choice left-back and a club legend, according to his agent. Digne joined Barca from Paris saint Germain  in the summer for €16.5 million and has already made 15 appearances due to Alba's injury problems. When Alba is fit, though, he is still Luis Enrique's first pick, but that is something Mikkel Beck hopes will change in the future. "In time we hope that [Digne] will take over from Alba and become a Barca legend in years to come,"  "That is the reason why we signed [for Barca]. He respects Alba for being a great player and he has a really good relationship with him and for the moment they have shared the playing time very well. "I think that Luis Enrique is very happy to have two left-backs who can play whenever he needs them to. At Barcelona you need two top players in every position to fight for all those titles that they are in the running for." ...

In Parisian football nothing can be said to be certain, except navigating minefields of  merde de chien  (dog's mess) in the streets outside Parc des Princes or Stade de France and Paris Saint-Germain coming up against Barcelona or Chelsea at some stage in the UEFA Champions League each year. With Antonio Conte's Blues out of continental competition this season,  Les Parisiens  could only come up against Barcelona by default, the team they were praying to avoid. But the French champions' prayers went unanswered and the pair will meet in the campaign of last 16. It will be the third time in the past five years that the duo have met in the latter stages of the Champions League and they were also in the same group, which Barca ultimately topped, in the 2014-15 edition of the competition. On the face of it, PSG have been handed the worst-possible draw at the worst-possible time. Unai Emery's men are four points behind surprise Ligue 1 leaders OGC Nice after...

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or for a fourth time on Monday night, beating Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to world football's top individual prize for 2016. Ronaldo, who previously won the award in 2008 as well as in 2013 and 2014, when it was officially the FIFA Ballon d'Or, is only the second player to win it a total of four times, trailing only Messi's record of five. The honour caps a memorable year that saw Ronaldo win the Champions League with Real Madrid and the European Championship with Portugal -- the country's first major footballing silverware. "It is a special moment. It means that all my sacrifice was worth it. I feel very happy to win this. I worked very hard," Ronaldo said in accepting the award. "A lot of people helped me get here, and it is not easy to get here. You can count on one hand players who maintain this level year after year. I am one of them, and th...

The Spaniard worked wonders at Sevilla but he is under intense pressure in Paris, so a Champions League tie with the Blaugrana was not what he needed. After a 2-0 win over Angers at the end of last month, Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery claimed, "We are slowly making progress." That was debatable but what is now beyond dispute is that PSG have to improve - and quickly - if they are to have any hope of beating Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League. Emery will know this better than anyone - because his job is likely to hinge on the outcome of the daunting two-legged tie. After blowing top spot in Group A by drawing 2-2 at home to Ludogorets on matchday six, the former Sevilla boss knew that there was always the chance that Monday's last-16 draw in Nyon could go badly. In the end, it was downright cruel, with PSG having endured the slowest, most agonising wait possible before it became official: Barcelona were the only team left for them to meet. As a resu...

Here's a look at the Catalan club, against whom Paris Saint-Germain will be facing off in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. FC BARCELONA (SPAIN) CAMP NOU - 99,787 CAPACITY Despite a loss to Manchester City (3-1) on Matchday 4, FC Barcelona topped Group C with 15 points, 20 goals scored and just four conceded. The reigning champions of Spain look once again to be among the favourites to claim another UEFA Champions League title. PLAYERS TO WATCH It's tough not to talk exclusively about the world-renowned 'MSN' attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar, who have been crushing all before them both in Spain and on the European stage. The Argentine currently sits atop the Champions League scorers chart, with ten goals to his name. Iniesta, Rakitic, Piqué... there are so many names to be wary of as Paris take on their old foes in the round of 16. HEAD-TO-HEAD The Parisians and Catalans have faced off 13 times in the past (nine official matches, two...

Paris Saint-Germain have drawn Barcelona in a fiendishly difficult Champions League Round of 16 tie. Having thrown away top spot in Group A on  Matchday  6, Paris relinquished to chance to be selected to face England's ropey champions Leicester City. Even a tricky-but-beatable Napoli  would have been preferable, but fortune has handed Paris a nightmare draw which will serve as a painful lesson for their wastefulness. That 2-2 draw at home to Ludogorets Razgrad  looked a terrible result at the time, but the true cost was always only going to become apparent after this draw.  Admittedly, Arsenal  who usurped Paris atop their group, have fared little better in drawing  Bayern  Munich, but there were far kinder opponents available in the other half of the draw. If  Unai  Emery is going to eclipse predecessor Laurent Blanc's high-water mark of three consecutive Champions League quarter-finals, he must first upset the odds ag...

The Argentine forward's dad and agent has travelled to Catalonia in an attempt to discuss the possibility of extending his son's stay until 2022 and trumping Cristiano Ronaldo's new deal. Lionel Messi's  father and agent, Jorge Messi, has arrived in  Barcelona  with the intention of opening negotiations with the club over a new contract for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. With Neymar's  contract renewed in the summer and a deal for  Luis Suarez  on the brink of completion, the club's prime objective is giving their star player a new deal and ensuring he remains a "one club man". Messi's current contract expires in the summer of 2018, meaning in little over a year he could agree to sign for any side as a free agent if a new contract is not agreed on. However both the club and player are confident of reaching a deal, which would see Messi become the best paid player in the world and sign on until 2022. Cristiano Ronaldo penned his new ...

First Half: Kick off. The atmosphere at El Sadar was electric from the go! Known for it’s hostile, noisy setting, support for The Reds was aggressive, and it looked like the home side wasn’t going to go down without a fight. In the opening moments of the game, an early opportunity fell to the home side, as Sergio Leon received a dangerous through, but Gerard Pique was on hand to tackle at the final moment and send the ball behind the line for a corner. After 8 minutes of play, a great lobbed ball from Messi found Luis Suarez who turned on his marker’s shoulders, before going one on one with the keeper but the angle was too tight. The Uruguayan got his shot off which slipped past the keeper and went just wide. The  Blaugrana  looked to be opening up space on the wide pitch of El Sadar and the tone for the rest of the match looked to be slowly setting in. A few minutes later, Samuel Umtiti made a great play as he made a run past midfield to find Jordi Alba with a dr...

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lionel Messi scored twice in the second half to lead Barcelona to a 3-0 win at Osasuna on Saturday, ending a run of three consecutive draws for the defending Spanish league champions. Messi unlocked the hosts' defense in the 59th minute by threading a pass between four defenders to meet Jordi Alba's run into the area. The left back squared the ball for Luis Suarez to tap home. In similar fashion, Alba set up Messi to side-foot in his first goal in the 73rd after substitute Denis Suarez played Alba clear. Messi got his second goal in stoppage time, when he took on three defenders, picked his spot and rifled home a left-footed strike. Messi went top of the league's scoring table with 11 goals. Suarez pulled level with Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo with 10. "We knew that once we scored the first goal the match would open up for us, and thankfully the goal came soon enough," Suarez said. Barcelona's first win in...

A FC Barcelona player, who has been linked with a move away from the club, has insisted he does not want to leave the Blaugrana. Aleix Vidal made a rare appearance for the Catalan side in the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday night. The right-back, who picked up an assist on the night, has said that despite his lack of playing time, he wants to stay with the Spanish giants. "The club can make whatever decisions they want with me, but I have no intention of leaving," he told  TV3 . "It would be foolish to consider leaving the best club in the world. I have a contract here and I think I can succeed here. "If I value today's performance, it's because I have not been playing for three months. I'm convinced of my performance, although I have to work on the mental side of things. "I can always improve. It's complicated to never play and then to have a performance like today. In training I will continue to gi...

Neymar insists Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi  deserves to win this year's Ballon d'Or. It is expected to be a straight shootout between the Argentine ace and Cristiano Ronaldo  for the coveted award. Real Madrid megastar Ronaldo is the favourite for the gong after last season's Champions League triumph, while he also captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory. However, Neymar  insists it is Messi to should land the prize for a sixth time following Barcelona's La Liga title win. The Brazilian told GOL: "I don't know who will win, for me there is only one who's the best, that's Messi. "Ronaldo is a great player, he's world class and has been for many years and I respect him. "But Messi is the one who deserves it, for me." Ronaldo tops La Liga's scoring charts this season, netting 10 times - one more than his rival and Luis Suarez. However, Messi has managed another nine in Europe, while the Portuguese has added two more to...

Barcelona efficiently took apart Mönchengladbach in a one-sided 4-0 win. Turan Stars The Turkish international played in his favoured role on the wing, and it showed. He scored a hat-trick, assisted Messi’s goal and linked-up well with the rest of Barcelona’s attacking players. It was obvious when watching him that he was comfortable in this role. This was because it was similar to his role at Atlético Madrid, where he starred. His willingness to track back brought more stability to the team as well. It’s very unlikely that he will be able to break into the first team with the quality of the front three. However, he could be a great option from the bench if Luis Enrique wants to rest one of the front three or if Barcelona move from their customary 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1. He hasn’t had a great time at Barca so far, but maybe we might start to see the best out of him now. It could be a classic case of ‘second-season syndrome’. If this is the case then Barça may profit sub...