As a fan of Barcelona I was thinking the other day about the club's rich history as well as their successes in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona have won the UEFA Champions League three times in their history with two coming in the last four years which is extremely impressive.

It got me thinking; which Champions League winning side was better?

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While Maradona is busy making a shamockery of the Argentinean national side, the man who typically lurks behind Diego & Pele whether prudent or not in the discussion for the world's greatest ever player has returned to football. Johan Cruijff, arguably the greatest ever player/coach combination in football history, has returned to the bench Catalonia and don't you call it Spain.

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Barcelona FC keeper Victor Valdes wins an award for being the best... at everything. Sigh. Click to continue reading...

Barcelona FC keeper Victor Valdes wins an award for being the best... at everything. Sigh. Click to continue reading...

The dudes who run La Liga, otherwise known as the LFP (La Liga de Futbol Profesional) just dished out all the player awards for last season, and naturally, it was all about Barca, with seven spots out of nine going to our boys: .Best Player: Lionel Messi
Best Coach: Pep Guardiola
Best Defender: Daniel Alves
Best Midfielder: Xavi
Best Attacking Midfielder: Andres Iniesta
Best Striker: Lionel Messi
Best Breakthrough Player: Sergi Busquets
Meanwhile Iker Casillas of Real Madrid came off with Best Keeper, and the Fair Play award went to Deportivo's Juan Carlos Valeron. Click to continue reading...

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This morning manager Pep Guardiola released the 16 man roster that will travel on Wednesday to take on third division side Cultural Leonesa.

The roster features mostly youth players with Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gerard Pique, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol all being rested for this weekends match up at Osasuna.

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• So Marca gave out one of their futbol awards yesterday in an attempt to find out who'd be the next hombre to join Potter Perez's gang. Both Diego Forlan and David Villaaaaa received the "Pichichi" award for their service to their clubs and national team respectively.

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Pep Guardiola cannot believe it either.

After a workmanlike 1-0 victory against Almería and a mediocre showing in their 0-0 draw at the Mestalla against Valencia CF on Saturday, FC Barcelona looked to reverse their form in the Champions League against a supposed weaker team in FK Rubin Kazan.

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AP Photo/David Ramos

Well the concern over Barcelona under estimating Rubin Kazan were warranted as the Russian side came into the Camp Nou and pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history. Kazan on paper definetely were over powered but after a surprise performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League people were beginning to take notice.

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Looking at things from an outside perspective, what you see is this: most of the squad just returned from an exhausting international break, and directly went head to head with a top La Liga team, playing away without two of our star forwards. And we still managed a draw. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Click to continue reading...

REUTERS/Heino Kalis

The FIFA virus reared its ugly head on FC Barcelona in today's match against Valencia, with 11 of their players returning from international duty.

Pep Guardiola was without the services of Zlatan Ibrahimovic today as he was on the bench but did not see his way into the match still recovering from injury.

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Barcelona star Andres Iniesta has said that he could sign an improved deal with Barcelona within the next two weeks. Barca have been working hard to tie their bunch of treble winners to long-term deals.

They have already improved the contracts of Lionel Messi, Victor Valdes and Xavi while talks are ongoing with Carlos Puyol, Rafael Marquez and coach Pep Guardiola.

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Three goals in seven minutes from three different players. And by the 27th minute of the first half, it wouldn't have been arrogant to consider the game over. I'm surprised that Racing Santander didn't just turn out the lights in the stadium during half-time so that their shell-shocked supporters could split to feed their sorrows with plentiful plates of boquerones and mugs of Estrella Galacia. Click to continue reading...

AP Photo/David Ramos

Coming off a midweek draw in the Champions League against Inter Milan there was question as to how the team would react with only a few days rest. The answer, very well.

FC Barcelona returned home for their third La Liga match of the season against an Atletico Madrid team that on paper looks to be a powerhouse but early in the season have not yet managed a win.

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After a successful first two Liga matches, Barca goes on to be tested by Atletico Madrid. We met them four times last season and achieved some great results, the memorable 6-0 standing out as the team's first big win at home that season; but the painful 3-4 loss in Madrid doesn't fade away to quickly either. Click to continue reading...

Lionel Messi has agreed a contract extension with Barcelona that will tie him to the club till 2016. He is expected to sign the contract today."It's an immense piece of news for the club and for the player that Messi is renewing his contract," said Barça manager Pep Guardiola. "As it also was when Victor Valdes and Xavi did so. Click to continue reading...

- Barca coach Pep Guardiola stars in a new book entitled "Paraula Pep", or "The World of Pep". The book is the result of the success of a television program by TV3 under the same name, which was broadcasted in the week before Barca's CL victory in Roma. Editor Ernest Floch was quick to take the initiative to commision the book, which records the phrases that have been considered outstanding in the path of Guardiola on the bench of FC Barcelona, and that define his philosophy. Click to continue reading...

Two weeks into this early season and the top dogs in Spain are looking the part. Barcelona has started their defence of their crown with two solid performances; a much brighter start than last year when they lost and tied their first two games. The Blaugrana's back line has impressed me and their mega-signing Dmytro Chigrynskiy has added some much needed stability in front of Victor Valdes.

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David Beckham was Castrol's ambassador in the last World Cup .Cristiano Ronaldo is the chosen one for World Cup 2010 .However Portugal have their backs to the wall and are staring at a possible elimination from the proceedings.Castrol will be seriously thinking of plan B.
Plan B might have been Messi - but just now that's not looking like such a great idea either.

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We're having mixed feelings about this match. On one hand, Barca were victorious, and we've won the UEFA Supercup: after also securing the Spanish Supercup, this marks the best cap-off to the splendorous yesterseason, as well as a great way to kick off the coming one; and just an all-around spirit-lifter for the team and fans. Click to continue reading...

I'm back ladies and gentlefolk. There have been some cock-ups over the past few days with Aamir's posts and I have been unable to correct anything because I've had no access. Apologies for that.

By the way, thanks Aamir for filling in over the past few days.

Now, onto the main story this week; we scored another three goals to secure our passage through to the Champions League group stages Eduardo has become somewhat of a hate figure in the press (see the headline) for diving to win a penalty.

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Before today's UEFA Champions League Group Stage Draw, UEFA named selections for footballer of the year in 4 categories, based on position. Click to continue reading...

Before today's UEFA Champions League Group Stage Draw, UEFA named selections for footballer of the year in 4 categories, based on position. Click to continue reading...

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FC Barcelona will travel to Monaco today in preparation for their match against Ukranian side Shaktar Donetsk on Friday in the UEFA Super Cup.

For those not familiar with the Super Cup, it is a yearly match that takes place at the beginning of the European domestic season between the winner of the UEFA Champions League and the winner of the UEFA Europa League (formerly know as UEFA Cup).

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AP Photo/Paul White

FC Barcelona and goalkeeper Albert Jorquera today decided to cancel the players contract with the team. Jorquera's contract was scheduled to expire in June 2010 but FC Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola had decided that they will part ways with the 30 year old.

Jorquera had been part of the Barcelona system for 15 years, six with the senior squad and nine with the youth squad.

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AP Photo/Paul White

According to reports this morning from El Mundo Deportivo, manager Pep Guardiola is willing to have just two keepers on the squad this season. Reportedly, Guardiola has asked the club to terminate Albert Jorquera's contract. Jorquera was told at the end of last season that his services were no longer needed, but since then the 30 year old keeper has turned down every offer that has come his way this summer.

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Congratulations are in order for Victor Valdes,  who celebrated the birth of his first son, Dylan, yesterday. Granted paternity leave by Barcelona, he skipped yesterday's practice witness the birth at Dexeus Hospital. Dylan weighed in at 3 kilos and is said to be healthy and doing well.

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Congratulations are in order for Victor Valdes,  who celebrated the birth of his first son, Dylan, yesterday. Granted paternity leave by Barcelona, he skipped yesterday's practice witness the birth at Dexeus Hospital. Dylan weighed in at 3 kilos and is said to be healthy and doing well.

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Barcelona are in talks with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Rafael Marquez on renewing their contracts, sporting director Txiki Begiristain said yesterday.

The European and Spanish champions have already agreed new contracts with other key players including goalkeeper Victor Valdes and midfielders Xavi and Yaya Toure and Begiristain said it was important to "keep the basic unit from last season".

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The nominees are out. Barca dominates the list.

Goalkeeper of the Year: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Victor Valdes (FC Barcelona), Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United).

Defender of the Year: Gerard Pique (FC Barcelona), John Terry (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United).

Midfielder of the Year: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (FC Barcelona).

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Barcelona hit back from a half-time deficit to win 2-1 and earn a narrow advantage in the first leg of the Spanish Supercup against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

Oscar de Marcos gave hosts Athletic the lead with the last kick of the first half but, in similar fashion to the Copa del Rey final between these two when Barca recovered from an early deficit to win 4-1, Pep Guardiola's side bounced back impressively.

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After spending three months laboring over the evidence, UEFA has finally reached a point where it could release the nominees for their yearly positional awards. In another stroke of luck, they've thrown together a gala for us to enjoy on the 27th where they'll make everyone dress up all fancy in order to watch some [. Click to continue reading...

How cute were Xavi and Pedro last night? Barca was one down, the attack was as scanty as the posession, shots were off with Xavi in particular screwing up a hell of a chance, and we're still trying to figure out how he could have missed that - but then Pedro sets him up for a a hell of a goal, and things are looking a bit brighter. Click to continue reading...

Thierry Henry misses a pretty easy chance in the 28' minute after being put through by Messi. Chivas come back strongly with a goal as Ramon Morales was on target to forcefully head the ball past Victor Valdes in the 50th minute from a pass by Xavier Baez. Barca were able to force a draw 14 minutes later as Dani Alves looped a dipping cross across goal that took the defense by surprise but found Bojan Krkic on the left.

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FC Barcelona will still be without Andrés Iniesta and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in tonight's match against the Seattle Sounders. Added to tonight's list of injuries is also Yaya Toure and Victor Valdes. Andres Iniesta is still recovering from a virus which has resulted in the Spaniard loosing a lot of weight.

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