FC Barcelona News

Full name: Eric Abidal
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Date of Birth: 11^th September 1979
Position: Defender
Height: 186cm
Weight: 75kg

Previous Teams: Olympique Lyon, France; Lille, France; Monaco, France; Lyon-La-Duchere, France.

National Squad/Number of Appearances: France/20+

Signed as a replacement for Gio, Abidal is a natural left back although he also has the ability to play as a centre back if necessary. He is considered to combine a good mix of skill, positioning and tactical awareness and is well known for his runs up the wing to support forward players with pinpoint crosses.

Facts:

• Abidal is of Martinique descent and his move to Barcelona is his first outside of France.
• During his playing career in France, Abidal was considered one of the best full backs in the country.
• Abidal claims that his role is to infuriate players so much that they get sick of the sight of him and go off to play somewhere else on the pitch.
• Abidal couldn’t take his traditional number 20 shirt at Barca as that is reserved for Deco so he now wears the number 22 shirt.
• Lyon stand to get a 500,000EURO payout if Barca win the Champions League in the next four years as part of the deal to sign the player.
• Barca faced stiff competition from Arsenal to sign the player in the summer.
• Despite interest from Italian clubs the defender refused moves to Italy as he felt that Italian football was too racist following a clash with Daniele De Rossi in a Champions League match.
• The player is a recent convert to Islam and has taken the Muslim name Bilal.
• During his time with Olympique Lyon Abidal won the French league (2004-5, 2005-6, 2006-7) and the French Cup of Champions (2004-5, 2005-6).
• The player was a member of the French team that were runners up in the 2006 World Cup.
• Abidal is contracted to Barcelona on a four-year deal.

Full name: Giovani dos Santos Ramirez
Birthplace: Monterrey, Mexico
Date of Birth: 11^th May 1989
Position: Forward
Height: 174cm
Weight: 77kg

Previous Teams: Barcelona Youth and B teams.

National Squad/Number of Appearances: Mexico/2

Giovani joined the Barça senior squad this year having progressed through the youth ranks and the Barça B team. He is a naturally left footed player with exceptional speed and dribbling skills. He can play down either wing, in the hole or as a lone striker. He has a good eye for goal, shows good composure in front of goal for his age and has a powerful long range shot.

Facts:

• Giovani is only the second Mexican player to play for Barcelona.
• He made steady progress through the Barça ranks playing for Infantil A (2002-3), Cadet B (2003-4), Cadet A (2004-5) and Juvenil A (2005-6) He spent the 2006-7 season in the Barça B team.
• The player comes from a footballing family. His brother Jonathan has also spent some time at Barcelona and his father (Zizinho) played for Monterrey in Mexico.
• He was spotted for Barcelona after being scouted in a tournament in the US in 2002
• The player is being called the ‘new Ronaldhino’.
• Giovani was a member of the winning Mexican team in the World Under 17 Championship in 2005 where he was voted second best player of the tournament and received the Silver Ball award. He also played for his country in the World Under 20 Championship in 2007 where he received the Bronze Ball award as the third best player of the tournament even though Mexico were knocked out in the Quarter Finals.
• His first appearance in the senior team at Barça was as a substitute for Thierry Henry against Atletico Bilbao.
• It is rumoured that Barcelona have had to put a £20 million buyout clause in place for the player following reports that Alex Ferguson wanted to sign him for Manchester United and that Chelsea were also showing an interest in the player.

Full name: Bojan Krkic Perez
Birthplace: Linyola, Spain
Date of Birth: 28^th August 1990
Position: Forward
Height: 170cm
Weight: 65kg

Previous Teams: Barcelona Youth and B teams.

National Squad/Number of Appearances: Spain

Bojan Krkic is only 17 yet – in the space of a year – progressed through the Barça ranks from Juvenil A to Barça B to the senior squad. The player is held to have a killer instinct in front of goal and, despite his youth and slight stature, is more than able to handle experienced defenders. He can show a devastating turn of speed, mature positional awareness and is extremely skilful on the ball.

Facts:

• Bojan joined Barça in 1999 and has had one of the fastest moves through the ranks. He played in Alevi A (2001-2), Infantil B (2002-3), Infantil A (2003-4) and Cadet B (2004-5) He joined the Cadet A squad in 2005-6 but then moved straight up to Juvenil A before moving into the Barça B team in 2006-7.
• In the first half of his season with Barça B he scored 10 goals and became the team’s top scorer.
• During his time in the Barcelona youth set up the player scored 960 goals in seven years breaking all youth goal scoring records.
• Bojan played his first match for the Spanish Under 21 team at the young age of 16.
• He has won the European Under 21 Championship with Spain (2007) and was a runner up in the 2007 Under 17 World Cup where he was voted third best player and won the Bronze Ball.
• Bojan made his Champions League debut as a sub for Messi and became the youngest player to play in a Champions League game.
• The player’s father (also called Bojan) played for Red Star Belgrade in the 1980s and currently works as a scout for Barcelona.
• There is no guarantee that Bojan will play for the Spanish senior squad as his father says he will make a decision whether to play for Spain or Serbia when he gets older.

See Bojan at the Nou Camp. Order Barcelona Tickets online for collection or delivery in Barcelona.

Full name: Gnegneri Yaya Toure
Birthplace: Sokoura Bouake, Ivory Coast
Date of Birth: 13^th May 1983
Position: Midfielder
Height: 191cm
Weight: 90kg

Previous Teams: Monaco, France; Olympiakos, Greece; Metalurg Donetsk, Ukraine; Beveren, Belgium.

National Squad/Number of Appearances: Ivory Coast/19

Despite his young age, Toure comes to Barcelona with a wealth of experience, having moved to Europe when he was just 18. Probably best known as a defensive midfielder, he combines the ability to shore up the back four with a keen eye for goal and moving the ball forward.

Facts:

• Toure became the first player from the Ivory Coast to sign for Barcelona.
• The player was a member of the Ivory Coast squad that took part in their first even World Cup finals in 2006 and has also played for his national team in the African Nations.
• Toure comes from a footballing family. His older brother Kolo plays for Arsenal and his younger brother Ibrahim still plays for Metalurg Donetsk.
• His brother Kolo has nicknamed him the new Patrick Viera. His Ivory Coast team mate Didier Drogba feels the same way and tried unsuccessfully to persuade Jose Mourinho to sign the player for Chelsea rather than Barça in the summer.
• When signing for Barça Toure was initially given the number 17 shirt although he was then changed to the number 24 shirt as the number 17 was later given to Dos Santos.
• Despite his height Toure tends not to score headers.
• Toure originally wanted to join his brother at Arsenal in 2006 while at Olympiakos but the Greek side would not sell him at the time.
• Toure is contracted to Barcelona on a four-year deal.

Full name: Gabriel Alejandro Milito
Birthplace: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Date of Birth: 7^th September 1980
Position: Defender
Height: 179cm
Weight: 78kg

Previous Teams: Zaragoza, Spain; Independiente, Argentina.

National Squad/Number of Appearances: Argentina/25+

Milito is considered to be the perfect centre back. He takes control, has excellent positioning and vision and is a solid defender who leads by example. In addition, the player also has attacking elements to his game and is a talented playmaker.

Facts:

• Milito is the 20^th Argentinian to put on the Barça shirt.
• The player’s nicknames are ‘El Mariscal’ and ‘Gaby’.
• Milito’s career was put in the balance with a serious knee injury in 2001 followed by a foot injury.
• The player almost didn’t sign for Zaragoza as he was due to sign for Real Madrid. Club doctors there were not convinced he was fully recovered from his knee injury so Zaragoza signed him instead. It is also rumoured that the Real President didn’t think that he was a big enough name to be a Galactico. Ironically he then went on to play in the team that beat Real in the Copa Del Rey that year.
• The player’s brother Diego linked up with Milito at Zaragoza where they played together for two seasons. Prior to that they were arch rivals In Argentinian football with Gaby playing for Independiente and Diego for Racing Club.
• During his time at Zaragoza the player won the Spanish Super Cup (2004-5) and the Spanish Cup (2003-4).
• At Independiente Milito won the Trofeo Apertura (2002-3).
• Milito was a member of the Argentinian team for the 1999 South American Under 20 Championship, the Confederations Cup (2005) and the World Cup (2006).
• Milito is contracted to Barcelona on a four-year deal.

Full name: Thierry Henry
Birthplace: Les Ulis, France
Date of Birth: 17^th August 1977
Position: Forward
Height: 188cm
Weight: 83kg

Previous Teams: Arsenal, England; Juventus, Italy, Monaco, France.

National Squad/Number of Appearances: France/90+

Henry joined Barça from Arsenal as a summer signing in 2007. He is generally held to be one of the best strikers in the world who combines a desire to win as a team with elegant and effective individual skills. Henry is a versatile and speedy forward who can play up front in the centre or on either wing equally effectively.

Facts:

• Henry broke nearly every Arsenal record during his time at the club. He became the club’s all-time top scorer (with 214 goals) and the top scorer ever in the English Premiership (with 164 goals).
• During his time in England, he was the top scorer in the Premiership in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006.
• The player has won the Golden Boot twice in 2004-5 and 2003-4.
• As of 2007 Henry needs just 2 more goals to break Michel Platini’s record to become the all-time top scorer for France.
• The player won the FA Cup (2001-2, 2002-3, 2004-5), the Community Shield (2002-3, 2004-5) and the Premiership (2001-2, 2003-4) with Arsenal.
• Whilst at Monaco Henry won the League title in the 1996-7 season.
• Henry was a member of the French World Cup winning team in 1998 and a runner up in 2006. He has also won the Confederations Cup in 2003 and the European Championship in 2000 with his country.
• He is the only player to have ever won the UK’s Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year three times (2003, 2004, 2006) and the only player to have been named French Player of the Year four years in a row.
• Henry was asked to sign for Monaco without a trial after a scout saw him score all 6 goals in a 6-0 win.
• The player had a disappointing spell at Juventus where he played on the wing and – uncharacteristically – only managed to score 3 goals in 16 appearances.
• Whilst in the UK, Henry appeared in a series of TV adverts for Renault Clio cars. His catchphrase in the ads (Va va voom) has since been entered into the Oxford Concise English Dictionary.
• Henry is contracted to Barcelona on a four-year deal.

Full name: Eider Smari Gudjohnsen
Birthplace: Reykjavik, Iceland
Date of Birth: 15^th September 1978
Position: Striker/Midfielder
Height: 185cm
Weight: 82kg 

Previous Teams: Chelsea, England; Bolton Wanderers, England; KR Reykjavik, Iceland; PSV Eindhoven, Holland; FC Valur, Iceland.
National Squad/Number of Appearances: Iceland/40+ 

Gudjohnsen joined Barcelona from Chelsea in 2006. As a player he has a reputation for versatility in forward positions. During his career he has played as both a striker and a midfielder and shows great technical ability with a natural flair on the ball and an eye for goal. He is held to be especially good in the air and, despite his height, has two quick feet. 

Facts: 

• Gudjohnsen is the first Icelandic player to play for Barcelona.
• He made his debut in the Icelandic league at the age of 16.
• Gudjohnsen is the captain of the Icelandic squad and has been named Icelandic Player of the Year three times in a row (2004, 2005 and 2006).
• Gudjohnsen made football history when he came on as a substitute for his father in an international against Estonia. This is believed to be the first time that a father and son have played in the same match at an international level.
• During his time at Chelsea Gudjohnsen played as a striker, central midfielder, defensive midfielder and left and right winger.
• He scored the winning goal in his debut match for Barcelona against Celta Vigo.
• During his time with Barca Gudjohnsen has won the Spanish Supercup (2006-7).
• At Chelsea Gudjohnsen won two League titles (2004-5/2005-6), the Carling Cup (2004-5) and the Charity Shield (2000-1).
• At PSV he won a League title (1996-7), the Dutch Cup (1995-6) and the Supercup (1996-7).
• Gudjohnsen is contracted to Barcelona until 2010.

Full name: Gianluca Zambrotta
Birthplace: Como, Italy
Date of Birth: 19^th February 1977
Position: Defender
Height: 181cm
Weight: 76kg 

Previous Teams:  Juventus, Italy; AS Bari, Italy; Como, Italy.
National Squad/Number of Appearances: Italy/50+ 

Zambrotta joined Barcelona for the 2006-7 season along with his team-mate of 5 seasons, Thuram, to form a formidable defensive partnership. Held to be one of the finest defenders in the world he combines dynamic defensive abilities with the kind of creativity that builds effective attacking moves. The player can play equally well on both sides of defence and can also be deployed in midfield if necessary. 

Facts: 

• In his first season with Como Zambrotta only played one game.
• Zambrotta’s nickname is The Mermaid as it is claimed that he spends an hour every day combing his goatee in front of a mirror.
• He originally successfully played in midfield roles but was converted to a defender after Camoranesi took his midfield place whilst he was injured and played so well that the coach could not drop him.
• A pivotal member of the national squad, Ancelotti described his success as being based on his ability to play anywhere.
• Zambrotta’s first international cap in 1999 made him the first Bari player to play for the national team in 50 years.
• He has won the Spanish Supercup (2006-7) with Barcelona.
• At Juventus Zambrotta won two League Titles (2001-2/2002-3) and the Italian Supercup (2002-3). Technically he has won four League Titles with the club but the titles of 2004-5 and 2005-6 were not given due to the Serie A match-fixing scandal.
• The player was a member of the winning Italian World Cup team in 2005-6.
• Zambrotta is contracted to Barcelona until 2010.

Full name: Ludovic Giuly
Birthplace: Lyon, France
Date of Birth: 10^th July 1976
Position: Midfielder/Striker
Height: 164cm
Weight: 64kg 

Previous Teams:  Monaco, France; Olympique Lyonnais, France.
National Squad/Number of Appearances: France/10+ 

Giuly joined Barcelona in 2004 and despite having to compete with players such as Larsson and Messi has regularly played for the team since then. Despite his lack of height he is a renowned goalscorer with an explosive turn of speed and an eye for goal. He can play in most forward positions including as a second striker or in the hole but is usually played on the right wing. His creative goal poaching skills make him a firm favourite with fans. 

Giuly joined AS Roma in July 2007

Facts: 

• Giuly has earned himself many nicknames including Ludo, the Magic Imp, the Atomic Goblin, the Petit Prince of Monaco, El Raton and Speedy Giuly.
• In 2005 his Barca team mates noted his resemblance to Queen singer Freddie Mercury and decided to call him that – shortly before the 2006 Champions League Final he announced that he would grow a moustache like the singer’s for pre-season training if Barca won.
• Giuly’s goal won Barcelona their place in the Champions League final of 2005-6.
• Despite a run of injuries he was Barca’s second top scorer with 11 goals in the League winning year of 2004-5.
• He was unable to take up his place in the French team for Euro 2004 following an injury picked up in the Champions League Final.
• He has won two Spanish Supercups (2005-6/2006-7), two League Titles (2004-5/2005-6) and the Champions League (2005-6) with Barcelona.
• At Monaco Guily won the French League (2000-1) and the French League Cup (2002-3).
• Giuly was a member of the winning French team at the Confederations Cup of 2002-3.

Full name: Juliano Haus Belletti
Birthplace: Cascavel, Brazil
Date of Birth: 20^th June 1976
Position: Defender
Height: 179cm

Weight: 74kg

Previous Teams: Villareal, Spain; Sao Paolo, Brazil; Atletico MG, Brazil; Cruzeiro, Brazil.
National Squad/Number of Appearances: Brazil/20+ 

Belletti joined Barcelona on 2004 and soon established himself in the right back position although he is also able to play as a central defender. He is well-known for his ability to combine impressive defensive strengths with all the attacking flair you would expect from a Brazilian player.

  Facts: 

• Belletti scored the winning goal when Barcelona won the Champions League in 2006 – this was the first goal he ever scored for the club and he scored it after coming on as a sub.
• After winning the Champions League Belletti savoured the experience by returning to the pitch at the then empty Stade de France and standing in the centre circle for 10 minutes.
• After scoring the winning goal Barcelona rewarded Belletti with a contract extension.
• Belletti holds an Italian passport so is not restricted by non-EU player regulations.
• During his time with Barca Bellini has won two Spanish Supercups (2005-6/2006-7), two League Titles (2004-5/2005-6) and the Champions League (2005-6).
• Whilst at Villareal he won the Intertoto Cup (2003-4).
• Belletti was a member of the 2002 World Cup winning Brazilian squad.
• Belletti is contracted to Barcelona until 2009 although it is rumoured that the arrival of Zambrotta may ultimately see him make a move to another club.