FC Barcelona signs Jeremy Mathieu for €20 Million

Barcelona Football Club has announced the much awaited signing of defender Jeremy Mathieu from fellow Spanish Club, Valencia. The transfer of the French national was stuck up for sometime with dispute arising about the final fee and the way in it will be structured. But finally it looks Barca has succumbed to Valencia's demand and agreed to pay €20 Million. Jeremy Mathieu, who has been a pretty known face in La Liga was one of the best performing defender in last season. He usually plays in the left-back role, but did really well when he was shifted to the center back role last season. With this signing FC Barcelona have finally started to take steps to improve the defensive situation associated with the team. We may still need a number of signing as the sword of transfer ban is still hanging on our head.

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Bojan Krkic signs for Stoke City

FC Barcelona has announced that La Masia product Bojan Krkic will be joining English Premier League club Stoke City this coming season. Bojan Krkic is expected to sign a four year deal with the English Club. This will be the start of yet another chapter in his footballing career which has gone sideways more than going forward. After Pep guardiola deemed him surpless, he has tried his luck with Roma, Milan and Ajax. All of them failed miserably. Let's hope at Stoke he is able to get his career back on track.

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World Cup Finale Failure may Haunt Lionel Messi this Season!

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill

This will be tough, even for a person like Lionel Messi - who to his credit keeps his emotions under check at most of the situation. After losing the final it was clear that he never wanted to spend anymore minute on the pitch. But he has to. He was the losing Captain! His colleagues, many who towers him in size couldn't hide their tears. Aguero, Mascherano, Garay, Demechelis all were crying like little children but not Lionel Messi. There was disappointment in the face but no tears. But one look in to those eyes told a different story. Inside we were crying, screaming, breaking down; but still presented an emotionless face. It didn't end their! He has to make that long walk up the stairs twice - first to collect the Golden Ball Award, then to the mandatory medal for the losing team. It was too cruel!

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Lionel Messi needs to Sparkle to Create History with Argentina

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams

This has to be Lionel Messi's moment of reckoning - the chance to permanently etch his name among the pantheon of the greatest in football. Frankly he don't have to win the World Cup to be considered as one of the greatest of all time; but then some people just wouldn't shut up. So a victory tomorrow night in the final of the greatest competition in the footballing world will silence the critics forever. Or at least for sometime! You cannot judge the greatest players of teams on what they won. In that case the greatest Dutch team ever featuring Cryuff wouldn't make the list. That would be a tragedy. The bigger tragedy would be thinking the likes of Italian team of 2006 or the Brazil of 1994 making the list because they won the damn thing! The same with players. The greatest should be judged on whether they have revolutionized the game or not. In that simple criteria, Messi made the list a long time ago.

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FC Barcelona signs Luis Saurez for €88 Million

FC Barcelona have announced that the club has reached an agreement with Liverpool for signing Uruguayan striker Luis Saurez. The club will be paying €88 Million for signing the controversial striker, who won't be allowed to play any kind of football till the end of October. FIFA has already rejected Luis Saurez appeal against the sanction which was for biting Italian Chiellini. Barca fans are divided about the signing of the controversial striker, but for the time being the Club has looked to other way about Saurez's controversial on-field behaviour. He will travel to Spain next week for the medical and signing a five year long deal. He will be wearing the number 9 shirt at Barca.

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