A Defining Moment in Pamplona

On Sunday, FC Barcelona traveled to Pamplona, looking to extend its unbeaten run in La Liga to 17 games against bottom-of-the-table Osasuna. Despite facing a very spirited Osasuna side supported by an outstanding crowd of nearly 20,000 fans, not to mention a blinding fog that thickened as the game went on, Barça was not expected to encounter much trouble en route to three points. What they did find was a classic brawl and a home side that had not come to simply serve as punching bags for Barça. In the game’s dying minutes, La Blaugrana trailing last-place Osasuna, and were face-to-face with an upset defeat for the ages.

What a difference a year makes! Had this game taken place 2007-08 season, trailing an inferior opponent in a hostile environment, it would not have been at all surprising to see the Barcelona players lose their focus and ultimately fall behind 3-1, or even 4-1. However, this is not last season! What Barcelona took from their visit to Osasuna is worth more than just three points- on a day when they were not at the brilliant best, this Barcelona side exhibited the character and the heart of a champion. It’s these victories, in seemingly meaningless games where defeat could be accepted and justified, that define great teams. If, as they seem poised to do, this Barcelona side goes to become a team for the ages, this will have been the game in which they elevated themselves from merely a dominant club, to greatness.

In the game’s opening minutes, it looked as though the Barcelona juggernaut would continue to steamroll through Spain. In the tenth minute, Lionel Messi produced a characteristically brilliant run and looked like a lock to score, but his shot, which beat Osasuna’s keeper, Roberto, glanced off the posted and was cleared before Messi could pounce on the rebound. However, despite dominating possession for the next 35 minutes, Barça were not playing up to their usual high standards, were only able to generate three shots on goal, coming from a pair of threatening moves from Thierry Henry and a straightaway attempt from Xavi. As the first half wound down, with Osasuna looking as though they’d be taking a scoreless draw into the dressing room, La Blaugrana were able to conjure up a moment of brilliance to opening the scoring in stoppage time, as Messi found Samuel Eto’o near the top of the box, and Eto’o produced a beautiful strike that beat Roberto in the lower left corner, just second before the halftime whistle.

Despite holding the slim 1-0 lead, Barcelona’s somewhat uninspired play continued in the second half. Given the difficult conditions, combined with Barcelona’s ability to dominate when holding a lead, the match had the look of an unspectacular, businesslike away win against outclassed competition. This continued until the 63^rd minute, when Osasuna, who had quietly built a bit of momentum, won a corner, which shockingly found its way into Victor Valdes’ goal, after being headed high in the air toward the vacant far post by Miguel Flaño, which should have been manned by Gerard Pique. Following the equalizer, with the home fans working themselves into a frenzy, Osasuna became the aggressive side, their confidence and belief growing by leaps and bounds.

It was against this backdrop that the intensity of the game was ratcheted up several notches in the 70^th minute- with Sergi Busquets on the ground following a hard challenge, Lionel Messi held up play in anticipation of a whistle from the referee that never came. As Messi stopped, Osasuna’s Josetxo, in a resourceful but very shifty move, crept up from behind and stripped Messi of the ball sparking an attack at the other end. Once Barcelona had managed to neutralize this attack, chaos erupted at midfield, as Barcelona’s players were livid at Osasuna’s show of poor sportsmanship, while the home side defiantly defended its actions. The volatile situation was ultimately diffused, though not before three players (Victor Valdes for Barça; Josetxo and Walter Pandiani for Osasuna) were booked. Following the incident, the home side managed to find even greater confidence, carried by their now fanatical crowd, all of which culminated in one of the season’s most jawdropping, David v. Goliath moments, as Walter Pandiani found the back of Valdes’ net, giving Osasuna a 2-1 lead.

It was then, faced with their greatest adversity of the season, defeat seemingly inevitable, that Barcelona players put their stamp on this squad. With Andres Iniesta, having entered in the 65^th minute, and Bojan Krkic replacing the ineffectual Seydou Keita in the 77^th, Barcelona again began to dominate possession, particularly on right wing, where the combination of Messi and the out-of-this-world Dani Alves, was obviously too much for Osasuna to deal with. Having played a solid but unspectacular game to that point, Alves dominated the game’s last ten minutes, seizing the moment and creating opportunities leading to each of Barça’s final two goals. In the 80^th minute, Alves made a beautiful run down the right wing, and as he approached the touch line, he sent a picture-perfect cross across the Osasuna box, where Xavi was waiting to unleash the equalizer. Just a few minutes later, again on the right side, Alves won the ball from a defender and found Messi on the wing. In moment that only he can create, Messi moved down the right wing at full speed, before sliding toward the left, and with three defenders all within three yards of him, the best footballer on Planet Earth today fired a laser from the top the box, which curved around the keeper and slammed the door on Osasuna’s upset hopes, giving Barça a dramatic 3-2 victory.

Perhaps Barcelona should never have been trailing in Pamplona, but the reaction of Pep Guardiola’s men in the face of such adversity could prove to be the signature moment of the season- not to mention 2009’s greatest finish, just eleven days into the year.

Messi Dominates Cynical Atletico Squad

FC Barcelona traveled to Madrid to face Atlético Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey matchup at the Vicente Calderon Stadium on Tuesday evening. The ensuing game, a 3-1 Barcelona victory, can best be described as a battle between the brilliance of Barça (or perhaps the backheels of Barça, as they attempted at least 30 such passes) and the thuggery of Atlético Madrid.

While the game’s opening minutes saw Atlético threaten the Barcelona goal, this was a game that would be dominated by the style and quality of La Blaugrana. Despite taking the field without the likes of Xavi, Samuel Eto’o and captain Carlos Puyol, there was never a doubt as to Barcelona’s superiority on this day, as they unlocked the Atlético goal just 12 minutes into the game behind a brilliant give and go between Lionel Messi and Dani Alves, with Alves finding Messi in the Madrid box with a picture-perfect backheel pass, and Messi beating a helpless Gregory Coupet at the near post to give Barça a 1-0 lead.

Facing a deficit against arguably the top club in world football, Atlético Madrid chose to engage in a different type of battle against their opponents, taking advantage of every opportunity to brutally foul any Barcelona player within leg’s reach. At times, Atlético’s play became so cynical that their own fans began to turn on them, showering the team with whistles for their refusal to play a clean game. Dani Alves and Andres Iniesta were each victimized by excessively harsh fouls, but it was obvious that Madrid’s primary target was the brilliant Lionel Messi, who was hammered by numerous Atlético defenders throughout the match. As the first half drew to a close, Barça still held its 1-0 lead, and Atlético Madrid had already accumulated three yellow cards.

The second half would bring more of the same rough play from Madrid, as the home side racked up two more booking in the first ten minutes of the half, the second infraction winning Barcelona a penalty kick, as John Heitinga was shown a straight red card for tripping Messi directly in front of the Atlético net. Messi took the resulting penalty kick and, as expected, coolly sent Coupet flying in the wrong direction as buried the ball into the lower right corner of the net- 2-0 Barcelona.

Moments later, in the 58^th minute, Atlético managed to cut the Barcelona lead in half (though it was hardly deserved), as a corner kick from Simao found Ujfalusi, who rose to meet the ball squarely and deposited it in the Barça net, making the score 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

Barça nearly managed an immediate answer when Bojan was able to find Iniesta, who found the back of the net, but was ruled offside. However, this proved only to be a momentary reprieve, as Barcelona continued to impose its will on the match in pursuit of a backbreaking third goal. In the game’s 79^th minute, Lionel Messi, as he so often does, turned the pitch into his own personal playground. Taking the ball on the right wing, the Argentine wizard evaded two Atlético defenders, changing direction twice on his way into the box, and set his sights on Coupet’s net. Though he would beat the French keeper, Messi’s shot from near the top of the box grazed the crossbar and went out of play- an unjust ending to a sublime moment of skill. However, Messi was not finished! Seconds later, with the ball loose near the top of Madrid’s box, Andres Iniesta lifted a gorgeous pass into the box, where Messi was waiting to receive the ball, smoothly dribble past Coupet and bury the ball in the Atlético Madrid net, completing his hat trick and finishing off Madrid, 3-1.

Moments later, Pep Guardiola removed Messi from the game. As Lionel Messi made his way to the bench, having put the finishing touches on yet another masterpiece, the legions of Atlético Madrid fans in attendance showed their appreciation to 21 year-old genius, showering Messi with a thunderous standing ovation. Given the cynical, sometimes dirty, performance given by the home side, this reaction, even in defeat, to the transcendent performance turned in by Lionel Messi, was truly a credit to the Atlético Madrid fans.

Barcelona will take its presumably insurmountable 3-1 lead into the second leg of this fixture, to be played on January 14 at the Nou Camp.

Barça Acquire Dani Alves, Strengthen Right Side

In what may be the most significant transfer of this season, FC Barcelona has secured the services of Sevilla fullback and Brazilian international Daniel Alves. Despite being under contract until 2012, the multi-talented Alves, who shed tears at his Sevilla farewell, had previously stated that he’d like to explore the options available to him with larger, more prominent clubs. On July 2, Alves was transferred to Barcelona for a €29 million ($45.8 million) fee, with an additional €6 million payment possible based on certain performance-related factors, making him the world’s most expensive right back. Alves is the second Sevilla man to join FC Barcelona this summer, joining midfielder Seydou Keita, who was acquired in May.

Daniel Alves is among the most multi-dimensional defenders in world football, not only able to play his own right back position, but also capable of doubling as an attacking winger. Also, Alves has been more than just an individual standout- he’s been a vital member of successful teams. With Alves playing a key role, Sevilla won the 2006 and 2007 UEFA Cup championships (Alves was the UEFA Cup MVP in 2006) and the 2007 Copa del Rey. In addition to his club successes, Daniel Alves has won at the international level as well.

On July 15, in Brazil title-clinching 3-0 victory over Argentina in the 2007 Copa America final, his versatility was on full display. In just his ninth international appearance for his country, Alves not only assisted on one of Brazil’s first half goals, he capped off a beautiful second half run down the right side to put the game out of reach with a powerful strike to the far post.

Given his versatility and beautiful style of play, Alves is an ideal fit at the Nou Camp for two reasons. First, teaming Alves with Carlos Puyol in defense, as well as the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the midfield and Lionel Messi in attack (these two could be very special together), should give Barcelona the most talented unit in La Liga. Second, Alves’ affinity for attacking football personifies Barça’s beautiful approach to the game, and will allow him to seamlessly fit with his new club. Following last season’s monstrosity, Dani Alves will help FC Barcelona return to playing the aesthetically pleasing brand of football that, for many years, has brought smiles to face of Barcelona fans worldwide, who crave not only victory, but beautiful football.

What Does Keita Signing Mean for Yaya?

Pursuing quality in the transfer window is never a poor strategy, but the recent addition of Sevilla’s Seydou Keita to the Barcelona midfield begs an obvious question- What about Yaya?

Yaya Toure joined FC Barcelona from AS Monaco in June 2007 for a transfer fee of approximately €9 million ($14 million), and provided a solid presence in the Barça midfield, showcasing himself as a player with box-to-box range on the pitch. With his quality at just 25 years of age, combined with his ideal physique for a defensive midfielder, it’s not an exaggeration to say that he will soon be among the world’s best defensive midfielders. As such, there’s little doubt that he would generate considerable interest on the open market.

Why explore this issue now? With the €14 million addition of Seydou Keita to the Barcelona midfield, Yaya Toure’s future role with the club has become somewhat unclear. With precious few exceptions, the disastrous finish to last season, particularly in attack (just 4 goals in 8 games in April and a humiliating 4-1 loss to Real Madrid on May 7) has called everyone’s contribution into question and created a heightened sense of urgency in the boardroom, and may result in Yaya finding himself as the odd man out.

With the reigns now in the hands of Nou Camp legend Pep Guardiola, there’s sure to be a focus on bolstering the attack and erasing the memories of last season’s disappointing performances. To that end, Keita could be beneficial to Barcelona, having averaged a goal in every 10.5 league games over the course of his career (24 in 251 appearances since 1999). However, a more accurate indication of his influence in attack, we should calculate the same figure since 2002, given the dramatic improvement in his goal scoring since that time. Since 2002, Keita has appeared in 187 league games (156 for Lens, 31 for Sevilla) and scored 23 goals, or one goal for every 8.1 league appearances, an impressive tally for a defensive midfielder. Using the same measure to examine Yaya Toure’s goal production reveals that he’s scored 15 times in his 174 career league games, or once every 11.6 appearances.

Is this much ado about nothing? Perhaps, but it’s important to remember that a bruised ego is sometimes the most damaging injury that a team can suffer. To be fair, there’s been no indication that Yaya is the least bit alienated by the signing of Keita, but the fact that both men will be competing for the same minutes on the pitch suggests that, sooner or later, someone will be dissatisfied with his role on the pitch.

However, until that happens, if it ever does, Barcelona will enjoy embarrassment of riches, with not one, but two world-class options at the defensive midfield position.

Barcelona Sign Sevilla's Keita

On Monday, the transfer of Seydou Keita from Sevilla to FC Barcelona was completed as he signed a 4-year contract (which is said to have a €90 million buy-out clause), with Barcelona believed to have paid Keita's buy-out clause of €14 million to Sevilla. Seydou Keita, cousin of Juventus’ Momo Sissoko, is Barça’s first signing for the 2008-09 season, and is expected to shore up the midfield.

Upon joining the club Keita said “For everybody, Barça is a great club, a team everyone wants to play for. I was lucky enough to come to Spain with Sevilla, which is also a great club, a club that gave me everything and helped me grow. Now I’m in Barcelona and I’m very happy but I’m very grateful to all the Sevilla directors and to the fans, who have always supported me. But in life you have to make choices. I’m sad to leave Sevilla, but at the same time I’m very happy to sign for Barcelona, because it’s an option that you can’t turn down even though you’ve had everything at Sevilla. The truth is I’m very happy to be here because it’s what I’ve always wanted”.

Keita began his professional career in France, spending three season with Olympique de Marseille and FC Lorient, before moving on to Lens for five season, where he ascended to the captaincy and truly broke out as a world-class player. Keita scored 19 goals in 156 games, peaking in 2006-2007, when he scored 11 goals in 37 games, and emerged as one of the premier players in France. In July 2007, Keita was sold to Sevilla, with whom he signed a four-year contract (is there a bigger joke in world football today than these “contracts”). In 31 league games for Sevilla, Keita played fantastically and managed to score four goals, adding another in a Champions League victory over Arsenal, putting him on the radar of several top European clubs.

Recipe for a Classic

In about ten minutes (2:45pm Eastern Time), at Old Trafford in Manchester, FC Barcelona will take the pitch against Premier League giants Manchester United in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the Nou Camp in Barcelona last week. While Man United will be looking to get back on track for the EPL-Champions League double, after an extremely ill-timed defeat at Chelsea in league play this past weekend, while for Barcelona, this afternoon represents one of the two (potentially) remaining matches that could save this season from being considered anything other than a total failure.

Thanks in part to the home field advantage of Old Trafford, and in part to Barcelona’s inconsistent and subpar (that’s being very generous) play this season, Sir Alex Ferguson ’s United side come into this matchup as the heavy favorite. As usual, leading them into the match will be the world’s best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, not to mention the complete embarrassment of riches that makes up the rest of the club’s roster ( Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Anderson, Nani, Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves, just to name a few). Make no mistake, most (if not all) logical assessments of what’s likely to happen in this match conclude in a ManU victory. However, it may not be that easy!

Despite their difficulties in depositing the ball into the net this season, and the fact that they will battle United without Ronaldinho, there is absolutely no questioning the firepower that Barcelona brings to this match: from one of the world’s truly transcendent talents in Lionel Messi, to their supremely talented duo of strikers, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry (who has played many a big game in the UK), to a pair of gifted, if yet unproven teenagers in search of a big stage on which to burst onto the world scene (Bojan Krkic and Giovanni), not to mention the talents of midfield playmakers Xavi and Andres Iniesta and the return (from suspension) of captain Carlos Puyol. Even without Ronaldinho (and probably Deco), there is simply too much talent on the Barcelona roster for this side not to accidentally hit its stride for a match or two- and possibly just as frightening as the thought of playing this side when they are in form is the thought of having to contend with them when they are so obviously overdue for a game in which they fulfill they rather great potential.

The 0-0 aggregate score is another factor working in Barcelona’s favor, as the lack of an away goal will likely influence United’s tactical plan. While ManU will undoubtedly be playing to win this semifinal outright and avoid penalty kicks, the home side will be equally concerned with keeping Barça off the scoreboard, as even one goal scored by the visitors will put United in the extremely uncomfortable position of having to score two goals of their own, while making sure not to concede again. Against this backdrop, Barcelona is in a position to play a defensive-but-wide-open style of game this afternoon, as even falling behind United by a one-goal margin will not be disastrous, since the equalizer (provided they can find it) would in fact be the game-winning goal.

So there you have it. One game, two of the world’s most offensively talented clubs, on one of world football’s great stages, both with a very strong incentive to score– is that any good? Sit back and enjoy!

The Future Has Arrived

There’s some thing special happening at the Nou Camp. Something Once-In-A-Generation special.

Lionel Messi, one of football’s all-time great prodigies, is not only adding his name to short list of top-tier superstars in today’s game, he looks poised to enter football lore as this generation’s transcendent star. To watch him make the incredible seem mundane is to know that you are watching greatness. Messi’s game does not feature the step-overs and theatrics that we’ve come to see from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. His greatness is defined by a combination of speed, agility, maneuverability, and ball control that only comes around once in a generation.

Going back to the mid-20^th Century, roughly once every decade, a phenomenal talent whose star outshines those of his contemporaries emerges. In the 1940s and 50s it was another Argentine, Alfredo Di Stefano of Real Madrid and River Plate; the 1960s belonged to the legendary Pele; Johan Cruyff dominates the 1970s for Ajax and FC Barcelona; the 1980s brought the brilliance of Messi’s countryman, Diego Maradona; and the 1990s and early-21^st Century brought the greatness of Zinedine Zidane. More than any other player in the world today, Lionel Messi has the look of world football’s next legend.

At just 20 years of age, with just 90 senior level matches under his belt (75 for FC Barcelona, 15 for Argentina), Lionel Messi has cemented himself among football’s most electrifying players. He is often compared to Argentine legend Diego Maradona, not the least of these comparisons coming from Diego Armando Maradona himself. His Argentina side won the 2005 FIFA Under-20 World Cup (Messi was both top scorer in the tournament and named its most outstanding player), he is the youngest Argentine to appear (and score) in the World Cup, he’s played 3 seasons of top-flight club football in Spain with FC Barcelona, having scored 32 goals in 75 games with the club (including 6 goals in 6 games so far this season), he is the youngest goal scorer in Barcelona’s history and the owner of two Primera Liga winner’s medals as well as a European Champions’ League winner’s medal. He has been named 2005 Argentine Player of the Year and 2006 Young Player of the Year by both World Soccer magazine and FIFPro. In June 2007, he won the EFE Trophy, awarded to the top Ibero-American (Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Central and South America) player in Spain.

Did I mention that until June 24, he was still a teenager?

While his resume compares favorably to any 20-year-old footballer in history not named Pele, the true magic of Lionel Messi’s game cannot be quantified. It’s even difficult to put into words. What makes him so special? The way the ball sticks to his feet? The way he slithers through, and flies past, world-class defenders, making them look like their stuck in cement? The way he always seems to make the right decision at just the right moment? Yes… but there’s more.

Maybe it’s his size, or rather, his lack of size that makes him relatable to average fan. Due to a growth hormone deficiency, he stands just 5’7” tall and weighs about 140 lbs., but his abilities command the attention of every defender on the field. His counterparts, not to mention his own uniform, which often appears several sizes too big for him, dwarf him, but he never seems overmatched. It’s as though the football gods thought it unfair to couple his otherworldly speed and skill with an imposing physique.

He commands the attention of everyone watching, from opposing defenders to television viewers thousands of miles away. Whether he’s playing for a championship or in a preseason exhibition, Lionel Messi not only lives up to the hype, he exceeds it. From his hat trick on March 10 against Real Madrid (the first in a Barça-Real match since 1994-95), to his awe-inspiring, Maradona-like goal against Getafe in the Copa del Rey semifinal, to his two goal performance in Barça’s must-win season finale against Gimnastic, Messi seizes the big moments in a way that only the truly special ones do, often in spectacular fashion.

All this before his 20th birthday.

This past summer, while playing for Team Argentina in the 2007 Copa America tournament, Lionel Messi continued his run of outstanding play, establishing himself as the premiere talent in Latin American football. Despite Robinho’s goal scoring binge for Brazil en route to the tournament title, and the presence of top-class talents like Juan Roman Riquelme and Carlos Tevez on his own star-studded Argentina side, Messi established himself as the must-see star of the tournament.

Now, just over a month into the 2007-08 season in Spain, it is obvious that Messi has not only picked up where he left off last season, he’s taken his game to all new heights, occasionally delivering plays that seem to take the game to its highest elevation. From his first goal of the young La Liga season, an awe-inspiring combination of a flick and volley that left Sevilla keeper Andres Palop frozen in his tracks, to his amazing two-goals-in-six-minutes at the start of Barcelona’s match against Real Zaragoza just four days later, Messi’s play early in the La Liga season has emphatically sent the message that the future of football has arrived.

Despite my best efforts, it’s impossible to describe the nature of a feeling. One can only comprehend what separates Lionel Messi from his peers by watching him play. Only then does it become apparent that the smallest player in the game is its biggest star.