The Barcelona FC forward beat Xavi and Ronaldo to keep his title as the world’s best player.
Messi’s scoring and the way he creates plays helped Barcelona win five trophies last year including the Champions League, Spanish League and Club World Cup.
Barca manager Pep Guardiola was voted 2011 coach of the year, ahead of Manchester United‘s Alex Ferguson and Real Madrid‘s Jose Mourinho.
Ferguson said: “Critics have always questioned whether players like Pele from the 50s could play today.
“The answer to that is great players would play in any generation. Lionel Messi could play in the 1950s and the present day, as could Di Stefano, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff because they are all great players.
“Lionel Messi without question fits into that category.”
The Starlines from Autopullman Padrós is a 14 meter long and 3.97 high (including the air conditioning unit) coach, equipped with an 12.4 liter, 505 horse power engine. The transmission system is a 12 speed automatic MAN TipMatic. The coach also is equipped with Tempomat, Intarder, Brensomar Easy Start and a security system, that includes ESP, xenon headlights, day lights and cornering lights, LGS (proximity warning system), CDS (electronic suspension control that allows the vehicle to lean into curves), ACC (cruise control with a distancing regulator), fire warning system, and EBS (ABS/ASR).
Interior
The interior boasts independent climate control for the driver and all the passengers, audiovisual systems for each passenger with built-in eight channel headsets, a 480 + 400 additional liter fuel deposit, oven (capable of heating 32 meals at once), two face to face zones with individual multi-channeling and a table with electronic height control. There is also a lounge sofa, coffee table, kitchen equipped with a sink, microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker. There are also 7 monitors of 15.6 that can play films, TV TDT and display an overview of the trip with GPS and geolocation. The trapezoidal refrigerator has a capacity of 53 liters. The 37 seats, upholstered in leather that don the FC Barcelona and the Autopullamn Padrós emblems, are foldable and moveable. Amongst other things, the seats have foot rests, trays, cup holders and 220 V outlets for each passenger.
Osasuna took a 8-0 beating at the Camp Nou from Barca and 7-1 drubbing at the Santiago Bernabéu and yet they are still having a fantastic season. Only losing one other league match and are riding high fifth in the table with 35 points, four off Levante the fourth. This should be a great match, with or with out Messi, both sides with all the potential to win.
Lionel Messi has come back from an extended holiday which was cleared by Barcelona FC. To train with a Barcelona side wary of Osasuna in the Copa del Rey last-16 match.
Josep Guardiola had this to say about Osasuna “are a demanding side. They come at you. We have to play well and quick or the tie will be a difficult one.”
What about the 8-0 win against Osasuna, Pep said this, “That was a long time ago, and a result like that will be added motivation for them. The situation has changed. This is an 180 minute match and we have to try to get a good result.”
“Mendilíbar is ambitious, and that’s why his daring team are fifth with 25 points. They’ll clearly be coming here looking to win the tie, and by doing that Osasuna will help us get back into competitive football … we are going to have to attack well and create lots of goalscoring chances.”
When asked about Messi and if he will play Guardiola said, “He has come back in fine spirits, so we’ll decide tomorrow. I haven’t asked him if he wants to play because I know what his answer will be. But it’s me who will decide … He is gaining in experience every year, he understands the game better … and the sooner he is back playing the better.”
International Federation of Football History and Statistics named Leo Messi, Barcelona FCs greatest striker, ‘World’s Top Goal Scorer’.
The award represents goals that have been scored in international and Olympic matches and continental tournaments.
See the full list below, to go and watch the next match to see ‘World’s Top Goal Scorer’ click HERE
1- Leo Messi, FC Barcelona (19 goals)
2- Radamel Falcao, Porto/Atlético de Madrid (17 goals)
3- Hasan Mahmoud, Kuwait-City/Al-Wehdat/Jordan (16 goals)
4- Mario Gómez, Bayern Munich (16 goals)
5- Javier Hernández, Manchester United (15 goals)
6- Sunil Chhetri, FC Kolkata (14 goals)
7- Neymar, Santos FC (14 goals)
8- Abdullah Khaled Deeb, Al-Wehdat (13 goals)
9- Eduardo Jesús Vargas, Universidad de Chile (13 goals)
10- David Villa, FC Barcelona; Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid (12 goals)
Great video made by Barca fan to celebrate the year of the best football in the world.
Best football team in history, Period. Barcelona resumes to humility, talent, sacrifice, fair play and teamwork, that’s why they won so many titles and still winning, Madrid doesn’t know of these values, they only know about millionaire transfers that lead to nowhere.
It was a good start for the new year for Barcelona FC as Pep Guardiolas men Iniesta, Puyol, Keita and Alves were all out for one reason or another and yet all made the training at Camp Nou.My favorite Eric “The Wall” Abidal is recovering from the flu but still managed a gym session.
Iniesta with the strength of a lion is back after his injury in 11 days from the Hospitalet match and was told to stay off for 15 days.
The only other first team player who isn’t back is Leo Messi, who is expected today for training.
We have football tickets on sale on-line in all seating categories for the match between FC Barcelona and Betis Seville in Barcelona on Sunday the 15th of January 2012.
Tickets together in good location and a great price click here for prices.
A fantastic new book about Barcelona FCs last year has come out called ‘Barça. In the Heart of the Legend‘ was written by Marcos López, it chronicles the meteoric rise of Barcelona FC over the last year and is a great cause as 10% of the proceeds of the sale of the book will be donated to FC Barcelona Foundation’s Clean Football Project.
The book covers everything from pre-game team concentrations to birthday parties to the extraordinary win against Manchester United in the Champions League final, a true roller coaster of football and drama.
You have six seconds to win the ball back if you lose it.
whereby once losing possession, the aim is to regain it before the seventh second. Such a game means no team can pass the ball more than three times before conceding possession. And more often than not, Barcelona FC regain possession in their opponent’s third of the field’, this is brilliant!
