F.C Barcelona

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در بدو ورود به نيوكمپ

هانري: بارسلونا فراتر از يك باشگاه است


مهاجم فرانسوي در بدو ورود به نيوكمپ گفت: از حضورم در بارسا افتخار مي كنم زيرا بارسلونا بزرگ تر از يك باشگاه است.



به نقل از سايت گل، تيري هانري براي تكميل مراحل عقد قرارداد و براي اجراي مراسم معارفه شب گذشته وارد بارسلونا شد و مورد استقبال گرم خبرنگاران،هواداران و مسئولان تيم اسپانيايي قرار گرفت.

هانري كه از شبكه تلويزيوني صحبت مي كرد درباره حضورش در نيوكمپ گفت: افتخار مي كنم از اين كه در بارسلونا هستم زيرا بارسا از يك باشگاه بزرگ تر است و من با تمامي توان براي اين تيم تلاش خواهم كرد.

وي افزود: با انتقال به بارسا در كنار بهترين بازيكنان جهان بازي مي توانم بازي كنم و اين موضوع برايم باورنكردني است.

هانري تاكيد كرد: دوست دارم با فعاليت در نيوكمپ بارسلونا را براي رسيدن به افتخارات بزرگ كمك كنم.

مهاجم فرانسوي اظهار داشت: همه درباره بارسلونا شرايط را به خوبي مي دانند و نوع حمايت هواداران از جمله دلايل اصلي ام براي انتقال به اين تيم بود.

وي افزود: بدون داشتن هواداران خوب مشكل است كه تيم خوبي داشته باشيد و بالعكس با در اختيار داشتن تماشاگران خوب، فوتبال زيبا و جذابي را شاهد خواهيد بود.

هانري از تيم فوتبال آرسنال جدا شد و با عقد قراردادي 4 ساله به تيم فوتبال بارسلونا پيوست.

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Thierry Henry believes his spell on the Arsenal sidelines last season could prove beneficial for his new club Barcelona.

Following the completion of his $32 million transfer from the north London club on Monday, the France striker was quick to dismiss reports that he has become injury-prone over the last few campaigns.


"For the very first time, if you have followed my career, I had an injury this year which stopped me from playing," the 29-year-old said.

"But if you look at my records I have had only one. I had the medical (at Barcelona) and I passed easily."

Henry was restricted to 31 games last term as he struggled with a sciatic nerve problem, but believes the break will leave him feeling fresh for his first season in Spain.

"Maybe not having played too much last season will be good for me next season. I have only had one (serious) injury and nobody should worry about me being injured," he said.

Henry had been linked with Barcelona for the last few seasons and admitted he was happy to sign for the club he has long admired from afar.

"I am really pleased to be here," he said. "It has been a long chase, but I am finally here and happy to be here. Barcelona is more than a club, the fans are coming and you can see what it means to the people here."

Arsenal's all-time record goal scorer revealed he has not set any personal targets for the coming season and stressed that the team comes first.

"I never set myself any targets. It has to be a club target, a Barcelona target. Barcelona at the beginning wants to win everything, so I will try my hardest to make sure that I can help. It has to be a team effort," he said.

Henry admitted to being surprised by the huge expectation surrounding his transfer, which saw Barca switch the player's unveiling to the larger Paris room - above the club shop - from the press lounge (where players are usually presented to the media) and 30,000 supporters turn up at the Nou Camp to welcome him.

"Without being modest, I am always quite surprised when I see you guys (the press) here and the people waiting in the stands. It is amazing to see. In the beginning I just wanted to play football," he said.

Henry revealed that he had spoken to Barca coach Frank Rijkaard on two occasions and dismissed reports that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger would be following him to the Nou Camp.

"I have met Frank Rijkaard so many times (in the past) but never to talk about Barcelona," he said. "We had a chat when I was allowed to speak to Barcelona and after I signed.

"I haven't heard the rumors about Arsenal, but I can only go with what he has said and he has said that he is going to see out his contract (at Arsenal)."

Henry will wear the number 14 shirt graced by Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, but explained that this choice had nothing to do with the Dutch legend, an icon at the Catalan club as both a player and a manager.

"The president (Joan Laporta) asked me why I wanted the number 14," Henry said. "When I joined Arsenal, a friend of mine had the number 12 (which the player uses for France) and number 14 was the only number available, so I have used it ever since.

"No disrespect to Johan Cruyff, we can talk about Johan Cruyff for a very long time, but the reason for me getting the number 14 was just random.

Before his move to Rijkaard's side, Henry was linked with a transfer to Italian giants Internazionale, but claimed he had never held talks with the Italian champions.

"To be honest, no ... I love Italian food, I love Italian football, the teams, but I always said that if I ever left Arsenal it would be to play for Barcelona. The most important thing is that Barcelona win, things go well and we win trophies," he said.

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Barcelona striker Thierry Henry has admitted to feeling a little rusty after being involved in his first kick-around in five months during pre-season training with his new club.

"The truth is I felt it a bit after playing in the game," the Frenchman told the Barcelona Web site (www.fcbarcelona.com). "It's not that I'm tired, but running around is one thing and playing football is another.

"Today was the first time since the start of March that I'd played, the first time in five months. I have to admit that it felt a bit strange and I still need time to adjust.

"But I'm delighted to got back to playing again."

Henry signed a four-year deal with Barcelona after completing a 24-million euro ($32.9 million) move from Arsenal last month.

The 29-year-old spent much of his final season at the London club on the sidelines after damaging stomach and groin muscles during his team's Champions League exit to PSV Eindhoven at the start of March.

The France international has been dogged by fitness problems ever since returning from last year's World Cup, suffering with a long-standing sciatic nerve pain, hamstring and foot injuries.

Barcelona are at a pre-season training camp in Scotland where they will play friendlies against Dundee United and Hearts before undergoing a promotional tour of the Far East.

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Barcelona's Portuguese international Deco, who has been linked to a move to the English Premiership, will be staying put at the Spanish club, Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard said on Wednesday.

Rijkaard told the club's website that he is "very pleased" with Deco, as is the player with the club, so his departure from Barcelona would be "difficult".

The 29-year-old midfiedler is under contract with Barcelona until 2010 but the media have suggested that his days at the Nou Camp are numbered after the club surrendered the Spanish league title to arch-rivals Real Madrid last season.

Press reports in Britain and Spain have linked Deco to a move to Chelsea in exchange for Frank Lampard with Newcastle United named as another possible destination.

Deco joined Barcelona after winning the Champions League with Portuguese side FC Porto in 2004 under coach Jose Mourinho who now manages Chelsea.

His goals return at Barcelona have fallen from eight in his first season with the club to just one in 2006/07.

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Thierry Henry scored in his first game with Barcelona, a 1-0 exhibition victory at Dundee United on Thursday.

A minute from the end at Tannadice Stadium, the Spanish side was awarded a penalty kick when Terrors defender Darren Dods pulled down Giovanni dos Santos. Henry's penalty kick was stopped by goalkeeper Grzegorz Szamotulski, but Henry put in the rebound.

Henry, who left Arsenal to sign with Barcelona, entered as a halftime substitute for Samuel Eto'o and almost scored within half a minute but shot wide.

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Barcelona midfielder Deco has admitted he would love to be reunited with Jose Mourinho.

Deco could leave the Nou Camp if Barca receive a substantial offer and, were that to happen, the Portugal international believes a move to Chelsea would suit him best.

He enjoyed a successful spell with Mourinho at Porto and the prospect of linking up with his compatriot at Stamford Bridge is tempting.

"The idea of working with Jose again appeals to me," Deco told the Sun. "He was a huge influence on my career and he did so much for me. I've worked with him before and it would be good to work with him again.

"The Premier League is definitely on a par with La Liga and playing there absolutely appeals to me. The English league is a possibility and it would definitely be somewhere I'd like to play."

The arrival of Thierry Henry could force boss Frank Rijkaard to play Ronaldinho in midfield, possibly leaving Deco as the odd man out.

Deco insists he is happy at the Catalan club for the moment, but the Brazil-born star is keeping his options open.

"There has been a lot of speculation about my future but at the moment that is all it is," he said.

"Right now I'm a Barcelona player and I am just looking forward to the new season and trying to win the league. But football can change very quickly. If Barcelona want to sell me then all they have to do is say and I will go.

"It wouldn't upset me if I had to go because I know there are other big clubs in the world I could play for."

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Barcelona's tour of China and Japan is not the best way of preparing for the upcoming season, the team's French World Cup and Euro winning defender Lilian Thuram said on Tuesday.

"I do not think it is possibly the best way for the team to prepare. But that is how football is and all the big clubs do it nowadays," the 35-year-old said when asked about the tour at a press conference.

"Technical ability is also crucial, but the physical side is still vital too. Training is hard now, but that is normal. We are in pre-season and you have to push yourself to be fit for the whole year," he added.


Barcelona head to China on Thursday. The squad will play three exhibition games during its Asian tour which wraps up on August 11.

It will face Beijing Guoan on August 5 in the Chinese capital and Yokohama Marinos in Tokyo two days later.

Barcelona will then face Mission Hills Invitation XI, a team made up of players from Kitchee FC and Happy Valley FC, in Hong Kong on August 10.

Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, Brazilian midfielder Edmilson and defender Carles Puyol will miss the tour because of injury.

The Catalan giants will also be without Argentina's Lionel Messi and Gabriel Milito as well as Mexico's Rafael Marquez since the three players are on holiday after taking part for the national teams in the Copa America.

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Barcelona has launched a Chinese-language version of its official website and will soon unveil editions in Arabic and Korean, the Spanish giants said Monday.

The club, currently on a three-game tour of China and Japan, had up until now made its internet site available in Spanish, Catalan, English and Japanese.

Barcelona set up an experimental version of its website in Chinese three years ago which contained only the translation of a few items.

The new site offers all the news and historical information regarding the storied Catalan club available in the other languages as well as specific information directed at the Chinese market, Barcelona said on its website.

The Arabic language site "will be launched in a few weeks time and will bring the club into contact with the huge market in the Arabic speaking world," it said. The Korean version of the site will come later, it added.

Barcelona said last week that it had over 100 million fans in Asia. The number of its supporters in China went up six-fold in the last three years in China and seven-fold in the same period in Japan, it said.

Manchester United and Chelsea are among leading Britsh clubs who have spearheaded moves into Asia, where they profit from major merchandising opportunities.

Barcelona defeated Beijing Guoan 3-0 on Sunday in the first exhibition match of its Asian tour.

The club will face Yokohama in Japan on Wednesday and Mission Hills Invitation XI, a squad made up of players from Kitchee FC and Happy Valley FC, in Hong Kong on Friday before returning to Spain.

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French striker Thierry Henry will head Spanish giants Barcelona in a fight against jet lag, fatigue ... and former J-League champions Yokohama Marinos on WednesdayF

"Sometimes I arrive tired before the game. It also happened during the season. The most important thing is to perform for the team, so we can carry on working together as a unit," said Henry on Monday.

The Frenchman, who signed with Barcelona for the upcoming season as part of a spending spree totalling about 65 million euros (88 million US dollars), is expected to form an aggressive front line with Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o and Brazil's Ronaldinho.

Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard pledged to use Henry "in the best way," but did not reveal how.

"Our goal is to show an impressive game to the fans, as usual," Rijkaard told reporters.

Henry, who scored a goal in his debut with Barcelona in an exhibition match in Scotland last month, said his aim for the season was to win "a lot of titles."

"When you are competitive while you are playing, especially when you are playing for Barcelona, you want to win everything," said Henry.

"We are working really hard right now to make sure we can do it. Hopefully, we can be successful this year. The most important thing is we will be happy at the end of the season," added the French forward.

Wednesday's game will be the third meeting of the two teams. When Barcelona played Yokohama two years ago, the team had only 13 players, including two goalkeepers, and matches were drawn 1-1 and 3-3.

This week's game is the second of Barcelona's three-game Asian tour after playing Beijing Guoan on Sunday, a match the Spanish side won 3-0.

They will also take on Mission Hills Invitation XI, a squad made up of players from Kitchee FC and Happy Valley FC, in Hong Kong on Friday.

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Iceland striker Eidur Gudjohnsen will find his opportunities in Barcelona's first team limited if he stays for next season, sports director Txiki Begiristain has said.

The Catalan club purchased France striker Thierry Henry from Arsenal for 24 million euros ($33 million) at the end of June, and have seen youth team products Giovani dos Santos, 18, and Bojan Krkic, 16, put on impressive displays in pre-season matches.

They join an already formidable frontline that includes Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o, Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho and Argentina forward Lionel Messi.

"His transfer is an option. If he stays he could find it difficult to play many minutes because there are three new forwards in the first team," Begiristain was quoted as saying in the Spanish media on Saturday.

"To stay wouldn't be the best decision."

Gudjohnsen has been linked with a move back to England after only managing five league goals since moving from Chelsea on a four-year, 12 million euro ($16 million) deal last June.

The 28-year-old, who has missed the pre-season tours to Scotland and Asia with a lingering knee problem, said back in June he wanted to stay and fight for his place.

Begiristain also said Argentine striker Maxi Lopez, Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta and forward Santi Ezquerro were all surplus to requirements, though the club would not be freeing them from their contracts.

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Barcelona's strike trio of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and new signing Thierry Henry tore apart a select Hong Kong team on Saturday as the Catalans strolled to a 4-0 win to round off their pre-season tour of Asia.

The trip, criticised by many in the Spanish media for unnecessarily tiring the players, was extended by a day after a tropical cyclone forced organisers to postpone the match against Hong Kong's Mission Hills XI.

Henry, Eto'o and midfielder Xavi scored in a one-sided first half, before Mexican teenager Giovanni Dos Santos made sure he scored in each of Barcelona's three games in Asia.

"They worked really well," coach Frank Rijkaard told a post-match press conference, while Hong Kong players queued in front of Barcelona's dressing room for photos with Ronaldinho.

"If you don't work, it can give the opponents wings, and hope," he said. "So I was happy with the game, especially observing the organisation."

Xavi scored after 22 minutes, slotting a side-foot shot inside the right post, after a neat Eto'o turn and a through ball by Andres Iniesta.

Barcelona's front three then combined for the second on 28 minutes when Henry found Ronaldinho on the left, who cut the ball back for Eto'o to drive low into the corner.

The 22,000 Hong Kong crowd, many huddled under umbrellas in the half-full stadium, had to wait only eight more minutes for a headed Henry goal from an Eto'o cross.

The greasy surface frustrated Ronaldinho on a couple of occasions when he failed to control passes and slipped over.

The Brazilian also hoisted a free kick over the bar and blasted another into the Hong Kong wall.

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdez had a close escape early in the second half when he tipped a skidding cross onto the bar.

Even with a rash of second-half substitutions, the Catalans dominated possession and rounded-off the victory when Giovanni raced onto a through ball and calmly shot past the keeper for his third goal of the three-match Asian tour.

As a Mexican wave rippled around the stadium, Mission Hills goalkeeper Wang Zhen Peng kept the score down in the last minutes, parrying a shot onto the post, and tipping another onto the top of the crossbar.

Barcelona were due to fly back to Spain on Saturday night to prepare for a match against Bayern Munich on Aug. 15.

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Ronaldinho's teammates at Barcelona have rushed to defend the Brazilian striker after he was jeered by fans earlier this week and accused once again by the Spanish press of being under form.

The 27-year-old ace was whistled by a section of the Nou Camp as he was substituted during the second half the 3-0 Champions League home win against Lyon because of what they felt was a lacklustre performace.

Ronaldinho did not look pleased about being replaced for the third straight match by Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.

"I don't understand why they whistled him. He's the best in the world and a key player in the team," said Argentine striker Lionel Messi.

"He's an incredible player," added Barcelona's new recruit Thierry Henry who acknowledged that Ronaldinho had not been in top form during the team's recent away matches.

The Spanish sports press appear unanimous on their appraisal of Ronaldinho's dip in form, but some appear to believe his star is on the wane.

El Mundo daily on Friday said Ronaldinho is no longer "untouchable" while Barcelona-based La Vanguardia said the player was "in torment".

Ronaldinho could be paying the price for his reported behaviour off the field too.

Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia added that 48 hours before Barcelona's goalless draw against Osasuna at home on Sunday Ronaldinho was seen at a a famous nightclub in the city.

"No one understands" the decline in form of the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year award, conservative daily newspaper ABC added.

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Sunday that Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho was not for sale and quashed reports that the club was negotiating with English giants Chelsea or European champions AC Milan.

Speaking after Barcelona's 2-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday Laporta said: "We are not going to sell Ronaldinho. We are not in contact with Chelsea, Milan or any other team.

"We are counting on Ronaldinho and you could see tonight that he fought like all the rest of the players."

Chelsea, bankrolled by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, have been mooted as potential suitors along with Milan who have several of Ronaldinho's Brazilian international team-mates in their ranks.

Ronaldinho has cut a forlorn figure this season with the 27-year-old Brazilian, contracted until June 2010, struggling to recapture his form and Barcelona's demanding fans have jeered their idol.

There have been reports that Ronaldinho's penchant for late-night partying is behind his below-par displays although the club have tried to keep a lid on the whole affair.

Ronaldinho, the 2006 Ballon d'Or winner, started for Barca against Deportivo on Sunday and converted a penalty, his sixth goal of the season, as his team moved to within four points of leaders Real Madrid with a 2-1 win at Camp Nou.