The race is officially over: Real Madrid announces signing of Barcelona target Danilo

Well, so much for the "Danilo to Barcelona" thing.Even though it was set in stone that the FC Porto star full-back was going to sign with Real Madrid, the deal had not been made official yet, which gave Barça fans a little bit of hope that the Blaugrana could maybe sign the Brazilian.Now, it is officially over. Los Blancos announced on Tuesday that they have reached a deal...

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Villarreal forward Luciano Vietto on playing with Lionel Messi: "It would be a dream"

With a possible Pedro Rodríguez departure shaping up as the hours go by, Barcelona has to look for a good backup option at the forward position. We've reported about Fernando Llorente and others, but one name that is being strongly considered among Barça executives is Villarreal's Luciano Vietto, a young and fun attacker who can beat you with speed and talent.Vietto is from...

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FC Barcelona News: 31 March 2015; Espanyol Game Kickoff Time Announced, Non-Internationals Return to Training

Return to training without international players | FC BarcelonaThe squad have returned to training this Monday at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper without the players who are still away on international duty. As such, Luis Enrique had under his orders: Montoya, Xavi, Luis Suárez, Douglas, Sergi Roberto, Adriano, Dani Alves, Mathieu, Masip and Vermaelen, who as last week trained...

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FC Barcelona News: 30 March 2015; Luis Suarez Takes Part in Charity Match, Barcelona B Pick Up One Point

Part two of Xavi Hernández's memory test: Assists | FC BarcelonaIn the first installment of the Xavi Hernandez memory test, the midfielder knew the goals and guessed the results of five of the 750 games he has played. In this second installment, Xavi tries to correctly recall five of his past assists and the final score of each match they came in.Suarez steals the show at...

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Report: Fernando Llorente tops the list of potential Barcelona striker targets

Barcelona's new sporting comission, led by Ariedo Braida, is working hard to improve the squad.According to reports from Diario Sport, Braida and coach Luis Enrique have discussed the possibility of adding a striker with a different set of skills. Barça plays a style that doesn't favor the presence of a "Classic Nine" - a guy who occupies the center-forward position and is...

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Today in "WAIT, WHAT?!" - Barcelona rumored to sign Liverpool defender

Brace yourselves, something ridiculous is coming your way.As the Dani Alves Era comes closer to an end, Barcelona is obviously looking at a backup plan in case the experiment with Martín Montoya and Douglas Pereira doesn't work. Names like Danilo Pereira of FC Porto (who's going to sign for Real Madrid), AC Milan's Mattia De Sciglio and Borussia Dortmund's Lukaz Piszczek have...

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Neymar Jr. and Claudio Bravo appear in Brazil win over Chile

It wasn't pretty, at all. Like, really horrible. And the stars of the game never did anything nice. But in the end, Brazil won their eighth game in a roll under their new coach Dunga, and fought hard against a tough Chile side in a friendly played at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.Neymar and Claudio Bravo were the Barcelona representatives on this one, and they weren't that great....

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Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano sit out in Argentina's win vs El Salvador

Argentina ended up beating El Salvador, but they did it without their best player.Lionel Messi was forced out of the game because his foot contusion was too much of a problem for that match. He didn't play one single minute in the friendly against El Salvador in Washington on Saturday, and he watched from the sidelines as his teammates had lots of difficulties trying to break...

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FC Barcelona News: 29 March 2015; Lionel Messi Misses Argentina Match with Swolen Foot, Ivan Rakitić Helps Croatia Beat Norway

Tata explains Messi absence | Football Espana"Messi didn't play because his foot was swollen," he said after the game. "He tried [to prove his fitness] in the last training season but was unable to do so. Therefore, it was decided that he wouldn't play. The doctors' images didn't show any damage, but when he began to train, his foot swelled up."Rakitić and Croatia rout Norway...

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Barcelona Left-Back Jordi Alba Out Ten Days with Hamstring Injury

As it turns out, the news on Jordi Alba's injury aren't that bad.The Barcelona full-back had to leave the UEFA EURO qualifying match between Spain and Ukraine after he started feeling pain in a run down the left wing. He quickly asked to be replaced and left international duty to return to Barcelona for further testing.Barça's medical services released a quick statement on...

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FC Barcelona News: 28 March 2015; Jordi Alba Injures Hamstring as Spain Beat Ukraine, Ruled Out for Ten Days

Jordi Alba out for ten days | FC BarcelonaTests performed by the FC Barcelona Medical Services on Saturday morning has revealed that Jordi Alba has a grade 1 injury to the adductor muscle in his right leg. This hamstring injury means he’ll be out of action for approximately ten days.Spain beat Ukraine 1–0 | FC BarcelonaSpain won 1–0 over Ukraine in Euro 2016 qualifying on...

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Report: Barcelona coach Luis Enrique asks for Atlético Madrid star

With the now certain departure of Xavi Hernández, Barcelona needs a new centerpiece at center-field. And coach Luis Enrique knows exactly who that guy is going to be.Forget Paul Pogba, who is more of a dream than anything. With so many candidates to land the French Phenom, it is dificult for Barça to get the 21-year-old Juventus star, especially with the transfer ban that...

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Jordi Alba Injured During Spain UEFA EURO Qualifying Match

Bad, bad news from the UEFA EURO qualifying game between Spain and Ukraine.Near the end of the match, which La Roja won by a 1-0 margin, Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba had to leave the game after he started limping, which forced him to be replaced by Bayern Munich's Juan Bernat. Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque confirmed a groin contusion, and also announced that Alba will...

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FC Barcelona News: 27 March 2015; Xavi Linked With Qatar Move, Neymar Shines in Brazil Win

Barcelona midfielder Xavi 'to leave for Qatari club Al Sadd' | Sky SportsReports in Spain suggest Xavi will earn over £7million a year and have the option of a fourth year with the club. The 35-year-old, whose contract at Barcelona runs out in the summer, has been at the club for his entire career, going back 24 years, and has been linked with moves to the Middle East and...

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Inside El Clasico: A first-person account

Review of the El Clasico action from a first-person point of viewThe too long to read version of this article would be: "I was at the El Clasico". But I hope you continue reading as I extrapolate a little bit.I'm going to start this article with an apology to, well, everybody on Barca Blaugranes, but especially to Arron Duckling with whom I regularly communicate, but we exchanged...

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Gallery: Inside El Clasico: A first-person account

View this gallery here.from Barca Blaugranes - All Posts http://ift.tt/1Nhk...

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Neymar Scores as Brazil Come From Behind to Beat France

In one of their last games before the Copa América, Brazil showed strength and resilience, as the Seleção came from behind to beat France 3-1 in an exciting friendly played at Stade de France in Paris on Thursday.The only Barcelona representative was Neymar, and he once again shined. The captain and star of the team came through big and scored one of the three goals. It wasn't...

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Xavi Hernández Set to Sign for Qatar Team

As it turns out, the Xavi Hernández Era is coming to a close at Barcelona.After a summer of rumors, the legendary Barça captain decided to stay with the Blaugrana, and he still was able to contribute heavily to Luis Enrique's system. Now that the transition process is over, Xavi's role at the club tends to get smaller and smaller. Number Six wants to go out in style, so he...

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Barcelona 1-0 Manchester City: Tactical Review

Lionel Messi and Joe Hart sparkled on a night that also saw Yaya Touré try to torch his reputation. Barça deservedly go into the last eight among the favourites to win the Champions League.Author's note: apologies for the severe delay in posting this - moving to another continent at short notice doesn't leave much time for blogging. Barcelona’s Champions League Round of 16...

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Joe Hart thinks Lionel Messi will be "the best ever"

After Barcelona defeated Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League to qualify for the quarterfinals several days ago, it was hard to argue against City goalkeeper Joe Hart as the man of that match. He was absolutely sensational, and his Save Show was the reason why Barça didn't leave Camp Nou with a historical win on the books.It's hard to have those games where the losing...

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Barcelona Launches New Mobile App

Barcelona has launched today a very good new app for mobile phones and tablets.The app was totally re-designed to look more modern, intuitive and functional. It gives you news, results and a complete coverage of all Barça sports, with a bigger focus on the football teams, obviously. You can set up notifications for games, read news and follow matches live with it. It's really...

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FC Barcelona News: 26 March 2015; Camp Nou to Host Copa del Rey Final, Thomas Vermaelen Continues to Train

FC Barcelona observes official three day mourning period for plane accident victims | FC BarcelonaFC Barcelona has joined the three days of official mourning declared in memory of the victims of the plane accident involving the Germanwings flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on Tuesday. The Catalan, Barcelona City and Club flags are all being flown at half-mast as a sign of...

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Thomas Vermaelen’s return gives Barça a boost in depth

After an injury drenched year, and a torrid start to his Barça career, Thomas Vermaelen finally seems to be injury free. Whether he’ll relapse, or get a new injury remains to be seen. In the meantime, Barça's roster is back to full strength.With Real Madrid beaten, Barça enter a critical month, one packed with intense games. It’s safe to assume that the players will need to...

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Official: 2015 Copa del Rey Final to be Held at Camp Nou

The Real Federación Española de Fútbol has decided where the Copa del Rey final will be contested.Following weeks of impasse and disagreement between Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and the Spanish Federation, it was announced on Wednesday that the Spanish Cup ultimate game will be played on May 30th at Camp Nou, Catalunya, home of the Blaugrana.It seems strange that Bilbao would...

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Impasse Continues Regarding Copa Del Rey Final Stadium; Santiago Bernabéu Now Completely off the Table

Still nothing new regarding the site of this year's Copa del Rey final, to be contested in May 30th between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. Both teams had been lobbying to play the ultimate game at Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid's home, but that option is no longer available after the Blancos vehemently refused to concede their stadium to the club's biggest football and political...

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FC Barcelona News: 25 March 2015; La Liga Meeting Over TV Right Scheduled, Seven Clubs After Dani Alves

FC Barcelona offers its condolences to flight #4U9525 accident victims | FC BarcelonaPresident Bartomeu and first team players from the various professional teams have expressed their sadness at the news of the crash of the Barcelona to Düsseldorf flight #4U9525Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid: both sides threaten but Barca superior at finishing | Zonal MarkingBarcelona moved four...

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Lionel Messi Injured During Argentina Practice

Scary and worrying news coming out of Washington, D.C., where the Argentina national team is getting ready for friendlies. According to Argentine media, Lionel Messi has sustained an injury that caused him to leave the practice facility and rush to a hospital for additional testing.Messi has had an injury-free season so far at Barcelona, and he was in top form for the last...

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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from tonight's Clasico

Some quick thoughts on tonight's 2-1 La Liga win over Real Madrid at the Camp NouThe Good Mathieu owned his airspace. Piqué owned the rest. Suárez's touch for the goal - not to mention his constant danger up front. Xavi's contribution to the stability of the last ten minutes. Three points in a critical match. The Bad Neymar's wastefulness in possession. Neymar's wastefulness...

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5 Observations from El Clasico

Barça played Real Madrid in the Camp Nou to fight for the top spot in the League. Barça ended up winning 2-1, after a brilliant goal from Luis Suárez. Here are some observations.Barça NEED to be more clinical. Neymar missed a couple of absolutely vital chances, and one minute later, Real Madrid was on the board. After a bit of brilliant play from Luis Suárez, who low crossed...

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