Born on November 2nd, 2012 in Barcelona, Thiago Messi’s imminent arrival was first announced by his father during a match between Argentina and Ecuador. Messi scored a goal and celebrated by placing the ball under his shirt, later confirming that his partner, Antonella Roccuzzo, was pregnant with their first child.
Barcelona defeated Celtic 2-0 in Scotland, the Hoops providing a better account of themselves following their 7-0 drubbing in the reverse fixture at the Camp Nou. Barcelona’s victory made them Group C winners with Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach battling to a 1-1 draw in the group's other fixture.
Any Barcelona goal yields a plethora of astounding statistics, and Lionel Messi’s opener in the 24th minute was no different. Neymar provided the assist, and it was already his seventh of this Champions League campaign, equalling the all-time mark for a single season.
There have been a litany of awesome players in the UEFA Champions League down the years, so much so that creating an Ultimate XI is a task that could, in theory, drive one to madness.
Barcelona have signed a new shirt sponsorship deal with Rakuten, an electronic commerce and Internet company based in Tokyo. The deal will pay Barca almost $60 million per year for four years, with the option of a one-year extension and even more money should certain bonus criteria be met.
Barcelona’s current deal with Qatar Airways, a partnership which began back in 2011, currently nets them around $35 million per year, but the Catalan side are now set to nearly double that yearly income with Rakuten as the primary sponsor.
Having represented Spain 100 times and having appeared for Barcelona in almost 600 matches, center back Carles Puyol squared off against some of the world’s greatest players in a senior career that ran from 1999 to 2014.
The three-time UEFA Champions League winner and 2010 FIFA World Cup champion was himself on UEFA’s Team of the Year on six different occasions, so there’s probably no better judge of talent than Puyol himself.
It’s been a stunning week of goals for FC Barcelona Femení, Barcelona’s women’s team. First, Spanish international Jennifer Hermoso scored with a ridiculous sombrero flick and volley against FC Twente in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
While that goal had all the skill and technique of a Ronaldinho masterpiece, 24-year-old Olga Garcia has outdone her with this special effort against Betis in the Spanish Primera Division.