FC Barcelona Soccer News

MADRID, Spain (AP) _ Ronaldinho's muscle injury may be the least of his problems. The FC Barcelona midfielder has come under scrutiny after supposedly staying out late and breaking curfew, leading the Spanish media to doubt the legitimacy of the strain that will likely sideline him from the team's Spanish league game against Zaragoza on Wednesday. ``He spoke with the coach, who believed him,'' said Ronaldinho's brother and agent, Roberto de Assis. ``From here on, there's nothing more to ...

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) _ Thierry Henry has completed his move to FC Barcelona after passing a medical exam. ``I'm really pleased to be here, it's been a long chase but I'm finally here ... and can't wait to show what I can do for the fans,'' Henry said Monday at a news conference at Barcelona. ``Hopefully I can be a great asset to the team.'' The former Arsenal striker underwent medical tests at Barcelona Hospital and continued ...

MADRID, Spain (AP) _ FC Barcelona is reportedly keen to sign Arsenal striker Thierry Henry at the end of the season. Barcelona president Joan Laporta was quoted by Catalunya Radio this week as saying he was ``finalizing the signing'' of the France forward. Meanwhile, sports daily Mundo Deportivo said Thursday that Barcelona has yet to make a firm bid for Henry but is considering offering him a lucrative three-year contract. ...

Avoid Barcelona. That's the hope of many clubs in Friday's draw for the last 16 of the Champions League. There are several teams in the field who have won multiple titles but the team they most want to stay away from is defending champion Barcelona, which has only won the competition twice. Frank Rijkaard's team, which also won the European Cup in 1992 before it became known as the Champions ...

Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho scored one goal and set up two others Thursday as Spanish powerhouse Barcelona beat Mexico's Club America 4-0 to book a spot in the final of the Club World Cup. Ronaldinho gave the European champions a 3-0 lead in the 65th minute when he fired a right-foot blast into the top corner after Club America goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made a superb save off a Ludovic Giuly shot. ...

Ernesto Chevanton's 78th-minute goal gave Sevilla a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Saturday and moved it into sole possession of second place in the Spanish league. David Beckham gave Madrid the lead in the 14th with a 25-yard free kick before Frederic Kanoute tied it four minutes later with his league-tying 11th goal of the campaign. Earlier, FC Barcelona posted a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad to secure the top spot in the standings before it ...

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid denied having any links to a Spanish doctor at the centre of a major doping scandal. Both Spanish teams said Thursday they reserved the right to take legal action to defend their interests after an allegation in French newspaper Le Monde that Eufemiano Fuentes had treated some of their players. ``Real Madrid wishes to energetically deny any link, direct or indirect, between the club's medical ...

Ronaldinho will lead FC Barcelona at the Club World Cup. The Brazil playmaker was listed Tuesday on the Spanish League champion's roster for next month's tournament in Japan. The Club World Cup is a tournament for the continental champions of each of the six FIFA confederations. The European champions will be joined by Internacional (South America), America (CONCACAF), Al Ahly (Africa), Chonbuk Motors (Asia) and Auckland City (Oceania). Barcelona picked ...

Ronaldinho scored his 50th and 51st Spanish league goals on Saturday to help FC Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-0 and establish a four-point lead in the standings. The Brazilian opened the scoring with a 35th-minute penalty and rounded off the defending champions' victory with a spectacular overhead kick just before the end for his league-leading 10th goal this season. Striker Eidur Gudjohnsen and midfielder Andres Iniesta also scored. ``It was the goal I dreamed about when I was young,'' Ronaldinho said ...

Mexico defender Rafael Marquez is about to gain Spanish citizenship, making him eligible to appear for FC Barcelona as a European Union player. Marquez swore allegiance to the Spanish Constitution in the Catalan town of Gava on Friday and is now awaiting clearance from the country's soccer federation and Football League. ``It's good news,'' Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard said in Saturday's edition of Mundo Deportivo. ``The club too has helped Marquez to get the passport.'' Marquez's citizenship will leave ...

Ludovic Giuly and Andres Iniesta scored Wednesday to lead FC Barcelona to a 2-0 win over Levski Sofia 2-0 in Group A of the Champions League. Giuly scored in the fifth minute from inside the area, beating Levski goalkeeper Georgi Petkov. In the 65th minute, Petkov blocked a powerful shot by Deco and Iniesta scored from the rebound. The defending champions badly needed the victory to have a chance to ...

Sevilla coach Juande Ramos has apologized for suggesting that Frank Rijkaard will quit as FC Barcelona coach at the end of the season. ``It was a throwaway comment. If it has annoyed Rijkaard or anyone, I apologize publicly and to the whole of Spain,'' Ramos told Punto Radio. ``I respect Rijkaard's work very much.'' Ramos told Spanish TV on Sunday that he had ``a whiff'' that Rijkaard would leave the ...

Mexico defender Rafael Marquez will obtain Spanish citizenship on Nov. 24, sports daily As said Thursday. Marquez has been waiting several months for the call to swear allegiance to the Spanish Constitution. He will then be eligible to appear for Barcelona as a European Union player. Marquez's citizenship would free up a place in Barcelona's squad for a non-EU player, with reports suggesting it will go to another Mexican, 17-year-old ...

Spanish league leader FC Barcelona will look to Ronaldinho to surmount its injury crisis. The defending champion will lack three forwards _ Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Javier Saviola _ as well as midfielder Edmilson for Sunday's visit to Mallorca (GolTV, 1 p.m. ET). Eto'o, who will be out until February after damaging his right knee in September, has been joined by Messi, Saviola and Edmilson _ all injured in ...

Ronaldinho converted a first-half penalty and substitute Juan Rodriguez equalized after the interval for Deportivo La Coruna to draw leader FC Barcelona 1-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday. The result extended Barcelona's advantage in the standings to two points, although Sevilla will climb into first place if it wins its home match with Osasuna on Sunday. Barcelona has 20 points, and Sevilla 18. Real Madrid is third with 17 points, one more than Zaragoza, Valencia and Getafe. Deportivo, ...

Ronaldo was suspended for one game Tuesday and will likely miss Real Madrid's match against FC Barcelona this weekend. The Spanish soccer federation rejected Madrid's appeal against the yellow card Ronaldo received for an 82nd-minute foul during his team's 1-0 defeat at Getafe on Saturday. The Brazilian striker was sent off eight minutes later, following his second caution for making a remark to the referee. Ronaldo's ejection was his first ...

Ronaldinho scored twice as FC Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-1 on Sunday and moved atop the Spanish First Division soccer league standings. The Brazilian scored his first goal from the penalty spot after Julien Escude brought down Barcelona defender Juliano Belletti in the 26th minute. He added another from a free kick in the 40th. Lionel Messi also scored for the defending champions, taking a pass from Xavi Hernandez in the ...

Spanish league leader FC Barcelona doesn't need to look hard for motivation ahead of Sunday's visit by third-place Sevilla. The visitors upset Barcelona 3-0 in the European Supercup in August to deny the Champions League and Spanish winner the chance to lift its first silverware of the season. ``Sevilla has been playing well for some time and we have to go in hard, not just out of revenge for the ...

European champion Barcelona of Spain will meet either Mexico's America or the eventual Asian champion in the semifinals of this year's Club World Cup in Japan after the official draw Thursday. South American football confederation winner Internacional of Brazil will face either New Zealand's Auckland City, the Oceania Football Confederation Club Championship winner, or the yet to be decided African Football Confederation champion in the other semifinal. Auckland City was drawn to open the tournament against the African winner on ...

FC Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard isn't concerned about Ronaldinho's poor start to the season with the European champion. ``We've seen his performances drop but there's no reason to be worried,'' Rijkaard told Catalan radio station RAC 1 late Wednesday. ``We're dealing with it. He's doing what he can for the team and that's enough because he works for the team.'' The coach attributed Ronaldinho's slump to a lack of rest ...

Edmilson will miss Brazil's next two international friendlies because of inflammation in his right knee. The FC Barcelona midfielder did not practice with the team Monday, and the club said Tuesday that Edmilson will not travel with the national side when it visits Kuwait on Saturday. Brazil also faces Ecuador next Tuesday in Sweden. ``I'm going to work separately at Barcelona these days, specifically to reduce the swelling,'' he told ...

Eidur Gudjohnsen and Javier Saviola scored to help defending champion FC Barcelona defeat 10-man Athletic Bilbao 3-1 and take a three-point lead in the Spanish league on Saturday. Gudjohnsen, replacing injured Samuel Eto'o, struck Barcelona's second goal from Xavi Hernandez's pinpoint pass in the 61st minute, while substitute Saviola added the third 16 minutes later to seal his team's victory on coach Frank Rijkaard's 44th birthday. Saviola hadn't scored a ...