Player Of The Season 2008/9

Pique played very well but i am not sure between him or puyol.. I cant decide the better man between Xavi and Iniesta.. Both played a hell of a season..

wohooooooooooooooo messi

goo messi

fantastic...number 1 Messi actually there no doubt or confusion in any ways about that. But i am confused about second place -- it can be Xavi or iniesta .this is very difficult to decide. but considering iniesta's injury i would put xavi 2nd and iniesta 3rd.

1st no confusion at all...yes iniesta was amazing but he was injured for some games this year(dont know the exact #)

2nd tough choice they were both marvellous ...

4th finally our most underrated player gets a chance he was as solid as a rock this year

5th yes pique will be a great player (he sort of is already)...but IMO it has to go to titi or dani

but hey thats just me

No mention of Eto'o?

Also would like to mention a lot of people hated on Henry and wanted him out but he redeemed himself by scoring some very important goals this season.

I'm happy for him for winning the champions league trophy that was one of his main motivations for ditching those bums at Arsenal and coming to a winning club.

Again not even a mention for Eto'o? That would put him, at best, 9th in your list? Come on, what does the guy has to do to be a little more liked among Barça fans?
He is the one who has played the most games and minutes, if I'm not mistaken, or at least not far. 30 goals in Liga, a feat not achieved here since Ronaldo, hyperdecisive goals against Madrid (I know he missed a pen in this game) and Manchester among others, an incredible workrate without which the team would be far less effective, a fantastic mind and motivation this year, joint third topscorer in Barça's HISTORY ffs (ok, it's a player of the season award, but...) and he doesn't deserve anything better than 9th? Totally agree with your top 4, but Eto'o certainly deserves at least the fifth spot (my opinion of course). Piqué had an outstanding end of season, and I understand you wanted a defender in the top 5, but please tell me you omitted Eto'o just so the debate would rage

The man has scored in 2 champion league finals, damn what else does he have to do to be valued?

Not talking about you Nic, from what I read everybody is praising Messi and Iniesta and obviously rightly so.

But Eto'o hardly gets any recognition which I think is crazy, the fans chant Messi, Iniesta but never have I heard Eto'o name being sung from the camp nou crowds.

Nic - pretty close to correct. My thoughts:


1) Messi
2) Xavi
3) Iniesta
4) Eto'o
5) Toure

Also I can't wait to see your yearly breakdown of stats (match rating, minutes played etc). that will be interesting.

For the record, Xavi scored 10 goals and last time I checked he had close to 26 Assists.

Just to add to that, IMO Xavi had his best season, even better than in 2005. One of the very elite Midfielders in the world.

Let's be fair, Eto'o scored a couple important goals this season. And he scored a lot of easy ones. And he missed more than anyone. Second half of the season he was really in a slump. Alves played more minutes than him. Pique was great. And the more important the game, the better Pique was.

I would have to say that, of the star strikers in the world, Eto'o has the easiest job on the offensive side of things (but on defense he works harder than about anyone). Forlan shouldn't have scored more than him. But Eto'o failed at that which is most important for a striker for a good chunck of the season, and outside of La Liga he was largely ineffectual. Additionally, sometimes his touch was really suspect.

Now, I'm all for keeping Eto'o on. He's an important role player. He would be very difficult to replace, I think. And hopefully next season he'll be on fire for the whole season and score 40 league goals and more in the other competitions (where he really didn't score that many this season).

But, the truth is, he was just okay. In the league he seemed to do quite well for the majority of the first half of the season. The goal in the final does mean a lot. But if Pique doesn't make a huge play first, it means a lot less. Pique should be in the top five list. Nearly all that he was entrusted with dealing this season he did so admirably. I don't think you can say the same for Eto'o. Too many sitters went begging. In many big games people were wondering if he was out there.

I'll probs get stoned for this, but Valdes deserves more credit. Fewest goals scored against in La Liga (Eto'o comes in second to his peers, though). Just as important as Eto'o's Man U goal were some of Valdes' saves. His mistakes were few and far between. Personally, the only egregious one I would mention is against Espanyol. I still think Jininho's shot was quite good. I can remember many more times where Eto'o really should have scored than I can think of times where Valdes let us down.

i agree with first three players. but i think etoo should be mentioned at least coz of the importance of goals he scored. the first in 1st clasico, opening in cl final, ... .in fact for the 4th and 5th places , me too can't take a right decision.

Eto'o should be in the top 5, he is a hard worker and plays his heart out each time that he is on the field, he has also scored many important goals for the team, that decided titles.

Messi was simply the best and deserves all the praise and individual awards...

Iniesta what more can I say, he has simply exploded this season and become one of the best midfielders.

Xavi the key to breaking stubborn defences, 33 assists and 10 goals, great stats for a great legend.

Pique although he was uneasy at the start of the season, he grew in confidence and stature every time he played, he will lead the defence formany years to come and will improve aswell

@ MikeM,

"Eto'o should be in the top 5, he is a hard worker and plays his heart out each time that he is on the field, he has also scored many important goals for the team, that decided titles."

First, it's hard to find a player on the team who is not a hard worker. All in the top five definitely are, in my opinion. Maybe the hardest worker is Alves or Puyol, to be fair, but it doesn't guarantee a spot in the top five.

Second, I count two important goals this year from Eto'o, and the one in the Classico was pretty sloppy. Further, not only these goals decided the titles. Many players had important moments in these games. For example, Pique's clearance in the final: just as important. There is always an inclination to over emphasize the importance of the goal scorer at the expense of other teammates with less noticeable roles.

Also, many people seem to want to include past seasons in this debate: if anything, I think this proves the point that Eto'o has set some pretty high standards in the past that he didn't quite live up to this year. I just feel like he is usually quite a bit better than a lot of what we saw this year. I hope he stays and reaches those heights again.

Sometimes i feel that Xavi is sooo good, that people just take his brilliance in stride and he gets left out or left behind.

In my opinion Xavi always outshines Iniesta at times, Im not entirely sure why that is, its like i can see people who can play the role that Iniesta plays, well not to same caliber as him but similar roles and similar playing style, not as much awareness and skill as him but i can see his position being filled by say a lampard or gerrard. But Xavi... Xavi is like a machine, pin point accuracy and awareness like no other i truly feel that there is noone in the world that can even come close to what he does on the pitch, dont get me wrong Iniesta is up there might even be a little better at the position he plays but Xavi, Everything in midfield goes through him and the work he does and the possession and the vision its just... i dont even know how to describe it its so gorgeous the way he plays heh. My props will always go to Xavi over Iniesta always

thats my 2 cents ty for listening

Eto'o out of the top-8... that says pretty much everything.

Eto'o! Oh man open your eyes!
If Eto'o was white there would be a statue of him in the Plaza Catalunya! This said by a white boy

"But Eto'o hardly gets any recognition which I think is crazy, the fans chant Messi, Iniesta but never have I heard Eto'o name being sung from the camp nou crowds."

Totally agree, sometimes the crowd really suck. They only know three peoples name it seems, Iniesta, Xavi and Messi. Obviously I dont go to the Camp Nou as much as I would like, but sometimes a little more love from the crowd would help the Eto's and Henry's of the world reach even higher levels.

As for the top 5, I agree. Iniesta, Messi, Xavi, Toure are untouchable. 5th should be Pique as he has been a rock. Henry might of snuck in, some of his goals have been real turning points, and his form when Messi had a slump just before Christmas led us to thw winner vs Villareal away, a hat rick against Valancia and an assist v Madrid @ home. However, Nic can only pick the top 5 so I pretty much agree with it.

As for Eto, I do feel sorry for him. He has been a world class striker at times. However, probably half his goals have been tap ins at home and his influence on games probably has not been on par with the midfeild trio and Messi's. This is in NO WAY a criticism of him, he scored in the final, and does EXACTLY what Barca ask him to do and boy does he do it well!!

Again though, just about got the top 5 right Nic, have fun writing up the player by player review

This should not surprise anyone. Spain is one of the most racist places in the world. I think there's a little bit of that in this lack of recognition. I have personally experienced the racism and lack of awareness or sensibilities. Remember what the Basketball team did with the picture in Beijing (totally outrageous). I guess it is worth mentioning that not every spanish person is racist, in fact there's a fair amount that is not, still though those attitudes linger across that country.

the guy bags 30 goals and you don't put him in the top 5...please, that's a joke and you know it!!! heck, when was the last time anyone in a Barca uniform bagged 30 in the league!!!!

With all due respect to Eto'o fans here, I totally agree with Nic above, we are choosing the best barca player for 2008/2009 season ,just 2008/2009 and by Eto'o performace last season he does not deserve to be more than 7 or 8 on the list ,I have nothing against the man and I do understand that he scored 30 Liga goals this season but again that all thanks to the amazing players surrounding him , Diego Forlan who is older plays for the fourth team in la liga and still managed to score more, and he does not have Messi,Xavi or Iniesta around him , also as Caleb mentioned Eto'o missed a lot more than he scored,he is only shinning moments were he is goal in CL final (and it was a very important goal don’t get me wrong )and his two great goals away to Betis that gave us a point ,he is goal against Madrid in the Nou Camp was not a worldclass and the credit goes to Carles Puyol,and he missed a penalty in that game .
It is not really that big deal if he scores 3 and 4 against teams like Recreativo,Malaga and Valladolid , what really matters is the importance of goals scored, the compition and the team you are playing against .
MESSI who spent most his time on the wing and played less minutes than Eto'o was by far more desesive :
Barca-Madrid 2-0 scored from a brillant pic .
Madrid –barca 2-6 scored 2,one assist and he was not at his best .
Atl.Madrid-Barca (Copa) 1-3 Messi did it all .
Osasouna-Barca 2-3 scored the winner in the final minute .
Racing –Barca 1-2 was on the bench and came on to score both goals .
Sevilla-Barca 0-3 scored 2 and the other was for Etoo I have to say .
Barca-Bilba (Copa ) 4-1 a goal and an assist .
Barca-Man.United 2-0 scored .
Henry scored more decisife goals too and he was not an ST:
Villareal-Barca 1-2 scored the winner .
Barca-Valencia 4-0 hat-trick .
Lyon-Barca 1-1 scored the equalizer .
Barca-Lyon 5-2 scored twice .
Valencia –Barca 2-2 scored the equalizer .
Madrid-Barca 2-6 scored 2 .
Atl.Madrid-Barca 4-3 scored twice.

@ Nick Dumas,

That's pretty low, pulling the racism card. I've put forth some fairly logical arguments only to see a red herring.

Further, I totally agree that Toure should be up there. I think he's black, right?

If you want me to make a top five of 2004-2005, or 2005-2006 I'll gladly put Eto'o in that. Probs in the top 3. But it's about this season.

Maybe you're referring to the crowds chants or something, so sorry if I took this the wrong way. But it's the kind of accusation you should be pretty clear about what exactly you mean.

Eto'o is a great player but we really expect more from our number 1 striker to shine and score in big games and don’t miss that much .
Xavi and Iniesta are the best pair in midfield you could find in the world, and all the players listed above (Pique,Toure,Puyol,Alves ………..) performed IN THEIR OWN POSITION better than samuel in his .

Some people ..i don even understand why bringing the issue of racism here.Its a shame on u man. If u talk about Camp Nou fans why the issue comes here.So u pointing to Nic and all of us most of who agreed eto not to be in top 5???

I clearly agree with caleb with some of his arguments.And thanks to MISSA85 for ur stats,but i don think anyone would disagree about announcing Messi as No.1 even Not Diatus i hope.

"what really matters is the importance of goals scored, the compition and the team you are playing against" i totally agree with MISSA85 on this.In the same season when a fourth standard team striker scores more than u need some more good points for him rather than counting only 30 goals. To be honest he proved a lot of time that he was uneffective without messi or xavi on the field.

i have raised my voice against eto from the last part of the season. He was best no doubt,but he is not now. Still i will salute he has done for us and would of course not mind if he stays. but that will change his assessment marks from me for the season.

As for racism i m not a white man.

@Caleb

you are crazyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy for calling eto'o a "role player". h pulled that goal in the CL out of nowhere, yes the pass was great but he MADE that goal and no one can take that away from him, he pulled the ones against Betis out of nowhere, he pulled the 4 goals he scored in one half out of nowhere, etc, etc
this looks like a 'difference maker' to me not a 'role player'.
This really sickens me to the core!!!

On to Pep and his Ego!!!

Again, I am going back to Pep. I don't think the passions would be so high if the guy "really" wanted him. THis is something I cannot understand. The guy changed his attitude on and off the field. He played his heart out all season. He took good care of himself and was one of the few to stay injury free all season long. He scores when it matters and has been an exceptional team player. He scored 30 times this season.He sets the tone defensively for the entire team with his unequalled pressing YET he has found NO REDEMPTION. This is something I cannot understand. All of this goes back to last season when Pep took over and started running his mouth as to who would go and who would stay.

Some will say, "oh, Pep is untouchable"...well I say "bullshit". Don't get me wrong, he has done his job very well but he needs to show a little respect to Eto'o and what he has accomplished this season. This whole idea that he doesn't deserve a raise just kills me. I have tried to rationalize it standing in the club's shoes, using many motives, but NONE are plausible and it is not the RIGHT THING TO DO.
I cannot continue supporting a team that doesn't treat people the right way. Of course, all of this is just speculation at this point since nothing has happened yet but I am eager to see what happens. Pep, should always remember that he personally scored 0 goals for Barcelona this year. He motivated players, gave good directions and kept faith with our 'possession" philosophy and THAT'S ALL FOLKS,so show some damn respect.

@Neuro and those afraid to talk about race

No one is calling anyone on this forum RACIST. A mere observation was made about Eto'o's treatment as a player through the years and for anyone who knows about his track record in Spain, it is obvious that he's been the victim of everything in the book during his career in Spaain from "racist chants", to "monkey howls", to "go back to africa, you n****", etc, etc...

There is no need to pull a racist card on anyone and even the use of the expression 'racist card' is a disrespectful epiteth used to proclaim the limits of one's ability to successfulljy argue a point without injecting race in the argument and that in itself is a racist comment.

I am sure that you are not racist because you just don't seem to be but please take the time to read the comments and researcch the issue before publicly stating such things. All we did was make a statement of fact and that is where it stops.

now we can see how people show their face so fast. yesterday pep was fantastic..pep the great and now..well expressed by Daitus.hahahah. Some other team fans wrote in goal.com comments pointing to barca fans that u will soon kick him(Pep)out just like u did to Rijkard. so diatus is proving this so fast.

@Daitus there are lot more issues involved here. which u clearly ignore and only blindly read the report "barca not agree to increase his wage".Everyone has his own objective.As fan u want glory. As player he wants own success,team's success and wages increament.As a manager its lot more than that.He has to calculate future.To be honest lot presure on him than u fan and the players for any failure.He has to calcuate Eto's age, performance, his demand and rationalize that.He just can not be like u who just cont his total score and increase his wages as per demand.

Of course Eto deserve some more increament in wages but i know its lot more complicated issues and i think they will sort it out and waiting for final decision. Laporta as said today he will personally sit with Eto to sort out the mattter. So as a sincere football fan and BARCA supporter i wait for the last moment to comment.Rather Than You Daitus Who Read The Media News And Without Thinking Further Or Waiting For Final Deal Declare Pep Is Nothing and Honestly Put Some Nasty Words. I have to say u r NOT A BARCELONA FAN, U just a Eto fan.

@Neuro
are you kidding me!!! of course Messi is N 1 ...heck he is N 1 in the world. I never disagreed with that!

I have been supporting Barcelona since 1985...where were you in 1985? READ THE DAMN COMMENT BEFORE TALKING PLEASE!!!

My argument is about doing the RIGHT THING!!! supporting a team doesn't mind that you should put on blinders!!! open your eyes, who is next? Messi? Henry?Yaya Toure?

@Neuro,

so, you are the one who decides what a real barcelona fan is hun?

kiddo, just drop it...we are on 2 totally different pages because I am sure I will spend all morning going back and forth and learn nothing in the end.

#1 to #4 absolutely the same in my opinion. Gerard Piqué was a wonderful newcomer, but he had some weaker matches in the first half of the season. My #5 is Dani Alves, though he was not often forced to show his defensive skills.
The rest of the team is very difficult to rank. Carles Puyol is not always acknowledged for what he does on the pitch both physically and with his spirit. Sammy Et'o only missed the Pichichi trophy because we had a Barca B squad in the last 3 matches, but he scored the maybe most important goal of the season in Rome. Finally Victor Valdés: he had his worst matches when the whole squad suffered from mental fatigue, but he saved us when we needed it.

Well, Laporta himsalef said Eto'o is the best striker in the world so i don't think Barça is under-rating him. The whole ibrahimovic thing is because the PRESS doesn't like eto'o, not because of his colour, but because LAPORTA BROUGHT HIM, NOT ROSELL. It's a power distribution problem. Both papers want Laporta out and support Rossell (in case you guys haven't noticed that the past 3 years) This is why Eto'o is always on the headlines, he leaves, he stays, etc. I do believe the club knows better and that thing Laporta said really quiet me down. For a moment there, i saw ibrahimovic wearing his shirt. And if that happens, i will gladly return my membership card.
About my player of the year...i really don't have a clear argument, but for me it's pretty unquestionable: iniesta

In my opinion, a guy who bags 30 goals in la Liga has to be in the top 5, no matter how many goals he missed in the 2 last months. Plus some arguably could say that he won the Manchester United game, as United were attacking like mad, and if they score first then is bye bye Champions League.

My top SIX players :

1- Messi
2- Xavi
3- Iniesta
4- Eto'o
5- Toure
6- Alves

@Maria Ines

I am right there with you on your last comment.

ON PELLIGRINI

Have things died down a little bit in Chile with the RM coverage?

to all you out there,especially to caleb and missa, what did barca win before eto'o came onboard? They had ronaldinho and all those guys but won nothing until eto'o came.And to say his goal in the CL was not important is the most stupid observation i have ever heard from a soccer fan.If eto'o didn't score the goal, man U probablly beat barca.Who in barca's history has ever scored two goals in 2 wining CL finals? Romario, Ronaldo,Rivaldo, Ronaldinho all never did and these are all former world player award winners.But eto'o did.First of all iniesta was more decisive than Messi. Against chelsea, without iniesta, barca is no where close to being CL champions.

once eto'o leaves barca, then you guys will see his value because there is no rational behind not giving this man his due respect.What more does he have to do? Messi is good but he is too overarted.Eto'o's goal was more decisive than his but he is the one geting all the credit as if he is the only one that scored.Come on people, i know eto'o is african, but the guy is the best striker in the world.And why would any reasonable team sell the best striker in the world or offer hm a paycut if they are not nuts?

I agree Eto should get alot more praise for all he has done for Barca. Come on people the guy has been the lead scorer in the team season after season and has led Barca to two Champions league titles with goals in two Champions league finals.

How much would I pay my players to keep them ? This is what I would do:

1. Eto'o
2. Inesta
3. Messi
4. Puyol
5. Henry
6. Xavi

@Don Corleone

Spoken like a true godfather...thy, shall be the last word on the topic...

THIS IS NUTS...My joy from the great feat we accomplished this has been on pause since these idioties started.

guys please don't start fighting WE WON THE TREBLE THIS SHOULD BE A HAPPY TIME....

people have opinions some want eto'o some dont its fine the only opinions that matter ar laporta pep and others

lets just wait until there is A FINAL DECISION and not let the media tear us apart

WE WON THE TREBLE
DONT WORRY BE HAPPY
VISCA EL BARCA

Wow...i fully agree with you nic.....no doubt about top five.though its a pity eto not being in top 5, but i think this years competion was so hard and the first three position is simply unquestionable.

1.
Leo Messi
2.
Andres Iniesta
3.
Xavi Hernandez
4.
Toure Yaya
5.
Gerard Piqué

to me puyol alves and eto desrve next positions...

If I'm not mistaken he is tied with Rivaldo at third in the all time goals scored list?

Like I said the man has 2 decisive goals in 2 winning champion league finals what else does he need to prove?

I said it last season the biggest mistake Barca could do is sell Eto'o and I still stand by that. Without Eto'o we would not have won the treble.

Also what is this I'm hearing aboutthose bums at Arsenal trying to steal our Toure?

why Dani is absent ??? He did a great job man, He should be in top 5 at least. his speed and crosses was fantastic through out the season.i would put him in top 5 along with pique. Rest of the 4 are ok.
here it goes:
Messi,iniesta,xavi,toure,pique & alves

john if you could do ands it would probably go like

messi
ini
xavi
and every one else!!!!!!!!!

haha

@messiah10 Come on man why laughing at me ....

All right as u said i m giving dani the 6th prize:

Messi,iniesta,xavi,toure,pique,alves

now happy??

The number of goal eto scored says he should be in top 5 at least but considering other's contribution(right now in top 5)and Eto's too much dependency on Messi,Xavi it seems ok.

Everybody calm down and take a deep breath....

This is a though call on the Eto'o argument, I know I said a few weeks back that maybe he was just playing for a new contract and that it was the players around him that made the goals for him. When I said this I also said that I love Eto'o and I would be more than happy for him to stay( and that he would prove his doubters wrong with a goal in the final) but for this argument I'm going to be like Switzerland .

There is no argument about the amount of goals he has scored... its phenomenal but the one thing that has let me down lately is his touch, he is just not as sharp as he used to be. I'm sure that everybody on here has watched the CL Final more than once and that after Eto'os goal his touch was pretty poor and alot of the league games before this it was evident in too. I don't buy into the argument that he was playing in a weakened team for the last few league games, he got plenty of chances away to Mallorca and he fluffed them, granted he was playing against a team he loves and it was in his head about scoring against them, but still some of the chances he found himself with should have been converted instinctively by a striker of his calibre. Eto'os work rate is out of this world and in my opinion this definitely makes up for the chances he misses plus he does'nt take half the set pieces that Forlan takes but is still just 2 goals behind him.

I read stories linking him with a switch for Ibrahimovich plus 30 million euros??? Barca are crazy to even entertian this deal. Ibra is a quality forward but for Eto'o and 30 mill, its ridiculous!

Hopefully Barca hold onto Eto'o over the summer and he gets his killer touch back for next season.

Just one more point regarding the future of Eto'o is that I have alot of confidence in the Barca back room staff when it comes to selling our top players. Over the recent history of the club can anyone name a STAR player for the club who was sold that ended up going on to do spectacular things for their new club?? RIvaldo? Deco? Ronaldinho? just to name a few.

By the way, shame on whoever brought up the racism card. I hope I can say that every fan here loves the Barca players no matter what Colour, Nationality are Creed they might be!

@Lon-A-Barca u r right. unfortunately some people just happy to count score.You know why did he score 1 only in last three matches even though he got weaker teams only because there was not a Messi or a Xavi present in the field. This is plain and simple.There is a report on goal.com where interviewed 8 of their journalist most where almost all agreed that he will suffer playing for in any other club for his highly dependency on barca mid.

Some of you Barça fans are not good readers are you ? the top of the page says : player of the season 2008/2009,does not it? It is not saying the best Barça player in the last five years or the greatest Barça striker or whatever ,every point were made by me or others about Eto'o was made regarding his performance in 2008/2009 season and yet some just wanna talk about his goals tally with Barça and still mention the year 2006,again it is last season only what we are talking about here .
Diatus, did I just read this by you Pep, should always remember that he personally scored 0 goals for Barcelona this year. He motivated players, gave good directions and kept faith with our 'possession" philosophy and THAT'S ALL FOLKS,so show some damn respect).
Are you serious ? Are you serious ?????????
Pep Guardiola is the man who transformed Barça from one of the most disappointing teams in europe last season to the best team in the world ,Guardiola achieved in his very first season what no one has achieved for Barça in 110 years , this man had the same squad maybe a weaker one than Frank and still managed to do what thought to be impossible just few months ago ,he is the man who got us the sweetest revenge against Madrid and United and made us as proud as we are now …….He is the one bringing the best out of his players and made FC Barcelona a phenomena that every sport paper in the world is talking about,this arrogant man is the one giving all the credit to his players all the time and refuse to mention what a great coach he is . So please Diatus it is you who should show some respect .

Well said MISSA85,but you know what, the guy who told Pep this and that has a long career(24 years)as a barca fan. So he actually got a lot of experience and understand that pep did nothing extraordinary which NO ONE IN THE WORLD EVEN FROM OUR GREATEST ARCH RIVALRY could thought of for a moment.from manu to real madrid fans,from british media to italian press no one actually got the points he mentioned. Anyway we have to admit his long experience and loyalty as a barca fan.

WOW, i havent checked this story in days because i thought it wasnt going to get much talk. then i see all these comments!!!!

on the main article, i dont really care. messi, xavi, iniesta, etoo, yaya, pique, puyol, they were all brilliant to me. i dont like to single any out. and its quite irrelevant at the end of the day.

but then i read the comments, and wow, its gotten all a bit ridiculous.

on etoo, it hasnt got to do with race that it appears he isnt appreciated as much as others. spain is def quite a racists country, no denying that, but that doesnt come into this. when it comes to football, things like that are put aside. which isnt to say its a good thing, because really spain needs to improve in this area. just saying that race has nothing to do with this etoo debate. ive heard etoo's name being chanted plenty of times in camp nou and him getting many spanding ovations. etoo is brilliant, one of the few truly wordclass strikers and is respected by anyone with a brain, and i have no interest in seeing him go. frankly all the rumors of zlatan are making me mad.

in general, i think people need to stop buying into the press so much. right now, the press is in ultra drive concerning barca. we are buying just about every big name and maybe selling a few too. 90% of it is total garbage, so really, lets not buy into it. just wait and see what happens.

but seriously, ppl discrediting guardiola is completle nonsense. actually knowing the extent of his role is of course impossible for any of us to truly grasp, but it was MASSIVE. without guardiola this season would not have happened, i have no doubt in my mind.

again, dont get sucked into the press. especially now. its far too early.

@ Aj7raul :

" massi the best man inthe world after becks and raul "

Why are you comparing Messi , the best player in the world , with some HAS-BEENS ?

@Missa85

Here's what I said "Some will say, "oh, Pep is untouchable"...well I say "bullshit". Don't get me wrong, he has done his job very well but he needs to show a little respect to Eto'o and what he has accomplished this season. This whole idea that he doesn't deserve a raise just kills me. I have tried to rationalize it standing in the club's shoes, using many motives, but NONE are plausible and it is not the RIGHT THING TO DO. "

yes,Pep did a good job but to premise your counterpoint on the fact that he won a triplete AS A COACH doesn't counter anything I am saying. 1-It is a fact that Eto'o has not gotten as much recognition as he deserves.
2-It is a fact that he has earned his raise.
3-It is a fact that he has been a key player in EVERYTHING Barcelona has won since he joined the team.
Unfortunately, he has not gotten the respect he deserves as someone who has given his all to this team and remember the grass is not always greener on the side.

It has been confirmed that Laporta offered him up to Inter + 30 mil for Ibrahimovic. Eto'o is at least worth a good 35 mil. So you're telling me that Ibrahimovic is 30 mil more valuable than Eto'o. That is load of crock and it is just a further denegration of someone who has given his ALL to Barcelona.

Yes, Barcelona needs a good forward next year because of the African Cup of Nations but as Laporta, Pep and Txiki go about finding this player, they should not disrespect someone who scored goals in both champions' league finals he has played in.

Ibrahimovic will NOT be Samuel Eto'o. As the saying goes "you don't know what you have until it is gone"

@Neuro

your little comments are innane and not worth my time...so don't bother.

@Blaugranaboy,

I agree, to discredit Pep is nonsense and that is not my goal. He is a good coach and has achieved quite a lot with this group.

However, it just seems to ME that he has this anmosity towards Eto'o that he has manifested with no other player.

1-Remember, he sent him packing from training, because, according to him, he was not stretching properly.
2- Remember, the look he gave him when they guy tried celebrting a goal with him.
3- Remember, the game in Betis when he spent all game yelling at Eto'o and that prompted Eto'o to score the second goal and run to the sidelines to tell him ("I told you I could do it"). yes some will say that this is his way of motivating him but I do not see Resino talk this way to Forlan, or JM talk this way to Ibrahimovic, or Guss talk this way to Drodga, in fact the big forwards around the league and in the world are treated with a bit more respect in public.

It looks as though he tried to get Eto'o to lose his temper or blow up all season and when he didn't succeed he now just decides that he can do without him.

look, I know the team did great this year, I know that Pep deserves a big part of the credit, I like him as a coach because he is very good technically but I just cannot swallow the fact that most prolific scorer in recent Barcelona history is being offered up for someone who might or might not be a fit for this team.

In all fairness, Ibrahimovic could come to Barcelona and be a fantastic goal scorer but that fact does not and cannot negate the fact that Eto'o has been AMAZING for this team.

@ Diatus ,

While I agree with you about the impact of Eto'o in Barça's success but I think it came down to economics and Eto'o was caught smack in the middle of it .

Barça are obviously NOT interested in offering Eto'o a long extension on his current contract . I also have the sneaky suspension that Barça would probably only agree to a two-year extension with lower wages and incentives which is something that Eto'o would not agree to .

It is the reality in sports that players become expendible after a use-by date loyalty and achievements notwithstanding .

Great players came and went : Maradona , Ronaldo , Rivaldo , Romario , Ronaldinho ...etc

Am I surprised ? No .

@FCB Holland

yeah, I shouldn't be surprised but I am still pretty outraged at this whole thing and Eto'o's sell by date has not come yet. This team only talks of loyalty ONLY when it is in its interest. That should never be the case because it should be a two-way street. Is this 'MES'?

@ Diatus ,

Assuming that Eto'o is a goner , how do you feel about some of the names mentioned in order to replce him ?

I mean players like Villa , Benzema and Ibrahimovic .

Personally I think Barça should reinforce with the EPL / CL in mind . I mean we need to find the right mix between technique and physique in order to counter the EPL old reliable " park the bus " strategy .

For example , David Villa maybe technical very good BUT can he outduel the big boys in the EPL physically ? The answer is obviously : NO .
Benzema is talented , young and big . Is he good enough NOW to score on a cosistent basis agaist those who like to park the bus against us ? I doubt it .

That leaves Ibrahimovic aka abracadabra or my favourite : Ibra the zebra !

I think he is technical very good , strong and big but he is also 29 years old or so . His attitude and work ethics are crappy at best .

Assuming we are able to sign him can Guardiola then manage to force the badly needed "attitude adjustment " in order to gel with the hard working Barça group ?

Ibrahimovic will be shocked to find himself NOT the top banana but as the FOURTH in the picking order behind perhaps Messi , Xavi and Iniesta .

There are pros and cons for every wanna-be Eto'o replacement but there is no ideal candidate in my opinion . Let's just wait and see and hope for the best .

I will be praying very hard that players like Adebayour , Gomez , Trezeguet , Drogba or Forlan DON'T end up wearing a Barça jersey anytime in the near OR the distant future !!

Sorry ! I meant " technically very good " in cases of Villa and Ibrahimovic !!

All 38 goals by Messi 2008-2009 .

LINK

thnx for the vid fcb holland

i personally think against malaga was his best goal....second against bayern the 1-2 with eto'o....and osasuna and racing follows

thats just my opinion

You are welcome messiah10 . Messi is my most favourite player . I often found myself in ugly skrimishes with many Madridistas and some EPL fans who tend to take cheap shots at Messi anyway they can . Jealousy : no more no less .

They ALL know deep inside that he is the BEST in the world but they are too embarrased to admit it .

It will be interesting how those idiots react when he collects all the individual awards including the FIFA player of the year and the Bal D'Or !!

@diatus:

alright man, this is obviously a sore issue with u. and if what u say is true, ill be on ur side. ive always felt that etoo has been under appreciated. even in frank's days, it was all ronaldinho, when etoo was actually as big a part of it all. and no, we shouldnt sell him, and he should be treated badly, if that is what is happening. i also loved him for criticizing druggie deco and boozi ronaldinho, i was glad he had the balls to do it.

but seriously, i think ur buying into the papers a bit too much. neither u nor i know what is actually happening. if anything, laporta has been very fair to players, and seems to treat them like people, not assets. concerning etoo's claims for a raise, i dont think that is completely necessary. he is still the 4th top earner i think, prob around 90,000 or so, and really, thats more than enough. good seasons should always just mean more money, the club has budgets to adhere to.

this whole zlatan thing is far from confirmed. yes they had dinner, but nobody knows what the talked about. maybe it was maxwell, maybe something else. i doubt very much laporta would agree to give etoo and 30 mil on top, he has always been a big supporter of etoo, even when guardiola said he could go at the beginning of the year. so, before any of us slander the board for their treatment of players and so, lets actually see it play out and lets see etoo actually say that he was mistreated. personally, i wouldnt make the deal, zlatan is nowhere near as prolific and has a MASSIVE ego and wont work nearly as hard for us. zlatan's agent is a big reason for all this gossip too.

but on pep and etoo, i cant say for sure whats up there. ppl also read things different. i always felt pep saying he could leave from the start was a motivational tool. i didnt know about the training thing, but on the goal celebratoin, i think it was cause it was early on in pep's reign, and wanted to show the divide between player and manager.

but overall, dont get too upset yet. etoo is def underappreciated by many, and frankly, those people are idiots and dont really understand the game. they want to play CM where zlatan's finishing and heading are 19, and etoo only 17 or so. on another blog i had a big dig and ppl saying etoo should be sold when he was having his little slump. like i said, they're morons.

but he isnt sold yet and zlatan isnt here yet. the papers are in overdrive and are getting people too invested in decisions that have probably not even been made yet.

lets see how it all plays out.

lol, i meant he shouldnt be treated badly. my bad

and has etoo even said publically he wants a raise? again, its prob all speculation. during the off season its all they can do to sell papers.

@ messiah10 :

I know some people may hate me for repeating this but this is my favourite goal by a Barçelona player of all time !!

LINK

Click on the third video :

" Maradona-Messi Run " !!

@FCB Holland

hey man, thanks for the links. Good stuff!

Assuming that Eto'o is a goner, I am seriously stuck as to who would be a good replacement. I just bought the Sweden-Denmark game to watch Ibrahimovic and the DUDE choked so badly and had 3 horrible misses and one of them was from less than 7 yards. Wow, please look up the game. Having just witnessed that, I can't help but pinch myself about this whole thing. Heck, to me this is nightmarish. He was shut down by a 20 year old defender ( I think he plays for Roma, I can't remember the name). Of course, it is just one game but man the guy never turns up when it matters. you are right for thinking of the EPL but FCB, keep in mind Barcelona doesn't necessarily need a power center forward to score against EPL teams (Iniesta?Mesi? ring a bell?). Even Eto'o's goal was not your typical "power" goal. So that wouldn't be something I would worry about too much in selecting a "supposed-replacement" (can't find a better word because I don't think that Eto'o can be replaced by any of the current candidates). But when it is all said and done I think the one forward I like is Luca Toni. Scrappy, defends well, good in the air, a real poacher and this is someone who could be a hit within our system and from what I know of him, a great guy too. So, Luca Toni would do well within our squad. Instead of chasing another "culo bajo" (ei Ribery) we need a big man. I am all for bringing in a forward but "real" quality not a sham signing.The alternative would be to go for karim Benzema but he has an attitude problem and he thinks that he is a gansgter. There was a interview that Coupet gave a few months back and if a veteran like Coupet says that the lad has a bad attitude then I am reticent to even entertain the idea.

@FCB Holland
I agree with the big NO on Adebayor,Drogba,Trezeguet,Gomez, but to that list I would add Villa and I am still torn about Forlan (age,leadership,desire to win). One think is to chase an individual honor (Pichichi) another is to actually score goals that REALLY matter. I am sure he will fit well and he is superior to eto'o technically but I have especial argument for or against him. So to summarize, I have YES for Luca Toni and a Maybe for Forlan but that's it. I honestly think that we should spend money buying a couple of defenders, 1 midfielder and maybe a forward but not necessarily a top tier forward. Listen the Cantera is doing very well and we are likely to see more break outs a la Busquets next year. Remember, We have no seen all of Pedrito or Jeffren yet. On top of that Bojan CAN be the perfect heir to Eto'o in just a couple of years, why rush? save the money, use it for more charitable endeavors and for future signings but do not follow in the footsteps of Real Madrid. Look, they spent like drunken sailors last year and we didn't and look at what happened. They are speaking of Kaka, cristiano Ronaldo, Ribery,etc,etc. Let them follow their strategy! We cannot go that route because that would break this team and ruin the club. We need to reinforce but in doing so we need to avoid alimenting the same sense of entitlement that doomed Real Madrid and Manchester United. We cannot assume that expensive signings will automatically yield more trophies. We need to continue with the moderation we've shown and reward those who leave their skin on their shirt everytime they put on blaugrana shirt.Blaugranaboy,it is obvious that an attempt at a deal has been made because all of this would just be too much of a coindence. Regarding the papers,I think that we all are in agreement they are mostly lies and unfounded theories that are being peddled to sell papers but as the saying goes:"if a river makes a lot of noise it is because it probably carries water"

@FCB-Holland thanks for the link....man.Did u see messi in argentina vs columbia match today. though tevez was the man of the match to me but messi also played great but the poor guy was fouled by columbian players so many times. he took a nice freekick from outside the box which was saved by the top corner of the bar.so unlucky hope he brings glory for argentina just like he did so for barcelona.

fcb-holland

yea messi is just amazing..words can't describe him.....and don't even start me on the best goal of the century .....definitely the goal of the decade at least i've seen it a few thousand times

Well it worked pretty well didn't it Nic?
Some say carreer achievements don't count for a yearly award. I disagree, for an example Giggs wasn't named player of the year in the PL for his achievemnts of this year, it was clearly a recognition for his career. And the fact that Eto'o joined Rivaldo (I love you Rivaldo!) as third goalscorer in Barça's history THIS YEAR must is in my opinion be relevant to the debate, but for the sake of the argument let's forget it.
Eto'o managed to score many goals against "lesser" teams, and this is a vital feat to win championships, AND to score decisive goals against grest teams on the biggest of occasions. Can you really ask more from your striker? Well from Eto'o you can, as I persist to think that his incredible pressing job is vital to the balance of the team. Put in his place a less working striker and your pressing is far less effective, and, for all the beauty of the attacking play the team showed, I think it's the incredible quality of the pressing that made the difference with the previous years.
Some of you state that most of his goals were tap ins, and that he benefited of the quality of the team around him. Well maybe, but I think it's an irrelevant argument cos' we don't have a comparison point. Who can say that an other in his place would have done better? We can judge only on the facts we have, not on the "what ifs". And if it has certainly dropped a bit towards the far end of the season, I don't think his goal per occasion ratio must be so bad as the team's one is very good if I'm not mistaken.
I agree that he completely misses a first touch (I will come back to that), and with no stats under hand, I think he has far less assists than some of his teammates, so that certainly stops him short of being the top dog, but my opinion is that with his goals, his workrate, his fantastic state of mind over the whole season, the example he sets on the pitch and his incredible will to win at all cost, he deserves a Top 5!

@ neuro

Just after watching that game with Argentina aswell. I thought it was a terrible game, there was constant fouls and rough play from both teams banging into each other and running around like headless chickens.

I think that the whole Argentina-Maradonna relationship is going to end in tears, there was no structure to the team and I think Maradonna just tells the players to go out and do what they feel like, and if they actually make it to the world cup and end up facing Spain or someone they will get pulled apart on the evidence of tonights game.

I also watched Brazil and Uruguay to see Caceres, he was very quick and he got around the pitch but he made some unbelievable mistakes, it seems like he is running to fast to get to the ball and he can't stop in time and ends up falling over it or touching it too heavy and giving the ball away undoing his goodwork in the first place. I think he really needs to go out on loan next season to play games and improve his defending.

Now Diatus, I disagree with your thinking that Guardiola disrespects Eto'o. I think it has been one of the great feats of the year to watch their relationship evolve over the season, from the first words of Guardiola, his killer look when Eto'o bumped in him to celebrate that goal, to the respect they showed each other from then on. You just have to read what Eto'o said of him at the end of the season, and one of my favourite pictures of the Rome night is the one where you see them both hug to celebrate...
Now for the future. As a big admirer of the Cameroonese (and one that loves him just far much for the "Madrid cabron..." thing), I certainly would like to see him wear this shirt for ever. But it's not forcefully disrespect to imagine he can leave. He has just one year left on his contract, and has sent mixed messages about a renewal. As much as I would hate it, it would make economical sense at least to sell him now.
Plus you can see that, from the transfer targets of last year, Guardiola wants a tall man in the center of the pitch up front, the plan being, I assume, to hoof the ball to him and let him redirect it to a semi-circle around him consisting of Henry, Iniesta, Xavi and Messi. One thing that was reproached to this team was that it had no "plan B", this would correct it and give us extra options. The problem in this scheme with Eto'o is that he has no first touch and can't play with his back to the goal. I hate to admit it, but the perfect player to carry this role would be Zlatan as he is tall, physical and technically very accomplished. Let's just pray (again) that we don't finish with Adebayor who would fit in this team as well as Gudjohnsen.
Again I hope Eto'o will stay, but if Guardiola didn't want him last year it was for technical reasons, he stayed for his state of mind and because we couldn't find him a suitable replacement, but now with the contractual issue coming on top of this...

Hello guys.. it's WC qualy afternoon here and about argentina... God, can't believe that awful team is going to the WC, cos they will no matter what.. it was just painful to watch. Such a poor team, such a poor strategy..Messi and Tevez were wasting their time.
On the other hand, and i'm not saying this because i'm chilean (in fact, i don't even care about them), our team looks pretty cool. They're outplaying Paraguay, at home, something that never happened before. This looks good, and all thanks to Bielsa. I couldn't imagine what argentina would be with Bielsa now, if he can do wonders with our very tecnically limited team.

And about Eto'o..well, we're not a stock house. There is no "economical" sense in selling him by X and buying ibrahimovic by 2X, when he is not going to leave his heart and soul on the football field. He doesn't do that being the most well payed footballer in the world. He is just not Barça. And his agent is totally trying to get him a new deal at Inter. It's so obvious..first adebayor, then him.. Eto'o is not replaceable, and not only for his stats (are ibrahimovic numbers better??? i don't think so!). He inspires the rest. Barça is not madrid. We don't buy players just to see how cool they look with our shirt.

@ Lon-A-Barca ...hahaha...ya man u r right. I cant deny it was a terrible game in terms foul. and i have to admit the referee was sooooo kind otherwise there could be easily couple of red cards lol.

About maradona i am really confused what his plan is actually. Because argentina's ball possesion was extremely bad.they were just tensed to attack all the time without controlling mid.moreover i din see him to instruct much from the sideline. he has to be more professional.

i din watch brazil Uruguay match full though don know how caceres played.but there was a worst blunder by Uruguay keeper on the long shot of alves.hahahha the commentator(highlights) said is he playing footballl or voleyball. lol

LINK

@Fredegar,

Ok fred, maybe I am reading it all wrong or maybe I am overreacting. I hope you are right and I hope that the relationship between Pep and Eto'o is really one of respect as it is being portrayed in the media. I hope, I hope,I hope!!!!

okay,

i can't take the time to read all 80 comments here, but apparently some people are upset with my assessment of Eto'o. First, I'd like to reiterate that my comments are regarding this season, and I would gladly rate him higher if we are talking about earlier seasons and overall club contribution.

@ Diatus: you obviously have a special affinity for Eto'o and there's no way I can convince you otherwise, but yes, I think he's a good role player for the club but not one of it's main stars. You yourself admitted that it was a good pass in the Champs league. And much of the media were blaming Man U for the goal rather than praising Eto'o. Still well taken. But we're not even in this competition if it isn't for other players up to this point: Iniesta, Pique, and Valdes all played huge roles in crucial, game changing situations leading up to this moment. Further, Messi had simply been the best overall in the competition. Eto'o hadn't done much till that one goal. Yes, it was good. But others had done just as important of things to make it possible.

And yes, the 4 goals in one half were great. But not a big game and we would have won it anyway. Sorry, I don't remember the Betis game well, so point to you. Still, I don't see this as tons of moments of glittering performances throughout the season, but a few glimpses of what could have been an all time record-breaking season. So, you can call me crazy if you want, but I don't see enough from Eto'o this season.

In all fairness, I want to keep Eto'o. I don't think it will be easy or economical to replace him. And I think he can do better than he did this season. But I don't think he was in the top five. I know crazy. I am mentally insane for that stance.

Also, to clarify, me calling him a role player this season doesn't mean that I think he would definitely just be a role player next season. Surely he could hit a great vain of form next year and obliterate scoring records and defenses.

But, in defense of role players, they are still important and championships aren't won without them, so of course you can highlight moments in the season where Eto'o did well. I just don't think there were enough of them.

@ Diatus ,

I tend to agree with you about the overall scenario regarding Eto'o and possible replacements .

I watched some of Sweden vs. Denmark match and
I thought Ibrahimovic was crap . All he did was some half-ass passes and lame attempts at impersonating a playmaker . Did he ever try a shot a goal ? What is the use for him at Barça if he does not shoot ?

We have the best playmakers in the world : Xavi , Iniesta and Messi . We don't need a midfielder wannabe . We need a center forward .

I read somewhere that Inter Milan want 80 M for Ibrahimovic or Eto'o + 50 M . I don't even want to comment on that . I think Eto'o is just as good as Ibrahimovic if not better . Don't be surprised if the whole transfer fell through and back to square one .

I share your concern about some negative remarks about Benzema but I think he is still young and can change and he has the potential to be a very good player for years to come . I don't know if we will get him . Lyon could be interested in a swap deal with Eto'o . We'll just have to wait and see !!

I also agree with you about Real Madrid answer to problems : spend stupid money on big name players . Basically a quick fix that hardly works . They are actually willing to spend around 70 M for Kaka . Call me crazy but I think Iniesta is BETTER than Kaka !!!

@ neuro11 ,

I watched most of the first half of Argentina - Columbia game and I am NOT impressed with Argentina at all . They have some good players on offence and little else .
I hope they can advance to South Africa but I don't think they have a chance of going very far in the world cup .

IMO , Barça have a better team than Argentina !!

1. Henry
2. Thierry
3. Titi
4. #14

@ messiah10 ,

Other than the goal itself I think the main reason I have watched that video so many times is the crazy commentator who completely lost it at the end !!

@FCB-Holland,

Dude, I think it's entirely logical to call Iniesta better than Kaka, especially on current form. After the second half of the season (remember him waltzing through United players?), I think everyone needs to realize that when we're talking about who's the best in the world, it who's better: Iniesta, Messi, or Xavi? I think I give Iniesta and Messi the edge, and maybe Messi is out in front by just a bit, but we have a star studded squad that all can play serious team football.

So, I won't call you crazy.

@ Diatus,
The Luca Toni idea is interesting. Maybe that would work...and not cost a fortune. Still, I think it would be best to keep Eto'o, get a cheapish backup, and hope for Bojan to claim the spot in a couple years. When he's 20. Haha, it's easy to forget he's still so young...

@ both of you,

Even though he would be expensive, I think Ribery would be a great addition and different than just splashing cash out. Though he's short, I think Spain and Barca have shown that a short team can compellingly be the best. But we can't be held ransom by anyone. We're simply not that desperate.

@ Diatus,

I've found the time to read some more of the comments and I think you were referring to me talking about pulling the racism card. Once again, to clarify, I accept that there are racist issues in Spain. I lived there for a few months, did some research on it, and will admit that freely.

Surely Eto'o has dealt with and most likely still deals with this frequently.

But, in regards to the flow of the comments it struck me as though some were saying that those of us who agree with Nic about Eto'o not being in the top 5 this season we're clearly blinded by color. If that indeed is the claim I do take offense to it. Further, it seemed to me that this was simply a way to conveniently sidestep my arguments to support my case in a rational, straight-forward manner.

Once again, I am for keeping Eto'o. Very difficult and too expensive to replace. Better to pay him a bit more than look for someone else. But, in a year where many players had their best seasons ever (like Nic's 1-5, IMO) he didn't have his best season ever.

About the 30 goals in one season: he had boatloads of quality chances. 30 goals is acceptable considering this, but not worthy of being in the top 5 players for the season. Sorry if my comments have sickened you. I think you're a good guy and obviously support a great team. Also, you've been following the club since I was a year old, so you've got me beat on loyalty. And I respect your opinions. I even will accept that you can't respect mine concerning Eto'o.

Anyway, I'm going to sign off the blog for awhile. I've got some intensive language study to be doing and have been spending way to much time reading and writing in English here. But, it's been a pleasure sharing this season with you guys and I will be back.

@ caleb ,

Ribery would be a great addition to any club . Although he does NOT score a lot of goals he is very dynamic and creative player who , along with Messi and Iniesta , can cause serious havoc for opponents from both sides of the pitch . However signing him would be an entirely different matter .

I am less optimistic about the prospects of signing a big name player ; Ribery , Ibrahimovic or Benzema .

Let's hope we can keep Eto'o for a couple of years or at least find a quality replacement for him if he has to leave !!

@Caleb,

Hey, thanks for the responses but I think you read it comments about race wrong. We were talking about the recognition he gets in Spain as a whole. I actually went out of my way to make sure that I was clear that no one was calling anyone else racist on this forum. We've all been chatting on here for over a year for some, 2 years for others and ,althought, it has been heated at time, we always end up agreeing to disagree or come to an understanding about issue but never stoop to that low level of conversation. I don't think that you or anyone else is racist. The comment was about Spain as a whole and the media just doesn't seem to like Eto'o, which maybe has or has nothing to do with race. Please take the time to read them again. It would be ludicrous to call Nic a racist because Eto'o is not on the top 5. I think you more than stretched your imagination on this one. I think a top 5 is a matter of preference. Nic can put anyone in his top 5 but to call him racist just doesn't make sence because Yaya Toure is black and he ranked him 4th. So, I am confused with your answer. So, please read the comments a gain...after you finish your studies and really have time to focus on what was written.

I think you have some good points on Eto'o and IT IS TRUE THAT LIKE Eto'o he is one my favorite playerS but I think that my 'overreaction" has an once of truth in it and I just hope that I am wrong about this whole thing. Look, man I always look for consensus and I am even willing to give up a point when someone else convincces me and I have done that in the past many times. I truly hope that I am wrong about this one!!!

@Caleb some of ur arguments were simply fantastic. yap the best thing to give the right player right praise on time. In many forum and goal.com comments some people(very few though) say Iniesta is the best(in response of Messi won all award from goal.com in different category)player of the season. Well how can u say that?(though i ike messi more)if u talk only a part of the season no doubt Iniesta far far better performer than messi.Even i agree if iniesta would play whole season may be he would be best.or i strongly believe in upcoming season iniesta can perform better than messi. But this very season 2008-2009 in any way u have to admit messi best.

Some fans are very much tensed of Eto relations with barca coach and board. This is the last comment so far from Laporta , i copied:

"There are offers for Eto'o," Laporta is quoted "We want to know his plans."

"We want to treat a player well that has given us everything and I do not just mean because of his goals, but also for his attitude and his character.

"In the key games, he has always scored and we will always be grateful.

"Samu is a great player and there are offers for him. We have meetings with his agent lined up for next week, in which both sides can say what they would like."

I stil believe the issue will be sorted out and a performer who is proven on the ground already will not be removed breaking team spirit. But there are more issues economical and others .so i wait...and hope anything for the best.

hey guys...,i think pep know what hes doing. we just don't understand what does pep thinking, hes strategy, plan and everything should a manager do..

last season we gt confused and shocked when pep decided to offload ronnie and deco-2 key players in 1 time...most of us gt angry and said pep is crazy!! but with they crazy ideas we won 3 trophies this year..so give him trust-because pep knows barca more than others..GO BARCA!!!

Actually from what I remember not too many eyebrows were raised when he announced he wanted Ronaldinho and Deco out.

It was his decision on Eto'o who in my opinion is Europe's best striker that caused some concern.

I was happy when Eto'o joined up in pre seaon friendlies hopefully they work something out again.

Anyone got any opinions on Toure's transfer discussion that's going on right now?

Apparently from what I read it seems like Toure is another player who is been under appreciated have y'all heard he is one of the least paid players in the Barca squad!

That is crazy he is the best central holding midfielder in the world.

He does an excellent job protecting the back four and his ball control at his feet is superb too for a man of his built.

Shaking my head at Barca offering him too Inter Milan!

He is much better then Keita and Busquets, I hope they offer him a much better contract

The way Yaya Toure is being treated by the club is truely mindboggling .

Yaya was a KEY player in Barça's success this year . It would only make sense to offer him a decent contract . The worst thing that Barça would do is to let him go .

It is even more worrying the sudden interest in Liverpool's " hatchet man " Masherano .

Correct me if I'm wrong . He is technically NOT that good . He is only good at kicking other players around . He is essentially a GLORIFIED " dirty player " .

Am I the only one who thinks that INCOMPETENCE reigns supreme when it comes to transfering players in and out of the club ?

We seem to OVERPAY for players coming in and get LESS for players leaving .

Laporta promised to sign three to four " high level " players .

I would only believe it when the players ACTUALLY sign for the club !!

Great Artile, look at the top 5 players of the season

LINK

If the Rumors are true then:

Out: Eto'o, Yaya,
In: Mascherano, Ibrahimovic

I think Pep and Laporta are simply afraid of the repeat of what happened in 2004. When after the double (league and CL), we failed to reinforce the squad and Florentino Perez's galacticos cleaned our clocks in the league for the subsequent years. But I think that the dynamic is different this time. We have a more mature group of players this time and that will not happen.

AFRICAN CUP:

I think that this has a lot to do with these 2 transfers because it will be about 5 weeks,( Add to that Keita, who will also be there for Mali) or 5 matches that these 3 players will miss since both Ivory coast and Camerun are already qualified (I believe) and those are 15 points we can't afford to lose. If the schedule is any similar to that of this past year, we will be looking at playing teams like Villareal, Sevilla, Valencia, Atletico during that time. So, it is understandable that they would want to get additions but I still agree that they should not sell neeither Yaya nor Samuel. Get reinforcement but keep them.It is just a shame that it gets so hot in the summer in Africa so the governng bodies are reluctant to move the tournament to June and July...too bad for these African Players.

Yaya's my favorite player I can't understand the logic in selling the best DM in the world

sorry man I guess it is life...makes me really sad too but hey nothing has happened yet so we can still hope that it is just the crazy Spanish press stiring the pot.

@FCB-Holland "Correct me if I'm wrong . He is technically NOT that good . He is only good at kicking other players around . He is essentially a GLORIFIED " dirty player " ."
R u kidding man??? did u watch him?? Ofcourse i don want him in barca and really i surprised on the news. Of course NOT FOR YAYA. But i have to admit Mascherano is one of the best EPL defensive mid. at least according to last season. I saw liverpool game and i saw him a lot. This is guy is really good in his position and timely swapping up and down.

I really don want him in barca...but i cant say ill of him because of that.

This is becoming insane. Selling 2 of our best players and replacing them by average players is just ridiculous. Ibrahimovic is lazy, doesn't fit in our team, and mascherano is just not good enough. Too average. And vidic, please, another oue who wants a contract improvement in his current team.
I do hope the directive board is thinking clearly (i have the feeling that they are). But it's all press talk at the moment so i'm staying out of that for the next 2 weeks. I usually don't have too much faith on txiki's work, but now he's with Pep, and Pep doesn't leave anything to luck, so, there is professional management in this. We won't buy what we don't need (i hope). We're not madrid.

@ neuro11 ,

Yes , I have actually seen Masherano play several times and all I remember about his style is the constant fouling and kicking . He is a small player who impersonates a DM .
He gets a lot of yellow cards . He can NOT dribble at all . He has little or no technique or creativity .

Are we talking about the same player ?

At least we agree on one thing : we don't want him in Barça . He is NOT a Barça quality !!

@FCB-Holland i don know whether we are talking about same players but yes if u talking about liverpool midfielder than u actually have no proof that he is a fouling and kicking player only.But i can refer u bunch of match articles on him with his good performance.
And ya i don want him in Barca because we don have vacancy(i want yaya to stay and basquets to get more chance and shine) for him not for he is not a barca type player.

what is all this talk about my country man Eto'o.
Barca is mad. whay do they want to sell a player who is among the top 3 strikers of the club's history. is it becoz they don't want an African to break a Spanish club record? i hope not. he is 28 , Henry is 31+. instead of replacing Eto'o , i would instead replace Henry. he came to Barca to win his last medal, the champions league. he has accomplished every thing a European footballer would want: euro, world cup, confederations cup, etc buy ribery . among the 3 strikers. eto'o is a better defender. he is always paired with the good defender. remember versus Eboue and Evra

i belive yaya toure is the best player on the world and he is a muslim allah watch him and protact him he and other players like.............(1_benzima)(2_muntari)(3_ribery)(4-anelka)

MERCILESS MERCY IS THE WORLD BEST NO DOUBT...

THEY ALL DID A WONDERFUL JOB THUNMBS UP TO WORLD PUYOL,VICTOR VALDES AND DANI ALVES....WE SHOULD GIVE KID BOY BOJAN MORE CHANCES THIS SEASON....HE HAS POTENTIALS.