Arsenal Football Club: moltes gracies!

Some might say "that's the least you could do when we've given you guys a few youngsters on the cheap", but real gentlemen separate these issues altogether. You were never really in my Bad Book even despite of all the Cesc stuff... but with this, you're inching even closer to my Great Book. Barça will beat United for you - with hopefully a greater margin than when you did it a few weeks ago!

I'd be grateful if any of you fellas or girls can answer these, thank you:

1.) How does UEFA come to a decision of which team to allow wearing their home shirt in the Final?

I'm ecstatic to hear that we're wearing our traditional home strip like the last 2 Finals we were in, but if you put yourself into Man Utd's shoes: wouldn't their players & fans be a bit peeved that they don't get to wear RED on the day? Every one of their 3 Champions League won had been done wearing their home shirts, including their last one in Moscow 2008. Who decides these things? Or is it mutually agreed between the 2 clubs? I know Milan, for example, are superstitious and prefer *white* whenever they play in a European final; I'm not aware that United prefers red? Are we getting an (unfair & un-needed) wink and a nod here from UEFA!? Let's see if any culés can answer this without sledging or disrespecting the opposing team :)

2.) Is this Champions League Final version FOR SALE? Where can we get it? As far as I'm aware, the official club store ONLINE (as I don't know about the shop in Barcelona) didn't sell a Roma 2009 version two years ago, even though it looked pretty distinctive (patches, special inscription, as well as the singular-colour patch at the back - where the player numbers were printed on)... nor are they selling it this time, otherwise it'll be there already, one week before the Final. The only time I knew the online store sold a faithfully-replicated commemorative home shirt... was for the Copa del Rey Final of 2009, which had a "trohpy-patch", an inscription, and a little Catalan senyera: http://cdn3.iofferphoto.com/img/item/108/133/067/...

"With them, it can go any which way, win 3-0 or end up losing by 3-4 or vice versa."

Ahhh :) When Pep said this, he reminded me of what he did during his playing days...

It was nearing the end of the 99-00 season, Barça was hosting a Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink-led Atletico Madrid, where we did actually end up winning 3-0. The 2nd or 3rd goal (I think) was a Patrick Kluivert easy slot-in - thanks to a sublimely-weighted, rolling-throughball by the no.4 Josep Guardiola... just after the half-way line. If you're trying to picture what it might've looked like - just think of one of those balls Xavi supplies on the ground every other week to Messi, except Pep's ball wasn't quite as great as Xavi's, but no less effective.

10 years on, the legend of FC Barcelona playmakers live on. Improvised.

To Hady & whomever editorial staff that approved getting this post published: a big THUMBS UP, and would you please put up more Juv A stuff in the future, or those like you did with the Nike Premier Cup?

In the frenzy of the present & the "now"... especially with the el Clasico only 3-4 hours away... let's keep in mind that it's experiences like these btwn Juv A & Espanyol, that sow the seeds for the club's future stars of tomorrow, so that the el Clasicos of say 2015 - 2025 are just as winnable & "dominative" as the ones we've had over the last couple of seasons'... and of course today's as well, hopefully!

With that 2-0 goal, I have a theory:
The Almeria player who knocked it to Iniesta for that exquisite finish... clearly just wanted to be able to say to his grand kids someday, "I played a BEAUT one-two with World Cup hero Iniesta... and helped him score!!"

From any angle you look at it, that was a beautifully-weighted pass to Andres

Xavi is a smart man, but I hope he balances well his passion for playing... and the rationality of proper breaks for his knee when appropriate. I and all of us would love to see him play every game, but the fact is he's had very little extended, proper rest for 3 years now. I'd rather he misses every 2nd or 3rd game.. if it means he won't have to miss 4-5 months because of a little overload.

97-98 Home
98-99 Home
99 Centenary (i took a shot of this, and used it as my avatar)
01-02 Home
02-03 Home (counterfeit from Thailand)
03-04 Away
05-06 Home
08-09 Home L/S

Madrid can buy this galactico; we usually create ours... like ex-president Laporta once said.

Besides, the "galactico" we bought - David Villa - is more suitable to us - regardless of his very current output. I'd rather see Rooney succeeds over in Real Madrid week after week as he's a great player to watch... then come the two rounds when we play them, we overcome him and the rest of his team with hot hearts & cool heads.

Fellas, as we praise and look back on the 5 spectacular & memorable seasons that amazed just about all of us, let's not forget to thank the guy too for trying to keep this foundation going with the club, and still has an eye on the future - which probably is what matters. It's great to have memories of our great club, but it's more exciting to have up-n-comin' footballing talents from Africa playing for FCB :)

Eto'o has after all been an Inter player for more than a year now which means he isn't totally obliged to do this, yet the benefit of this type of work belongs to this club in the future... if a boy or a few of them come good. I'm amazed no one has mentioned the significance of this. Samuel Eto'o ought to be praised regardless of whether the joint-Fundación/Fundacio succeeds or not. Surely we're not gonna just thank the founders or initiators down the years only when the the foundation yields beneficial results?