The Fans Blog4: abidal

Showing posts with label abidal. Show all posts

Showing posts with label abidal. Show all posts

Abidal motivated by transfer of Maxwell

23:36 Reporter: Editor 6 Responses

Asked about the transfer of Brazilian left back defender Maxwell, Barcelona player Eric Abidal has said at a press conference that this means an extra motivation for him:

"There's no competition between the two of us. We're here to help the team. We play at the same position so we both have to work hard.

Whoever will play, we will give our very best. It sure is an extra motication for me to become better. He'll make thigns more difficult. And that's good because I like to work and with a quality player like him around I will have to work even harder to stay ahead. He has a different way of playing, that's true. But I'm not Brazilian, you know."

Read more:
Poll Result: Next season's left back
Maxwell happy to be re-united with Ibrahimovic

Read more...

abidal, maxwell |

Abidal: "I'm not worried about Maxwell's arrival"

11:57 Reporter: Editor 8 Responses

Barcelona player Eric Abidal gave an interview to Spanish sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.

What have you done during your vacation?
I have travelled a lot with my family. I've been in Miami, New York, Italy, Tunisia, Mallorca, France and Barcelona.

Are you worried about having to compete with Maxwell?
I am not concerned about Maxwell's arrival. He will make the team better and that is fine by me. The more competition there is, the higher the level will become within the team.

Any thougths on Maxwell?
Vieira has told me about him. He is another type of player, he is technical and a quality player that often joins the attack.

This is your third season in the club. What do you like best about Barcelona?
Everything. The club is perfect, the food, and people who are very nice to me, not just at the club but everywhere I go.

What food do you like?
That must be 'pa with tomaquet' (literally: bread with tomato), with potatoes and pasta at Negro. I've never tasted anything like it. It's splendid.

Since we talk about food, have you thougth about expanding your restaurant business to Barcelona?
Not to Barcelona yet, but to Paris. At the moment me and my partner are looking for a place in Paris. We want another 'Cafe dels Negociants' as the one in Lyon, in Paris.

An old friend and colleague of yours in Lyon, Benzema, will now be your rival in Real Madrid. You know him well, will you ask Guardiola to mark him?
No, I won't ask anything. He tells me where to play, either as a full-back or central defender, but we're having many good players in the centre, so it might be better they mark him.

Another friend of yours is Ribery. Do you think it's more likely to see him at Real Madrid than at Barca?
I think that he likes both teams because the football style suits him and he would have friends in either club. It's not so much that he prefers to go to Madrid, but his wife prefers Madrid over Barcelona. I have sent pictures to him via my mobile phone of all the pretty houses here, but it is difficult to convince him. Besides, he has the same agent who used to represent Zinedine Zidane. 'Zizou' is now at Madrid and as he's a reference for all the French players that can also play a role. But it seems like Bayern won't sell.

Have you tried to convince him to join Barcelona?
I told him that it would be better if he signed for Barca, a club that is perfect for him because we will come back and win another treble, and he can play alongside Leo Messi, the next Ballon d'Or winner. That's my dream, and I'm convinced we will win at least two or three titles. Besides, Anelka also already warned him that Real is not an easy club to play for.

translated by: Sandvik

Read more:
Poll Result: Next season's left back
Liverpool and Juventus interested in Abidal
Official players' pictures (part 1)

Read more...

abidal, contribution sandvik, el mundo deportivo, horeca, interview, interview abidal |

Official players' pictures (part 1)

11:09 Reporter: Editor 10 Responses

Víctor Valdés

José Manuel Pinto

Albert Jorquera

Rafael Márquez

Henrique

Martín Cáceres

Eric Abidal

Maxwell

Yaya Touré

Read more...

abidal, caceres, henrique, jorquera, marquez, pinto, toure, valdes |

Poll Result: Next season's left back

15:20 Reporter: Editor 10 Responses

This is the result of this blog's Who should be next season's first-choice left back? poll:

45% Should rotate
37% Maxwell
14% Abidal
8% Don't know

Read more...

abidal, maxwell, poll result |

Quote of the day: Abidal

06:52 Reporter: Editor 4 Responses

At the beginning, Guardiola seemed quite unfriendly. He shouted like we were fifteen years old. He also gave instructions like: "You only talk Spanish at the table." As if I would speak Spanish with Titi! And especially because the Catalans were talking Catalan to each other, him included.

Eric Abidal, Barcelona player

more quotes and numbers

Read more...

abidal, guardiola, quote |

Liverpool and Juventus interested in Abidal

23:53 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Liverpool and Arsenal have sounded out Barcelona on a transfer of Barcelona left back defender and French international Eric Abidal (29).

Especially Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez would be keen on signing the Frenchman. Abidal is said to be valued at 15 million euro° but after the exit of Sylvinho, Barcelona nevertheless doesn't seem willing at this point to let him go.

Asked about the rumours linking several left back defenders to Barcelona (read more here), Abidal has said in an interview with French sports paper L'Equipe that this doesn't worry him: "They can all come. I like competition. I still have two years left on my contract and I plan to stay at Barcelona."

Asked the same by French radio station Europe 1, Abidal said: "Personally, I'm happy here. I have been feeling good this season. I don't know if the club still counts on me, but I'm very comfortable here and I don't want to leave."

Read more:
Lahm offers himself to Barcelona
Juventus wants to include Trezeguet in Abidal deal
Zhirkov would consider offer by top club

Read more...

abidal, equipe, europe 1, juventus, liverpool, out, sport |

Lahm offers himself to Barcelona

23:49 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Bayern Munich full back defender and German international Philipp Lahm (25) has let Barcelona know that he would be willing to join the club in the summer.

Lahm's agent Roman Grill would have contacted Barcelona officials and Barcelona would have accepted to start talking. The place and the date of the meeting will be agreed upon next week. Lahm, who can act both as right back defender and left back defender, would be valued at this moment around 25-30 million euro°.

Lahm would have been disappointed that Barcelona didn't push through last season after first having asked the German defender to postpone signing his renewal with Bayern and therefore refused to pick up the negotiations in January (read more here). But with new Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal expected to bring in Ajax player Emanuelson, Lahm would now be considering an exit and thinks he could have enough playing time in Barcelona because of his ability to play on both wings.

German football site 4-4-2 meanwhile claims that Barcelona is reconsidering the transfer of Lahm because it would be unclear if Barcelona left back defender Eric Abidal (29) will stay with AC Milan presumably being interested in the Frenchman. If Abidal would leave, Lahm would be the first option of Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola to replace him. Although Bayern Munich isn't willing to let go Lahm, whose contract expires in 2012, Barcelona could make a bid in the summer.

Read more:
Zhirkov and Lahm on top of left back list
Talks with Bayern on Lahm reopened
Ribery and Lahm approached by Begiristain

Read more...

4-4-2, a grill, abidal, bayern, el mundo deportivo, in, lahm, milan, out |

Agent Abidal denies Juventus rumours

06:02 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Asked about the rumours linking Barcelona left back defender and French international Eric Abidal (29) with a move to Juventus (read more here), the player's agent David Venditelli has said in an interview with Italian football site Tuttomercatoweb that the Frenchman has no intention of leaving:

"This is just one of those transfer rumours, there has been no contact at all. It's absolutely wrong that the player would like to leave Barcelona. He has another two years left on his contract with the club and he's very happy there. He doesn't have any reason for wanting to leave.

The rumours about him not wanting to join an Italian club because of the presumed racism in the stadiums? Unfortunately, the press completely distorted some statements. The player once had an argument with De Rossi during a match, but neither he nor I have ever talked about Italy as being a racist country nor have we ruled out a transfer to the Italian league on these grounds."

Read more:
Milan interested in Abidal
Abidal appeal dismissed
Juventus wants to include Trezeguet in Abidal deal

Read more...

a venditelli, abidal, juventus, out, tuttomercatoweb |

Abidal appeal dismissed

23:54 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

The Spanish Football Federation has yesterday dismissed Barcelona's appeal for the withdrawal of the red card handed to Barcelona player Eric Abidal in the game against Villarreal on Sunday.

The RFEF confirmed the one-game suspension handed out to Abidal, which will mean he misses out on this today's Spanish cup final. The club has taken the case to the Appeals Committee of the Federation, but this appeal was also rejected this afternoon.

Read more:
Barcelona will appeal red card of Abidal
Alves and Abidal protests not admitted

Read more...

abidal |

Alves and Abidal protests not admitted

23:27 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

UEFA announced yesterday in an official statement that the appeals against the cards handed to Barcelona players Eric Abidal and Dani Alves have not been accepted:

"The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body today rejected the protests of Manchester United FC regarding the suspension of Darren Fletcher, and [...] of FC Barcelona against the red card of Eric Abidal and the yellow card of fellow defender Daniel Alves in the semi-final second leg against Chelsea FC.

All three players are therefore suspended for one UEFA club competition match and will serve their bans when Barcelona meet Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League final in Rome on 27 May.

In reaching its decision, the Control and Disciplinary Body concluded (i) that the protests had not been submitted within the required 24-hour deadline of a match for filing protests – as specified in the disciplinary regulations – and (ii) that even if they had been admitted they would have been rejected as unfounded as there were no grounds for contesting the referees' original decisions. The decisions of the Control and Disciplinary Body can be appealed within three days of the dispatch of the written decision."

Read more:
Guardiola and Messi protests not admitted

Barcelona will appeal Alves and Abidal cards

Read more...

abidal, alves |

Barcelona will appeal red card of Abidal

03:49 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Barcelona has officially announced that the club will in the coming hours appeal the red card handed to Barcelona player Eric Abidal during yesterday's league match against Villarreal.

Because of the red card, Abidal isn't allowed to take part in Wednesday's cup final against Athletic Bilbao.

The competent Competition Committee will meet tomorrow to take a decision.

Read more:
Barcelona will appeal Abidal and Alves cards
Alves has yellow card revoked
Red card of Pique revoked

Read more...

abidal |

Juventus wants to include Trezeguet in Abidal deal

10:37 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Italian sports paper Il Corriere dello Sport claims that Juventus is interested in Barcelona left back defender and French international Eric Abidal (29).

Signing a quality left back would be an absolute priority for the Italian club during the summer transfer window and Abidal would be on top of the target list.

Barcelona could be willing to listen to offers if the bid is high enough. The asking price for Abidal, whose contract expires in 2010 and who has a year salary of 2,5 million euro net, would be 10 million euro°. Juventus is considering to include Juventus forward David Trezeguet (31) in the deal, while Liverpool would also be strongly interested in Abidal (read more here).

Asked about the future of Trezeguet, the player's father and agent Jorge Trezeguet said in an interview with French sports paper L'Equipe that Barcelona is one of the clubs monitoring the striker (read more here): "Everybody wants David. He has a contract with Juventus until 2011 but several clubs are interested in him. A lot of clubs in England, but also teams like Lyon and Barcelona. We'll see what will happen at the end of the season."

Read more:
Abidal doesn't want to be part of Benzema deal
Barcelona plans at least four summer transfers
Milan interested in Abidal

Read more...

a trezeguet, abidal, equipe, in, juventus, liverpool, out, trezeguet |

Barcelona will appeal Abidal and Alves cards

00:38 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has said at a press conference today that Barcelona will appeal the red card handed to Barcelona player Eric Abidal and the yellow card handed to Barcelona player Daniel Alves during Wednesday's Champions League game against Chelsea:

"Of course we will appeal the cards of Abidal and Alves. We'll do it out of respect for them. I hope they will be able to play the final, as well as Darren Fletcher who only tried to play the ball so that decision wasn't correct either."

Read more:
Uefa didn't receive any appeals by Barcelona
Barcelona will appeal Alves and Abidal cards

Read more...

abidal, alves |

Uefa didn't receive any appeals by Barcelona

00:25 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

UEFA has put out an official statement on the Champions League semi-finals, which indicates that Barcelona did not appeal the red card Barcelona player Eric Abidal was given on Wednesday.

This means that Abidal will not take part in the final of the Champions League. The statement on UEFA's official website reads as follows:

"With regard to the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg between Chelsea FC and FC Barcelona in London on Wednesday, UEFA has received both the referee's and delegate's report. UEFA is currently examining those reports, as well as gathering additional evidence. It will decide which action to take in the course of next week. No protest has been received with respect to the red card shown to FC Barcelona player Eric Abidal.

UEFA has also received a submission from Manchester United FC concerning the red card shown to the club's player Darren Fletcher in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Arsenal FC in London on Tuesday. The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body will meet on Monday to deal with this case."

Read more:
Guardiola and Messi protests not admitted
Barcelona will appeal Alves and Abidal cards

Read more...

abidal, alves |

Barcelona will appeal Alves and Abidal cards

00:24 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona will appeal the red card handed to Barcelona player Eric Abidal and the yellow card handed to Barcelona player Dani Alves in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg game against Chelsea.

Because of the cards, both players wouldn't be able to take part in the final. Although the legal department of the club thinks that Uefa will difficultly accept the protests, the club wants to use all means possible.

Read more:
Guardiola and Messi protests not admitted
Alves has yellow card revoked
Red card of Pique revoked

Read more...

abidal, alves |

Barcelona plans at least four summer transfers (1)

01:17 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona plans to buy at least four players during the coming summer transfer window.

Adding some new motivation to the group, expiring contracts and the Africa Cup are the three main reasons to renew the squad and look for a central defender, a left back defender, a versatile midfielder and a left wing attacker and/or a centre forward.

Central defender
Although there are still uncertainties about the renewal of Rafael Márquez (30) (read more here) and the return of Gabriel Milito (28) (read more here), Barcelona doesn’t plan to invest in another central defender. Henrique (22 - picture), who played on loan with Bayer Leverkusen this season, will join the team next season, despite the demand of the German club to keep the Brazilian for another year (read more here).

Left back defender
Although he’s having a good season, the contract of Sylvinho (34) will probably not be renewed (read more here), while Eric Abidal (29) could return to Lyon (read more here). There are few candidates to fill this spot. CSKA Moscow left winger and Russian international Yuri Zhirkov (25) is an option (read more here), while Manchester United left back and French international Patrice Evra (27) and Inter Milan left back Maxwell (27) are also rumoured to be among the targets (read more here and here).

Versatile midfielder
Because Yaya Touré and Seydou Keita will teke part in the Africa Cup at the beginning of next year, Barcelona wants to sign another midfielder. With Arsenal midfielder and Spanish international Cesc Fàbregas still being the ideal candidate (read more here), São Paulo midfielder Hernanes (23) could again be an option after his transfer failed last summer (read more here). Eidur Gudjohnsen (30) could leave if a good offer comes in (read more here).

You will be able to read the second part of this post later today.

Read more...

abidal, arsenal, cesc, cska moscow, el mundo deportivo, evra, gudjohnsen, henrique, hernanes, in, inter, leverkusen, lyon, man united, marquez, maxwell, milito, out, sao paulo, sylvinho |

Abidal wants to obtain Algerian nationality

00:33 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Algerian sports paper Le Buteur claims that Barcelona player Eric Abidal wants to obtain the Algerian nationality.

Abdelkrim Touahria, the consul general of Algeria in Lyon, has confirmed to the paper that he recently received the visit of Hayet Kebir, the Algerian wife of Abidal, asking information on her husband's chances to obtain the Algerian citizenship.

The consul explained that the general rule is that a person should live for at least three years in Algeria, although he didn't exclude that an exception could be made.

Read more:
Abidal has no plans to leave Barcelona
Cash plus Abidal bid for Benzema on the table
Abidal: "If Busquets was black, he would be 35"

Read more...

abidal, le buteur, wag abidal |

Abidal has no plans to leave Barcelona

00:46 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Asked about his future, Barcelona left back defender and French international Eric Abidal (29) has said in an interview with Lyon regional newspaper Le Progrès that he at least wants to stay at the club until his contract expires:

"To play at Barcelona is a joy but I don't know what the future will bring when my contract ends in 2011. There was talk about me wanting to retire at 31, but my words were misinterpreted. I would like to play until I'm 36, like my idol Lilian Thuram, but it's your body who's in charge.

I don't know if I could return to Lyon. I love everybody over there, the club, the president, "Papa Puel" -although he 'killed' me many times at training- and in the first place the fans. But there's only one person who could make me come back: my wife. Well, since I'm the one who's playing, the decisions are taken by the two of us. But we feel so good here in Barcelona..."

Read more:
Abidal doesn't want to be part of Benzema deal
Barcelona will sign left back next summer
Milan interested in Abidal

Read more...

abidal, lyon, out, progres |

Abidal doesn't want to be part of Benzema deal

00:33 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

Asked about his future and the rumours linking him with a return to Lyon (read more here), Barcelona left back defender and French international Eric Abidal (29) has said in an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien that he wants to stay for the next two years with Barcelona:

"I could well finish my career when my contract with Barcelona expires in 2011. Every player is different. Nedved is still playing at the age of 36, while Sagnol has just stopped at the age of 31.

As far as I’m concerned, I feel that my body is not responding as it used to, despite the quality of Barcelona’s medical staff. So to stop in 2011 is an option, but at the same time and being a competitor, I know that I will have the desire to keep on playing. We will see when the time is there.

Returning to Lyon in a swap deal with Benzema? I’m not a piece of meat, nor small change. I understand that Barça is interested in 'Coco' (Benzema's nickname), and they are right to be, but I won’t be part of the deal. I don’t wish to leave Barcelona in the next two years.

I actually don't know if it would be such a good idea for Benzema to join Barcelona. He will be great next season but he needs to play. While, at Barça, it's probably harder to do that because of the competition. Where do you want to put him? On Eto'o's position? The same goes for Franck Ribéry. Barça wants him, but he won't play instead of Henry. And I don't see Henry leaving one year before the World Cup."

Read more:
Lyon wants to resign Abidal next summer
Barcelona will sign left back next summer
Cash plus Abidal bid for Benzema on the table

Read more...

abidal, benzema, in, lyon, out, parisien |

Cash plus Abidal bid for Benzema on the table

00:46 Reporter: Editor 0 Responses

French sports paper L'Equipe claims that Barcelona is considering to make an offer for Olympique Lyon forward and French international Karim Benzema (21).

Barcelona would be studying a bid that could include at least 40 million euro° as well as Barcelona left back defender and French international Eric Abidal (29) .

While possible Real Madrid presidential candidate Florentino Pérez would like to use Zidane to convince Benzema and Ribéry to join Madrid, Benzema would prefer moving to Barcelona.

Read more:
Lyon rejects offer for Benzema
Barcelona plans few changes in the summer
Lyon wants to resign Abidal next summer

Read more...

abidal, benzema, equipe, in, lyon, out |