The president of FC Barcelona this morning, at the 10th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference, spoke about the great transformation over the last ten years which has seen the club go on to achieve huge success. The president said that "remaining faithful to the values of the club and having respect for the game" was vital to success in recent years.

Josep Maria Bartomeu took part in the main debate of the first day of the conference, a week on from FC Barcelona’s FIFA Club World Cup win in Japan. The victory in the final over River Plate secured the team’s fifth title of the year.

Bartomeu was one of the main figures in the round table titled: “The future of football in the era of globalisation from a European view”. Alongside the president of FC Barcelona in the debate was Prince Ali Bin Hussein, president of the Jordanian Football Association, and Gianni Infantino, UEFA secretary general and FIFA presidential candidate. The round table was moderated by Umberto Gandini, director of AC Milan.

Messi, special guest

The conference had a special guest in attendance, Lionel Messi. The FC Barcelona forward is in Dubai to attend the Globe Soccer Awards gala, where the Argentine is nominated for the best player award. Messi's presence at the conference was received with warm applause by the crowd.

Bartomeu’s presentation was preceded by various images which reflect the global phenomenon of FC Barcelona and its football philosophy which is rooted into the lower age groups.

“La Masia is the centre of everything, it is not only a centre for training footballers but a centre for training people”, said Josep Maria Bartomeu. The president of FC Barcelona highlighted that “the motto ‘més que un club’ (more than a club), is not just a phrase, but the reflection of a philosophy based on intense hard work”.

Bartomeu noted Ronaldinho’s influence on FC Barcelona’s success. "He gave us his best game with a smile, and now Messi does the same with his talent," said the president of FC Barcelona before stressing that "the ball is the focal point of all our work. Everything revolves around the ball. We love and respect football," before adding words of praise for Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr.

In his review of what represents FC Barcelona, Bartomeu spoke of the enormous influence of social media and the fact that Barça is the world leader among sports institutions. "This is the result of success, but the work is very complex because everyone wants to win. So we focus on children and how we can teach them respect for the game."

Bartomeu closed by saying: “FC Barcelona has one mission: to make people happy, enjoying football. If the fans enjoy our football, winning or not, this is the most important”.

Big names in attendance

The 10th International Sports Conference of Dubai brought together the main representatives from football’s biggest institutions like FIFA, UEFA, ECA, of the biggest clubs in the world, as well as a large number of directors.

Between today and tomorrow, attendees will include Pierluigi Colina, head of UEFA referees, manager Fabio Capello and players Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard, among others.

The objective of this conference is to exchange opinions about the world of football. The conference includes the presentation of the Globe Soccer Awards, where FC Barcelona has been nominated for the categories of best club and best player.

In a meeting with broadcaster MBC in the framework of the 10th International Sports Conference in Dubai, the president of FC Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu, stressed that the candidates for the presidency of FIFA should think about the football clubs: "We want to talk about football, just football."

When asked what he could do to improve FC Barcelona, Bartomeu replied: "There are many things to do, we have plenty of other sports, the Foundation, children's projects, maintaining our level of excellence...It is difficult to continue in this position, we have to improve the Club so we don't disappoint our members and supporters," he said.

In a television interview for the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Bartomeu was frank. "We have won many titles and that is very positive for our members and fans, which own the Club, but we also had lots of years when we weren't so successful...Now, with Messi, we are very happy, but we have to continue working energetically and making brave decisions while using common sense."

Prior to this interview, Bartomeu had been the centre of interest for local and international media, and he took the opportunity to highlight the importance of Messi to FC Barcelona: "For me, he is not only the best player in the world but in the history of football."

About the club’s relationship with Qatar Airways, Bartomeu declared: “We have a good relationship based on trust and they have helped us a lot as our sponsors. We are on top of the footballing world, partly thanks to their help and co-operation. We want this to continue because we want to keep growing."

The president of FC Barcelona praised the decision to sign Neymar Jr and reiterated that the club handled the operation of his signing well.

Bartomeu also told the channel that “common sense has guided the philosophy of the club right from the start. All decisions are taken with sport in mind. People pass the ball but the ball remains at the centre. Sport is the centre. We try to show the best version of ourselves to the fans, and our objective is to play well”.

As was the case last summer during the US tour and recently during the Club World Cup in Japan, the presence of the first team arouses huge media coverage. "This is the example that we want to follow, we cannot disappoint our fans."

The channel belongs to leading media group in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the MBC Group. It is a conglomerate that was founded in London in 1991 and moved to Dubai in 2002. The group has several channels of information which reaches a vast global audience.

Shortly after the interview with MBC, Bartomeu had a meeting with Gulf News, one of the most prominent newspapers in the Middle East.

Follow the sixth edition of the Globe Soccer Awards live. In attendance for FC Barcelona are Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, player Lionel Messi and director Javier Bordas.

FC Barcelona was the centre of attention at tonight's ceremony of the 6th Globe Soccer Awards, held this Sunday in the framework of the 10th International Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Club, represented by its president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and its star, Leo Messi, was the protagonist of the ceremony, one that has become a classic in world football.

FC Barcelona won a total of four awards: Best Club, Best President, Best Player of the Year and Best Media Attraction in Football.

Director Javier Bordas, who accepted the Best Media Attraction in Football award on behalf of the Club said: "We are proud of this award because the media lets us to transmit the values of the Club worldwide. We have the most media friendly players and we have to keep growing our global projection."

FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu accepted the award for Best Club of the Year. "I thank the jury for this award that honours us ... It is difficult to win everything that we won and I thank the effort of players and coaches and the support of our fans. We enjoy our style of football and our philosophy, and our goal is to make people happy. This year we will try to win again. With Messi and the other players life is easier. They keep playing better and better and hopefully that will continue well into the future," he said.

Bartomeu also collected the award for Best President of the Year. "I am just one of the 140,000 members of FC Barcelona and I'm very proud to be your president. But this award belongs to our members and the 39 presidents who have led the Club throughout our 116-year history. I also thank the players for their effort this year."

The final award was given to Leo Messi, who was named the Best Player of the Year. The Argentine star, who player travelled to Dubai directly from his native Rosario, Argentina to accept the prize personally, received a large ovation from the audience. "It is very nice to receive these awards, but I always say that the group is what makes it possible," Messi said. When asked what he most remembered from last year, he said: "It is difficult to pick a single moment. It has been an extraordinary year and I'll take the whole year that FC Barcelona had." After receiving the award, Messi went quickly to the airport to catch a private flight to Barcelona to be ready for Monday's training session.

The rest of the winners were as follows — Best Coach of the Year: Marc Wilmot, Belgian national team coach; Best Referee of the Year: Irmatov; Best School of the Year: Benfica; Best Career Award: Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard; Best Agent of the Year: Jorge Mendes; Best GCC Player of the Year: Yasir Al-Shahrani.

The best images from the Dubai event in which FC Barcelona were the protagonists

Coinciding with Wednesday's La Liga clash at Camp Nou between FC Barcelona and Real Betis, the figure of Patrick O'Connell, who was Coach of both teams, was recognized in an official ceremony held in the Presidential Josep Suñol Box at the stadium.

FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, accompanied by members of the club's board as well as by members of the board of Real Betis, of the Patrick O'Connell Foundation and Diplocat, met family representative Mike O'Connell — the grandson of the former coach — before the game in the Presidential Box.

During the get together, which was also attended by former Barça player Steve Archibald and the painter Tony Denton, the latter presenting the Club with a painting of Patrick O'Connell. President Bartomeu presented the O'Connell family with a depiction of the Barça party that travelled to Mexico and the USA in 1937.

FC Barcelona and continues to actively participate in events to honour the figure of Patrick O'Connell. In February, the FC Barcelona Foundation joined with Patrick O'Connell, through the gift of a signed shirt to auction and raise funds, to build a monument to St. Mary's Cemetery at Kensal Green, London, honouring O'Connell's sporting achievements.

Patrick O'Connell, born in Dublin in 1887, deserves a special mention in any Barça history. The former Ireland captain managed Barça in the 1935/36 season, guiding the team into the cup final. The outbreak of the Civil War meant there was no national league the following year, but O’Connell insisted on keeping the team active and took them on a fund-raising tour of North America. When the conflict ended, he returned for another season before leaving for Betis. Although in many ways, this Westmeath native saved the club from a potential catastrophe and was one of the most brilliant managers of his era, he died a destitute man in London in 1959. The Patrick O’Connell Memorial Fund has since found his unmarked tomb and recently held a charity auction to raise funds to erect a monument in his memory. FC Barcelona donated a shirt signed by the first team-squad in support of the cause.

Countdown of the Top Ten Vine videos of the year

15 - Warm up in El Clásico

14 - Kobe Bryant watching #FCBarcelona training session in Los Angeles

13 - #ElClasico This is how the mosaic at the Camp Nou will look for the clash.

12 - Hi Leo, can I have your autograph please?

11 - How Messi's debut went

10 - Players warming up on the pitch #ElClasico

9 - Players arrive at the Camp Nou #FCBFCB

8 - Leo Messi is here #Messi500

7 - Luis Enrique and Pep Guardiola before the game

6 - See how Barça celebrated the title in the dressing room

5 - Amazing goal from FCBMasia

4 - Happy birthday Leo! Pay your tribute with #Messi28

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3 - Who is the best player? This is Luis Suarez's answer

2 - Warm up by Leo Messi

1 - The impossible basket hit in the FC Barcelona training session

FC Barcelona and Bank Mega signed a Regional Partnership Agreement last December to officially confirm the latter as FCB’s Official Bank in Indonesia. The representatives of the Club at the signing ceremony included Manel Arroyo, Vice Chairman, Francesco Calvo, Chief Revenue Officer and Xavier Asensi Brufau, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, while Bank Mega was represented by Kostaman Thayib, President Director and Dodit Wiweko Probojakti, Managing Director of Cards and Loan.

The agreement makes Bank Mega Barça's first ever banking partner in Indonesia. Holders of Mega Barça cards will have various advantages, such as the chance to win tickets for Barça games at Camp Nou, extra rewards for purchases at FCB’s official Asian online store, the chance to win exclusive FCB gifts and more. Savings Account customers that meet specific requirements will also receive special FCB souvenirs. The program will be launched in the first quarter of 2016.

[[DES_1]]“Bank Mega is the perfect bank to be the Official FC Barcelona Bank in Indonesia” said Manel Arroyo. “We are delighted to form this partnership and reach our massive fan base in Indonesia and show our appreciation to the fans through various partnership programs. Bank Mega is one of the top three credit card issuers in Indonesia, and it has strong synergy with retail companies under CT Corpora. We are confident that this partnership will be beneficial to Barça fans. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Bank Mega.”

“This partnership is based on Bank Mega and FC Barcelona’s intention to provide benefits for the over 26 million Barça fans in Indonesia” added Kostaman Thayib, President Director of Bank Mega. “This partnership brings co-branded products that could enhance the fans’ identity as part of the Barça family and provide different benefits with exclusive programs from Bank Mega's various products and services, including co-brand payment cards. Ultimately, the fans will have the money-can’t-buy opportunity to meet Barça players in person.”

Mr Thayib also mentioned that the partnership will launch co-branded Mega – Barça cards, which will be specially designed for FC Barcelona fans in Indonesia.

FC Barcelona go into the second weekend of 2016 with their diary jam-packed with sporting activities at the Club once again. There is enough sport in various disciplines to keep even the most demanding fans happy. The highlight, as always, is the first team’s game on Saturday at 4.00pm at home to Granada. Also in football Barça Women also return to action after the Christmas and New Year break whilst Gerard López’s B team are also in action. Below we outline just what is happening this weekend at FC Barcelona:

Friday 8 January

Futsal - 9.30pm: FC Barcelona Lassa v CATGAS Santa Coloma. First home game of 2016 for Marc Carmona’s team.

Saturday 9 January

Roller Hockey – 12.30pm: FC Barcelona v HC Liceo. Ricard Muñoz’s team face their first fixture of the new year.

Football – 4.00pm: FC Barcelona v Granada CF. After the draw away at Espanyol last Saturday in the league, Luis Enrique’s side will be keen to claim all three points and reclaim top spot in the table.

7.00pm: Barça B v Cornellà. Gerard López’s team will be up against the league leaders in Group 3 of the Second Division B.

Sunday 10 December

Women’s Football – 12.00pm: FC Barcelona Women v Oiartzun KE. Xavi Llorens’ team face their first clash after the holidays against the visitors from the Basque Country.

Basketball – 1.00pm: Iberostar Tenerife – FC Barcelona Lassa. After seven straight wins in the league, Xavi Pascual’s team visit the Canary Islands to take on Iberostar.

FC Barcelona presented on Thursday, in the Auditori 1899, the Club’s six-year plan for La Masia. The event was attended by Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu; Professional Sports Director, Albert Soler; Technical Secretary of Youth Football, Josep Segura; Technical Secretary of Amateur Youth Football, Jordi Roura; and Technical Secretary of Women’s Football, Xavi Llorens.

Also attending were VP Jordi Mestre; Directors Javier Bordas, Silvio Elías, Jordi Monés and Xavier Vilajoana; and First Team Technical Secretary, Robert Fernández, among others.

The new model is part of the strategic plan, recently approved by the Board of Directors, which is essentially a road map for the Club for the next six years. It is based on five strategic areas — sporting excellence, maximum social involvement, development of sporting infrastructure, global brand recognition, and sustainable economic management.

Albert Soler: "With Masia 360º we educate... por fcbarcelona

Organisational chart

To implement this new model, the Club has followed through with a newly structured hierarchy for the Club’s professional and amateur sports.

The new model aims to adapt to new FIFA standards, to reinforce development of the Club’s athletes through the Masia 360º project, while staying faithful to the Club’s globally recognised style of play. In addition, Women’s football will follow the men’s development model.

Youth football foundation

The youth model is based around the coaches, the program, the selection of players, and managing youth players.

The coaches are tasked with applying the Club’s philosophy of effort and team work through training; the program is based around the Barça DNA and style of play; and the selection of players is fundamental to attaining the Club’s goals of having the best players under its guidance, understanding the youth player market and controlling the quality and trajectory of its teams.

Principles

In order to adapt to FIFA guidelines, the search for top players will be focused on Catalonia and the rest of Spain until 16 years of age. After 16, the search can expand to the rest of Europe and, finally, after 18 years of age, players from beyond Europe can be incorporated.

Women’s football

Women’s football is in its first year as a professional sport, which has meant changes to structure and methodology along the lines of what the rest of the Club’s professional teams follow, with the objective of becoming a national and international model and eventually winning the Champions League.

‘Masia 360º’

The Masia 360º project is focused on making sure the Club’s athletes are not just good sportspeople, but good human beings. The Club works on developing athletes as well as helping them adapt to their environment. The project will create a special advisory office for the Club’s athletes that will organise both sports and non-sports related activities, among others.

FC Barcelona youth football: we believe in what... por fcbarcelona

The football team are at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, but otherwise it’s going to be a quiet weekend at FC Barcelona- All of the major sports teams, with the exception of the U19 football team, are travelling to away matches in their respective competitions.

And there is no fixture at all for the handball team due to the European Championship in Poland from January 15 to 31, in which eleven different members of the Barça squad are involved.

Here’s a summary of the games coming up this weekend for FCB’s sports teams (all times CET).

Friday 15 January

9.00pm FUTSAL Jaén Paraíso Interior v FC Barcelona Lassa

Barça are second in the league but seven points adrift of leaders Movistar Inter. They travel to the team that put them out of the cup last season but are struggling down in 13th place at the moment.

Saturday 16 January

12.00pm U19 FOOTBALL FC Barcelona v Cornellà

Barça are fourth in the table as it stands, and are at home to the side ranked tenth at noon on Saturday.

9.00 pm ROLLER HOCKEY Hockey Breganze v FC Barcelona Lassa

It’s European League action this weekend and a win in Italy would assure Barça of a place in the last eight. They beat Breganze 5-2 when they met at the Palau Blaugrana earlier in the competition.

Sunday 17 January

11:45am WOMEN’S FOOTBALL Atlético Madrid v FC Barcelona

Huge game between the second and third placed teams in the league, with just two points between the two sides.

12.00pm FOOTBALL La Pobla de Mafumet v FC Barcelona B

Third from bottom Barça have a great chance to move out of the relegation zone as they travel to a side that’s just two points above them in the Division 2B table.

6.00pm BASKETBALL Herbalife Gran Canària v FC Barcelona Lassa.

Barça (14-1) are second in the Liga Endesa and are looking for a ninth consecutive win in the domestic hampsionhip against the side in fifth place (9-6).

8.30pm FOOTBALL FC Barcelona v Athletic Club de Bilbao

The weekend ends with Luis Enrique’s side at home to the same team that they have just been drawn to meet in the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey. The Blaugrana are second in the league table, but have a game in hand on leaders Atlético Madrid.

Like the expansion of space and matter hurtling outward at unthinkable speeds following the Big Bang, FC Barcelona’s presence in the social media universe continues to grow. And there’s no limit in sight.

On Friday, 15 January 2016, the Club’s official Instagram account, celebrating its third birthday, signed up its 27 millionth follower.

In the three years since the account’s creation, FC Barcelona has attracted a staggering average of almost 25,000 followers per day.

Not impressed yet? Let’s take a look at some other, astronomical numbers.

FC Barcelona’s Instagram account is in the top 25 in the world in number of followers. Among sports clubs, FCB is number one, ahead of Real Madrid, which has 24.6 million Instagram followers. The put that into perspective, the account for the National Basketball Association (NBA) has just 11.9 million.

In the entire sports world, including teams, leagues and players, the only accounts with more followers than Barça’s are those of three La Liga stars: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Lionel Messi.

In the three years that the account has existed, more than 6,800 photos have been posted — 960 photos in 2013, 2,300 in 2014, 3,400 in 2015 and 150 so far in 2016.

All together, those 6,800 photos have generated a total of 1.5 billion likes and over 7.5 million comments.

The last year alone was especially prolific for the FCB Instagram account. Among all the Club’s social networks, it was the one that attracted the most new followers with an increase of more than 20 million — an average of 1.7 million new followers per month.

And the month of June 2015 was the king of kings, when each photo received an average of 420,000 likes.

But enough with the statistics. Photos capture moments, occasions both special and trivial that become etched into our memories for as long as we live.

So, which ones have generated the most interest within the context of FC Barcelona’s Instagram account?  Three subjects rose above all others. The team’s treble clinching Champions League victory in Berlin and Lionel Messi’s fifth Ballon d’Or were revered by many, along with the many photos taken of the so-called trident.

All considered, it becomes evident that for FC Barcelona, both on the pitch and online, the sky is the limit.

Un vídeo publicado por FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona) el15 de Ene de 2016 a la(s) 8:06 PST

The creator of the cartoon ‘Captain Tsubasa’, Yoichi Takahashi, was a guest of the Club for the FC Barcelona-Athletic Club game on Sunday at Camp Nou. The Japanese artist was welcomed by the president Josep Maria Bartomeu before the game in the President Suñol suite, together with a delegation from Japan that included the well-known singer Naotaro Moriyama.

To coincide with his visit some of Takahashi’s illustrations were put on show, amongst which there was one of Leo Messi. That particular picture was one of five that was presented to the Club at an institutional event in Tokyo during the recent Club World Cup in Japan. The other illustrations were of fellow Barça players Neymar, Iniesta, Suárez and Piqué, also created by Takahashi.

The Japanese artist has always shown himself to be a big Barça fan. His illustrations have helped the Club’s popularity in his home country as one of the lead character’s aspirations in the programme ‘Captain Tsubasa’ is to play for FC Barcelona.

The man himself added: “The football that FC Barcelona is the best in the world and that helps inspire my drawings. The characters are based on the current Barça players. It is true that I am a big fan of FC Barcelona and today [Sunday] I have come to enjoy the game.”

The visitors’ book at the FC Barcelona Museum has a new signature, that of Jorge Lorenzo, three time MotoGP world champion who on Tuesday paid a visit to the Camp Nou Experience. The motorbike rider was in Barcelona for Movistar Yamaha’s team presentation for the coming 2016 season.

The MotoGP superstar, accompanied by Museum Director Jordi Penas, spent more than an hour taking in the history and achievements of his favourite football club. From Ladislao Kubala’s boots to the Espai Leo Messi, the world champion from Mallorca savoured every moment at the Barça Museum: “It’s fantastic, incredible. When you come here there are marvellous moments when you remember Barça’s history and relive things that you had forgotten about. It has been a great and very satisfying experience.”

The Spanish motorcyclist was especially impressed with the area dedicated to the Barça number 10. “Messi is amazing. There has never been a player like him with five Ballon d’Or, and that is down to the great effort, discipline and natural talent that he has. Let’s hope he keeps winning the Ballon d’Or because that means that Barça are still winning trophies,” said Lorenzo.

The MotoGP is a well known Barça fan and in 2010 he donated the motorbike kit that he wore in the 2009 Catalonia Gran Prix to the Museum. Designed in the Barça colours, it is now on show, something Lorenzo is obviously proud of: “Barça is my team and I follow them whenever I can. To see my kit, helmet, gloves here is a source of great pride. I always have Barça in my heart and I am happy to know that millions of people every year see my kit. I hope it continues for years to come.”

The Camp Nou was the last stop of a Nike campaign, official sponsor of FC Barcelona, which was held to give away twenty pairs of Kobe Bryant’s new trainers.

The basketball star has chosen various significant locations around the world to hide a pair of his latest shoes and, as a fan of the Catalan club, has chosen the stadium as one of them. The lucky person to have found the sporting shoes at Camp Nou was Lorenzo Mairal.

Big Barça fan

Bryant has frequently shown his affection for FC Barcelona. Every time Barca have travelled to the United States for a summer tour, the NBA legend has always been present. He first visited the training ground in June 2007 where he met the players, including the star of the time, Ronaldinho. The most recent chance Bryant got to catch a glimpse of Barça was during the American tour that the club took part in last summer.

Now we know the name of the winner of the CAMP NOU EXPERIENCE photo competition. The Instagram account that takes home the Barça shirt is instanyeah, and to obtain the prize, an e-mail has to be sent to campnouexperiencefcb@gmail.com with an address to which the shirt can be delivered.

The competition consists of taking a photo at the Camp Nou Experience imitating one of the first team players and posting it on Instagram with the hashtag #CampNouExperience. Every month the Club is giving away a Barça shirt to the person who posts the best photograph.

Buy now Camp Nou Experience

The Board of Directors, meeting this Monday at the Club’s offices, have approved the contractual process for the activities of the Espai Barça presented by the consultancy Ernst&Young at the behest of the Club. The objective is to give the process of the appointment of works and providers for the Espai Barça, the greatest transparency, objectivity and independence possible in line with the commitments made by the Board of Directors.

It is a series of procedures that culminate in total control of the preparation of the project, passing through its selection and adjudication, reaching its management and maintenance. The correctness of these processes will be validated by an audit carried out by an independent body.  

These processes have already been included in the contracting of services during the last year, for example the team of architects and the management team for the new Miniestadi.

Finally, the Board has been informed of the request made today to the ACB for images of the game played on Sunday between Barça and Valencia Basket that was used by the referees to decide that the basket from our player Justin Doellman was worth two points and not three as they initially indicated.

FC Barcelona and the first team footballer Gerard Piqué were the main attraction at the 19th Festival of Catalan Sport, organised by the Union of Catalan Sporting Federations (UFEC) and the newspaper ‘Sport’. At the awards ceremony which took place on Monday, Barça ran out winners in the category for ‘Best Catalan Team’, whilst Gerard Piqué took the prize for ‘Best Catalan Sportsperson’.

The event took place at the Maritime Museum in Barcelona and was attended by Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu as well vice presidents Jordi Cardoner, Jordi Mestre and Manel Arroyo. Also present were directors Josep Ramon Vidal-Abarca, Pau Vilanova and Oriol Tomàs, the Club’s CEO Ignacio Mestre and the director of professional teams, Albert Soler.

Vice president of the Sporting Area Jordi Mestre went up on stage to receive the award for ‘Best Catalan Team’, won by Luis Enrique’s side for the five trophies claimed in 2015. Gerard Piqué played a major part in the team’s success last year and he also made his way up to the front to receive his award from the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Regional Government), Carles Puigdemont, and the president of the UFEC, Gerard Esteva.

After receiving his reward for being named ‘Best Catalan Sportsperson’, a visibly emotional Piqué dedicated the achievement to his parents of whom he said “they have given me everything in life,” adding “I know these awards are very important for them.”

On a personal level, the Barça defender said: “In a career there are good times and bad times. In good, you should not think that you are better than everyone and in the bad, you shouldn’t think that you are the worst. As the years go by you realise you have to follow your own path.” On Wednesday’s game against Athletic in the Copa del Rey he reasoned: “We have Camp Nou behind us, a lead from the first leg and we hope to put in a good performance and get to the semi-finals. This team likes playing in finals.”

Jordi Mestre receiving the award at the event for 'Best Catalan Team'

The 2-0 defeat against Celta Vigo in Balaídos had left Barça in 12^th place in the table with just 23 points, 20 behind the leaders Real Sociedad with half the season gone. With the blaugranes just three points above the relegation zone, President Joan Gaspart felt he had no option but to relieve Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal of his duties. As such, Van Gaal’s second spell as coach of the blaugranes came to an end.

The following day with tears in his eyes, the coach confessed to the press: “I am leaving with sadness for not having lived up to the expectations of the fans.”

Maurice Lacroix, official sponsor of the Club, has delivered to the first team players the Masterpiece Squelette watch, a special edition watch designed for FC Barcelona. The 24 blaugrana players received their watches from David Sánchez, Maurice Lacroix’s Products Director, at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper following Thursday’s training session.

The watch features a metallic Club logo on the back with an open view of the piece’s internal mechanisms. This unique detail showcases precision of movement of the watch’s hands, making this model exclusive and innovative. The event served to strengthen the relationship between FC Barcelona and Maurice Lacroix, which was signed two years ago.