Neymar may have passed mumps on to other Barcelona players

The director of the Comprehensive Pediatric Care Center (ICSC) in Barcelona explained that the spread of mumps occurs "by direct contact through droplets of saliva or sharing glasses or infected cutlery".

He also added that the risk of contagion is understood to be from the "seven days before the onset of symptoms and the four post-infection", with the "two days before the onset of symptoms," the greatest period of risk. That's why Barcelona have to be alert to any indication of anyone else suffering from it in the next few days.

Neymar was vaccinated but "vaccination coverage is 94% for the first dose," says Dr Quixano. "In addition, there is an age in which one serotype in the vaccine is less effective," she added. This disease is incubated between 15 and 24 days, so it "probably incurred in Brazil", said Quixano, who believes that Neymar having caught the disease in his country "can no longer be a coincidence, because vaccine coverage is good."

The precautions to be taken from now for the player and the people around him must be "shared isolation, especially utensils that can transmit saliva. Rest and symptomatic treatment, because there is no other treatment."

The recovery range is between two and three weeks, after which "an athlete like Neymar can forget the subject, when he is cured and discharged," concluded Dr Quixano.

Luis Enrique asks even injured and unregistered players to travel to Tbilisi for the European Super Cup

The Barça camp will travel to Tbilisi for the Super Cup with everyone except Neymar. Apart from Neymar's condition, which will prevent him from travelling with the rest of his team-mates, Luis Enrique hasn't left anyone out of the expedition that will travel to Tbilisi for the European Super Cup. This is normal procedure in Barcelona's case when a final is in the offing. The entire squad will take the plane to Tbilisi except the stricken number 11, who will have to stay home and rest. In other words, all available players including the injured Douglas and Jordi Alba, plus the two unregistered new signings, Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan. Alen Halilovic will also be there, giving the player the chance to pick up a trophy with the first team before being put on loan, where he will no doubt have more chances to play than he would otherwise have at the Camp Nou.

Adriano Correia will also make the trip to Georgia, having trained normally for several days despite not being given the all clear yet by the medical team. The Brazilian full-back, one of four former Sevilla players keen to defeat their former club in the Georgian capital, will get the thumbs up today. Nevertheless, he will most probably start the match on the bench, with Jeremy Mathieu most likely to play on the left side of defence in place of Alba. The Frenchman is taller and stronger physically and will therefore be better able to defend against the threat of the high ball. Meanwhile, the club is working hard to offer Adriano a new contract, in the wake of the player's request for a transfer to play for AS Roma. The Italian club have offered €4 million for the Brazilian.

Neymar out for two weeks with parotitis (mumps)

The first team medical staff at FC Barcelona has announced on Sunday that Neymar will be out for two weeks after being diagnosed with parotitis (mumps), despite the fact that he had previously been vaccinated against the disease.

Therefore, the Brazilian striker will miss the European Super Cup final on Tuesday in Tibilisi, Georgia against Sevilla and also the Spanish Super Cup final which sees Luis Enrique's team take on Athletic Club over two legs on 14 and 17 August.

The all-conquering Barça continue their quest

Not too long ago, most Barcelona fans wondered what disaster might befall the club should Xavi Hernández finally decide to hang up his boots, or simply jump ship to another team (Qatar).
That time has now come, but that fear appears to have subsided. Barça slowly but surely learned to live without Xavi last season. That said, even with an in-form Messi, the Catalans' playing style was difficult to understand without him. He was the man who marshaled every aspect of their midfield game: passing, possession, one-twos...

Luis Enrique made a huge decision about a year ago: to ration Xavi's first-team football. In other words, put together a Barça side in which Hernández was no longer a key player. The Catalans' starting XI would no longer be Xavi, Messi and nine others. Xavi would be reserved for key moments out on the pitch.

The Barça boss's plan went exactly according to plan. He pulled off a triple-winning season with Xavi, but also without Xavi, after the midfielder only started 19 out 31 games in the league and 2 out of 10 in the Champions League.

Xavi's departure sets the stage for this new-look Barça team as they look to continue their quest to win six titles in a single calendar year, adding the European and Spanish Super Cups, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup to their already impressive haul.

This season we should see what can finally be described as Luis Enrique's Barcelona, begging Messi's pardon. The Argentine is still the star of all the magic they do out on the pitch.

 Before, all the build-up was generated with Xavi at the centre. Now, Messi has taken over some of this scaffolding work prior to the killer moment. The Argentine is more and more showing himself to be an all-fielder, a man of many talents who can show off his customary magic from the right wing but is at his most deadly in front of goal. Messi can happily play the role of a midfielder preparing his team for the attack and then often pops up as the man to finish the job off.


 The team's strength is based on the same strategies as last year's. Nothing we have seen so far suggests that Luis Enrique is going to surprise us with anything new and adopt a whole new line-up. Of course, there will be the usual rotations that the manager relies on to keep his players fresh. Some may even enjoy more minutes this season, but Barça still have their core team, the starting XI that he looks to for the big games.


 What is a complete enigma is how the new faces at Barça will perform after having had to sit out all the club's games for the next seven months. If what we have heard from Luis Enrique himself is anything to go by, they should be called up pretty well immediately. Arda will probably be charged with a more attacking role than he had at Atlético, especially if Pedro ends up leaving. Aleix Vidal may be fielded as a right-back or out on the right wing.


The players had a hard time of it taking on board what their new manager was asking of them. It took them almost half a season to understand what was wanted of them and finally adapt to Luis Enrique's new system. But when at last they did, the efforts were rewarded with great football and a truckload of goals. This time round, the 'Azulgranas' will know what to do from the word go.


 With Suárez now fully settled into his new club, it is to be expected that the three forwards will link up even better this season and that the Uruguayan will prove to be much more effective. With Xavi gone, Messi will continue to be decisive in helping organise the moves on the rivals' goal as well as being there to finish them off.

Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez ready for Sevilla Super Cup challenge

Aiming for the sextuple, Barcelona travel to Tbilisi on Monday, where they will take on Sevilla in the European Super Cup. It's been less than a month since the team returned to work but Barcelona will be appearing in Georgia ready to start making history.

The trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez is the biggest threat thy have, the trio that helped them win the treble last season, and will be key as they assault the three trophies available to them in the rest of 2015 - the two Super Cups and the Club World Cup.

Georgia is an exotic location for the Super Cup, which Messi is hoping to welcome into his hands again, while Neymar and Suarez play in the competition for the first time.

They managed 122 goals last season, 58 from Messi, 39 from Neymar and 25 from Suarez. And this is with the Uruguayan only able to play from the end of October. Now he has completed a pre-season and is the only one of the trio to be able to have done that. 

He didn't play the Copa America thanks to the FIFA sanction on his shoulders and from July 13 he's been training with his team-mates. Neymar and Messi, however, have only played for about an hour in the Joan Gamper trophy against Roma earlier this week.

With the three forwards back together, Barça are more Barça. Now they are going for the sextuple which they won in 2009 under Pep Guardiola, when that team beat Shakhtar in the European Super Cup, Athletic in the Spanish Super Cup and Estudiantes de la Plata in the club World Cup, giving Barcelona six titles in one year and putting them on another level. Pedro was the only player to score in all six competitions. Interestingly, the Canary Islander may well be playing his last Barcelona game in Tbilisi.

There's an element of revenge for Barcelona in this Super Cup, with Sevilla beating Frank Rijkaard's Barça 3-0 in the same competition in 2006, in Monaco. From that team only Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi remain.

The game will be special for Dani Alves too, who could equal Paolo Maldini's total of four Super Cups. The Brazilian won in 2006 with Sevilla - against Barça - in 2009 against Shakhtar and 2011 vs Porto.

Luis Enrique's line up should have few doubts. Ter Stegen is likely to start, arriving in better shape than Claudio Bravo because of his longer pre-season. In defence, the absence of Jordi Alba means Mathieu will probably be left-back, Pique and Mascherano in the middle and Alves at right-back. The strikers pick themselves - it's the trident - with Busquets, Iniesta and Rakitic the likely midfield trio.
After completing an irregula preseason and with the Gamper win as a hopeful sign, the team has now started preparing for the official season. The sextuple awaits Barcelona.

MSN take aim at Super Cups

No sooner did Lionel Messi and Neymar slot back in than normal service was resumed at Barcelona. Although they still have some fine-tuning to do ahead of the two Super Cups, the 'Azulgranas' trident alone did enough to kill off the Gamper Trophy clash against Roma.
The MSN, who dazzled the whole of Europe with their goals last season, are back with a bang and gunning to keep making history for Barça. Their mission: to emulate the sextuple achieved by Pep Guardiola, a feat that had never been done before and has yet to be matched.
This strike force know a thing or two about breaking new ground. Last term they become the most prolific frontline of all time, combining for an unprecedented 122 goals in all competitions. Yet Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez aren't resting on their laurels and are hungry for more. Their counter has returned to zero, but few would bet on it staying that way in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla.

Read more: MSN take aim at Super Cups - MARCA.com (English version)

No sooner did Lionel Messi and Neymar slot back in than normal service was resumed at Barcelona. Although they still have some fine-tuning to do ahead of the two Super Cups, the 'Azulgranas' trident alone did enough to kill off the Gamper Trophy clash against Roma.
The MSN, who dazzled the whole of Europe with their goals last season, are back with a bang and gunning to keep making history for Barça. Their mission: to emulate the sextuple achieved by Pep Guardiola, a feat that had never been done before and has yet to be matched.
This strike force know a thing or two about breaking new ground. Last term they become the most prolific frontline of all time, combining for an unprecedented 122 goals in all competitions. Yet Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez aren't resting on their laurels and are hungry for more. Their counter has returned to zero, but few would bet on it staying that way in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla

Read more: MSN take aim at Super Cups - MARCA.com (English version)

No sooner did Lionel Messi and Neymar slot back in than normal service was resumed at Barcelona. Although they still have some fine-tuning to do ahead of the two Super Cups, the 'Azulgranas' trident alone did enough to kill off the Gamper Trophy clash against Roma.

The MSN, who dazzled the whole of Europe with their goals last season, are back with a bang and gunning to keep making history for Barça. Their mission: to emulate the sextuple achieved by Pep Guardiola, a feat that had never been done before and has yet to be matched.

This strike force know a thing or two about breaking new ground. Last term they become the most prolific frontline of all time, combining for an unprecedented 122 goals in all competitions. Yet Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez aren't resting on their laurels and are hungry for more. Their counter has returned to zero, but few would bet on it staying that way in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla.

Messi & Neymar in great shape, says Luis Enrique

FC Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is delighted with the condition in which Lionel Messi and Neymar have arrived back from the Copa America.

The Argentine went all the way in the competition, losing in the final on penalties to hosts Chile, while the Brazilian's involvement ended at the group stage when he was sent off against Chile.

The pair featured for the first time in pre-season on Wednesday, with both scoring in the 3-0 win over Roma at Camp Nou.

"They look great. They've been spectacular," Luis Enrique told reporters.

"Messi and Neymar, along with Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves have come in handy. When you're on holiday, in addition to your work programme, there are instructions for diet. They've obviously followed them.

"I liked Neymar's performance and I liked all the players in the important aspects. This is the path we want to follow."

FC Barcelona 3 - 0 AS Roma - Messi, Suárez and Neymar all shine

Barcelona appeared once more in front of their fans in the Joan Gamper trophy, with a match against Roma.

This was a new opportunity to see the Barcelona attacking trio in action. Messi and Neymar, having played in the Copa América, have had longer holidays and so were returning to the Barcelona side for the first time in the pre-season. And their return could not have been more impressive. Both players scored, to the delight of the Camp Nou crowd, who once again started to dream of winning everything this coming season.

The return of Neymar and Messi is good news for Luis Enrique, as he will have them available for the first two big games of the season - the European Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup. Along with Luis Suárez, the Barcelona attack look extremely dangerous and obviously have a lot of hunger for goals and for winning trophies.

'Messi, Suarez & Neymar should be Ballon d'Or trio' - Bartomeu

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu believes forwards Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar should be 2015's Ballon d'Or top three.

The attacking trio played an integral role in the Catalans' treble triumph last season, scoring a record-breaking 122 goals between them.

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the last two Ballon d'Or awards but Bartomeu does not think the Real Madrid ace should even make the shortlist for 2015.

"Messi, Suarez and Neymar deserve to be the finalists for the Fifa Ballon d'Or," the Blaugrana supremo stated on Wednesday.

Neither Suarez nor Neymar have ever previously made the final three for the Ballon d'Or, but Messi has won the prestigious prize on four previous occasions.

Messi bagged 58 goals in 57 games during the 2014-15 campaign and is currently considered the favourite to lift this year's trophy.

Neymar kicks the new season by uploading a picture to his Instagram alongside Arda Turan

FC Barcelona forward Neymar has been getting to know his new team-mate Arda Turan a little better ahead of the Catalan giants' friendly against Roma on Wednesday. 

 

The former Santos striker has only faced Turan as an opponent but the pair will be lining up alongside one another this season.

 

The Turkey international signed from Atletico Madrid this summer for £29million but will not be able to play competitively for his new club until January due to Barca's ban from registering players.

 

 

Turan is eligible to play in friendlies but the midfielder is currently suffering from a sprained ankle that he picked up in training.

 

Neymar, meawhile, is in line to make his first appearance of the new season against the Serie A side in the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Nou Camp.

 

Neymar reported back for Barcelona training earlier this week along with Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves following the quartet's involvement in the Copa America in Chile this summer.

 

Coach Luis Enrique claims his players are looking forward to next few fixtures ahead of the return of La Liga but concedes the team need to improve their poor defensive showing in pre-season.

 

'The squad is really looking forward to the Gamper and then two Super Cups and a great start to the league,' Enrique told Barcelona's website. 

 

'We’ve had a good pre-season – though we need to improve at the back - and I am satisfied with the collective effort we’ve made. 

 

'The results haven’t been the best maybe, but I would give the squad a high mark overall. The best thing for me is that it is over and now we get down to the real business with the start of the season.' 

 

Luis Enrique's side have endured a difficult pre-season having lost their last three matches against Manchester United, Chelsea and Fiorentina.

 

The Barca coach will be hoping to end it on a high against the side he coached for just one season in 2011-12 ahead of the European Super Cup clash with La Liga rivals Sevilla on August 11.

 

Enrique left Roma after a disappointing campaign after leaving his role in charge of Barca's B team but insists he enjoyed his time in Italy.

 

'What happened at Roma made me a better Coach,' Enrique said at a press conference ahead of Wednesday's match.

 

'It was my fourth year as a Coach, after three with the youth team [at Barcelona], it was very intense and rewarding, a unique experience.

 

'I'll always be grateful for the opportunity they gave me, I arrived with different ideas about how to play football, and found players ready to accept that change and a crowd which was behind us.

 

'I have great memories, I'd have liked to have finished higher [than seventh], but it was a very positive year.'

 

 

 

Messi and Neymar are back in town for Trofeo Joan Gamper against Roma!

With the defence a shambles, the squad still with members looking to leave and with the South Americans having only just returned.

This is how Barcelona go into the final stage of their pre-season. The traditional Joan Gamper game, their fifth friendly of the pre-season, arrives when the 'Azulgranas' should be putting the finishing touches to their game but are unfortunately far from being ready for the challenges of the season ahead.

With just a week to go until the European Super Cup, Roma's visit to the Camp Nou will be the first match of the pre-season for five players without whom last season's treble would have been impossible.

Leo Messi and Neymar, the team's top goalscorers and with the aim of continuing to be so, will be teaming up with the third man in Barça's attacking trio, Luis Suárez, who, thanks to not taking part in the Copa América has enjoyed a full pre-season with his club. The Roma game will also be the pre-season's first for Dani Alves, Mascherano and Bravo, three veterans who will be charged with repairing the leaks in the back row, without doubt the most worrying aspect of Barcelona's game for Luis Enrique.

"We won't be seeing the same team as the one for the Super Cup. Now I want to share out the minutes and see what shape the players are in", explained the Barça manager, who will no doubt be wanting to rest a fair few legs with the game against Sevilla in mind. While for the Barça fans it'll be a chance to see their idols after the summer break, for Luis Enrique it will be a battery of tests for his players with the season just around the corner.

Thanks to the Copa América and their long-distance trekking, it is clear that for the 'Azulgranas' this pre-season is far too short. As is often the case, however, 'Lucho' couldn't disagree more: "The best thing about the pre-season is that it's finishing," he assures, perhaps in the hope that when the going gets tough, the tough get going...

Which Player will take home Europe's Golden Shoe trophy this season?

Players such as Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Francesco Totti have won the European Golden Shoe in the past few seasons, with Cristiano Ronaldo as the latest winner of the award following his 48 goals in 2014-15. But who will take home the trophy this season?

Did FC Barcelona​'s US Tour reveal how frail Luis Enrique's defense is?

FC Barcelona's US tour made it clear that the team have absolutely no problems creating goalscoring chances, even though two-thirds of the Catalans' three-man attack did not play. However, it also threw up some defensive frailties.

During the game against Chelsea, it was clear to all that the Blues' strikers found it far too easy to get in behind Barça's centre-backs, especially Bartra and Mathieu. Things improved somewhat when Piqué and Vermaelen took over, but it is clearly an aspect of their game which needs some attention ahead of the European Super Cup.

The US tour also threw up a series of problems that FC Barcelona have defending from set pieces, which is strange considering how solid they were last season. Luis Enrique admitted as much at a press conference and highlighted "how whimsical football is sometimes" with this sort of thing.

The Spaniard said he is working hard to improve that aspect of their game and that the easy option would be "to sign taller players, but that would mean changing their playing style", something that is non-negotiable at 'Can Barça'.

MSN will soon be the highest-scoring trio in Spanish footballing history!

Neymar's return to training, and the earlier-than-expected return of Messi has meant that Luis Enrique has been able for the first time to have all three members of his attacking triumvirate available to him in the pre-season.

That attacking trio made up of the Argentinean, the Brazilian and Uruguayan Luis Suárez, who astounded the whole of Europe last season with his goalscoring, is back together again, and full of ambition to go on making history whilst wearing the Barcelona shirt.

Last season, the three South American forwards were the highest-scoring trio in Spanish footballing history. None has previously achieved 122 goals in just one season in all compétitions.

Prior to that, the honour belonged to the Real Madrid trio of Benzema, Higuaín and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2011-2012, who reached a figure of 118 when Mourinho was the manager.

Having got this far, the next step is for the three players to try and improve further upon their scoring figures in the upcoming season. It is worth recalling at this juncture that at the start of last season Barça had only Neymar and Messi, as Luis Suárez was sanctioned by FIFA.

Due to that fact, there is a chance of improving on the figure as, if they could get to 122 without one of their number for part of the season, then in the season which is about to start things could get even better.