[JulianBere]

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Midfielders
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Andres Iniesta
Position CM
Overall 86
Age 24
Price $16,000,000



Story:
Andrés Iniesta joined Barca as a twelve-year-old in 1996 after scouts had spotted him at the Brunette Tournament playing for Albacete.
From the start he progressed rapidly through the club's various youth teams and was promoted to the Barca B team for the 2000-01 season, where he almost immediately became the team's main playmaker under coach Josep Maria Gonzalvo.
Andrés' dream of making the first team finally came true in October 2002 when he was picked to play in the Champions League game against Bruges in Belgium. Van Gaal's Barca won that evening and Andrés made an excellent impression.
Now an recognised squad member, Iniesta has established a place for himself through hard work allied to his undoubted natural skills. In the shadow of some of the team's bigger names, Andres became a key piece of the League winning 2004-5 team, winding up as Rijkaard's most used player, figuring in 35 of the 38 league games. Iniesta also played 8 Champions League matches, scoring twice.
But he really established himself as a first team player in the 2005-06 season. Playing in central midfield in place of Xavi, who was sidelined for a long time with injury, Iniesta became one of the key players in the Barça side that won the League and the Champions League. He played in 33 League fixtures and 11 in the Champions League.
Iniesta continued to develop in the 2006-07 season and was one of the players most used by Frank Rijkaard in that campaign. He played in 37 out of 38 League games scoring 6 goals, his best return to date. In the 2007-08 season, and by now in the number 8 shirt, the midfielder continued to be an ever present in the side until the last few games when he picked up a knee injury.
Plus Andrés Iniesta is one of the key players in the Spanish national side, playing in the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008, when he was one of the players most used by Luis Aragonés as Spain lifted the trophy.


CHARACTERISTICS
Iniesta is fast, direct and reads the game superbly. He started playing in Barca B in a holding role in midfield but has gradually adopted a more attacking position in his first team appearances. Van Gaal began to use him in the hole behind the striker and Frank Rijkaard has, on occasions, given him a wider role on the right.
This demonstrates what is perhaps Iniesta's greatest strength his versatility and professional attitude towards whatever job the coach hands him. Andres is not a showy player, an attribute that matches his off the field persona, but gives a guarantee of practicality and elegance.


HONOURS

FC Barcelona
2006/07 Spanish Supercup
2005/06 Champions League
2005/06 League
2005/06 Spanish Supercup
2004/05 League
Spanish national team
2008 European Championship


Xavi Hernandez
Position CM
Overall 87
Age 29
Price $18,000,000



Story:
Xavi has spent all his footballing life at the Nou Camp, having joined Barcelona when he was only 11 years old. The progress he made was always very quick and in season 97-98 he moved up from youth team to Barca B.
In Barça B, he became the brains of Jordi Gonzalvo's team which won promotion to the second division.
Xavi's dream of making his official debut with the first team squad became true when he played in the Spanish Super Cup against Majorca in the summer of 1998. He was in the starting line up and scored: a better debut he could not have asked for. Xavi also played an important role in the league-winning season of 1998-99 with Van Gaal as manager, most notably with an important goal in the Nuevo Zorrilla, which turned round the team's fortunes.
Season 1999-2000 was a good one for Xavi as due to the injury to Guardiola he was the first choice number 4 for a large part of the season. After the legendry captain left for Italian football he became the playmaker of the team and has continued to demonstrate the full range of his talents in this position.
With Van Gaal, Reixach, Antic and Rijkaard in charge of the team, Xavi has always been a key member of the team - a fact made clear by the 300 official games he completed whilst still only 25 years old.
With Rijkaard, Xavi has shown that he can not only play at the heart of midfield, but is also more than able to cover any position in the center of the team, an ability reflected in the fact that he was the most used player in the League winning 2004-05 season, playing 36 games in all.
Xavi will never forget 2 December 2005. While training at La Masía, the midfielder tore the ligaments in his left knee. His recovery was swifter than expected and within five months he was playing again. On 29 April 2006 against Cadiz, Xavi once again “felt like a footballer ". He was back in time to celebrate the League and Champions League titles with his team-mates.
In the last two seasons with Frank Rijkaard in the dugout, Xavi was one of the players most used by the Dutch manager. Plus in the 2007-08 season he set a personal best of 7 League goals, almost doubling his previous highest of four in the 2001-02 and 2003-04 seasons.
In addition Xavi Hernández has also been a fixture in Spain’s national side. He played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and in the 2004 and 2006 European Championships, and in the latter was chosen as best player as Spain picked up the title.

CHARACTERISTICS
Xavi is the playmaker of the team in every game and shows no nerves whatsoever as he guides the team with an extraordinarily cool head. Since taking on the mantle of playmaker at Barca he has shown incredible vision on the pitch. He is another example of the good work being carried out in the youth teams of Barcelona, especially in the position referred to as number 4 and as he has matured he has shown an increasing ability to adapt himself to different positions in the midfield when his manager has called on him.
His passing to the forwards and his ability to take the pressure off and protect the ball better than almost any other player around, have turned him into one of the focal points on the pitch. He also stands out for his defensive capabilities and his capacity as a ball winner.
In addition he has shown himself more than able at dead ball situations, where his potent shot has brought a number of important goals.
Xavi will always remember December 2, 2005. During training in front of La Masia,the Terrassa-born midfielder suffered a bad injury to his left knee as he ruptured his ligaments. Within five months he was back in action. On April 29, 2006 he returned to play against Cádiz and stated "I feel like a football player again". He was able to celebrate winning the title and the Champions League with the rest of the squad.
The Barça playmaker was a regular in Luis Aragonés' Spain team during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where the team progressed to the second round before being beaten by France.


HONOURS

FC Barcelona
2006/07 Spanish Supercup
2005/06 Champions League
2005/06 League
2005/06 Spanish Supercup
2004/05 League
1998/99 League

Spanish National Team
2008 European Championship
2000 Silver medal. Sydney Olympic Games
1999 Under 20 World Champion

Individual Awards
2008 Player of the Tournament: Euro 2008

Seydou Keyta
Position CM
Overall 81
Age 29
Price $6,900,000



Story:
Seydou Keita became FC Barcelona’s first signing of the 2007/2008 season. The Mali player arrived from Seville to strengthen the azulgrana centre of midfield.
Born in Bamako (Mali) in 1980, Seydou Keita began to make a name for himself in European football in the French league. He signed for Olympic Marseilles in 1999/2000 but only stayed for one year without having had much luck. He moved to Lorient where he spent two seasons and the French Cup. Then it was on to Lens where he played for five seasons between 2003/04 and 2006/07. His final season was spectacular and he scored eleven goals in 37 league games and was named Ligue 1’s second best player behind Florent Malouda.
After eight years in France, Keita signed for Seville in the summer of 2007 and was almost an ever-present during the 2007/08 season. He played in 31 of a possible 38 games, starting 29 of them. He scored four goals and these showed that, amongst other qualities, he packs a powerful shot from distance.
Seydou Keita has been a full international for Mali since 2004. With ‘the Eagles’ he played in the 2008 African Cup of Nations but Mali was eliminated in the first round.
However, his career with his national side began at a young age and with good results. In fact, Keita won the balon d’or as best player in the U-20 World Cup in Nigeria in 1999. Mali finished third in the competition, which was won by a Spain side that included Xavi Hernández.

PROFILE
The Mali midfielder is a player who perfectly combines physical strength with technical ability and tactical awareness. Despite not being a forward, Keita also possesses a great shot with his left foot, especially from distance, which makes him a real threat to goalkeepers; the fifteen goals he scored in the two years before joining Barça are testament to that. The Malian has a lot to offer in midfield: he can play in a holding role as well as behind the attackers and can also play on the left.

HONOURS

Lorient
2001/02 French Cup

Individual Awards
1999 Player of the Tournament U-20 World Cup



Yaya Toure
Position CM
Overall 81
Age 25
Price $4,600,000



Story:
Gnégnéri Touré Yaya is the first player from the Ivory Coast to play for FC Barcelona and has brought with him immense international experience, having played in four different leagues across Europe during his career.
Touré Yaya (Sokoura Baouke, 13-05-1983) has had a remarkable route to Camp Nou. At 18 he began his time in European football in Belgium with Beveren, where he spent two-and-a-half years.
A transfer to Metalurg Donetsk in Ukraine followed in 2003, where he spent 18 months before opting to move on to Greece and join Olympiakos. During his year in the Piraeus-based club he played alongside former Blaugrana stars, Rivaldo, Haruna Babangida and Dani García as the team progressed in the Champions League.
Last summer, Touré was on the move once again as he signed for AS Monaco and went onto play 27 of the team's 34 league games during the 2006-07 campaign.
At international level, the 24-year-old is a regular in the Ivory Coast side and represented his country in their first ever appearance in the World Cup Finals last summer in Germany. He also appeared in the African Cup of Nations in the same year.

PROFILE
Touré Yaya is the first player from the Ivory Coast to play for Barça and is renowned for combining his strength and physical power in front of the back four with great technique. He is usually employed as a defensive midfielder and is capable of pushing forward to support the attack if required, as well as being adept at passing the ball at speed to keep moves flowing.
Despite standing at 1.87m-tall (6ft 2in), most of his goals have not come from his head. During his year with Monaco he netted five times in the league and nearly all of them came as he attacked the ball from the second line or from long range efforts.


Victor Sanchez
Position CM
Overall 60
Age 21
Price $150,000



Story:
Víctor Sánchez was born in Terrassa and joined FC Barcelona in July 2005 from local neighbours Europa.
His ability to play in various positions made him a vital player for Barça B last season as he played almost everywhere except in goal.
Hard working and disciplined, he was instrumental in helping the B side gain promotion back to la Segunda B at the first time of asking as he made 29 appearances. He was unable to play in the Play-Offs because of injury. He made his debut for the first team in the Copa del Rey game against Alcoyano last season.

Sergi Busquets
Position CM
Overall 60
Age 20
Price $140,000



Story:
Born in Sabadell, he joined the Barça youth system in the summer of 2005 from Jabac. That season, playing for the Juvenil A side, he won three major trophies in a team that also included the likes of Bojan, Giovani, Jeffren and Marc Crosas.
In the 2006-07 season, Sergi Busquets continued with Juvenil A and was one of the core players in the side coached by Àlex Garcia. In his third year at the level, and despite still being a midfielder, Sergi scored 7 goals in 26 games.
The next season, Busquets was promoted to Barça B under Pep Guardiola. He didn’t play until the 12th game, but from then on he managed to hold down a regular place in the starting line-up, playing 23 games and scoring two goals.
After playing with the first team in the Copa Catalunya in the 2007-08 season.
Sergi Busquets is the son of Carles Busquets, who played in goal for FC Barcelona in the 1990s.

PROFILE
Sergi Busquets is a very complete midfielder renowned for his intelligence on the field. Born in Sabadell, he positions himself well and is a good reader of the game. Busquets adds security to the team because he rarely gives the ball away and is also solid in his defensive duties.
He is a versatile player and gets into goalscoring positions. His tactical awareness and height (almost 190 cm) mean that despite his natural position being in midfield, he can also play at centre back or centre forward.


Aleksander Hleb
Position RM
Overall 85
Age 27
Price $14,000,000



Story:
Alexander Hleb, the first Belarusian in club history has arrived at FC Barcelona as the fifth new signing of the summer of 2008, after demonstrating his qualities with both Stuttgart and Arsenal.
Born in Minsk (Belarus) on May 1, 1981, Alexander Hleb joined Barcelona on July 16, 2008. Signed from Premiership outfit Arsenal, where he played for three seasons, he was named the best player in his country in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 consecutively.
Alexander Hleb started out at FC Bate Borisov but at the tender age of 19, in the 2000/01 season he was off to the Bundesliga. It was there he started making himself known on the European stage with five seasons at Stuttgart from 2000/01 to 2004/05.
The Belarusian made an even bigger step forward in 2005 when he was picked up by London side Arsenal. He soon became a regular part of manager Arsène Wenger’s plans, as the Gunners qualified for a Champions League final losing to FC Barcelona in Paris), and it was there he spent two seasons alongside Thierry Henry, who he rejoins at FC Barcelona.

PROFILE
Renowned for being ambidextrous, Hleb is a player who creates plenty of tactical options due to his versatility and polyvalence. He is a midfielder but likes to help out in attack and makes dangerous penetrating runs through the middle.
He is used to pressure, is both athletic and quick, and able to play on either of the two wings, playing wide or more centrally, and is a frequent presence in the creation zone. He reads the game well and is an artful passer of the ball.

HONOURS

Bate Borisov
1998/99 Belarusian League

Individual titles
2002 Belarusian player of the year
2003 Belarusian player of the year
2005 Belarusian player of the year
2006 Belarusian player of the year
2007 Belarusian player of the year

Jeffren Suarez
Position CAM
Overall 63
Age 21
Price $370,000



Story:
Jeffren Suarez was born 20 January of 1988, in Venezuela. He made his debut with the first team against CF Badalona in Copa del Rey as a substitute for Javier Saviola in the 83 min.
He was part of the Spanish squad that won the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship playing 8 matches and scoring 3 goals.
He was called by former Venezuelan National team Richard Páez for the Copa América 2007, but Jeffrén declined expressing that it was too soon to choose whether to play with the Venezuelan squad or with the Spanish one.
During the 2007-08 season he played for the FC Barcelona Atlétic playing 21 matches and scoring 6 goals helping the team return from the Tercera División to the Segunda División B.
Josep Guardiola called Jeffrén for FC Barcelona's pre-season 2008/09 where he played all 7 matches and scoring 2 goals against ACF Fiorentina and Red Bull New York.