Mes Que Un Club

Every sport has its legends. And all legends have their moments of genius.

This post is about football; and the legend that is FC Barcelona. Its current moment of genius started a few years back, when Frank Rijjkaard, the coach, deployed a system where Ronaldinho played on the left and Messi, then a relatively new name, played from the right, in a beautiful and deadly 4-3-3 formation. With Deco dictating the midfield, with Xavi in support, what followed was the start of a game within a game. All of a sudden, it appeared as if the only way to play football was the Barcelona way, and every other team in the world were mere pretenders to the throne.
Pep Guardiola, the current coach, has, if anything, improved on perfection. The midfield is now completely ruled by the brilliance of Xavi and Iniesta, while the attack remains, since the departure of Ronaldinho, under the ever - growing inspirational guidance of Lionel Messi.

There are many things which sets this club apart. 'La Masia', (translated to English, means The Farmhouse) is the famous Barcelona youth system, and the ultimate breeding ground of true footballing champions. Its excellence is highlighted by two record facts.
One, in the world-cup winning Spain squad of 2010, 6 of the starting 11 were graduates of La Masia. Second, in 2010, all three finalists for the Ballon d Or (the prestigious award for the best footballer of the year) were La Masia graduates, viz, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta.
There is a quote popular among commentators in praise of this institution - 'Put a hundred 12 year olds on a field with a ball each, and it would be possible to tell which of them are being trained by Barcelona'. They're that good, that early.

For the last five years, the team jersey, instead of a corporate logo, sported the UNICEF logo, indicating their resolve to dedicate a part of their annual profits to the welfare of the children's organisation. Comes to almost 1.7 million Euros per year.

Lionel Messi, the current reigning 'Best Footballer ever", was diagnosed with growth - hormone deficiency at the age of 12. He was brought from Argentina to Spain by his father to find some way of paying the bills. FC Barcelona agreed to sponsor his treatment, and also enrolled him in their youth academy. I wonder who is more grateful now.

And finally, and obviously, a word on their football. Its beyond brilliant, its mesmerizing. Opponents have come out and openly confessed to having felt dizzy, even hypnotized, by the intricate passing display that continues for the full 90 minutes of the match. After every Barcelona match that i see, i get the feeling of having just witnessed a symphony, a slow-building move that starts deep in Barca's half, and progresses with such surety and skill, that you know what is coming in the end, it's inevitable. And from time to time, in a sudden departure from the graceful move towards goal, is a Messi-run, typified by a burst of speed from the half way line, skipping past 4-5 players, and almost dribbling the ball into the net. In a way, its even more graceful.

For a long time, as a football fan, i have grappled with a basic conflict. Is it possible to support two teams at once? Because Manchester United, by its own right, is as great a club as any, and i support it whole-heartedly. But while i admire Man United for its winning-consistency, and its unbelievable never-say-die attitude, when it comes down to the actual game of football, as Sir Alex Ferguson himself said, 'Barcelona were the better team'.

FC Barcelona is more than a club; its a philosophy. And thus, a way of life.