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EUROPEAN clubs are seldom happy about releasing their South American players for international duty.
Especially when they come back having picked up the coronavirus and not able to take the field, as happened to Atletico Madrid’s Luis Suarez, who was forced to sit out an eagerly awaited reunion with Barcelona.

Luis Suarez was forced to miss out on a reunion with Barcelona after testing positive with coronavirus on international dutyCredit: Reuters

But, with the coronavirus wiping out South America’s international dates in March and September, there were only two trips across the Atlantic this year, for the double headed World Cup qualifying dates in October and November.
There is nothing else until the end of March – by which time it is to be hoped that the worst of the pandemic is in the past.
But after that, the games come thick and fast – and so, surely, will come the complaints of the European clubs.
After March, there are more World Cup qualifiers in June, September, October and November, before the campaign comes to a close with more games in January and March 2022.

And in the middle of all this, there is a Copa America – originally scheduled for this June and July, but since put back twelve months.
This is a bizarre competition, staged in Argentina and Colombia, countries at opposite ends of a large continent.

The Copa America will be a much longer competition in 2021 Credit: AFP – Getty
Rather than the standard Copa format of three groups of four, this one has two groups of six, meaning that the competition takes ages to get going. 

This is a twelve-team tournament when those that reach the closing stages will play a total of eight matches – one more than anyone plays in a 32 World Cup.
Between March 2021 and March 2022 there is a chance that South American players will have to play 22 games for their national team – effectively half a season on top of an already crowded club campaign, with the added burden of seven or eight double journeys back and forth across the Atlantic.
It would be unfair to pin all the blame for the fixture pile up on international football. The current problem has its roots in the sad fact that no one, at club or international level, wants to give up anything. Someone has to lose.
And since none of the administrators are willing to give up any of their competitions, then the losers are the players – exposed to the virus, exposed to injuries, exposed to burn out.
The way that the 2022 World Cup was switched to December was clearly unsatisfactory.

South American stars like Neymar face burn out before World Cup 2022 in QatarCredit: Alamy Live News

But for all the problems, there is – or appeared to be – one silver lining.  Playing the tournament in the middle of the club season would, had the pandemic not struck, have meant that Qatar 2022 would have avoided the issue that harmed the quality of all the recent World Cups – players with no gas in the tank trying to force their weary bodies through the decisive stages.
There was much to look forward to in Qatar 2022 – the planet’s best players finally playing a World Cup in something close to their peak physical condition.
This now seems unlikely. The fixture pile up will take its toll. South America’s star names will be clocking up the air miles, and surely running down their own batteries.

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IN 1979, Barcelona decided they wanted a steady stream of homegrown talents to one day blossom in their first team.
They launched their now famed La Masia (Catalan for ‘The Farmhouse’), a state-of-the-art academy designed to train youngsters the Barça way, and has since produced a slew of top-class footballers.

Lionel Messi (in the mask), Cesc Fabregas (back row, second right) and Gerard Pique (back row, third left) are Barcelona youth productsCredit: PA:Press Association

They were schooled at Barcelona’s famous La Masia AcademyCredit: Simon Jones – The Sun

Many have gone on to become legends at the club, while others have slipped away and grown at pastures new.
Here are their best 25 best academy trainees.
25. ALEX GRIMALDO
The Spanish left-back is one of the most sought-after defenders in world football at the moment.
Currently starring at Benfica, he has been linked with a move to Tottenham.

Barcelona let him go for £1.5million in 2015, without playing a game in the first team.
Originally, he was plucked from Valence in 2008 – spending four years with the Catalans until he was sold.

Alex Grimaldo has made his name at BenficaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
24. DANI OLMO
Olmo is the most recent promising youngster that left Spain for a new challenge.
The Spanish 21-year-old midfielder, who moved in January 2020 to Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, arrived at La Masia aged just nine.

But in a surprising move, Olmo decided to leave Barça when he turned 16 and signed for Dinamo Zagreb.
Barcelona were rumoured to be looking at bringing him back to Catalonia before he moved to Germany.
He has since moved to RB Leipzig and is a regular in the Spain squad.

Dani Olmo gambled with his career leaving Barcelona aged 16 for Dinamo ZagrebCredit: Getty Images – Getty
23. NAYIM
Arsenal fans won’t want to be reminded of Nayim’s most famous moment in his career.
But before he was lobbing David Seaman from the halfway line, he was a young hopeful at La Masia.
He joined Barcelona aged 12 – leaving his hometown Cueta.
But his chances were limited in a team that was managed by Terry Venables.
He later joined the former Three Lions boss at Spurs.

Former La Masia product Nayim scored the winner the Cup Winners’ Cup final against ArsenalCredit: PA:Empics Sport
22. LUIS GARCIA
The former Liverpool midfielder had two spells with Barcelona.
First as a 12-year-old youth player, where he starred in their reserve team.
But having failed to break into the first team, he was sold to Atletico Madrid in 2002.
However, after impressing with Atletico, Barcelona exercised a clause in Garcia’s contract to buy him back a season later.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez moved for the playmaker in 2004 – having had him at Tenerife on loan in 2000-01.

Luis Garcia had two spells at Barcelona but never made the gradeCredit: PA:Empics Sport
21. ANDRE ONANA
Another surprise, in-demand Ajax keeper Andre Onana had a spell at Barcelona from 2010-15.
He joined the club after starting out at the Samuel Eto’o Academy, but failed to make the grade there.
Five years ago he signed for the Dutch giants, and has since become their No1.

In-demand Andre Onana had five years at La Masia before moving to AjaxCredit: Getty Images – Getty
20. ALBERT FERRER
It was right-back Ferrer’s dream to play for Barcelona – having grown up in the city.
And he appeared in 221 La Liga games during nine seasons with his boyhood club, after he was signed as a 13-year-old.
In 1998 he moved to Premier League with Chelsea in a £2.2m deal, where he retired aged 33.

Albert Ferrer was a local lad who got to represent his boyhood clubCredit: PA:Empics Sport
19. PEPE REINA
The son of former Barcelona goalkeeper Miguel Reina, Pepe was always destined to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He joined La Masia in 1995, and from 1999 he was playing for their reserve side in the third tier of the Spanish football pyramid.
Reina was never more than an understudy at the Camp Nou, and was told he could leave in 2002.

Pepe Reina was surplus to requirements to Barcelona in 2002 after being an understudy for yearsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

18. GUILLERMO AMOR
Benidorm-born Amor became one of Barcelona’s most important players under Cruyff in the 1990s.
He joined La Masia in 1980 – winning five league titles and a European Cup.
With Barcelona in his blood, it is unsurprising he is now responsible for the club’s youth system.

Former youth product Amor now manages Barcelona’s youth set-upCredit: PA:Empics Sport
17. HECTOR BELLERIN
The Arsenal full-back might speak like a cockney, but he’s Barcelona through and through.
Bellerin was also eight when he joined the club – but after eight years at La Masia he moved to the Gunners.
Now vice-captain of the Premier League giants, Bellerin has been linked with a move back to Spain.
Could he follow in the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas before him and return to the club where it all began?

Hector Bellerin left Barcelona for Arsenal and has played against his old side several timesCredit: PA:Press Association
16. SERGI
The marauding Spanish left-back joined Barcelona in 1988, and went on to become a club legend – appearing 382 times and winning three league titles.
He was handed his Barça debut by Cruyff in a heated Champions League match away at Galatasaray
From then on, he became a mainstay before he was sold to Atletico Madrid. He hadn’t lost that nastiness that made him a tricky player to play against either – earning 33 yellow cards in his three seasons there.

Sergi won three La Liga titles after coming through La MasiaCredit: Icon Sport – Getty
15. THIAGO MOTTA
Barcelona never really saw the best of Motta.
Like Pedro, he was signed late – aged 17 from local side Clube Atlético Juventus – and was assigned to the B side.
He made his debut in 2001, but his time at Barcelona was robbed from him by a serious knee injury.
Eventually, he found himself at Inter Milan, where Jose Mourinho got the best out of him – winning the Champions League in 2010.

Thiago Motta never fulfilled his potential at BarçaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
14. IVAN DE LA PENA
The hype around De La Pena, nicknamed “Little Buddha”, was immense when he was a teen.
The child prodigy joined La Masia in 1991 from Racing Santander and initially looked to have a big future at the club.
But fallouts with Cruyff and Van Gaal, who were frustrated with his work-rate, saw his progress curtailed and he had more success with city rivals Espanyol.

De La Pena had fallouts with Johan Cruyff and Louis Van GaalCredit: PA:Empics Sport
13. ADAMA TRAORE
Last season, Wolves winger Traore has finally shown the potential Barcelona youth managers believed he had.
He joined the Spanish champions aged just eight, making his debut aged 17, but failed to break into the first team under managers Gerard Martino and Luis Enrique.
The speedy winger then moved to England, and had an ill-fated spell at Aston Villa before rediscovering his potential at Middlesbrough.

Adama Traore moved to England to get first team footballCredit: Getty Images – Getty
12. MIKEL ARTETA
The Arsenal manager is best known for his time in the Premier League playing for both the Gunners and Everton.
But before he made it in England, Arteta dreamt of becoming pro in San Sebastian playing football on the beaches with childhood friend Xabi Alonso.
He joined Barcelona aged 15, but struggled to break into the first team – joining PSG on loan before starring at Glasgow Rangers and returning to play for Real Sociedad with Alonso.

Mikel Arteta struggled to break into the Barcelona first team
11. VICTOR VALDES
Valdes is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the club’s history – having played 535 games and winning 21 major titles, including La Liga six times and three Champions League’s.
But it looked like his time at the club had come to an end in 1995 when his family moved to Tenerife.
However, Barça re-signed him and quickly progressed through the youth teams – making his debut aged 20.

Victor Valdes left La Masia academy only to return three years laterCredit: Getty Images – Getty
10. PEDRO
The ex-Chelsea winger was a late-comer when it came to joining La Masia.
Pedro arrived from Canary Islands team CD San Isidro aged 17 in 2004.
But soon, he became a key member of the first team once he was promoted by Pep Guardiola.
In the 2018-19 season Pedro became the first player to score in six different club competitions during a single season and in the same year.

Pedro was a late-comer to La Masia, joining aged 17Credit: PA:Empics Sport
9. MAURO ICARDI
Argentina striker Icardi had a spell at La Masia from 2008-11, after rejecting overtures from Real Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool.
But the goal poacher failed to show his class in Spain and was shipped out on loan to Sampdoria in 2011, which became a permanent move six months later for just £400,000.
He has since become one of the most sought-after strikers in European football, boasting a remarkable goalscoring record.
Icardi always stood by his decision to leave Barça, because it ultimately benefitted his career.

Super poacher Mauro Icardi failed to impress at La MasiaCredit: FC Barcelona
8. GERARD PIQUE
Another one that got away, but returned to become a hero.
Pique played in the same youth teams as Messi and Fabregas from 1997, although he was deployed as a defensive midfielder in his early years.
Manchester United snapped him up in 2004 on a pro-contract, without having to pay a fee.
In 2008, he returned to Catalonia for a fee of £5million and has gone on to play 531 times for the club, as well as bag a celebrity wife in Shakira.

Pique returned to Barcelona after a spell at Man Utd and bagged a celebrity missus in ShakiraCredit: Getty Images – Getty
7. SERGIO BUSQUETS
One-club man Busquets has become one of the greatest defensive midfielders of his generation.
At youth level though he bounced around a few teams playing for the likes of Badia, Barbera Andalucia, Lleida, and Jàbac Terrassa, before settling at Barcelona in 2005,
Guardiola promoted Busquets to his first team in 2008, but it’s his former international manager Vincente Del Bosque who provided this accurate quote about his abilities.
He said: “If you watch the whole game, you won’t see Busquets – but watch Busquets, and you will see the whole game.”

Sergio Busquets has established himself as the best defensive midfielder of his generationCredit: PA:Empics Sport
6. CESC FABREGAS
Fabregas trained at La Masia for six years before making the bold move to Arsenal in 2003, believing his chances would be limited at the Nou Camp.
With the Gunners he soon established himself into one of the Europe’s most promising players – replacing Patrick Vieira in the heart of their midfield, before eventually being named captain.
In 2011 he returned to Barcelona for £35m, and in three seasons played 96 times for them before moving to Chelsea for £30m in 2014.
Cesc won the World Cup and the Euros twice, and has been capped 110 times by Spain.

Fabregas returned to Barcelona after making his name at ArsenalCredit: Action Images – Reuters

5. PEP GUARDIOLA
Johan Cruyff called him one of the best midfielders of his generation, and it’s hard to argue with that seeing he was a major influence in playing style of the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas.
Guardiola joined La Masia at 13, and within six years the deep-lying playmaker made his debut against Cadiz.
In 1998 Louis van Gaal made him captain, but in 2001 he left for Serie A side Brescia after years of injury problems with a troublesome calf.

Pep Guardiola became Barcelona captain after making it through their youth ranksCredit: Getty Images – Getty
4. CARLES PUYOL
Arguably the most un-Barcelona-like player.
But Puyol became a cult hero as an inspirational captain with his uncompromising style of defending.
He joined La Masia in 1995, playing as a defensive midfielder before converting to full-back and then centre-half.
But Puyol almost left the club three years later when Barça accepted an offer from Malaga after deeming him surplus to requirements.
However, seeing Xavi getting a chance in the first team encouraged Puyol to stay, and the rest is history.

Puyol became a cult figure at Barcelona but nearly left the clubCredit: PA:Empics Sport
3. ANDRES INIESTA
Plucked from Albacete at the age of 12, Iniesta never looked back.
He steadily climbed up the youth ranks, making his debut aged 18 in 2002.
Iniesta would go on to become the most decorated Spanish footballer in history – winning 35 trophies, including nine LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues.
Famously, he helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup – scoring the winner against Holland.

Iniesta joined La Masia as a 12-year-oldCredit: Rex Features
2. XAVI
The greatest playmaker of his generation, and the embodiment of their tiki-taka passing style, Xavi joined La Masia at 10.
At that age though it wasn’t Michael Laudrup he idolised, but in fact British-based stars like John Barnes, Paul Gascoigne, and Matt Le Tissier.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be brought up on the Barcelona ethos,” he once revealed.
“Which has taught me the value of being part of a team. ‘Today for you, tomorrow for me.’ Those qualities are essential for life in general.”

Xavi idolised Paul Gascoigne, Matt Le Tissier and John Barnes growing upCredit: PA:Empics Sport
1. LIONEL MESSI
Without doubt the best youngster to come from Barcelona’s youth set-up, and the best to ever play for the club.
Messi joined the LaLiga giants in 2001 from Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina, who he had trained with since the age of six.
Realising they had such a prodigious talent on their hands, Barcelona agreed to pay for his treatment after he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency.
However, this season might be his last – with Manchester City desperate to bring Messi to the Premier League.

Messi graduated from La Masia to become Barcelona’s greatest ever playerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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THEY might be worth an estimated £115million, but Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s new Cheshire mansion has been mocked for “looking like a Morrisons”.
However, the six-bedroom palatial home – costing £20m – isn’t the only property in the couple’s lavish portfolio, which also includes pads in Florida and the Caribbean.

The Rooneys’ new Cheshire home has been mocked for “looking like a Morrisons”Credit: The Mega Agency

Wayne and Coleen have splashed out £20 million on their latest residenceCredit: Instagram

Footie legend Wayne grew up in a council house in Liverpool – but has shown off his real estate skills with his sprawling Barbados villa, which he rents out for £25,000 a week.
He also snapped up a £320,000 waterfront apartment in the Sunshine State in 2007 – and even splashed out £450,000 on a detached home in Liverpool for his parents to live in.
Today, he and Coleen, both 34, have properties across the globe.
Below, SunSport looks at the couple’s impressive property portfolio…

Secret £5m Barbados pad
The Rooneys’ housing portfolio stretches to overseas – where they rent out a spectacular Barbados villa for more than £25,000 a week in the high season.
The five-bedroom property boasts an infinity pool, a media room and a shared golf course.
Inside, the walls feature pictures of Hollywood icons Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.

The Rooneys own this spectacular villa in Barbados, which they rent out to wealthy guests

The magnificent residence boasts an infinity pool, a media room and a shared golf courseCredit: Splash News

It cost the couple a cool £5 million – but is rented out for as much as £25,000 a week
The paradise pad sits on the island’s exclusive Jasmine Ridge estate, with celebrity neighbours including Ant and Dec and Roo’s old Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand.

Boxer Joe Calzaghe, and motorcycle racer Carl Fogarty are also said to own homes there.
Over the years, the swish Bajan resort has become so popular with Manchester’s rich and famous that its residents have dubbed it the Northern Quarter.
The Rooneys bought the villa for £5million in 2010, but put it on the rental market as a holiday home four years ago, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The mansion has some famous neighbours – including Ant and Dec and Rio Ferdinand

Its outdoor dining area is perfect for entertaining family and friends
United fans who want to live like Wayne himself will need to cough up around £10,000 to stay at the Royal Westmoreland pad during low season.
And those staying at high season will have to fork out up to £25,410 a week.
Based on the Rooneys renting out the property from 2015, they could have netted more than £2m from wealthy guests by now – an amount likely to soar this summer.
It won’t be long until they’ve reached the price they paid for it nearly a decade ago.

The villa is a far cry from Rooney’s childhood home, picturedCredit: Mark Robinson – The Sun
£300k Florida apartment
Not all of Wayne and Coleen’s purchases have seemingly done as well as their Barbados one.
In 2007, the couple splashed out around £320,000 on a luxurious waterfront apartment at Harbor Pointe in Port Charlotte, Florida – but property prices later collapsed.
They bought the pad via Your Place Abroad – whose former clients also include footie star Michael Owen and former cricketer Andrew Flintoff, the Daily Mail reported.

Wayne and Coleen bought a Florida apartment for £320,000 12 years agoCredit: Zillow
The firm has since gone into liquidation.
Public records list Rooney as being the owner of a three-bedroom condo in the riverside resort, which has a balcony and more than 1,750 sq ft of living space.
It also boasts a master suite with a study and an “oversized walk-in closet”, with a fitness centre and in-ground heated pool available in the resort’s grounds.
It is thought the “spacious” condo is currently being rented out.

This swimming pool is believed to be shared among residents at the apartment complexCredit: Zillow

This image appears on an online rental listing for an apartment in Rooney’s nameCredit: Zillow
In the years after the Rooneys snapped up their apartment, property prices in the area collapsed, with some homes dropping in price by more than £150,000.
Waynesor Castle
The Rooneys lived happily in a £6m home in Prestbury, Cheshire, for more than a decade before they were the victims of an attempted burglary.
A former serviceman tried to break in while Wayne played in a testimonial match in August 2016,  leaving a worried Coleen fearing for her kids’ safety.
Dubbed “Waynesor Castle” among other nicknames, the Rooneys’ home reportedly featured six en-suite bedrooms, a cinema, a Jacuzzi and a swimming pool.

The Rooneys’ Prestbury home, which they lived in for more than a decadeCredit: Cavendish
There have also been rumours of under-lawn heating and a hairdressing salon.
Wayne and Coleen, are reported to be selling their former home following their move to the States, but it’s unclear whether they have yet done so.
“Beautiful” Maryland home
Last year, the Rooneys were rumoured to be set to move into a stunning £12m Washington DC mansion, after Wayne joined DC United.
The property, in Wesley Heights, boasted a wine cellar, a home gym, an outdoor swimming pool, a recreation room and even a massive cinema screen.
But it has since been reported that the family have opted to live in Maryland instead. They are thought to be living around a 50-minute drive from the US capital.

The Rooneys were rumoured to be moving into this DC mansion – but apparently chose Maryland insteadCredit: Fortitude Press

The mansion in Wesley Heights boasted this home gymCredit: Fortitude Press
One source close to Coleen told SunSport in January: “They live in Maryland, which is really quiet, so if they do go out it’s bowling or cinema with the kids.”
They added: “They have a massive house and it’s beautiful.”
Once Wayne retires, the family are expected to settle in their sprawling new UK mansion…
New £20m Cheshire mansion
Features: Man-made fishing lakes, an orangery and a football pitch
The Rooneys’ new pad sits on a 40-acre plot in Cheshire.
Crews are still working on the £20m property, which will include a number of buildings, stables, two man-made fishing lakes and an orangery.
But we reported how the luxurious new home has been compared to a Morrisons supermarket and even a Travelodge because of its exterior.

The impressive new pad, featuring two man-made fishing lakes and an orangery, is nearing completionCredit: The Mega Agency

Social media users have compared the Rooneys’ new property to a supermarket

They have likened the home to this Morrisons store in SunderlandCredit: Wikipedia
One person wrote online: “Looks like my local Morrisons supermarket. £20million for that?”
Another said: “Surely that is a new Tesco build…?’  while a third quipped: “More of a Morrisons I’d say”.
The mansion will also boast a TV room, snooker room, bar, wine store, cinema, gym and swimming pool, as well as an underground tunnel to a six-car garage.
And there will even be separate lifts – one for the family, the other for visitors.

What the sprawling site looked like last year, as work beganCredit: Flynet Pictures
It is thought that former England striker Wayne has also requested a panic bunker in the home over fears his family will be hit by another attempted burglary.
The property is thought to be nearing completion.

A mansion for Wayne’s parents.. and one for Coleen
As well as his own properties, Wayne bought his parents, Wayne Snr and Jeanette Rooney, a £450,000 detached home in West Derby, which reportedly has three reception rooms.
Two years ago, reports claimed he’d also bought his wife a £5m villa in Portugal.
And with a net worth of more than £100m (Coleen is worth an estimated £13m), it’s likely Wayne’s portfolio of luxury properties will only continue to expand.

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