FC Barcelona supporters site

::: Team ethic fires Barça to glory :::

Last season Barcelona's revival was dangerously

dependent on the individual

brilliance of one player. A year later the club's first league title in

six years is the product of a polished all-round team performance.

In July 2003, after David Beckham had rejected a move to the Camp Nou

in preference for Real Madrid CF, Barcelona exhausted their transfer funds

in signing Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain FC. Almost single-handedly

the Brazilian international restored the shattered morale of a side

which had

plumbed the depths of disappointment after four years of

underachievement. Ronaldinho's vision, passing skills and

dazzling repertoire of party tricks were the catalyst for change.

Almost as important as his on-the-field displays were his

smiling, laid-back attitude to life and infectious enthusiasm

that transformed the atmosphere in the Barcelona squad. His

performance rubbed off on the rest of the group and he inspired

the Blaugrana to a 17-game unbeaten run that lifted them to second

place in the Primera División behind Valencia CF, their best finish

in four years.

The presence of the 25-year-old Brazilian helped to convince players

of the calibre of Deco, Samuel Eto'o, Henrik Larsson, Ludovic Giuly,

Juliano Belletti and Edmílson that the Camp Nou was the place to be.

The side now brims with talented footballers who share a common hunger

for success, a fierce determination and a dedication to the cause that

have been responsible for the Catalans deposing Valencia as

Spanish champions.

The most decisive recruit has been Eto'o, the 24-year-old

Cameroon striker who has struck 24 goals. With fellow

forward Larsson injured since November, African Player of the

Year Eto'o has done a brilliant job of shouldering the burden of leading

the Barça attack - his scorching pace, light touch and nose for goal

making him the scourge of opposition defences.

Deco has also been outstanding, replicating the form which helped former

club FC Porto to UEFA Cup and UEFA Champions League success. His

excellent technique and powerful shot are accompanied by a ball-winning

ability and steely determination that are rare in such a skilful player.

Xavi Hernández, the only surviving squad member from the 1999

championship side, has thrived alongside the Brazilian, while Giuly

has been full of ideas on the right.

At the back, inspirational captain Carles Puyol found the perfect ally in

the assured Rafael Márquez, and in former youth teamer Víctor Valdés

the Catalans may at last have a successor to the great

Andoni Zubizarreta in goal. Giovanni van Bronckhorst

and Brazilian international Belletti have also played their

part in giving Barcelona the league's best defensive record.

More impressive than anything has been the way the

squad and coach Frank Rijkaard coped with a seemingly

endless string of injuries that might have torpedoed a

lesser team's title hopes. The versatile Gabri García and Edmílson,

midfielder Thiago Motta and Larsson all fell victim to serious knee

ligament complaints in the first half of the campaign, but the crop

of youngsters called in to replace them performed well beyond

expectations.

With young talent such as midfielder Andrés Iniesta,

centre-back Oleguer Presas and right-back Damiá Abella Pérez,

Barca's future looks to be in safe hands for many years to come.

FC Barcelona supporters site

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CAMPIONS 04-05