Young guns take center stage at Barca

MADRID: With Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o having been sidelined with injuries

and the unsettled Ronaldinho overlooked by Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard, the Spanish club is increasingly turning to its younger players.

Rijkaard's starting lineup during the team's 1-1 draw against city rival Espanyol last Saturday included six products of the club's youth team, while Ronaldinho came on as a 62nd-minute substitute.

It was the first time that the Brazilian playmaker did not start for the club in the Spanish league when available since the 27-year old signed from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003.

Two of the younger players - Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta - meanwhile joined forces to provide the Catalan club with its only goal of the match.

Argentine international Messi, 20, and Bojan Krkic, 17, have risen to prominence following Barcelona's 3-0 win at home over Huelva last month where each player contributed one goal.

It was the first time that Krkic had scored for the Barcelona senior side in front of the home crowd since he joined the squad at the start of the season.

"It's incredible. Three months ago I was in the stands watching like any other fan," he said after the match.

Krkic, whose father is a former Yugoslav international and who has a Spanish mother, has started for Barcelona twice since the match against Huelva.

In October he became Barcelona's youngest-ever goalscorer in a Spanish league match, contributing one goal in his side's 3-1 loss away to Villarreal.

Krkic was 17 years and 52 days when he scored the goal, defeating the previous record set by Messi who was 17 years, 10 months and seven days when he scored his first league goal for Barcelona.

Coincidentally it was Messi who supplied Krkic with the pass for the goal to beat his record.

"I know that he is making an impact and I am certain that he will force me into retirement because the kid has everything," said Eto'o.

"Right now he shouldn't believe all the good press he is receiving because the day that they turn against you, they will not take into account if you are young or not," the 26-year-old Cameroon striker added.

Eto'o, who ruptured a tendon in a friendly match with Inter Milan in late August, got the all-clear on Tuesday to resume playing while Henry is expected to be out of action for another two weeks with back problems.

Messi, meanwhile, has continued his flight towards stardom this season.

With eight goals from 14 matches he is the Spanish league's top scorer along with Sevilla's 27-year-old Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano and Real Madrid's 30-year-old striker Raul.

Messi looks set to surpass the 14 goals which he scored last season in 26 appearances despite four months on the sidelines due to injury.

His success has won him comparisons to former Argentine football legend Diego Maradona and sparked talk that he could be a contender for a place on the podium at the forthcoming FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

"I do not know whether or not I am the best in the world. I am working away as normal and feel good and I am pleased with the way things have been going," he said earlier this season when asked about the media praise.

Barcelona lies second in the Spanish league with 28 points, four behind leader and defending champion Real Madrid.

AFP

(China Daily 12/07/2007 page23)