Krish

Visca Barça

[Krish @krishna_s94]

Aged like fine 🍷

[Piers Morgan @piersmorgan]

Is Messi playing?

[Appie Culé @appiecule]

I’m going to take my time with this one. If you’re busy, save this post and read it later. If you’re a night owl like me, this is a good late-night read.

Do you know the worst thing about Cristiano Ronaldo?

It’s that he set the standards for what defines a legend… and in the end, he couldn’t even live up to the standards he created himself.

After winning Euro 2016, Ronaldo said:

“You can’t become a legend until you win a trophy with your national team.”

It was an obvious dig at Messi.

Argentina had just lost the 2014 World Cup final to Germany, and Messi was going through the toughest period of his international career. Those words only added fuel to the fire.

Where was the respect for a rival, Ronaldo?

The surprising part was that social media completely embraced that narrative. Messi was labeled a bottler, while Ronaldo was declared the winner of the rivalry—at least in the media, not on the pitch.

Then Messi retired from international football, came back, won the Copa América, and suddenly they were level in major international trophies.

What happened next?

Ronaldo fans started saying that one Euro is worth more than a hundred Copa Américas, claiming there was no competition in South America. Not true—but that became the excuse.

Then Messi went on to win the World Cup.

This time, the excuses changed again.

They claimed FIFA had fixed the tournament for Messi. That the World Cup was scripted in his favor. They simply didn’t know what else to say.

Then Ronaldo himself came out with one of the strangest quotes imaginable:

“A legend’s career can’t be defined by just seven games.”

At first glance, it sounds reasonable.

But beneath it was another attempt to diminish what Messi had achieved.

Before the World Cup, they insisted it would be Ronaldo’s tournament. On paper, Portugal had a fantastic squad. If the manager couldn’t get the best out of them, that’s Portugal’s problem—not Ronaldo’s.

Yet that same Portugal squad wasn’t any weaker than the Argentina team Messi led to the 2014 World Cup final—the same team people mocked Messi for not carrying to the title.

Just a couple of days ago, Ronaldo said:

“The World Cup doesn’t define my career, whether I win it or not.”

A statement that directly contradicts what he had said years earlier, when he admitted that winning the World Cup would make him feel completely fulfilled.

Now you’re 41 years old, Cristiano.

By your own standards:

* You have 5 Ballon d’Ors, not 8.
* You have one European Championship, not two Copa América titles.
* You never won the World Cup.
* You have four European Golden Shoes, while Messi has six—even though you’re an out-and-out striker.

So what now?

Will you keep playing until the next World Cup and become the first player to appear in one at 45, hoping to finally win it?

If we judged you by the standards you created, you wouldn’t qualify as a legend.

Of course, nobody actually judges you that way. Everyone still recognizes you as one of football’s greatest legends.

The real mistake was comparing Ronaldo to Messi in the first place.

That rivalry was exaggerated from the beginning by the media and figures like José Mourinho.

Messi conquered every major trophy available to him, shattered records that once seemed untouchable, and at 39 years old he’s still competing with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland—the stars of the next generation—for the Golden Boot. And honestly, he could still win it.

What made Messi beloved by so many fans is that he never tried to diminish Ronaldo’s achievements.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, repeatedly made comments that many interpreted as attempts to downplay his greatest rival’s accomplishments—and that’s never an admirable trait.

Cristiano helped create a generation that thinks belittling other people’s achievements while constantly glorifying your own is a way to establish dominance.

Good bye. Ronaldo.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

Robert Lewandowski leaves Barça as free agent. 👋🏼

👟 190 games
⚽️ 119 goals
🅰️ 24 assists
🌟 143 goal contributions
🏆 3x La Liga
🏆 1x Copa del Rey
🏆 3x Spanish Supercup

[Sports Illustrated FC @SI_FootballClub]

Barcelona. Champions of Spain. Again.

[Krish @krishna_s94]

Best coach in the world! Visca Barça 💙❤️

[Krish @krishna_s94]

🔥🔥💙❤️

[🕊️ @MagicalXavi]

FC Barcelona vs Newcastle United

https://t.co/tDlizLRkT1

[The Spanish Football Podcast @tsf_podcast]

LALIGA v the Prem in the UCL last 16:

Real Madrid 5-1 Manchester City.
Barcelona 8-3 Newcastle.
Atletico Madrid 7-5 Tottenham.

LALIGA 20-9 Premier League.

[Krish @krishna_s94]

@DKostanjsak Jinxed it 🤦‍♂️

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

They gave Gavi the armband too?? Oh man, I absolutely love this squad. My favorite Barça possibly possibly ever. And that’s a HUGE statement.

[Alli @tygarii]

More than meeting the Barcelona players, I’d honestly love to meet the staff behind La Masia. The people responsible for media training, psychological preparation, character development all of it. They deserve far more appreciation than they get.

These young players come out of that academy and are suddenly thrown onto the biggest stage in world football, yet you rarely see fear or hesitation in them. If you think that’s normal, it really isn’t.

Just look at when Tottenham debuted their 22-year-old goalkeeper in the Champions League the nerves were obvious. But La Masia graduates step onto the pitch and play like it’s just another night.

The level of preparation that happens inside that two-story building is incredible. Truly insane.

[Ajoje⚽⚖️ @israel_ajoje]

Barcelona is one of the best-run clubs in world football right now. And if you cannot see it, you are not paying attention.

A couple of years ago, everyone was burying them. They had debts, levers everywhere, salary cap drama. Everything was just happening to them. At some point, they were forced to play at Montjuïc cos Camp Nou was under construction.

They had no big signings and their fans were panicking. The narrative was that Barcelona were finished, mismanaged and broken.

Now, hey are top of La Liga with 61 points after 25 games with a +42 goal difference. They are four points clear of Real Madrid although Madrid has a game in hand. On the pitch, it is clicking under Hansi Flick.

But the real story is off the pitch. That is where the turnaround is most visible.

The Deloitte Football Money League 2026 just confirmed Barcelona are second in the world for revenue. €975 million, up 27 percent from last year. Only behind Real Madrid's €1.16 billion.

They jumped from sixth, even while the stadium is half-built and they they didn't play at home for a while. Their merchandise still leads Europe. Their sponsorships are solid and their personal Seat Licenses pulled in over €70 million as a one-off boost.

Their debts are dropping and small profits are showing up. Their wages are finally under control. And projections say over €1 billion once Camp Nou is fully back. They are not splashing like the old days. They are stabilizing smart and they are doing it well.

And the engine behind all of this is La Masia.

Lamine Yamal. Pedri. Gavi. Fermín López. Alejandro Balde. Pau Cubarsí. These guys cost zero in transfer fees. But they are world-beaters driving wins, and their values are through the roof.

CIES ranks La Masia as the most valuable academy globally at €738 million for players still at the club. Double what Manchester City or Bayern Munich have.

That is a product of proper long-term management. They obviously Inested in youth, developed them properly, integrated them and let them shine.

They also had smart sales too. They have raised over €52.5 million since summer 2024 from academy and reserve players who did not fully crack the first team.

They made some money from Mika Faye, Chadi Riad, Marc Guiu, Xavi Simons to PSG and so on.

Guysssssss....this is not the reckless Barcelona of before. It is sustainable with a youth core winning trophies and finances recovering fast.

Tbf, Players like Yamal dropping hat-tricks are not just hype. They are proof the club is run right again. Develop, trust, win, cash in where needed.

If you are blind to it, open your eyes. This is proper management in action.

My name is Ajoje and I am a FIFA Licensed Agent and International Sports Lawyer. I talk about the Law and Business of Football a lot. Repost and Follow me if you want to read more posts like this.

[StatMuse FC @statmusefc]

Most successful take-ons since the start of last season in Europe Top 5 leagues:

238 — Lamine Yamal
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148 — Jérémy Doku

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

Hansi Flick sends message to La Masia players following Dro’s imminent move to Paris Saint-Germain 👀

[Krish @krishna_s94]

@AnabellaMarvy @chemesiana 3-2 to Barca

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

In his very first season, Hansi Flick is going to deliver a domestic treble + a CL Semi, where we were seconds away from winning it.

Do NOT take this for granted.

Think back to where we were at the end of last season and the narratives around this club.

A mess, both on the pitch and off it, with a negligible summer market and our only season missing half the season injured.

Meanwhile, Madrid had just won the Champions League AND signed Mbappe. No one gave us a shot, and I want this to be very clear.

What Flick and his men have done progressively over the season transcends results, they’ve changed the entire perception around this club.

From a laughing stock, to one of football’s most feared sides again — that, truly, means more to me than any trophy ever could.

We’re not perfect but we’re the most entertaining Goddamn side in football and NO ONE can contain us, all while having a young core and a homegrown superstar.

This is the essence of FC Barcelona, this is why I fell in love with the club — enjoy it! 🔵🔴

[Krish @krishna_s94]

Clean sweep 👑

[Reshad Rahman @ReshadRahman]

We’re just too good for them.

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

I’ve spent a good part of my day scrolling to read every Lamine Yamal post I can find.

Nothing more therapeutic than seeing the world go crazy for our boy, lol.

Just grateful I get to watch him every week.

[Neal 🇦🇺 @NealGardner_]

We’re just over 6 months into Flick’s tenure, and the results are this:

1. Supercopa Champions

2. Top of the table

3. In the Semis of the Copa del Rey

4. 2nd out of 36 teams in the CL league phase

5. On track to score the most goals we’ve scored since our prime MSN days

All of this, whilst having practically no financial backing in the summer, with our only signing injured for the majority of the season.

To say Flick’s done is great job is a massive understatement — this is a 10/10 start if I’ve ever seen one, he’s already exceeded expectations.

[Krish @krishna_s94]

@NealGardner_ I would put TerStegen in the top 5. Bought him for just 12M and albeit a few ups and downs he’s been solid keeper for us over the last decade.

[Krish @krishna_s94]

Proud 😊

- an Ex Zoman

[Deepinder Goyal @deepigoyal]

Announcement - https://t.co/UN3aL8XuR7