Caioli Luca - Suarez, Messi, Neymar : Inside Barcelonas unstoppable new strikeforce

SUREZ
MESSI
NEYMAR

About the author

Luca Caioli is the bestselling author of the biographies Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Surez, all published by Icon Books. A renowned Italian sports journalist, he lives in Spain.

SUREZ
MESSI
NEYMAR

INSIDE BARCELONAS
UNSTOPPABLE
NEW STRIKEFORCE

LUCA CAIOLI

Published in the UK and USA in 2014 by

Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre,

3941 North Road, London N7 9DP

email:

www.iconbooks.com

Sold in the UK, Europe and Asia

by Faber & Faber Ltd, Bloomsbury House,

7477 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DA or their agents

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Distributed to the trade in the USA by

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ISBN: 978-190685-086-9

Text copyright 2014 Luca Caioli

Translation copyright 2014 Sheli Rodney

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typeset in New Baskerville by Marie Doherty

Printed and bound in the UK by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

Introduction

Surez, Messi and Neymar 9, 10 and 11 FC Barcelonas lucky numbers. They are widely considered to be the most powerful strike force in the world, the holy trinity that will rescue the Blue and Clarets from the depths of the 2013-14 season. Whats more, the club that has dominated the last decade of European football is now betting on an entirely South American trio. Meanwhile, eternal rival Real Madrid has taken the polar opposite approach with an equally magnificent formation of three players born and trained in Europe: Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, Frenchman Karim Benzema and Welshman Gareth Bale.

Of course, Leo Messi is homegrown. Bara is his first and only team, at least for now. Back in his hometown in Argentina he played briefly for Newells Old Boys in the youth leagues, but he moved over to join Barcelonas youth academy while he was still a boy. He has come up through the ranks of La Masia, and he knows the playing style, what the club represents, its aspirations. But he has also inherited the Latin American culture of playground and street football and all its traditions. Its a bilingual background that can only benefit his relationship with his two new teammates.

He has already been playing with Neymar Jnior for a year, but it has been a particularly difficult twelve months. Legal scandals and injuries have taken their toll on both players. And lets not forget that its the Brazilians first taste of football outside his home country and only his second team after Santos, so its only natural that there has been a period of adjustment. But the fans can breathe easily since the start of the 2014-15 season there have been signs of a greater understanding between the two, which can only mean a strong and more dangerous Bara.

And as if Leo and Ney werent enough, enter Luis Surez, this years big gamble for the club. An explosive player in every sense from his performance and his desire to win, to his temperament. Lucho, as he is known, has been the most talked about transfer of the season. His move to Bara comes just days after the biting of Italian Giorgio Chiellini during the Brazil World Cup. The result: a nine-match ban at international level and a four-month ban. Surez apologised publicly prior to his move to Barcelona, but after the deal was announced there were mutterings that the Uruguayan would not be a good fit for the Catalan teams values. Whatever his flaws, there is no denying his abilities, which have made him one of Uruguays top players and one of the best paid. It will be important to see how he fits in with Messi and Ney, and how they, in turn, welcome him into the fold. He will have to demonstrate once again his versatility and capacity to adapt. This is one of his greatest strengths, which made him an indispensable player in all of his former teams: Montevideos Nacional, Groningen, Ajax and Liverpool. He is well versed in historic clubs and demanding tournaments such as the Premier League, and his wealth of experience should ease his integration into the Catalan club and into Messi and Neymar territory.

The three players have very differing physiques and abilities. Surez represents strength, Neymar is technically skilful, while Messi, as the winner of four Ballon dOrs, has it all. If this gamble taken by new Bara coach Luis Enrique pays off, it could be the beginning of another golden age for the club, like the Guardiola years. The statistics look promising: between them they have nearly 900 official matches under their belt for their various clubs and countries. They are all natural goal-scorers, used to winning prizes and breaking one record after another. Its incredible considering Luis and Lionel are only 27, and Neymar is just 22. They have all enjoyed immense success so far, so it will be interesting to follow their progress over the next few years with the Blaugrana (Blue and Clarets, as Bara are known in Catalan).

Their triumphs on the pitch have also made them genuine idols, global icons on the level of rock stars or Hollywood actors, followed by millions. They stir up a frenzy both on and off the pitch and their faces and shirts are among the biggest sellers worldwide. Everything they do is heavily scrutinised and their personal lives are the subject of as much fascination as their sporting achievements fuelled further every time they post a picture of themselves with their partners or children on one of their various social media pages. They are more than just sportsmen: they are wizards with the ball, but they are also extremely bankable public figures across every conceivable market. They are 21st-century footballers as successful commercially as they are on the pitch.

This is the tale of three kids who knew from an early age that they wanted to be the best, and stopped at nothing to achieve their goals. There are surprising similarities in their parallel stories, which have now finally converged. Here we recount their childhood, family life, first brush with football, club successes, national careers, and key moments of triumph and pain. The chapters that follow offer an insight into three exceptional sportsmen fierce, tireless warriors. Numbers 9, 10 and 11, the three magic numbers, the three stars of FC Barcelona.

Chapter 1

The scouts

Luis Surez, Leo Messi and Neymar Jnior almost certainly wouldnt be global football stars if not for the people who discovered them. Or at least, the road to success would have been significantly longer. Because its not enough just to have great skills. Becoming a football star is as much about being lucky enough to get noticed having someone recognise your potential even while youre still a youngster playing a childhood game. Here we pay tribute to the three people who discovered the three Bara forwards.