need to add title here

Lionel Messi and the ascent of Barca soccer

January 6, 2013 4:00 PM

With stars like Lionel Messi and a youth academy bringing up the next generation of athletes, is Barcelona becoming the world's best soccer team? Bob Simon reports.

Lionel Messi and the ascent of Barca soccer

60 Minutes OverTimeSoccer academy "La Masia:" A model for the U.S.?

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by XA_--Space February 17, 2013 5:07 AM EST
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3otJiybGqL4
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by kpc1111 February 9, 2013 12:33 PM EST
BTW - Pique was offsides when you showed his "if you think that's heart stopping" score by the defender. Oh well!
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by SFfootyfan January 20, 2013 9:29 PM EST
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpo3z5_the-lionel-messi-documentary-world-s-greatest-player_sport#.UPyi76HtpnE

And even though the link above is for a ITV "doc" on Messi, you will learn more about Barca in that than you will this finely polished turd of PR that 60 mins did. I have no idea why 60mins seems to miss key elements that define Barca as a club and why they are so dominant. Many here have already touched on it, but it is the philosophy and implementation of a long term plan that would continue beyond any temporary manager.

That being said, I'm a recently converted NFL fan to EPL/Champions League fan, and a lesser extent Bundesliga & La Liga. So much more entertaining! I'm glad the piece was done, just unfortunate it wasn't done better.

And talking of 60mins digging deeper, I have been surprised no one has done a piece on the FIFpro Blackbook:
http://www.fifpro.org/img/uploads/file/FIFPro%20Black%20Book%20Eastern%20Europe%20WEB%20DOWNLOAD.pdf
(at the very least look at page 9)
No one talks about how a player died last year because he was refused treatment (for a virus that could have been treated) at several hospitals because the hospitals where he was only take cash which he didn't have because his club had not payed his wages in months. And they wonder why match fixing is going to be a massive problem in the future.
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by WorldCup2012 January 15, 2013 12:34 PM EST
Nice easy profile of FC Barcelona and Messi, but how about a revealing look at the other side of the coin worthy of 60 Minutes? For starters, is Messi the next Lance Armstrong where hero worship hides dark truths? He too used HGH sponsored by his club for a supposed "growth deficiency" yet it isn't clear it was medically needed even from his original doctor. He was never ill or at risk of death and was an able child athlete before the treatment. Further, La Liga doesn't test for it so how do we really know his HGH use ever stopped or if it isn't rampant in an endurance sport where players run over 10 kilometers per game and success and million dollar contracts can turn on a half step advantage on the field? As for FC Barcelona and their oft hailed La Masia, why is it that about 90% of their kids come from Spain and the vast majority of that from Catalunya? Messi is the exception and other Catalan clubs like Athletic Bilbao will not consider outsiders. Is this patriotic or is it prejudice? How is La Masia's policy any better than clubs that do not bring in black players? In the words of a popular sports anchor in the U.S., "C'mon Man!" You're 60 Minutes. You're supposed to give us hard hitting, controversial pieces...not PR from Messi's agent.
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by heavensport January 13, 2013 5:40 PM EST
Nice one, but barca is much more...
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by MHpdx January 12, 2013 2:15 AM EST
They call it Soccer in Japan too. Do your research people.
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by MyCamel1 January 10, 2013 12:19 AM EST
The name soccer is not exclusive to the US. Canadian football is played with a pointy ball and quarterback just like in the US... pleeeaaasssee!
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by berebruna January 9, 2013 11:58 PM EST
Happy to see so many comments on a 60 minutes football piece. It clearly reflects the growing popularity of this sport in US.
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by PepeCule January 8, 2013 8:20 PM EST
I can't view the video! Tried IE and firefox...
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by saabrian January 8, 2013 6:22 PM EST
Barcelona is not "becoming" the world's best soccer team. They're already there.
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