[Ex-player] Lilian Thuram, bets for Barça

The ex-Azulgrana believes Guardiola’s team is the favourite to win the Club World Cup over Santos. Thuram highlights the Club’s football model.



The ex-Barça player, Liliam Thuram, currently collaborating with the FC Barcelona Foundation, visited the Club’s facilities. The Frenchman explained that he’s happy with the team’s progress so far this season.

Thuram was part of the Barça squad led by Frank Rijkaard that lost in the 2006 Club World Cup final: “It isn’t a very good memory for me because we lost the final,” said the ex-centre back. This time, however, the Frenchman is convinced of a Barça victory: “I don’t know the Brazilian team very well, but I think Barça has the advantage. It’s December, the players have been playing for a while and they are coming into the final with a lot of confidence after the match against Madrid. I hope to see a great game and that Barça wins it.”

When Thuram donned the Barça shirt, Leo Messi was just starting out. The Frenchman recalls that even in the budding part of the Argentinian’s career that “he was an incredible player.” Thuram, however, declined to compare Messi to his next rival: “Neymar is a player that’s strong, young and that has the capacity to score a lot of goals. It’s difficult to compare players. I believe the most important thing is that players transmit happiness to the fans.”

Thuram believes that it’s “very positive” for the Club to have Pep Guardiola as the head manager because “he grew as a player and as a manger at the Club, he knows the philosophy.” Along these lines, Thuram highlighted the Club’s methodology and the confidence placed in home-grown players.

The Frenchman also has words for this countryman Éric Abidal, who he sees “as a very strong person.” The ex-Azulgrana talked about the moment Carles Puyol gave the Champions League cup to Abidal so he could be the first to lift it at Wembley, saying: “That is the image of Barça.”(via FCBarcelona.cat)